"You broke the Supreme Council's agreement, Viper."
A steady, aging male voice came from the other side of the communicator. "This is not what I want."
Ophelia sounded helpless. "Who made my great master take a fancy to Stark's territory and assets? I dare not go against the master's wishes. Why don't you talk to my master yourself? I can't guarantee if he'll be willing to see you."
The person on the other end of the line fell silent.
Asking him to meet a mysterious and dangerous guy? That would be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth. His end would likely be the same as Stark's. After a long pause, his voice came through again. "Are they still alive?"
"Yes, they're all intact."
Ophelia glanced at the men lying on the deck.
Except for the black-haired man in front of her, who had a good physique, the others looked outwardly fine, but the impact of her landing had likely destroyed their internal organs.
His breath was faint, and he was officially on borrowed time.
"Eighty million US dollars," Pierce offered, getting straight to the point.
In 2002, 80 million US dollars for eight people was a sky-high price.
Unfortunately, Ophelia wasn't interested. "You don't think you're going to die, do you, Pierce?"
Eighty million US dollars? If she killed Pierce, she could drain all his assets.
"I believe there is no need for us to go to this extent, ma'am," Pierce's voice softened considerably.
Madripoor still hadn't figured out the situation. He had sent out an elite team of super-soldiers, and they had been captured that very night. He didn't know how, but it couldn't have been simple. The joint multinational fleet in the Strait of Malacca still hadn't broken through the ice.
Considering all this, Pierce knew that if she wanted him dead, he would die—even as a member of the World Security Council.
He hadn't expected Viper to be so bloodthirsty, giving him no room to negotiate.
"People always feel desperate when they reach the end. You shouldn't have tried to pry into places you couldn't touch. You should know that if you do something wrong, you have to pay the price."
"Damn it, what a shitty price. Viper, you betrayed HYDRA, and you're the enemy of all of us."
"HYDRA?"
Ophelia laughed. "Nazis? Or the Hive that you wanted to save through the Far Star Project?"
"HYDRA, an organization created by conspirators and ambitious people, trying to rule the world? We were just rats hiding in the sewers, but I was lucky enough to understand how small we were. You're still living in that ridiculous fantasy world."
"Forget it, Pierce. Cherish this last night. The wrath of God will burn you to ashes."
Pierce angrily hung up the call. Ophelia wasn't mad; why should she be angry at a man destined to die?
She effortlessly crushed the communicator with her slender fingers and threw it away.
With a slight movement, her Psychokinesis lifted the chin of the man in front of her. Despite the immense pressure, his eyes were as cold as a machine, devoid of emotion.
"A chaotic and complicated memory. Another poor brainwashed person. Let me take a good look. I'm going in."
"So many fragments of tangled memories... Oh?"
Ophelia's beautiful eyes lit up as she peered into the man's memories. She discovered that his identity was not simple.
"No wonder your face looks so familiar. Army Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, Captain America Steve Rogers' best friend, the Howling Commandos, the Winter Soldier, and Dr. Zola."
"Wait, you killed that scientist couple, too?"
"How ironic. You killed your good brother's friend with your own hands."
While Ophelia was sifting through Bucky's memories, he was also breaking free from the brainwashing. Fragments of memory kept emerging, twisting his cold face in pain.
"Steve."
"Bucky... the Howling Commandos."
Bucky's eyes changed, showing pain, indifference, and longing as his own memories and brainwashing commands clashed in his brain. Eventually, his nervous system automatically triggered a protection mechanism, and he passed out completely.
Ophelia finished reading the man's memories and reached up to pinch a strand of her green hair.
"Well, should I kill you?"
"That seems a bit wasteful. Such a good body could be used as a test subject. Although my sixth sense is awakening, the knowledge my master gave me includes poison that goes beyond human understanding and fighting skills that integrate the microcosm."
"Both are indispensable. The stronger the poison and the microcosm, the stronger the power."
"It's a done deal, Sergeant. If you're lucky and survive my experiment, you might get some unexpected gains."
Ophelia smiled, then flew into the air, using Psychokinesis to grab the Winter Soldier and fly toward Greenland.
Before she left, the outer layer of the yacht was covered with a dark purple halo. The intense, corrosive toxicity instantly melted the yacht and the seven dead bodies it contained, leaving nothing but a swirl of purple in the sea.
(End of Chapter)
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