Was Bates Capital important to him? Of course!
But relative to his current precarious situation, the fate of Bates Capital was merely like two apple trees that had caught fire when his massive rear garden was already burning down.
"Richard," Pierce's voice held a cold weariness and impatience. "Listen, I don't have the spare resources to deal with your feud with that Lane whelp. You must bear the consequences."
"But…"
"No 'buts'!" Pierce interrupted him brutally, roaring: "Give up the delusion. The Bates Capital shell is worthless. Listen, my final instruction to you is this: use the last few channels you can still control to completely destroy the valuable information in the core database. Then, use the 'old channels' to quickly transfer any clean, movable cash to the Swiss accounts. Once that is done, pray to the damn Jesus that you survive, find a place to hide, and wait for my next message. Remember, clean up every single loose end before you disappear. If you leave any clue pointing back to us… I will drag you up from hell and consume you alive."
Pierce's voice, like a poisoned ice pick, stabbed through Richard's last sliver of hope.
"This… this is too heartless! Mr. Alexander! We have served the Organization…"
"The Organization does not need failures, and it certainly cannot risk exposure!" Pierce's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable cruelty. "Bates Capital was merely a pawn, Richard—a pawn that has been exposed and has lost its value. Now, execute your orders and vanish. That is your last use."
"Beep, beep, beep…" The line was ruthlessly cut off.
The cold busy signal echoed through the empty warehouse like a death knell. Richard Bates stood in the darkness, his body trembling like a leaf in the wind. He understood that he, along with the company he had spent half his life building, had been discarded like trash by his master. His former power and extravagance were now replaced by a chilling, deep-seated fear and despair.
Richard stumbled backward, leaning against the cold wall, slowly sliding down to the floor, burying his hands deep in his hair. He felt utterly wronged. You were the one who authorized the takeover plan for the Lane family; you agreed to bring the Tow Squad into the country to assassinate Lane Group executives; and you arranged it all! How could he just pull up his pants and disown them now!
On the other end, Alexander Pierce hung up the phone, looked at the mess before him, and sighed heavily. He suddenly realized that the position of Hydra was no longer what it once was, and now they faced such a major crisis. The Bates family had always been loyal. If he abandoned them now, what would the other members of the Organization think? Would they become disillusioned?
A divided heart makes for a difficult team!
Sighing, he picked up the phone again. After carefully considering his words, he redialed.
At that moment, Richard Bates, who had fallen deep into despair, saw the familiar number on his phone. His eyes lit up, and he quickly snatched up the call, terrified that the line would be disconnected again.
"Richard, I was a bit out of line just now."
Hearing this, Richard immediately stood up, seemingly overwhelmed. "Not at all, not at all, it was all for the Organization."
"Hmm, I'm glad you understand. When you hired the Tow Squad through me to assassinate the Lane family and failed, I should have drawn up countermeasures, but I underestimated the situation. I bear some responsibility."
"No, no, no, Mr. Alexander, it's all my fault for not thoroughly investigating the Lane family's background. The problem is all mine." Richard was extremely apprehensive, quickly taking all the blame upon himself.
Alexander shook his head. "It's too late for excuses. Listen to me. I will arrange for you to leave the United States. I will guarantee your safety. I believe the assets you've managed to transfer are enough for you to live comfortably in any country for the rest of your life… Hmm… that's it…"
"Beep, beep—"
Just as Richard was about to say something, the busy signal came through again.
....
The Triskelion.
Nick Fury, still working late, saw his secure communicator light up with the name Pierce. His eye narrowed slightly.
That's right. After thinking it over, Alexander Pierce concluded that the only person reliable enough to properly secure the Bates family was Nick Fury. He intended to entrust his promise to the Bateses to Fury. In exchange, he would offer Fury some information he desired, such as research findings from Project Witch, hoping this would buy him a temporary halt to the investigation. He was sure Nick Fury would be interested in the Witches, beings known as moving disasters.
Although the destroyed Busan base was the oldest, largest, and most important base for Project Witch—producing Goo Ja-yoon, Shin Si-ah, and the Tow Squad of T0 and T1 level Witches—it was not the only base operated by Hydra and the Bonbu.
The Bonbu (Headquarters) was the founding organization of Project Witch, formerly a gene-editing corporation. It held a large number of finished Witch combatants and was an organization as ancient as Hydra, entrenched in East Asia and Europe.
"Hello, Pierce," Fury's voice carried its usual hint of cheerfulness, as though he were just taking a casual call from an old friend, but his sole eye narrowed sharply, locking onto its target like a searchlight.
"Nick," Pierce's voice came through. He tried hard to maintain composure, but the deliberately suppressed weariness and frustration were like an undertow, which Fury heard clearly. "Still burning the midnight oil? The things we do for world peace, truly commendable."
Fury grinned, flashing his white teeth, and leaned back in his chair. "Serving the people, you know. But you, Alexander, you sound like you just ran a marathon. By the way, how are things going with your business in Korea?"
There was a half-second silence on the other end. Pierce's voice was almost gritting his teeth. "…We hit a bit of turbulence, I'm afraid. Nick, I need a favor from you. A private one." He decided to cut straight to the chase.
"Oh?" Fury's tone lifted, curious. "A 'private favor' important enough to make Director Pierce ask? That's quite a load. Lay it on me."
"Bates Capital is finished," Pierce's voice sank, carrying a heavy finality. "Richard Bates and his core team got themselves into deep trouble. That young pup Hawk Lane bit too hard, and they can't hold on. Now they're surrounded by wolves, and internally… they've collapsed. I need your help to safely escort them out of the country and find them a quiet place to 'retire.'"
Fury rubbed his bald head, letting out a drawn-out, "Hiss…" of feigned difficulty.
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