Before leaving, Makima ordered Baron Strucker to personally modify several core historical documents.
As the seal was pressed down, the name "Makima" was permanently etched into the historical archives of Sokovia's HYDRA branch.
It could be said that Makima's current identity was now officially certified as being of the purest pedigree.
Of course, this was from HYDRA's perspective.
Having handled all of this, Makima prepared to return home, boarding her private jet once more and heading back toward Washington.
...
Early morning.
As soon as the plane touched down in Washington and the cabin door opened...
Sitwell's bald head came into view, shining so brightly that Makima could barely keep her eyes open.
"My Lord Makima! Mr. Pierce wants to see you!"
He eagerly stepped forward to greet her, leading Makima to meet Alexander Pierce.
Judging by Sitwell's brisk and confident pace, it seemed Pierce hadn't noticed anything unusual.
However, this sense of urgency caused a flicker of surprise to cross Makima's mind.
Was Pierce really in such a hurry?
In the hidden meeting room, she was once again faced with Pierce's faint blue holographic projection.
"Makima, you did an excellent job on this mission."
Pierce's tone was noticeably softer than before, even carrying a rare hint of a smile. He looked like a kind old man rather than one of the cold-blooded leaders of HYDRA.
"Baron Strucker told me via encrypted communication..."
"...that you are as efficient as ever, and that you even provided vital assistance to their Project Miracle."
Makima gave a noncommittal, slight nod.
Pierce paused, then changed the subject: "That's very good. But after all, they can worry about their own mess in Sokovia. It's time for you to settle back in. I've arranged two weeks of paid administrative leave for you. During this time, stay in the United States and rest for a while."
Su Modie, watching from behind the scenes, immediately picked up on the subtext.
Clearly, the now-controlled Baron Strucker had perfectly fulfilled his duty, vouching for Makima's identity.
With the guarantee of this HYDRA titan, the last shred of Pierce's doubt regarding Makima's identity had vanished.
But that was exactly where the problem lay—Makima had performed too well.
Not only could she solve S.H.I.E.L.D.'s problems, but she could even conveniently help Strucker advance his research.
This over-the-top professional capability actually gave Pierce, as her superior, a sense of crisis.
The reason he had hurriedly summoned Makima right off the plane wasn't to reprimand her, but because he was worried Baron Strucker had designs on her and wanted to poach this star Agent.
After all, the early records in Makima's file placed her activities in Eastern Europe.
What if that old fox Strucker played the emotional card... wanting Makima to return to her homeland...
This situation was a classic case of the "Newcomer" vs. the "Childhood Friend."
Thus, Pierce rushed to call her back to keep her in line, while also offering the carrot of paid leave to keep Makima firmly in his grasp. From a certain perspective, this could even be considered a sort of jealous rivalry—
That old fox Pierce was actually getting jealous of Baron Strucker.
At this thought, Su Modie almost laughed out loud. A rivalry between two old bastards... that was quite an eyesore.
In the meeting room, Makima wore a gentle smile and obediently nodded in agreement.
She continued to play the part of a submissive little lamb. Because of this, Pierce naturally couldn't see the terrifying ambition hidden beneath her calm exterior—was Makima currently thinking about whether to work for Pierce or the Baron?
Of course not. What she was thinking now was that since the Sokovian forces were already in her hands, how much longer would it be before she seized Pierce's S.H.I.E.L.D. forces and eventually brought the entire HYDRA empire under her command?
...
Putting aside the shifts in power, this trip to Europe had also brought Su Modie considerable gains on her status panel.
[Sokovian Serpent Head]:
By dragging Baron Strucker, one of the leaders of HYDRA, down from his throne, you have not only controlled his body but also dominated his soul into that of a fawning, loyal dog. villainess points +80 points, simulation value +420 points.
[Eastern European Years]:
Through the falsification of archives and the transfer of power, you have silently turned a casual lie into true history. After all, history is always written by the victors. villainess points +120 points, simulation value +353 points.
In addition, inducing the twins to voluntarily participate in human experimentation and the slaughter of the HYDRA guards in the hall also provided a small amount of income.
However, the returns were mediocre—the former was merely deception and caused no substantial harm (in fact, it could be argued it helped them), while the latter was because HYDRA soldiers weren't good people to begin with.
Killing evil people doesn't squeeze out much villainess points; it was treated as a way for Esdeath and the others to stretch their legs and farm a bit of simulation value.
After the settlement, Su Modie's resources had recovered slightly.
[Current villainess points: 562]
[Current simulation value: 6562]
Beyond the direct numerical increases, the greatest hidden benefit of taking over the Baron's lair was the entire database of Chitauri technology research data.
Although Su Modie had long seen through Dr. List and his team of HYDRA scientists—knowing they were all show and no substance—having ready-made experimental data and wreckage analysis was better than nothing.
That same day, Makima had the core data packaged and sent via encrypted message to Jinx and Toomes' team in New York.
Jinx's team did not disappoint Su Modie.
With the existing data as a foundation, they not only quickly replicated the Chitauri energy rifles and Sokovia's energy cannon tank technology, but they even rushed out the flight suit that Toomes had been dreaming of.
In New York, inside Fisk's underground Inventory...
On a massive metal workbench, an extravagantly designed mechanical suit sat quietly.
Enormous metal wings spread out to the sides, their turbine engines and sharp mechanical feathers exuding a cold, heavy industrial texture. The core emitted a faint glow of energy Shimmer—this was the Vulture Suit, which wasn't supposed to appear for several more years.
The Vulture Suit on the workbench
Now, thanks to the combined efforts of him, Jinx, and the others, it had been developed years ahead of schedule.
However, since it had passed through the hands of that little menace Jinx...
The appearance of the suit had undergone some "minor"... mutations.
The originally cold, hard, and murderous black armor surface was now crudely covered in large areas of fluorescent green and fluorescent pink spray paint.
Frantic lines, an exaggerated bird-beak graffiti on the mask, and various wacky patterns filled with Jinx's personal style had forcefully transformed a piece of high-tech military equipment into a piece of crazed street-wasteland fashion.
Strangely enough, paired with those imposing mechanical wings, it didn't look out of place. Instead, it radiated a wild beauty with the visual impact of an American comic, as if it had jumped straight out of the Marvel Ultimate Universe.
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