Heisenberg, Rumlow, and Elektra were just as shocked by the alien Eryda.
But after the initial surprise, they quickly steadied themselves.
After all, an alien like Heisenberg was already standing right in front of them. Compared to that, what was this ugly, weak little alien supposed to be?
So the two of them looked to Heisenberg in turn, waiting for his decision.
And then they saw Heisenberg.
Heisenberg, sprawled in his chair like a salted fish.
"Hm?" Rumlow froze. Why did the boss he'd just acknowledged turn into this?
Could it be that Kryptonians weren't only afraid of kryptonite, but also afraid of green?
If Heisenberg could hear Rumlow's thoughts, he would absolutely nod in agreement.
These days, no matter your gender, who wouldn't be scared of a green glow hanging over their head?
"Boss," Rumlow called softly.
Heisenberg finally snapped out of his daze. He looked at the alien in front of him with a helpless expression and asked, "From the looks of you, a Skrull? How long have you been on Earth?"
"I arrived two days ago. Nick Fury believes you're a threat, so he reached a temporary agreement with Talos, the acting leader of us Skrull refugees."
"Oh!" Heisenberg nodded, then continued, "If he has an agreement with you, why are you still seeking my protection?"
"I have to admit, sir, the one who made an agreement with us was Nick Fury as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D… but S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone!"
As she spoke, Eryda described the current situation inside S.H.I.E.L.D. to everyone.
…
After she finished, Heisenberg nodded in understanding. He turned to Rumlow and asked quietly, "You heard her. The situation is basically what I guessed. The war between S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA has fully begun."
"Yes, Boss. This war will probably last a few days. I should move as soon as possible to carry out our plan."
With that, Rumlow decisively left with Elektra.
After they were gone, Heisenberg looked at Eryda.
"Diplomatic ties with you Skrulls aren't impossible, but I'll say this up front. I will not intervene in S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA's war."
At those words, Eryda could only kneel, powerless and silent, on one knee before Heisenberg.
Heisenberg thought for a moment.
He really didn't understand the cosmic side of the Marvel universe well enough. Skrulls could definitely help him when it came to infiltrating and backstabbing.
The reason he wouldn't act personally was simple. He had already told Coulson he wouldn't help S.H.I.E.L.D., and he would never break his word.
So he needed to send a subordinate with enough power into the mess.
"Eryda," Heisenberg said suddenly, "I can save your people, but I need definite news that Nick Fury is truly dead. Can you do that?"
Eryda instantly understood what he meant.
She nodded rapidly and answered without hesitation, "No problem. Nick Fury will die in public, and we will live!"
"Good, but that's only the beginning." Heisenberg's eyes narrowed. "I need Nick Fury to appear in front of me. The real Nick Fury. Understand?"
"Yes. Without S.H.I.E.L.D.'s power, even if Nick Fury still has a few secret bases, it won't be enough to cooperate with the Skrull Empire. We will deliver him to you."
"Very good." Heisenberg was satisfied.
Since the alien was so obedient, Heisenberg wasn't stingy either.
"Where are you Skrull refugees staying right now?"
"We've built a small base on the Moon."
"Heh. That empty, desolate Moon? Forget it." Heisenberg waved it off. "Go back and tell Talos. As long as you follow the agreement and work for me, I'll give you an excellent ecological planet."
"You can choose the planet yourselves. Even if you choose territory that belongs to Thanos, I'll take it down for you and provide you protection."
"This…!!!"
Eryda was ecstatic, but before she could even smile, she saw Heisenberg rise from the chair.
At this moment, a colorless domain formed around him, a biological force field spreading outward.
The instant Eryda was enveloped by it, she fell to the ground like she'd been struck by divine thunder.
She struggled to adjust herself so she could keep looking up at him.
In her eyes, Heisenberg, like a demon god, spoke slowly.
"Thanos has power. I have power too."
"Thanos has discipline. I have it too."
"But there's one thing that's different between us. I won't treat traitors the way he does."
Heisenberg let out a cold laugh.
"Hmph. Randomly wiping out half a species? A few generations and it can recover."
"Compared to his meaningless 'order,' I prefer refinement."
"I keep everything that satisfies me. I remove everything that doesn't."
"When those species no longer exist, the universe naturally has more space for population."
"Don't you think so?"
"Yes!" Eryda trembled and nodded, then crawled up under crushing pressure and threw herself flat, fully prostrate in submission.
Heisenberg withdrew the force field and waved his hand at her casually.
"Go downstairs to the nightclub. Find a woman named Jessica. Tell her it's my order. Have her bring you to escort your people back."
"As you command!"
Eryda finally regained a sliver of joy, but even so, she no longer dared face Heisenberg directly. She got up awkwardly and rushed to the hole she'd blasted open earlier, jumping back down into the nightclub.
At last, Heisenberg could finally breathe.
He took a couple sips of alcohol, ready to go back to his lounge chair and rest properly.
Then he remembered.
His favorite chair was gone.
He sighed gloomily and lay down on another chair instead.
If the favorite is gone, what do you do?
You cultivate a new favorite.
A professional two-timer, through and through.
Not long after, his subordinates rushed up to clean. First, they removed the blood slurry, then they repaired the rooftop ceiling.
While watching them work, Heisenberg kept thinking.
This version of HYDRA was far more decisive than the one in the movies.
What was Alexander Pierce thinking?
…
As the previous Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and now the head of HYDRA's American branch, Alexander Pierce was also paying close attention to the Purple Man.
Heisenberg's appearance had sounded an alarm for S.H.I.E.L.D., but it also made HYDRA deeply wary.
So…
When Pierce personally heard those agents in the video say they were HYDRA…
His mindset was no better than Nick Fury's.
Then, John Garrett's declaration of war practically pushed him into a corner.
What should he do?
What should he choose?
Should he raise the flag immediately and launch a full attack on S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Or should he stand on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s side again, suppress Garrett first, and then wait for the right moment?
No. No, no, no.
That wasn't a choice.
That was an outcome.
He could no longer "wait for the right moment."
John Garrett was one of his most important subordinates. They'd worked together for over thirty years.
Back when Pierce was still Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he had already pulled Garrett under him and handed over most of his elite mobile forces to Garrett's command.
Pierce had nowhere left to retreat.
Because if he lost Garrett's forces, he would never again be able to launch a full counterattack against S.H.I.E.L.D.
Time didn't wait. He had to strike now.
"Dr. Zola!"
Pierce immediately contacted Zola, who had already become an intelligent digital lifeform.
"Lock down all S.H.I.E.L.D. networks. Cancel every S.H.I.E.L.D. clearance level and privilege, especially lock down every permission related to Nick Fury. And announce to all HYDRA members that war is here!"
The moment he finished, Zola hung up.
Right after that, Pierce received a text.
Only a single line.
"HAILHYDRA"
Pierce closed the message and made a second call.
"Sitwell," he said into the phone. "Release the beast. Any way you have to. We need chaos more than S.H.I.E.L.D. does."
"Understood. But besides the beast… Tony Stark has joined the war. He's in Hell's Kitchen."
"Kill them. Including Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and everyone who follows Nick Fury's orders."
Bang!
Pierce smashed the phone into pieces.
…
Sitwell listened to the dead tone and sprang up from his chair, face tight with panic.
And with him, more than three hundred people across the office stood up too.
All of them had received the text that the war had begun, and they moved instantly.
"Hail HYDRA!!!"
No one knew who shouted first, but the chant spread from the room to the corridors, up and down the floors, and then throughout the entire Triskelion.
The roar of "Hail HYDRA" was deafening.
That was exactly why Heisenberg liked organizations like HYDRA as subordinates.
That unity. That fanaticism.
It was exhilarating.
Gunfire escalated, continuous and relentless. Countless S.H.I.E.L.D. agents died in confusion inside the Triskelion.
As for Sitwell, the little bald man, he led two action teams and sprinted toward the place where the monster rested.
In less than five minutes, they reached the destination.
Facing an ordinary-looking door, Sitwell was so tense sweat poured down his face.
"Once we open the door, use flashbangs as a feint and draw him out, lure him to the command center, then out onto the streets!"
"After that, the remaining personnel among you will mobilize every flying asset we can access and launch an assault on the White House!"
"Our leader needs this country to descend into total chaos. And what creates more chaos than having the highest administrative building vanish completely?"
With that, he waved his hand, and the team began to move.
Inside the room, Bruce Banner was reading.
He had no entertainment. Being able to read quietly was already his greatest comfort.
His room was like a cage. He couldn't see anything outside, and he couldn't hear even the slightest sound from the hallway.
Still, there was no need to worry about him developing mental illness. The room was spacious, and the ceiling projected a starry sky. The window displayed scenes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, shifting with Banner's heartbeat.
But in the next second, the scenery vanished.
Banner looked around in confusion, thinking the projection equipment had malfunctioned.
Then he heard the door open.
The instant it opened, Banner heard intense gunfire outside, and his heartbeat instantly accelerated.
And right after that, more than a dozen grenade-like objects landed beside him.
And then…
The giant broke free.
/-\
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