As Su Ming moved through the sewers toward his destination, other forces were also making their moves. After losing contact with the Howling Commandos, the SSR urgently t with the British side. A special unit from a unique British departnt was already en route to Paris.
Far away in New York, the Human Torch was growing dissatisfied with his daily tasks of acting as a city cop, handling disputes. He felt he needed more righteous and aningful action to atone for the damage he had previously caused. Following the advice of his accountant, he was now on his way to the European battlefield.
Leviathan called a halt, and their beautiful agent in Paris reported on the situation. They decided to make so preparations.
Groups such as the Hand, Ten Rings, and Hellfire Club were quietly adjusting their strategies.
In a pitch-black room, there was only a round table and a single lamp. A bright, cylindrical light beam cast a white circle on the tabletop, while the rest of the surroundings remained shrouded in shadow.
Around the round table were ten chairs, most of them occupied, with only one left empty.
In the darkness, the faces of these individuals were indistinct, but their military uniforms and the octopus-skull emblem hanging on their chests could just barely be made out.
For the mont, the people around the table sat silently, waiting. No one spoke.
Finally, a voice erged from the darkness.
"It seems Stryker won't be joining us. Let's begin."
"Heh, he hates you. Why would he bother with your pointless prattle? His new Hydra faction is expanding in the Far East. By the ti he returns, we might be down one person among us," another voice chid in, mocking the first speaker.
The first speaker remained unruffled, his tone calm. "Let him try. Our agenda today concerns sothing else—a major decision regarding Hydra's future."
Another figure raised a hand, adjusting their glasses as they spoke. "What now? Are you planning to hand over the Tesseract to focus on this gene research?"
A sharp, thin voice interrupted. "Gentlen...and ladies, the X-gene may indeed hold potential, but its value pales in comparison to my research! We already possess infinite power—why should we concern ourselves with re dirt beneath our feet?"
"Oh? Are you dismissing my research, then? Would you care to try so of my genetic mutation gas?" a woman's voice drifted in, cold and threatening.
"Let's set aside the argunts for now and hear what Red Skull has to say," a low, deep voice echoed from the shadows. On the chest of the figure who spoke, so sort of tentacle-like appendages could be seen slowly moving.
A pair of blue hands rested on the table as the speaker leaned back comfortably in his chair. "Hive is right. Red Skull, what do you have to say?"
Red Skull leaned forward into the light, his skinless face gradually illuminated. The downlighting cast grotesque shadows across his features.
"Our glorious Führer is planning to move against Hydra soon. I suggest we withdraw from Germany and once again go into hiding."
A growl, sothing like the sound of a bull, rumbled from the darkness, though the tone suggested amusent. "Co on, Red Skull. Your ambitions are too obvious. The Führer just wants to get rid of you, not us. You're rely the figurehead of Hydra. Are you hoping we'll vote to remove you from that position?"
"I oppose this. Right now, we must rely on the Führer. He is Germany's hope," another voice interjected, clearly from a pro-Führer faction.
Red Skull slamd his fist on the table but only struck air, montarily forgetting that this was Hive's psychic network, not an actual eting room.
Breathing heavily through his nostrils, Red Skull adjusted his uniform. "Zemo, is that your decision?"
"Yes, I am Hydra, but I am also German. The Reich cos before all," Zemo replied, his voice distant and detached.
He had made his stance clear—he and his forces would remain loyal to the Führer. Zemo wasn't too fond of being dragged into Hive's psychic eting. He still had plans to capture Captain Arica.
"I also don't support going to war with the Führer. It would only give our enemies an opportunity. Besides, my research in Southeast Asia isn't complete yet. You can consider neutral," said Dr. Whitehall, the man who had earlier adjusted his glasses, indicating his abstention.
A middle-aged man with a bushy beard allowed a bit of his stubble to catch the light. "Faustus abstains. I'm an intelligence officer, and my current cover is too important. I'm not interested in your political gas."
"Ophelia opposes." Mada Hydra's voice was firm. She was in South Arica, researching new venomous snakes in the rainforest. European matters weren't her concern, but she leaned toward the Führer's vision of the future.
"Kraken opposes." The not-so-bright Kraken also sided with the Führer. Lately, he had been working closely with the Leviathan, who had little regard for Hydra and only collaborated with the Führer.
"Countess, abstains. You understand, Red Skull. We spies have our own priorities," a woman's voice, speaking in fluent English, added her abstention.
Hive murmured sothing in a strange language, but his psychic powers allowed everyone to understand that he, too, abstained. He was in outer space and had no particular stance on the matter.
"I...I support Schmidt," Dr. Arnim Zola stamred. He had wanted to abstain, but with Red Skull right beside him in real life, he felt forced to voice his support.
"Heh, Heinrich here. I support Red Skull. I like blue, he likes red—I think we're quite similar in our thinking," said Blue Gloves unexpectedly, casting his vote for Red Skull. Even though no one could see each other's faces, it was clear that the others were shocked by his decision.
Blue Gloves had always been a solitary figure, never expressing an opinion. Now, siding with Red Skull and advocating for a war against the Führer was completely out of character.
But despite his vote, it didn't change the outco.
Zemo, Mada Hydra, and Kraken opposed going to war with the Führer. Red Skull, Zola, and Blue Gloves supported it. The others, including the absent Stryker, abstained. With so many abstentions, the vote was inconclusive and failed to pass.
"Tch, what a waste of ti," Zemo muttered before his image blinked out, severing his psychic connection with Hive.
The others quickly followed suit, leaving the dark room empty except for Red Skull, Zola, and Heinrich.
"These shortsighted fools... can't they see that I'm the one who will lead Hydra to glory? I know what they're thinking—they want to bring Stryker back, and they're plotting to get rid of ! Worthless scum!" Red Skull fud.
"Well, it seems things are getting difficult to salvage now," Heinrich said, standing from his chair. His image gradually faded into the shadows. "But Schmidt, when you have a plan, let know. Hail Hydra."
With that, the room fell silent, and everyone was gone.
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