Chapter 368: Hydra Lives! (Part 2)

"Hello, I've been waiting for you," Shi Ler said bluntly to Garrett: "The situation is urgent—I'll cut to the chase. I'm Director Pierce…"

Before Shi Ler could finish speaking, Garrett pulled out a gun and pointed it at him.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a muffled gunshot rang out ahead of time—his head exploded open, and John Garrett's body slowly collapsed.

Nick stepped out of the darkness. Shi Ler smiled and said: "Good shot, Director."

He walked around Garrett's corpse, inspecting it. "They're getting bold—trying to kill someone right here. I thought he'd lure me out first before acting…"

Why were Nick and Shi Ler here? Why had they killed Garrett outright? It all begins with Shi Ler's plan.

As a transplant who had read the original comics, Shi Ler knew full well that S. . . . . . was essentially a Hydra nest—and its former director, Alexander Pierce, was one of Hydra's heads and the leader of Hydra's agents within S. . . . . .

So why had Pierce vanished completely, falling into total silence? It all starts with Stark and Steve's competition.

When gods fight, mortals suffer. Whether it was Stark or Steve, whenever they threw themselves fully into a task, nothing was impossible—not only did they succeed, but they outperformed ordinary people by hundreds of times.

First, consider Steve's Avengers team—this iteration was packed with talent.

For direct assault, Steve led Peter in the front line; these two superhuman powerhouses could smash through any frontline defense. No matter how strong Hydra's base defenses were, no door could withstand Spider-Man and Red Bee ramming it.

Heavy firepower? No problem. Captain America's shield was immune to all bullets. No matter how intense the fire or how precise the snipers, just raise the shield and charge forward.

For tactical planning, the Venom-Matt combo was more than sufficient. After all, for a tactical executor, the simpler the plan, the better: create some noise to draw attention, then charge straight in.

For those incapable of direct assault, Natasha and Barton worked perfectly together: Black Widow handled infiltration, Hawkeye Barton provided long-range sniping. Once the non-assault sectors were secured, it was back to brute force.

Few forces on Earth could withstand the combination of Captain America and Spider-Man. At first, their coordination was clumsy—they often interfered with each other. For instance, Spider-Man would charge headlong and slam into Captain America's shield, sending both flying; or Peter talked too much during fights, which annoyed Steve.

But as their battles increased, their synergy improved, and their efficiency soared. Steve had fought Hydra for years—he wasn't useless. He dismantled several Hydra underground bases in New York, captured numerous prisoners, and traced them to one of their key laboratories.

With the Avengers advancing so smoothly, someone couldn't sit still.

Stark's goal was entirely different from Steve's. His approach was simple: no matter how many bases and labs you destroy, you can't solve the problem at its root. So he planned to strike from the top.

If it came to technological prowess, no one on Earth surpassed Stark. There was no old case he couldn't unearth. Yet many high-ranking Hydra members had made mistakes in their youth—including Alexander Pierce.

Pierce had managed to become S. . . . . . director for years while secretly leading Hydra—he had skills. But in his youth, he had left traces.

Pierce had played a crucial role in fighting Hydra, which earned him his position. But back then, he was impulsive, eager to protect key Hydra members. During one crackdown, he swapped out two vital scientists—evidence Stark had now found.

Of course, the files were too old and the evidence insufficient. Stark knew he needed more concrete proof to bring down Pierce, the big fish.

Just as Stark began using his advanced methods to investigate, Pierce sharply realized he was being watched.

Someone who had infiltrated and risen to lead an enemy organization must be extremely cautious. When Pierce noticed the surveillance technology was too advanced to be earthly, he knew the watcher was likely Stark.

Pierce was aware of Howard's and Maria's deaths. He had long anticipated this day, so he immediately went completely silent.

He wasn't cowardly. If the roles were reversed—if Steve and the Avengers team were hunting him—he wouldn't fear at all. He feared no direct assault; even if dragged to court, he could shout his innocence loudly.

But Stark was different. He wasn't just a scientist—he was the leader of an industrial empire. Stark didn't need to capture Pierce to get revenge. A capitalist could manipulate countless things. Even as a member of the World Security Council, Pierce couldn't withstand Stark Industries' assault.

So he chose the tactic snakes excel at: hibernation.

Pierce dared to go completely silent because he had left a backup within S. . . . . .

When John Garrett received Grant's call, he outwardly remained calm, telling Grant to protect himself—but inside, he was stunned.

Because he was Pierce's backup within S. . . . . .

Pierce had instructed Garrett: if he went completely silent, Garrett would automatically become the leader of all Hydra agents in S. . . . . .

But now, suddenly, someone appeared claiming to be Pierce's silent agent.

Agent Garrett, Level 8, was equal in rank to Coulson. He led the Emergency Response Team and had served in S. . . . . . for many years. Though not as long as Pierce, his seniority ranked among the highest in S. . . . . . and within Hydra too.

The Great Luo of All Worlds

When Garrett heard Shi Ler claim to be the silent agent, his first reaction wasn't to question the claim's truth—but "That old fox Pierce clearly doesn't trust me!"

As Pierce's subordinate, Garrett knew him better than anyone. "Three burrows for a cunning rabbit" was Pierce's trademark; his every move was full of deceit.

Garrett thought: Pierce must have heard rumors and hastily brought in a psychological doctor as a backup silent agent to balance him, preventing Garrett from consolidating power and sidelining him.

For an evil organization like Hydra, you can't expect unity. Infighting was Hydra's eternal theme—their internal struggles consumed more energy than their actual missions.

Garrett knew this all too well. So he could never let go of this golden chance to rise. If he controlled all Hydra agents in S. . . . . ., he could become one of Hydra's heads, replacing Pierce entirely.

Garrett knew this all too well, so he could never afford to give up such a golden opportunity to rise; if he could take control of all the Hydra agents within S. . . . . ., he too could become one of the heads and completely replace Pierce.

He wasn't afraid to kill inside S. . . . . . this was their stronghold. Not just agents, but janitors, drivers, and transport workers—all were theirs. No better place to strike.

But the mantis stalked the cicada, unaware the oriole was behind. Shi Ler had anticipated Hydra's nature precisely—he had used this tactic to test whether Pierce had left a hidden agent. The result pleased him.

This back-and-forth prediction might sound complex, but it's a common tactic—like in Werewolf, when the wolf at position one stands up and shouts, "I'm the Seer!"

A foolish true Seer, when speaking later, might jump up and say: "No! I'm the real Seer!"

Then, that night, the wolf kills him.

Shi Ler shouted in S. . . . . .: "I'm the silent agent left by Director Pierce!"

If Pierce truly had left a backup, and given Hydra's complete lack of unity, the real agent would try to kill Shi Ler.

Nick raised his gun, staring at Garrett's corpse. "I expected Pierce, but I didn't think Garrett was with him. I assumed they were rivals."

"They were allies—but also rivals. Garrett wanted to replace Pierce. Pierce has been gone from S. . . . . . for years, yet still controls everything remotely. As the most senior Hydra agent here, Garrett has long wanted to take over."

As he spoke, Shi Ler walked toward the door. "I hope tomorrow morning I find a tidy office. Thank you."

The next day, in the immaculate psychological counseling room, Shi Ler looked grave as he told Grant: "Now, I think you understand the gravity of the situation."

"Pierce is missing. Garrett is under secret investigation. Neither has much chance of survival. A brutal trial is coming. Are you ready?"

Grant's face remained expressionless. "Did you kill Garrett?"

Shi Ler twirled his pen in his hand, smiling. "You're clever. Too bad Garrett wasn't as clever as you."

"He thought years of control here gave him the right to act against me. But if Pierce sent me here, do you think he didn't foresee this?"

After Shi Ler spoke, Grant relaxed slightly. This fit Hydra's internal betrayal perfectly—it ruled out Shi Ler being a S. . . . . . agent. Those agents would deny it to clear themselves.

"Listen, I'm not joking. I'm taking full control of S. . . . . . If you have complaints, take them up with the Guard."

At last, Grant spoke: "What's your next move?"

"I'm launching a full security protocol. All key personnel will be on the protection list. If anything goes wrong, I'll evacuate them immediately."

"I will launch a comprehensive security plan; all key personnel will be on the security list, and if anything goes wrong, I will immediately relocate them."

"Do you know Arkham Sanatorium? It's my property—and one of Hydra's secret bases in New York. Only I and Pierce knew about it. Even senior leaders from other regions didn't know. It's only to be activated in emergencies."

"Has it come to this?" Grant narrowed his eyes. "Aren't there always purges?"

"Are you really a Level 7 agent?" Shi Ler stared into Grant's eyes. "Which purge in the past ever reached Director Pierce's level?"

Grant fell silent. Shi Ler squeezed his pen. "Clearly, a new era is dawning. Humanity thinks it's about to enter the cosmos, so it plans to stabilize its interior first. This purge will be unprecedentedly brutal. But it doesn't matter—I've always been part of the Correctionists."

"Since that great war, Hydra's glory has faded. The main reason? A bunch of useless, idle fools joined us."

"In this upheaval, I'll decide your inclusion on the protection list based on your performance. If you're just collecting a salary and doing nothing, wait for justice to fall upon your head…"

Grant left the counseling room, squinting hard. He felt immense pressure. Clearly, this new leader descending upon S. . . . . . was the most dangerous kind of fanatic.

Grant's emotions were complex, but he returned to his team's area as if nothing had happened. As soon as he walked in, Coulson approached him. "You went for psychological counseling? Good heavens! I've been so busy I forgot about you—I owe you an apology…"

"No, I'm fine," Grant replied, shaking his head stiffly. Coulson didn't press it—he knew Grant's nature.

Back in his room, Grant leaned against the door, tilting his head up, whispering softly: "Security protocol…"

Grant leaned back against the doorframe, tilting his head up, and murmured softly: "Security Plan…"