Chapter 905

"First, the Brotherhood of Mutants is the one that always reveals its identity before committing crimes; their goal is to stage a protest against ordinary people and societal authorities to demand mutant rights."

"But over all these years, they've never targeted S. . . . . ., because they know S. . . . . . isn't like ordinary government agencies that can't do anything about them—we have the Avengers."

"And staging a protest against us is useless; we don't make policy, we can barely change mutants' living conditions, and provoking us would be entirely counterproductive."

"If Magneto himself were here, he'd likely take all the equipment away rather than blow it up—Magneto doesn't lack such capability; he could even open a portal directly and make all the equipment fly into it himself—it's not difficult for him."

"Mutants have never had a good situation; they wouldn't just abandon such advanced and dangerous weapons and blow them up—it makes no sense, and it could provoke a fierce backlash from us."

"But if it's not the Brotherhood of Mutants, then why would they deliberately leave behind traces of mutants?"

Nick turned to look at Natasha and said: "I'm not blaming you, Natasha—you've rarely been in such a desperate situation during your career as an agent, but clearly, the other side has malicious intent."

"You're a super-soldier, but you're primarily skilled in strength and combat, not in extraordinary perception; yet in that critical moment, you still noticed mutant traces—that suggests it was likely intentional, that they wanted you to see them…"

"We've encountered this tactic many times: deliberately making the incident appear mysterious and supernatural, then leaving just a small clue to pin the blame on the other side."

Sheer stepped forward and said: "You mean someone's trying to frame the mutants? Who would do that?"

"Who else?" Nick's face darkened as he stared at the ruined equipment; the words "heart bleeding" were etched into his expression. "Who hates mutants the most? Who wants mutants to have more enemies? Who wants the Avengers to go after mutants?"

"You mean those anti-mutant extremists?" Captain America spoke up. "Their actions are unjust—genocide is profoundly evil!"

"There have always been people like that in Congress and the military," Iron Man said with a tone of disgust. "They've turned anti-mutant sentiment into a business, willing to pay any price—it's disgusting."

Spider-Man crouched beside them, speaking with a somber tone: "These are precious achievements of human scientific civilization, destroyed like this. If they'd been allowed to continue research, we might have developed something truly powerful—but now…"

"They must pay a price!" Nick said grimly. "Mutants are who we should unite with—they're part of humanity, and they can provide crucial help as we move toward the stars and oceans."

Here, Nick glanced at Sheer, then continued: "We can't let those fools hold us back. Avengers, prepare—we're settling accounts with them!"

But at that moment, Sheer's phone suddenly rang. After answering, he said: "Hello? Yes, this is me… What? Two of our labs in Boston were attacked?? Okay, I understand—I'm on my way!"

Sheer hung up and said grimly to Nick: "Bad news, Director—two medical research projects under my supervision have been attacked. Field team's Ward called me—our research team suffered heavy losses!"

"Get on the plane!" Nick's face grew darker. He waved his hand, leading everyone back onto the aircraft, heading for Boston.

Boston lies northeast of New York, but it's still some distance from the southern part of Pennsylvania where the Avengers were stationed. After a period of flight, as they stepped onto Boston's soil, the chill in the air signaled its higher latitude.

They rushed to the lab site—the lab remained underground, outside the city. As soon as they descended the stairs, Ward met them; he still carried the lingering scent of blood. He wore his usual stern expression and said: "I'm sorry, Director—I arrived too late!"

"What happened?" Nick's eyebrows furrowed deeply. Ward led them inside. Not far in, they saw several corpses lying at the entrance to the office.

Their deaths were bizarre—every limb twisted as if violently contorted, not a single bone intact, blood splattered everywhere.

Ward led everyone to the farthest lab, where a trembling researcher crouched in the corner. Ward stepped in and said: "Andrew, the Director of S. . . . . . is here. Tell him what you saw."

Andrew stood up shakily. Nick stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and said: "Don't be afraid—the Avengers will see justice done for you. Tell us—who did this?"

"Two blond young men… two… two demons…" Andrew stammered. "We were running a drug experiment—they suddenly burst in…"

"The security guards at the entrance seemed controlled by them—they opened fire on us. They themselves could control the air—no, maybe kinetic energy—and trigger explosions. They came in, took all the experimental drugs, then left…"

"The moment I heard the noise, I hid in the safe room—I wasn't discovered, so I survived. I saw it with my own eyes: when they clasped hands, a massive explosion erupted—in the lab across from here. You should go check…"

Following Andrew's gesture, Nick walked over and found the opposite lab utterly destroyed. Besides scattered equipment fragments, walls and floors were charred black—identical to the previous warehouse.

"I saw—they looked like twins, nearly identical. Both had special abilities. The boy seemed to control minds; the girl could fire air cannons from her hands. Together, they triggered explosions—they were devils…"

At that moment, Captain America seemed to recall something. He whispered a name: "Baron Strucker…"

"What did you say, Steve?" Nick frowned, turning to Captain America.

"Baron Strucker and his children," Captain America repeated. "Strucker—a white supremacist, a Nazi, a believer in extreme violence. He genetically modified his twin children, giving them mutant abilities."

"During my fight against Hydra, he was an extremely stubborn enemy. I thought I'd killed him—but how could the Fennris Twins be here?"

"They're Hydra???" Nick narrowed his eyes and turned to Sheer—only to find Sheer also looking puzzled.

Sheer raised an eyebrow, signaling Nick to step aside. As Nick followed, Sheer lowered his voice: "He's from German headquarters—a true **. Hydra is merely a tool for him to realize his evil ideals. He likely has a larger scheme…"

"Then you—" Nick began, but his phone rang again. He answered: "What? The Avengers' base has been attacked??!! Damn it, are they insane? Get back to New York immediately!!"

The group hastily flew back to New York. Amid the chaos of the Avengers' base, they found Ma Te. He was unharmed. He said: "I arrived a bit late—they took some things, but thankfully, no casualties."

"What did they take?" Nick asked.

"The Avengers' New York deployment map," Ma Te said, gesturing to the nearby filing cabinet. "Not anything critical—just a few cameras. Before they left, I heard a slogan—you all know it: 'Hail Hydra.'"

Captain America slammed the table. "It's them! The damned Hydra!"

Nick stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and gave him a subtle glance where Sheer couldn't see. Captain America sighed: "Someone must have leaked our information—perhaps those anti-mutant extremists…"

"I think you're jumping to conclusions," Iron Man quickly interjected. "It might be multiple factions—but we must make them pay."

"I'll lead the operation against Hydra," Captain America said immediately, then turned to Nick. "You and Tony should handle the traitors within our own ranks…"

At that moment, Coulson picked up his phone again. "Hello? What? All twenty-two of our bases have been attacked?? Requesting backup?? Okay, I understand—I'll inform the Director immediately…"

"Director, several key bases in New Mexico have been attacked—they're likely trying to seize the Air Carrier. The base defenses held them off, but they're requesting immediate support—we must go now!"

"Captain America, you and Coulson go. Tony, we still—"

Coulson glanced at his phone again. "No, Director—our two outposts in Toronto have also been attacked. They've sent a distress signal—they're underwater warehouses…"

"Alright, Tony, go to Toronto. Then I, Spider-Man, and Sheer will handle New York State…"

The group quickly devised a tactical plan and split up. Sheer and Nick returned to S. . . . . ., but Spider-Man said: "I haven't been home in a long time—my uncle and aunt might be worried. I might need to…"

"Go ahead, Peter," Nick nodded. "Don't let your family worry. Sheer and I will wait here. Once you've settled things, we'll plan operations near New York."

Sheer added warmly: "Don't worry, Peter—but before you go, call your uncle and aunt. Otherwise, they might be too shocked seeing you alive after thinking you were dead."

Spider-Man nodded and left the base. As he hurried toward Midtown, he suddenly heard a voice from atop a nearby building.

"Oh my God! Spider-Man! It's Spider-Man! But wasn't he dead? Quick, quick! Cameras! Set up the cameras! This could be the debut of the second-generation Spider-Man!"

Spider-Man turned his head, blinded by a camera's light. When he focused again, he saw a film crew standing atop the adjacent building—a cameraman was filming him intently.

But suddenly, a commotion erupted on the street. A black monster leapt from the intersection, its fangs gleaming in the sunlight. It roared with menace:

"BRAINS!! I'll eat everyone's brains!!!!"

"Quick, quick! Aim the camera there! Spider-Man will take care of that monster! The Daily Bugle must get the headline on the second-generation Spider-Man!"