"Revenge is a dish best served cold, Director Fury."
William's smile became gentle and professional again, as if the aggressive questioner from moments ago wasn't him.
"Rushing in and chopping off his head is the act of a brute, and it doesn't align with our company's risk control aesthetics."
He walked over to Fury and patted his shoulder.
"What we need to do isn't simply to kill him."
"Instead, it's to utterly crush everything he personally built, along with his HYDRA empire, right before his eyes, little by little, at the very moment he's most complacent, believing he's about to control the World."
William's lips curved into a playful arc.
"And the first step of the plan is to make him feel that everything is still under his control."
"We need to find a way to get you, Nick Fury, back into his sight."
The flame burning in Nick Fury's lone eye slowly receded, turning into a bottomless, cold pool.
He wasn't an impulsive young man; his earlier lapse was merely the most instinctive reaction when that trust, rooted in the past, was uprooted.
Now, this cunning old lone wolf had re-entered hunting mode.
"My 'death' can buy us valuable time."
Fury's voice returned to its usual hoarseness and composure, and he quickly caught on to William's train of thought.
"Pierce must be fully pursuing Rogers and Romanoff now; he needs a perfect scapegoat to cover my 'death' and naturally take over everything. This is our chance."
"Absolutely correct."
William nodded approvingly, very satisfied with Fury's quick adjustment.
He was indeed the man capable of sitting in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top seat; his mental fortitude was truly exceptional.
"However, Captain Rogers and Agent Natasha alone are not enough."
William walked to the holographic screen and brought up a map.
"HYDRA's foundation is the Zola Algorithm. And the core of the Zola Algorithm is hidden in an abandoned military Base in New Jersey."
He pointed to "Camp Lehigh" marked on the map.
"As long as Zola's program exists, even if we destroy the Helicarriers, they can quickly make a comeback. Therefore, we must first pull out this most crucial tooth."
Fury's brow furrowed.
"The underground Base at Camp Lehigh… I know that place. The defensive fortifications are Cold War-era top-tier, there's only one entrance, and the internal structure is complex, making it difficult to attack and easy to defend. A conventional troop assault would cause huge casualties and commotion, and Pierce would immediately notice."
"Therefore, we cannot use conventional troops."
William's face showed that smile—the one that made Fury's blood pressure rise, the one that implied everything was under control.
"I need you to contact Agent Romanoff and have her and Hawkeye prepare. At the same time, have Captain America continue to draw Pierce's attention, creating as much trouble for him as possible."
"As for Stark…" William checked the time, "His 'house party' should be ending soon. Once he deals with that minor nuisance, Killian, I'll have him bring his Iron Legion directly to Washington."
Fury's lone eye flickered.
"Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, plus an Iron Legion… This lineup is enough to contend with all of S.H.I.E.L.D.… no, with all of HYDRA on the front lines."
He looked up, scrutinizing William.
"So what about you, Mr. Rodriguez? You took three hundred million from me; you can't just sit here drinking wine and drawing me a battle map, can you?"
"Of course not."
William elegantly swirled his wine glass.
"As I just said, we need to pull out Zola's tooth first. This arduous and important task will naturally be handled by personnel from our company."
"Personnel? Who? Your elusive swamp security guard?"
Fury's tone carried undisguised skepticism.
"No, no, no, Mr. swamp is our important ecological partner and is not suitable for handling such crude demolition work."
William put down his wine glass and pressed a communication button on the table.
"Emil, come to my office."
A few seconds later, the office door was pushed open.
Emil Blonsky walked in.
He was wearing a fitted black combat suit, tall and steady in his steps, that fierce aura belonging to a top special forces soldier undiminished even in human form.
When Fury's lone eye met Bronski's calm yet secretly mad eyes, the former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director's body instantly tensed.
He recognized that face.
This monster, codenamed "Abomination," who should have been secretly imprisoned beneath the Alaskan ice fields!
How could he be here?!
And, judging by the way he looked at William, it was a posture of absolute obedience from a subordinate to a superior!
Fury felt his Worldview shatter twice in just one hour.
The first time was when he was pulled out by a hand reaching from the swamp.
The second time was now.
"Allow me to introduce you, Director Fury."
William stood up and naturally placed his hand on Bronski's shoulder, as if showcasing a prized possession.
"This is Emil Blonsky, the head of our company's 'High-Risk Asset Liquidation Department.' His business capabilities are outstanding, and he is particularly skilled at handling physical structural challenges."
Fury's Adam's apple bobbed, he said nothing, just stared intently at Bronski.
He couldn't imagine what kind of methods could make a monster like the Abomination, who only knew destruction and killing, so docilely obey a businessman's commands.
William seemed to enjoy the shock on Fury's face.
He took a tablet from his briefcase, brought up the structural diagram of Camp Lehigh, and handed it to Bronski.
"Emil, your mission. Here, New Jersey, the former site of Camp Lehigh, seventy meters underground."
William's finger drew a circle around the massive server matrix on the screen.
"Find this place and smash all the computers inside into their most primitive component state. Remember, all of them, don't leave a single chip."
Bronski took the tablet, merely glanced at it, and then nodded.
A bloodthirsty smile appeared on his face, as if it wasn't a tedious demolition task, but a grand buffet.
"Understood."
His answer was just one word, simple, direct, and full of power.
"Very good."
William nodded with satisfaction, then turned to look at Fury, who had fallen completely silent.
"You see, Director Fury. This is the service I provide for you. You are responsible for staging the grand drama of heroes saving the World, and I am responsible for clearing away the trickiest, dirtiest, and most deadly troubles behind the scenes."
William's smile was dazzling, almost blinding.
"One hundred million, and I only sent one person."
"Now, do you still think this investment was a loss?"
Fury slowly exhaled, that breath seemingly carrying away the last trace of doubt and struggle in his heart.
He looked at the Abomination, whose aura was so powerful it was suffocating, then at William, who was calm and collected, as if he had merely sent an employee to fix a Water pipe.
He finally understood completely.
What he had found this time was not an insurance company at all.
But a monster's nest, more mysterious and unfathomable than HYDRA, or even any organization he knew of…
And he, Nick Fury, had just spent a fortune to become a VIP customer of this nest.
"Rodriguez…"
Fury's voice was a little dry.
"After the operation, I need the complete files of all your 'employees'."
"Of course."
William readily agreed, his smile unchanged.
"However, that's the content of another agreement, part of our 'Ally-level Intelligence Sharing' service. We'll discuss the price later."
Fury's eye twitched violently; he decided not to discuss any more money-related topics with this Vampire.
He turned to Bronski and issued his first supplementary instruction as a "customer."
"Take this with you during the operation."
Fury pulled a small USB drive from his pocket and handed it over.
"Before destroying the servers, plug it into the main unit's port. It will automatically copy the core code of the Zola Algorithm. I need it."
Bronski didn't take it, but looked at William.
William shrugged.
"Do as the customer requests. But remember to collect the 'material fee' first."
Bronski grinned, took the USB drive from Fury's hand, then extended his other hand, palm open, in front of him.
Fury was stunned.
"What do you mean?"
"Ten million U.S. dollars."
Bronski's voice was deep and powerful, carrying an undeniable sense of pressure.
"The boss said that extra requests from customers require additional charges."
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