Texas, on an endless stretch of interstate highway.
A lone harley motorcycle was parked by the roadside. The rider lowered his head, looking at the tarot card in his palm that shimmered faintly under the moonlight.
[XIII. Death].
The Sun behind the skeletal knight on the card radiated a scorching heat.
"A new life..."
Johnny Blaze rasped in a low whisper. He carefully tucked that card into his inner pocket and gripped the handlebars once more.
The next second, orange-red flames erupted from his body. In an instant, his human form vanished, replaced by a burning Skull with vengeful fire blazing in its eye sockets.
"Roar——!"
With a roar that sounded nothing human, the Ghost Rider violently twisted the throttle.
The burning motorcycle sped off, leaving a long trail of fire on the highway as it shot straight towards the direction of Washington... Washington D.C., the Georgetown safe house.
The rain outside the window had stopped, but the sky remained gloomy.
Lin Huai stood by the window, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the windowsill, his brow tightly furrowed.
The [Dust of an Ancient Wraith] was already in hand, but the other main ingredient for advancing to Sequence 5 [Marionettist] — the [Core Crystal of a Six-Winged Gargoyle] — simply could not be found.
He took out the silver mirror from his pocket and asked softly, "Arrodes, still no trace of the [Core Crystal of a Six-Winged Gargoyle]?"
The mirror's surface rippled like water. Silver light flashed rapidly, attempting to form an image, but in the end, it only coalesced into a large, animated emoticon:
[404 Not Found].
Beneath it followed a line of pitifully small text: "Master... the target is either shielded by a higher-level power or does not exist in the current dimension. Arrodes tried its best QAQ."
"Tsk." Lin Huai stuffed the mirror back into his pocket.
Just then, there was movement from the living room behind him.
Steve Rogers was helping Bucky tend to the wound at the connection point of his arm. Natasha Romanoff sat nearby, wiping a graze on her temple with an alcohol swab, but her eyes remained vigilantly fixed on the window.
"Lin."
Steve looked up, holding the roll of blood-stained bandages. "Bucky's awake. He's still a bit confused, but he remembers who I am. What do we do next...?"
Lin Huai turned around and sighed.
"What else can we do? Of course, we close the door and beat the dog."
Lin Huai walked to the table and tapped his finger on the conspicuous triskelion icon on the map.
"I've already called for backup. That professional [snake catcher] is already on his way back to Washington."
Saying this, Lin Huai looked at Natasha.
"By the way, has the new outfit Tony prepared for the [snake catcher] arrived yet? That's key equipment for dealing with the big guys."
Natasha glanced at her phone and shook her head. "No reply yet. Jarvis said Tony is doing the final packaging; it should be delivered soon."
"consultant."
Steve, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. He stood and walked over to Lin Huai.
"I want to be clear. How many heads does HYDRA still have? Pierce is just one of them, right?"
Steve's gaze was sharp.
"Even if we win today, defeat Pierce. HYDRA will still be there. They'll go into hiding, resurfacing decades later. Just like when we thought the Red Skull was dead."
"Do you have a plan to eradicate them completely?"
The room fell silent.
Even Bucky looked up, his now-clear eyes fixed intently on Lin Huai.
Looking at this earnest Captain America, Lin Huai suddenly smiled.
"Of course I do. I know where all their leaders are."
Lin Huai extended a finger and pointed into the air.
"Besides Pierce, there are at least four more leaders. For example, Baron Strucker, hiding in some Base conducting human experiments. And Daniel Whitehall, an old Monster who's lived nearly a hundred years, researching the Inhumans. Plus the ruthless Viper, and even a guy named Zemo is secretly plotting."
Hearing these unfamiliar names, Steve's expression grew even graver. "How do we round them all up without triggering a World war?"
"That's exactly why I'm in such a hurry to get to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters."
Lin Huai stretched out his hand, making a gesture as if manipulating a marionette, his ten fingers dancing nimbly in the air.
"My profession is about to undergo a transformation. Just like how a level 5 character class in D&D can bring about a huge change, reaching Sequence 5 will do the same for me."
"As soon as the other ingredient is obtained, I will advance to Sequence 5 — [Marionettist]."
"What does that mean?" Steve frowned.
"It means, as long as we capture Alexander Pierce, I can turn him into my... Puppet."
Lin Huai's fingers suddenly clenched, as if grasping something intangible.
"He will still be Pierce, still have HYDRA's highest authority, still be able to command those Agents lurking around the globe. But his every move, even every thought, will be under my control."
"I'll have him personally order all the snake heads to kill each other, then personally publish HYDRA's roster for the World to see, and finally transfer all those dirty funds into charity accounts."
"Even..." Lin Huai laughed, "I can play multiple roles, Acting as HYDRA's leader, leading them to destruction in their so-called revelry."
After listening, Steve was silent for a moment, his eyes growing even sharper.
"If this method can end this seventy-year war with the smallest cost and the fastest speed," Steve's voice was calm and firm, "then do it."
He looked at Lin Huai and said word by word, "I am a soldier. My duty is to win wars and protect people. As for the means... as long as the goal is achieved, I don't mind getting a little more blood on my hands."
Lin Huai looked at him and nodded.
"It's best if you think that way."
He walked to the window and looked up at the gloomy sky.
"Because we're out of time."
"We don't have time to play this whack-a-mole game with HYDRA."
Lin Huai turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Do you think our enemies are only HYDRA? That's far too naive."
"During that Battle of New York, when HYDRA used the Tesseract to open the portal, did you really think they just let in a bunch of alien cannon fodder?"
Lin Huai pointed to the ceiling, indicating the cosmos beyond the sky.
"Earth's coordinates were sold out long ago."
"The Tesseract is a cosmic-level artifact, one of the Infinity Stones. It's not just an energy battery."
"In this Universe, too many beings are watching it. Some entities are so terrifying that even a hundred HYDRA organizations combined wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth."
"Thanos, the Kree, even those older ones..."
Lin Huai took a deep breath.
"Therefore, we must use the fastest, most ruthless means to clean out these internal parasites. We need to repair this dilapidated house called Earth, install a security door, and prepare shotguns."
"To welcome those... real Monsters."
Steve fell silent.
He looked at Lin Huai for a long time without speaking.
After a long while, he nodded.
"Alright."
"Then we'll follow your plan."
Steve picked up his shield again, his eyes regaining their determination.
"Let's clean out this nest of snakes... first."