Lin Huai's phone call was like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a huge commotion among the temporary core members of the Avengers.
The next day, in the living room of the Malibu mansion.
Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, plus Bucky Barnes, who had just been brought back from another front—not a single person was missing; they were all there.
Sitting opposite them were the siblings Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.
They, the spoils of the Sokovia incident, were also the most unstable factor in this room. Pietro subconsciously blocked the way in front of his sister, his gaze as wary as a wolf's. Wanda stared intently at Tony, scarlet energy flickering in her beautiful eyes, filled with undisguised hatred.
Lin Huai stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the scenery where the sea met the sky, his tone calm:
"The Battle of New York was just a crude prologue. Because of you, many civilizations in the Universe now know about Earth. Pierce announced Earth's existence to the Universe and also exposed our vulnerability."
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Before we welcome the real Spectators, we must clear out the rats in our own house. Otherwise, when foreign enemies descend, the first ones to stab us in the back will surely be them."
Steve's expression was grave: "HYDRA... it's time to end this."
"Exactly." Lin Huai nodded. "Pierce and Strucker are finished, but according to the latest intelligence I've obtained, their last leader worth our attention, Viper, is hiding in the Swiss Alps, consolidating the remaining forces."
On the tablet in front of Natasha, a glamorous photo of the green-haired woman was immediately displayed, along with information about a secret Base under her name disguised as a high-end biopharmaceutical company.
"We must remove this final leader in the shortest time possible and uproot their organization," Lin Huai's voice was devoid of emotion.
"I'm fine with that," Tony shrugged, his eyes drifting toward the Maximoff siblings across from him, his tone carrying a hint of a headache. "But... what about these two surprises? We can't just let them have a party here, can we?"
Everyone's eyes focused on Wanda and Pietro.
"Why are you looking at us?" Wanda's voice was soft, yet bone-chillingly cold. "You destroyed our home, and now what do you want?"
scarlet energy pulsed restlessly at her fingertips, as if it could lose control at any moment.
"I..." Tony opened his mouth, at a loss for words for the first time. He could face questioning from congressmen and mock gods, but facing the pure hatred in this girl's eyes, born from the destruction of her home, all his pride and sharp tongue lost their effect.
Just then, a raspy voice spoke up.
It was Bucky.
After sitting down, he had remained silent, like a lifeless statue. This was the first time he had taken the initiative to speak in front of everyone.
He looked at Wanda and Pietro, his eyes, which had weathered many storms, held no sympathy or pity—only a weariness and pain so deep it was almost overflowing.
"I understand how you feel." Bucky's voice was very low, like he was telling someone else's story. "The hatred, the anger, wanting to tear the culprit who shredded your life into a thousand pieces. I've been through it too."
He raised his metal left arm, the cold metal reflecting a chilly glint under the lights.
"For seventy years, as the Winter Soldier, I carried out hundreds of assassination missions for HYDRA. My hands are stained with the blood of innocents. I was once the object of their hatred too."
"They wanted to kill me too, just like you want to kill Stark."
The hatred on Wanda and Pietro's faces didn't diminish, but their wariness relaxed slightly. They could feel that the words this man spoke came from the bottom of his heart. The tragic aura about him, so thick it wouldn't dissipate, created a certain resonance with them.
"And then what?" Wanda said coldly. "You've been redeemed? Become a hero?"
"No." Bucky shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile. "Sins cannot be washed away; they can only be repaid. I chose to stand here not to become a hero, but because I don't want to be a gun used by others anymore."
His gaze swept over Tony, then Steve, and finally fell back on the twins.
"Your hatred is justified. Stark Industries' shells did indeed land at your doorstep. But you've found the wrong target."
Bucky's voice was raspy, yet it carried immense weight.
"Did you know? I thought the same way back then. I hated Howard Stark because HYDRA told me he betrayed the organization. It wasn't until Steve told me the truth that I realized the one who actually pulled the trigger, pushed me off the cliff, and turned me into what I am now, was HYDRA."
He pointed at Tony.
"He, that shell, and I—we are all the same. We were all just blood-stained tools used by HYDRA."
"You want revenge, fine. But you should pour your fury onto the murderer who used the tools, not onto another tool."
Bucky's words were like a heavy hammer, striking hard against Wanda and Pietro's hearts.
The hatred in their eyes began to waver, replaced by a deeper confusion and pain. Yes, they hated Tony Stark, but the ones who truly made them orphans and had them participate in experiments to become what they were now were HYDRA. Their anger seemed to have been pointed in the wrong direction from the start.
Pietro looked at his sister, while Wanda lowered her head, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes. The scarlet energy at her fingertips had unknowingly extinguished.
Lin Huai hadn't spoken, just watching quietly. He knew that this kind of knot in the heart could only be untied by someone who had been through it. Bucky's words were more effective than any preaching.
Steve Rogers stood up and walked over to the twins, his gaze sincere.
"I cannot ask for your forgiveness, nor do I have the right to ask you to let go of your hatred. I only want to give you a choice."
He pointed to the photo of Viper on the screen.
"Will you continue to wallow in hatred for a tool, or will you join us to smash the factory that manufactured all these tragedies?"
Silence fell over the living room once more.
After a long time, Wanda took a deep breath and looked up.
"We're going." Her voice was still cold, but it held a hint of determination. "HYDRA must be ended by our own hands."
Pietro stood by his sister's side and nodded heavily.
"Very well." Steve showed a gratified smile and looked at Tony. "Then, Tony, I think our new teammates need some proper equipment."
Tony looked at the twins, then at Steve, and finally his gaze landed on Bucky. He sighed and nodded.
"Jarvis, scan their vital data. I think it's time to prepare two well-fitting new outfits for our new friends."
...Three days later.
Deep in the Swiss Alps, a secret Base disguised as an aristocratic nursing home.
This was Viper's final lair.
The night was as dark as ink.
Several ghost-like figures silently infiltrated the heavily guarded Base.
Steve led the way with his shield, silently taking out several sentries. Bucky was truly like a winter ghost, his metal arm tracing cold arcs in the dark night, accurately snapping an enemy's neck with every move. Natasha was like a bolt of black lightning, weaving through surveillance blind spots and taking down one guard after another.
Behind them, two even swifter figures were carrying out different tasks.
A silver flash, Pietro, moved rapidly through the Base's complex piping. He no longer charged blindly but, following Lin Huai and Tony's instructions, precisely placed miniature bombs on the Base's energy nodes. His speed became the most lethal infiltration weapon.
On the other side, Wanda floated in mid-air, her eyes flashing red. She didn't destroy anything; instead, she used her abilities to disrupt the Base's internal communication signals and alarm systems, as well as the control lines for the defense turrets.
In the deepest part of the Base, Viper was admiring her masterpiece—rows of glass containers filled with various failed gene-modified subjects.
Bang!
The alloy door of the laboratory was smashed to pieces by a green fist.
Hulk charged in with a roar.
"HYDRA's party ends here."
Iron Man descended from the sky, hovering in mid-air, his palm Repulsor Cannons glowing with a dangerous light.
Lin Huai walked in leisurely from the doorway, pulling a tarot card from his pocket like a magic trick and spinning it on his fingertips.
"It looks like your castle is about to crumble."
"Avengers..." Looking at the lineup before her, Viper showed no fear; instead, a crazed smile appeared on her face. She suddenly pressed a red button.
"You think you've won just like this? Come and see my most perfect creation!"
The surrounding glass containers shattered instantly, and over a dozen gene-modified Monsters with claws and fangs rushed out with a roar.
However, the moment they rushed toward the heroes...
"Enough."
A cold female voice rang out.
Wanda's figure appeared before everyone, her hands condensing massive scarlet energy.
This time, her eyes held more than just hatred; her emotions were more complex—an evaluation and a sentence.
She spread her hands, and powerful telekinesis instantly enveloped all the Monsters. Those seemingly fierce modified creatures were seized by the throat by invisible giant hands, struggling painfully in mid-air, unable to take even a single step closer.
Pietro's figure flashed through the crowd of Monsters, activating the sedative injectors inside each Monster's body.
The Monsters collapsed one by one, falling into a deep sleep.
The smile on Viper's face froze completely.
In her shocked gaze, Steve's shield whistled through the air, hitting her wrist. Bucky appeared behind her like a ghost, his cold metal arm pinning her neck.
HYDRA's final leader was subdued just like that.
When the morning sun once again illuminated the Malibu coast, the atmosphere in the mansion's living room was completely refreshed.
Wanda and Pietro were no longer sitting in the corner; they were clumsily helping Pepper clean up the empty pizza boxes on the table. Tony leaned on the sofa, still bickering with Steve, but his gaze occasionally drifted toward the twins with a complex look of evaluation and... relief.
Bucky sat by the window alone, quietly wiping his metal arm, the gloom of previous days gone from his face.
Lin Huai looked at the scene before him and smiled.