As the violent explosion subsided, Peter, who had propped up a magical shield amidst the ruins, moved the giant boulders pinning them down. Cindy emerged holding the totem pole in her hand.
Perhaps due to the frequent use of magic lately, Peter felt his mental energy was somewhat flagging. He reached out a hand to Cindy. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine..."
Cindy shook her head, dislodging a few small pebbles from her hair. After surveying their surroundings, she looked down at the totem pole in her hand; this was the object that had been interfering with their spider-senses.
Peter let out a sigh. The pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place.
Years ago, when Richard Parker was researching the Savage Strength Project, a mysterious figure with spider-like abilities appeared. He persuaded Richard to use spiders as the primary subject for the project and showed him something that convinced Richard to go to Taranto for a field study on the Taranto wolf spider.
Later, after S.H.I.E.L.D. hired the Parkers to investigate unknown super-soldiers in Europe, Richard sought out his old friend, that same mysterious individual. Attracted by the pull of this totem pole, the two of them together discovered the Hydra organization in Budapest.
They believed they had slipped away unnoticed, but Hydra eventually found them. Even in the end, Hydra never discovered the identity of the mysterious person, so they settled for eliminating the Parkers, who had come to investigate.
But the question remained...
Since Nick Fury knew the enemy was Hydra through the death of the Parkers, he must have received some form of intelligence. What exactly was the intel that made him so certain of Hydra's existence—and why was Hydra so certain that Richard Parker's information would expose them?
Peter was momentarily stumped. It was much like how he didn't know the identity of the woman who sold the spider totem to Hydra. It couldn't possibly be Madame Web, could it?
"Let's move. As long as we're carrying this thing, our spider-senses won't be much help along the way." Peter pulled Cindy out. "The battle is still raging nearby."
The two left the warehouse, which had been reduced to nothing but rubble and broken tiles. Peter looked around; it seemed nothing useful was left. Almost the moment they climbed out, their spider-senses—now amplified by the totem—screamed in warning. Simultaneously performing backflips, the two performed a superhero landing.
Surrounding them were dozens of Hydra soldiers blocking their path, along with a massive Hydra robot.
Leading them was Taskmaster.
"If you know me, then you should know that every move you make is within my predictions. Unless you're that lunatic Wade Wilson, it's impossible for you to act outside my expectations."
As Taskmaster spoke, he drew his sword and shield. "Furthermore, there is one more thing I want to tell you."
Peter and Cindy stood ready, eyes alert.
"The salary Hydra pays me is really, really high."
Surrounded by heavy troops, Cindy couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion.
"What do you mean, your salary is really high?" Peter struck first, firing a strand of webbing. Taskmaster, however, had anticipated it. He raised his sword at the exact moment Peter moved; flames flickered along the blade, burning the webbing into charred protein. Only then did Taskmaster repeat himself: "It means my salary is truly high."
"If the money isn't enough, who would risk their life against a bunch of superpowered freaks like you?"
"I have a question. Aren't you supposed to be a former S.H.I.E.L.D. instructor?" Peter chose not to rush in for a fistfight. Instead, he leaped into the air, firing web grenades in every direction, plastering the meddling Hydra soldiers against nearby walls or the ground. "Didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. pay enough!"
"Of course the salary Nick Fury gave wasn't enough! I was just an instructor at S.H.I.E.L.D.! An instructor! Where was I supposed to get that kind of money!"
Amidst the overwhelming barrage of web grenades, Taskmaster forced a path through with his footwork and swordplay, ensuring not even his cape was grazed. After landing, Peter looked at the remaining enemies—only Taskmaster and the robot—and asked curiously, "Then why didn't you go on missions or something to make the big bucks?"
"Because Nick Fury couldn't trust me. He thought I'd sell out mission intel for a higher profit. Of course, I wouldn't do that proactively—unless the other side approached me and offered far too much money. After all, I have to maintain my professional reputation."
Peter was stunned for a moment before looking at Taskmaster. "So Nick Fury wasn't actually wrong about you? Why don't you try defecting to our side? Hydra's intel might fetch a good price too."
"Budapest will be your grave, Spider-Man. I'm not talking tough; it's a fact. Ever since Hydra realized they might be exposed, this place has been prepared as a graveyard for you. Even if you escape, Budapest will fall. They will cut all ties in time and pull out."
"Since cutting off one head causes two to grow back, Hydra won't mind proactively cutting one off to preserve the other two."
Peter felt something was off. Taskmaster didn't look like he was there to stop them; he seemed more like he was... bargaining? Even the Hydra robot beside him remained motionless.
No, perhaps Taskmaster really was here to bargain. He wanted to see if the Avengers had a way to solve the current crisis. If they did, then naturally, he could negotiate; he could turn against Hydra.
"Iron Man and Ant-Man have already gone to stop the self-destruct sequence."
"They aren't enough. Arnim Zola has turned himself into a stream of data; he is a ghost living in the network. Tony Stark's little helper is no match for him."
"Didn't you know? Dr. Pym developed a new artificial intelligence called Ultron, and he brought it along. This AI was developed based on his own brainwaves, possessing the same intellectual capacity as him."
Taskmaster lowered his head in thought. A second later, the Hydra robot beside him exploded. He threw down his weapons and announced his surrender.
Peter asked the question he had been wanting to ask.
"You're surrendering just like that? Aren't you afraid of them settling the score later?"
"Hydra has surely hidden what needed to be hidden by now, and I can handle whatever measures they have against me." Taskmaster revealed a truth Peter hadn't known: "The reason Hydro-Man died in Venice wasn't because he wanted to surrender, but because he surrendered too early."
"After today, the whole world will know that Hydra has not been destroyed. This is exactly what Hydra needs."
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi