Su Ming was surrounded by people, receiving a warm welcome in the foul-smelling sewers, while he was also pondering over matters.
He wouldn't share his purposes with Fury, but he could roughly guess some of the SSR's objectives.
It's all about Red Skull.
Because all the details about the Super Soldier program on the German side were learned by the U.S. military from Dr. Erskine, they zeroed in on Red Skull, making Hydra seem as though it only had Red Skull as its leader.
Red Skull himself was rather idle and liked to play cat-and-mouse with the Strategic Science Corps, setting up covert operations all over Europe like in a movie, only to have them taken down one by one.
If they had directly built the factory secretly near Berlin, Xiaohuzi wouldn't even discover it, and with over a hundred thousand troops defending it, would this much trouble even exist?
Wherever there was Captain America, there was Red Skull, and vice versa.
But what was Red Skull doing in Paris at this point? Could it be that he also wanted a hand in the Namor Fragment issue?
Fury, supporting Steve, made his way over. He had finally managed to push through the enthusiastic guerrilla fighters, who kept singing the Marseillaise over and over; if there were any more booze, the scene would definitely become uncontrollable.
"Deathstroke, we want to hire you."
Heitan thought for a moment and expressed his idea. Although the mission hadn't failed yet, and Red Skull hadn't withdrawn from Paris, Steve was already seriously injured and unable to act further.
As time went by, mission failure seemed almost inevitable.
However, Deathstroke's arrival filled the gap in high-end combat power. Captain America couldn't deal with large numbers of Hydra troops, but Deathstroke probably could.
If SSR could pay a price to have Deathstroke take out Red Skull for them, wouldn't that be a win-win?
"No way, I'm not interested. I want to join the French friends to eliminate the invaders."
Su Ming immediately rejected him, and the refusal only led to cheers from the guerrilla fighters.
Fury breathed heavily a few times.
Can't get angry, can't get angry, he's doing it on purpose... an agent must have endurance...
"You must have accepted some commission to appear in Paris, right? Maybe our Strategic Science Corps can assist you," Fury probed, tightening his arm as Steve, who was quite heavy, began slipping down his shoulder.
Su Ming raised his eyebrow; was this an attempt to probe his mission? Unfortunately, his mission level was too high to share with them.
They were tackling Shadowfang Castle, while he was dealing with Heart of the Magma.
Moreover, their defense had already fallen apart; the best choice now was to Hearthstone back to the city, clean up, and call it a night.
"Not necessary, you won't be able to help."
Su Ming dismissively waved his hand; earlier, he had rarely been in a good mood and offered to help them, but they wouldn't appreciate it... Now, he wanted them to work for him in exchange for help, to make them beg him, and let Deathstroke hire them instead.
He smoothly switched to speaking French, calling out to the guerrilla fighters around him: "Friends, follow me. These Americans are unreliable, we have to take back Paris on our own!"
Fury was infuriated. Had Deathstroke really changed nationalities in an instant? How did he suddenly become a local Parisian?
And the most crucial part was that the guerrillas actually bought into it?
It was not the guerrillas' fault; those who joined the guerrillas were mostly introduced by acquaintances. They were often neighbors or friends, sacrificing many lives just to meet up with a group of Americans; those who died were either family, neighbors, or classmates. How was it possible to expect them to be friendly?
But Deathstroke was different. With his immense power, saving people from the start and understanding their aspirations, a Super Soldier like him helping them was more than welcome.
So a group of people immediately followed Su Ming, singing the Marseillaise as they disappeared into the darkness.
Peggy watched as the lights gradually faded away, then looked at the visibly upset Fury, while the commandos stood around with a pile of weapons, staring blankly at each other.
"What do we do now?"
How would Fury know what to do? He was just a low-level field agent with no number assigned, while Agent 13 was the leader!
He turned his head, looking expressionlessly at Peggy.
Peggy's face reddened slightly. She realized she was the team leader after all, and Steve's presence had really thrown her off balance.
She tried to calm herself, thinking things through; the situation was not promising, but first they needed to bandage wounds, eat, and rest, especially since Steve needed a better environment to recuperate.
After that, they could decide whether to continue the mission or seek a way to retreat.
And none of those actions could be carried out without the assistance of the guerrillas.
Suddenly, she realized something frightening: that was why Deathstroke had taken the guerrillas, because he saw that they had no other choice but to act with the guerrillas.
No matter where he took the guerrillas, they had no option but to follow and be manipulated by him.
He had previously said he just wanted to help, and she had suspected his intent at the time, so he immediately spoke in French, luring the guerrillas away, blocking every escape route.
It was as if he were saying, 'What I offer you, you must accept, not only must you obey my arrangements, but also acknowledge they're good.'
Deathstroke's desire to control was terrifying; was such a person even truly a mercenary?
If Fury's personality was controlling, then Deathstroke's extent was sheer sadism, and his intelligence was exceptionally high, leaving room for untold things that she might not have even imagined, a truly spine-chilling realization.
Carter contemplated in the darkness, the sound of flowing water surrounding them, pondering about their remaining choices. In their current state, venturing out would mean being besieged by the German Army, with nearly exhausted ammunition, depleted food supplies, and inadequate medical treatment; aside from following Deathstroke, what other options were there?
"Alas..." Peggy sighed deeply, looking at Steve's face with a helpless expression, "Let's follow them, follow the song; the song is our guide, and we must walk this path."
Fury also understood. He was momentarily dumbfounded. Had Deathstroke set up everything in an instant, leading them by the nose before they even realized it...
He shook his head and sighed. If the time ever came when the world no longer discriminates against people of color, and he could become the leader of SSR, he must make the Corps heed their dealings with Deathstroke; a figure too frightening to ignore.
As it stands, this Warrior seemingly has no weaknesses; Deathstroke is indifferent to money, acts remarkably willful, and they don't even know his true identity.
Su Ming paid no mind to their thoughts; everything had played out exactly as planned, and as long as Peggy and Nick weren't hopelessly naive, they would ultimately submit to him.
He led the guerrillas back to the Doctor and the X-Men.
While passing the excavated pit, the guerrilla fighters weren't angry about him damaging the underground tomb walls. Instead, they expressed that such a good method was something they often used too. Deathstroke really understood Paris well, seemingly even without being taught.
Utilizing the catacombs network, along with Paris's sewer system, the guerrillas could move unpredictably across the entire city without being discovered, minimizing casualties and logistical challenges. This was how they had managed to resist the Germans for so long.
Given the praise, he might as well accept it.
"Alas, I feel quite embarrassed; I just did a little work... Do you enjoy poetry?"