Returning with Howard to the Caspian Camp Headquarters, even though I knew there were quite a few Hydra agents here, Faust's subordinates should have evacuated entirely, leaving mostly Zola's or other leaders' men, which posed no immediate threat.
As long as they don't expose their identities in a desperate manner, these people are currently loyal SSR members.
All agents are in single-line contact with their superiors, which means they don't know each other.
Even if those whose identities are exposed scream 'cut off one head, two will grow' before dying, it's pointless. Killing exposed comrades is to better hide themselves.
When Su Ming and Howard entered the headquarters, they witnessed such a scene; the spacious underground hall was somewhat chaotic, with post-fire scenes everywhere, and as for the bodies on the ground, there was no time to collect them; who knows which side they belonged to.
Howard sighed, carrying the purple cloth-wrapped item as he headed toward the laboratory: "See, I knew it would be like this. If I weren't in Hollywood, I might have ended up on the ground today."
"You could wear a bulletproof vest to work usually." Su Ming didn't even glance at the corpses, walking casually as if he was at home.
"I did conceive a new type of bulletproof vest. Do you know about a thing called reactive armor that various countries are secretly researching now? It's installed on tanks, and the principle is that when hit by enemy shells, the reactive armor explodes first, using the impact of the explosion to offset the shell's destructive power, achieving a bulletproof effect."
Once Howard began talking about inventions, he became animated, eagerly sharing his ideas with Su Ming.
Su Ming nodded with a peculiar expression, not saying a word. Isn't this the 'self-destructive vest' that Howard will invent in the future? Well, he won't use himself for experiments anyway.
In the midst of Frankenstein's incessant description, the two arrived at the laboratory, which appeared empty, but Su Ming immediately noticed someone hiding like an ostrich under the desk, head tucked in the arms forming a siege, but the big bottom exposed and lifted high.
"Dr. Zola?" Howard called out with an odd expression; can this kind of hiding be effective?
"Ah! Don't kill me!" Zola shuddered, trembling.
"It's me, Howard. Come out; it's safe here." Howard placed the heavy mechanical shell on a workbench nearby, wiping the sweat off his forehead, which was icy cold in winter.
Under the desk, Zola slightly adjusted his position, sneaking a peek through a gap, and upon seeing Deathstroke, he shuddered even more.
"I'll come out. Don't kill me; I'm useful."
Howard dragged over an ion cutter from nearby, preparing to dismantle the remains of the Root of Hatred: "Damn it, no one's killing you here. Hurry up and lend a hand, and let's see what kind of nonsense your former coworkers have concocted."
Zola shuffled over, occasionally stealing glances at Deathstroke's actions, but upon seeing no movement other than him crossing his arms and watching, Zola seemed slightly relaxed and scurried to Howard's side, clutching one of his arms.
"Is this... the product of the Life Mirror Image Plan?"
Zola was indeed a technological giant within Hydra. Just one glance at the pile of junk and he immediately understood what it was.
"I don't care what your former plans were called, nor does it matter if it's part of the Doomsday Weapon plan. I just want to know what energy powers this thing? How does it function? How can we find the memory backup?"
Howard disdainfully slapped Zola's hand away, pulling him closer to the workbench.
"I... don't know." Zola looked aggrieved, fearfully glancing at Howard, stumbling over his explanations: "When I was 'invited' to the United States, this plan was just on paper. It was originally meant to be a backup robot for high officials. How did it become this thing?"
Watching Howard remove the jars containing lungs and a heart, placing them with black liquid on the side, Zola also noticed the difference.
"You two research it; I'm leaving." Seeing that Zola couldn't immediately provide useful insights, Su Ming turned to leave.
Zola's performance was so convincing that sometimes it's hard to know if he's genuinely timid or just acting.
However, like other spies, Zola and Lady Nine-Heads are not on the same side either. For the sake of his own concealment, he will certainly betray others without hesitation, so there's no worry about him not putting in effort.
"I'll let you know if there's a discovery, and make an effort not to ruin the country." Howard said without turning his head, then began using the cutter to cut the metal body; noise and sparks filled the laboratory.
Su Ming didn't respond at all, leaving directly.
How could it collapse? The other Hydra leaders won't let this happen.
In the past, they chose Germany as a host to parasitize, and today it's the United States. This big tree shields them, allowing these ghosts to live safely and comfortably in the blazing sun. How could they let the United States fall?
Faust's goal for this operation is undoubtedly to rule, not destroy. He eliminates Captain America and the current Congress members' influence to pave the way for his future.
As long as he changes his face or installs a puppet, in the next election, he can completely take over the country.
With these spores, he can form a cabinet, place pawns in the House and Senate, lure capitalists with benefits, suppress dissenters with the military, and build an ironclad, disguised dictatorship system.
After listening to the speech from the giant propaganda machine, Su Ming understood their intentions.
Lady Nine-Heads needs Faust's research team and mushroom spores to spread hatred and distrust.
Faust, on the other hand, needs Lady Nine-Heads' money and spies to undermine the reputation of the current United States government and the spirit of the victor, making it easier to reshape the future according to his own will.
Strictly speaking, this is a plan to change the United States from the inside out, from top to bottom.
Su Ming didn't believe a single word Lady Nine-Heads said earlier, seeming as she kept emphasizing the difference between her goals and Hydra's, clearly distinct.
But if she really dislikes Hydra, why did she continue to serve after Red Skull went missing?
If there was a falling out, it would have happened long ago, not today; the ability to cooperate must come from some shared interest.
A leader-level character couldn't have just that plan; is she doing all this for revenge for her family?
Deathstroke doesn't believe it.
However, it doesn't matter. Su Ming has already deduced their plan from various possibilities; even though he cannot afford the Time Gem's consumption to probe the timeline, he still has his mind.
Hatred is central to her actions; just considering why she has launched an offensive after years of endurance can guess their next step.
What is the most severe internal hatred in the United States today? It's racial hatred.
Lincoln legally abolished slavery, granting Black people equal status, but could not delete slavery from people's hearts.
Reflecting in what aspect? Let's not mention anything else; just take the commonly seen public buses on the roads, where the front half of the bus has seats only for White people, and if there is one White without a seat, then no Black person is allowed to sit.
This is the rule.
On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, a Black woman sat on a bus. This winter was very cold, and she was also very tired from working all day.
At some stop, a few White passengers boarded but found no seats available. The driver then asked her to give up her seat; she refused to stand up, defiantly stating: "I've had enough of giving up my seat!"
Then the bus drove directly to the police station, where she was arrested by the police for violating the "bus segregation ordinance." This Black woman was Rosa Parks, facing several years of imprisonment.
However, Parks' parish priest happened to be Black and was not intimidated at all—his name was Martin Luther King.
Martin, along with a few Black activists, took this opportunity to launch a massive resistance movement. Now it's mid-December, and the Black movements everywhere are gaining momentum.
Dr. King's intentions and goals are good—striving for equality, nothing to be criticized.
But after lighting the torch, he couldn't control everyone raising torches behind him in the darkness; opportunists instigating insurrection aren't just victims suffering daily atrocities; naturally, there are also the idle, lazy Black scoundrels.
Because of educational and living environment issues, these Blacks are even more numerous.
Before King could normalize the behavior of demonstrating, the situation was chaotic, and resorting to violence wasn't surprising. They were just trying to reap benefits amid the chaos, not caring about rights or obligations, and they were very extreme, like mobs filled with hatred.
Hating White people, hating Yellow people—they hate everyone but themselves. They hate others for possessing wealth and happiness.
Lady Nine-Heads' target should be these people.
Hydra looks down on Black people, considering them inferior beings, but if they can confine Jews in concentration camps to support the frontline with labor, then using black sheep in the pen now is only natural.
In the original Earth history, after Dr. King busied himself this year, he was going to reorganize local organizational structures, eliminating mobs posing as 'equal rights advocates,' embarking on a non-violent resistance movement lasting over a decade.
But this is the 40K Universe, and Su Ming knew that Faust possesses mushrooms capable of controlling people; if Dr. King inhales even a little, no matter how sturdy, the fortress can be breached internally...
Time to call in the tool man.
"Heimdall!"
The Rainbow Bridge slowly enveloped Su Ming, not knowing why, they felt the teleportation beam somewhat weak.