The moment Harry laid eyes on the Scarlet Witch, a fierce craving surged up inside him, as if a voice were screaming in his mind:
I have to get her!
She would be his strongest borrower—no, maybe "vassal" was a more fitting title!
Even without getting close, Harry was certain: the girl's magical talent was unimaginably high, and she would bring him a massive surprise.
Harry didn't act rashly. Instead, he used detection magic to confirm where the Scarlet Witch was, and mapped out every detail of her surroundings, thoroughly, inside his mind.
At the same time, he tried to figure out what kind of person she was.
If she was kind—like Gwen—then he would treat her gently. But if she had ill intentions, if she was truly evil, then…
"Heh heh heh!"
Harry's lips curled into a sinister arc, and he let out a chilling, villainous chuckle.
When it came to evil, who could compare to Harry—the one who wielded chaos magic?
Chaos magic was disorder itself. It could rewrite anything, with methods beyond what ordinary people could even imagine!
When the time came, he'd lock the Scarlet Witch in the basement and discipline her properly, okay?!
A moment later, Harry confirmed that the Scarlet Witch was inside a military base. Her name was Wanda, and she seemed to be imprisoned—sealed under layers of strict security measures, restrained at every turn.
And Harry also knew a bit about this base: for a long time, it had been secretly conducting research into superpowers, trying to mass-produce super-soldiers.
Based on what he'd read, countless innocent people had already been turned into test subjects—and killed.
"HYDRA…" Harry murmured. The name felt oddly familiar.
He frowned deeply, thinking hard, when a spark flashed through his mind—Captain America comics he'd been obsessed with as a kid!
He finally remembered: wasn't Captain America's enemy HYDRA?
Harry's brow tightened, unease rising. His instincts told him this was far more complicated than it looked.
Officially, HYDRA had collapsed years ago—shattered, erased. So what was this heavily guarded military base in Sokovia?
It was like a bomb that had appeared out of nowhere, and Harry could smell conspiracy all over it.
His mind raced, possibilities flickering one after another. Then he lightly tapped the air with his finger, and through the lending system, he called Coulson.
…
A faint shimmer flickered. Harry stepped out of a portal into Nick Fury's office, where a number of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were already waiting.
The moment Harry appeared, Nick Fury strode up, unable to wait, and asked in a low, heavy voice, "Harry, are you absolutely sure that's a HYDRA base?"
"Completely sure. HYDRA symbols are everywhere in the facility. And when the soldiers salute their superiors, they're literally saying 'Hail Hydra.'" Harry nodded firmly.
Fury's expression darkened instantly.
Ever since Captain America—Steve Rogers—defeated the Red Skull at the end of World War II, everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. had believed that infamous organization had vanished for good, becoming nothing but dust in history.
But decades later, it had resurfaced like a venomous snake lifting its head again—and from the signs so far, it still had real strength.
Fury immediately understood how serious this was.
HYDRA had always been known for its terrifying resilience: cut off one head, and two more would grow back.
Experience told him that if even a trace of HYDRA appeared, it meant an evil force far greater than the surface story was lurking in the dark.
A chill crept into his heart, and a horrifying thought circled in his mind:
Could they have planted spies inside S.H.I.E.L.D.—or even inside the government's highest levels?
Fury instinctively scanned the room, his gaze sharp as a blade. Only after his eyes passed over everyone did his tightly wound nerves ease slightly, and he let out a long breath.
These were people he trusted absolutely. Their loyalty was beyond doubt. They shouldn't leak this out.
Even so, Fury still warned them with a grave expression:
"This is extremely serious. It cannot leave this room. I even suspect HYDRA has already infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. If we slip up and the news leaks, we'll be forced into a passive position."
Right then, Hawkeye abruptly lifted a hand, pointing behind Fury. He shrugged with a bit of helpless teasing. "Looks like secrecy's not necessary anymore. Other people already know."
The door opened.
Pierce, Crossbones, and several other agents filed in.
The moment Pierce stepped inside, his eyes immediately locked onto Harry. He lit up, broke into a warm smile, and walked straight over.
Then he opened his arms and gave Harry a friendly hug, patting him on the shoulder like they were old acquaintances. "Hi, Consultant Potter. We've been waiting for you. It's great to see you!"
"Hello, Mr. Pierce."
After the brief greeting, Pierce's gaze shifted off Harry and onto Nick Fury.
His attitude toward Fury was much colder. The warmth dropped off his face, replaced by an icy expression as he demanded bluntly:
"Fury, I heard you found a HYDRA base. Something this big—and you planned to hide it from me? Do you suspect I'm a HYDRA spy?"
Fury shook his head immediately, trying to soothe his dear superior:
"Pierce, you know I respect you, okay? Like how Tony once trusted Obadiah.
If even you were HYDRA, then S.H.I.E.L.D. might as well be called S.N.A.K.E.L.D. And if it really came to that, I'm guessing there'd be more HYDRA agents in S.H.I.E.L.D. than actual S.H.I.E.L.D. agents!"
Pierce's tight mouth finally curved, a satisfied smile appearing.
But standing to the side, Harry caught something off. Pierce's smile felt strange. Even the agents behind him—though their faces stayed neutral—their emotional fluctuations were intense.
A bold idea surfaced in Harry's mind.
Could Pierce be like Obadiah—one face in public, another in private?
Could he actually be HYDRA?
It sounded absurd, almost impossible… but Harry still decided to test it.
Normally, Harry didn't casually use Legilimency on people. But when it came to something like this, he didn't hesitate.
As Harry quietly cast Legilimency, Pierce's surface thoughts rose into view.
But as those fragments of thought appeared one by one, Harry's eyes widened in shock, disbelief written all over his face, because the content was…
"One, two, three, four, five, up the mountain to hunt a tiger…"
Harry froze.
Who would've thought that Pierce could be standing there with a serious face talking to Nick Fury, while his inner mind was looping a children's rhyme?
But Harry also understood: Pierce had probably noticed that Harry might be able to read minds, and deliberately set up a defensive wall.
For an experienced, well-trained agent, preparing for a sorcerer who could peer into thoughts was almost instinct.
Nick Fury would absolutely do the same.
After a brief pause, Harry pushed deeper into Pierce's mental world, layer by layer. Pierce's deeper thoughts surfaced:
"Two tigers, two tigers, running so fast…"
"Pierce's grades aren't ideal…"
"Activate! Let the situation reverse!"
"You're really hungry…"
"The advantage is mine!"
…What was all this?
Harry had dug more than ten layers deep and was still only seeing worthless, random nonsense.
Clearly, Pierce possessed some extremely special ability—or held some extraordinary item—that let him alter and arrange his own memories.
The defenses were stacked like nested dolls, one after another, sealed tight, making it impossible for Harry to reach Pierce's real thoughts in a short time.
Harry judged that to break through Pierce's mental defenses, he'd need to maintain Legilimency for at least an hour.
But how could Pierce possibly stand there obediently and let Harry cast for that long?
Sure enough, before long, after getting a rough grasp of everyone's strategy and preparations, Pierce gave them a smile, nodded in acknowledgment, and turned to leave.
Harry stared at Pierce's retreating back, thoughtful.
Setting up that many fake memories inside his own mind made the odds that Pierce was suspicious rise sharply.
Maybe Harry should find an opportunity to sneak into Pierce's home and read his memories.
Better safe than sorry. If Pierce really was HYDRA, then they'd be screwed.
And if that happened, S.H.I.E.L.D. really would be S.N.A.K.E.L.D.!
At the same time, Harry was also oddly looking forward to Pierce being HYDRA.
After all, HYDRA had committed countless atrocities—there was no need to fight fair against an organization like that. Any method was valid!
If Pierce truly was a HYDRA agent, Harry would use the lending contract without hesitation to fully control him, then leverage that key figure to seize control of the entire HYDRA branch!
If he could fully grasp HYDRA's power, plus the Scarlet Witch as his main combat strength, he could retire in the future and live comfortably!
After intense discussion and careful weighing of options, they finalized the battle plan:
One week later, they would launch a full-scale assault on the HYDRA base in Sokovia.
Harry would lead the operation, joining the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to destroy it.
At the same time, Nick Fury told Harry that he planned to create a superhero team to deal with the recent surge of supernatural incidents worldwide.
And that team's name would be the Avengers.
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