"What do I bring to Sokovia?"
You got that backwards.
Seeing Baron Zemo acting like he held all the cards, Luca didn't bother beating around the bush.
"Fairness? Prosperity? Capital? Jobs? I can bring a lot to Sokovia. But what does that have to do with you coming to see me?"
"Did the Zemo family take over Sokovia when I wasn't looking? Or does every business deal in this country require your approval?"
Hearing Luca's aggressive retort, Zemo frowned slightly.
He realized his attitude had been a bit too arrogant. He softened his tone.
"Of course not. Your cooperation needs no approval. It's just that Hydra is dangerous. I worry the Aurantius family might be led astray without realizing it."
"In fact, the Aurantius and Zemo families have been brother families for centuries. Our friendship runs deep, with many intermarriages."
Zemo suddenly playing the "family friend" card confused Luca. But he cut him off.
"Is that so? I don't know much about family history, but I remember the Aurantius family moved to America because we couldn't survive in Sokovia anymore."
"If our families were so close, where were you when we needed a hand?"
Zemo smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"Couldn't survive, so you left? In today's Sokovia, which family can say they are living well? Having the chance to leave is a blessing. Most people just lacked Gina's courage..."
Hearing such a frank answer, Luca didn't know what to say. He steered the conversation back on track.
"The past doesn't matter. What's your real purpose for coming here today, Baron?"
Worrying about Aurantius family being led astray by Hydra? I don't buy that for a second.
Zemo's eyes flickered, but he asked earnestly.
"I want to know who actually controls the Sybil System—Hydra, or Aurantius Group?"
Ah, so that's it.
The "Sybil System" Zemo referred to was the cover name for the "Project Insight Test" collaboration.
Aurantius Group's entry into Sokovia was publicly centered on equipping the police with Arbiter pistols.
But the Sybil System, advertised as capable of calculating a person's "Criminal Coefficient," was extremely sensitive to certain people.
As a representative of local factions, Zemo's concern was predictable.
However, Strucker was already mind-controlled by Luca. And even without that, the system was controlled by Aurantius Group.
Luca had even used Haro to modify Hydra's "threat algorithm" into a genuine "crime coefficient algorithm," hence the name Sybil.
"The core control of Sybil lies naturally with Aurantius Group. This is explicitly written in the contract with the Sokovian government."
"After all, this system might be used beyond Sokovia in the future. Currently, the Sokovian police only have adjustment rights for the branch systems."
Although Luca didn't mention Hydra, Zemo understood the implication perfectly. His eyes lit up.
"Luca, have you ever thought about kicking Hydra out and taking over this place as the heir of the Aurantius family?!"
---
After sending Zemo away, Luca was still a bit dazed.
Is this guy too radical?
I just hinted that I have the upper hand in the partnership, and he's already proposing an alliance to kick Hydra out of Sokovia?
Kick out... myself?
Although Luca did plan to gradually strip Hydra of its control over Sokovia and replace them, that was a long-term plan. He needed to use Hydra's resources to develop the country first.
And Luca only had that idea because he controlled Strucker.
Zemo knew nothing, yet dared to drag Luca into a coup?
However, Luca didn't reject Zemo's cooperation.
Zemo didn't seem interested in ruling Sokovia himself.
Most local factions didn't care who ruled. After years of foreign invasions and changing regimes, they just wanted stability and peace.
If Hydra hadn't treated Sokovia like a weapons testing ground and incited civil wars, the locals wouldn't even mind Hydra rule.
But don't underestimate the local factions. They might look like pushovers, but that was their survival strategy. They still held significant influence.
Even Strucker, the shadow ruler, had to grant Zemo an audience.
Now, having reached an agreement with the local factions, Luca felt like he had switched to Easy Mode.
The foreign dragon (Hydra) is mine. The local snake (Zemo) is mine. So... all of Sokovia is mine?
Luca could use his Hydra identity to suppress the local factions, divide and conquer them.
Then, he could swoop in as a hero, force Hydra to "withdraw" completely.
In the end, with both the "strong dragon" and the "local snake" gone or neutered, Aurantius Group would stand alone as the sole power in Sokovia.
Small countries are great. Less bureaucracy. And if push comes to shove, I can just use force.
Luca had a plan. Since he was building an industrial base here anyway, he might as well go all out.
One production line for Arbiter pistols.
One for military drones.
One for combat robots.
With these three lines, Luca could churn out a mechanical army to arm Sokovia to the teeth.
As for who would stay behind to manage things...
"Raina, you don't need to go back. Stay here and oversee the factory construction for me."
"Understood, Boss!"