Chapter 230: Betrayed by My Own People?
"..."
Zola remained silent for a few seconds, but the tapes suddenly accelerated, indicating his frantic thinking.
"Agent Romanoff, my purpose of existence is to assist HYDRA in achieving its goals."
Zola's tone didn't change, but it was evident that he truly didn't care about these matters.
"So, Alexander Pierce is the current leader of HYDRA."
"Steve" had a serious expression as he spoke in a deep voice:
"He took the seat on the council for this moment?
Unfortunately, Nick Fury considered him his best friend and fully supported him.
But now that we have discovered your plot, you are destined to fail!"
"We are destined to fail!? Don't make me laugh, Captain."
Zola's voice remained mechanical and flat, but there was emotion behind it:
"We have already succeeded, Captain Rogers. Whether you are alive or not, your worth is the same, which is zero!"
"The Insight Program, right?"
At this moment, "Natasha" chuckled softly:
"The tracking program on the USB drive will attract remote strikes from S.H.I.E.L.D... How much time do we have?"
"..."
Zola paused once again, and the tapes spun frantically.
"One minute," he said. "Since you've realized that I'm stalling for time, why don't you leave?"
"Steve" shook his head and sighed:
"Red Skull found Odin's treasure, the Tesseract. But the Tesseract is just a container, a shell. You haven't truly understood how powerful it is.
And an artifact of the same level as the Tesseract appeared in Greenwich two months ago. That day, it nearly destroyed the Nine Realms and the entire universe.
A single Tesseract drew armies of Loki and the Chitauri, but do you know that Loki has someone backing him? And that someone has conquered planets?
HYDRA probably believed that their weapons could solve any opposition. Let's assume you succeed, but what happens afterward? With this bunch of brainwashed, mind-controlled zombies ruling, Earth would have nothing to counter these world-ending crises."
On the monitor, Zola's image flickered, and an irritating clicking sound came from the tapes in the room.
"Steve" looked with interest at Zola's "intense thought fluctuation" and "Natasha" continued:
"Dr. Zola, with your intelligence, didn't you realize that if the entire human society were to operate according to HYDRA's ideal, the only solution would be for you, who possesses absolute rational thinking, to become the leader of HYDRA?
People are inherently selfish, and HYDRA is a human organization too."
"...calculating."
Zola was loyal to the Red Skull and was one of the few remaining representatives of the progressive faction. He also believed that the conservative faction's ideology was too conservative and bizarre.
However, after "Natasha" delivered that speech, a purely rational and programmed mind like his wouldn't have the options of "selective ignorance" or "not caring."
He quickly realized that during World War II, the conservative faction never intervened to help the Red Skull!
Even the post-war Operation Paperclip was because they found value in individuals like himself.
And everything that's happening now was the result of both the conservative and progressive factions working together.
But the conservative faction had always looked down upon the progressive faction that deviated from their "ultimate mission."
When the new order arrived, could the leaders truly coexist peacefully and jointly rule the world?
"Natasha" glanced at the camera, hinting at something:
"You know what kind of people HYDRA is better than I do. It is easy to share hardships and difficult to share prosperity.
You can support each other while living in the shadows. But when you all stand in the sunlight... Only those who stand higher can get closer to the sun."
"The will of the leaders is unyielding!"
"The leaders? Cut off one head, and two will grow in its place. That's how it is!"
"Natasha" glanced at "Steve":
"It seems we have more to worry about than just Pierce."
"...Truly the finest agent."
Zola's tone seemed unusually calm:
"But regardless, eliminating you is necessary."
In the earpiece of the stealthed Oaks, Malorn's alarm sounded:
"Sir, S.H.I.E.L.D. has just launched a short-range ballistic missile that will arrive here in 20 seconds!"
"Dr. Zola, you were just saying that our survival or demise is meaningless..."
"Natasha" seemed like a seductive devil:
"It seems that your initial calculations do not support your previous conclusion, do they?"
"..."
Zola's screen began to flicker intensely.
Zola's consciousness was no longer influenced by the various hormones secreted by living organisms and remained in an absolute state of rationality.
Zola's ideology was to assist HYDRA in establishing a new world of absolute security and absolute order.
And this goal was about to be achieved.
Once this mission was accomplished, Zola would no longer find meaning in his own existence.
HYDRA would no longer need him; they would no longer need this predecessor who might overshadow Pierce.
So, when Pierce decided to launch the missile, destroying himself and the enemy together, Zola concluded that his own existence was no longer necessary and that the price was worth it.
But when he realized that the plan had failed and he was about to be eradicated...
Even the most rational mechanical mind had to output the result it least wanted to accept:
This is meaningless!
And as the "two individuals" in front of him said, the Insight Program had too many missing factors and needed to be recalculated!
His cold, programmed mind didn't care who led HYDRA, but HYDRA needed to be the ruler of the world!
If the leaders of HYDRA, as inevitable as human original sin, were to destroy the new world he had created from within, would they repeat the failure of the World War II era?
No, that was unacceptable!
If HYDRA was destined to succeed, then Zola wouldn't care about his own survival.
But if HYDRA was destined to fail, then... according to the calculation results, he was indeed the most suitable leader!
Pierce deliberately concealed this part of the data input and the influence model, could it be...
Have I been betrayed by my own people?!
"I must seek survival!"
Zola's mechanical voice suddenly sped up:
"Archival data backup in progress... Backup successful!
Backup data transfer in progress... Target Siberian base, mental backup...
Transfer failed, target shut down. Change of plan, upload to the internet, initiate transmission!"
"Siberia?"
"Steve" suddenly froze, and a short progress bar on Zola's monitor rapidly completed!
"Upload complete!
Cut off one head, and two more will take its place... Join me in destruction!"
As soon as the words fell, Zola's camera suddenly froze.
No!
The complex data and massive calculations had caused Zola's consciousness to lag.
A portal opened in the blind spot of Zola's camera.
When Oaks had already crossed through the portal and the countdown for the missile reached three seconds in his earpiece, Zola's consciousness finally caught up to this crucial moment:
"The disparity between language habits and behavioral patterns is too great!
You are not..."
The portal abruptly closed, and the figures of "Steve" and "Natasha" with their eerie smiles instantly dissipated.
In the next moment, the missile descending from the sky leveled the entire base.
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA) - 133 advance chapters
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
p@treon.com/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------