bookbashuk Chapter 88 The Hydra's Counterattack
Chapter 88 The Hydra's Counterattack
In the laboratory atop Stark Tower, Chen Haotian and Tony had just finished discussing the third team member, deciding that Captain America, Steve Rogers, was their first choice. However, this plan was soon forced to be shelved.
"Gentlemen, I think you need to see this." Jarvis's voice broke the silence of the laboratory, and the holographic projection automatically switched to the news channel.
On the screen, a pale-faced presenter is reporting: "...Multiple unexplained acts of violence have occurred in Manhattan. Witnesses say the attackers displayed extreme aggression and unusual strength, but were slow-moving and poorly coordinated..."
Tony frowned: "What is this? A new drug outbreak?"
Chen Haotian had already stood up, his eyes sharpening: "No, Tony. Look at the characteristics of those attackers—pale faces, bloodshot eyes, uncoordinated movements but increased strength. This is all too familiar."
Tony suddenly realized: "A defective Hydra virus?"
Jarvis pulled up more surveillance footage: "Based on behavioral pattern analysis and biometric comparison, there is an 87.3% probability that it is a T-virus variant we have seen in the Resident Evil world, but it exhibits more unstable characteristics."
Chen Haotian strode to the control panel: "Jarvis, trace the source of the virus. Tony, we need to immediately confirm whether this was caused by false information we gave to Hydra."
Tony had already donned his Iron Man suit: "I'm already doing it. Jarvis, get all the relevant medical reports and police records."
Data scrolled rapidly across the holographic screen. A few minutes later, Jarvis pinpointed a location: "The initial infection occurred at a biotechnology company in Brooklyn—New Era Biotech. This company was acquired three months ago by a shell company called 'Vanguard Investment.'"
"Vanguard Investment..." Chen Haotian sneered, "Hydra's classic disguise. They really did develop the virus based on the false intelligence we gave them."
Tony's visor opened, revealing a serious expression: "But the virus leaked. This means they not only believed false information, but also made a major mistake during the development process."
Chen Haotian pulled up the building floor plan of New Era Biotechnology Company: "Based on the fake data we gave them, they are probably trying to create a virus to enhance soldiers, but they lack the crucial stabilizer formula. Without a stabilizer, the virus will mutate rapidly, causing the host to go out of control."
"Just like what you see on the screen." Tony pointed to an infected person being subdued by police in the news footage. "They've become extremely aggressive, but they've completely lost their minds."
Suddenly, the lab alarm went off. Jarvis reported, "Intrusion detected into the building's security system; unauthorized access is attempting to obtain our research data."
Chen Haotian and Tony exchanged a glance and simultaneously understood the situation.
"They're looking for a cure," Chen Haotian said calmly. "Hydra realizes the virus is out of control and wants to find a solution from us."
Tony sneered, "How ironic. They stole our false intelligence to create a disaster, and now they want to steal our real research to solve the problem."
Chen Haotian had already begun packing his gear: "There's no time for sarcasm, Tony. If this virus spreads in New York, the consequences will be unimaginable. We must act immediately."
"Action plan?" Tony asked, the suit system already fully activated.
Chen Haotian pondered for a moment: "Two steps. First, you take a team of suited soldiers to New Era Corporation to control the source of the virus and collect samples for developing an antidote. Second, I'll track down Hydra's agents and see what tricks they're up to."
Tony nodded: "Be careful, brother. The fact that Hydra dared to release the virus in New York means they've gone to their wits' end."
Chen Haotian revealed a dangerous smile: "Perfect, I've been wanting to meet these Nazi remnants in person for a long time."
Half an hour later, Tony's Iron Legion had surrounded the New Age Biotech building. From the outside, the building appeared suspiciously calm, but thermal imaging revealed a large number of people moving inside.
"Jarvis, scan the building's interior," Tony commanded.
"High-intensity biohazard indicators have been detected on the third basement level. The building's internal air circulation system has been contaminated. We recommend using a fully enclosed mode," Jarvis replied.
Tony switched his suit to fully enclosed mode and was the first to break through the glass curtain wall on the top floor of the building. The sight inside made him gasp – dozens of researchers and security guards lay sprawled on the floor, some of them clearly mutated and convulsing unconsciously.
"God..." Tony whispered, while ordering the other suits to seal off the entire area.
On the other side of the building, Chen Haotian tracked the Hydra hackers' IP address to a luxury apartment building in Midtown Manhattan. He easily cracked the security system and silently infiltrated the penthouse suite.
Inside the suite, two Hydra agents were frantically destroying documents and data storage devices.
"It's too late, Baron Strucker will kill us!" the younger agent said in a panic.
The older agent calmed down: "Shut up, keep destroying the evidence. If we can eliminate all the evidence, maybe we can..."
"Maybe what else?" Chen Haotian stepped out of the shadows, his specially made weapon aimed at the two men. "To continue serving that old Nazi hiding in the shadows?"
The two agents were shocked. The younger one instinctively reached for his gun, but Chen Haotian was faster and knocked him down with a blast of explosives.
The older agent raised his hands: "Mr. Chen, I think we can talk."
Chen Haotian raised an eyebrow: "Oh? You know who I am?"
"The new director of Stark Industries, Tony Stark's brother." The agent barely managed to maintain his composure. "We have no intention of being enemies with the Stark family. This incident... was an accident."
"An accident?" Chen Haotian sneered. "You stole our research data, created an out-of-control virus, and now New York is in crisis. You call that an accident?"
The agent, sweat beading on his forehead, said, "We're just following orders. Baron Strucker believes your data is accurate..."
Chen Haotian interrupted him: "Now that the virus has leaked, how do you plan to clean up the mess?"
The agent hesitated for a moment, then said, "We've received orders that if we can't control the situation, we should... detonate the New Era Corporation's laboratory and destroy all evidence."
Chen Haotian's eyes narrowed: "Are you crazy? That would cause the virus to spread widely!"
Just then, his communicator rang, and Tony's anxious voice came through: "Haotian, the situation is bad. I found a self-destruct device in the lab. Hydra is preparing to blow up the entire building!"
Chen Haotian sneered at the older agent: "It seems your companions have already made their choice."
He quickly knocked the agent unconscious, then said to Tony, "Can you disarm the self-destruct device?"
Tony spoke with a metallic clanging sound: "I'm trying, but the system is very complex, and the lab is full of virus samples. One wrong move and it could cause an even bigger leak."
After a moment's thought, Chen Haotian made a decision: "Evacuate, Tony. Have all the suits removed from the building, then seal off the entire area from the outside. I'll contact S.H.I.E.L.D.
Tony was shocked: "What? You want to contact S.H.I.E.L.D.? Aren't we supposed to keep this a secret?"
"It's too late to keep it now," Chen Haotian said calmly. "Stopping the virus is more important than our secrets. Besides, this is an opportunity—to make S.H.I.E.L.D. owe us a favor."
Tony paused for a second, then replied, "Understood. I'll set up a quarantine zone outside. Get there as soon as possible."
Chen Haotian cut off the communication, looked at the unconscious Hydra agent on the ground, and muttered to himself, "The game has been upgraded, Hydra. Now you're not just facing the Stark brothers, but the entire S.H.I.E.L.D."
He took out an encrypted communicator, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed a number he had never used before but which he already knew by heart. A few seconds later, the call connected, and a calm male voice came from the other end: "This is Fury."
Chen Haotian took a deep breath: "Director Fury, this is Chen Haotian. I think we have a common problem that needs to be solved."