Chapter 124 — A Few Things About Hydra

"Oh, right!"

Logan's memories began to resurface.

The changes in his body had only appeared after he used the God Machine to devour a mutated Aragami called [Hannibal].

Wang Xu gave a slight nod. "You've got the right idea."

"This weakness you're feeling now is, in essence, your life force brewing and accumulating. After a while, you'll evolve into a second-generation God Machine wielder."

Logan lit a cigarette, drew deeply, then blew out a smoke ring. "What kind of changes? Sounds pretty good."

"The Oracle Cells will fuse completely with your body. Even without a control bracelet, you won't have to worry about turning into an Aragami."

"On top of that, your strength, speed, and defense will be improved across the board."

Wang Zhiyao explained.

"Got it."

Logan sighed.

As a rough, tough guy, he didn't care about such trivial details.

Rather than lying around the base waiting to evolve, Logan preferred fighting side by side with his comrades on the battlefield.

That surging, exhilarating feeling when battling Aragami was truly addictive.

"In a while, an old acquaintance of yours will be coming here. Better start getting ready."

Wang Xu gave him a faint, knowing smile and said no more.

……

The Land of Extreme Ice.

Golden, dazzling grains of sand converged from all directions, gradually coalescing into a human form.

A youth with blood-crimson hair appeared before the Hydra base.

He strolled slowly up to the guard, raised one clenched fist toward him, and said softly, "Hydra."

The soldier regarded the youth with reverence. Suppressing their inner excitement and adoration, they responded warmly, "Cut off one head, and two more shall take its place!"

After the East Island went mad and tried to drag all of humanity down with it, Aragami had appeared in every corner of the world.

Though the number of Aragami seemed not to have increased recently, conventional weapons remained utterly useless against them.

Yet this red-haired youth before them possessed the ability to bind and capture Aragami alive.

His battle record proved his worth.

It also sent his standing within Hydra soaring, and at breakneck speed he became the right-hand man of the leader, Johann Schmidt.

"Mm."

Gaara gave a slight nod by way of response.

Ignoring the fanatical gazes around him, he walked deeper into the base.

Before long, he stood before the man who now truly held power in Hydra.

Johann Schmidt, his face skinless, his appearance like a skull wrapped in flesh and blood—the mutation brought on by the injection of the Super Soldier Gene Serum.

He had lost his originally handsome features, and in exchange gained immense power, a brilliant mind, and a vastly extended lifespan.

Because of that horrifying appearance, he had earned the nickname "Red Skull."

Of course, within Hydra, no one in their right mind would dare say that nickname aloud.

Looking at Johann Schmidt, Gaara's thoughts churned in a hundred directions.

In his eyes, this man called Jia Mingyuan could be crushed to death with a casual pinch.

Yet his mission required him to assist this man, to influence his various decisions.

The Lord God would not issue meaningless mission directives, so there had to be some potential in Red Skull that he simply could not perceive.

"The investigation into Strucker is complete."

Gaara spoke expressionlessly, his tone cold: "He's been actively gathering strong men within the ** military, trying to build his own faction. It looks like he's already planning to strike out on his own."

Baron Strucker was born into a Prussian noble family at the end of the nineteenth century. The injection of the Death Spore Virus slowed his aging. He had once publicly claimed to have founded the Hydra organization.

In reality, that was not the case.

Though Hydra now answered to **, its history was even older than **.

An orphan who grew up nursing hatred for humanity, Red Skull had overtaken him from behind.

Through various schemes and manipulations, he had completely stripped Baron Strucker of power.

Red Skull had taken perfect control of Hydra and remade it into a religious-style terrorist organization.

Now he was Hydra's "cult leader," possessed of absolute authority, controlling every member of the entire organization.

"Heh… just as I expected."

Red Skull sneered. "Crossbones, go deal with that traitor Strucker."

At those words, his capable subordinate Brock Rumlow (Crossbones) stepped forward. "That Jia Mingyuan is decent with a sword, but I can take him out easily! Though—will there be any problem on Hitler's end?"

Red Skull merely gave a contemptuous snort. "Doesn't matter. Right now, he needs us—we don't depend on him! The times have shifted!"

Germany's international strategy had gone awry, and it was now stuck in a dilemma. He didn't even take Hitler seriously anymore.

Between Hydra under his leadership and Germany, it was merely a relationship of mutual exploitation. The moment one side lost power, it would be ruthlessly cast aside.

Gaara frowned deeply, his expression displeased. "Why not send me? I'm stronger than Crossbones."

Hearing this, the elite mercenary Brock Rumlow, his muscles bulging, veins throbbing on his forehead, looked ready to beat the red-haired brat to death on the spot.

Unfortunately, the other man was telling the truth.

He was indeed no match for Gaara.

Poison, sniping, assassination…

No method worked against this red-haired brat who could freely turn his body to sand.

"You have another important mission."

Red Skull's way with words was masterful—he favored neither side nor showed partiality, yet made both Crossbones and Gaara feel valued.

"Hmph."

Brock Rumlow sourly shifted his gaze away from Gaara.

……

Forty-five minutes later.

Led by Red Skull, Gaara arrived at the secret research institute.

"Dr. Zola, any progress on the Aragami research?"

Hearing Johann Schmidt's question, Arnim Zola, who was busy handling bottles and jars, paused what he was doing.

His expression was fanatical, yet his eyes were utterly cold, as if he existed in some delicate equilibrium. "I'd stake my life on it—Aragami are certainly not life forms born of this world!"

"Aragami are truly wondrous. The things inside their bodies that the God Eaters call 'Oracle Cells' know no such concept as 'aging'!"

"Do you understand? The 'telomeres' of Oracle Cells possess the ability to regenerate—which means every single cell is forever young! Immortal!"

"If we can fully crack their secrets, perhaps we could truly glimpse the mystery of eternal life!"

Red Skull's expression shifted slightly.

Whether it was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Infinite Formula, the Red Room's Sventovit Potion, Hydra's Death Spore Virus, or the Super Soldier Gene Serum, all of them could only slow the passage of life.

Those who used such things could gain thousands of years of lifespan, but that was not true immortality after all.

The extremely self-centered Red Skull made a prompt decision and increased Dr. Zola's research funding.

"Put the Aragami immortality research sequence on hold for now. First, use them to develop a controllable bioweapon!"

Red Skull was, in the end, that cold-blooded strategist.

He held his inner yearning in check.

No—he used an even stronger desire to suppress his desire for eternal life.

That was…

The desire for power and status.

Leader of Hydra?

Not enough…

Far from enough!