Room 402, Building 6, Ashwood Street.
The Purple Man sat stiffly on the sofa, his brow furrowed.
In front of him, beside the massive TV, two smaller screens displayed feeds from seven crucial intersections nearby.
But now…
The screens were black.
He grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge, gulped it down to steady his nerves.
"So, who's targeting me?"
He pondered, suspecting it might be Heisenberg. After all, that bastard had taken his precious Jessica!
She was his ultimate dessert, meant to be broken down until she could no longer bear her own existence.
It might take two, three, even five years.
But he was willing to wait, for once she was fully "cooked," her flavor would be divine!
Now it was all ruined—someone else had devoured his dish. Damn it!
The Purple Man's rage ignited, almost materializing above his head.
He gazed out the window, his eyes deep and piercing. You unknown fools dare to threaten me?
Fine. Let me vent my fury on you!
Boom!!!
The door was kicked open, and Captain America burst in, shield raised.
He lunged toward the Purple Man, directly opposite the door, but after two steps, he froze mid-air.
Behind him, Barton sensed something wrong. Without hesitation, he drew his bow and fired an arrow at the Purple Man's right leg.
As the arrow flew, Cap spun around, deflecting it with his shield.
Barton, however, lost the strength to fire a second shot.
Behind Barton, Grant Ward and his agents rushed in, only to be stunned by the scene.
Ward, quick-witted, rolled out of the room.
But his agents were already under the Purple Man's control.
Ward dared not attack further, shouting into his earpiece,
"Something's wrong! Cap and Barton are under control!"
"What?!"
Downstairs, John Garrett, the deputy commander, was baffled. Hadn't the operation just started?
How could the Purple Man's control be so terrifying? Even Cap couldn't resist?
"Breach the wall! Give the snipers a clear shot! Watch yourself!"
"Yes, sir!"
Grant acknowledged. Nearby, Agent Melinda May grabbed a breaching device and got to work. Within seconds, micro-bombs covered the wall.
Inside the room, the Purple Man glared at the group, asking softly,
"Tell me who you are, your department, and who ordered this attack."
Cap froze, struggling against the Purple Man's control. Instead of obeying, he relied on his superhuman willpower to resist.
But as he fought, the scattered agents spoke up.
"HYDRA covert agent Henry Ford, under John Garrett's orders, to capture the Purple Man and counter Heisenberg."
"HYDRA covert agent Teddy Garnett, under…"
"HYDRA covert agent…"
"HYDRA covert agent…"
"HYDRA…"
"SHIELD agent Clinton Francis Barton, commissioned by Heisenberg, dispatched by Director Nick Fury, to capture the Purple Man."
As they spoke, their faces remained blank, but their minds were in chaos!
HYDRA!!!
John Garrett!!!
Captain America's eyes widened, his forehead veins popping.
"How are there so many HYDRA agents?!"
The shock of HYDRA's presence broke him free from the Purple Man's control.
Instead of dealing with HYDRA first, Cap hurled his shield at the Purple Man.
Startled, the Purple Man rolled off the sofa, narrowly dodging the shield.
Even on the ground, he issued a new command.
"Protect me and get me out of New York!"
The lone Barton and a group of HYDRA agents launched a frenzied attack on Cap.
Outnumbered, Cap struggled, fending off attacks from all sides.
The Purple Man, meanwhile, grabbed Cap's shield and headed for the window.
He glimpsed the crowd outside tampering with the wall.
He had to jump!
It was only the fourth floor—he had some confidence. As a mutant, even if his brain was the mutation, his body was enhanced.
Plus, he had the shield to block bullets.
He rushed to the window.
Before opening it, he froze.
Gunfire erupted from below!
Thirty seconds earlier…
"Who are you…?"
"HYDRA…!"
"HYDRA…!"
The agents' responses left everyone outside stunned.
The once-united team exchanged glances, then turned to John Garrett.
The atmosphere froze.
Suddenly, over a dozen modified SUVs arrived.
Erica stepped out, heading toward Garrett. She knew the handsome guy was SHIELD's commander—though she didn't know it was Cap.
With the commander absent, she approached Garrett, the deputy.
Coulson, seeing Garrett gain support, reflexively aimed his gun at him.
This triggered a chain reaction. Over 70% of the agents aimed at Coulson, while the remaining 20% raised their weapons in confusion.
But what good was that?
The teams were scattered, and no one knew who was HYDRA.
Genuine SHIELD agents were isolated, with at least two HYDRA agents near each.
Erica, too, was shocked by the chaos.
"What the hell, is this a double-cross?!"
She raised her short spear, charging at Garrett, intending to take him hostage.
Garrett, seeing the situation exposed, shouted,
"Attack! Leave no one alive!"
Gunfire erupted. In an instant, over twenty agents fell, the death toll rising.
Even Coulson took a bullet, saved only by his vest. He dodged behind his car.
Erica reacted swiftly, shouting to her team,
"Protect Crossbones! He's ours!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Crossbones, you?!"
The last exclamation came from Garrett, stunned to find Crossbones, his HYDRA equal, a traitor!
Crossbones was equally baffled.
How had he betrayed? When did he join Erica? He had no idea!
How could he not know he'd defected?
Did I defect?!
He had no time to explain. Gang members with rifles and grenades gave him no chance.
Within seconds, he was shielded by countless gangsters.
Erica, failing to capture Garrett, joined her team, grabbing a weapon and leaning against Crossbones.
"Hey, I'm Erica, just joined Heisenberg. You've heard of me, right?"
"I… what the hell…"
Crossbones was bewildered, like a fruit on a "confusion tree."
Seeing his "nervousness," Erica nodded understandingly, tapping his arm with her gun in friendship.
"Relax. We'll protect you. The boss admires your brain. He wants you to manage his people.
After today, you might be my boss. Good luck!"
She charged ahead, ignoring Crossbones' silence, and began slaughtering SHIELD and HYDRA agents.
The scene descended into chaos, and no one noticed the Purple Man, the original target, slipping away.
He walked through the crowd, casually entering his Chevrolet.
He started the engine, and the car moved slowly. But inside, he was bewildered.
Why were his captors fighting?
Because of HYDRA?
Wait…
HYDRA?!
That organization disbanded after WWII, right?
How…
He froze.
Not from discovering HYDRA, but because his car was flying.
His old car, with no flight capabilities or magic, was now soaring into the clouds.
He wasn't panicking—he'd seen stranger things.
He quickly opened the window, looking down.
Sure enough!
He saw two furry legs in pajamas.
"Heisenberg!!!"
He roared, unleashing his control powers—scent, gaze, voice, everything at maximum.
But Heisenberg remained unaffected.
The wind howled, and the Purple Man faintly heard Heisenberg on the phone.
Straining to listen, Heisenberg's voice became clearer.
"Jessica, it's me, your boss.
I've got a task for you. Wait for me on the rooftop.
I'll drop a car from the sky. Destroy it without damaging the roof.
If you succeed, I'll deliver the dying Purple Man to you. Deal?"