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77.28% With Ope Ope no Mi in Hunter x Hunter / Chapter 211: Chapter 210: The Gravity Worm (Part 2)

Chapter 211: Chapter 210: The Gravity Worm (Part 2)

Hydra's growth into such a formidable organization was largely due to the expertise of its leaders. Both Baron Strucker and Whitehall sought to create superhumans, known as Inhumans, but they took different approaches.

Whitehall had developed an Ion Generator in his early years, well before the Gravity Worm was discovered. Initially, it was a mere whim, but after numerous failed experiments, he abandoned the project.

"Who are you?" Ian Quinn, recently rescued from the Icebox, looked at Daniel Davis with suspicion. Daniel, dressed in special forces gear, had his face obscured.

"Who I am is not important. What matters is where you found the Gravity Worm," Daniel asked.

"Do you think I'd tell you?" Ian felt a bit relieved upon hearing Daniel's question, realizing that his life was valuable. His biggest fear was being killed without a chance to explain.

"I'm just asking as a formality. Whether you tell me or not doesn't really matter," Daniel said, grabbing Ian's head to read his memories using Legilimency, a technique from the Harry Potter world.

Ian was a billionaire, but his resolve was not particularly strong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have abandoned his fortune to follow Garrett.

"Hmph, just a second-generation rich kid. No wonder he was so easily fooled," Daniel thought, learning that Ian's wealth came from inheritance. While Ian had a good education, as was typical for someone of his status, he wasn't as talented as Tony Stark.

The Gravity Worm wasn't discovered by Ian but by Dr. Franklin Hall, who was collaborating with Ian on a project when they stumbled upon it.

Their collaboration was mostly Ian funding the project while Dr. Hall did the work. Dr. Hall recognized the dangers of the Gravity Worm and decided to seal the element and leak the information to get himself arrested.

Unfortunately, this didn't stop the project, as Ian saw the potential for profit, despite Dr. Hall's warnings about its side effects.

For capitalists like Ian, profit came first, and other considerations could wait.

The Gravity Worm is essentially the source of Earth's gravity. Excessive extraction could cause Earth's crust to collapse. Such elements are typically found in planetary cores and are hard to locate or extract.

Dr. Hall likely never imagined that by leaking the information to SHIELD, Hydra would continue the research, given their different priorities.

"You could have enjoyed a wealthy life, but it's too late for regrets now." Ian, much like Stark, enjoyed all the luxuries money could buy. But unlike Stark, Ian was easily swayed by the allure of the unknown, which Garrett exploited.

Realizing Garrett's true nature, Ian regretted his choices, but by then, it was too late. SHIELD wouldn't spare him.

"Goodbye." After extracting the information he needed from Ian's memories, Daniel shot him. Despite Ian being merely a pawn, Daniel felt no sympathy for him. Ian, a disgraced second-generation rich kid, paled in comparison to Stark.

"I wonder if Malick will show up. If he does, Hydra's leadership could be wiped out in one go."

Hydra had long been dominated by Malick's faction, known for their cunning. They always stayed behind the scenes, collecting the spoils while using other Hydra branches to grow their power.

Malick's family profited from every major conflict, from the Revolutionary War to the World Wars. If Hydra's other leaders were eliminated, Malick's family was responsible for Hydra's rebirth.

"You were too slow," Alexander Pierce, who had been rescued by Hydra's strike team, scolded Whitehall angrily in a luxurious villa atop a mountain.

Years of painstaking infiltration had crumbled in an instant, just when they were close to controlling the world. The frustration made Pierce nearly spit blood.

"Don't be so upset. We can start over. Fury might have guts, but he doesn't know Hydra's true strength," Whitehall said, motioning for an attendant to pour Pierce a glass of wine. "This is a rare vintage."

"Pierce, your actions cost us dearly," an elderly man accompanied by a young man in a black suit entered the room.

"Mr. Malick." Seeing the newcomers, both Pierce and Whitehall stood up.

"A lot of people are looking for you. Stay here for now and rebuild when things settle," Malick said, indicating they should sit while he took a seat behind the desk.

Hydra, despite its name, no longer had nine leaders. The original nine families had dwindled over time, and internal power struggles were inevitable. The most powerful faction always led, like when Red Skull was in charge.

Red Skull's downfall was partly due to Hydra's internal divisions, especially Malick's faction. If Hydra had fully supported Red Skull, the war's outcome might have been different. A Red Skull victory would have been a disaster for other Hydra branches, particularly Malick's.

Malick's family played a pivotal role in erasing Erskine, who created Captain America. The assassin was from Hydra but not under Red Skull's orders. The timing of Erskine's assassination, post-Captain America's creation, was strategic to undermine Red Skull while preventing the Allies from creating more super-soldiers.

Even the Insight Project was sabotaged by Malick's family, much like their sabotage of Red Skull. Had Hydra fully supported Pierce, the Insight Project might have succeeded, especially without Daniel's interference.

Hydra's deep infiltration into government and military meant they could mobilize considerable force for Pierce.

For Malick, Hydra ruling the world was fine, but only if his faction led, not any other.

"I understand," Pierce muttered, his attitude a stark contrast to his previous confidence. Before his fall, Pierce was the strongest Hydra leader, speaking with authority. Now, facing Malick, he was subdued.

Pierce viewed Malick's family as regressive, focused solely on reviving an ancient being, Hive. He saw this reliance on an external savior as ludicrous, believing power should be seized, not granted.

Whitehall and others shared Pierce's disdain for Malick's family. If they gained power, Malick's family would be the first purged.

However, in their current weakened state, they had no choice but to comply with Malick's directives.

"So lively here," Daniel suddenly appeared, stepping through a golden portal into the study.

He had held off attacking Hydra to lure out Malick, fearing he might go into hiding like Muzan from "Demon Slayer." Modern technology made it challenging to locate a well-hidden wealthy individual.

Daniel's sudden appearance shocked Malick's bodyguard, who quickly drew his gun, only to be knocked out by Daniel before he could fire. Malick's bodyguard, Giyera, was an Inhuman with telekinetic abilities. Though not exceptionally powerful, Daniel found him interesting and spared him for study.

"It's you," Malick, Whitehall, and Pierce finally reacted, stunned that someone had found them in such a secretive location outside the USA.

"Of course it's me, Mr. Pierce. It seems you didn't heed my warning. You're a wanted man."

Daniel's words made Pierce's face turn grim.

Malick, seeing his bodyguard incapacitated, discreetly activated an alarm on his person, knowing his villa was well-guarded.

"You're trying to call your guards? There's no need for that," Daniel said, smiling at Malick. His Observation Haki made it impossible for Malick's actions to go unnoticed.

"Sorcerer, I didn't expect you to find this place. What do you want?" Malick asked after a moment, realizing the situation was dire. As a former World Security Council member and a top Hydra leader, Malick was well aware of Daniel's true identity.

"What do I want? You can't give me what I desire. With Hydra's leaders gathered here, killing you all would ensure Hydra can't rise again."

"There's no issue that can't be negotiated. If you know about us, you must know our resources."

Malick was referring to money. With enough money, even Hydra could do business openly, as evidenced by Pym Technologies trying to sell the Ant-Man suit to Hydra after SHIELD's dissolution. Even the US President couldn't openly pursue Malick, relying instead on agents like Coulson.

"A group fixated on reviving an alien slave, talking about resources? That's laughable."

"What do you mean?"

"Simple," Daniel said, opening a golden portal and gesturing for the three to enter.

Seeing no other option, Malick, Whitehall, and Pierce stepped through the portal.

"Where is this?" They found themselves in a barren wasteland, sand blowing in the wind.

"This is an alien planet, where your leader, Hive, was exiled. The planet was destroyed by his actions. I came here and killed him, so now it's mine."

"What did you say?" Malick was incredulous, unable to believe that after sending countless people to this planet, including his brother, Daniel was now telling him Hive was dead, making Hydra's millennium of efforts seem like a joke.

"Don't believe me? Didn't Hydra record Hive's origins? Your bodyguard is an Inhuman. Hive was just a Kree bio-experiment, an Inhuman slave. And you made him your supreme leader."

Daniel explained the origins of Inhumans, Hive, and the Kree, watching Malick's disbelief with satisfaction.

"How absurd," Pierce laughed, no longer needing to cater to Malick's whims in this desolate place.

"Actually, the Kree left a contingency among the Inhumans. If Hive returns to Earth, a specific Inhuman will emerge to kill him," Daniel continued, mixing truth with deception.

"Now that you've seen this place, it's time to end this." Daniel had never intended to recruit Hydra.

___________________

Read Ahead

P@treon.com/Mutter


Chapter 212: Chapter 211: The Gravity Worm (Part 3)

"Hydra's hidden power is indeed vast, but unfortunately, it cannot withstand the light," Daniel Davis mused, looking at the ground where he had buried Pierce, Malick, and Sunil Bakshi (posing as Whitehall) using earth alchemy.

Brainwashing people to serve him, like Hydra did, was a simple task for Daniel now. If he wanted, he could easily take over Hydra. Despite the significant loss of Hydra's strength, its remaining resources were still formidable. Financially, the combined worth of his Fei Fei Group and Stark Industries couldn't compare to the Malick Group alone.

Stark Industries and Fei Fei Group were relatively new enterprises, whereas the Malick family had been around for a millennium, making it a true ancient family. This financial might, combined with their other powers, was frightening. A small country couldn't match it.

If Daniel controlled this power, he would immediately become a significant behind-the-scenes figure in the world. However, given Hydra's enmity with Stark, Daniel wouldn't become Hydra's hidden leader.

Initially, Daniel had approached Stark for his own benefit, seeking the Iron Man suit and the Arc Reactor. Now, they were good friends, and Daniel wouldn't do anything to harm his friend.

"So this is the Gravity Worm, room," Daniel muttered, extending his hand towards a glass cabinet containing the Gravity Worm. After eliminating the last Hydra leaders, Daniel had retrieved the Gravity Worm and other dangerous items stored in the Icebox.

The Gravity Worm was a peculiar black liquid, constantly flowing and occasionally bubbling within the reinforced glass cabinet, appearing quite eerie.

Daniel was very curious about gravity. It was an incredibly powerful ability. Consider Fujitora, who could easily summon meteors with his Gravity Fruit.

"Should I merge with it, use it to create artificial gravity, or sell it?" Daniel pondered. The Gravity Worm had three known uses: creating artificial gravity over a large area with a small amount, absorbing it to gain gravity-related abilities, or selling it to Xandar's Broker for a significant profit.

Absorbing the Gravity Worm granted the user gravity manipulation abilities, but it couldn't match the Gravity Fruit's power. The Gravity Worm couldn't summon meteors, and enhancing its power required merging more Gravity Worm, as it couldn't be trained to grow stronger.

This inability to train and grow made it less valuable to Daniel, as it was more of a novelty. With his current power, merging with the Gravity Worm would be merely a flashy addition, giving him another cool trick.

The third option, selling it on Xandar, was tempting. The Gravity Worm was a valuable commodity in the universe. Selling the contents of the glass cabinet would make Daniel a wealthy man even on Xandar. The Ravagers had long sought the Gravity Worm for this reason.

"Damn it, we've been exposed. We must leave immediately," an elderly man with a lieutenant general's insignia hurriedly entered a secret US Air Force base office, speaking urgently to a middle-aged female officer with a colonel's rank.

As he spoke, he rummaged through the office, found a portable hard drive, and handed it to the female officer. "Hale, you must keep this safe. We need to leave now."

After giving the hard drive to Colonel Hale, the old general prepared to leave but stepped back upon seeing five soldiers, led by a colonel, outside.

"Trying to escape? Too late. Arrest this traitor," ordered Colonel Talbot, a typical US military officer.

As the old general was arrested, Colonel Hale appeared terrified, trembling visibly.

"Hale, don't worry. This guy is the traitor," Talbot reassured her before leaving. It wasn't a time for idle chat.

Once Talbot and the soldiers left, Hale sighed deeply, clutching her chest. She had almost been caught. Fortunately, she remained calm and didn't act rashly. The general wouldn't betray her, as Hydra's brainwashing was thorough, often starting from childhood, like Hale's experience at Hydra Academy.

At Hydra Academy, a young blonde girl ended her training upon seeing Hale. Unlike SHIELD Academy, Hydra Academy didn't have annual admissions. It primarily served the offspring of Hydra members, with a few external talents, similar to a private school for nobility. These children trained and lived together, ensuring they could better inherit Hydra.

Hale had been top of her class at Hydra Academy, destined for a bright future, possibly even joining SHIELD. However, she was exiled after an altercation with a high-ranking Hydra scion, Baron Strucker, whom Daniel had killed.

Hale joined the US Air Force, enduring years of hardship to reach the rank of colonel. This was the consequence of offending a powerful leader. Despite her top performance at Hydra Academy, she was sidelined.

Whether in the light or shadows, second-generation elites existed. Hale, lacking Hydra's support, became a test subject for Whitehall's experiments, specifically the Ion Generator.

"Something's happening outside," the blonde girl remarked casually after her training.

"Yes," Hale nodded, heading to the Hydra Academy office.

In the office, Hale smiled slightly at the familiar surroundings. This had once been Whitehall's office. As a top student, Hale had dreamed of becoming a high-ranking Hydra leader, like Baron Strucker. But society had brutally dashed her hopes.

No one stood up for her. Even in a formal organization, no one would risk offending a powerful elite for someone without a strong background. Reality was harsh.

Years of hardship had extinguished Hale's ambitions. Just as she was ready to live a quiet life, unexpected events unfolded. The things she once sought came to her without effort because the higher-ups were wiped out. Hale now led Hydra Academy.

After a moment of reflection, Hale inserted the hard drive into her computer to review its contents.

"Didn't expect Hydra to have such treasures," she muttered, engrossed in the data.

Suddenly, a strange voice startled her, making her jump and fumble for her weapon. Years of desk work had dulled her once-sharp skills.

As she pulled out her gun, a force knocked it from her hand.

"Who are you?" she demanded, looking at Daniel, who was disguised as a special forces soldier.

"Kree technology? Didn't expect Hydra to find this," Daniel ignored Hale, focusing on the computer. Hydra claimed to worship Hive. Though only Malick's faction remained devoted, other branches had their own agendas. Over the years, they discovered various Kree relics on Earth.

The computer displayed a Kree signal generator, capable of contacting distant Kree.

"Impressive, even has spatial teleportation. Kree tech from a thousand years ago, indeed a cosmic civilization," Daniel marveled. He was familiar with teleportation through spells but had never seen a machine achieve this.

"Don't," Hale shouted as someone attacked Daniel from behind. He easily deflected the attack, causing the thrown weapon to strike the blonde girl in the chest.

"No!" Hale rushed to her fallen daughter, crying. Though artificially conceived, Hale deeply loved her child.

Daniel remained indifferent. Hydra's countless atrocities justified his actions. Unlike Melinda May or Coulson, who would've tried to save the girl, Daniel wasn't troubled by such scruples.

US policies favoring children had led to an increase in juvenile delinquents, committing heinous crimes under the guise of youth. Daniel believed in dealing with threats decisively.

Hale, recovering from her shock, grabbed a weapon to fight Daniel but was quickly shot in the head by his Finger Gun technique.

"Go join your daughter," he muttered. With the hard drive and intelligence from Malick, Pierce, and others, there was no need to interrogate Hale.

Though her situation was pitiable, joining Hydra made her a legitimate target.

As Daniel left Hydra Academy, he used flame and earth alchemy to destroy it entirely.

"Finally got it," Daniel found the device and the Ion Generator in another Hydra warehouse.

"Seems this thing contacts the Ravagers. Maybe I can rob them," Daniel thought, recalling SHIELD agents' memories.

"But now isn't the time. The Ravagers appear before Thanos' invasion," he considered. The Ravagers, notorious throughout the galaxy, often followed Thanos, profiting from his destruction.

They capitalized on the chaos, claiming Thanos was there to destroy the planet, and looted freely. They had repeated this scam numerous times, becoming quite adept at it.

Unfortunately, they failed on Earth because Talbot, fully merged with the Gravity Worm, decimated the Ravagers' leadership.

However, Talbot later succumbed to the Gravity Worm's influence and ultimately perished in space.

___________________

Read Ahead

P@treon.com/Mutter


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