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As soon as Fury heard the name "Tony," he closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. He furrowed his brow again and focused on Arthur: "This list could spell the end of SHIELD!"
"Who could have guessed that Hydra and SHIELD were essentially symbiotic? And now, SHIELD is at a disadvantage, with Hydra holding the power," Arthur sighed, adding, "To be honest, recruiting Zola into SHIELD back in the day was the worst mistake ever. The idiots in charge back then really need to rethink their choices."
Fury's face darkened, though it likely had nothing to do with emotion: "Now's not the time to dwell on that. What I'm saying is, if we follow this list, SHIELD will be finished!"
Arthur chuckled at the absurdity of it all, glancing at Steve and smiling, "See? This really is a weapon that could destroy SHIELD."
"So, what exactly happened?" Steve asked. "Have you already found everyone Hydra had hidden in SHIELD?"
"No," Arthur replied. "We're probably not done yet. The document was last updated last year, and based on their pattern of updating once a year, the new Hydra members who joined this year haven't been included. Some documents that are involved in this we haven't acquired either, so it's hard to say how many Hydra agents are still hiding within."
Arthur sighed softly, holding up the number 51 file: "Since SHIELD brought in Zola, they've been hiding for seventy years, continuously developing themselves within SHIELD. Honestly, SHIELD has almost been completely eaten away, and what's left is just a shell. Inside, it's Hydra."
If Steve hadn't understood by now, all the Super Soldier Serum Dr. Erskine had injected into him would have been wasted.
After a moment of contemplation, Steve said, "So, we should eliminate both Hydra and SHIELD together?"
"No," Arthur and Fury said at the same time.
Steve looked at Arthur. "Is it important?"
"Very important," Arthur replied. "For now and even in the future, SHIELD is crucial to us."
"Then we must find a solution," Steve said. "If we act rashly, SHIELD might collapse. To preserve it, we need an effective method."
"Take down the big fish and leave the small fry," Arthur glanced at the two of them, "Starting with Alexander Pierce, we should capture all high-ranking Hydra agents within SHIELD, seal off information, recruit new people to fill the gaps, and replace them one by one."
"I get your point," Fury nodded. "But this will take time. We can't guarantee that this won't leak out."
"We must ensure that it doesn't," Arthur said. "Otherwise, SHIELD will be gone."
Arthur's plan was a risky move. Only if it was executed flawlessly could the next phase go smoothly.
After further discussion, the three of them finalized the plan. While rushed, it was the best option available. Time was of the essence—if they couldn't fight against time and act quickly, things would become far more dangerous.
"First, personnel classification."
Arthur took the document and said, "According to this, there are about 125 SHIELD members who can connect with Hydra outside of SHIELD. Considering the last update was a year ago, we also suspect that some of the recent recruits who quickly rose to high positions could be Hydra agents. The highest-ranking among them is Alexander Pierce."
Steve and Fury's expressions grew serious. Fury said, "His security clearance is extremely high."
"I'll handle it," Arthur said. Then he looked at Steve. "There's someone you need to pay special attention to."
"Who?"
"This person!" Arthur pointed to a name on the list: "Agent Sitwell!"
"Got it," Steve nodded.
"This person has a special position," Arthur glanced at both men. "For the others, we'll immediately arrange people to prepare for arrests. Once we have them, they'll be kept separately, and we'll try to get more information out of them!"
Fury gently massaged his chest. "Alright, I'll draft the operation plan. Plus, tomorrow, I'll probably have to deal with a lot of questions."
"You'll manage."
Arthur said, "After tonight, tomorrow's SHIELD will just be SHIELD."
"And those... 'small fry' you let go?"
Steve glanced at Arthur.
"There are too many of them to capture. We'll replace them little by little. Luckily, their communication is tightly sealed, and without orders from their superiors, they won't reveal themselves. When they finally realize something's wrong, the 'replacement' will be nearly complete. By then, we can resort to more forceful methods."
Arthur said, "But I don't need to elaborate on these matters, do I?"
He looked at Fury.
Steve nodded in realization. "I'll head out right away."
"I'm leaving too." Arthur glanced at Fury. "We'll gather here before dawn."
"Understood."
Fury nodded silently.
...
...
Alexander Pierce!
Former SHIELD Director, Advanced Agent!
Getting close to someone like him and quietly capturing him wasn't an easy task.
But for Arthur, it wasn't necessarily a challenge.
Disguised with a Rumlaw face, Arthur approached Pierce. When Pierce, with a curious expression, asked Arthur about what happened to the other members of the Rapid Response Team, Arthur knocked him out cold and tossed him into the Disassemble space.
Honestly, compared to the tense preparations earlier, this was surprisingly simple and almost unbelievable.
But who could have predicted that the once 100% locked target, Alexander Pierce, would be 'betrayed' by SHIELD Director Fury?
Once Arthur figured out his personal situation, eliminating him was effortless.
And that night, similar events unfolded in every corner of New York.
In some cases, people even boarded planes to capture others elsewhere.
The entire process was fast, ruthless, yet silent.
At 5:30 AM, Arthur dropped the unconscious Pierce in front of Fury, who then removed his communicator. "Operation complete, we succeeded!"
(End of Chapter)