Why is it impossible?

Regarding the origins of Hydra, many in modern times believe it was founded by the Red Skull, and the name has gradually become synonymous with remnants of the Nazi party. Yet, in truth, Hydra’s beginnings stretch far earlier than the Red Skull’s incarnation, and as its name suggests, the Hydra once led by the Red Skull was merely one “head” among many.

According to legends, the true founder of Hydra was a being both man and serpent, bearing nine heads. This entity, however, was so powerful that it was eventually exiled to an unimaginably distant alien world, never to return. Of the nine “heads” of Hydra, eight have vanished into the mists of time, and even if any have survived to the present day, most have already been absorbed by the Red Skull’s Hydra. Thus, the Hydra that exists now refers specifically to them.

Still, among them are those who continue to worship and revere the true “Hydra.” Today, they are enacting a grand scheme—to summon forth the original Hydra itself!

With “Duncan” leading the way, Joss encountered no obstacles along his path. Whether it was facial recognition door locks or patrolling guards, nothing posed a problem. However, due to the time spent subduing Duncan, gathering information, and making contact, by the time Joss arrived at the designated meeting place, it was already deserted.

“Damn… They moved this quickly?”

Realizing this, Joss did not linger in frustration but immediately set out in another direction. According to the plan he had gleaned from Duncan’s memories, the operation was roughly as follows.

First, they would activate special devices previously planted throughout the city to form a magic array that would envelop the entire metropolis. In the Marvel universe—a world where magic and science coexist—such a fantastical plan did not strike Joss as surprising.

What truly amazed him, however, was that this phase of the operation was originally intended to be carried out by vampires hidden within the city. The tools used to construct the magic circle emitted lethal radiation, so the plan had been for these undead to deploy and safeguard them. To achieve this, Hydra had struck a deal with Lady Cadys of the vampire family: if the plan succeeded, all vampire clans in New York would take the Cadys name. With that as her bargaining chip, she resolved to overthrow her own family’s patriarch.

To help Cadys, Hydra orchestrated a battle between her family’s patriarch and another extraordinary being, Venom. Though the outcome remained unknown to outsiders, the patriarch had not emerged from seclusion since that day, indicating that the plan had largely succeeded. Yet, inexplicably, the Cadys family was wiped out! (Joss: I know nothing about this.)

Thus, Hydra was forced to send their super-soldiers to handle the task. Though their enhanced bodies could withstand some radiation, they were not immune, and Hydra suffered significant casualties as a result.

The second step of Hydra’s summoning plan was to use the completed array to activate a prototype dimensional gate. This gate had been seized from the vaults of SHIELD or the Avengers after nearly all “non-Hydra” members had been lured away using Jason’s group as bait. Who originally created the device, or whether SHIELD or the Avengers had confiscated it from some mad scientist, no longer mattered—in the Marvel universe, such reckless geniuses were hardly uncommon. In any case, Hydra now possessed it.

The third and final step was to fully charge this device. The energy required to power it was immense—so great that even Hydra dared not target Tony’s miniature arc reactors, and even if they did, it would not suffice. So, they devised a more “eco-friendly” method: soul power.

They intended to mobilize every Hydra member in the city and surrounding areas to carry out indiscriminate slaughter throughout New York, harvesting the souls of innocent victims to fuel the dimensional gate. The purpose of the magic array was precisely to gather these souls and transmute them into energy to pour into the gate.

“Tsk, in a xianxia world this would be called the Grand Blood Refining Array of Myriad Spirits.”

Although Joss’s intervention had prevented the plan from unfolding as intended, even this hasty execution was enough to plunge the city into chaos. Wisely, Joss decided to leave that mess for the Avengers to handle.

“As for this base… I’ll deal with it myself. But I suppose Nick won’t be getting the evidence he wanted, will he?”

Joss and Little Black raced through the base, finding fewer and fewer people remaining, which only made their task easier. He had already informed Steve about the situation in the city—his absence there would hardly make a difference in such a large-scale operation—but here, he could still eliminate the other leaders who, like Duncan, held command over the base.

“Who are you? What are you doing here? Why didn’t you leave with the others? Wait—Duncan, what are you up to?”

Suddenly, as the two rounded a corner, they came face-to-face with the bald giant, another of the base’s leaders.

Little Black paused briefly, then responded in Duncan’s tone and voice, “I asked him to stay. I suspect the Doctor left some kind of failsafe on him. In any case, losing one person won’t affect our plan.”

“But…”

The bald giant was about to protest, but Duncan raised a hand to silence him. “Whatever issues you have, save them for later. Where is everyone right now? Take me to them first—our plan has been exposed!”

“What? Impossible! They’re all in the war room—let’s go!”

Startled, the bald giant set aside his doubts about Joss and led the way at once.

With the bald giant guiding them, Joss soon arrived in a spacious room lined with monitors and instruments. Three others—apart from the bald giant—sat within, intently discussing the images displayed before them.

“Damn it, stop chatting! Our plan has been compromised!” The bald giant burst in, kicking open the door and shouting.

“How can that be?! We only just set the plan in motion—there should be a reaction time even if we were discovered!” The bespectacled man was visibly skeptical, looking to Duncan for confirmation.

Catching the man’s gaze, Duncan grinned broadly and said,

“How is it impossible? I was the one who tipped off the Avengers.”