Each Has Their Own Schemes

Because of their recent operations, the criminal gang led by Carl had smoothly risen to the top of the wanted list, pushing Skye’s warrant down.

This was only natural. Carl and the others had killed far more people than the alien invasion had. If the United States had not been in such chaos, they would have been found and wiped out long ago.

Even so, their good days were numbered. S.H.I.E.L.D. had already picked up their trail and was constantly chasing after them. They might even be caught and brought to justice by Thor Peter the next time they committed a crime.

The criminals all knew that the situation was growing worse, so more and more of them were calling for the group to split up and flee separately.

Once everyone scattered, some would naturally be able to escape for longer. They might even flee abroad and shake off S.H.I.E.L.D.’s pursuit. Carl, however, was unwilling to let them leave. If they dispersed, they would become less of a target for S.H.I.E.L.D., making it harder to help ease the pressure on his daughter.

So he had been doing his best to suppress that idea these past few days, but it was obvious that he could no longer hold it back.

"I’m fucking sick of this! I don’t want to keep living like a fugitive anymore!" one thug shouted as he smashed the bottle in his hand onto the floor.

"I saw online that Europe is a complete mess right now. Why don’t we disband and each find our own way to Europe? Whether we succeed or get unlucky and end up captured again, it’ll all be up to God!"

His words struck a chord with many of them. A large crowd began shouting along, casting fierce looks at Carl. Their meaning was clear: if he dared to refuse, they would gang up on him and kill him.

Carl drew a deep breath, looked at the unfriendly faces around him, and said, "All right. Since everyone has made up their minds, we’ll pull off one last job tomorrow, then disband."

The moment they heard him agree, the group cheered and raised their bottles again, continuing their wild celebration.

Carl drank a few rounds with the people nearby and chatted with them for a while. Then, amid the crowd’s laughter, he pulled Raina out of the room.

The two of them walked to a spot far from the convoy. Carl glanced back, then said quietly to Raina:

"Tomorrow, when I take them out for a celebration, I’ll leave after the massacre begins. Stay here, estimate the timing, and call the police. Have S.H.I.E.L.D. arrive at the right moment. Since they’re no longer useful, they might as well serve one final purpose."

Raina nodded silently without saying a word.

"These scoundrels have every kind of superpower. If they join forces, even S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Magnetic Field Warriors might not be able to suppress them completely. Let them put on a lively show. It’ll make it easier for us to leave."

"The map on the Obelisk has been deciphered. It’s in Puerto Rico. When are we going there?" Raina asked softly.

"Once I meet Daisy, I’ll take you there. Daisy, my little Daisy… After all these years, we’re finally going to meet…" Carl murmured, once again sinking into fantasies of reuniting with his daughter.

The next morning, Carl set out early with the super criminals, heading toward their target city. Raina sat in the car and watched them leave.

Along the way, Carl calculated how to make thorough use of the group of tools around him. But when they were only halfway there, before they reached the city, a streak of light suddenly appeared on the horizon and flew toward the convoy.

"Criminals! Your end has come! Stop immediately and surrender, or I am authorized to execute you on the spot!"

Thor Peter wore Strong Magnetic Armor and hovered in midair as he delivered his righteous declaration demanding their surrender.

"Damn it! How did he find us?"

Carl was shocked and furious. He immediately pulled medication from his pocket and swallowed it, then shouted at the other super criminals, who were in a state of panic:

"He can fly! We can’t escape! Our only chance is to fight him! This is a battle for life or death, so no one should get lucky-minded!"

Every one of these super criminals was a butcher with blood on their hands. They had always been arrogant and unruly. How could a few words from Thor Peter possibly extinguish their viciousness and make them surrender meekly?

After exchanging a quick signal, they each displayed their abilities and charged fiercely at Peter.

However, these people had been locked up in prison for years and had no idea that Earth Online had received a version update. Superpowered individuals had failed to keep up with the times and were now completely outdated.

The only one who knew the situation was Carl, and he had never intended to help them from the beginning. He planned to send them in to die first, then use the opportunity to escape.

What Carl did not know was that Peter’s primary target this time was him. Everyone else could live or die, but Carl had to be taken alive. So the moment the battle began, Peter fixed his sights on him.

The battle itself was utterly unremarkable. It was like a group of low-magic mages fighting a high-martial warrior. They were wiped out as easily as autumn leaves swept away by the wind.

Half an hour later, a Quinjet landed in front of Peter. Carrying Carl’s body, Peter boarded the aircraft and left first. On the ground, a group of super criminals who had been rendered incapable of fighting were injected with drugs and bound by Hydra agents before being sorted and sent to a Hydra base, where they would be used as human test subjects. They had smoothly gone from prisoners of S.H.I.E.L.D. to Hydra lab rats.

After the Quinjet took off and left, Raina also started the car in the distance and headed toward her own target.

The need had always been mutual. Now that Carl no longer needed Raina, Raina no longer needed Carl either.

The temple’s location had been found. As long as she obtained the Obelisk, she could fulfill her dream on her own and would no longer need Carl’s guidance.

As for the Obelisk, although the one belonging to Carl had been taken away by S.H.I.E.L.D., Raina had already found out exactly who possessed the other missing pieces scattered throughout the world.

As a broker who moved among the dark forces, Raina had connections with many organizations and had done plenty of dirty work for them. Now it was time for her to collect her payment.

Raina arrived at a Hydra base and met its leader, Daniel Whitehall. After learning why she had come, Whitehall thought for a moment before making his decision.

Although he had reached a verbal agreement with S.H.I.E.L.D., offering the technology of immortality in exchange for Skye, he could not provide John Garrett with the technology he wanted. His immortality was entirely due to the fact that he had transplanted the internal organs of the female Inhuman Jiaying into his own body.

That success could not be replicated.

Therefore, he had decided from the beginning to use S.H.I.E.L.D. to pressure Skye while recruiting her in the name of Hydra. If Skye wanted to resist S.H.I.E.L.D., she would have no choice but to join Hydra.

As for S.H.I.E.L.D., he had never intended to do anything more than use it and discard it. After all, most dealings between Hydra factions were based on mutual benefit. Whoever had the upper hand could swallow everything.

"I can give you the Obelisk, but you have to complete a task for me."

"I need you to find Carl’s daughter, the girl named Skye, and persuade her to join us."

"Bring Skye to me, and I’ll give you the Obelisk. We’ll exchange the person for the item."

Raina hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Deal!"