“Foundation” Compensation Plan

The situation in the Hydra fortress had basically been resolved.

The technologies and alien materials that ordinary people should never have possessed had been destroyed, but the Hydra personnel here, including Baron Strucker, would theoretically be handed over to the local government.

Sokovia had been in turmoil for some time, however, so Steve had to confirm whether they had the capacity to take custody of the Hydra prisoners.

Without S.H.I.E.L.D., matters like this had indeed become much more troublesome.

In theory, the Howling Commandos, like the Avengers, were a private organization and had no authority to pass judgment on these people.

But what had happened in Sokovia made it impossible to simply take Hydra back to the United States.

Just like in the original Avengers 2, Captain America had knocked out Baron Strucker but had not taken him back to America, allowing Ultron to kill him later.

Steve and Zemo faced off for a while. Only after receiving Carter’s signal did he step aside and allow Sokovia’s army to enter.

"Avengers… all you left us was a field of wreckage."

Zemo soon received a report from the advance unit.

He frowned and looked at Steve, who remained on guard:

"When all is said and done, we only came to clean up after you.

Our army suffered considerable losses fighting Hydra. Don’t you think this is going too far, American?"

"Given your country’s current situation, you should understand very well that these things are too dangerous for you."

Steve had a favorable impression of Zemo. As a fellow soldier, the colonel had worked hard to unite the nation’s military forces and contend with Hydra until now. That was truly remarkable.

"Besides, we have a compensation plan. I believe you’ll be more interested in that."

"A compensation plan?"

Zemo raised an eyebrow:

"Our country may have some fools, but because of this Hydra problem, they’ve instead united…

Are you planning to give us some inspirational speech?

Unfortunately, we don’t buy that sort of thing."

"What Sokovia is facing, you know it, and so do we."

Another voice rang out, drawing Zemo’s gaze behind Steve.

"Oaks, you’re here. You talk to him. I’ll check the surrounding area."

Steve looked as though he had been granted a reprieve:

"I’m not very good at dealing with this sort of situation."

"Leave it to me."

Oaks walked up to Zemo with a faint smile:

"I just don’t know whether Colonel Zemo has the authority to make the decision."

"Tell me first."

A strange glint flashed across Zemo’s face. The old-fashioned Captain America was not like this Druid.

He valued people with sharp minds more.

"Hmm… let’s speak somewhere else."

Oaks gestured vaguely to the side. After Zemo used his communicator to arrange for the prisoners to be received, he followed Oaks aside.

"I’ve heard about your efforts to protect the natural environment, even in a remote country like ours."

Zemo looked Oaks up and down, examining the Druid in his unusual Battle Suit:

"If you’re planning to provide us with a batch of air purification devices, forget it.

But if you can help treat our wounded, I believe both the government and military would be grateful."

"If you need it, I can arrange a mass treatment session."

Oaks raised an eyebrow. He had overlooked that.

The country had been in turmoil not long ago, and its weak medical system truly needed such assistance.

"But that isn’t all I have in mind.

Colonel Zemo, you’re a smart man, and Sokovian nobility—

Our intelligence network is still quite capable. The reason I’m willing to speak to you directly is that I hope you can play an active role in what comes next.

If you really paid attention to my work, you would know that I have always followed the principle of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. I hope what follows will be the same."

Zemo fell silent for a moment, then chuckled softly:

"Sure enough, speaking with smart people is much more pleasant…

Indeed, I was the one who led the alliance between the government and the resistance, but that key information about Hydra…"

He glanced at Skoll, who seemed to appear and disappear beside Steve in the distance, and raised an eyebrow:

"That information appeared before me without a sound. I had suspected something was strange long ago."

"Hmm… that was merely a small token of sincerity. You were the one who truly made it useful."

Oaks neither confirmed nor denied it. Zemo had always wanted to protect Sokovia and end its poverty and unrest, and he had indeed put those materials to good use.

"Actually, Sokovia’s natural environment is quite good. Its forest coverage and water resources are both abundant."

"…"

Zemo narrowed his eyes slightly:

"Indeed, our forest coverage exceeds fifty percent…

But most of my country consists of mountains unsuitable for cultivation. There are pitifully few plains where cities can be built and industry developed, while mineral resources such as coal and oil are concentrated in neighboring Czechia and Slovakia…

Agriculture, animal husbandry, and industry cannot develop. Our mineral resources are also meager, so we can almost only rely on exporting timber to sustain livelihoods.

But high-quality timber resources are limited, and most of our forests are in the mountains. Even if we cut them down, we cannot farm the land."

"This country is only about the size of a few cities in total, and I hear your population has continually been leaving…

If Hydra were allowed to keep stirring up unrest, then after some years…

There might no longer be a Sokovia."

Oaks’s words made Zemo fall silent again, but he had to admit that the facts were exactly as Oaks had said.

"My Oak Environmental Technology Company has recently developed a series of special food crops, along with matching cultivation plans."

Oaks took out a small tablet and handed it to Zemo, who silently accepted it:

"The reason it is a series is because we want to solve the problem of growing food in areas unsuitable for cultivation, effectively expanding the amount of arable land.

There are many types of land unsuitable for farming: saline-alkali soil, desertified land, areas where freshwater resources have been eroded by seawater… and mountainous and hilly regions."

As he watched Zemo’s hands holding the tablet begin to tremble slightly and his eyes grow brighter and brighter, Oaks curled his lips faintly:

"Mountainous and hilly regions are characterized by thin soil layers, coarse soil texture, and abundant rock fragments. This limits how plants can take root, while also reducing the soil’s ability to retain water and nutrients.

In addition, the differences in moisture and heat between shaded slopes and Yang Slopes, as well as the vertical variations in moisture and temperature conditions caused by elevation differences, all affect the growth of ordinary crops.

But… what if there were a highly adaptable plant that could serve as a ‘foundation,’ solve these problems, and then have crops ‘planted’ on top of it?"

A cluster of green light appeared in Oaks’s hand. Under Zemo’s excited gaze, a thick patch of moss appeared in his palm:

"Moss, the lowest form of higher plant, also played the role of pioneer in the history of biological evolution.

Root Four, Mountain Strong-Root Moss.

Unlike ordinary moss, it can ‘take root’ across rocks in dense patches and accept the seeds of other plants, allowing them to use it as a substrate to root and sprout."

"I want to cooperate with Sokovia and conduct large-scale pilot projects."