Red Skull

White House—former site.

This had once been the presidential residence, the seat from which American affairs were handled, and one of the symbols of the nation.

After Hydra blasted through its defenses and forcibly occupied it, the White House became Red Skull’s official residence. Perhaps it allowed him to relive the glories of the past; after moving into the White House, he almost never left.

He had not even repaired the surrounding area. The grounds around the White House still retained their postwar appearance.

Red Skull was not afraid of his location being exposed. After the supervillains wiped out the heroes, there was no longer any force in the world capable of rivaling Red Skull and his Hydra.

Perhaps Doctor Doom counted as one, but Red Skull did not care. Ever since he had destroyed those Divine Relics and found a way to sever the connection between the many Magic Dimensions and reality, Doom had become nearly harmless.

Doctor Doom’s power came from his technology and magic. Doom, who had mastered both skill trees, was immensely powerful; otherwise, he would not have been called one of the heroes’ greatest enemies back then.

But after the old days ended, losing his connection to the Magic Dimensions was equivalent to losing one of Doom’s arms. With incomplete remnants of magical energy and Doombots, Doom could be called a powerful lord, but he posed little threat to Red Skull.

Hydra’s members were now spread across the world. Every faction contained countless spies and informants. Just as Red Skull had said, cut off one head, and two more would grow back. Hydra would never be destroyed.

Inside the conference room, Red Skull sat silently in the seat of honor.

Beside him, Chief of Staff Tobias held a file folder as he reported on the major incidents that had occurred within their jurisdiction.

"So, Bullseye has disappeared?"

Red Skull clasped his fingers together, his expression calm as he interrupted Tobias’s report in a soft voice.

"Forgive my boldness, Fuhrer, but you know Bullseye’s abilities. Compared to agents like the Winter Soldier, Bullseye is more skilled at assassination than anyone else. Besides, both of them have undergone Deathlock modifications."

Tobias spoke cautiously, afraid of angering Red Skull. From what he knew of him, the more indifferent Red Skull appeared, the more likely it was that he was harboring an extremely dangerous thought.

"You mean it was very ‘reasonable’ for my second-best trump card to eliminate my best trump card?" Red Skull tilted his head and looked at Tobias.

Feeling Red Skull’s gaze, Tobias only felt the pressure on him grow heavier.

"Fuhrer, what I mean is that Bullseye has followed your lead for all these years. He must have had his reasons for doing this. Perhaps we can start there and investigate carefully."

"But he disappeared, didn’t he?" Red Skull said flatly. "I gave him chances. I gave him many chances. I sent quite a few people to their deaths, all in the hope that he would realize what he was doing."

"I understand your mercy, but I have some particular thoughts on this matter," Tobias said quietly.

"Let’s hear them."

Tobias rose and took several sheets of paper and photographs from the very bottom of the file folder. He respectfully placed them before Red Skull, then spoke.

"We all know that since that incident, quite a few old friends have vanished without a trace. It seems they felt there was no point in living after losing the heroes. I believe Bullseye is one of them."

Red Skull’s gaze casually swept over the documents on the table. Most were statements from mounted police stations across various regions, along with Hydra agents’ records of the cases. Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a figure in one of the photographs.

It had been captured by surveillance footage from Murderworld. The photograph clearly showed a robust old man gripping a bow tightly in his hand. Judging from the bloodstains on him, he appeared to have just gone through a bloody battle.

Picking up the photograph, Red Skull’s expression became unreadable.

"This person is…"

"Clint Barton, registered codename: Hawkeye. He once operated under the name Ronin as well. Before we discovered him, he had already committed several murders. According to our intelligence, those he killed were all former Thunderbolts members," Tobias said in a deep voice.

"I remember him, and that only raises more questions."

Red Skull placed the photograph back on the table, then lightly tapped several keys on the electronic keyboard concealed in the tabletop.

Knowing what Red Skull was about to do, Tobias bowed slightly and slowly retreated several steps.

Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

The next moment, a blue holographic projection appeared.

"Tell me why an Avenger is making trouble on my territory, when you claimed he was dead back then."

"I believe the word I used back then was ‘destroyed.’"

The transparent holographic screen lit up, and the figure of a burly man wearing a purple-striped mask appeared before Red Skull.

This man was one of Hydra’s upper echelon, one of Red Skull’s generals—Baron Zemo.

"This is a critical stage in Hydra’s development. I have many projects awaiting progress here, and I cannot spare enough manpower to deal with this old Avenger."

Red Skull’s tone was flippant, but Baron Zemo did not believe for a moment that Red Skull truly lacked manpower. Clearly, Red Skull was tactfully asking him to deal with this nuisance.

If it had been anything else, Baron Zemo might not have bothered with Red Skull. The mountains were high and the emperor far away; Red Skull’s reach could not extend to Baron Zemo’s side, so he was not afraid of falling out with him.

But this time was different. Hawkeye had originally been allowed to survive by Baron Zemo’s own decision.

Baron Zemo’s original plan had been to humiliate this old enemy who had caused him no shortage of trouble. Now Hawkeye had stepped forward on his own. Since he had chosen to seek death, Baron Zemo would naturally handle the matter personally.

"Don’t worry, Fuhrer," Baron Zemo said.

"He is just an old man with a bow. How much trouble could he possibly cause?"

After ending the holographic call, a mocking sneer appeared on Red Skull’s face.

"Indeed, an old man using a bow is not the key issue."

Muttering to himself, Red Skull pulled Tobias’s documents back in front of him. As he looked over the information described within, along with the attached videos and photographs, his entire demeanor turned grave.

"…But if a ‘hero organization’ from another universe has appeared on my territory,

then this matter is serious enough."