Twenty-First Century Is a Digital Book

Steve’s plan was actually quite simple.

First, Natasha found Silvert.

Then, Sam called to tell him that there was a pretty girl in the distance aiming a gun at him and ordered him to obediently get into the designated car.

Finally, Steve, acting as the driver, took Silvert to the top floor of a high-rise building.

Meanwhile, Li Feng held popcorn and beer, turned invisible, and hid to one side to watch the show.

Upon reaching the top floor, Steve kicked Silvert, sending him rolling across the ground. Not caring whether the man was truly hurt or faking it, Steve got straight to the point. "Tell me, what is the Zola Algorithm?"

"Never heard of it." Looking somewhat disheveled, Silvert put on his glasses as he backed away from the menacing Steve and Natasha.

Yeah right, like I’d believe that crap. Steve wore a furious expression, as though rage had driven him mad, and rapidly asked, "What were you doing aboard the Lemurian Star?"

Though Silvert looked panicked after Steve forced him to the edge of the building, inwardly, he simply did not believe that Steve, with his identity as God’s Righteous Man, would kill him. He spouted nonsense. "Nothing. I was so seasick that I threw up. I couldn’t do anything."

Obviously, Steve was not convinced. What kind of agent would knowingly board a ship and head out to sea when he got seasick? Was he planning to vomit himself to death from dehydration?

Steve grabbed Silvert by the collar. He said nothing, merely glaring fiercely at him with an expression that clearly said, If you don’t talk, I’ll throw you off the building.

Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Silvert lowered his head and glanced at the ant-sized pedestrians on the street below before slowly saying, "You wouldn’t throw me out over something so minor, would you? That’s not your style, Steve."

Steve smiled faintly and released Silvert’s collar. "You’re right. It’s not my style. It’s hers."

As he spoke, Steve stepped aside, revealing the silent Natasha behind him.

Damn it, I forgot Black Widow was here. Silvert’s face froze as Natasha kicked him off the building.

This is how you interrogate people? What the hell are you supposed to get out of that? Li Feng scratched between his brows, dropped his invisibility, and said with a grin, "Natasha, throwing things from high places is very uncivilized. You’ll set a bad example for the little kids." Rubbing his hands together, Li Feng held out one hand. "Two-hundred-dollar fine."

Natasha rolled her eyes at Li Feng and patted her pocket. "I have money. The question is, do you have a receipt?"

But I have magic. Li Feng picked up a brick from the ground and turned it into a stack of receipts right in front of them. "What should I put down as the name on the receipt? Hydra S.H.I.E.L.D.? Speaking of which, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra are now just two sides of the same coin. They oppose each other, yet they’re inseparable. I wonder if those cheap bastards at Hydra S.H.I.E.L.D. will reimburse you."

The mention of Hydra S.H.I.E.L.D. clearly struck a nerve with Natasha and Steve. Their expressions changed as swiftly as turning a page, and both glared furiously at Li Feng.

Natasha even cracked her knuckles, looking ready to use Li Feng as a punching bag.

Li Feng pinched his nose and raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry. I shouldn’t rub salt in your wounds. I should’ve used cumin instead."

He’s still going? Just as Natasha, her anger meter full, gritted her teeth and prepared to strike, Sam, wearing his flight gear, returned to the roof while holding Silvert by the ankle.

Natasha glared at Li Feng and left him with, "Thank Silvert. He saved you." Then she pushed off with her feet, rushed over to Silvert, and pressed her little fist, enhanced by her fury, firmly against his cheek.

Silvert had only just regained his footing and had not yet figured out what was happening when he was knocked back onto the ground. His cheek felt like it had blossomed, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Lady, I make a living off this face. Ruining it is the same as cutting off my livelihood. Believe it or not, I’ll fight you to the death.

Before Silvert could finish grumbling internally, Li Feng crouched in front of him and smiled. "Hey, bald bro. Long time no see."

After greeting him, Li Feng turned to Natasha. "Can I handle the interrogation? Of course, I’ve never learned interrogation techniques, so I can’t tell whether a living person is lying." Licking his lips, Li Feng turned back to Silvert with a sinister smile. "I prefer killing people first, then interrogating their souls directly. Don’t worry, you’ll definitely tell the truth, because I can sense whether a soul is lying to me."

"By the way, you may not know this, but Coulson knows about my relationship with Mephisto. If you’re lucky enough to be assigned to Mephisto’s territory later, remember to mention my name. I’m sure Mephisto will do me the favor of giving you a proper welcome."

Li Feng’s appearance made Silvert, who had been celebrating his narrow escape from death just moments ago, bitterly regret not being killed by the fall. I not only know that you know Mephisto, I also know you can summon dead souls. You unscientific necromancer.

Silvert wore a miserable expression as he inwardly cursed his luck. Well, this is just great. Falling into Austin’s hands, a man who dares play with souls… there’s no way up to Heaven, and no way down to Hell either.

For the sake of his life, and so that he could rest in peace after death, Silvert spoke at lightning speed with a mournful face. "The Zola Algorithm is a program used to calculate targets."

Steve, who was not very familiar with computers, was somewhat puzzled by the meaning of "program." Given how disconnected he was from the modern world, his understanding of a "program" was nothing more than planning a predetermined route and then following it.

Could the Zola Algorithm be a set of laws created by Hydra to regulate the public’s behavior? But what did calculating targets mean? Could it calculate who had violated the law?

"Calculate what? And what are the targets?" Steve asked in confusion.

Silvert gave Steve a contemptuous glance. "You. A host in Cairo. The Deputy Secretary of Defense. A high school graduate in Iowa City. Bruce Banner. Stephen Strange. It calculates the people who threaten Hydra, whether now or in the future."

"The future?" Steve was baffled.

Steve could understand identifying who currently threatened Hydra. They only needed to look through personal records. But how could Hydra know who would threaten them in the future?

Could they be relying on some unscientific method of divination?

"How do you know who will threaten Hydra in the future?" Steve asked, perplexed.

A bunch of country bumpkins. Silvert looked disdainfully at everyone and smiled. "Why wouldn’t we know?"

Silvert stood up and adjusted his collar, speaking with a trace of arrogance. "The twenty-first century is a digital book, and Zola taught Hydra how to read it."

Seeing that Steve still looked confused, Silvert explained, "Your bank records, medical records, voting patterns, emails, call logs, college test scores, and so on—those are all known data. The Zola Algorithm uses that data to assess a person’s past and predict their future."

Steve fell silent for a moment. "And then?"

Naturally, Hydra would not spend so much effort calculating who its enemies were only to leave them alone. Their goal was to rule the world. Once they knew who the "troublemakers" were, of course they would kill them. Were they supposed to keep their enemies around for the holidays?

"My God, Pierce is going to kill me," Silvert muttered to himself.

Unfortunately, he dared ignore Steve and Natasha’s vicious stares, but he did not dare ignore Li Feng standing nearby. If things went badly, even dying might not be easy for him. After all, Li Feng’s healing methods were plain for all to see.

Even if he happily headed to Hell, Li Feng might drag him halfway back to the human world for more interrogation.

With no other choice, Silvert said miserably, "Then the Helicarriers will kill everyone placed on the Insight list. Several million people at a time."

Steve froze. Several million people massacred at once?

Seeing Steve spacing out, Li Feng curiously pointed at himself and asked, "Baldy, am I on your list?"

Silvert shook his head.

Li Feng’s face darkened, and he bared his teeth as he shouted, "What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on me? Believe it or not, I’ll tear down your snake nest!"

Damn idiot. Isn’t it good that we aren’t plotting against you? Silvert discreetly rolled his eyes and said weakly, "We studied everything about you. Our conclusion was that as long as we don’t provoke you, you won’t interfere with our grand cause. Besides…" Silvert twitched his mouth. "Those Skeleton Monsters that can turn invisible and aren’t afraid of guns make us very wary. At least until we find a way to eliminate them, we won’t dare provoke you lightly. I’m sure you’ve noticed that aside from launching one Nuclear Weapon attack against you, we never offended you again."

That’s not right. I remember two attacks. One in New Mexico, and one in New York.

Could the New Mexico attack not have been Pierce’s doing? Li Feng blinked and asked blankly, "Natasha, help me analyze what he means. Why do I feel like Hydra isn’t actually afraid of me, but of my Dementor army?"

"Do you even need to analyze that?" Natasha said with certainty. "They’re worried that if the Dementors break free of your control, they’ll turn Earth into an all-you-can-eat buffet. By then, humanity will be extinct. Who would Hydra rule?"

"Mr. Mage, Hydra has underestimated you," Natasha said, trying to stir the pot.

"Hehe, such a low-grade tactic." Li Feng gave Natasha a helpless look, scratched his head, and asked in confusion, "You people can’t even handle Dementors, so where do you get the courage to confront Strange? Aren’t you afraid he’ll cheat and kill all of you?"

Silvert fell silent for a moment before saying disdainfully, "Strange can’t wear the Eye of Agamotto all day. Without that artifact enhancing him, he isn’t much stronger than an ordinary person. So what if Strange discovers us? We can watch him twenty-four hours a day, but can he guard against us twenty-four hours a day? As for the future, he may grow into a massive threat, but we won’t give him the chance to grow."

Kill Strange before he truly grows? Li Feng rolled his eyes. "That sounds reasonable, but sadly, you’re overthinking it."

Not to mention that Ancient One would never allow them to kill her successor.

"One final question." Li Feng asked with a stern expression, "Where is Pierce?"

"I don’t know." Silvert shook his head.

Li Feng stared seriously at Silvert for several seconds, then suddenly reached out and extracted his memories. "Sorry, I don’t believe what you said. I prefer checking your memories directly."