"Howard, I had no idea you still had this."
Marcus pulled out a bag of blue liquid from a box in the trunk and held it up for Howard to see.
Seeing the super soldier serum in Marcus's hand, Howard frowned deeply.
There was no way Marcus should have known about this serum. Even Maria didn't know it existed. Howard had recreated it in secret, and only a select few were aware of it.
"This guy was sent to steal it," Marcus continued, gesturing toward Bucky. "If I hadn't read his memories, I'd never have known this stuff was here."
Howard's frown deepened. He realized there must be a traitor in his inner circle.
Then Marcus dropped another bombshell.
"Oh, and by the way, I also saw a skeleton surrounded by snake tentacles in this guy's memories."
Howard's eyes widened as he stared at Marcus in disbelief.
"Impossible. Hydra was completely wiped out!"
Despite his protest, Howard's confidence wavered when he saw the certainty in Marcus's expression.
Howard knew Marcus could read memories, and with Bucky right there in front of them, there was no reason for him to lie.
Thinking back over the past few years, Howard started connecting dots. There had been a pattern of "accidents" during SHIELD operations.
While missions couldn't always be expected to go perfectly, certain key operations consistently ran into problems, and important items frequently went missing.
"Looks like we need to investigate those people first."
Only a handful of individuals knew both his travel plans and about the super soldier serum. All of them were now suspects.
Howard, now on high alert, no longer trusted his so-called colleagues. Any of them could be Hydra operatives.
After a short wait, Tony and Happy arrived at the scene. When they saw the fallen bodies and blood on the ground, both of them gasped in shock.
"Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?" Tony stumbled toward Marcus and his parents after getting out of the car.
Happy was so stunned by the carnage around them that he couldn't speak.
An entire armed squad, completely wiped out. Could a bodyguard really do this?
Looking at Marcus calmly leaning against the car, Happy felt a new level of respect for him.
"Happy, tie this guy up," Marcus said, nudging Bucky with his foot. "If he wakes up, use the stun gun on him."
He then turned to Tony, who was fighting back tears by the car.
"Stop crying. Where's the rescue team? Are we supposed to camp out here?"
"Who... who's crying? My eyes are just irritated," Tony said, wiping his face. "The rescue team will be here soon."
Tony felt genuinely grateful to Marcus. If it weren't for him, His dad and mom might have been killed by the attackers. He almost didn't hate Marcus at this moment.
"Well done, Mr.Playboy!"
And with that comment, Tony's warm feelings evaporated. Of course he still hated this jerk.
Looking at Marcus's punchable face, Tony clenched his fist. If he couldn't beat this guy in a fair fight, he'd at least find a way to smack him upside the head someday.
Not long after, the Stark Industries rescue team arrived, followed by various media reporters.
As the world's leading weapons manufacturer, Stark Industries was always in the spotlight, and the Stark family was a constant focus of public attention.
News that the Howards had been attacked while heading out on vacation was major headline material, and no reporter wanted to miss this opportunity.
However, when they arrived at the scene, they were shocked by what they found. More than twenty bodies lay on the ground, with blood pooling everywhere.
The targets of the attack—the Starks—were sitting calmly in their car, chatting with their son Tony, the new head of Stark Industries.
Outside the car, only Marcus remained, leaning against the vehicle, quietly watching the rescue team go about their work.
"I recognize him—that's Mr. Howard's personal bodyguard!"
"Mr. Howard's personal bodyguard? You mean the mysterious guy that Howard hired with Stark Industries shares?"
The media was buzzing with excitement. They all remembered the controversy Howard had caused with that decision.
No one could have imagined that the price for hiring a bodyguard would be actual shares in Stark Industries.
While reporters were discussing Marcus's identity, the rescue team sprang into action. The bodies needed to be removed, and Howard's car had to be pulled out of the bushes.
"Sir, we need to tow the car out of the bushes," a supervisor from the rescue team said, his voice noticeably shaky. He'd seen the gruesome state of the bodies and clearly felt intimidated in Marcus's presence.
Looking at the nervous supervisor, Marcus straightened the man's name badge and smiled. "Don't be so scared. I'm not a monster."
Then he knocked on the car window.
"Family reunion's over. Time to head back."
They could leave everything else to the rescue team. Of course, certain things would need to be taken with them—like the super soldier serum.
At the Hydra Base
A man shrouded in shadows sat at a table. In front of him was a massive screen displaying news of the failed assassination attempt on Howard.
Click.
The man turned off the screen and looked at the video call display beside him. Several blurred figures appeared on the other end of the call.
"As you can all see, our operation failed. Howard's bodyguard is exceptionally powerful."
The group was stunned by Marcus's performance.
Before, they had assumed Marcus was merely hired to eliminate corporate spies, nothing to be concerned about. But now it seemed this mysterious man possessed combat abilities beyond their imagination.
"Why not hand him over to me? I'm very interested in this specimen," a voice came through the video call. "I suspect he might be similar to those thing."
"Are you certain you can handle him?" the shadowed man replied in a deep voice. "Whitehall, don't forget that an elite tactical team under my command and a Winter Soldier were all eliminated by this individual."
A moment of silence fell across the room before the man called Whitehall spoke again.
"Don't worry. The resources at my disposal will certainly surprise you." Whitehall answered confidently.
He had a team with special abilities under his command. Even if Marcus could easily deal with an elite tactical squad, he couldn't possibly stand against Whitehall's team.
Once Marcus was captured, Whitehall was confident he could brainwash this powerful individual into becoming his subordinate.
"By the way, don't move against Howard yet. After this attack, he'll certainly secure the super soldier serum.
It's pointless to kill him now. What we want is that serum!"
The shadowed man reminded everyone on the video call. They were all pursuing the same goal.
"Hail Hydra!"
"HAIL HYDRA!!!"
With their salute complete, the video call disconnected.
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