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Chapter 278: Ch.277 Secret Meeting

Leviathan called a halt, and their beautiful agent in Paris reported on the situation. They decided to make some preparations.

Groups such as the Hand, Ten Rings, and Hellfire Club were quietly adjusting their strategies.

In a pitch-black room, there was only a round table and a single lamp. A bright, cylindrical light beam cast a white circle on the tabletop, while the rest of the surroundings remained shrouded in shadow.

Around the round table were ten chairs, most of them occupied, with only one left empty.

In the darkness, the faces of these individuals were indistinct, but their military uniforms and the octopus-skull emblem hanging on their chests could just barely be made out.

For the moment, the people around the table sat silently, waiting. No one spoke.

Finally, a voice emerged from the darkness.

"It seems Stryker won\'t be joining us. Let\'s begin."

"Heh, he hates you. Why would he bother with your pointless prattle? His new Hydra faction is expanding in the Far East. By the time he returns, we might be down one person among us," another voice chimed in, mocking the first speaker.

The first speaker remained unruffled, his tone calm. "Let him try. Our agenda today concerns something else—a major decision regarding Hydra\'s future."

Another figure raised a hand, adjusting their glasses as they spoke. "What now? Are you planning to hand over the Tesseract to focus on this gene research?"

A sharp, thin voice interrupted. "Gentlemen...and ladies, the X-gene may indeed hold potential, but its value pales in comparison to my research! We already possess infinite power—why should we concern ourselves with mere dirt beneath our feet?"

"Oh? Are you dismissing my research, then? Would you care to try some of my genetic mutation gas?" a woman\'s voice drifted in, cold and threatening.

"Let\'s set aside the arguments for now and hear what Red Skull has to say," a low, deep voice echoed from the shadows. On the chest of the figure who spoke, some sort of tentacle-like appendages could be seen slowly moving.

A pair of blue hands rested on the table as the speaker leaned back comfortably in his chair. "Hive is right. Red Skull, what do you have to say?"

Red Skull leaned forward into the light, his skinless face gradually illuminated. The downlighting cast grotesque shadows across his features.

"Our glorious Führer is planning to move against Hydra soon. I suggest we withdraw from Germany and once again go into hiding."

A growl, something like the sound of a bull, rumbled from the darkness, though the tone suggested amusement. "Come on, Red Skull. Your ambitions are too obvious. The Führer just wants to get rid of you, not us. You\'re merely the figurehead of Hydra. Are you hoping we\'ll vote to remove you from that position?"

"I oppose this. Right now, we must rely on the Führer. He is Germany\'s hope," another voice interjected, clearly from a pro-Führer faction.

Red Skull slammed his fist on the table but only struck air, momentarily forgetting that this was Hive\'s psychic network, not an actual meeting room.

Breathing heavily through his nostrils, Red Skull adjusted his uniform. "Zemo, is that your decision?"

"Yes, I am Hydra, but I am also German. The Reich comes before all," Zemo replied, his voice distant and detached.

He had made his stance clear—he and his forces would remain loyal to the Führer. Zemo wasn\'t too fond of being dragged into Hive\'s psychic meeting. He still had plans to capture Captain America.

"I also don\'t support going to war with the Führer. It would only give our enemies an opportunity. Besides, my research in Southeast Asia isn\'t complete yet. You can consider me neutral," said Dr. Whitehall, the man who had earlier adjusted his glasses, indicating his abstention.

A middle-aged man with a bushy beard allowed a bit of his stubble to catch the light. "Faustus abstains. I\'m an intelligence officer, and my current cover is too important. I\'m not interested in your political games."

"Ophelia opposes." Madame Hydra\'s voice was firm. She was in South America, researching new venomous snakes in the rainforest. European matters weren\'t her concern, but she leaned toward the Führer\'s vision of the future.

"Kraken opposes." The not-so-bright Kraken also sided with the Führer. Lately, he had been working closely with the Leviathan, who had little regard for Hydra and only collaborated with the Führer.

"Countess, abstains. You understand, Red Skull. We spies have our own priorities," a woman\'s voice, speaking in fluent English, added her abstention.

Hive murmured something in a strange language, but his psychic powers allowed everyone to understand that he, too, abstained. He was in outer space and had no particular stance on the matter.

"I...I support Schmidt," Dr. Arnim Zola stammered. He had wanted to abstain, but with Red Skull right beside him in real life, he felt forced to voice his support.

"Heh, Heinrich here. I support Red Skull. I like blue, he likes red—I think we\'re quite similar in our thinking," said Blue Gloves unexpectedly, casting his vote for Red Skull. Even though no one could see each other\'s faces, it was clear that the others were shocked by his decision.

Blue Gloves had always been a solitary figure, never expressing an opinion. Now, siding with Red Skull and advocating for a war against the Führer was completely out of character.

But despite his vote, it didn\'t change the outcome.

Zemo, Madame Hydra, and Kraken opposed going to war with the Führer. Red Skull, Zola, and Blue Gloves supported it. The others, including the absent Stryker, abstained. With so many abstentions, the vote was inconclusive and failed to pass.

"Tch, what a waste of time," Zemo muttered before his image blinked out, severing his psychic connection with Hive.

The others quickly followed suit, leaving the dark room empty except for Red Skull, Zola, and Heinrich.

"These shortsighted fools... can\'t they see that I\'m the one who will lead Hydra to glory? I know what they\'re thinking—they want to bring Stryker back, and they\'re plotting to get rid of me! Worthless scum!" Red Skull fumed.

"Well, it seems things are getting difficult to salvage now," Heinrich said, standing from his chair. His image gradually faded into the shadows. "But Schmidt, when you have a plan, let me know. Hail Hydra."

With that, the room fell silent, and everyone was gone.