Chapter 401: Everything is Poisonous Except the Snake (Part 1) (Patreon)

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If you were to ask what the most severe ailment afflicting the United States after World War II was, the answer would be allergies. Americans are allergic to many things, but the most severe allergy is undoubtedly the KGB allergy.

As the once most powerful spy agency in the world, the KGB had an incomparably glorious record. Its achievements were so brilliant that the Soviet Union's transformation is still discussed today, whether in the United States or Europe.

For instance, if you wanted to attack your political opponent and frame him for a crime at the time, the best choice was to report his tax issues because these issues were bound to be found in an investigation.

And if you wanted to truly kill him, to cause him not only biological death but also social death, you would have to accuse him of being a KGB agent.

When Schiller held Thor's hammer given to him by Loki and chased Madame Hydra around the world, the situation became interesting once the KGB got involved.

If there was anyone in the world who was most willing to broadcast the stupid things the United States had done to the whole world, it would be the KGB. And if there was anyone capable of broadcasting the stupid things the United States had done to the whole world, it would undoubtedly be the KGB.

Some people may think that the stupid thing referred to is the United States' allowing Hydra to develop for many years. However, in fact, the stupid thing referred to is that Hydra infiltrated the United States, and the KGB infiltrated Hydra.

The stupidest thing about this matter was not that the United States did not discover the KGB's infiltration of Hydra, but that the Hydras who were Americans helped the KGB go through the United States' financial system.

Hydra's wrongdoing, infiltration, establishment of various secret bases, and various illegal experiments within the United States were not important. What was important was that they helped the KGB.

What was even more important was that they were all caught by the KGB and exposed everything to the public.

If every country in the world became a human capable of expressing its own emotions, the laughter from the Far East would be deafening right now.

In the underground base of S.H.I.E.L.D., in the dimly lit corridor, the light bulbs flickered on and off. Nick and the agents behind him walked through the long corridor and arrived at the door of an office. After opening the door, Natasha's figure appeared inside.

Nick turned back and gave the people behind him a look, gesturing for them to leave first. After he closed the door, he sighed and said, "I think you should already know how tense the situation is now?"

Natasha did not have an anxious expression. She just nodded and said, "After making that choice, I knew that I would not be trusted by any country or organization in this world anymore."

"It's not that serious yet." Nick clasped his hands behind his back and sighed. Natasha hugged her arms and stared at him. She moved her neck left and right and said, "I'm in the investigation period now, so we're not superior and inferior for the time being."

"Natasha, if you ask me, you can't not know how many Hydras there are in S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Of course, I know." Nick gave a very affirmative answer. He said, "But they work hard."

Nick seemed to have been holding back for a long time. He said helplessly, "They think their files are very meticulous, but in fact, many people had already exposed their identities when they were recruited."

"Why do you still use them?"

"I'm not using them. Do you want me to use those lazy locals who only work eight hours a day and demand weekends off, asking me to buy them the most expensive medical insurance, and even requiring the finance department to reimburse them for the scratched rearview mirror of their car?"

Seeing Natasha's slightly disdainful expression, Nick reached out and said, "I know it sounds heartless, but Natasha, we are S.H.I.E.L.D., a special agent organization. Have you ever seen a special agent who only works on weekends?"

Natasha pursed her lips and was a bit speechless. Nick nodded slowly and said, "Honestly, I don't care if they're Nazis or KGB. They just need to be able to get things done."

"You sound like a borderless person."

Nick sighed and said, "The leaders of all special agent organizations in the world can only be borderless people."

"Do you think the CIA doesn't know how many spies there are in their organization? Their Russian translator at headquarters goes back to Moscow twelve times a year and reports once a month when he goes back, but they still give him leave."

"Because if they don't use him, other Russian language translators charge over$400 an hour. And the CIA can't afford to pay that much for every translation job."

Natasha raised an eyebrow and said, "So, what's your plan?"

Nick leaned against the desk and said, "My plan is to keep moving forward and eliminate Hydra. That's the only way to ensure that S.H.I.E.L.D. can continue to exist."

Natasha nodded and said, "I'll help you with that."

"I know you will." Nick smiled and said, "But, for now, we need to focus on finding the Winter Soldier."

Natasha's expression turned serious. "Do you have any new leads?"

Nick shook his head. "Not yet, but we're working on it. We're tracking his movements and trying to find out where he's hiding."

Natasha frowned. "But what about Steve? He's still out there, looking for Bucky."

Nick sighed. "I know, but we can't let Steve find Bucky before we do. If he does, he might get himself killed."

Natasha nodded. "I understand. I'll help you with the Winter Soldier, but I'll also keep an eye on Steve."

"Good. We'll need all the help we can get." Nick straightened up and said, "We'll keep in touch. If you find anything, let me know."

Natasha nodded and walked towards the door. Before she left, she turned back and said, "Nick, be careful."

"I always am." Nick smiled and watched as Natasha left the room. He sighed and sat down at his desk, rubbing his temples. The situation was dire, but he knew that he had to keep moving forward.

He couldn't let Hydra win.Nick sat down on the chair in the office and said, "Many people imagine that spy work is like solving a puzzle every day, but it's not like that."

"Everyone knows what someone who comes from somewhere is really doing. If you want to obtain information from me openly, you must bear the risk that the information you receive is intentionally prepared by me. This is fair."

"Only when the other side makes a move can I know how many cards I need to play. If we don't infiltrate each other, what's the point of our existence? If there are no enemies, where does the funding come from?"

"The intelligence work all over the world is actually shooting at nothingness. Do you understand, Natasha?"

Nick made a gesture and said, "You send spies to me, and because you send spies to me, I have to send spies to you. Because I sent spies to you, you have to send spies back to me. That's how all 17,000 S.H.I.E.L.D. agents came about."

"When something happens, we can send back some of the cards they have already revealed, or use this excuse to deal with some difficult people when nothing has happened."

"Capturing Hydra and repatriating KGB agents has become a quarterly activity, which means that I haven't been taking money for nothing this quarter."

Natasha walked to the opposite side of him and leaned against the wall, saying, "So why are you investigating Hydra again? Wouldn't it be nice to keep them working for you?"

"The problem is that the KGB went crazy and had to expose this matter." Nick put his hand on his head and said, "The people on Capitol Hill don't care if Hydra has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. They care whether the KGB has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. or done more."

"Isn't that obvious? The IRS, the Department of Finance, and Capitol Hill have all been infiltrated like a sieve. Why don't they look for their own reasons instead of coming to you?"

Nick sighed again, and you could even see very obvious wrinkles on his dark face. He said, "We don't manage the KGB, but we manage Hydra."

"I want to push this matter to the CIA, and the CIA also wants to push this matter to me."

Natasha frowned and looked at Nick, saying, "Haven't you cursed the CIA before? Isn't he a Hydra? He was hiding from Stark, and you're openly cooperating with Hydra?"

"Every minute and second since I became the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., I have been openly cooperating with Hydra."

Natasha was speechless, and Nick tapped the table with his finger and said, "Don't you understand yet? They want to eliminate Hydra? Bullshit!"

"Their goal is to control S.H.I.E.L.D. Previously, some Hydra agents within S.H.I.E.L.D. were transferred out, causing us to be short-handed. I am currently recruiting people and this operation may have stimulated them again. The idea of balance is taking over again."

"Balance, balance... They often talk about these words, whether I actively send out some Hydra to deal with the pressure, or really busy chasing the tail of those Hydra, both weaken the cohesion of S.H.I.E.L.D."Nick emphasized, "You have to admit, regardless of the identities of my agents, whether they are from Hydra, KGB, or genuine S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, S.H.I.E.L.D. can function normally and efficiently."

"They are forcing me to break the healthy ecosystem of S.H.I.E.L.D., to divide and conquer us one by one."

Natasha placed her slender fingers on her forehead and said, "Listen to the words you just used..."

"A 'healthy' S.H.I.E.L.D. full of Hydra and KGB, Congress wants to divide you from Hydra and KGB, and you are trying to unite Hydra, which is suspected to be KGB, to resolve this situation..."

"Nick, do you know? If I were really a KGB agent, I would call Moscow right now and ask if you were one of their long-term undercover agents. Don't you think you're a bit..."

After finishing her sentence, Natasha lowered her head and said with a cold smile, "Why can't I be KGB? Otherwise, at least I could earn a medal for my success in turning you."

Nick shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm black, I don't have allergies like you do. I'm not allergic to anything except for the lack of funds."

"Okay, I take back what I said earlier. As far as I know, KGB spies who can infiltrate to your level often don't take money, they don't even want it."

"They are people with faith, but the era of talking about faith is over." Nick took out a pack of cigarettes from his clothes, lit one and put it in his mouth, squinting his eyes as he said:

"I cleared Pierce's name, freed him from Stark's entanglement, and let him return to his job at the World Security Council to mediate for us."

"At the same time, he will provide me with a group of Hydra agents to use for reporting."

"He's providing you with Hydra agents? Isn't he Hydra himself? Is he betraying his own organization's interests to help you?"

"How is that possible?" Nick threw the pack of cigarettes to Natasha, who took one out, lit it, and exhaled smoke from her red lips.

"I told you, Hydra has many different factions. Pierce isn't betraying his own power, he's just helping to strike at his opponents. Why not?"

Natasha took a deep breath and exhaled, saying, "As you said, the era of talking about ideology is over. Now you want to talk business, so why did you come to me?"

"I said I thought you were KGB and wanted to gather intelligence from you. Do you believe me?"

"I'd be more likely to believe you if you said you wanted to date me."

"Forget it, I'm not Hawkeye." Nick shook the cigarette ash in his hand and said, "Just catching some Hydra agents to report on won't solve the fundamental problem. I hope KGB can give Congress some work to do."

Natasha's fingers stiffened for a moment as she looked at Nick and said, "You're not thinking of sending me to negotiate with KGB, are you?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you should know Russian." Nick looked at the female agent while pinching his cigarette. Seeing Natasha's slightly stiff expression, Nick said naturally, "Don't expect me to find a Russian translator who charges thousands of dollars per hour. You're just being investigated, not fired."

"Since you still have this job and are receiving a salary, you have to work. Now, Mrs. Romanoff, let's join the great labor force."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 402: Everything is Poisonous except the Snake (Part 2)