Psylocke and Magneto were from the same generation. In terms of age, she was definitely older than Lorna's mother.

But no one knew how she managed to keep herself looking so young—at most, she looked like she was in her early thirties. In front of Lorna, she always called herself her "older sister."

Since Lorna didn't know her real age, she didn't feel weird calling her "Sister."

However, what surprised her was that this "Sister Betsy" actually owned a castle.

And from what Carl said, this castle was just one of Betsy's many properties. That meant she had to be incredibly rich.

"No wonder they chose this place for the gathering…" Raymond couldn't help but sigh as the white castle came into view.

Although he already knew Betsy was loaded, seeing it for himself was something else entirely.

Soon, the long Rolls-Royce Phantom slowly came to a stop, and a servant immediately came forward to open the door.

As soon as Raymond and the others stepped out of the car, Betsy, the host, walked out of the castle.

She wore a pure black dress that fit her body perfectly, holding a black folding fan in her hand, giving off an elegant and cool aura.

But the moment she saw Raymond and the others, a faint smile appeared on her face.

"Welcome to my castle—"

"Last time in Richmond, you hosted us. Now it's my turn…"

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters

Alexander Pierce, the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and now a special envoy of the World Security Council, was busy with paperwork in his office.

At that moment, his secretary suddenly informed him that a guest had arrived. Without thinking much, he pressed the intercom button.

"Let them in."

Not long after—

A sexy woman in a black tight leather outfit, her graceful figure outlined clearly, walked into the office.

Pierce's expression shifted slightly when he saw her, and he immediately set aside his work.

"Miss Stephanie? What brings you here all of a sudden…" Pierce asked, clearly surprised.

Even though he was a former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director—half a rank above Nick Fury—at this moment, he looked a bit uneasy.

But it wasn't Stephanie who made him nervous.

It was her father.

As one of the leaders of the Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D., Pierce didn't always follow the current Hydra heads' orders.

But while that meant the S.H.I.E.L.D. faction could act independently on big issues, it didn't mean Pierce could disrespect the true leaders of Hydra.

Hydra was a strictly hierarchical organization—no one was allowed to disobey or challenge their superiors.

And Pierce was no exception.

Stephanie sat down across from Pierce and casually asked, "Nick Fury has already found out about you all… Did you really not notice anything?"

"What?!" Pierce was instantly shocked.

That opening line from Stephanie hit him like a bomb.

If there was anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. who knew Fury best, it was definitely him.

One of the main reasons the S.H.I.E.L.D. faction within Hydra hadn't acted yet was because Pierce hadn't figured out how many secret moves Fury still had hidden.

Because he knew Fury well, he had always refused to act rashly.

If he hadn't held them back, Garrett and the other radicals might have already made their move long ago.

And now Stephanie suddenly came and told him Fury had already discovered them?

That was no small matter.

If Fury truly realized there was a problem, then with his abilities, he would surely start preparing countermeasures immediately.

This would bring huge, unpredictable risks to their plans—possibly even leading to complete failure.

He wasn't trying to scare himself or boost Fury's reputation—Fury really was that dangerous.

Pierce had always believed that Fury would be Hydra's biggest obstacle in the future.

Few agreed with him on this point—not even his fellow members in the S.H.I.E.L.D. faction. They thought he was being overly cautious.

But only Pierce understood—it wasn't fear, it was a judgment based on facts.

Fury was truly terrifying.

"Miss Stephanie, this isn't something to joke about…" Pierce said in a serious tone.

"Do you think I'm bored and came all the way here just to joke with you?" Stephanie gently tapped the table.

Hearing that, Pierce's heart sank.

It was true? They were really exposed?

This was a huge problem…

If Fury already sensed something was wrong, even launching their plan now might put them at a disadvantage.

But if they didn't act, waiting too long might make things even worse for them.

It was a tough choice either way.

Then, a thought struck him—how did Stephanie even know about this?

Did this mean Fury's side had also been infiltrated by the Political Faction, allowing this information to leak?

Was Stephanie's visit a sign that Malick already had a solution?

With that in mind, Pierce asked with a hint of hope.

But Stephanie shook her head and smiled.

"Looks like you haven't gotten the latest intel yet?"

"Latest intel? You mean…"

"My father has stepped down. He's no longer the leader of the Political Faction," Stephanie said casually.

"Malick has stepped down?" Pierce was caught completely off guard. "Then who's leading the Political Faction now?"

"What do you think?" Stephanie looked at him with a faint smile.

Pierce suddenly realized something and stared at Stephanie in disbelief.

"Oh, I forgot to mention—right now, I'm not just the leader of the Political Faction. I also lead the Science Faction… And soon, I'll become the sole leader of Hydra!" Stephanie said with unwavering determination.

"This…"

Pierce instinctively took a step back.

Stephanie's sudden, shocking revelation was too much for him to take in.

He even began to doubt if she was telling the truth—it all sounded too unbelievable.

If what she said was real, it meant that both Malick and Whitehall—Hydra's two veteran leaders from the World War II era—had stepped down.

But why would they step down at the same time?

Sure, Malick handing his position to his daughter made some sense.

But why would Whitehall also give his spot to Stephanie?

That just didn't add up.

Yet at the same time, why would Stephanie come all this way just to lie to him about something so easy to verify?

A few calls, and the truth would be out.

Why would she risk lying about something so obvious?

--

30 POWERSTONES = 1 Bonus Chapter

--

Join patreon.com/AHumanMadeMOFO to read ahead!