Marvel: The Villain Chapter 368 Hail

"Hydra has been operating from the shadows, puppeteering SHIELD to use ’Project Insight.’ Their plan was to launch three Helicarriers and systematically eliminate every enemy standing in their way. It was a scheme of absolute, cold-blooded madness."

"But God blessed America. Their movement was discovered by the late Director Nick Fury. However, that very night, Hydra brutally assassinated that brave soldier."

"Fortunately, before his passing, Director Fury entrusted his most vital secrets to Captain Steve Rogers."

"This legendary hero of World War II, alongside Tony Stark—the Iron Man—braved immense danger. Together, they fended off pursuers, unearthed Hydra’s darkest secrets, and brought this staggering truth to me."

"The rest, as you have seen: Hydra, cornered and desperate, tried to force their hand. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, in coordination with the military, wiped out the Hydra cells hidden within SHIELD."

"In the end, they successfully destroyed the three Helicarriers, saving millions of lives."

To be the President of the United States, public speaking and eloquence are mandatory skills. The President recounted the events to the three hundred reporters with a voice full of infectious passion. His speech was a rollercoaster of tension and climax, more gripping than any ancient storyteller’s tale.

The audience was spellbound. The audience fell into a deathly silence, followed by frantic whispering, until finally, the entire venue erupted in a commotion. Even the most sharp-tongued reporters and anchors were left speechless, their faces frozen in "Oh my God" expressions.

The news was simply too explosive. No one expected a conspiracy reaching back decades to the Nazis.

The press conference was being live-streamed by several top bloggers. It started with a mere million viewers, but as the President dropped one bombshell after another, the numbers grew exponentially, soon surpassing a hundred million concurrent viewers worldwide.

Seeing the chaos among the reporters—who had completely lost their professional composure—the President smiled, satisfied with the impact of his words.

"Everyone, please, settle down. We now move to the second part of this conference. I will personally award the ’Medal of Valor’ to our two heroes: Tony Stark and Steve Rogers."

As soon as the words left his lips, Steve and Tony stepped out from behind the curtain. For today’s ceremony, the two had specially commissioned expensive, custom-made suits from New York’s finest tailor. Facing hundreds of camera lenses, Steve’s gait was a bit stiff, his expression guarded. Tony, however, was in his element. He smiled and waved at the cameras with a natural charisma that would put Hollywood’s A-list to shame.

"Cap, don’t be nervous. Just follow my lead."

"I’m not nervous. I just ate too much breakfast; I feel a bit bloated."

Tony let out a laugh, choosing not to call out the lie.

They walked up to the podium as a White House official approached with a velvet box. The President opened it himself, revealing two medals representing the highest honor in the country. He took one out and shook Tony’s hand.

"Mr. Stark, thank you for everything you have done for this nation."

"Mr. President, the honor is mine."

After a few pleasantries, the President pinned the medal to Tony’s chest. Stark stepped aside, and Steve moved forward.

"Captain, it is my privilege to honor you," The President said.

Steve didn’t know how to respond, so he stood at rigid attention and gave a sharp, solemn military salute to the President and the audience. The President, pleased with the reaction, pinned the medal to his chest as well.

Then, the President stood between them, putting his arms around their backs. The three turned to face the cameras, flashing professional smiles.

The media went into a frenzy, shutters clicking rapidly to record this historic moment. The room shook with thunderous applause as over three hundred reporters stood up to cheer for the two heroes on stage.

Norman put down his notebook and stood up with them. The corners of his mouth curled into a sinister, triumphant smile.

Norman’s brow furrowed slightly. A powerful telepathic surge bored into Steve Rogers’ brain. Compared to the paper-thin mental defenses of the average agent, Steve’s willpower was several times stronger. But in terms of time, it was merely the difference between one millisecond and ten.

Norman’s telepathy crushed Steve’s mental resistance with overwhelming force, successfully seizing control of his mind.

The applause remained fervent, but the reporters in the front row noticed something. The smile on Steve’s face was no longer stiff. It had become... predatory.

Steve suddenly clenched his fist, the thick muscles of his arm bulging. With a violent swing, he slammed his fist into Tony Stark’s chest.

Tony was sent flying over ten meters, hitting the floor and losing consciousness instantly.

"Sir! Sir!" Jarvis’s voice crackled through the invisible earpiece. Seeing Tony severely injured and unconscious, Jarvis immediately activated the backup protocols. At the distant Stark base, a suit of nano-armor launched, screaming toward Washington.

At the press conference, the applause died instantly. Every jaw in the room dropped in horror.

"Captain! What are you—"

Before the President could finish, Steve stepped forward, his hand locking around the President’s throat. He lifted the leader of the free world slowly into the air.

The minds of every reporter in the room went blank. What was wrong with Steve? Had he lost his mind?

But what followed was even more insane. Steve turned slowly toward the microphone on the podium and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"HAIL HYDRA!"

Another devastating blow. The three hundred reporters on-site and the hundred million viewers behind their screens fell into a state of catatonic shock.

Is this some kind of sick joke? Steve Rogers is Hydra?

If that were true, why did Nick Fury give him the secrets? Why didn’t Steve destroy the data immediately? Why did he team up with Tony to dig up the truth and tell the President? Was there a deeper secret involved?

Those questions might never be answered.

Steve’s powerful arm flexed. A sickening echoed through the room as the President’s neck was snapped. He then tossed the body into the crowd like a piece of trash.

The press conference descended into absolute, unadulterated chaos. The reporters had a thousand questions, but right now, only one thought mattered:

A sharp gunshot rang out. White House guards surged forward like a tide, drawing their sidearms and firing frantically at Steve. Steve kicked the podium over for cover and immediately transformed into the Hulk!

The bullets struck the Hulk’s skin and bounced off without exception.

Having finished his work, Norman gave a faint, chilling smile. He turned and vanished into the surging crowd, leaving the carnage behind.

Tony lay on the grass, staring up at the blue sky. The sound of intense gunfire jolted him awake. He struggled to sit up, but a searing pain flared in his chest—it felt like his ribs had been turned into powder. He looked up and saw the once-grand venue was now a graveyard.

The President’s body lay crumpled on the grass nearby. In the distance, Steve, in his Hulk form, was roaring as he hunted down the White House guards, leaving a trail of mangled corpses in his wake.

"Shit! What the hell happened?"

"How did the venue become a slaughterhouse?"

"Cap... what happened to him?"

He scrambled over to the President’s body, checked for a pulse, then peeled back an eyelid.

"Gone. He’s dead."

Tony’s head throbbed. The situation had spiraled into total catastrophe. Even a genius like him didn’t know the next move. But... at the very least, he had to stop the mindless beast in front of him.

The nano-armor arrived decelerating sharply as it closed within a kilometer of Tony.

The suit struck Tony’s back, and the nanites swarmed over his body, encasing him. The White House grounds were a river of blood. After slaughtering hundreds of guards, Steve was preparing to charge out into the city streets.

Just then, a missile streaked toward him. Steve caught it with lightning reflexes.

The explosion sent Steve tumbling dozens of meters back. Though small, this wasn’t military-grade junk; it was a flagship product of Stark Industries.

Tony hovered in the air, his voice a roar through the speakers: "Cap! Wake up! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"ROAR!"

Steve stood up and bellowed at him in fury. But just as he was about to launch an attack, a wave of clarity suddenly washed over his brain. Steve regained his senses and slowly lowered his arms.

Looking at the blood and the bodies littering the ground, he was completely shell-shocked.

"What... what happened here?"

Seeing this, Tony let out a breath of relief and retracted his weapon systems. "Cap! Do you remember anything?"

Steve shook his head. "I just remember being on the podium, and then it felt like someone hit me in the back of the head with a sledgehammer. Everything after that... is a blank."

"What happened? Why does it look like this? Why am I the Hulk?" Steve fired off three questions in a row.

Tony hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to give him the brutal truth.

"You had a sudden breakdown on the podium. You punched me so hard I’m still feeling the phantom pains in my chest. Every breath is agony."

Steve frowned. "I’m so sorry. Are you okay?"

"I’ll live. But then you killed the President."

"WHAT?!"

"It’s not over. Then you went full Hulk and smashed hundreds of White House guards into meat pies."

"..."

Steve listened in absolute disbelief. He shook his head frantically. "No, that couldn’t have been me! Tony, you have to believe me!"

Tony sighed. "What I believe doesn’t matter. It’s what everyone else believes. This conference was live-streamed globally. There were over a hundred million viewers. You killed the President of the United States in front of the entire world, Steve. I don’t need to tell you the consequences."

Steve knew exactly what it meant. He clutched his throbbing head, his face contorted in agony. "How could this happen? How?"

Tony looked at him. Suddenly, a spark of realization hit him. "I’ve got it! Cap, do you remember that agent in the suburban apartment? The way you just snapped—it was exactly like him."

Steve’s eyes narrowed. He remembered instantly. "You mean... the real killer is Norman? He used his powers to control me?"

Tony nodded. "Right now, it’s the only logical explanation. I just can’t figure out how he slipped past security and the FBI to get into the press conference."

Steve thought for a moment. "Maybe he didn’t even enter the venue. Didn’t we theorize that his powers could be used from a great distance?"

Tony realized he was right.

"Sir! Large-scale deployment of military aircraft and Iron Man-style armors detected fifty kilometers out!" Jarvis’s voice interrupted.

Tony said urgently, "Forget Norman for now. Think about yourself. The military and the Iron Legion are closing in."

Steve stood motionless. He let out a long, weary sigh. "Whatever the reason, the President and these guards died by my hand. I should turn myself in. You stay on the outside and find the truth."

The sight of the corpses tortured Steve’s conscience. After what he had done, he couldn’t bring himself to run.

Suddenly, Tony dove down and delivered a heavy punch to Steve’s face, knocking him back.

"Tony?"

"Don’t forget, our opponent is a High member of the Joker Organization! I can’t win this alone! What you need to do now is get out of here, find a way to catch Norman, and prove your innocence."

Tony was right. Surrendering now was suicide. If Norman used his powers to frame him again while he was in custody, it would be over.

The punch cleared Steve’s head. "Are you ready?" Tony asked.

Steve nodded, sank into a deep crouch, and leaped clear of the White House grounds. Tony gunned his thrusters, staying close on his tail, firing his repulsors back toward the pursuit to provide cover.

By the time the fighters and the Iron Legion reached the White House, Steve and Tony—fleeing for their lives—had already cleared Washington’s airspace.

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