Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 284: Ch.283 Zemo and Red Skull

But by the time the meeting ended, Captain America had already led a group of strange people into the sewers and escaped.

"Damn it! I was so close to catching that damn clown!"

Zemo clenched his fists, pounding the table in front of him, but all he felt was the pain in his hands.

He had already imagined what he would do once he captured Captain America—giving him a bath with adhesive and covering him with hundreds of kilograms of feathers, then locking him in a secret prison for his own amusement.

But Captain America only seemed interested in chasing Red Skull. And now, after having his proposal rejected in the previous meeting, Red Skull was likely planning to go into hiding.

After a moment\'s thought, Zemo made a call to Red Skull.

"I need your help... Yes, this is an exchange, in return for my support for your proposal."

After hanging up, a wheezing laugh came from beneath Zemo\'s purple mask.

Red Skull had agreed to show himself to lure out Captain America and assist in a pincer attack. After that, Zemo would be free to deal with Captain America however he pleased.

Zemo began his preparations, first mobilizing his men, setting up traps, and then coating his weapons with adhesive, readying himself for battle.

With Red Skull as bait, he had no doubt that Captain America would show up.

His mood gradually improved, and he even started humming The Blue Danube.

"Dad?"

"Oh? Helmut, why aren\'t you asleep yet? It\'s very late." Baron Zemo holstered his weapon and turned to pat his son\'s head.

"It\'s too noisy outside; I can\'t sleep." Little Zemo, who was only seven years old, looked just like an adorable child.

"It\'s okay. Go back to bed, and I\'ll take care of it." Zemo put on his black leather coat, straightening the Hydra emblem on his chest.

Little Zemo nodded with a mixture of understanding and confusion. "Are you going out to kill someone? Can\'t you just kill all these French people? Paris is beautiful. Wouldn\'t it be nice if we just owned it?"

Zemo shook his head with a chuckle. "No, no, we shouldn\'t kill that many people. We only need to kill those who make mistakes. The Zemo family will rule everything. If you kill everyone, who will you rule over?"

"Yeah! Control and discipline, like you taught me. We only kill the disobedient bad guys."

"Exactly, my son. Now I\'m going to take out the worst of the bad guys. He desires a chaotic freedom that would only bring disorder to the world. For the future of our family, for Germany and Hydra, I must eliminate him."

Zemo finished preparing, attaching the family sword to his belt, and walked toward the door.

"Then I\'ll wait for you to come back and tell me a story, okay? You\'ll be back soon, right?"

"Yes, I\'ll be back soon."

Zemo stepped outside, where the Hydra guards saluted him. He got into a black sedan, followed by hundreds of elite troops running alongside the car.

As the sound of their marching faded into the night, little Zemo dutifully returned to his bed, his bright eyes gazing at the ceiling, waiting for his father\'s return.

Meanwhile, in another part of Paris, Red Skull hung up the phone expressionlessly. Beside him, Doctor Arnim Zola cautiously observed his expression.

But what expression could he read from a skull face? The only emotion that could be discerned from that face was one—rage.

"Zemo thinks I\'m an idiot or a brainless fool. Arnim, what do you think I should do?"

"Uh, well, Zemo just said he\'d side with us, didn\'t he? Heh heh... ahem."

Red Skull\'s round eyes fixed on Zola, and his eyeless sockets gave him a terrifying look.

Zola\'s nervous laughter quickly turned into a series of dry coughs as sweat began to bead on his forehead. Schmidt\'s gaze was filled with madness—he was ready to kill.

Sure enough, Schmidt drew his pistol and turned, shooting two guards dead, firing wildly until the gun clicked empty.

"Ahh!" He exhaled, twisting his neck and loosening his collar, moving his jawbone. "Now, what were you saying, Doctor?"

New guards entered from outside, silently dragging away the bodies of their fallen comrades before taking up their positions again.

This was the fate of Hydra soldiers. Among the leaders of Hydra\'s council, aside from Blue Glove Heine being somewhat decent to his subordinates, the rest of the leaders were all madmen.

Especially Viper—her poison experiments often required "volunteers" to test on. Whitehall\'s immortality experiments were equally dangerous.

Yet, Hydra\'s soldiers felt no fear. To them, it was the greatest honor to sacrifice themselves for Hydra. Those chosen by their leaders to die would join the true Hydra god and live forever in paradise.

Since no one had ever returned from there, everyone believed it to be true.

"You\'re right, Schmidt! Zemo was the first to oppose you in the meeting!"

Zola nodded vigorously, offering a nervous smile as he pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket to wipe the sweat from his brow. He removed his glasses, too afraid to meet Red Skull\'s gaze.

"Yes, he\'s been mocking me, that wretched fool. He\'s nothing but a hereditary noble, a scientist so weak he\'s hardly worth mentioning. He doesn\'t deserve to be a leader of Hydra."

"I—" Zola thought about running away, sensing the danger in Schmidt\'s words.

"Oh, I\'m not talking about you, my dear Doctor. You\'re the smartest person in Germany, and you\'re my ally, aren\'t you?" Red Skull placed his massive hand on Zola\'s shoulder, the strength of his grip making Zola unable to move.

"Ha ha, yes, right! I\'m very smart, very useful!" Zola sniffled, nodding repeatedly.

"Good, Doctor. My dear Doctor, now it\'s time for you to be useful. Remember those clones I got from Sinister? Are they still alive?"

Zola immediately confirmed, "Yes, they\'re still alive. I\'ve kept all your clones in cold storage. Sinister\'s creations are very unstable—once thawed, they won\'t last more than four hours."

"Ah, four hours. Even for someone as powerful as me, the clones only last that long. Sinister is such a disappointment, isn\'t he?" Red Skull\'s tone was dissatisfied as he wiped the blood from his clothes.

"No, Sinister is actually the best biologist of our time. His cloning and genetic engineering—" Zola tried to explain the complexities of genetic science, admiring Sinister\'s work despite being a physicist.

"Hmm?" Red Skull\'s grip tightened suddenly.

"Yes, you\'re right! Sinister is a huge disappointment. Four hours—what can you even do with that?" Zola immediately changed his tone.

"Never mind. Remember the things I got from Stryker?" Red Skull released Zola\'s shoulder and led him to an adjacent room.

This was a secret compartment, with walls made entirely of metal, casting a grayish glow. Red Skull entered a code on the control panel, and the door slowly opened with a buzz.

Red Skull clasped one hand behind his back and gestured with the other, indicating Zola should take a look.

In the center of the small room, atop a raised platform, sat a row of test tubes. Inside them, a black liquid seemed to churn and flow. A red beam of light shone upon it, reflecting a suffocating hue.

Zola wiped his sweat even faster.