Dimensional Trader in Marvel

Nine council members sat across from each other in the spacious conference room.

Because of his role in bringing Josh to the Council and other matters, Wilfred Malick had successfully restored his family's status within the organization and earned a seat at the table.

Of course, he was still the lowest ranking member.

The room was dimly lit, even though it was broad daylight. Heavy curtains blocked out the sunlight, and only a few dim lights illuminated the room.

This arrangement was clearly for Hugh Jones' comfort.

However, the Council members didn't know that Hugh Jones had become a vampire.

When Hugh went missing in Europe, aside from Josh, only a few of his direct subordinates—like Major General Fletcher and his senior officers—were aware of the truth. Most of the soldiers on the mission had no idea what had happened.

Hugh's transformation was thus a closely guarded secret.

To thank Josh and maintain his silence, Hugh had willingly given up his shares in Boeing.

Within Hydra, internal affairs often remained hidden. If his condition were revealed, other council members wouldn't move against him openly, but might isolate or exploit him.

To avoid such problems, Hugh preferred to keep his vampire status a secret. Upon his return to the United States, he avoided interacting with his colleagues, blaming his avoidance of sunlight on a rare disease he contracted in Europe.

Despite the secrecy, Hugh had no intention of harming Josh or his team to keep the truth buried.

For one thing, even if the problem of his vampire identity were exposed, it would only be inconvenient for Hugh Jones, not life-threatening, so there was no point in going to war with Josh over it.

For another, he retained memories during his uncontrolled state. He had witnessed the Tesla Troopers and the Velociraptors, and realized that Josh was far more powerful than he appeared.

This mutual knowledge of each other's small, non-fatal secrets didn't strain their relationship, but created an opportunity for deeper cooperation.

In this way, Josh gained another ally besides Malick. Maybe not a full-fledged ally, but at least someone who wouldn't deliberately sabotage him.

"This meeting has been called for three main reasons," Thomas, the chairman, began, looking around at the nine council members present. "First, the Paperclip Project and the Rebirth Project. Second, Howard Stark. Lastly, the matter of Zero Matter."

His words immediately drew serious looks from everyone.

"Regarding the first issue, I won't go into the details of the two projects since everyone here is familiar with them. The reason I bring this up is because Dr. Zola has returned to our ranks. Although he is still a long way from regaining his freedom, he is now able to provide us with some assistance," Thomas explained.

The Paperclip Project involved the U.S. taking high-level talents from Germany and Hydra, focusing primarily on war criminal scientists who had worked for Germany and Hydra. Scientists who had no connection to the war could not be forced to work for the U.S.

Undoubtedly, Arnim Zola, once a trusted associate of the Red Skull, was the most important figure in this project.

Previously, Josh had tried to get Ophelia to reach out to Zola, but the Strategic Scientific Reserve kept him under such close surveillance that even Ophelia couldn't find a way to do so.

However, back in the U.S.—Hydra's stronghold—the Council, with its far-reaching influence, was able to make contact with Zola. Josh could only sigh at this turn of events.

As for Reinhardt, the future Whitehall, Ophelia had already seized the opportunity to have him assassinated.

Although Reinhardt was a scientist, his research leaned toward "mysticism," which made him less valuable to the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been imprisoned until the 1990s, before being released near the end of his life.

The Rebirth Project, on the other hand, was simply the code name for the super-soldier program that created Captain America.

"We know about both projects," commented Hugh Jones, wrapped tightly in his cloak. "But how are they related? Captain America left some blood samples behind, but we can't get our hands on them!"

Captain America's blood samples were scarce and securely held by the military and the Strategic Scientific Reserve.

Hydra's infiltration of U.S. institutions was not as widespread as it would be in the 21st century, so obtaining those samples was out of the question.

"True, under normal circumstances, that's true," Thomas replied with a faint smile. "But while we can't get Captain America's blood, we can get Schmidt's."

The room immediately understood—after all, the world's first super-soldier was not Captain America, but the Red Skull.

If Captain America had left blood samples, there was no reason why the Red Skull wouldn't have.

And indeed he did.

Where did the formula used on Vito and Bucky, Zola's earlier experiments, come from? It certainly wasn't reverse-engineered from Captain America.

The source was obvious; Zola had deduced it from the Red Skull's blood samples.

At this point, Josh couldn't help but feel a chill. Thomas bringing this up out of the blue... could it mean what he was thinking?

"Of course, most of Schmidt's blood samples and experimental formulas were destroyed during the war," Thomas continued, "but Dr. Zola informed me that there are still two living test subjects. And Josh, you should know this better than anyone."

As Josh had suspected, Thomas's remarks had put him in the spotlight.

Zola's two test subjects were none other than Vito and Bucky.

With Zola involved, Josh had no way of hiding the truth.

"Ah, I get it now," Josh feigned realization. "So Vito and Bucky were already enhanced? Does that mean Zola intends to use them for further research? That's not possible. Vito is my trusted subordinate and invaluable to me. But if you want to target Bucky, that's none of my business."

In this situation, it was almost impossible for Josh to protect both men, especially Bucky—Captain America's friend and a member of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, Hydra's enemy.

Choosing between the two was a no-brainer for Josh.

Sorry, Bucky. You're on your own!

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