After a thorough body search, the two maids quickly retrieved a pistol, a pocket pistol, a dagger, sharp hairpins, thin steel wires, and a bunch of other strange items from Ophelia.
"WTF, what are all these?" Vito's face turned green when he saw so many items. If this woman had gotten close to Josh while they were unprepared, he couldn't imagine what might've happened.
Ophelia's face also looked very ugly. At this moment, she deeply regretted coming directly to the estate. If only she had been a little more patient and waited for Josh to leave the house someday, she would have had ten thousand ways to approach him.
This wasn't to say she intended to harm him—she had indeed come with the intention to negotiate. Of course, if Josh had been a little more foolish, like Linden with his relatively weaker mind, she wouldn't have minded using a little mind control.
But regardless of the outcome, she wouldn't have ended up in such a completely passive situation like this.
She had simply been too confident in herself. Since graduating from Hydra Academy and completing countless missions without a single failure, she had completely let her guard down.
"Let's go. The boss has been waiting a long time," Vito finally gave the signal to open the estate gates after the two maids repeatedly confirmed that Ophelia had no metal or sharp objects on her, not even earrings.
Several minutes later, under the escort of Vito and the others, Ophelia was led into the estate's reception hall, where Josh was already waiting, wearing a helmet.
"Ophelia Salkisten?" Josh asked from behind a long table, with Vito and another bodyguard between them and the door behind him.
"Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you. I really didn't expect that Mr. Kane, who's been calling the shots in London these past two months, would be such a cautious man," Ophelia couldn't help but speak with a slightly mocking tone.
"I can't help it. When facing someone like you, a dangerous individual with certain special abilities, it's never too much to be cautious—especially when the other party harbors ill intent!" Josh didn't care about her sarcasm. Compared to his own safety, saving face was worth next to nothing.
He had worked so hard to build up his wealth; no way was he going to let someone else swoop in, sleep with his wife, and raise his kids.
"Mr. Josh Kane, I bear no ill will toward you. I came with sincerity, wanting to discuss the future fate of our homeland with you." Ophelia sighed. "As for Mr. Schneider, yes, that was my mistake. I just wanted to learn more about you."
"Spare me the nonsense. If you really came in good faith, then tell me—who do you work for?" Josh stared at her sharply.
"I work for a very ancient organization. Our history can be traced back more than a thousand years…" Seeing the serious look on Josh's face, Ophelia hesitated for a few seconds before speaking.
"Stop, stop, stop! Can't you just say the name of your organization directly?" Josh waved his hand and interrupted her.
"It's not that I don't want to say it, Mr. Kane, but saying the name outright could easily lead to some unnecessary misunderstandings," Ophelia frowned. She did want to say it directly, but the name had become like a rat crossing the street—universally hated. What if Josh refused to even listen to her once he heard it?
"Heh. Then let me say it for you. Hail Hydra, right?" Josh sneered and directly shouted Hydra's infamous motto.
That shout left not only Ophelia stunned, but even Vito and the others froze for a moment.
Why did their boss shout Hydra's slogan so naturally? Could it be…?
"Are you with the Council?" Ophelia couldn't help but ask, having heard Josh say it so fluently.
In her mind, besides their faction that followed Red Skull, the only other ones who might know that slogan would be the Nine-Headed Council faction that had broken away from them.
"No, no, no. Please don't lump me in with you or them. I'm a clean and proper businessman, with absolutely nothing to do with Hydra. I just happen to know a bit about you people," Josh waved his index finger and said.
"That's impossible. Outsiders couldn't possibly know this much about us!" Ophelia protested.
She had reason to believe that. After all, in the present day, Hydra—aside from the Red Skull's unorthodox splinter—was still a shadowy organization.
Before Fury and Black Widow exposed Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. to the world in the future, the Nine-Headed Council's Hydra faction had always maintained extreme secrecy.
Hydra's ability to grow and expand endlessly depended precisely on this secrecy. Otherwise, such a powerful secret organization would have been crushed by world governments long ago.
"Heh. That's just you Hydra folks being frogs at the bottom of a well. Human history spans hundreds of thousands of years. Recorded civilization spans thousands. Why do you think your little thousand-year-old organization is the one and only?" Josh responded with disdain to the disbelieving Ophelia.
The disdain was partly for show, but the content wasn't wrong.
If this really was the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then forget about Asgard, the Eternals, or alien civilizations—just among Earth-based powers, Kamar-Taj, the Ten Rings, Wakanda—each had histories older and strength greater than Hydra.
They just couldn't be bothered to play your game.
Still, Josh's half-truths and psychological tactics managed to shake Ophelia quite a bit.
Yes…Hydra had history, but who's to say it's unique?
Thinking again about the device Vito's people used to detect mind control, and all the rumors about this Mr. Kane—
She was now seventy to eighty percent convinced!
"So, Mr. Kane, you belong to some ancient organization too?" Ophelia probed cautiously.
"Ma'am, I think you've forgotten your situation. Right now, I'm the one asking questions, not you," Josh said with a smile. "Now tell me, what's the purpose of your faction approaching me? I assume you're not just here to speak on Schmidt's behalf?"
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