Fear is born from the unknown.
Humans fear death, so they place their hopes in religion, believing that when they die, they’ll ascend to Heaven.
But the moment they learned that another world truly existed after death…
Their hearts grew heavy.
The place humans go after death is neither Heaven nor Hell.
It’s a place known as the Soul Society.
There are no gods.
There are no demons.
There are only Soul Reapers.
“Tell me…”
Nick Fury’s already dark expression grew even grimmer as his gaze swept across the room.
“Is what he said true…
or not?”
Inside the soundproof operations room sat some of the world’s leading experts in psychology, criminology, micro-expression analysis, and negotiation.
Their job was simple:
Analyze every word, expression, and action of the mysterious Soul Reaper from every possible angle, then provide Fury and Natasha with the best possible advice.
Yet now…
Every one of them looked as though the color had drained from their faces.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
“Well?”
Fury slammed his hand onto the table.
“What exactly am I paying all of you for?
Say something!”
“Director…”
One of the bolder analysts swallowed nervously before speaking.
“Based on our assessment…
the credibility of everything the Soul Reaper has told us exceeds eighty percent.”
“Eighty percent?”
Fury’s face twitched.
To him, eighty percent was practically the same as one hundred.
Just thinking about the thousand-year-old civilization standing behind that Soul Reaper sent a chill down his spine.
Tap…
Tap…
Tap…
His fingers rhythmically struck the desk.
After a long silence, Fury narrowed his eye.
“Natasha.”
“Continue talking about HYDRA.”
“See if you can persuade him to change his mind.”
HYDRA…
Fury sneered inwardly.
A defeated enemy.
As far as he was concerned, HYDRA had long since been destroyed by S.H.I.E.L.D.
There was no harm in using their name however he pleased.
Since the Soul Reaper kept insisting that he had to obey the Soul Society’s laws…
The solution was simple.
Give him an even greater reason to break those rules.
If Soul Reapers weren’t allowed to make unauthorized contact with humans…
Then what if humans were secretly contacting Hollows instead?
What if an organization was conducting horrific experiments on Hollows, attempting to turn them into biological weapons?
Within only a few seconds, Nick Fury had already devised a plan to manipulate the Soul Reaper into willingly working with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Meanwhile, new information appeared on the display built into Natasha’s contact lenses.
After reading the briefing, she gave an almost imperceptible nod.
“Sir, we’ve discovered the reason Hollows suddenly began appearing in New York.”
“Oh?”
Lorde raised an eyebrow.
“Let’s hear it.”
“It’s connected to HYDRA.”
Natasha’s expression became deadly serious.
“Our investigation indicates that HYDRA not only knows about the Hollows, but has also begun carrying out a secret research project.”
“One of our agents infiltrated HYDRA and sacrificed his life to obtain this intelligence.”
“They’re studying the possibility of transforming humans into Hollows—and Hollows into humans.”
“Their goal is to create an army of Hollows capable of plunging the entire world into war.”
As she spoke, Natasha placed a folder on the table.
Inside were photographs of secret laboratories, research documents concerning Hollow experiments, blueprints for biological weapon modifications, and countless other pieces of evidence.
Impressive…
Very impressive…
If Lorde hadn’t already known the truth, he might have believed every word.
He couldn’t help admiring Nick Fury’s quick thinking.
In only a few minutes, S.H.I.E.L.D.
had fabricated an entire intelligence report.
Congratulations to HYDRA.
They had once again become the perfect scapegoat.
Lorde couldn’t help imagining Alexander Pierce’s reaction if he ever discovered that Fury had pinned all of this on HYDRA.
He’d probably cough up blood from sheer anger.
Natasha continued earnestly,
“As you can see, if we want to protect world peace and humanity’s future, we have no choice but to stop HYDRA.”
“That’s why we sincerely hope you’ll work with us.”
“Together, we can stop HYDRA and destroy their evil plans before it’s too late.”
Every word sounded perfectly reasonable.
Perfectly convincing.
If the timing weren’t so inappropriate…
Lorde might have applauded.
“This…”
He pretended to hesitate.
After a long pause, he clenched his jaw.
“…Very well.”
“For the future of humanity…
and for world peace…”
“I’ll cooperate with you.”
“But on one condition.”
“This partnership must remain absolutely secret.”
“No problem!”
Natasha’s face lit up with excitement.
They had finally succeeded.
After all their effort, they had managed to trick this proud Soul Reaper into cooperating with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Or so they believed.
In reality…
Lorde was even happier than they were.
Not only had he successfully infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., but he’d also stumbled upon an unexpected opportunity.
Thanks to Nick Fury’s little performance, a new idea had formed in his mind.
If he couldn’t openly conduct certain experiments himself…
Someone else could do it for him.
For example… This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
HYDRA.
Human experimentation.
Soul modification.
Artificial Hollow research.
If all of those crimes were blamed on HYDRA, no one would find it suspicious.
After all, during World War II, HYDRA had already committed countless atrocities.
They were infamous enough already.
Surely Director Pierce wouldn’t mind taking the blame for a few more.
With HYDRA drawing everyone’s attention…
Lorde would be free to collect souls from the shadows without interference.
Thank you, Director Pierce, for your generous contribution.
And thank you, Nick Fury, for helping make this plan possible.
“Here’s to a successful partnership.”
Natasha extended her hand with a warm smile.
Lorde shook it firmly.
“Likewise.”
A faint smile crossed his lips.
“Here’s to a successful partnership.”
After their agreement was finalized, Natasha excused herself and left.
Lorde took Nemu shopping.
The two wandered through the mall, buying clothes, snacks, and a few daily necessities.
By the time evening arrived, Nemu had grown tired.
Lorde carried the sleeping girl all the way home.
Queens — Jingling Pavilion
Carefully carrying the sleeping Nemu in his arms, Lorde approached the front door.
Just as he reached for the handle, something caught his eye.
Near a nearby dumpster…
Someone was lying on the ground like a corpse.
“Help…”
The figure weakly lifted his head.
“Help me…”
Lorde recognized the rugged American almost immediately.
“It’s you.”
He wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
“So, Frank…”
“Who did you run into this time?”
“You look like you’ve been beaten half to death.”
The man before him was none other than Frank Castle—
The Punisher.
One of Marvel’s most relentless vigilantes.
In one alternate universe, he had accomplished the unthinkable, slaughtering nearly every superhero and supervillain alike.
It was almost unbelievable to see someone like him reduced to this state.
“It’s…”
Frank struggled to breathe.
“…Bullseye.”
“He suddenly…”
“…became much stronger.”
“Like…”
“A monster…”