I'm working on Marvel's Spider-Man in American comics.

Chapter 400 Anim Zola

In the relatively small western Mediterranean Sea, between Spain and Sardinia, Italy, a cruise ship belonging to S.H.I.E.L.D. is sailing. Because it's a special ship belonging to S.H.I.E.L.D., no matter where you search for information about it, it won't appear.

Even within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hierarchy, all other intelligence, aside from its "existence," indicates that it does not exist.

Whirlwind rushed into the cruise ship at top speed, carrying the spirits of her two companions. Then, the substances in the three containers reacted, and the three people walked out of the opened containers.

"Welcome, everyone."

Approaching the three Elementals was a colossal device—a massive mainframe standing 1.2 meters tall. Facing them was a huge screen displaying a 3D-modeled human face. This mainframe had mechanical limbs, but no head; its head was replaced by a gigantic camera.

"Ah, welcome everyone. It seems the results this time weren't very good either."

The computer smiled and looked at the last container: "Just like the satellite showed, Molten Man has been captured by Spider-Man. That's quite unexpected."

"Your information is seriously flawed, Zola. You never told me that Spider-Man can use magic!"

As the leader of the Elementals, Morphling bluntly questioned the mainframe before him. Inside this mainframe was Arnim Zola, the chief scientist of Hydra during World War II. He was supposed to have died seventy years ago, but Hydra, which was infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D., uploaded his brain data to the massive mechanical mainframe, and he has lived on as a digital life ever since.

"Spider-Man can also use magic, that's definitely new data. It seems that Project Seven, which Dr. Andrea Jensen and his student Morbius were working on, has also been ruled out. That's amazing, I mean, a shame."

As Arnim Zola spoke, he marveled at Spider-Man's power. Spider-Man had become the most powerful being in the weapons expansion program; Projects Six and Seven, both related to magic, were ineffective against him. He was also a direct result of Projects Two and Five.

Could we use other projects on him as well? It seems like that's a possibility...

Lost in thought, Arnim Zola didn't forget the other three. Now a data being, he could think and calculate in multiple threads. As he thought, he reassured the other three members of the Elementals: "Don't worry, Spider-Man only knows how to deal with you now. But if it really comes down to a fight, he might not be your match. And I've even found you a helper who can fill the gaps for you."

helper?

The group looked to one side, puzzled, and saw a man walking out. He looked dazed and confused. But with Zola snapping his fingers, the man quickly turned into a burning figure.

The water elemental's expression immediately turned serious: "You plan to replace the molten man with him?"

"No, no, no, it's just to fill the vacancy temporarily and help you eliminate Spider-Man."

“I know him.” Sandman looked surprised. “That’s Jim Hammond, the first Human Torch. Hydra can control his past adversaries?”

Yes, the Elementals are different from other enemies. They know of Hydra's existence and serve them. The Waterfowl and Whirlwind are criminals and relatively easy to recruit. The Sandfowl are mercenaries who would undergo modification for money, and the Molten Man is a scientist who almost burned himself to death for money. This group generally has low moral standards, and after interacting with them, they found that Hydra doesn't seem to be spreading any extremist ideologies. On the contrary, they are quite American, so they don't have much resistance.

But when they discovered that a World War II hero had been transformed into one of Hydra's henchmen, they seemed to sense something... different.

Did we get on the wrong ship?
"Jim Hammond was originally an artificial human, a cyborg, not a human being, just a Frankenstein."

Zola seemed quite dismissive of this, not thinking there was anything wrong with what he did: "He's different from you guys. He can't be completely transformed into an element, but that actually brings advantages. First, he doesn't have a soul, so naturally he won't be attacked by Spider-Man using soul techniques. Second, he can fill the void left by the Molten Man and fight the Symbiote. Third, he's very obedient and won't get carried away and challenge someone to a one-on-one fight."

After exchanging glances, the group had no choice but to nod obediently.

Anim Zola watched them leave with satisfaction. After working in the lab for a while longer, he received a report from his informant that the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were indeed still alive, seemingly seriously injured, and slowly left the catacombs.

He's a real pain, but it has to be said that Nick Fury is an extremely capable and troublesome individual. In the past year, his investigative and purge efforts within S.H.I.E.L.D. have been frighteningly intense, forcing Hydra to consolidate many of its tentacles to maintain secrecy. Even organizations like the Viper Gang, which haven't officially been exposed, have fallen silent.

“Send out the Winter Soldier to take out these two... Just in case, have Taskmaster join in.”

Having given the order, Zola activated the Zola Algorithm. Finding the success rate to be only 70%, he added a safety net and felt reassured. However, before he could work for long, a door behind him opened.

A man wearing a purple mask emerged; the mask seemed to be mounted on his face, rising and falling with his breathing.

Baron Zemo.

Zola bowed very respectfully, looking quite comical, while Zemo straightened his clothes: "Looks like your little toys aren't very effective, Zola."

"Actually, they are not my toys. I am just overseeing the weapons expansion program—which is only a very small part of Hydra's grand blueprint, the super soldier part."

Zola's large screen displayed a face with a fawning smile. He rubbed his hands together and asked curiously, "How are you feeling, Your Excellency?"

"When I lost my face, it felt very strange; it seemed like I could become anyone."

Zemo stroked his mask, and in an instant, he transformed into someone Zola knew very well—Red Skull. A moment later, he became Captain America.

“Perfect, Arnim. Now I’ve found a way, and the Avengers won’t know I’m their friend. And Captain will pay for splashing the X-virus on my face and killing my father.”

(End of this chapter)