Marvel's Venom, starting with a Hydra undercover agent.

Hearing Holm's words, Gwen seemed to recall something. She first sighed, then nodded slightly wearily and said, "It's because of this guy. To be honest, I don't even know what she's trying to do."

"If you say she committed a crime, then all the jewelry she took was returned without exception. But if you say she didn't commit a crime, then she did cause a lot of trouble for those jewelry stores."

"And this guy always seems really happy when he sees me, but I don't know what he's so happy about."

"She really is like a cat, agile and unpredictable. Every time I almost catch her, she finds a chance to run away."

Chapter 154, Pierce's Lunch

Gwen recounted her encounter with the black cat to Holm, a series of experiences that left Holm somewhat puzzled.

To call her a vicious criminal wouldn't be accurate, since she hadn't committed robbery or anything like that, and she always returned the stolen jewelry.

Therefore, all things considered, she can hardly be considered a criminal; it seems more like she acted on a whim, because of her own interest.

"Has the person spying on you made any moves lately?" Holm asked again, bringing up the question they had discussed a few days ago.

Gwen shook her head and said, "No, I haven't felt that way in the past few days."

Hearing Gwen's words, Holm was also a little confused. What was wrong with this guy? He had just figured out how to deal with him and then he suddenly disappeared. Was his reaction that fast? But they hadn't even done anything yet.

After thinking for a moment, Holm continued, "Then let's stick to what we originally agreed on and wait and see."

“Yes, I’ll keep an eye on it.” Gwen nodded.

They chatted for a few more minutes when Holm's phone suddenly rang.

Holm glanced at the text message, then looked up, said something to Gwen, and left the coffee shop.

Despite seeing the garbled text message, he managed to decipher the information it contained in his mind.

The text message was from Garrett. It first told him that his meeting time with Pierce had been moved up, and then sent him an address, telling him to arrive at that address in an hour.

After reading the message, Holm deleted it immediately and then drove towards the points marked on the map.

He was about to meet the head of Hydra, but he wasn't nervous at all; instead, he was a little curious.

He also had some impression of the so-called Pierce. In his memory, he was the villain in Captain America 2. Although he was not a confirmed leader, he was a big figure in Hydra.

Unexpectedly, Pierce is indeed the supreme leader of Hydra in this world, and it's unclear how he differs from the image in his memory.

......

Holm parked the car steadily on the side of the road. Not far from him was the address Garrett had just sent him: an extremely luxurious villa with very unique decorations.

"Wow, they're so rich! I want to get myself one someday." Holm thought to himself as he looked at the mansion in front of him.

As he stood at the door, a stern-faced butler in black stepped forward to open the door for him and led him there.

After crossing a large lawn and an outdoor swimming pool, Holm arrived at the villa entrance.

The villas in Xiamen may look ordinary and nothing special, but they have several strict and confidential certification processes.

After the butler in black completed the verification, he opened the door and led Holm further inside.

Instead of leading Holm to the living room or study, he took him to the open kitchen that connected to the first-floor garden.

At that moment, a middle-aged man stood with his back to them in front of the kitchen stove. As Slasra's voice rang out, flames began to rise from the thick-bottomed pot in his hands.

"Mr. Pierce, your guest has arrived," the butler in black said, bowing to the middle-aged man inside.

Hearing the butler's words, Pierce didn't turn around, but continued to work at the stove, while calling out to them, "I understand, you can go now."

"Mr. Clint, could you get me a plate? The steak is almost done."

Upon hearing Pierce's words, the butler bowed again and left. Holm looked at the two large white plates on the table, picked them up, and walked over to Pierce.

“You’re lucky, the steak is cooked just right today. Yesterday I got a phone call and forgot to watch the fire, and I ended up with a burnt piece, hahaha.” Pierce laughed as he took the steak out of the pan and put one on a plate.

After placing the steak on the stove, he stirred the small pot on the side of the stove while continuing, "Today's sauce uses fresh white onions and my treasured red wine. Can you smell the aroma?"

"Yes, the aroma is indeed very rich." Holm nodded in response.

However, unlike Pierce's relaxed and carefree manner, Holm's voice still carried a hint of tension and restraint.

So after hearing Holm's standard answer, Pierce turned to look at him and smiled kindly, "Haha, don't be so nervous. We're at home, so relax."

"Yes." Holm nodded, but he didn't relax.

Pierce didn't say anything when he saw this, but just continued to pour the sauce he had made onto the steak and the side dishes with a smile.

"Alright, today's lunch is perfect, we can eat now." Pierce nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the two steaks Holm was holding.

Upon hearing this, Holm placed the steak on the table and then pulled out a chair for Pierce.

After Pierce took his seat, he first pointed to the chair next to him, indicating that Holm should also take a seat. Then he picked up the red wine on the table, poured two glasses, and handed one of them to Holm.

"Drink more, we can't waste the rest of the wine," Pierce said with a smile.

Holm quickly took the glass of wine, then tilted his head back and drank the dark red liquid in one gulp.

Seeing Holm's actions, Pierce smiled and shook his head, seemingly regretting that Holm hadn't savored the wine, but also pleased by Holm's straightforwardness and obedience.

“Eat up, try my cooking,” Pierce said to Holm as he cut the meat on his plate.

Holm nodded in agreement, then lowered his head and began cutting the steak.

He had a good grasp of the force with which he cut the steak, able to cut it quickly without making too much noise.

Pierce noticed his little trick and a hint of appreciation appeared in his eyes.

They ate their steaks in silence. After a few bites, Pierce looked up at Holm, who was somewhat relaxed but still a little nervous, and said, "The situation in Sokvia has been very chaotic these past two days. Not only are there internal conflicts within our branch, but their country is also starting to become turbulent."

"Our people just gave me the latest news from Sokovia: the unrest in the branch has gradually subsided. After these few days of chaos, someone has integrated the Sokovia Hydra's power."

"Are they our people?" Holm asked as Pierce paused.

When asked about this, Pierce simply shook his head and said, "It's not one of ours, it's Baron Strucker."

Chapter 155, Chicken Soup and Flatbread

“Baron Strucker? That’s impossible. I’ve already broken his neck. There’s no way he could come back to life!”

Holm almost thought he was hallucinating. Baron Strucker was clearly dead beyond any doubt, so how could he possibly be back?

However, seeing that Pierce still looked normal, he immediately realized that there must be something going on.

Sure enough, seeing Holm's somewhat flustered state, Pierce chuckled and wiped his mouth, saying, "Don't be so nervous. You did a great job. This Baron Strax isn't the one you took care of."

"The title of Baron Strucker is hereditary, and it is currently inherited by Wolfgang's son, Werner Strucker."

"This child has never had a good relationship with his father since he was a child, and he has never known anything about Hydra or his father."

"Originally, I planned to promote one of our own people after getting rid of Wolfgang, but I didn't expect those people to use such a trick."

"But it doesn't matter. The Sokvia branch has been passed down for many years and has been controlled by Baron Strucker for generations, so their power is deeply rooted. Even if our people forcibly take control of the situation, it won't have much effect."

"It's good this way. Werner has never been exposed to these things before, so he can be a good mascot. Our people will give him the appropriate respect, but we will also sideline him. In this way, the Sokvia branch is still in our hands."

Listening to Pierce's explanation, Holm understood the current situation in Sokovia, and then said in a deep voice, "I understand. If the new Baron Strucker is disobedient, I can send him to meet his father."

“I’ve seen your outstanding abilities and loyalty to the organization,” Pierce continued with a smile. “The future belongs to you young people.”

"You've already made quite a name for yourself in S.H.I.E.L.D., and you've done a great job. Infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. is a long-term mission for you. As long as you can continue to stay deep inside the upper echelons, you'll be the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. if anything changes in the future."

"After serving as a bureau chief for a few years, you can enter Congress as a member of parliament. With the help of the organization, your progress will be very rapid."

"You are now the brightest rising star in Hydra. The organization hasn't seen someone like you in a long time, so we will definitely invest heavily in your development."

"As long as you work hard, my present is your future, and your future may even be more dazzling than mine."

“Every Hydra leader builds upon the foundations laid by their predecessors, leading Hydra to a higher level. I look forward to seeing where you will ultimately lead our organization if you become the leader of Hydra.”

With just a few words, Pierce prepared several bowls of chicken soup for Holm, filled with a bright and promising future.

Some of these futures are within reach, while others require effort to envision, but undeniably, they have all been very effective, seemingly having completely bewildered Holm.

"I will definitely continue to work hard, please rest assured, sir!" Holm stood up, unable to hide his excitement, looking at Pierce with eyes full of anticipation and longing for a bright future.

"Haha, I told you not to be so formal, come and sit down." Pierce laughed and waved for him to sit down.

"The future belongs to you young people, so don't be afraid of not having opportunities. As long as your abilities are outstanding enough, you will definitely not be buried."

"As a member of Hydra, what we must do is strive to achieve the goal of controlling the world. One day, the future and the world will be in our hands."

"Yes!" Holm looked at Pierce with both admiration and excitement, seemingly already fired up by his words.

After spouting platitudes and making grand promises, Pierce eased up a bit and continued eating and chatting with Holm. In their occasional conversations, he inadvertently exuded the majesty of a Hydra leader, making his image even more vivid in Holm's mind.

Pierce was pleased with how Holm was behaving; to him, no one was beyond control and manipulation.

A person like Holm, who is capable, resourceful, ambitious, easily satisfied, and most importantly, willing to drink soup, eat bread, and listen to his spiel, is someone he can use for a lifetime.

Judging from Holm's behavior alone, it's hard to imagine that he would have such great strength, possessing the ability to break through the Sokovia branch and assassinate Baron Strucker.

However, it is precisely this contrast and mismatch that allows Hydra to continue using Holm as a weapon with peace of mind. Otherwise, if Holm were even slightly more ruthless or intelligent, they wouldn't dare keep him around for too long.

Happy times always pass too quickly. An hour later, Holm, escorted to the door by the butler in black, bowed respectfully to Pierce in the distance before turning and leaving.

Pierce watched him leave with a smile on his face, and his smile gradually disappeared only after Holm drove out of his sight.

He stared thoughtfully in the direction Holm had left, then beckoned to the butler in black and said, "Has the research institute come up with a plan? I need a powerful weapon that can counter his weaknesses."

Upon hearing Pierce's question, the butler in black immediately replied, "The latest news has just arrived, saying that a plan has been developed. Based on the existing data, it is speculated that once the weapon is manufactured, it will definitely be able to restrain him."

Hearing the black-clad butler's reply, Pierce nodded slightly. After a moment, he continued, "Having weapons alone is not enough. Even the best weapons need excellent warriors to use them."

"After the weapons are manufactured, awaken the Winter Soldier and let him familiarize himself with them. If any unexpected situation arises, he must be deployed immediately."

"Understood." The butler in black nodded.

After a moment of silence, he glanced at Pierce beside him and asked softly, "Was his performance today not good enough, sir?"

Based on his observations today, Holm is definitely a prime example of Hydra brainwashing; he is exactly like Hydra from the inside out, without a single flaw.

Hearing the black-clad butler's question, Pierce quietly looked at the distant clouds and said softly, "He did perform very well, but he also performed too well."

"Although we can't see any problems yet, it's always good to be prepared. Although this sharp blade doesn't seem to hurt our hands now, who knows what will happen in the future?"

"He looks like a good dog, but even a good dog needs to be chained and have a sharp knife ready at all times."

Chapter 156, The Kitten Thief