Chapter 360 - 357 Mausoleum, The National Anthem.
On the west side of Red Square, in front of the magnificent mausoleum built with red granite and black feldspar, Baron Strucker and his confidant, Zemo, arrived early.
They stood under the solid pedestal and looked up at this solemn and simple building.
The body of the man, who was praised as a 'mentor' by people, was placed in a glass coffin inside the mausoleum, and his body was covered with the Soviet flag.
There were a lot of people there, and every Soviet who passed through Red Square, or famous tourists, would come to pay tribute.
"You also came?"
A Volga car stopped, and Baron Strucker saw Taras, the master spy, come out.
As a former member of the KGB and a senior member of Leviathan, his appearance was much more high-profile.
After giving a few orders, several groups of guards rushed to the Red Square and set up a perimeter around the mausoleum to prevent pedestrians from approaching.
"Hydra can't defy Superman's will, can Leviathan?"
Taras said so.
Baron Strucker silently thought:
'When did villains become so humble, having no dignity at all?'
"I heard that your trump card, the Winter Soldier, was taken away by Superman?"
The sympathy from the bald Baron didn't last long, and Taras awkwardly made small talk.
"Barnes was Superman's former comrade-in-arms, and it's normal for Hydra to return the person."
Strucker coughed twice and corrected himself, "Please don't describe Superman as a thief. We did it voluntarily."
Taras despised it. 'Was this how they boot-licked?'
'As the leader of the Hydra, not even the least bit of pride, really…'
Da da da!
At the sound of footsteps behind him, Taras's cold expression changed, and he put on a smile, "General, seeing you again is a blessing for me."
'Tsk!'
'Bootlicking little runt!'
Baron Strucker secretly sneered. Not to be outdone, he greeted him with a smile.
"General, I had the honor of seeing you defeat the Aryan demons in Paris! Red Skull and the Axis Powers, General Sankt of Berlin. They were simply asking for death!"
The bald man kissed ass, and it was quite uncouth.
"I had repeatedly advised them that it was very unwise to make an enemy of Superman and suggested surrendering, but they did not listen and were stubborn."
Taras was stunned. This guy could kiss ass more than himself.
'No way!'
'I can't lose!'
As a former KGB executive and spy leader of the Red Room, Taras also had his pride.
"General Sir, in fact, I admire you …"
"All right, all right. Let's get down to business."
Luke waved his hand and interrupted the bootlicking contest between the two.
He wasn't interested in flattery. Although it sounded really good, it was still far from White Queen's flexible tongue, which could tie cherry stalks.
"The reason I wanted to meet with you was that I didn't want to convey our opinions through a middleman, which would make us all seem less than sincere."
Luke stood in front of the mausoleum in a trench coat.
From a distance, the song of the Red Empire, [Unbreakable Union], was faintly heard.
Taras laughed awkwardly and confessed, "General, Leviathan has great respect for you."
"We are just parts attached to this country, and when the machine runs, the parts can't influence its direction."
"General, no matter which camp you stand in, Leviathan has no intention of being an enemy."
The master spy was smart enough to extract himself first.
The walls of the two polarities were increasingly rigid, and who knew which faction Superman was supporting.
In any case, Leviathan relied on the Soviet Union to develop.
The fall of the red bear wouldn't do them any good.
"Don't get me wrong. I am known to be a pacifist and a staunch supporter of the unity of mankind."
Luke smiled and explained his position.
"It's not my business which side Leviathan is on. It's just that S.H.I.E.L.D. has a shortage of intelligence professionals, and I was wondering if you had any ideas about moving to another job."
Taras froze for a moment, not responding.
'Is this poaching?'
'In front of Hydra?'
"Getting appreciation from you is an enviable thing, General."
Baron Strucker seized the opportunity and began to gloat.
"If it were me, I would have agreed to it immediately."
Taras was in a dilemma, and the bald guy next to him was bound to release the news.
When the time came, the organization would think that he had defected and wasn't loyal enough. What should he do?
When working in Leviathan, if loyalty wasn't absolute, it was being disloyal!
Taras was already panicking, subconsciously looking at Superman, who was smiling at the corners of his lips, and his heart 'thumped'.
As the master spy who presided over the purges, he was well aware that when dealing with traitors and unstable elements, the organization would always deal with them in a very brutal way.
"You don't have to answer in a rush, Taras. You can go back and think about it."
Luke gestured to the other side to leave. Leviathan was not part of the quest, so naturally, he had no additional interest.
At most, he would take away the young version of Natasha and train her well. She would be a good … secretary.
Now, his driver was Nick Fury, and the Black Widow would be his.
Then deal with Thor, and the achievement of gathering the Avengers' senior members would be half complete.
"Strucker, do you have anything to say?"
Luke looked at the leader of one of Hydra's factions with a kind smile.
Watching Taras's lonely back, the bald headed Baron was shocked.
He didn't want to be manipulated and poached by Superman, so he simply took the initiative to confess, "James Buchanan Barnes was the original 'material' for Red Skull's human experiment, but General Sankt chose him as a candidate for an Aryan demon. It really has nothing to do with me."
"I wanted to return him to you as soon as you arrived in Moscow, but …"
Baron Strucker spoke quickly and urgently; his mouth was like a machine gun.
The Winter Soldier had a deep friendship with Captain America and was even a friend of Superman.
Although Hydra knew about this, who could be willing to give away a 'battleship-class' soldier?
Besides, without the Winter Soldier, Baron Strucker would never have reached a cooperation with Leviathan.
This was an important high-end combat force!
"That's a thing of the past. You don't have to mention it."
Luke was very generous, which relieved Baron Strucker, whose forehead was covered in sweat.
However, this ease didn't last long.
"But, Strucker, your actions have caused extremely serious psychological and physical harm to Bucky."
Luke's tone turned serious and solemn as he said, "I hope you can make up for it."
"I should! I really should! Of course!"
The bald Baron smiled bitterly while nodding his head in response.
He was tempted to ask Superman to finish the conversation in one go.
Otherwise, his heart felt like it was riding a roller coaster, with ups and downs, and he could easily get sick.
"For specific compensation, talk to Captain America yourself. He is Bucky's representative."
Luke finally got down to business and whispered, "I'm not Hydra's enemy, and I'm not interested in completely destroying you."
"I said these words to Dr. Zola, and I will tell you now. I hope you can feel my sincerity."
Not waiting for Superman to launch his speech, convincing Hydra and convincing Baron Strucker; Zemo as a minor side character, looked up and said, "Just as you, General, are a pacifist and a staunch supporter of the unity of mankind, Hydra actually has similar ideas."
"The agenda we share is also the elimination of war and the creation of a better and brighter world in the future."
"Only to be used as a tool by the evil Axis Powers and as a weapon for the ambitious Red Skull's personal desires!"
Red Skull was truly the almighty bearer of blame.
Hearing this, Luke couldn't help but sigh.
"Therefore, Hydra was accused of dirty things and became an object of scorn."
Zemo completely ignored Baron Strucker's meaningful stare and spoke with increasing vigor.
"I hope that you, General, would give Hydra a chance to turn over a new leaf. Let us join your team, feel the light of justice, and experience the spirit of freedom and peace."
'This is a talent!'
Luke's eyes twinkled.
It was obvious that Zemo could see the situation even more clearly than Baron Strucker. He could even say such brazen words without even blinking.
"Strucker, what do you think?"
He didn't answer but looked at the complicated expression on the bald Baron.
Who else could he look at?
Baron Strucker squeezed out a small smile and agreed, "What Zemo said is exactly what I was thinking."
"Very well, I am willing to give you an opportunity to start over."
Luke smiled contentedly. Talking to people who understood where the wind was blowing was always a pleasant thing.
"Strucker, Zemo, let's say the words together---"
Under the mausoleum, the three stood.
The anthem, [Unbreakable Union], was sung repeatedly at the west side of the Red Square, nearing its end.
"Hail Hydra!"
The proclamation was drowned out by the loud, rousing, passionate tune.
…
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