Meanwhile-
Rumlow was communicating with his team in the control room.
"I'm on the 41st floor, heading toward the southwest stairwell."
As he pushed open the door to the 41st-floor conference room, Sam, hiding behind it, launched a surprise punch, knocking the gun from Rumlow's hand.
Despite landing the first blows with the element of surprise, Sam was quickly overpowered. Rumlow retaliated, sending him flying to the ground with a brutal counterattack.
Looking down at his opponent, Rumlow smirked as he recognized who had ambushed him. Removing his bulletproof vest, he sneered, "A black guy, huh? You're about to have a bad day."
"There are no criminals in Hydra—only order. And only through pain comes order."
With a cruel grin, he added, "Ready for some pain?"
As Rumlow spoke, Sam struggled back to his feet, wiping his mouth.
"Why don't you just shut up?"
But his defiance didn't last long—Rumlow began pummeling him in a one-sided beatdown.
…
Back at the council chamber-
Selene had fully absorbed Alexander Pierce's memories—at the cost of Pierce himself, now a blood-drained corpse on the floor.
The flood of information coursed through her mind, carefully compartmentalized for later study. She also uncovered a disturbing truth: Hydra had forged connections with the Sound Ninja.
The realization that Hydra had infiltrated the ninja world was alarming. The monstrous Hydra, known for its regenerative resilience—cut off one head, and two more grow in its place—was truly a terrifying force.
Selene unceremoniously dropped Pierce's withered body to the floor.
Natasha Romanoff and Nick Fury stared at her with tense, wary expressions. The sight of her feeding had unsettled even the battle-hardened duo.
Selene met their eyes without divulging any details of her findings. These secrets were for Charles Doyle alone.
She remained unaware that every ninja ultimately served Charles, and what she had interpreted as Hydra's ninja operatives was merely the machinations of Kabuto Yakushi and Orochimaru playing a self-orchestrated game.
Fury's eyes narrowed, "You're a vampire?"
Selene nodded, her expression impassive.
Fury's thoughts raced, 'So, it's true. If there are werewolves, there must be vampires. I wonder how many vampires Doyle has under his command.'
"Do you need blood to survive?" he asked.
Anticipating his next question, Selene's voice remained calm, "Don't degrade me with such assumptions. I don't need to drink blood to live. We developed synthetic blood long ago."
Fury nodded, reassured but still calculating.
'Synthetic blood. But what about their rumored abilities? Can they create other vampires, live forever, or transform into bats?'
The fact that Selene and her kin originated from Britain made his blood boil. He clenched his jaw in frustration.
Those British operatives...
In that moment, Fury felt more certain than ever: S.H.I.E.L.D. had to be dismantled. Rebuilding it afterward would be necessary, but things would never be the same again.
…
In the command center of the helicarrier-
With 65 seconds remaining before satellite connection, the surviving captains of carriers B and C sprang into action.
"Recalibrate targeting. Prepare the underbelly weapons."
As the command was executed, the underbelly weapons of the helicarriers activated, revealing their deadly payload.
Hill immediately warned, "Steve, one minute left!"
Steve reached the chip room, where four superhuman agents guarded the control interface. Without hesitation, he called for backup.
"Snake Extinction!"
Charles (a shadow clone) heard Steve's call. The magic concealing his presence dissolved, revealing him floating in mid-air.
Facing the four elite Hydra agents, Charles acted swiftly.
"Wood Style: Tree Bind Eternal Burial!"
His arms transformed into four massive, sharp tree branches that pierced through all four agents simultaneously, killing them instantly.
With the threat neutralized, Charles glanced at the unconscious Bucky below and announced, "The enemies are dealt with. The mission is complete."
As soon as he finished speaking, Charles's body dissolved into a puff of smoke—his shadow clone dispelled.
…
In the helicarrier's command center-
"Satellite system online. Calculations initiated."
"Targeting in progress."
With the Insight system fully operational, the screen flooded with potential targets. The system's algorithms continuously identified enemies of Hydra—from the President to ordinary students. Even individuals like Bruce Banner and Tony Stark were highlighted.
However, no ninjas appeared on the list. Hydra was well aware that conventional missiles, or even nuclear weapons, might fail to kill a Jonin. Nonetheless, members of the Akatsuki active in Africa were marked and tracked.
"Target allocation complete. All positions locked."
Meanwhile, Steve inserted the chip Fury had provided into the control panel.
"Ship C is neutralized."
"Prepare to fire. Three… two… one!"
But at the last second, every target vanished from the screen.
The captain of the helicarrier, confused, asked, "Where are the targets?"
"Where did they go?"
In the comms room, Hill, hearing Steve's report, immediately ordered, "Good work, Captain. Get out of there!"
Hill quickly redirected the targeting system. This time, the new targets were the three helicarriers themselves.
…
On Helicarrier A, Charles Doyle, having received the memories from his shadow clone, knew the chip on Helicarrier C had been successfully replaced. His chakra now fully enveloped Helicarrier A. With a mere thought, the entire ship disappeared into thin air.
In the command center, Hill watched in shock as Helicarrier A vanished from the screen.
"Where's Helicarrier A?"
"What happened to it?"
Staring at the blank screen, Hill assumed the enemy had engaged a cloaking mechanism or sabotaged their plans. She immediately called out, "Captain, Helicarrier A is gone. I'm firing now!"