Hearing Strucker's angry retort, Luca sneered and shook his head.
In reality, Luca didn't want to make an enemy of a Hydra leader for no reason.
Ever since he realized his family might have shady ties to Hydra, Luca's policy had been: Don't provoke them unless necessary.
Sure, in the movies, Hydra seemed like a joke that Captain America dismantled in a weekend.
But in this timeline, right now? Hydra was a massive, global organization. They infiltrated governments, corporations, intelligence agencies, and military units everywhere.
Their only weakness was internal division. If they had a unified leader, they could have conquered the world already.
So, Luca preferred to stay neutral.
But Strucker had just brought an armed hit squad into his living room. Luca had killed seven or eight of them.
If he didn't act tough now, Strucker would see him as weak and steamroll him later.
Should I just kill him here?
Luca's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flickering in them.
But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the white glow emanating from Heinrich's left eye.
Luca changed his mind.
"It's not about what I want. It's about what you intend to do. I still don't even know who you really represent."
Seeing Luca willing to talk, Baron Strucker relaxed slightly. He straightened his coat, trying to regain some dignity.
"Wolfgang von Strucker. That is my name. You may address me as Baron Strucker."
"Baron?" Luca raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. A Baron of Sokovia! Historically, my family and the Aurantius family have been close partners."
"Furthermore, Rebirth Capital is my asset. When the Aurantius family moved to America, my family provided significant support and funding."
Family?
Luca scoffed internally.
So you're not going to be honest? Or maybe the Aurantius family genuinely didn't know Strucker was Hydra.
"I didn't realize a place like Sokovia could birth a major investment firm like Rebirth Capital, operating across Europe."
"Also... storming my house with a hit squad doesn't seem like standard investment firm behavior."
Luca gestured to the pile of weapons and the bound soldiers.
Strucker composed himself, his tone becoming smoother.
"It's not just Sokovia. The people standing behind me are far more numerous than you can imagine."
"Alright, save the cryptic villain speech. You mentioned cooperation. Get to the point."
Luca interrupted him rudely.
Strucker's expression froze again. He swallowed his anger and began to explain.
According to Strucker, before the Battle of New York, Gina had planned to collaborate with them.
The project was to expand Aurantius Industries' drone production line and introduce drones into the police forces of several small European nations.
The goal: replace human officers with automated drone enforcement.
It was an ambitious plan that required Rebirth Capital's political connections. Gina's coma had put the whole thing on ice.
Now that Aurantius Industries was rising again, Strucker's faction saw an opportunity.
"The forces behind me can help Aurantius Industries push the Arbiter (Dominator) pistol into every police precinct in America. And then, expand into the European market."
"All Aurantius Group needs to do is... add a specific program into the Arbiter's core system."
Luca frowned.
He didn't care about market expansion.
He cared about the "add a specific program" part.
"What program?"
Strucker paused, choosing his words carefully.
"It's simple. Our researchers have developed an intelligent algorithm capable of identifying a 'Criminal Coefficient.' By analyzing personal data and behavioral patterns, this system can identify and neutralize criminal intent before a crime is committed."
"Initially, we will only install the program in the system, dormant."
"We will run a pilot test in Sokovia using drones. Once the system's efficacy is proven, we will expand it to other cities."
"This won't affect the sales of the Arbiter. Regardless of the pilot's success, Aurantius Industries will become the world's top arms manufacturer."
Is he serious with this pitch?
Luca's mouth twitched.
Criminal Coefficient? Are you trying to build the Sybil System from Psycho-Pass?
But Luca knew better. Hydra wasn't trying to build a utopian "City of Order."
Bullshit Sybil System! This is Project Insight!
Luca realized instantly what Hydra was planning.
Project Insight. The evil plan from Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
On the surface, it was a predictive algorithm to stop terrorists before they struck.
In reality, it was Arnim Zola's algorithm, designed to identify anyone who might oppose Hydra in the future—heroes, leaders, potential threats—and wipe them out using Helicarriers (or in this case, drones and smart guns).
What Strucker was proposing was exactly the pitch Hydra used to fool SHIELD.
The result was obvious.
These bastards want to use my smart drones and guns to test Zola's algorithm in Sokovia on a small scale.
If I agree to this, and the Avengers find out I helped Hydra build a mass-murder machine... I'm going to prison forever. Or getting smashed by the Hulk.
Summary of Protagonist's Current Items
(If there are any errors or missing items, please remind me and I'll fix them)
[Pencil Missiles]
[Power-Enhancing Shoes] (Detective Conan)
[Dominator Pistol] (Psycho-Pass)
[Monkey Bomb] (Missing one Hextech Crystal)
[Hextech Core] (Consumed)
[Mero Mero Mellow / Sweet Captive] (One Piece)
[Baymax] (Big Hero 6)
[Tracking Glasses] (Detective Conan)
[The Tuxedo] (Jackie Chan Movie)
[Apex Turret] (League of Legends)
[Haro] (Gundam)
[Transformation Watch] (Spy Kids/Ben 10 styling)
[Stun-Gun Watch] (Detective Conan)
[Voice-Changing Bowtie] (Detective Conan)
[Solar Skateboard] (Detective Conan)
[Atom/Boxer Mech] (Real Steel)
[Dehydration Gun] (Megamind)
[Wyvern Drone] (Cyberpunk 2077)
[Kiroshi Optics "Oracle"] (Cyberpunk 2077)
Self-made [Haro Mech]
[Haro] (Multiple units)
[Support Mechs]
[Muscle Enhancement Armor]
[All Detective Conan Gadgets]
[Hakimi] (The AI System)
Not yet obtained/In hand but not synthesized:
[Big Light / Magnifying Light Hammer] (Doraemon style)
[Transforming Spaceship]
[The Omnitrix] (Ben 10)
[Mind Stone, Scepter]
[Pal Sphere] (Palworld)