Chapter 138: The Hydra

Michael was escorted into the ship's cabin, where he finally came face to face with Loxias.

Contrary to his expectations, Loxias appeared to be in his thirties, with black hair and light stubble on his chin, projecting a somber and serious demeanor. According to Count Dracula's testimony, this man was a hybrid—the offspring of a vampire and a human. He had inherited some vampiric abilities, though he lacked the gift of immortality. His capabilities sat somewhere between those of an ordinary human and a vampire; he possessed a portion of a vampire's strength and was immune to the blood-borne virus, yet he was also unable to perform the "Embrace" to turn others. He did, however, possess certain advantages: he was unfazed by silver, unharmed by crucifixes, capable of eating garlic, and perfectly comfortable in sunlight.

Yet, this half-breed suffered from a critical congenital blood disorder, which left his constitution frail. Among vampires, he was pathetically weak. Michael listened to Loxias's heartbeat, but it sounded perfectly normal—the steady, rhythmic beat of a healthy person. Still, Michael could not be certain of his true nature; after all, he was a hybrid.

"I have the serum. Where are they?"

Loxias opened a tablet and initiated a video call, revealing the hostages to Michael. A man in a suit, seeing the connection established, immediately hauled Jack's heavy frame into the frame of the camera.

"Michael, please, you have to save us!"

Michael nodded, looking at Jack. "Don't worry, Jack. I will get you all out of there."

On the other side, the Red Queen observed the three bound figures. Their build and clothing matched those in the video, but they were hooded. However, as Jack was currently on the line with Michael, and these three were still bound and hooded on the floor, it was clear that this was a trap. Unless reality itself had fractured, they could not be the same people.

The Red Queen immediately signaled Gwen: "Gwen, it's a trap. Get out of there immediately."

Gwen hesitated, confused, but followed the Red Queen's instructions. Suddenly, the entire cargo hold shuddered. A section of the hull at the rear of the ship opened, and a container was dropped into the depths.

"Damn it, this isn't a cargo hold—it's a trap."

They had disguised a shipping container to look like a hold to lure them in. As the container was crushed by the deep-sea pressure, it began to deform. Gwen immediately transformed, donning the Dawn Bringer armor. Shattering a wall, the nano-cape behind her morphed into a scorpion-like tail, snagging the three bound hostages to carry them to safety. Gwen felt that these hostages were likely innocent bystanders who had been caught in the crossfire and did not deserve to die. She activated her thrusters, dragging them toward the surface, but she had overlooked one thing: the surrounding waters were teeming with sharks, and they were already closing in.

Humans weren't a shark's preferred meal, but in the wild, they wouldn't turn down an easy snack. Gwen used her Spider-Sense to dodge, then extended two spears from her back-mounted nanites, wounding one of the sharks. The scent of blood sent the pack into a frenzy; they thrashed their tails, charging at Gwen like torpedoes. Gwen dodged and countered underwater, but the family was not so fortunate. In the end, she could not save them.

Gwen broke the surface and landed on the deck of the research vessel. The Avengers had already arrived, but they dared not act rashly, instead landing their jet on the ship to coordinate with Gwen. Michael learned of the situation through his earpiece and frowned. Loxias smiled triumphantly at Michael; as expected, Michael had tried to pull a fast one, but Loxias had been prepared.

"I've been planning this for a long time," Loxias said. "Did you really think I'd be foolish enough to put all my eggs in one basket?"

"Bastard." Michael wanted nothing more than to tear him apart, but he forced himself to endure it. Gritting his teeth, he asked, "Where did you hide them?"

"You keep me safe, and they stay safe." Loxias gave a contemptuous laugh. Michael clenched his fists, struggling to restrain his urge to crush the man, but he knew he couldn't act yet.

"So, what do you want?"

"Hand over the serum and let me go. In half an hour, you'll get their location."

Michael glanced at Loxias's subordinates and smiled. "Do you think I trust you?"

"You have no choice. You have to trust me, or you know the consequences." Loxias handed a remote control to Michael. "Here is the detonator. You can take it."

Michael held the remote, but he didn't feel secure. Who knew what contingencies Loxias had in place? Everyone knew a remote was just a signal matcher—even a cell phone could be rigged to act as one.

"Fine, you can go. But if I don't have their location in half an hour, I will hunt you down at any cost."

They were in international waters; in half an hour, Loxias couldn't get far—at most, he would reach New York. Loxias chuckled. "Don't let them chase me; I'll be shy."

Michael tightened his grip and ordered the Red Queen to signal the others to stand down. Once the serum was handed over, Loxias boarded a helicopter and took off.

Tony watched the helicopter depart and remarked, "I really want to blow that thing out of the sky."

Steve placed a hand on Tony's arm. "Don't be impulsive."

"What do we do? Just watch him fly away?"

"Wait for now." Steve sighed, trusting that Michael and Nick Fury had a plan.

Once Loxias was confirmed to be clear, Michael ordered the Red Queen to use the mechanical scorpions to seize control of all ship systems. "Sir, I have breached the cargo ship's mainframe. All systems, including security cameras, are now under our control."

With that confirmed, Michael drew the Scepter. The men on board realized something was wrong and opened fire, but some attempted to call Loxias. The calls wouldn't go through. Michael smiled. "Don't bother. I've intercepted all communications."

Walking through the hail of gunfire, Michael kicked one of the suited men to the ground and tapped him with the Scepter, instantly bringing him under his control. He then manifested numerous clones to suppress everyone on the ship.

"Where is Jack's family?" Michael demanded of the lead operative.

"At the docks, inside a red container."

"What organization do you belong to?"

"We are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and elite soldiers of Hydra."

Michael smiled and nodded, forwarding the video evidence to Nick Fury’s private channel.