Chapter 72

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Liu Rui'an was not at all worried that Dr. Arnim Zola would refuse his "kindness."

If the other party were just a simple artificial intelligence, he wouldn't have tried to communicate with it in the first place.

However, Dr. Arnim Zola, to some extent, had digitized himself, which meant that with some human traits, he had weaknesses that could be exploited.

Don't be fooled by the fact that in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," Zola was willing to sacrifice himself along with Captain America Steve Rogers and Black Widow Natasha Romanoff.

But in Liu Rui'an's view, such decisiveness was definitely not due to obedience or fearlessness; it must be because he had already left himself a way out.

Upon closer reflection, it's not surprising. After all, Hydra's near-destruction was largely due to Dr. Arnim Zola's betrayal.

If Zola hadn't feared for his life and revealed everything about Hydra and the Red Skull, even with Captain America, it would have been extremely difficult to defeat Hydra.

Moreover, after discovering he had a terminal illness, Dr. Arnim Zola digitized himself, which clearly showed his fear of death.

In such a situation, if Zola had committed suicide for the mission without leaving himself a way out, Liu Rui'an would have found that hard to believe.

And the development of events did not disappoint Liu Rui'an's expectations.

After attempting to log into the virtual reality game "Star Lost" through the quantum network terminal, Dr. Arnim Zola quickly made a decision.

In exchange for agreeing to enter the quantum network and work for Liu Rui'an, Dr. Arnim Zola demanded to leave a backup of himself in the current data center.

At the same time, Liu Rui'an was not allowed to take action against Hydra, of course, unless Hydra acted against him first, in which case this condition would be invalid.

Finally, as a condition of working, after completing the assigned tasks, Liu Rui'an had to provide a living body and set him free.

Liu Rui'an was neither surprised nor refused these three conditions.

He wasn't surprised because he understood what Dr. Arnim Zola was calculating, and he didn't refuse because he had no intention of giving the other party a chance to cause trouble behind the scenes.

As for this data center filled with "historical atmosphere," Liu Rui'an had no plans to destroy it.

Since he had already decided to prepare several enemies for S.H.I.E.L.D. to counterbalance, it made no sense to forget about Hydra.

Hydra might not be a good organization, but so what?

For Liu Rui'an, an outsider in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who had no intention of being a savior, what Hydra did was none of his business.

Without spending too much time, a copy of Arnim Zola was made and sent into the "Star Lost" virtual world through the quantum network terminal.

At the same time, the data in the data center was also copied, and then he casually disappeared from the hall with his subordinates.

The data center, which had just regained its silence, was soon enveloped in darkness again.

If it weren't for the traces left on the ground and the encrypted communication received by Alexander Pierce, the World Security Council Minister at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, it would seem as if nothing had happened.

About ten minutes later, back at the Umbrella Technology Company base, Liu Rui'an had a set of technical documents about the application of Cosmic Cube energy in front of him.

The reason he spent time obtaining all of Dr. Arnim Zola's memory data was not only because of Zola's genius but mainly for this set of documents.

The Cosmic Cube had been on Liu Rui'an's list of things to plunder since he first arrived in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Unfortunately, although it was an excellent thing, the trouble it brought was significant enough to cause headaches.

That's why, although Liu Rui'an had always monitored people related to the Cosmic Cube, he had never taken action, even after obtaining Kryptonian genes.

But the situation was different now. Since he had decided to move his main base to Mercury and leave only unimportant parts on Earth, and even planned to change his identity and start over, there was no need to be as cautious as before.

Thus, after the Starling confirmed the authenticity of the documents, Liu Rui'an first established a research project on the Cosmic Cube and then sent an encrypted message to Nick Fury.

The next morning, a fleet of black SUVs from S.H.I.E.L.D. stopped in front of the Umbrella Technology Company.

A few minutes later, Nick Fury and Phil Coulson were already sitting in the luxuriously decorated living room.

As for the lower-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, they had no right to enter this place.

"Sorry, Nick, Phil, for keeping you waiting."

Liu Rui'an, dressed in expensive pajamas, appeared almost half an hour later.

After coming down from the bedroom upstairs, he went straight to the bar in the living room and took out a bottle of premium red wine and three glasses.

"Liu, don't waste everyone's time," Nick Fury, with his poker face, said as he looked at the glass of wine in front of him.

"OK, let's get to the point then," Liu Rui'an shrugged, not minding the S.H.I.E.L.D. director's attitude, and then said, "Starling, open the power armor project."

"Yes, Master."

As Starling's sweet, young voice sounded, design diagrams, detailed explanations, and even experimental video files soon appeared before the three of them.

Although Nick Fury and Phil Coulson were not dedicated researchers, after a brief look at the holographic projections, they were basically convinced that the information presented was genuine.

"I believe S.H.I.E.L.D. has always been interested in Tony's Iron Man suit. My Thor's Hammer power armor, though not as powerful as the Iron Man suit, has the advantage of being much cheaper."

"Of course, the modular components and diverse external modules can be customized according to the needs of the battlefield."

As Liu Rui'an began his introduction, the corresponding images and videos were projected by Starling in front of the three of them.

From the close-fitting protective suit to the middle layer of internal armor, and then to the modular external armor.

In addition, the functions and usage effects of various models designed to meet different mission environments were displayed in great detail.

Even Nick Fury, known for his calmness, couldn't help but show a look of surprise in his single eye as he looked at the demonstrations and related data.

It's not surprising. Although Tony Stark's Iron Man suit had been cracked by Ivan Vanko, neither the intelligent combat robots nor the Iron Man suit used by Ivan Vanko could compare to the new models designed by the genius Tony Stark.

Moreover, the cost of the Iron Man suit was terrifyingly high, with just the modifications made by Ivan Vanko costing hundreds of millions.

Furthermore, while the Thor's Hammer power armor might not be as advanced as the one in the hands of a certain playboy, it was quite practical.

As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury couldn't fail to see the value of such a power armor.

"Liu, do you mean to trade this technology to S.H.I.E.L.D. for free?" Nick Fury, who quickly composed himself, asked.

"Indeed, it's free, but not without conditions," Liu Rui'an said, gently swirling his wine glass with a smile.

"What conditions?" Nick Fury asked straightforwardly.

"The Cosmic Cube," Liu Rui'an replied just as straightforwardly.

"That's impossible!!" Even the calm Nick Fury couldn't help but change his expression.

"No, no, Nick, you misunderstood. I'm not asking you to trade the Cosmic Cube, I just want to borrow it for research," Liu Rui'an explained, wagging his right index finger.

Nick Fury, who realized that Liu Rui'an wasn't joking, wanted to refuse but couldn't bring himself to say anything as he looked at the Thor's Hammer still floating in front of them.

"Another point, Nick," Liu Rui'an, sensing the other party's emotional fluctuations, continued, raising his middle finger to form a "2" gesture, "I'm trading the Thor's Hammer to you, not to S.H.I.E.L.D. You should understand the difference."

Nick Fury, of course, understood the difference and also heard the implied meaning in the words, so he asked, "Are you saying S.H.I.E.L.D. is no longer trustworthy?"

"Isn't it?" Liu Rui'an shrugged, countering.

"Because of Hydra?" Nick Fury, knowing the gravity of the matter, continued.

"Of course, at least for now," Liu Rui'an said, sipping a mouthful of premium red wine, with a very calm demeanor.

Nick Fury, who wanted to ask if S.H.I.E.L.D. would have other enemies, saw the mocking look in the other's eyes and knew he wouldn't get an answer.

After a moment of silence, he said solemnly, "The Cosmic Cube can be lent to you for research, but one of my people must be present."

"Also, the results of the research must be copied for me, and you only have one month, Seer."

"Deal!" Liu Rui'an, who had no intention of forcibly taking the Cosmic Cube, at least not now, said straightforwardly.

"Don't be so hasty, Seer. The premise of this deal is that I must see the value of Thor's Hammer with my own eyes," Nick Fury, annoyed by the other's attitude, reminded him.

"Of course, Nick," Liu Rui'an, who expected this request, said with a smile as he stood up, "Please believe that when I do business with people, sincerity is always the most important part."

"Then, please follow me, gentlemen, a surprise awaits you."

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