The bullets shot out of the gun, speeding toward Leonardo. However, Leonardo's body quickly dropped into a crouch, dodging the bullets. Instead, they hit another thug who had come to sell stolen goods.
"Ah!"
The thug screamed and collapsed.
Roman's eyes widened in shock at Leonardo's quick reflexes. "Bang, bang, bang!"
Roman adjusted his aim and fired again, emptying the magazine until the gun clicked empty.
But once again, Leonardo evaded every shot, advancing until he stood right in front of Roman.
"Shhk!"
The butterfly knife slashed through Roman's throat, ending his life.
The warehouse descended into chaos as the gang members turned on each other, drawing their weapons.
"No, stop!"
"It's not me, it's not me!"
"Bastard, you dare to attack me?"
"My body's not under my control! She's a witch!"
"This woman is a witch—"
"Ah!"
Amid the frenzy, everyone except Leonardo lay dead, victims of their own violence.
Leonardo stared at Chiyo standing at the door with a smile.
"You're a demon, a demon!"
Chiyo walked over to Roman's table, retrieving the LV bag. She looked at Leonardo, "Where are the items that were in the bag?"
Leonardo, his face a mix of disbelief and anger, shouted, "You killed all of us just for this bag?"
Chiyo manipulated Leonardo's right hand, stabbing the butterfly knife into his own leg.
"Ah!"
Leonardo screamed, his anger replaced by sheer terror.
"I'll ask you again, where are the items that were in the bag?"
Leonardo, trembling, replied, "It was just women's makeup. I threw it all away."
Chiyo glanced at him and said calmly, "Then you're of no use."
"No—"
Leonardo pulled the knife from his leg and slashed his own throat.
Watching Leonardo collapse and die, Chiyo turned and left the warehouse, murmuring to herself, "Seems I'll need to find someone tomorrow to return this bag to that little girl Hope."
…
Meanwhile, at a secret HYDRA base-
Alexander Pierce appeared, addressing those present.
"How is the plan to attack Wakanda coming along?"
A HYDRA operative replied, "Leader, as per your orders, we have hired three mercenary groups, amassing over a thousand fighters to attack Wakanda's capital."
"These mercenaries will carry heavy weapons and launch a coordinated attack tomorrow."
"In addition, we are deploying a significant number of our own soldiers to launch an assault at the same time."
Sitwell looked at Pierce and said, "Leader, Wakanda has already surrendered all their Vibranium. Is it worth the cost to attack such a backward third-world country?"
"Is it really worth it?"
Pierce looked at Sitwell and said, "Wakanda definitely holds secrets we don't know about."
"In our last mission, one of our Winter Soldiers was killed. That place is definitely not simple."
Sitwell remained skeptical. While the Winter Soldier was powerful, he wasn't invincible. He wasn't stronger than someone enhanced with a super-soldier serum and could die from a direct hit by artillery.
"Won't such an attack draw attention from other countries or factions?"
Pierce shook his head. "This time, I've awakened nine Winter Soldiers to join the mission."
"Their purpose is two: ensure the battle goes smoothly and investigate the true cause of the Winter Soldier's death in the last mission."
"Plus, it's a backward third-world country in Africa. War is a common occurrence there, so no one will pay much attention. As long as we're quick, there won't be any problems."
"We don't need to occupy the country. We just need to capture their capital, find out why we failed last time, and eliminate their royal family."
"No one can defy HYDRA, kill our people, and live unscathed."
Hearing Pierce's plan, Sitwell nodded in agreement without further questioning.
Pierce then asked, "Has Nick Fury assigned you any tasks recently?"
Sitwell nodded. "In Allentown, Pennsylvania, a pair of male and female thieves have repaired an alien weapon that hadn't been recovered."
"The critical point is that S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't been able to use this weapon, but these thieves can."
"In just ten days, they've committed five heists across various locations, stealing quite a bit. The S.H.I.L.E.D. has assigned me to handle this matter, retrieve the weapon, and eliminate the pair."
"After this meeting, I'll head to South Florida."
Pierce showed interest, saying, "If they can use Chitauri technology, we should try to recruit them for S.H.I.E.L.D."
Sitwell smiled. "Leader, I was thinking the same."
…
The next day-
Arriving early for work at Pym Technologies, Hope Van Dyne was greeted by the receptionist as she entered the building.
"Good morning, Chairman. There's a package for you."
Hope stopped and looked at the receptionist, "What kind of package?"
"It looks like a handbag."
"Let me see it."
"Yes, Chairman."
Hope Van Dyne took the package from the receptionist and unwrapped it to reveal an LV limited edition handbag. She was momentarily stunned, then carefully inspected it, confirming it was the same bag that had been stolen from her the previous day.
Hope looked at the receptionist and asked, "Do you know who sent it?"
"I'm not sure. A courier delivered it early this morning."
Hope nodded and instructed, "Check the tracking number and find out where it was sent from."
"Bring the information to my office once you've found it."
"Yes, Chairman."
Hope Van Dyne took the handbag and went to her office. Once inside, she set the bag aside and began pondering why it had been returned.
Her bag didn't contain any business cards, so it was unlikely the thief had returned it out of goodwill or even knew it belonged to her.
At this moment, Hope remembered the elderly woman she had helped yesterday, Granny Chiyo.
She had taken the old woman to the Sand Puppet Shop, and it was possible the ninja there had helped retrieve it at her request.
Aside from Granny Chiyo, Hope couldn't think of anyone else who would go to such lengths to retrieve her bag. She had mentioned working at Pym Technologies to the old woman but hadn't specified her position.
Hope couldn't fathom how Granny Chiyo had persuaded the ninja from the Sand Puppet Shop to help. She assumed the old woman must have pleaded for a long time before they agreed.
Hope decided she would thank Granny Chiyo at the earliest opportunity. The old woman truly seemed kind and compassionate.
As Hope was lost in thought, there was a knock on her office door.
"Come in."
Seeing it was her secretary, Hope nodded and asked, "What's the matter?"
The secretary handed her a slip of paper with an address and a phone number on it.
"The receptionist said this is the information you requested."
Hope looked at the note: Sand Puppet Shop, Brooklyn Street, Phone: 001-212-446-XXXX.
Seeing this address, Hope nodded to herself, confirming her suspicion.
"Alright, thank you."
After putting the note away, Hope Van Dyne began her day's work.
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