Dimensional Trader in Marvel

"Of course not. Schmidt has completely lost his mind. He wants to destroy the whole world!" Ophelia answered Josh's question without hesitation.

"We followed him in the past because we believed he could lead us to the top of the world. But he failed. Yet he refuses to admit his failure and remains determined to use the Tesseract to create even more powerful weapons - superweapons capable of destroying an entire city with a single strike. His goal is the mutual destruction of America and the Soviet Union... and we don't want that!

Hearing Ophelia's words, Josh nodded slightly, believing that she was most likely telling the truth.

Based on the storyline from the movies Josh remembered from his previous life, very few of Schmidt's Hydra faction remained loyal to him to the end. Most of his followers were brainwashed low-ranking soldiers. The true elites either surrendered after being captured or secretly rejoined the Council of Nine.

Take Arnim Zola, for example. Or Reinhardt, the man who would become Daniel Whitehall.

Most rational people understand that the purpose of war is to live better, not to perish together.

"I believe what you say. So... what's the point of approaching me?" Josh asked.

"We are planning a coup in Bavaria and northern Austria," Ophelia revealed.

"A coup?" Josh was taken aback.

"That's right. After Schmidt suffered a defeat at the hands of the Soviets, he initiated a ceasefire agreement with Hitler and pulled most of his troops to the Eastern Front to stop the Soviet advance. Meanwhile, Hitler has concentrated more forces on the Western Front to resist the Allied invasion. This has left Bavaria and northern Austria relatively undefended, with local troops and Hydra units stationed there. We've already managed to win over most of the officers in those units," Ophelia explained.

Well, it turned out that these people were planning to switch sides in the middle of the war.

That sounded like classic Italian tactics. When did the Austrians and Bavarians pick up this playbook?

Was it historically accurate? Even in the Marvel Universe, Josh had never heard of such an event.

In real history, apart from Italy, Romania was one of the few European countries to do something similar during World War II.

Still, if Austria could pull this off, they might be able to avoid the historical fate Josh remembered - being occupied by four nations for over a decade and eventually having to settle down as a permanently neutral state. They could even reunite with Bavaria.

A very ambitious plan indeed.

Unfortunately...

Josh shook his head.

"Why are you shaking your head?" Ophelia frowned.

"The idea is good, but even if the coup succeeds, how are you going to fend off a counterattack from Hitler and Schmidt? Those two are lunatics," Josh pointed out.

"That's why we need your help. From what I've learned from Mr. Schneider, you have excellent connections with the U.S. military high command. We hope you can act as our mediator and persuade the Allies to launch a rapid advance from Italy into Austria, breaking through the Alpine line while we stage our uprising. We'll attack from the rear, and once we link up, it will be much easier to push either west against Schmidt or north against Hitler," Ophelia said confidently.

"And when the war is over, you'll join the victors as a conquering nation, allowing you to merge Bavaria and Austria completely. Am I wrong?" Josh interjected with a smile.

"Of course you are. It's what we deserve, isn't it?" Ophelia replied with a smile.

"That's fair, but I still don't understand why you approached me. Surely you could take this directly to Allied Command. I believe you have many other channels," Josh asked.

"Convincing the Allies is only part of it. The real reason is that we want you to join us." Ophelia paused, then continued, "Your connections, finances, and even your technology are things we need...especially the serum that can turn humans into beasts."

"You captured Aldo?" Josh's previously calm demeanor darkened immediately upon hearing her mention the serum.

So far, Josh had only distributed four doses of the Beast Serum.

One went to Dix, the leader of the Blackwater gang. Two went to his trusted bodyguards, Vito and Brook. The last went to Aldo.

Josh had specifically instructed all four to use the serum only in life-threatening emergencies. None of them knew its full effects unless they had already used it.

Now, with Ophelia's mention of beast transformation, it was clear that she had witnessed the serum's effects.

This ruled out Dix, who had been in regular telegraph contact and showed no signs of irregularity. Vito and Brooke were always by Josh's side, so there was no way for them to use the serum.

That left Aldo as the only possibility. It seemed likely that he had run into trouble and fallen into Hydra's hands.

"No, no, we didn't capture him. I rescued him. About half a month ago in Paris, I happened to see him, transformed, rampaging through German troops. I tracked him down and saw him return to his human form," Ophelia quickly clarified.

"And then you used your mind control to take over him and learn all about me. Am I right?" Josh stared straight into her eyes.

That explained everything. No wonder this "old family member" had come knocking. The root of the problem was with Aldo.

"Well... it's just convenient, isn't it? A habit, really..." Ophelia replied awkwardly.

"I see. If I had such a convenient ability, I'd probably use it, too," Josh unexpectedly expressed his agreement with her actions.

Yes, if it was so easy, why wouldn't anyone use it?

Ophelia relaxed slightly when she heard his answer.

"But understanding is not forgiveness!" Josh's next words immediately made her nervous again.

"Where is he now?" Josh demanded.

"Paris. I've placed him in one of our secret bases there," Ophelia replied hastily.

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