Chapter 43 A Necessary Evil

Ethan’s Plan 43: A Necessary Evil?

Ethan’s Plan Ethan’s original plan had been to lure out the Chaos Insurgency’s hidden forces, capture someone important enough to provide valuable intelligence, and then wipe out the organization entirely in exchange for a massive system reward.

But Ophelia’s decisive surrender—and everything she had done leading up to it—made Ethan realize that he might have misjudged something.

Ethan knew exactly how much power he currently controlled.

He also knew that the so-called Foundation in this world was, in many ways, still something he had built by borrowing the reputation of a far greater organization.

In his own eyes, the Foundation forces under his command were still relatively weak.

If he truly went all-out against one of the world’s major organizations—even S.H.I.E.L.D.

or HYDRA—he wasn’t certain he could crush them yet.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

might currently appear to lack many superhuman combatants.

At this stage of the timeline, it almost seemed like everyone could bully them a little.

But Ethan knew the future.

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s real strength lay in its influence and ability to gather powerful individuals.

Once Tony Stark stepped forward, the first generation of Avengers with genuine superhuman combat power would soon begin to assemble.

Compared with S.H.I.E.L.D.

at its future peak, Ethan knew his current Foundation was still far behind.

But he had overlooked something.

He had always been comparing his present-day Foundation with the peak versions of the organizations he remembered.

To everyone else in this world, however, the Foundation already looked like an immensely powerful and unfathomably mysterious organization.

And against this world’s Chaos Insurgency, that effect became even stronger.

The Chaos Insurgency and the Strategic Security Administration both seemed to know that the true Foundation did not originally belong to this universe.

More importantly, they regarded the real Foundation as an incomprehensibly powerful organization.

An organization capable of containing even godlike beings.

A superpower that silently safeguarded the entire multiverse.

Ethan had always been accustomed to judging situations based on the limited forces currently in his hands.

What he hadn’t realized was just how terrifying the Foundation’s reputation sounded to people who already knew fragments of its true legend.

Against Marvel Earth’s Chaos Insurgency— That reputation was devastatingly effective.

Ophelia hadn’t even been handcuffed.

Her weapons had merely been confiscated.

At the moment, she sat directly across from Ethan with a complicated expression.

2B stood silently beside him.

Ophelia might be Madame Hydra.

She might be the infamous HYDRA operative known as Viper.

Her personal combat ability was extraordinary, roughly comparable to Natasha Romanoff’s, and she was also highly skilled in the use of poisons.

If the man sitting across from her had been Nick Fury, then even as a prisoner, Ophelia might have risked everything on one final attempt to take him hostage.

But with 2B standing nearby— She didn’t even consider it.

This was the same android who had single-handedly crushed the Chaos Insurgency’s biological strike force head-on.

At this point, Ophelia understood perfectly well that her life was entirely in the Foundation’s hands.

And she had already heard enough legends about the Foundation’s power.

She had lost everything.

Yet one question continued tormenting her.

The strength of the Foundation under Ethan’s command…

If her suspicions were correct— Could this suddenly emerging Foundation actually have come from the true anomaly universe?

For someone like Ophelia, who had obtained fragments of Chaos Insurgency technology, partial Foundation technology, and even extended her lifespan through research into anomalies— The pursuit of powerful anomalies and higher forms of supernatural power had already become the goal of her entire life.

This world’s Chaos Insurgency and Strategic Security Administration had only grown into major organizations because they inherited the technological remnants left behind by that Mobile Task Force sixty years ago.

Yet for all those sixty years, they had searched desperately for new anomalies.

And found almost nothing.

Ophelia had always hoped that another anomaly might somehow break through the boundaries between universes and arrive in this world.

If that happened, she could use the Chaos Insurgency to seize its power.

After all, the longevity she had obtained came with a price.

If it had been perfect, why would she still be so obsessed with pursuing the power of anomalies?

It was precisely that hunger— For power.

For longevity.

For something greater— That had caused Ethan’s system to trigger the new side mission: Bring this world’s Chaos Insurgency under your control.

Finally, Ophelia could no longer suppress the question that had been haunting her.

“Commander Ethan…” She stared at him carefully.

“Are you…

truly from this world?” Ethan gave her a meaningful look.

Then immediately began doing what he did best.

“Madame Ophelia.” He smiled faintly.

“Do I not seem like someone from this world?” Just that one sentence— Ophelia’s body trembled.

Ambition and desire surfaced uncontrollably in her eyes.

“So…” “You really aren’t from this world.” Her expression became bitter.

“Then I suppose our defeat wasn’t unjustified.” Ethan leaned back slightly.

“It seems Madame Ophelia has some rather deep prejudices against us.” “Perhaps you’ve been misled by a great deal of incorrect information.” “In truth…” “We may not actually be enemies.” Confusion appeared across Ophelia’s mature, beautiful face.

“What do you mean, Commander Ethan?” “The Chaos Insurgency and the Foundation are enemies.” “Aren’t they?” Ethan rested his chin on both hands, his posture almost reminiscent of Commander Ikari from Evangelion.

He looked at her with clear amusement.

Then he said something that completely shattered Ophelia’s understanding of everything she thought she knew.

“I don’t agree.” “You should know…” “The founder of the Chaos Insurgency acted with the authorization of the Supreme Council.” Ophelia froze.

Ethan continued calmly, “You don’t seriously believe that a mere Foundation branch possessed enough power to simply build an entire extraordinary organization from nothing, do you?” Ophelia looked as though she’d been struck by lightning.

Her pupils trembled.

“Impossible…” “The Chaos Insurgency has always fought the Foundation.” “They’ve always been enemies!” “Tch.” Ethan shook his head.

“Madame Ophelia.” “The Chaos Insurgency operative your organization originally encountered sixty years ago…” “He was only a low-ranking officer, wasn’t he?” “How much could someone at that level possibly know?” He rose from his seat.

“You wouldn’t seriously be naive enough to believe…” “That an entire Foundation branch could simply defect…” “Take a massive amount of Foundation assets with them…” “And then peacefully walk away from the organization?” Ethan approached her.

His voice dropped, almost like a demon whispering beside her ear.

“Madame Ophelia…” “As the leader of an organization yourself…” “Surely you’re not that naive.” Her breathing became heavier.

Ethan’s final words struck directly at the foundation of everything she believed.

“To the Supreme Council…” “Whether it’s the Foundation…” “Or the Chaos Insurgency…” “They are both simply useful tools.” His eyes narrowed.

“And you…” “You are the necessary evil.”