On a street-side café in Vienna, a group of giggling children ran past Josh as he enjoyed his coffee.
If not for the English and German chatter from off-duty American soldiers and local citizens at the surrounding tables, Josh might have thought he was back in the United States.
With no Battle of Vienna in this timeline, no brutal looting by the Soviets, and no division by the four Allied powers, Vienna—and all of Austria, really—had suffered very little from the war.
Combined with a naturally small population, apart from a few particularly scarce goods, there was none of the material shortages seen in France or Britain.
The atmosphere was rather peaceful.
This also meant Josh had no opportunity to profit from selling basic supplies here.
Fortunately, Josh had foreseen this situation. When he came to Vienna, he didn't bring Lindon at all. After leaving a few warehouse loads of goods, he had him stay in Paris to sell slowly.
Just then, a car stopped next to the café. A stylish and beautiful woman stepped out, drawing a chorus of whistles from nearby American soldiers.
The woman clearly was used to such behavior and paid them no mind.
After all, Austria, like Italy, had now transformed into a member of the Allies.
Though it was unlikely to be granted victor nation status, it was definitely seen as a victim of the war.
With ample resources and a military that still retained some strength, Austria didn't even truly need American troops—except to deter potential Soviet threats.
So, after repeated warnings from their officers, American soldiers stationed in Austria generally didn't act too wildly.
And as the woman sat down beside Josh, all the whistles and noise immediately stopped.
Most of the American soldiers nearby had come from Paris and were under the First Army, so they all recognized Josh—an influential national businessman and guest of their commanding officers—and naturally wouldn't risk offending him.
"You seem to be in good spirits today, Mr. Kane," the woman greeted Josh as she sat beside him. She was none other than Ophelia.
Although she had long since fully submitted to Josh, that was a secret between them. Publicly, they still maintained a cooperative relationship.
So in such public settings, using terms like "master" was, of course, out of the question.
"Ah, Miss Ophelia. How's business lately? (How's the work subduing Hydra going?)" Josh smiled and put down the newspaper.
Josh hadn't gotten directly involved in the integration of the Hydra faction—he left that task entirely to Ophelia.
After all, he wasn't familiar with the situation in Austria and barging in might cause problems.
Handing it over to an insider like Ophelia was the best choice.
All Josh needed to do was control this "Madame Hydra."
"Business is very good (The work's going well). There were a few minor issues, but with your support, they were easily resolved. Also, I'm planning to start a club to help expand the business, but I haven't decided on a name yet. Do you have any suggestions, Mr. Kane?" Ophelia smiled charmingly as she leaned toward Josh.
Just like how the Nine Council's public face was a sports and social club, this new Hydra group needed a public front as well. They couldn't just call themselves "Hydra," or the Allies would crush them immediately.
"Hm, let me think...Got it. Let's call it 'Ouroboros,'" Josh said after a moment of thought, a name popping into his mind.
Ouroboros, the serpent that eats its own tail.
The name is Greek, but the symbol isn't limited to Greek mythology.
It appears in more than forty mythologies worldwide, including Norse (Jörmungandr), Egyptian (Apophis), Indian (Shesha), and Mesoamerican (Quetzalcoatl), all portrayed in the form of a tail-devouring snake.
Its true origin is untraceable, but regardless of the myth, the Ouroboros symbolizes immortality, completeness, infinity, the world, and wisdom.
"Ouroboros, huh? I understand," said the well-read Ophelia after contemplating the name, quickly grasping its significance and nodding in agreement.
But as the two were discussing the new organization's name, a commotion suddenly arose in the distance.
Josh and Ophelia both frowned and looked over, spotting the noise coming from a group of American soldiers.
"Vito, go find out what's going on," Josh said to Vito, who was sitting at a nearby table.
Vito nodded and got up to ask around.
He returned a moment later.
"Boss, I got the scoop—it's about Captain America. They defeated Red Skull!" Vito reported.
"Oh? Then why don't they look happy?" Josh asked, pointing at the noisy but grim-faced soldiers. Although he asked, a suspicion had already formed in his heart—despite all the changes he had made, had Cap still ended up frozen?
"Even though they won, from what they're saying, it seems Captain America was killed in action!" Vito confirmed Josh's suspicion.
"Do you know any more details? Like how exactly he died?" Josh asked with a frown.
"Sorry, boss. That's all they know—that he died. They don't know the specifics," Vito replied.
"To the First Army HQ!" Josh ordered after thinking it over. These soldiers might not know, but General McGinnis, commander of the First Army, definitely would.
"Yes, boss!" Vito quickly ran to start the car.
Half an hour later, Josh's group arrived at the First Army headquarters on Vienna's western outskirts.
The soldiers and officers of the First Army were all familiar with Josh, so they let him through without delay.
After the guards announced him, Josh soon met with General McGinnis.
"You're asking about that? Well, technically it's military classified, but I don't think it's a big deal to tell you. Saying Captain Rogers was 'killed' might not be accurate. His body was never found," said McGinnis after hearing Josh's question.
"What do you mean?" Josh asked, puzzled.
"From the information I have, Captain Rogers pursued Schmidt deep into the Hydra base. When reinforcements finally arrived, there was nothing there except the Cosmic Cube," McGinnis answered.
Josh was stunned.
Nothing but the Cube?
So Captain America wasn't killed—he was missing?
Wait…crap, could it be that both Cap and Red Skull got teleported by the Cosmic Cube?
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