Marvel Riders

Chapter 288: Rescuing the Prisoners The two sides simply could not reach an agreement, and the matter ultimately came to nothing. After the meeting adjourned, Senator Kelly returned to his official car in a foul mood and left the Capitol... In the limousine, Senator Kelly pondered how to continue pushing for measures to regulate mutants. However, he wasn’t overly concerned, even though the bill had failed. But that didn’t mean there were no other options. In fact, when it came to opposing mutants, Senator Kelly wasn’t even the most vocal opponent. A U. S. Army general named William Stryker could be described as an extreme opponent of mutants. With Stryker representing the military and Kelly the political sphere, the two were allies in the same trench, supporting one another for a long time. Senator Kelly had long provided support for Stryker’s “R-Force,” and he had contacted numerous senators to pressure the White House, ensuring that Stryker’s unit received sustained funding. Striker’s forces have also been conducting operations to hunt down mutants for a long time. Congressman Kelly exchanged messages with William Stryker... “General Stryker, is everything going well over there?” “Congressman Kelly, everything is fine.” “Things aren’t going so smoothly here; the Mutant Bill is taking a long time to pass. A pro-mutant political faction is gradually gaining momentum, making it very difficult to deal with mutants on the political front. So, please step up your efforts over there in the future.” “Understood. Things are going very well here. Both the manhunts and the experiments have been successful. I’ve identified more targets for my next move, and I’ll take care of them as soon as possible.” “Then keep up the good work. I’m looking forward to your good news. After all, we can’t let these mutant threats run rampant.” “Alright then, Senator Kelly, you can count on me to bring you good news.” William Stryker has long led his own forces in operations to hunt down mutants. Any mutant he suspects of “threatening social order” or “committing crimes” has been targeted by him. After the Battle of Paris, Wolverine, Scott, and Jean Grey shifted their focus to other matters. However, the three had noticed recent incidents: in Arizona, Virginia, Nevada, Montana, Texas, and other states, there had been multiple instances of mutants being hunted down. Moreover, the intensity of these hunts has been steadily increasing. After discussing it, the three felt something was amiss and decided to investigate. After some investigation, the trio finally uncovered some leads. A special task force was hunting mutants across the country. Through intelligence and various technical means, the clues ultimately led to the area around Lake Akaria in Canada. The three set off for that location together. Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Cyclops arrived in the Lake Akalia area of Canada aboard a stealth fighter jet belonging to the Wizer Academy. After disembarking from the plane, the three began surveying their surroundings. Lake Akaria was surrounded by vast, dense coniferous forests, and the area was quite desolate. Few birds flew in the sky. Before them, a vast lake dominated the view. A massive dam stood in front of the lake. At first glance, the dam looked like it had been standing for a long time; the gray concrete structure bore many signs of age. Yet it still appeared very sturdy. Cyclops looked at the dam and said, “Alright, let’s go inside and take a look. I think there’s a good chance something is being hidden here.” Wolverine and Jean Grey both looked at the dam and replied to Scott, “Alright.” The three walked toward the dam, with Wolverine leading the way, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings in case of any surprises. There were several circular access points on the side of the dam, and Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean entered through one of them. Once inside the dam, the three made their way through the passageways. Although the dam looked quite old from the outside, the equipment inside appeared quite modern. Judging by this equipment, the place didn’t look like an old dam at all; it looked more like a base where people were conducting some kind of secret operation. Cyclops looked around and said in a low voice, “It seems we really came to the right place.” “I never expected the Pursuer would build a base right here in Canada,” Wolverine remarked, clearly surprised. As a Canadian himself, he hadn’t anticipated the enemy would establish a base on Canadian soil. “I can sense energy fluctuations all around us. Something is still active inside this base. We need to be extra careful so they don’t spot us,” Jean warned. The three of them continued moving through the base inside the dam... Meanwhile, in the control room of the dam’s base, a man dressed in a U. S. Army general’s uniform stood with a group of aides, watching the footage on the surveillance screens. The man in the general’s uniform had the stern features of a middle-aged man, his eyes flickering with a faint yet intense murderous intent. He was William Stryker. This base had long served as his research facility. Since Canada was an ally of the United States and had maintained close military cooperation with the U. S. for many years, Stryker had been able to establish this secret research base within Canadian territory. On the surveillance screen were images of Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey. “So it’s them. I never would have guessed that the ones who infiltrated our base would be members of the X-Men,” Stryker said as he watched the surveillance footage. Striker had already gathered general information on many of the X-Men, including their approximate builds and physical characteristics. Besides, while he might not recognize the others, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize Wolverine. Years ago, it was Stryker who had conducted experiments on Wolverine, injecting him with Adamantium—a move that completely transformed the man’s life. After making inquiries from various sources, Stryker later learned that Wolverine had joined the X-Men. Of course, Stryker didn’t have the nerve to attack the X-Men’s headquarters, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. This was because Professor Charles Xavier was on good terms with a group of political figures, including Senator Simon, and Xavier’s School was regarded as a legitimate organization. Stryker didn’t dare risk a direct assault on the school. But now things were different. These three X-Men had come to him of their own accord, and since they were on a base under his control, how he dealt with them was entirely up to him. Moreover, among them was his sworn enemy, Wolverine, which actually gave Stryker a certain sense of satisfaction. This made Stryker feel he could finally unleash his ultimate biological weapon to his heart’s content. (To be continued. )