"What did you just say!?"
Deep within the underground fortress, a furious roar shattered the silence.
In the central control room, William Stryker's eyes were wide with disbelief as he stared at the soldier reporting to him.
Although Stryker had experienced more than his fair share of madness in his life, and normally nothing should have fazed him anymore, at this moment—even several seconds after hearing the report—he still couldn't calm his turbulent emotions.
"A meteorite!?"
Stryker involuntarily took two steps forward, his face twisting into a grimace.
As if that wasn't enough to express his shock, he repeated the question again.
"A meteorite. Are you sure?!"
"Y-Yes, sir," the soldier stammered, equally distressed. He didn't want to believe it either, but the facts were undeniable. He had no choice but to deliver the report.
"According to intel received from the rescue teams stationed at Port Yasilot, after our aircraft carrier fleet lost contact, they immediately dispatched Sentinel units to investigate the situation.
But before they could even reach the designated coordinates, a massive wave caused by the meteorite impact overturned their ships. It's reported that many eyewitnesses saw the meteor streaking down, and it carried extremely strong radiation that disrupted numerous devices."
The soldier paused for a moment, then spoke in a quieter voice.
"When our people finally arrived at the site, there was nothing left. Based on calculations and comparisons, the time of the meteor's impact differed from the fleet's disappearance by less than ten minutes.
Dr. Essex believes the fleet's destruction is closely linked to the meteorite. The white flash seen before their loss of contact was most likely caused by the meteor's approach or impact."
"A meteorite?! How is that even possible?!"
Stryker still couldn't accept this conclusion. He spun around and glared at the main screen in the control room.
"Didn't our surveillance systems issue any early warnings? What the hell are those satellites and the space agency doing? A meteor this massive fell, and no one saw it coming?!"
"The space agency responded that the meteorite's radiation likely interfered with satellite detection. Also, its speed was far beyond any previously observed meteorites, so—"
"Excuses. All of them," Stryker cursed under his breath. This was an entire aircraft carrier fleet—the elite of the elite. Even within the military, this was considered a top-tier force.
And yet, this elite fleet wasn't defeated by Atlanteans during their mission to eliminate Atlantis. It was wiped out before the battle even started—by a meteorite that came out of nowhere.
Stryker had never heard of anything so bizarre in his entire life.
"Didn't they try to recover anything from the sea? An entire carrier fleet doesn't just vanish, even if it was hit by a meteorite."
"They initially intended to," the soldier replied gravely, "but the area beneath the impact zone is Atlantis territory. The rescue teams lacked the combat capability, and the number of Sentinels was limited, so they didn't act rashly."
"Useless. Every last one of them!" Stryker snapped, grabbing his cup and taking a long drink to suppress his rising fury.
"We're at a critical stage of eliminating the mutants, and now this happens? This is a disgrace."
He suddenly paused, a thought crossing his mind. Frowning, he asked, "Is it possible... that the meteorite was the work of the mutants? After all, those freaks have all kinds of powers. If one of them could summon a meteor..."
The soldier quickly replied, "Sir, Dr. Essex already considered that possibility, but he believes the chance of a mutant possessing such power is extremely low.
Even if such a being existed, the Cerebro amplifier would have picked up their psychic signature in advance, just like when Apocalypse reawakened."
Stryker seemed to calm down slightly at that. He himself had overseen the Cerebro project in the past. Though he never liked Charles Xavier—the old cripple—he had to admit, the man's brain was incredibly useful.
After tricking Charles into testifying before Congress, Stryker and the higher-ups had secretly restrained him using a mutant named "Leech" to suppress his telepathy. From there, they began subjecting him to brutal experiments.
Eventually, with a mix of technology and the abilities of other experimental mutants, Charles was completely brainwashed and turned into a crucial piece of the Sentinel Program.
For years now, Charles had been under military control, confined within Cerebro itself, which had been converted into a secret military fortress to prevent mutants from rescuing or killing him.
With Charles effectively under their thumb, Stryker and his allies had the entire planet tightly within their grasp.
Even when Magneto awakened Apocalypse, it was under Charles' surveillance. This allowed Stryker and his people to make thorough preparations and wipe Apocalypse out before he could regain his full power.
With Magneto now dead, there were no longer any level-four mutants left on Earth. The remaining resistance could do nothing but hide in caves, waiting for the judgment of the Sentinel robots. They had no chance of fighting back.
And if someone in this world really had the power to summon a meteor, then that individual's ability would undoubtedly surpass level four — possibly reaching level five, just like Apocalypse.
Facing a mutant of that level, there was no way Charles wouldn't have detected them. So this theory must have been an overreaction.
Stryker drained his glass and slammed it heavily on the table. With a sigh, he turned and asked again.
"Could this have been the work of Atlantis? Those underwater creatures command mysterious forces. The carrier fleet's mission was to target them, after all. They're prime suspects."
"I don't think so, sir," the soldier replied with a slight shake of his head. "If those Atlanteans really had such terrifying destructive power, why didn't they use it when Namor was killed?
We've speculated that Atlantis might be a magical civilization, but according to the testimony of the wizards we've previously hunted and the dissection of Atlantean corpses, the likelihood of them possessing such immense power is extremely low."
"So you're saying..."
Stryker turned to face the soldier once more.
"Our aircraft carrier fleet was destroyed by some absurd coincidence that shouldn't even exist?"
The soldier nodded honestly. "Sir, this kind of thing isn't entirely without precedent in history—"
Before he could finish, Stryker cut him off. "Don't talk to me about useless history. Has South-Eastern Asian Union said anything about extraditing those mutant criminals they're still holding?"
The soldier sighed and shook his head helplessly. "A considerable number of those mutants are there citizens. Ever since the embassy was evacuated, they've flatly refused to comply with our extradition demands."
At those words, Stryker clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.
The soldier hesitated, then began cautiously, "Sir, should we…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but Stryker understood what he meant.
Shaking his head, Stryker looked back at him and said coldly, "It's meaningless. Now's not the time to deal with them. What about the other units?"
"Most of the organized resistance forces have already been crushed. Several cultist wizard gatherings have also been destroyed. Only a few remnants are still on the run, and our teams are tracking them."
"Good," Stryker nodded.
Finally, some good news. It eased his mood slightly.
Originally, according to his and the other leaders' plans, this war wasn't supposed to take so long.
With the Sentinel robots they had created through mutant experiments, and with Charles and Cyclops deceived into aiding them, Stryker and most others believed the mutant population could be wiped out swiftly.
But reality proved otherwise. This special operation targeting mutants dragged on for decades. Mutant resistance groups around the world were surprisingly tenacious. Despite the immense firepower of the Sentinels, each campaign yielded minimal results.
It was only now that Stryker realized—they had underestimated the mutants.
When Professor X and Magneto were at odds, the mutant race was fragmented and disorganized. It seemed like they could be wiped out easily.
But once Charles fell under their control and Magneto seized full command, humanity finally saw how terrifying the mutants could be when united.
Of course, if they had united earlier, perhaps things would've ended differently. But as more mutants were cornered and captured, the Sentinel army's strength only grew.
Even with Magneto performing miracles in small skirmishes, his efforts didn't make a decisive difference to the overall battlefield.
And now, Magneto was dead. His corpse would be modified into one of the most powerful Sentinel robots ever created. When that day comes, the remaining mutants would be nothing but lambs to the slaughter.
At that thought, Stryker let out a cold smile.
"Keep sending forces to Atlantis. We don't need to destroy them — just don't let them meddle. Once the Sentinel production in the factory is complete, I'll show the entire world—
Who the real masters of the world are!"
.....
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