Colonel Stryker

"It’s a garbage recycling company, thank you."

Wang Bert said, "I know where Stryker is. If you’re willing to help me, then in three days, we’ll go find him together and finish him off for good. A bastard like that doesn’t deserve to live so long."

"I like the sound of that."

Wolverine gave a savage grin. "In three days, I’m going with you. I’ll kill Stryker myself—the really brutal kind."

Wang Bert nodded in satisfaction and handed Wolverine a glass of red wine. "Very good. Here’s to everything going smoothly."

Wolverine took the wine and drank it. Thinking of something, he asked suspiciously, "Why do you know all this?"

"Because I have money."

Wang Bert smiled. "You weren’t the only one who went through all that."

"Like that guy called Gambit?"

Wolverine suddenly understood. He did not ask further questions, merely saying, "Find me somewhere to rest. I need to recover. I haven’t killed anyone in years."

"No problem. I’ll book you a presidential suite."

Wang Bert nodded. "My manor is being renovated, so it isn’t habitable."

"Damn rich people."

Wolverine cursed unhappily. Then, thinking of something, he hesitantly asked, "Is Sabretooth still alive?"

"He should be. You two brothers are both immortal. Once this is over, I’ll try to help you find him."

"Thanks."

Wolverine nodded. He was thanking Wang Bert not only for helping him search for Sabretooth, but also for letting him learn about his past.

After searching for decades, Wolverine had finally learned his past. From now on, he was no longer a man without roots. He was the child born from his mother’s affair with a Gardener. And he had personally killed that Gardener.

Uh, would it have been better not to know? Why do I feel like my whole life has been a tragedy? Wolverine shook his head and left with the female secretary who had come in. He needed time to properly process everything that had happened today.

Watching Wolverine’s retreating back, Wang Bert narrowed his eyes slightly. Uncle Wolf was far too wild and unruly. Making him one of his subordinates would be nearly impossible.

"I don’t have Jean Grey here."

Wang Bert shook his head. Without Uncle Wolf, Deathstrike would do well enough. He happened to need a secretary who could double as a bodyguard.

At that moment, Psylocke entered alone and asked, "Why hire that weakling? If you have too much money, I can help you spend it. Five hundred thousand dollars isn’t a small sum."

"Didn’t kill him, did you?"

"No. I only beat him up. He’s downstairs crying like a woman right now."

Psylocke said, "If I hadn’t known you needed him, I definitely would’ve broken his Ribs."

Psylocke had excellent professional ethics, which was one reason why she charged so much.

"Good."

Wang Bert did not explain why he had hired Wade. He said, "Psylocke, this time our target is America’s regular military. Don’t underestimate them."

Instead of being alarmed, Psylocke was delighted. "The regular military means loose ends. That costs extra."

Wang Bert swirled his wineglass and said coldly, "There won’t be any loose ends this time, because every enemy will die."

"Is that so? Then I won’t charge extra for now, but I reserve the right to do so."

Psylocke thought for a moment before replying. Wang Bert shrugged. "Whatever you want."

Psylocke hesitated, then asked, "Is it worth spending so much money to help those mutant homeless people?"

"It’s absolutely worth it, because making money is far too easy for me."

Wang Bert smiled. "It’s only a few tens of millions. It’s not a big sum."

At that moment, Psylocke felt as if Wang Bert were glowing with golden light, overflowing with charm—the charm of money. A man who could casually throw around tens of millions was simply too attractive.

"Too bad you’re too young. Otherwise, I might’ve chased after you."

Psylocke smiled. "I like men who can make money. Sadly, I still haven’t met a man who can afford to keep me."

Psylocke earned at least a million dollars per job, yet the balance in her account was not even four figures. It was easy to imagine just how extravagantly she spent.

Wang Bert laughed. "That won’t do. In this world, I belong to only one woman."

"That’s too bad."

Psylocke shook her head and turned to leave. As she passed through the glass door at the entrance, it suddenly exploded, countless shards shooting toward her at once.

Psylocke reacted with incredible speed, dashing forward immediately and narrowly avoiding disaster. The glass shards rattled against the walls and desk, drawing a round of screams.

"Again? Is my luck really this bad today?"

Psylocke looked stunned. Wang Bert cursed irritably, "Replace all the American glass in this office with Eastern glass. The quality is just too terrible."

"Extremely terrible."

Psylocke agreed wholeheartedly, waved her hand, and left. Wang Bert clapped for the female secretary to come clean up the glass, though a trace of suspicion lingered between his brows. Was it really just an accident? Once was an accident, twice was a coincidence, but this was already the third time.

Wang Bert rubbed his chin and thought to himself, Could it be that the glass in this world and I are fundamentally incompatible?

After a while, Zuo Yi entered the office with an unpleasant expression. "Chairman, your plan has hit a snag at the White House. Also, the president politely declined your invitation."

"As expected."

Wang Bert shook his head indifferently. The president was not truly refusing; he simply did not want trouble, especially since it was an election year.

"I’ll make the president beg to meet me."

Wang Bert snorted coldly. "Donate ten million to those environmental organizations and have them demonstrate outside the White House, demanding that the government approve our plan."

Zuo Yi reminded him, "That will have some effect, but it may not be enough to make the White House yield."

Wang Bert smiled. "It’s just to build momentum. Don’t worry, I’ve already worked out the entire plan."

"That’s good. Oh, Senator Kelly invited you to a debate seven days from now."

Remembering something, Zuo Yi said, "It’s the debate on the Mutant Registration Act. Senator Kelly has always opposed mutants. His invitation definitely carries bad intentions. I suggest you refuse."

"If he wants to die, why shouldn’t I grant his wish?"

Wang Bert sneered. "Accept it. Seven days from now, I’ll give the whole world quite a show."

Zuo Yi could not stop him and could only nod. "All right. I’ll reply to him."

After Zuo Yi left, Wang Bert thought for a moment, took out one hundred thousand dollars, and said, "In three days, may everything go smoothly."

The one hundred thousand dollars vanished. Colonel Stryker’s fate had already been sealed.

Three days later, Great Canada, beside Akali Lake Dam.

Psylocke looked through binoculars at the ruins behind the dam and asked, "Boss, could your intelligence be wrong? The industrial park is abandoned."

Wolverine frowned. "This place feels very familiar."

"The base isn’t above the dam. It’s beneath it."

Wang Bert said, "Logan, Colonel Stryker turned you into an Adamantium Wolf in this base."

"That joke isn’t funny at all."

Wolverine replied irritably. As he neared his target, his killing intent grew heavier and heavier, and even his eyes were starting to redden. Wolverine was about to take revenge.

"I really envy you mutants. You aren’t afraid of the cold."

Wade wore a heavy coat and carried a large bag on his back, shivering as he spoke. Wang Bert wore only an ordinary trench coat, while Psylocke was even more outrageous, dressed in nothing but a skintight leather bodysuit resembling a swimsuit, both long legs fully exposed.

Wolverine looked at his thick jacket and felt like the shame of mutantkind. He coughed and asked, "What do we do? A base like this must have plenty of guards."

Wang Bert said, "It’s simple. Charge in and kill everyone inside."

"Isn’t that a little too simple and brutal?"

Wade hurriedly said, "I think we should scout the base first, then formulate detailed tactics based on the intelligence."

Unlike Wade, Wolverine was extremely excited. "I like your plan. Let’s start right away."

"I agree."

Psylocke said the same. Without question, those two belonged to the charge-first school.

"Fine, you two have the final say. You’re stronger than me, after all."

Wade was speechless. He asked, "So how do we get in?"

"Like this."

Wang Bert snapped his fingers. The three of them simultaneously felt their vision blur, and the snow-covered mountaintop transformed into an underground base filled with steel walls.

"Teleportation? Looks like your ability isn’t limited to processing garbage."

Wolverine said with some surprise.

"Teleporting people, and with such precision—you’re at least an Alpha-level mutant."

Psylocke was quite shocked. Then she thought of something and suddenly understood. "Is that why you said making money was easy? With your ability, banks are no different from your backyard."

"Banks?"

Wade and Wolverine were both stunned, then their eyes lit up as they looked at Wang Bert. Wang Bert smiled. "My abilities go far beyond that. Enough of this. Split into three directions and kill everyone in the base. Leave no one alive."

"Fine."

Wolverine and Psylocke had long been impatient. Without another word, each chose a direction and quickly advanced.

Wade blinked. He was merely an ordinary mercenary, and operating alone in an underground base was dangerous—this definitely required extra pay.

Wade turned, preparing to make his demand to Wang Bert, only to discover that Wang Bert had already disappeared.

"What’s so great about that? Maybe one day, I’ll become a mutant too."

Wade snorted, removed his coat, and, carrying his bag full of weapons, avoided the cameras as he searched for an ambush point. He had no intention of confronting anyone head-on. Fighting required intelligence.

Leaving Wade aside for the moment, the rampaging Wolverine was quickly discovered. Four soldiers aimed their guns at him while shouting, "Stop! Who are you? Why are you here?"

Wolverine did not answer. He rushed forward like an enraged wolf, flicking both hands as six gleaming Adamantium claws emerged from between the joints of his fingers.

"He’s a mutant! Open fire!"

The soldiers immediately fired at Wolverine. Wolverine made no attempt to dodge, charging through the bullets and reaching the soldiers.

"Die!"

Wolverine roared, viciously driving the claws of his left hand into the soldier before him. Then he flung that soldier into the ones behind him before slicing another soldier’s head off as easily as tofu with a backhanded swipe.

The remaining soldier was terrified out of his mind and turned to flee. Wolverine immediately pursued him and pierced him through the back with a claw.

Seeing all his companions die miserably, the soldier who had been knocked down earlier cried out in panic from the ground, "Don’t kill me! Please, don’t kill me!"

"Tell me, where is Stryker?"

Wolverine asked with killing intent radiating from his entire body. At the same time, the bullets embedded in his body were pushed out by regenerating muscle, clattering onto the floor.

The soldier hurriedly answered, "The Colonel is in the laboratory in the back."

Wolverine asked again, "Which direction?"

The soldier pointed in a direction. "That way."

"Good."

Wolverine was very satisfied. He drove a claw through the soldier’s head. The boss had said it: no one here would be left alive today.

"Stryker."

After killing four soldiers, Wolverine gradually rediscovered his old feeling. He gave a savage grin and charged toward the laboratory with bloodstained claws.

Elsewhere, Psylocke also encountered guards. Without saying a word, she drew her Samurai Sword, purple light glowing across its blade.

"She’s a mutant! Fire!"

The soldiers immediately opened fire. Psylocke nimbly dodged the bullets and charged into their midst, then rapidly swung her purple blade, cutting several soldiers apart as if slicing tofu.

"Five million. Looks like it won’t be difficult."

Psylocke smiled smugly and continued onward.

With two squads being hit in succession, a piercing alarm rang throughout the base. A lieutenant reported to Stryker in the laboratory through a communicator, "Colonel, enemy attack."

"Why did you only discover them after they got inside?"

Stryker asked furiously. The lieutenant replied, "The two intruders are mutants. They must have used superpowers to sneak in."

"Mutants? Magneto’s people, or Professor X’s?"

Stryker frowned and headed for the command room with Deathstrike Yuriko. Then, through the surveillance monitors, he saw the two intruders.

"Wolverine?"

Stryker was somewhat surprised, then delighted. He said, "Lure Wolverine to the abandoned laboratory. I want to see him. Yuriko, come with me. Lieutenant, take your men and deal with the other intruder. Also, there may be others. Watch yourself."

"Yes, Colonel."

The lieutenant immediately saluted. After Stryker left with Yuriko, he led dozens of guards toward Psylocke’s location. He refused to believe that so many people could not take down a single mutant.

The lieutenant’s men were all elites, fully armed elites at that.

What the lieutenant did not expect was that Wade ambushed them midway with timed bombs. Amid a series of booming explosions, the guards suffered heavy casualties. Wade was utterly disdainful. They called themselves regular military, yet they did not even have the most basic vigilance.

Disdainful as he was, Wade did not dare linger and immediately turned to flee.

"So there really are others."

The lieutenant, who had survived by luck, flew into a rage. He climbed to his feet and led the others in pursuit of Wade. At the corner, Wade shouted, "A kind mercenary is telling you gentlemen that I planted plenty of bombs along the way. Watch yourselves."

"There are more bombs?"

Everyone was startled, and their footsteps immediately slowed. After thinking for a moment, the lieutenant ordered the surveillance room, "Trap that guy."

The guard in the surveillance room replied helplessly, "We can’t. That guy is extremely cunning. He keeps moving through the cameras’ blind spots."