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Starting in 'The Boys' to Become the Ultimate Lifeform_chapter_0424_en
Chapter 424
Chapter 422: Cooperation! (Strong Comeback, Currently Serializing!)
"I bet they have no idea that this is Butcher's territory," Stryker thought, a hint of mockery in his gaze as he watched their relaxed postures. You see, ever since the White House Incident, Butcher had essentially been equated with a bloodthirsty terrorist. If these guys knew that the owner here was the infamous Butcher, they'd probably bolt immediately. That scene would be quite spectacular.
It was a shame, though, that he was here to ask Butcher for help. Otherwise, he wouldn't mind spreading the word to cause the other party some trouble.
Just then, a male waiter walked up to him and asked with a smile, "Hello, how may I help you?"
Stryker's gaze swept across his face and nodded slightly. "Do you know Victor? Do you know where he is?"
"You mean the guy who just arrived? Of course, I know him. He should be at the bar counter right now," the male waiter said, pointing in a direction.
"Thank you."
The Vought Club First Floor Lobby wasn't very large, roughly four to five hundred square meters. In the center of the lobby, there were a few gambling tables, and directly in front of the tables was the bar counter.
Stryker planned to find Victor before meeting Butcher to see if he could get more information about Butcher from him.
Ideally, he wanted to know what Butcher needed or liked, so he could ensure the upcoming cooperation negotiation would proceed smoothly.
However, in response to his inquiry, Victor shook his head and said frankly, "Although he saved me from Mr. Jervis, we haven't had much contact. I haven't even met him more than five times. But he is indeed very strong. Besides Mystique, he seems to have other mutants under him."
As he spoke, he turned his head to glance at A-Train, who was standing not far away, watching him. He lowered his voice and said, "See that black man wearing goggles over there? His name is A-Train. He has the ability of high-speed movement. It's because he's been monitoring me that I can't escape this hellhole."
"Another guy who just popped up out of nowhere," Stryker said, looking at A-Train. He carefully observed him, and after confirming he had no impression of him whatsoever, he couldn't help but frown.
Although mutants were extremely mysterious to ordinary humans, in the eyes of someone in his position, they weren't really that big of a deal. With the powerful intelligence gathering capability of the US Government, he even had a list of mutants, containing the identity information of dozens, even hundreds, of mutants, including their home address, the school they attended, and which stores they liked to shop at.
Basically, once a mutant exposed their ability, they were under the surveillance of the US Government. So, most mutants were discovered as soon as they awakened their abilities. What puzzled Stryker was that neither Homelander, nor Butcher, nor even that guy named A-Train, had ever appeared on the list. It was as if they had appeared out of thin air. "Absurd. Are the people in the intelligence department asleep?" Stryker complained.
"Colonel Stryker, how's the situation on your end? I read the latest issue of The Providence Journal. I really didn't expect that guy to dare expose the matter. Doesn't he know who is behind the scenes supporting us?" Compared to dwelling on where Butcher and the others came from, Victor was more concerned about the situation at Three Mile Island. After all, even within the Vought Club, he could hear people discussing the mutant base. One could imagine how big the commotion in the outside public opinion was.
Upon mentioning this, Stryker's complexion immediately darkened, his voice laced with anger. "The situation is terrible. That guy Mr. Jervis owns several highly renowned newspapers, and they are all publicizing this matter. The US Government can't suppress it. I heard the people above wanted to negotiate with him, asking him not to make such a big fuss, but he flatly refused. He even said that the American people should enjoy the right to freedom of the press. Damn it, I think he just wants to use us as a stepping stone to make his Jie Er Company famous overnight!"
"But this isn't the worst part," Stryker said in an annoyed tone. "If it were just this, I wouldn't need to ask a mutant for help. I would just need to destroy all the evidence, then transfer the mutants from the base out, and finally flatly deny everything. No one could do anything to me. The problem is there's not enough time. Damn it, I'm being targeted by Homelander. Maybe that guy has already flown above the base, ready to act at any moment."
"Can't we just blow up the base? A gas pipeline leak, or an accidental fire, just find any excuse," Victor, who did Stryker's dirty work, knew very well how shady the things in the base were. If they were really exposed, he and Stryker would definitely end up in a military court, with no hope of survival.
"You think I don't want to? Don't forget, there's a nuclear reactor near the base. In case of a serious nuclear leak, we're also facing certain death."
Stryker was now deeply regretting it. Back then, for the sake of concealment and considering that few people would approach a nuclear power plant, he built the base on Three Mile Island. Logically speaking, there was almost no risk of exposure. But who would have thought that people from the Weiss Newspaper Agency would find it, even sneak in, and take many photos.
"Now we can only seek cooperation with Butcher and have him deal with the superheroes under Jie Er Company." Saying this, Stryker paused and continued, "While he holds off Homelander, I will transfer those mutants out and destroy the relevant information in the base."
However, in fact, Stryker just wanted Butcher to go to Three Mile Island because he had placed enough explosives in the base. As soon as Butcher and Homelander engaged in combat, he would immediately detonate the explosives, blowing the entire base into ruins. By then, even if it caused a nuclear leak, it would have nothing to do with him. All the blame could be dumped onto Homelander and Butcher. He could even leverage the public opinion to directly ruin Jie Er Company, making it a public enemy.
Of course, Stryker couldn't tell Victor the true plan. Therefore, it was still hard to say who had the upper hand at the moment. The only variable was whether Butcher would choose to cooperate with him.
"Do you need me to go help?" Victor asked.
"Not for now. Just stay here. It's best if you can find an opportunity to join the Vought Club and gain Butcher's trust." Wolverine was currently on Three Mile Island. How could Stryker possibly let the two brothers meet?
(end of chapter)
"I bet they have no idea that this is Butcher's territory," Stryker thought, a hint of mockery in his gaze as he watched their relaxed postures. You see, ever since the White House Incident, Butcher had essentially been equated with a bloodthirsty terrorist. If these guys knew that the owner here was the infamous Butcher, they'd probably bolt immediately. That scene would be quite spectacular.
It was a shame, though, that he was here to ask Butcher for help. Otherwise, he wouldn't mind spreading the word to cause the other party some trouble.
Just then, a male waiter walked up to him and asked with a smile, "Hello, how may I help you?"
Stryker's gaze swept across his face and nodded slightly. "Do you know Victor? Do you know where he is?"
"You mean the guy who just arrived? Of course, I know him. He should be at the bar counter right now," the male waiter said, pointing in a direction.
"Thank you."
The Vought Club First Floor Lobby wasn't very large, roughly four to five hundred square meters. In the center of the lobby, there were a few gambling tables, and directly in front of the tables was the bar counter.
Stryker planned to find Victor before meeting Butcher to see if he could get more information about Butcher from him.
Ideally, he wanted to know what Butcher needed or liked, so he could ensure the upcoming cooperation negotiation would proceed smoothly.
However, in response to his inquiry, Victor shook his head and said frankly, "Although he saved me from Mr. Jervis, we haven't had much contact. I haven't even met him more than five times. But he is indeed very strong. Besides Mystique, he seems to have other mutants under him."
As he spoke, he turned his head to glance at A-Train, who was standing not far away, watching him. He lowered his voice and said, "See that black man wearing goggles over there? His name is A-Train. He has the ability of high-speed movement. It's because he's been monitoring me that I can't escape this hellhole."
"Another guy who just popped up out of nowhere," Stryker said, looking at A-Train. He carefully observed him, and after confirming he had no impression of him whatsoever, he couldn't help but frown.
Although mutants were extremely mysterious to ordinary humans, in the eyes of someone in his position, they weren't really that big of a deal. With the powerful intelligence gathering capability of the US Government, he even had a list of mutants, containing the identity information of dozens, even hundreds, of mutants, including their home address, the school they attended, and which stores they liked to shop at.
Basically, once a mutant exposed their ability, they were under the surveillance of the US Government. So, most mutants were discovered as soon as they awakened their abilities. What puzzled Stryker was that neither Homelander, nor Butcher, nor even that guy named A-Train, had ever appeared on the list. It was as if they had appeared out of thin air. "Absurd. Are the people in the intelligence department asleep?" Stryker complained.
"Colonel Stryker, how's the situation on your end? I read the latest issue of The Providence Journal. I really didn't expect that guy to dare expose the matter. Doesn't he know who is behind the scenes supporting us?" Compared to dwelling on where Butcher and the others came from, Victor was more concerned about the situation at Three Mile Island. After all, even within the Vought Club, he could hear people discussing the mutant base. One could imagine how big the commotion in the outside public opinion was.
Upon mentioning this, Stryker's complexion immediately darkened, his voice laced with anger. "The situation is terrible. That guy Mr. Jervis owns several highly renowned newspapers, and they are all publicizing this matter. The US Government can't suppress it. I heard the people above wanted to negotiate with him, asking him not to make such a big fuss, but he flatly refused. He even said that the American people should enjoy the right to freedom of the press. Damn it, I think he just wants to use us as a stepping stone to make his Jie Er Company famous overnight!"
"But this isn't the worst part," Stryker said in an annoyed tone. "If it were just this, I wouldn't need to ask a mutant for help. I would just need to destroy all the evidence, then transfer the mutants from the base out, and finally flatly deny everything. No one could do anything to me. The problem is there's not enough time. Damn it, I'm being targeted by Homelander. Maybe that guy has already flown above the base, ready to act at any moment."
"Can't we just blow up the base? A gas pipeline leak, or an accidental fire, just find any excuse," Victor, who did Stryker's dirty work, knew very well how shady the things in the base were. If they were really exposed, he and Stryker would definitely end up in a military court, with no hope of survival.
"You think I don't want to? Don't forget, there's a nuclear reactor near the base. In case of a serious nuclear leak, we're also facing certain death."
Stryker was now deeply regretting it. Back then, for the sake of concealment and considering that few people would approach a nuclear power plant, he built the base on Three Mile Island. Logically speaking, there was almost no risk of exposure. But who would have thought that people from the Weiss Newspaper Agency would find it, even sneak in, and take many photos.
"Now we can only seek cooperation with Butcher and have him deal with the superheroes under Jie Er Company." Saying this, Stryker paused and continued, "While he holds off Homelander, I will transfer those mutants out and destroy the relevant information in the base."
However, in fact, Stryker just wanted Butcher to go to Three Mile Island because he had placed enough explosives in the base. As soon as Butcher and Homelander engaged in combat, he would immediately detonate the explosives, blowing the entire base into ruins. By then, even if it caused a nuclear leak, it would have nothing to do with him. All the blame could be dumped onto Homelander and Butcher. He could even leverage the public opinion to directly ruin Jie Er Company, making it a public enemy.
Of course, Stryker couldn't tell Victor the true plan. Therefore, it was still hard to say who had the upper hand at the moment. The only variable was whether Butcher would choose to cooperate with him.
"Do you need me to go help?" Victor asked.
"Not for now. Just stay here. It's best if you can find an opportunity to join the Vought Club and gain Butcher's trust." Wolverine was currently on Three Mile Island. How could Stryker possibly let the two brothers meet?
(end of chapter)
