54: Hell on Earth!, Tony's rage

On the cold ground, William Stryker regained consciousness after twenty minutes of being unconscious. Aside from headache, he didn't experience any other discomfort, but he felt disoriented.

He could only remember up until the moment he saw the X-Men's statement on the internet. His memory seemed to have a gap for the past hour or so.

"Did I really fall asleep in my office for over an hour? That doesn't seem right..."

Being someone with disciplined habits, he found it hard to believe that he would doze off in his office, especially during a crucial phase of his plan.

He attempted to recollect what he had been doing before he fell asleep.

"Wait, the X-Men issued that confident statement about capturing the assassin. Something feels off about this. I need to contact Adam Robert immediately..."

Shaking his head, William Stryker got up and prepared to make a call.

However, in that moment, a forceful knocking on his office door startled him. Irritation flickered across his face as he turned his attention to the one-way glass window, only to be met with a chaotic scene outside as people ran in a frenzy.

An ominous foreboding crept into his mind, and he swiftly opened the door. However, something about the door felt strange. It seemed like it wasn't locked.

Before he could process this oddity, a subordinate's face filled with terror appeared before him. The subordinate spoke urgently, "Colonel, the X-Men are infiltrating!"

"What?!"

William Stryker was taken aback and unable to comprehend the situation. He questioned, "What do you mean? Weren't they supposed to be after Nightcrawler?"

"Yes?"

The subordinate who had knocked on the door also seemed bewildered. "Colonel, what are you talking about? That happened more than half an hour ago!"

"Captain Robert's special team, along with Death Girl and Wade Wilson's Weapon X team, were captured at the church"

"The entire event was broadcast live, and you can watch it on the news"

Though his subordinate's face was contorted with fear, a strange look crossed his features. If not for knocking on the door just now, he might have thought the Colonel had been assassinated right in his office.

Something felt odd... Did the Colonel truly have no awareness of the situation at hand?

"More than half an hour ago?!"

William Stryker's face underwent a dramatic shift, and he instinctively glanced at the clock outside.

In the next instant, his body began to tremble involuntarily. He had only dozed off briefly, so how had the situation escalated so drastically?

Despite having the upper hand and being well-prepared, he couldn't even manage to handle a few X-Men?

Moreover, things appeared to have taken a complete U-turn?

"Damn it! What the hell happened?!"

With a fragmentary memory, he couldn't comprehend the rapid progression of events. He found himself gripping his subordinate's collar out of frustration and shouting in anger, "Why didn't you inform me about this major incident?!"

"We did inform you, Colonel..."

The officer he held looked bewildered. "The incident at the church occurred, and we came to inform you right away. You assured us you had a solution and advised us not to worry or disturb you..."

"I said that?!"

Although William Stryker's memory was hazy, he had a sense that something was amiss. Shock, doubt, and disbelief danced in his eyes as he tried to piece together the puzzle.

But at this moment, there was little time to find answers.

A deafening boom reverberated as Iron Man's pulse cannon ruthlessly obliterated the final defense layer of the base. Figures streamed in from the outside.

The live broadcast on Daily Global continued its coverage. Even during the monotonous twenty-minute flight, no one changed the channel.

Upon reaching the Alkali Lake river, Eddie Brock hastily grabbed the camera, following the X-Men and delivering on-the-spot commentary.

"Dear viewers, we have arrived at the experimental base of the Weapon Project X..."

"Mr. Tony Stark has also arrived and is currently searching for the secret entrance Adam Robert mentioned..."

"I wonder if Colonel William Stryker will still be present here after watching our live broadcast..."

Eddie spoke a few words, and the camera focused on Iron Man, who had arrived first. After a brief search, Iron Man located the base's secret entrance and forcefully breached it.

The X-Men promptly followed suit.

Eddie held the camera, surrounded by the NYPD officers, including Catherine and others. While not as physically fit as the well-trained detectives, his enthusiasm far outweighed any exhaustion he felt.

At this moment, he was more exhilarated and energized than anyone else, making the physical strain seem trivial.

The live feed continued to advance, capturing the unfolding events.

Inside the base, Iron Man proceeded without employing more firepower. Instead, he physically overpowered the guards along the way, sending them flying.

Soon, the secret laboratory of the Weapon X Project was revealed to the audience.

Although the interior space wasn't vast, it was populated by a considerable number of people, divided across multiple floors.

The top layer appeared quite ordinary. However, the second and third floors provoked reactions from Eddie Brock and the audience...

Hundreds of iron cages filled the space, each containing a mutant confined within an extremely limited area.

These mutants possessed various powers, yet each one was subject to targeted mistreatment.

Those with ice abilities were surrounded by high-temperature glass enclosures...

Individuals capable of controlling fire faced low-temperature injections intermittently sprayed around their cages...

Winged mutants found themselves tethered mid-air by chains...

Many were strapped to tables, their bodies penetrated by an array of experimental equipment...

Certain pieces of equipment went directly into their throats or brains...

Throughout the space, faint wails echoed ceaselessly, making the sight of every mutant deeply distressing.

Viewers witnessed some who didn't even possess superpowers, evident victims of the experiments on ordinary humans!

"This...?!"

The scene left everyone speechless. The four X-Men were almost consumed by rage.

With a bellow, Wolverine extended his Adamantium claws and lunged forward. He tore apart the restraints binding the cages one after another while charging ahead!

"Striker, you're truly despicable!"

Outraged shouts reverberated through the audience.

"The military has been conducting such inhumane experiments..."

Concurrently, Iron Man reached the central computer on the third floor. Under the threat of his pulse gun, all the experimenters complied meekly.

He deftly operated the computer, causing a barrage of data to populate the large screen.

Eddie Brock hastily aimed the camera at the screen.

Instantaneously, the audience was presented with the profiles of each experimental subject.

Among them was indeed Nightcrawler. Furthermore, his experiments revolved around the control of cerebral fluids.

"Indeed, the man behind the presidential assassination is William Stryker!"

At this point, even those who harbored prejudice against mutants could no longer doubt the truth. But the most unsettling discovery lay in...

The list of mutants slated for capture. Most of them hailed from conventional families, their parents holding legitimate occupations!

Teenagers, even children... they were not in short supply!

Now, even Tony Stark's visage couldn't conceal his sense of dread.

"Madman!"

Locating the entrance to the inner sanctum, he blasted it open with a pulse and stormed inside. Addressing William Stryker, he declared, "On the Stark family's honor, I promise you this: the rest of your life will be spent behind bars!"

William Stryker, who had just stepped out of his office, slumped to the floor once more.

What on earth was happening? How did Iron Man arrive? Why were reporters following the X-Men? Was that man still broadcasting the events live?

"F**K!!"

This scream of confusion, anger, surrender, and despair officially signaled the end of William Stryker's era. His time had come to an end.

Though belated, the mutants' retribution had arrived. And... death followed in its wake.