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chapters: 1450+
word count: 3.7 million
Chapter done: 1450+
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"The Sentinel Program? As far as I know, that thing was once abandoned, personally ordered by you high-ranking officials." Stryker was in a foul mood, his entire face as ugly as if he'd eaten feces, sneering continuously.
These damn politicians were like hyenas chasing after profit; they'd pounce if there was a benefit, and ignore it if there wasn't.
If they had channeled vast resources towards him, Weapon X would have been created long ago, and they would control powerful, controllable Mutant Puppets to fight their wars.
"Stryker, watch your tone. Your Weapon X is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. Sentinel Robots, on the other hand, are different; once a model is developed, it can be mass-produced immediately!" The high-ranking official slammed the table.
Stryker snorted, "As far as I know, Sentinel Robots are just a bunch of ridiculous toys. Three generations of Sentinels were all torn apart by Magneto with a wave of his hand, and Dr. Bolivar Trask was ruthlessly abandoned by you all."
Dr. Bolivar Trask, a talented scientist who stood a mere 1.4 meters tall, proposed the "Sentinel Program" targeting Mutants in the 1970s, attempting to create a batch of Robots specifically designed to hunt Mutants.
Embarrassingly, The Government invested massive funds into this program, developing three models of Sentinel Robots over several decades, all of which Magneto dismantled as if they were his children.
This left them frustrated. How foolish could people be to use steel against Magneto?
"We hope you will oversee the development of the fourth generation of Sentinels. Combining all your X-Gene research findings, we will also provide you with all previous data, including Dr. Bolivar Trask's research on Mystique's shapeshifting cells."
Stryker's expression was unpredictable. If he oversaw the research, high-ranking officials would inevitably send people to monitor him. It would be difficult for him to make progress on both Sentinels and Weapon X simultaneously; he could only use the excuse of researching Sentinels to further his Weapon X research.
"I'll have to find a way to deal with the surveillance… Sentinel Robots? How could those dreadful things be more important than the mysterious X-Gene…"
Stryker pondered, then nodded heavily at the screen. "I don't want you sending an idiot to tell me what to do."
"Of course, the New Sentinel Project is entirely your responsibility. I only want results, results capable of rivaling powerful enemies," the high-ranking official said.
Stryker closed the screen and sat silently in his chair. Clearly, some important figures were getting anxious. Tony was merely a fuse accelerating this anxious mood; in the future, more defiant individuals than Tony would inevitably emerge.
There was one thing he didn't say, and the high-ranking official didn't ask.
Even if a new generation of Sentinels was created, could it stand against Tony? The ability to instantly vivify machinery, to create a Machine Army anywhere, anytime, was simply overpowered. For Sentinel Robots to be effective, the most difficult challenge was immunity to control by Magneto and Tony; otherwise, everything would be for naught.
Going down the Weapon X path meant creating controllable Mutant warriors. But Magneto could directly control the human magnetic field, even absorbing the iron from human bodies—though killing people this way wasn't easy for Magneto, it could at least cause him trouble. Taking the Sentinel Robot route, even with anti-magnetic capabilities, Tony could modify them in minutes, essentially offering them up as fodder to the enemy.
They still hadn't uncovered the secret behind Tony's vivification of machinery, having not a single clue. Including Stryker, who had obtained some machine debris for research but found nothing. Those mysterious particles were practically between existence and non-existence, almost impossible to capture with experimental equipment, intangible. Their unreasonable adhesion ability was enough to make one spit blood in anger.
It was no wonder the high-ranking officials were desperate. If Professor X, with his Memory Alteration abilities, were brought in, these three could truly rule the world.
"We can only target Tony's cells. Without solving this problem, no matter how many Sentinel Robots there are, it will be useless, but…" Stryker hesitated.
The Government had, of course, obtained Tony's hair and cells, and Stryker also had some, but the research results were truly peculiar, and he wasn't yet certain…
Stryker pondered for a long time, then picked up the phone and dialed a number. He wanted to contact the head of another large corporation, who seemed very interested in these fields.
"Mr. Luthor, I'm very interested in the project you mentioned to me…"
"Oh, I was wondering how much longer it would take you to make up your mind. Let me guess, has someone put pressure on you? Are they very dissatisfied with your progress?" On the other end of the line, Lex, the Bank General Manager of LexCorp, said.
"No, I will be taking over a new plan, and I will receive more abundant resources. I need your research materials."
"Sure, I'll send you Tony's data. Also, I've even cloned him, and the research results are very, very, very interesting," Lex chuckled, his laugh quite eerie, making the proud Stryker very uncomfortable.
"Lex Luthor, know your place. Don't casually interfere with Military matters!" Stryker raised his voice. He had his own pride, especially concerning his research on the X-Gene; he was confident that he was the person in this world who held the most secrets.
After patiently chatting for a few more sentences, Stryker hung up first. Tony's phenomenon was very rare; he had already noticed it and had some theories, but what was important was finding a way to counter Tony… although his intuition told him it was almost impossible.
Using machinery against someone who controls machinery? How was that different from carrying steel and proclaiming to smash Magneto to death?
Unless they obtained a panacea-like rare material, dealing with Tony using Sentinel Robots would be too difficult.
What kind of damn Sentinels are these? It's better to research the more targeted Weapon X! These shit-eating politicians!
***
"Spider-Man Is A Laughing Stock Once Again" – Daily Bugle
Under the leadership of the brilliant Boss Jameson, the Daily Bugle began its daily slander of Spider-Man. One could say that the Daily Bugle undoubtedly held the most sincere feelings for Spider-Man in the world; they always felt that life lost its meaning and they were uncomfortable all over if they didn't mock Spider-Man every day.
Many people casually bought this newspaper to read. Old customers were long accustomed to the Daily Bugle's style; blasting Spider-Man was a daily routine for this newspaper.
Peter Parker walked out of the newspaper office, frustrated. He had once again sold his integrity, selling a photo of Spider-Man to the newspaper to earn a little money. But he couldn't help it; their family life was very difficult now. Since Uncle Ben's death, the elderly Aunt May had supported the family for a long time, working hard every day to earn Peter's tuition fees. Although Peter also often worked part-time outside, he always messed things up by helping people, for example, being late delivering pizza and getting fired by his employer.
He spent a lot of his time fighting crime.
Especially with Peter about to graduate from high school and facing the pressure of college tuition, this already difficult family was under immense stress.
It was on this very day that an unexpected guest arrived at Peter's home.
(end of chapter)
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