svetikya Page 30
Page 30
The blurry reddish-gold ray waveform on the left is highlighted next to it for comparison.
Hank frantically operated the control panel, issuing commands continuously: "Increase to 25%... Scattering mode... Maximum power burst... Maintain for 5 seconds..."
Scott did as instructed, and the red beam of light emitted from behind the quartz glasses sometimes condensed like a spear, and sometimes spread out like a fan, with varying intensities.
Each launch is faithfully recorded on the right-hand waveform spectrum, and compared with the reddish-gold ray spectrum on the left-hand spectrum at a high speed, in multiple dimensions, and in-depth at the molecular energy level.
The only sounds in the lab were the soft hum of the instruments, the distinctive hum of Scott firing beams, and the occasional parameter commands from Hank.
The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Jean's gaze shifted between Scott's focused profile and the comparative data on the screen, a hint of concern in her eyes.
Flash, with its milk tea straw in its mouth, curiously scanned back and forth between the two diagrams, seemingly trying to understand the complex lines.
Coulson stood with his arms crossed in front of him, his expression calm, but he stared intently at each comparison result on the screen.
Time passed by minute by minute.
Finally, Hank stopped operating and carefully examined the final analysis report.
He then looked up at Professor Xavier and Coulson, his tone carrying a hint of excitement and certainty characteristic of researchers:
"The comparison results are clear and accurate. Whether considering the core energy frequency, spectral composition, particle flow characteristics, power decay mode, or even the spatiotemporal curvature perturbation characteristics at the moment of the energy burst, there is a fundamental and enormous difference between Scott's capabilities and the thermal rays captured in the images."
Hank shrugged, his blue face displaying a very human-like expression. "It's like... trying to use a finely crafted key to open a lock made entirely of alien metal with an internal structure as complex as a nebula. It's a complete mismatch! To put it bluntly, the focus is different. The energy particles that Scott's eyes emitted have extremely high impact, which can be understood as impacts. High impact will generate friction, so it can also produce a high-temperature melting effect. The rays in the video are more inclined towards extreme high temperatures."
The moment Hank finished speaking, Scott's tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.
The crowd nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Coulson's professional smile deepened, clearly satisfied with the result, at least eliminating a key inside suspect.
He turned to Professor Xavier: “Thank you very much, Professor, and thank you to Dr. Hank and Mr. Summers for your full cooperation. This result is crucial to us, eliminating a key direction. Director Fury will receive a detailed report.”
Professor Xavier nodded slightly, his expression thoughtful: "It's an honor to be able to help S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Coulson. This unknown power... is so powerful, yet so unfamiliar. Hopefully, it's just one of our own, and not a threat from beyond the stars."
Just as Coulson was about to leave and the atmosphere in the lab had just eased, a deep, hoarse voice, thick with smoke and an air of untamed arrogance, suddenly rang out at the door, accompanied by a thick cloud of cigar smoke drifting in:
"Oh? The results are in? I knew it had nothing to do with our 'Upright Captain'."
Everyone followed the sound.
Logan, also known as Wolverine, was leaning against the laboratory door, a thick, lit cigar dangling from his mouth, his arms crossed over his chest, his muscles bulging.
His signature defiant gaze was fixed on Scott, a hint of undisguised mockery playing on his lips.
He took a deep drag of his cigar, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze sweeping over the two devastating crimson-gold rays frozen on the screen. He then deliberately looked Scott up and down, who was standing ramrod straight in his X-Men uniform, and said slowly and deliberately in his distinctive, sandpaper-like voice:
"Tsk, Hank, stop trying to make amends for him." He clicked his tongue in a cryptic way.
Hank pursed his lips and lowered his head slightly in embarrassment.
"That guy in the video... the stuff shooting out of his eyes, tsk tsk, it looks like he's stuffing miniature solar flares into his eye sockets and then squeezing them out to blow people up."
He raised a thick eyebrow at Scott, his smile widening to reveal gleaming white teeth. "Scott, the red light shooting out of your precious glasses... ha!" He let out a short, mocking laugh. "Seriously, buddy, yours looks more like... um... a high-powered laser toy gun? It would be perfect for lighting birthday cake candles."
The laboratory fell silent instantly, with only the low hum of the instruments running.
Scott's face flushed bright red instantly, all the way down to his neck. His eyes behind his glasses suddenly became incredibly sharp, his body tensed up like a fully drawn bow, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
He whirled around, staring intently at Logan, who stood defiantly in the doorway, his voice practically choked out, burning with rage:
"Logan! You... Army!"
Jean immediately rubbed her forehead and sighed helplessly, "Logan!"
A force field quickly enveloped the area, attempting to prevent the situation from escalating.
Hank quickly operated the control panel, and several energy absorption targets in the laboratory instantly lit up with defensive lights, ready to intercept any possible shock beams.
Shan Shan shrank back, quickly took another big gulp of milk tea, and darted her big eyes around between the two men who were on the verge of exchanging blows, as if watching the prelude to a wonderful drama.
Coulson maintained his perfect smile, subtly taking a small step back, gently placing his empty teacup on the nearby table, and seizing the opportunity to take his leave. Harmonious interactions within the mutant community were clearly not on his to-do list.
55. Who's in favor? Who's against? [Please subscribe]
The top floor of TCRI headquarters houses a conference room with the highest level of security.
The air was so heavy it almost solidified into lead.
Beside the enormous circular conference table, a handful of core high-level executives stood ashen-faced.
The screen displayed shocking images:
Aerial view of the ruins of the Pennsylvania factory. Although the flames have died down, the charred and twisted steel structures, collapsed factory buildings, and scattered debris of precision instruments create a hellish scene.
Rescue and investigation workers crawled across the ruins like ants, but to no avail.
The devastating scene at the Houston plant’s “precision furnace” looks as if it has been ravaged by an invisible behemoth. The core area has been “hollowed out”, leaving only a deep pit emitting black smoke, with molten and solidified metal at the edges.
The TCRI stock price chart shows a precipitous drop, resembling a sharp sickle that halved the company's market value.
"Bang!" A crystal ashtray was smashed against the bulletproof glass wall, shattering into pieces.
Schreid stood before the main seat, his back to the crowd, his shoulders trembling slightly from the barely suppressed rage.
He was no longer the shrewd, ruthless controller he once was; 490 was now more like a trapped beast, its fangs bared, cornered on the edge of a cliff.
"Useless! A bunch of utterly useless trash!" Schreid's voice was low and hoarse, filled with chilling murderous intent. "Two top-tier laboratories were taken down like they were in their own backyard, without even a trace! And now? Our cash cows, our facade, have been crushed like ants in the dead of night! The vultures of Wall Street are tearing us apart! Tell me, who is the enemy?!"
The meeting room was deathly silent, save for the low hum of the equipment and the heavy breathing of the machines.
No one dared to look directly at Schleider's back, and no one could answer his questions.
The security supervisor's head was almost buried under the table, and the cyber defense manager was as pale as a sheet.
“An internal investigation?” Schreid whirled around, his hawk-like gaze sweeping over everyone. “What did they find? A ‘system malfunction’? An ‘operational error’? Or some disgruntled ‘former employee’? Do you think everyone else is an idiot?! Videos! Photos from the scene! They’re everywhere! This is practically a declaration of war!”
(agei) Schleid's roar echoed in the empty, cold conference room, but it could not change the fact that TCRI had changed hands.
At this oppressive and suffocating moment—
"Bang!"
The heavy bulletproof door of the conference room was violently slammed open by a tremendous force, and the door lock alarm sounded shrilly before being instantly extinguished.
Hawke strolled in leisurely, followed by Gu Ziyun, who had an expressionless face and sharp eyes, as well as Emilia and several other core executives of Ryan Capital.
Several TCRI security personnel panicked and tried to stop them, but were frozen in place by Koo Ja-yoon's cold gaze and slightly raised fingertip.
Ignoring the tense atmosphere in the conference room and Schreid's almost fiery gaze, Hawke walked straight to the circular conference table, lightly tapping his fingers on the smooth surface, producing a crisp echo.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said as if announcing afternoon tea, "I apologize for interrupting your...condolences? However, I feel it is necessary to inform you that, as shown on the screen, Lane Capital is now the majority-owned shareholder of TCRI. That is to say, this place," he glanced around, his gaze finally settling on Schreid at the head of the table, "is now mine."
The conference room was deathly silent; even breathing was barely audible.
Schreid stared intently at Hawke, his eyes swirling with unbelievable rage and a hint of humiliation at being trampled upon.
Among the executives, the two men sitting to Schleider's right instantly turned fierce, like wolves.
They were not just businessmen, but high-level henchmen who knew the core secrets of the Big Foot Gang.
Just as Hawke approached the center of the circular conference table, less than three meters away from them, the two suddenly sprang into action without warning!
One man grabbed a heavy metal coffee pot from the table and smashed it into Hawke's temple, while the other man swiftly pulled a poisoned dagger from his suit pocket and stabbed Hawke in the back!
His movements were ruthless and swift, clearly those of a well-trained expert.
"Ah!" Emilia exclaimed in shock, her heart leaping into her throat.
However, Hawke didn't even lift an eyelid.
Gu Ziyun, who was standing to his side and behind, moved.
Her movements were so fast that they were beyond the limits of what the naked eye could perceive; it was as if she had only blurred for a moment.
"Crack! Click!"
Two teeth-grinding, crisp sounds, like crushing dry twigs, erupted almost simultaneously.
The two men, who had been charging at him with murderous intent just a moment ago, suddenly froze, their fierce glint instantly replaced by immense horror and incomprehensible pain.
Their necks were twisted at an angle completely contrary to anatomy, their heads drooped limply, and their bodies, like soft mud with bones removed, fell onto the carpet with two thuds and then fell silent.
The entire conference room seemed to have been muted.
Time seems to have frozen.
All the surviving TCRI executives, including Schreid, had their pupils constrict as if they had seen a ghost.
Emilia covered her mouth, her face deathly pale, and her stomach churned. The excitement and joy she had felt earlier were instantly shattered by the pure and efficient killing before her eyes.
For the first time, she felt so directly the terrifying power of Hawke's "assistant".
Hawke didn't even glance at the corpse on the ground, as if he had merely swept away two specks of dust.
He clapped his hands and gave the stunned crowd a formulaic smile: "Alright, does anyone still have questions about the change of shareholding and the handover of management? Or do you want to try challenging the new boss's authority?"
The remaining people were petrified, shaking their heads frantically, not daring to breathe.
“Very good.” Hawke snapped his fingers. “Amelia, take the executives next door to begin the pleasant handover process.”
Emilia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and gestured to the takeover team from Ryan Capital that she had brought with her.
The remaining few TCRI executives, who had been silent for so long, rose shakily as if they had been pardoned, and left the conference room, which had resembled a battlefield, under the "polite" "escort" of Ryan's team.
The heavy door slowly closed, shutting out the outside world.
Now, only Hawke, Gu Ziyun, and Schreid, who sat in the main seat like someone stranded on an island, remained in the room.
56 A fleeting, mutually beneficial affair [Please subscribe]
Now, only Hawke, Gu Ziyun, and Schreid, who sat in the main seat as if he were trapped on an island, remained in the room.
Hawke walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the bustling Manhattan skyline, as if admiring his new territory.
He had his back to Schleider, his voice relaxed and casual, yet carrying an undeniable command:
“Mr. Schreid, the dust has settled. I have no interest in any threats or warnings you may have up your sleeve. I only care about one thing: where have you hidden that alien guest?”
Schleid looked up abruptly, a flash of shock in his eyes.
“Guest?” He laughed hoarsely, with a hint of mockery. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hawke Lane.”