The blackbird slowly descended into the forest near Lake Alkali, as they were unsure how many outposts and informants Stryker had deployed there.
For safety, they chose the most secure method, hiding the blackbird in the forest.
The dense trees were enough to conceal the blackbird's not-so-large body, and the Mutants' senses, far superior to humans, allowed them to avoid most human eyes and ears.
Of course, if some unlucky pal accidentally stumbled in, these Mutant elites wouldn't mind letting him enjoy a couple more days of wilderness scenery.
Looking through the layers of trees towards the tall Alkali Lake dam, someone asked,
"Do you think that Base is really inside this dam? Why can't I see anything?"
Magneto closed his eyes slightly, and after a while, he opened them and said,
"There is indeed a huge Base beneath the dam, but I can't sense anything inside.
Neither metal nor bio-magnetic fields can I detect.
It seems Stryker has made ample preparations, even shielding against my magnetic field sensing."
"Then how do we get in? Are we just going to waltz up and knock on the door?" Quicksilver voiced the thoughts of many, as courage had begun to gradually drain from them since hearing that Professor Charles might appear in their opposing camp.
This was almost unavoidable.
Magneto naturally understood this, but he had no better solution for the situation, because even he himself was worried about Charles's condition.
Although he had a way to shield against Charles's psychic interference, these Mutant elites around him did not have that ability.
And once Charles was controlled by Stryker, these Mutant elites around him would instantly turn their spears on him.
So, no matter what, he had to act quickly; the longer they dragged it out, the closer the disaster they anticipated would become.
"We don't have much time to waste; even a minute's delay could drag us into the abyss.
Mutants can no longer withstand such storms.
Let's attack directly, and resolve all this in the fastest way possible."
Almost without hesitation, Magneto stated his idea, and in his thoughts, there was hardly any mention of casualties.
Perhaps in his eyes, so-called casualties were merely an acceptable part of the price.
"Oh oh oh.
Do you really want to storm it like that?
That's a military Base, and we don't even know where its door is.
Isn't that a bit too reckless?"
Quicksilver quickly reached out to stop the seemingly impulsive Magneto, pointing at the huge dam and gesticulating with his hands.
"We have no idea what's in there, or even if it's a trap.
Are you just going to rush in and get yourself killed?"
"Then what do you want to do?" Magneto narrowed his eyes, and much could be seen in his gaze towards Quicksilver.
There was disappointment, and anger, but most of all, indifference.
They were father and son, yes, but their relationship had nothing to do with the usual filial piety between human fathers and sons.
For Quicksilver, and even Scarlet Witch, he might still have a tiny bit of paternal affection.
However, compared to his cause and the future of Mutants, this small amount of affection was completely negligible.
Quicksilver knew this too; it was precisely because he couldn't accept Magneto's willingness to sacrifice everything for his so-called cause that he and his sister left the Brotherhood of Mutants and joined S.H.I.E.L.D..
So, even though he now had to work with Magneto for the survival of Mutants, he still had to understand what Magneto was thinking.
"We must find out what's in there, what kind of enemies we'll face.
Or, what's your real plan?"
"I've already told you my plan, which is to seize every second and end this battle that determines the survival of Mutants." Magneto's voice was unwavering; he consistently stuck to his statement.
Quicksilver, however, scoffed; he knew Magneto too well.
"Erik, do you think everyone is a fool?
One thing I've never believed is that you wouldn't have a plan or a backup.
If you're unwilling to be honest, then I won't take Wanda to her death.
Since we're going to die anyway, I'd rather die knowing why."
Listening to Quicksilver's crisp reply, Magneto snorted.
An invisible force instantly spread out.
Countless birds startled from the forest; although no unusual phenomena occurred, everyone present felt a pain spreading through their bodies.
It was the pain caused by their own bio-magnetic fields being forcibly interfered with, and the metallic elements in their bodies becoming agitated.
"Are you doubting your father, Pietro Maximoff?"
"No!" Quicksilver said, gritting his teeth, without the slightest retreat.
"I am questioning you, the World's most insane Mutant leader."
The anger in Magneto's eyes grew fiercer, and he increased his power, making Quicksilver's pain even more intense.
But Quicksilver persisted, clenching his teeth tightly, refusing to lower his head even as his gums bled.
The father and son stubbornly faced off until one person, unable to bear it any longer, intervened to break them apart.
A faint red mist swirled around Quicksilver, and enveloped by this red mist, Quicksilver suddenly let out a long breath, his entire body relaxing.
It was clear that the power Magneto had exerted on him had vanished into thin air.
"Stop it, both of you.
Now is not the time to resolve your conflicts." Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff calmly stood between the two; she was the only one here unafraid of Magneto's formidable power, and the only one who could stop him.
"If you continue to quarrel like this, extinction will be our only outcome."
"Wanda, are you also going to stop my plan?" Magneto narrowed his eyes, staring intently at his daughter.
His feelings for this woman were far more complex than for Quicksilver.
Because Wanda's power was far greater than Quicksilver's, even greater than his own.
That strange, unpredictable, almost unimaginable ability always made Magneto subtly wary of her, especially when he knew that this woman's path diverged from the dream he had pursued his entire life.
"No!" Wanda waved her hand, and the dense red mist in her palm almost coalesced into a real illusion.
"I'm here to resolve your disputes, or rather, I've found some intelligence."
"Intelligence?" Jean, who had been observing from the sidelines, muttered, looking around.
She then noticed a figure appearing among them.
It was a Soldier in special camouflage; from his equipment, it was clear he must be a special forces Soldier, because his gear was rare even among active troops.
It was the kind of stuff ordinary grunts would never even see.
"I found this pal in a hidden spot not far away.
He looks like a pretty elite sniper.
I think we can get some information we want from him." Wanda casually crooked her finger, and with her movement, the elite Soldier walked towards her step by step, like a puppet on strings.
Looking at the Soldier's dazed and foolish appearance, Jean couldn't help but ask,
"Do you think he can tell us any information in his current state?"
"I don't expect him to tell us." Wanda smiled faintly at Jean, and red mist surged from her hand, like it had a life of its own, drilling into the Soldier's eyes, ears, and even mouth.
"We can just look for ourselves."
As she said this, more red mist condensed, floating in mid-air like a blurry mirror.
And then, many figures began to appear in this mirror, all of them guys in military uniforms.
"This is… his memory?" Jean looked at Wanda curiously; she didn't understand how this woman had done it.
Was she also a psychic Mutant, like herself?
Wanda quietly raised her finger and gestured towards the mirror.
"Shh! Look closely, our enemy might be in his memories."
Jean closed her mouth and began to carefully watch the images appearing in the mirror.
Compared to discussing her teammate's abilities, understanding her enemy was more important.
The images in the mirror were intermittent and fragmented, seemingly having forgotten some unimportant things.
Many of them were useless chatter for those watching, but some images did provide them with useful information.
The two most prominent images were:
In one image, many guys with somewhat strange physical features stood in a dimly lit environment, like Soldiers undergoing inspection, standing perfectly straight.
And opposite them, a gray-haired pal in a general's uniform stared at them with eyes that looked at livestock.
At the same time, a voice came from the image.
"Damn it, the General really controlled these Mutant monsters.
What does he want to do, rule the World?"
"Shut up, you idiot.
Do you want to try the General's potion too?"
"You're right, pal.
I really should shut up."
The image slowly moved away from the faces of these controlled Mutants, and at this moment, Jean couldn't help but cover her mouth, saying in an incredulous voice,
"Scott?"
The mirror image did not change due to her emotions, and soon a different scene appeared in the image.
It was a completely sealed door, or rather, a coffin.
Thick layers of metal and tempered glass overlapped and wrapped around each other, creating a huge and special isolated space.
Faint White mist drifted around this thick, coffin-like isolation room, giving people a cold feeling just by looking at it.
And in this huge coffin, through the glass covered with White mist, a small figure, seemingly frozen, could vaguely be seen.
But for this figure, the owner of the viewpoint reacted as if he had seen a demon.
"The General really wants to control this monster.
Oh my God.
He must be crazy."
"Shut up, while this monster hasn't woken up yet, we need to act fast."
"pal, can I quit?
Damn it, I'm really afraid this devil will wake up."
"Quiet, if she wakes up, we're all doomed."
The scene gradually dissipated, finally settling on a door with a carved name.
"Airesha O'Dis."