Hydra's scheme rapidly fermented beneath the surface.
They cleverly exploited the military's conflicting desire for and fear of "supernatural powers," especially its extreme attitude toward mutants, and meticulously fabricated a piece of intelligence.
Information regarding "three Asian targets possessing powerful mind control and telekinesis" was quietly delivered to Colonel William Stryker's desk.
Just as Hydra had expected, the officer, notorious for his extreme hatred of mutants and his enthusiasm for cruel live experiments, immediately displayed intense interest.
His gaze fixed firmly on the little girl described in the intelligence, the one with terrifying telekinesis—Pandora.
"Perfect material... A young mutant, and Asian too..." Stryker's eyes gleamed with sick excitement. In his view, capturing such a target carried little risk and gave him no psychological burden whatsoever.
He immediately began mobilizing the secret resources and special forces under his control.
Meanwhile, a briefing on "an unknown superpowered individual with potential research value" was also placed on General Ross's desk.
However, General Ross was currently devoting all his energy to his "Super Soldier Program" and had little interest in several mysterious "mutants."
Still, out of professional vigilance and the belief that it was better to be prepared, he assigned observers to keep a close watch on developments and wait until the targets' value had been confirmed before making a decision.
Stryker acted with extraordinary efficiency.
He dispatched a mutant special operations squad he had carefully cultivated, including Wolverine Logan, Sabretooth Victor, and the elite mercenary Wade Wilson, who had not yet been transformed into Deadpool.
To ensure nothing could go wrong, he also mobilized a heavily armed, highly trained heavy-weapons unit to support the operation, intending to complete the capture with overwhelming force.
Hydra, meanwhile, remained hidden behind the scenes, waiting for the optimal moment when both sides had suffered losses or the