Top-secret files exposed, a hidden thread in Siberia

Within the Negative Zone, the realm constructed of skeletons and deathly silence fell into an even deeper state of stagnation because of Jean Grey's words.

"Mutant Gene-Fusion Experiments."

These words, like pebbles thrown into a still well, did not create any turbulent waves, but rather stirred up layers of invisible ripples beneath the oppressive calm.

Lynn sat on the Throne, his fingers supporting his chin remaining still, but his gaze sharpened slightly. He looked at the Red-haired Woman before him who had just perfectly completed the "Data Migration" for him; her face held a complex expression of discovery, a mixture of pride and astonishment.

Unexpected gains are often more valuable than planned results.

Especially in this unpredictable world.

"Continue." Lynn's voice was devoid of emotion; he simply uttered two words calmly.

A sickly blush rose on Jean Grey's pale face, a direct response to her master's further attention. She stepped forward, bowed slightly, her posture devout and humble, like a witch offering her most precious sacrifice to Deity.

"The encryption level of this intelligence far surpasses that of ' Project Insight.' Pierce himself doesn't even have full access; he's only responsible for providing resources and logistical support. The specific project is handled by a secret director codenamed ' Winter General.'"

Qin closed her eyes, and the powerful and pure Phoenix Force once again dissipated. But this time, it did not transform into a raging inferno that burned everything, but instead condensed into a gentle spiritual bridge that only Lynn could perceive.

Instead of using words, she chose the most efficient and private way of reporting—spiritual sharing.

This is the privilege of the victors, and also the cruelest silent humiliation for the other two "losers".

Not far from the Throne, Hela and Wanda, who had been ordered to perform "security" and "survival" duties, almost simultaneously felt the establishment of that Mind Link.

It was a profound fusion that was absolutely exclusive and allowed no third party to pry into it.

Lynn and Qin were sharing the same space of thought at this moment.

They were isolated.

Like two department managers anxiously awaiting the outcome of a meeting, locked outside the chairman's office, while inside, the competitor who had just won a key project was having a secret conversation with the chairman, deciding on the future allocation of resources.

Hela's dark green eyes instantly darkened, and the Aura of Death around her surged uncontrollably, causing a thin layer of frost to cover the bone ground beneath her feet. She forcibly suppressed this agitation, but her clenched fists and the fact that she was completely unaware that her nails were digging into her palms betrayed her extreme unwillingness.

Wanda's situation is even worse.

Her Scarlet eyes were fixed on the direction where the Mind Link had been established. The energy of Chaos Magic flickered and danced uneasily at her fingertips, emitting a soft "sizzling" sound. Her lips were pressed together until they turned white, her chest heaving violently, and jealousy and panic, like two venomous snakes, were frantically gnawing at her heart.

She lost, not only losing the initiative to "make amends," but now she has been completely excluded from the core information circle.

Lynn was having a private conversation with Qin...

This realization was more unbearable for her than any actual punishment. She felt herself being marginalized, losing her master's attention. And in this survival game where "favor" was the sole objective, losing attention was tantamount to a death sentence.

At the same time, Lynn's consciousness, guided by Jean, had already delved into the Top Secret files unearthed from the deepest part of Pierce's brain.

A vast, snow-covered Siberia wilderness slowly unfolded before his eyes.

Beneath the surface lies a massive, unimaginably large steel Bastion. Countless staff members in white lab coats hurry about, their faces expressionless, like a group of sophisticated machines.

The scene shifts, Lynn "sees" cylindrical glass containers filled with strong male bodies. Mechanical arms are injecting some kind of blue serum into their bodies, accompanied by violent convulsions and silent roars, their muscles visibly expanding and hardening.

This is Hydra's "Super Soldier Mass Production Plan," which is far more sophisticated and brutal than the rudimentary Winter Soldier project in Crossbones' memory.

But that's not the core issue.

The spirit of the harp guided Lynn's "vision" through the heavily guarded isolation doors, leading him to the lowest level of the base.

The sight here is enough to instantly break any person of sound mind.

In the small, Special Alloy made cages, no longer were ordinary soldiers imprisoned, but a group of young children.

Their eyes were filled with fear, numbness, and the madness of being tortured to the extreme.

Their bodies exhibited various bizarre and inhuman forms.

One boy's arm had turned into a sharp bone blade, another girl's skin seemed to be crackling with electricity, and a thin boy's every breath caused the surrounding air temperature to plummet.

Mutants.

This is Hydra's Mutants experimentation base.

What chilled Lynn's eyes even more was the deeper experimental record he saw. Those mad scientists were trying to extract Genes fragments from these Mutants and fuse them with the serum of "Super-Soldiers".

They attempted to create an Absolute Obedience Legion of monsters who possessed both the physical strength of Super-Soldiers and the bizarre abilities of Mutants.

Most of the experiments failed. The experimental subjects who failed to fuse turned into pools of indescribable flesh and blood in extreme agony.

But a few... succeeded.

The scene finally freezes on a solitary, top-security isolation cell. A man, his body riddled with tubes and strapped to a metal bed, is in an extremely unstable state, sometimes as strong as an ox, sometimes as thin as a rake. But when he occasionally opens his eyes, what flashes in them is an extreme cold storm capable of freezing the soul.

He is the "Winter General," both the project manager and the strongest experimental subject.

A monster formed from a combination of Super Soldier Serum and the Genes of multiple Mutants.

The Mind Link slowly broke down.

Lynn's consciousness returned to the Throne, and the scene before his eyes changed from the bloody laboratory back to the empty, desolate Negative Zone.

His fingers tapped lightly on the skeletal armrest.

Jean Grey's report opened a whole new door for him.

Mutants forces.

This is a vast, chaotic, yet infinitely powerful force in the Marvel Universe. Professor X's Academy approach is too idealistic, while Magneto's Brotherhood too extreme. They are like valuable, unintegrated resources scattered around the world.

Hydra's base was practically a gift delivered to their doorstep.

It not only exposed Hydra's last trump card, but more importantly, it provided a perfect entry point.

Rescuing the imprisoned Mutants, recruiting them, and then using them as the core to integrate the entire Mutant Race... this strategy is far more interesting than simply eliminating the remnants of Hydra.

Lynn's lips finally curved into a truly satisfied smile.

He was generous with his praise, his gaze fixed on Qin Ge'ge Lei, as if admiring a flawless work of art.

"You did a great job, Jyn."

He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet clearly reaching the ears of everyone present. "This intelligence is very useful to me. You've found the direction for our next 'key project'."

"Key Projects"

These four words, like an imperial edict, instantly determined Jean Grey's status.

She was no longer "making amends for her mistakes," but rather made a "pioneering" contribution.

Qin's body trembled slightly with excitement. She stared at Lynn with fascination, as if she wanted to etch his image into her soul.

Meanwhile, Hela and Wanda's expressions were extremely grim.

The flames of jealousy nearly consumed their reason.

They clearly saw that when Lynn was praising Qin, he didn't even glance at them out of the corner of his eye.

This complete disregard chilled them to the bone with more chilling cold and terror than any punishment.

Lynn enjoyed the atmosphere.

This is exactly the effect he wants. By engaging in fierce competition among his "subordinates," he can effortlessly grasp the core secrets of global underworld forces. At the same time, he can use the distribution of "favors" to firmly control their emotions and loyalty.

This art of managing subordinates is far more interesting than simply suppressing them with force.

Just as Lynn was about to announce the arrangements for the next "project" and allocate this newly acquired resource, his brow suddenly twitched almost imperceptibly.

A faint yet extremely persistent signal is attempting to connect to his Psychic Network.

This signal source is peculiar; it does not use modern network protocols, but instead travels on an extremely ancient, Top Secret communication band riddled with physical encryption and quantum entanglement algorithms.

That was the last emergency line established by S.H.I.E.L.D.. Cold War to prevent communication disruptions in the event of a nuclear war.

Of all the people in S.H.I.E.L.D.., only one person can utilize this line of command.

A playful smile appeared on Lynn's lips.

It seems that the one-eyed Director, who had been terrified by him, finally mustered up the courage after a brief period of panic and decided to take the initiative to approach this "terrorist"... to negotiate.