Unexpectedly Intercepted Mutants, Wanda's Private Designs and False Report
The Scarlet sky, like an inverted, breathing giant bowl, completely isolated the vast snowfields of Siberia, along with the underground Hydra Base, from the world.
This is Wanda's "cage".
She hovered beneath the sky, surrounded by visible Chaos Magic, like a silent, high-ranking deity, overlooking the undead feast orchestrated by Hela below.
The undead army, like a black tide, silently and efficiently washed over, submerged, and devoured the last remaining armaments of the Hydra. The wailing of the Beast Weapon had long since ceased; its massive body, pieced together from technology and flesh, was dismantled into pieces by countless Undead Warriors, leaving only a pile of twisted metal and blurred tissue.
Hela's performance was truly spectacular, brimming with Asgard, undeniable aesthetic of violence. Every crack of bone, every roar of a ghost, was like a magnificent report of victory, ready to be presented before that man's Throne.
Wanda's Scarlet eyes remained completely still.
She wasn't interested in this kind of pure, sweeping destruction. Hela was like a sharp battle axe that only knew how to chop; though incredibly powerful, it lacked... imagination.
Her attention was no longer on the ground.
The perception of Chaos Magic is far more acute and profound than that of the five senses. While constructing a spatial cage, her power, like an invisible spider web, permeated every corner of the base, every line, and every inch of alloy.
She could "hear" the mournful cry of electricity flowing through the pipes, "see" the trajectory of data dissipating in the server after being corrupted by the aura of the dead, and "feel" an extremely faint yet incredibly unique "heartbeat" amidst this symphony of chaos and death.
That was neither the hum of a machine nor the struggle of a dying person.
It was a high-frequency, extremely unstable, forcibly suppressed vibration of life.
It came from the deepest part of the base, an area isolated by layers of lead plates and energy shields. Hela's undead army was busy Sweep the upper-level armed forces and paid no attention to this "cold storage room" hidden deep underground.
Wanda's lips curled into a subtle, unnoticed smile.
Her body remained still, maintaining the posture of sealing off the space, but a wisp of Scarlet magic, thinner than a strand of hair, silently detached from her body, like a living venomous snake, winding its way along the complex ventilation ducts and hidden wiring channels towards the source of the vibration.
We walked through corridors filled with wreckage and frost, and around heavy gates frozen by the aura of the dead.
Finally, the Scarlet magic reached its destination.
This is a circular, enormous cryogenic hibernation chamber. Hundreds of silver-white hibernation pods are arranged in Hive pattern, and most of them have red "dead vital signs" warning lights on them. Inside are various distorted and already dead failed experimental subjects.
But in the very center of the chamber, there were five hibernation pods, emitting a faint blue light that indicated the "life support system was operating."
Wanda's "gaze," through that wisp of magic, focuses on it.
Inside the capsule, submerged in nutrient solution, were five young people under twenty years old. They were covered in various tubes, and their expressions, though calm, were fragile in their deep hibernation.
But their identities are by no means ordinary.
They are Mutants, highly promising "Genes material" secretly scavenged by Hydra from all over the world.
Wanda's gaze swept over them one by one, finally settling on the hibernation pod in the very center.
He was a young man with silver hair. Even in hibernation, his body trembled slightly due to his ultra-fast metabolism. On the monitoring screen next to the pod, a series of data jumped wildly: heart rate, cell activity, energy response... each one far exceeded human limits.
On the nameplate of the hibernation pod, a name was engraved in cold Russian—
Pietro Maximoff.
In an instant, a fragment of memory from another universe, long buried deep within Wanda's soul, flashed by like a spark. The ruins of Sokovia, the figure with silver hair who stood in front of Hawkeye to protect her...
But that negligible sting lasted only 0.01 seconds before being completely crushed and Oblivion by an even stronger and colder will.
She was no longer the Sokovia girl who needed her brother's protection.
She is the Scarlet Witch, Lynn's Wanda.
There was no trace of nostalgia or warmth in her eyes; instead, there was an almost greedy scrutiny and calculation.
Mutants.
This word, like a poisonous thorn, instantly touched her most sensitive nerve.
Jean Grey.
That red-haired woman, that competitor who, relying on her Mutants and the Phoenix Force, could brazenly display her "professionalism" in front of her master.
She can easily control the minds of mutants, and can turn the entire X Academy into a gift to her master. She can even act as the "Queen of Mutants" to integrate this huge power for her master, which is enough to change the world structure.
Wanda wouldn't allow herself to claim all the credit, all of this "assets."
If Jean discovers these young Mutants with immense potential, what will she do?
She would be overjoyed to "rescue" them, soothe them with her fake Telepathy, and then present them to Lynn like trophies, once again claiming credit.
"Look, master, I have found you several more powerful servants."
"Look, Master, in the realm of Mutants, only I am truly indispensable to you."
Just thinking about that scene made the Scarlet arcs of energy on Wanda's fingertips begin to pulsate uncontrollably.
On what grounds?
Why should this credit go to Qin?
No.
Wanda's Scarlet eyes narrowed slightly, and a bold and crazy plan quickly took shape in her mind.
Hela's contribution was destruction. Qin's contribution was integration.
What Wanda wanted was not this kind of one-off, superficial achievement. What she wanted was a true "team" of her own, "private assets" that could continuously create value for herself and her master.
These five young Mutants are the best starting point.
She wouldn't kill them; that would be a waste. Nor would she hand them over to Qin; that would be aiding the enemy.
She wants to... intercept them.
The next second, an even larger and purer Chaos Magic silently surged into the cryogenic hibernation chamber through that slender passage.
No one was alerted, especially Hela, who was still outside enjoying the thrill of the Carnage.
Wanda began her "work".
Her power precisely bypassed the hibernation pods' physical defenses, directly impacting the mental state of the five young Mutants.
That was a modification that was even more domineering and thorough than Jean Grey's Mind Stone control.
Chaos Magic is magic that distorts reality.
It can not only modify memories, but also reshape cognition and alter the very essence of the soul.
In the mind of the silver-haired boy Pietro, those cold and cruel memories of Hydra's experiments are being peeled away and shattered piece by piece.
Instead, a completely new picture has emerged.
They were imprisoned by an evil "Phoenix Banshee" burning with Dark Gold flames, and subjected to mental torture day and night.
In their most desperate moment, a Witch dressed in red, like a Deity, descended. She used her supreme magic to repel the evil banshee and free them from endless suffering.
This Scarlet Witch is their only faith, the only object of their loyalty.
Their lives, their abilities, their will—all would exist for this Witch. And the Witch, in turn, would serve a far more supreme master, whose name could not even be easily mentioned.
Their lifelong mission is to constantly grow stronger, to carry out all the Witch's orders, to eliminate all enemies who dare to covet their master, and ultimately... to one day gain the right to meet that great master.
Wanda's lips curved into a meaningful smile, which became even more pronounced.
She not only wants to steal Qin's "potential assets," but also to plant a deep-seated hatred for "Phoenix" in the souls of these young Mutants.
Cut off the fuel supply at the root of the problem; kill two birds with one stone.
After doing all this, Wanda's Chaos Magic subtly altered the base's Central Database. All experimental data and life support records related to these five Mutants were instantly tampered with and wiped clean.
The records show that all five test subjects died in the energy Impact from the undead Undead Legion due to a malfunction in their life support systems.
No remains were found.
She will become their only "upline," their only "god."
This absolutely loyal Mutants squad, which she created herself, will become her sharpest weapon against Jean Grey in the increasingly fierce Shura Field ahead.
Just then, a familiar Psychic Fluctuation, carrying an aura of absolute dominance, crossed space and gently touched Wanda's consciousness.
It's Lynn.
He sat on his Throne, conducting his routine "work progress" check.
Wanda felt a chill run down her spine and immediately suppressed all her ulterior motives, her entire being becoming incredibly pure and respectful.
"Master," she responded mentally, "The spatial lockdown is stable, and no abnormal escape signs have been detected. Hela's clearing operation... is also nearing completion. All 'valuable' targets within the base have been completely destroyed."
Her report was flawless.
Lynn's Psychic Fluctuation lingered on her for a moment, as if to confirm her condition, before preparing to move away.
But at the very last moment before the Mind Link was about to break, Wanda keenly sensed that Lynn's "gaze" seemed to linger for an extra 0.5 seconds on the hibernation pod data belonging to "Pietro Maximoff," which she had modified and which was now showing "target dead."
Is it just my imagination?
Or... does his master actually know everything?
Wanda's heart skipped a beat.