I Created a Sanctuary in Marvel

Chapter 77 Stryker's Conspiracy with the Hand

Deep within the base, the pale blue light from the surveillance screens illuminated William Stryker's face, making the barely suppressed smile on his lips appear even more strained.

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, producing a regular, muffled sound that was particularly clear in the silent command center.

"God is helping me—"

He whispered, his voice trembling with an almost fanatical intensity.

"Saint Seiya? Sanctuary?"

"If you all die, who will be the pillar of the mutants? This is a golden opportunity!"

He picked up the thin intelligence document on the table, then put it down heavily, as if he had it firmly in his grasp.

He initially felt that his actions might be somewhat hasty and risky, but the Sanctuary's announcement to the world this time undoubtedly handed the opportunity to him.

Logan is indeed a problem; Clarice's teleportation ability is also extremely threatening.

But there are too few people!

According to intelligence, there are only seven people in total who came to New York this time.

Aside from Logan and Clarice, who are already world-renowned, the remaining five are said to be mostly Saint Seiya trainees, with little fame and questionable strength.

In Stryker's eyes, this was a golden opportunity.

The current world order is quietly changing because of the Sanctuary and the mysterious Pope Ye Feng, and the status of mutants seems to be rising accordingly.

This was something he absolutely could not tolerate. So, what if this highly anticipated Saint Seiya army were completely wiped out in New York?

This will undoubtedly deal a heavy blow to the Holy Domain's burgeoning reputation! Even if Pope Ye Feng possesses extraordinary abilities, it will be no easy task for him to restore his reputation in a short period of time.

"We can't wait any longer—"

"Looks like I need to get in touch with an old friend again."

Stryker's eyes flickered with an unpredictable light, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, waiting for its chance to strike.

He thought of the Hand. In the past, he had had several less-than-pleasant but still acceptable collaborations with this mysterious and powerful assassin organization, who had handled some mutant targets for him that were inconvenient for him to deal with himself.

He considered himself to know these ninjas hiding in the shadows fairly well.

Having made up his mind, Stryker immediately pressed the internal communication button and ordered his assistant: "Connect me to the Hand's communication channels."

Tell them that we are willing to offer help.

The assistant responded crisply from the other end of the phone: "Understood, sir."

During the period when the Saint Seiya warriors officially moved into New York, the bustling and chaotic metropolis exhibited an eerie calm.

Street crime, which used to be active under the cover of night, has almost disappeared, and various forces in the underworld seem to have reached some kind of tacit agreement, all lying low.

The city's crime rate plummeted to a historic low, a fact that even the New York Police Department found incredible.

Many media outlets began to exaggerate the significance of this, attributing it all to the arrival of the Saint Seiya and praising them for bringing long-lost peace and order to New York.

However, the general public and journalists were unaware that beneath this seemingly harmonious facade, undercurrents were surging wildly, and a dangerous vortex was already forming. This was merely a suffocating calm before the storm.

Deep within the Hand's secret headquarters.

Madam Gao's withered fingers twirled a string of bone prayer beads, and a smile appeared on her face for the first time since the Holy Domain issued the annihilation notice.

"Interesting—I never expected that at this critical juncture, someone would dare to take the initiative to contact us."

Her voice was hoarse, with a hint of amusement.

"It seems that there are more people in this world who dislike the Holy Land and that Pope than we imagined."

"That's not surprising, Mrs. Gao."

"Not everyone is happy about the rise of the Sanctuary, especially—that Pope, who is said to be a mutant. In some circles, that's a cardinal sin."

Sitting in the shadows, Murakami's tone remained calm, like a cold rock.

In the mainstream supernatural world, mutants hold a rather awkward position, and are often compared to outcasts who practice dark magic.

They are neither fully accepted by ordinary humans nor easily integrated into traditional supernatural systems. If it weren't for the existence of some exceptionally powerful individuals among mutants, their situation would likely be even more precarious.

"Reply to them that cooperation is open to discussion."

"But the premise is that we must confirm the details and sincerity in person."

After a moment's thought, Madam Gao made her decision.

She is always cautious, and at such a critical moment, any contact could be an opportunity or a trap.

The appointed time arrived quickly. At an abandoned industrial dock, the salty sea breeze, carrying the smell of rust and decay, hit them.

Stryker, accompanied only by two fully armed guards, stood in the shadow of the piled-up shipping containers.

"So it was you."

Surrounded by a group of black-clad ninjas, Madam Gao emerged slowly from the dark corner like a ghost.

She looked at Stryker, a knowing glint in her eyes. She wasn't particularly close to the military colonel, but she knew of his existence—a radical known for his extreme hatred of mutants.

The Hand had indeed done some dirty work for him in the past. At this moment, the last bit of doubt in Mrs. Gao's heart dissipated; she had never seen a human who hated mutants more than Stryker.

"How do you want to cooperate?"

"I think you know better than I do about the fighting power of the Saints of Sanctuary. Magneto Erik is a prime example."

Mrs. Gao cut straight to the point, her tone grave.

Mentioning the defeats of the Sanctuary and Eric, her expression darkened. The Sanctuary's open declaration of annihilation had put immense pressure on the Hand.

This undisguised declaration of war signifies the opponent's absolute confidence. Furthermore, with Iron Fist, the successor of Kunlun, potentially appearing at any moment, the Hand is now facing attacks from all sides.

Although Stryker's influence is mainly limited to the secular world, at this moment, he is undoubtedly a ally worth winning over.

"The plan is simple!"

"Let's join forces, set a trap, and wipe out this entire Saint Seiya squad—leave no one alive!"

Stryker's face appeared somewhat distorted in the dim light, his eyes flashing with a mad spark.

"Are you crazy?!"

"Don't you know the power the Saint Seiya possess? What makes you think we can devour them? Besides, there's Logan, that almost immortal monster, inside!"

Madam Gao's expression changed drastically; her usual composure was shattered at this moment, and her voice unconsciously rose in pitch.

"I naturally have my trump cards!"

"I have successfully taken control of a group of mutants, including—Eric and the core members of his Brotherhood!"

Stryker interrupted her decisively, his face radiating an air of absolute confidence.

The news he released moved both Mrs. Gao and Murakami.

Stryker pressed on, his speech quickening: "Now, with a single command, the entire Brotherhood of Mutants is at my disposal! But we must act swiftly!"

He abruptly changed the subject: "On the government's side, research on the mutant suppression drug has entered a crucial stage. Once that thing is successfully developed, all the power I control will vanish instantly!"

"The potion might be successful tomorrow, or it might be a year from now—nobody knows! Now, it's up to you—are you willing to take the gamble?"

Mrs. Gao fell into a long silence. The mutant suppressant was indeed a potential ultimate trump card, but its uncertainties were too great.

If we can use the power controlled by Stryker to severely damage or even annihilate the forces sent by the Sanctuary before then, the pressure will be much less when we face Pope Ye Feng alone with the suppressant in the future.

Currently, the Hand really doesn't have many options; the power of the Sanctuary makes other forces hesitant to make contact with them.

".-.Can!"

"The Hand has agreed to this collaboration!"

Madam Gao finally raised her head, a fierce and resolute light flashing in her eyes.

"Great! I'm ready to go anytime."

Stryker's face broke into a triumphant smile. The second step of his plan had finally been taken.

"We will carefully plan and release some key clues to guide the Saints to our headquarters."

"That will be our ultimate trap. What you need to do is secretly lay an ambush there with all your power. When the Saints break into the core area, we'll make sure they never return!"

Madam Gao quickly got into the swing of things and began making arrangements.

"No problem! I'll start deployment immediately."

"However, I need your assistance during the personnel transfer and ambush process to ensure the operation is absolutely secretive."

Stryker nodded and then made his request.

Although he had Eric and the others under his control, it would be difficult for him to secretly move these powerful mutants out of their heavily guarded location and ambush them without them noticing. He would inevitably leave traces if he relied solely on his own strength.

"I see."

"Notify us in advance before taking action."

Mrs. Gao agreed.

The two sides quickly finalized some details of the cooperation, and then Madam Gao and her men disappeared into the darkness again, as if they had never been there.

Stryker returned to base, his excitement and surging emotions almost uncontrollable. He could almost see the Saints' tragic deaths and the future collapse of the Sanctuary's prestige.

"It'll be soon, it'll be soon!" He stared at the constantly scrolling data and reports on the computer screen, his eyes sharp as knives.

Meanwhile, Doom is active in New York's intricate underworld, trying to gather all the information about the Hand.

Thanks to his exceptional abilities and the Sanctuary's intelligence network, his investigation progressed unexpectedly smoothly.

"Strange, this is going too smoothly."

Doom stopped in the back alley of a noisy underground bar, his brow furrowed slightly. The ease with which he had gathered intelligence on the Hand over the past few days, both overt and covert, had made him wary.

The core information of a long-established and secretive assassin organization like the Hand should be strictly protected.

But the reality was that it seemed as if the entire underworld was intentionally or unintentionally delivering information about the Hand to him, quickly and directly, with almost no significant obstacles.

This unusually smooth progress made him suspect a conspiracy.