Chapter 88: Launching the Attack
Many suspected that Madame Natalie had approached Oakley solely to seize his vast fortune, and Sandor Rice was no exception.
However, that didn't matter. In fact, he admired such a woman.
A rose with thorns only pricks those who are weak. For a man like him, destined to rule the world, a thorny rose was particularly appealing—especially one with the added allure of being a widow.
Of course, admiration wasn't the main point. The main point was that Madame Natalie now controlled the raw materials he desperately needed.
If he wanted to mass-produce cloned mutants and form a mutant army to conquer the world, he had to convince her to continue supplying him with the necessary materials, just as her late husband had.
"Mr. Rice, you have a sweet tongue. But if your project doesn't impress me, I won't continue providing you with raw materials at the low prices my husband did."
Natalie walked up to Rice, gently tapped his chest, and drew a small circle with her finger before walking past him.
"Take me to see your project."
"You won't be disappointed!"
Suppressing his rising desire, Rice quickly turned and walked beside Natalie.
"Madame, my project will exceed your imagination. As long as you cooperate with me..."
"Cloned mutants, completely under your control? Mr. Rice, you better not be lying. I need to see real results."
As Sandor Rice explained his project, Black Widow felt a pang of anxiety but maintained her composure.
Indeed, "Natalie" was just a false identity she had assumed to get close to Sandor Rice. Her real identity was Natasha Romanoff, a high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent known as Black Widow.
Her mission was to infiltrate the base, determine whether Rice was truly researching mutant genes and to what extent, and, if possible, copy the research findings to bring back to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Half an hour later, at the center of the experimental base, Rice proudly pointed to the one hundred mutant clones in the nutrient tanks and boasted to Black Widow:
"Madame, look at these beings. They were once famous mutants. Soon, they will become the most expensive and powerful weapons of war in the world.
Every nation and organization will willingly spend vast sums to purchase these weapons from me.
I will become the world's largest arms dealer, surpassing even the former Stark Industries."
Selling mutant clones to other factions had been his initial plan, but now he had a grander vision: to use these clones to conquer the world.
However, he wasn't foolish enough to reveal this ultimate plan to Natalie, despite his strong attraction to her.
He only needed to convince her that partnering with him would be a lucrative venture, ensuring a steady supply of raw materials.
If she agreed, all would be well. If not, he would simply use a few of Professor X's clones to brainwash her.
In fact, this had been his original plan: to lure her to the base and use psychic powers to manipulate her into providing the necessary materials. However, Natalie's charm had made him reconsider, as he wanted to see if he could conquer her on his own.
That would be a true achievement.
"I didn't expect Mr. Rice to be so talented. I like talented men."
Black Widow turned her head and gave Rice a seductive glance. Rice immediately straightened his posture and adjusted his lab coat.
"So, Madame, are you willing or not?"
"Mr. Rice, you were good friends with my husband. But to me, he was like a lighter."
Black Widow didn't immediately agree. Instead, she smiled, took out a lighter from her pocket, and lit a cigarette.
Rice asked, puzzled:
"Why was he like a lighter?"
Black Widow lit the lighter and held it in front of Rice, then blew out the flame after taking a drag from her cigarette.
"Lights up with a spark, but with a single blow... it's gone."
"With a single blow... it's gone."
Rice stared at Black Widow's fiery red lips, feeling a surge of heat within him.
"Mine will never go out, and it will exceed your imagination!"
"Oh? If that's true, then I would be very willing to cooperate with you, Mr. Rice."
Black Widow gave him a once-over, her face showing a hint of disdain to further stoke his desire to conquer her.
"I'm hungry. Let's have lunch first."
It was too risky to act during the day. She needed to stall until nightfall, when she could be alone with Rice to extract the necessary information, obtain all the research data, and escape in the helicopter she had arrived in.
"Of course, let's eat. We can have a proper conversation tonight."
Rice had already decided that he would use the best drugs tonight to show her what an unquenchable flame truly felt like.
As a top geneticist capable of cloning mutants, he could temporarily enhance his physical abilities beyond normal human limits.
Although there would be side effects, for the sake of his pride as a man, it was a small price to pay.
By the end of lunch, Black Widow had further ensnared Rice with her charm.
In the afternoon, under the pretext of touring the project, she had Rice accompany her through most of the base. She memorized the best escape routes and gathered valuable intelligence.
For example, Rice had once used Mexican women as surrogates to birth new mutants, but the experiment failed because the children were uncontrollable. Some had even escaped and were still at large.
Just as Black Widow and Rice were about to finish their tour, an invisible aircraft arrived above the base.
"This must be the place!"
George stopped using the tracking spell and looked down at the research facility labeled "Leukemia Research and Treatment Center." He knew they had found the right location.
"Caliban, sense how many mutants are in this facility."
"One hundred and one."
Caliban activated his ability and quickly provided the answer.
"This guy managed to create so many mutants in such a short time!"
George was surprised by Sandor Rice's capabilities. Even if these were clones and not as powerful as the originals, one hundred mutants would still be a formidable force.
He could only be grateful that they had taken the initiative to attack now. Any later, and they might have faced an army of a thousand or even ten thousand mutant clones hunting them down.
"Then let's proceed with the plan!"
At George's command, the X-Jet's hatch opened, and Wolverine extended his adamantium claws and leaped down.
He landed right at the base's entrance, roaring arrogantly:
"Sandor Rice, come out and face your death!"
The loud roar immediately drew the attention of all the guards, and a fierce battle ensued.
(End of Chapter)