Aaron casually scanned the documents. The combination of his eyes and brain functioned like an ultra-high-speed scanner. Reading ten lines at a glance, he scanned a page in less than 0.01 seconds.
He then turned to the second page.
He continued flipping through the pages like this, causing Maria's eyebrows to twitch.
"Boss, do you need me to briefly summarize the information?"
As an agent, quickly summarizing and noting key points from countless documents was her basic skill set.
Aaron shook his head. "That won't be necessary."
He closed his eyes and rapidly analyzed all the data in his mind. Soon, he had a general grasp of the current Mutant situation.
William Stryker has not yet become the Minister of Defense, he is still only a Military Colonel.
According to reliable intel, he is currently staying at the base within the Alkali Lake Dam, which has been abandoned for many years, conducting some unknown experiments.
The Sentinel Robot, on the other hand, is a key national research project aimed at combating the Mutant population, which is regarded as a major threat.
However, with Maria's current clearance, she could not access the detailed files concerning the Sentinel Robot.
But it could be confirmed that they were still at the stage of the first-generation Sentinel Robot and were attempting to initiate research on the second-generation Sentinel.
The main entities responsible for the Sentinel project are Trask Industries and the Sentinel Services established by the United States.
There is evidence suggesting that Trask Industries has recently received mysterious funds, accelerating the research for the second-generation Sentinel. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before they could develop a more powerful and perfected Sentinel Robot.
The image of Hydra instantly surfaced in Aaron's mind.
It was no surprise that he thought this way.
Hydra was already notorious. Wherever there were anti-human experiments, the shadow of Hydra was sure to follow. In short, they never did anything legitimate.
'Are they relying on the Sentinel Robot to deal with Mutants? Or rather... to deal with me?' Aaron sneered internally.
He knew how much pressure his existence placed on certain individuals.
Whether in terms of wealth, power, or personal might, his emergence was like a towering giant peak, suppressing everything in the current world.
Whether it was the parasitic Hydra or the booming S.H.I.E.L.D., both were suffocated by his presence. They would naturally try every possible method to resist Aaron's immense pressure.
But... that was far too naive.
However, this worked out perfectly.
Aaron had been trying to figure out how to collect the Mutant genes.
Didn't he now have a ready-made source?
What is yours is mine, and what is mine is still mine.
Thank you very much.
Aaron opened his eyes, meeting Maria's gaze, which was filled with doubt.
He didn't need to guess. She was definitely suspicious that he wasn't taking the matter seriously.
Anyone who witnessed his manner just now would not believe he had seriously reviewed the documents.
Aaron offered no explanation, but instead asked, "Speaking of which, Colonel Stryker and Trask Industries have no connection to S.H.I.E.L.D., right?"
Maria paused in thought. "Based on the information I possess, the two are unrelated."
"The former receives funding from the Department of Defense, while the latter should be directly funded by the President."
William Stryker's research involves a large number of human experiments. Ostensibly, governments try their best to avoid any association with him.
But in reality, for William, a Colonel, to be capable of building such a massive experimental base, he must have powerful backing.
The Department of Defense is his backer.
The Sentinel program gained traction when Bolivar Trask was publicly assassinated by Mystique during the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, prompting the government to prioritize the plan and gain strong support from the upper echelons.
So, it wouldn't be long before the events of Days of Future Past occurred?
This thought flashed through Aaron's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
There was no need to dwell on it. With him around, the Sentinel would not be able to achieve anything significant.
But then again, since both Trask Industries and William Stryker were backed by the US, it seemed like it was just a matter of his single word?
Aaron gently tapped his finger on the desktop, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.
Seeing this, Maria instantly realized that someone was about to suffer misfortune.
Right now, at Alkali Lake Industrial Complex.
"Understood. I know, Mr. President, I will fully cooperate with Mr. Aaron's needs. Rest assured, I know exactly what I am doing."
William hung up the phone, gritting his teeth.
Recalling the President's recent instructions, his expression turned ferocious.
He tightened his grip slightly on the phone, and with a crunching sound, it shattered instantly.
"Damn those bastards! Those shameful thieves!"
"Stealing my research results just as my plan was about to be completed!"
William raged impotently in his office.
Just now, the President had "discussed" with him that Osborn—no, it should be Aaron's Group—had reached a critical juncture in their current research project.
They needed support from the top. But they didn't want money, they only needed some small genetic data. Therefore, this important task fell upon him.
They needed to provide the opposing party with all the Mutant genes.
Although the President was discussing it with him, it was actually a notification. He could not refuse, nor did he have the right to refuse.
The President even asked caringly whether their research needed an injection of capital.
Heh heh, wasn't this clearly telling him that if he agreed, he would get a bone, and if he didn't, he could scram?
"Damn it! A bunch of short-sighted fools!" William cursed with the same fury as Fury.
Who the hell doesn't know that Aaron has a Mutant right beside him?
Aaron himself might even be a Mutant.
William's eyes flashed with severity. "Damn it, do you really think I will just surrender like this?"
"I won't let you have your way. Absolutely not!"
However, just as he thought this, another call came in.
This time, it was the satellite phone on his desk. It was the Army Commander.
William immediately felt a great sense of foreboding. Even before answering the phone, he felt the pressure of towering mountains. Those were the mountains of power and capital.
They made it difficult for him to breathe, difficult to resist.
Aaron hadn't even lifted a finger. He had merely spoken, and this boss, who had almost wiped out the Mutant race, was already in a state of utter distress. He was completely powerless to resist.
After finishing the call, William flipped over his desk.
"You bastards!"
"If you have the guts, come fight me fair and square!"
At the same time, at Trask Industries and Sentinel Services.
"I understand, Mr. President."
"I will immediately prepare the items as you requested."
The person in charge of Trask Industries was also cursing loudly.
Aaron's blatant robbery was simply the act of bandits.
But they had no choice. They could not refuse the demands of the higher ups.
While roaring internally, they obediently prepared all the research data and genes. Then, they even had to proactively deliver the goods to Aaron's Group.
Was this reasonable?
In this day and age, they had to actively deliver things to bandits.
This was truly outrageous.
Naturally, such a matter could not be concealed from those who paid attention.