On the outskirts of San Francisco, not far from the cold Pacific coastline, an abandoned warehouse stood quietly among empty lots and rusted fencing. The building looked neglected and forgotten, the perfect place for activities that were never meant to appear on any official report.
Inside the warehouse, Ethan Voss had just arrived to meet a group of men waiting for him.
Standing at the front of the group was the commander of the first enhanced soldier squad—Lester.
In the underworld, however, Lester was better known by another name.
Bullseye.
His reputation was legendary among professional killers. Lester possessed an almost supernatural level of precision when it came to throwing or firing objects. Whether it was a knife, a pen, or even a coin, anything in his hand could become a deadly weapon capable of striking its target with terrifying accuracy.
When Ethan had first found him, Lester had only recently begun working for the crime lord Wilson Fisk under a simple contract arrangement. Ethan had intervened quickly, offering a far larger sum of money and a much more interesting future.
The result was predictable.
Bullseye switched employers without hesitation.
Now, like Frank, Lester had undergone the highest level of physical enhancement available through Ethan's program. His already formidable abilities had grown even more dangerous thanks to the improvements in his strength, reflexes, and endurance.
Currently, he served as the field commander of Ethan's enhanced soldier squads.
Several weeks earlier, Ethan had given him a special assignment.
Attack Worthington Laboratory.
The research facility stood on Alcatraz Island, heavily guarded and operating under military protection. After days of preparation and reconnaissance, tonight had finally arrived.
Bullseye would lead the assault.
For this operation, he commanded thirty enhanced soldiers.
Each of them wore a specially designed suit of full-body armor painted in matte black. The armor had been developed specifically for Ethan's soldiers by Anton Vanko, combining protection with mobility in ways conventional military gear couldn't achieve.
The outer shell consisted of high-grade alloy plates that covered the entire body without limiting movement. Beneath that was a network of alloy wire mesh, designed to disperse impact energy. The innermost layer was made from a newly engineered shock-absorbing material capable of cushioning even high-velocity blows.
Although the armor was heavy, enhanced soldiers had no difficulty wearing it.
This squad represented one of Ethan's most ambitious projects.
With superhuman physical abilities and advanced full-body armor, they were nearly unstoppable in urban combat.
That was precisely why Ethan had full confidence in tonight's mission.
If necessary, they could fight directly against military defenders.
As night deepened over the bay, four speedboats quietly sliced through the dark water, heading toward Alcatraz Island.
The island itself was small, and the approaching vessels were quickly spotted after landing. Powerful searchlights snapped on immediately, sweeping across the shoreline and illuminating the attackers.
Bullseye reacted instantly.
Holding a custom-built precision rifle, he fired several rapid bursts.
Each shot struck its target with perfect accuracy. One after another, the searchlights exploded in showers of sparks, plunging the area into darkness. The sentries stationed nearby were eliminated almost simultaneously.
Within seconds, the entire laboratory complex fell into chaos.
Red emergency lights began flashing across the facility while alarm sirens screamed into the night.
Bullseye raised one hand, signaling his squad to move.
The soldiers advanced quickly and reached the main entrance of the laboratory. Guards attempted to mount a defense, but the difference in capability was overwhelming.
Enhanced soldiers moved faster, reacted quicker, and absorbed damage that would cripple ordinary men. Most of the defenders were neutralized the moment they appeared.
The firefight never even developed into a prolonged battle.
The guards collapsed almost immediately.
Multiple security doors sealed automatically throughout the laboratory, but the attackers came prepared. Explosive charges were planted with practiced efficiency, blasting through every barrier blocking their path.
Within minutes, Bullseye led the squad into the facility's central research area.
Once inside, he began assigning tasks.
One team searched the complex for their primary target. Another group began collecting every piece of research data stored within the laboratory systems. The remaining soldiers positioned themselves to intercept reinforcements and suppress any surviving guards.
The operation progressed smoothly.
Soon, one of the soldiers reported back.
They had located four detainees being held inside the facility.
Bullseye considered the information for only a moment before making a decision.
"Take all of them."
The order was carried out immediately.
Before leaving, Bullseye ordered incendiary charges placed throughout the research area. Within minutes, flames began spreading through the laboratories, destroying equipment and data the team hadn't already seized.
Thirty enhanced soldiers quickly retreated from the facility with the four prisoners.
At that exact moment, the distant thumping of helicopter rotors echoed across the water.
Three military helicopters were approaching rapidly from the mainland.
At the same time, six or seven patrol boats were racing toward Alcatraz from different directions.
Bullseye gave a short command.
The main group would escort the targets back to the speedboats and retreat immediately.
He would remain behind with several soldiers to cover their escape.
Within less than a minute, one of the helicopters landed on the island.
The other two pursued the final speedboat carrying Bullseye's rearguard unit.
Fortunately for them, the helicopters were transport models rather than gunships. The soldiers inside opened fire with rifles, but hitting the fast-moving boat across choppy water proved extremely difficult.
Bullseye calmly reduced the boat's speed for a moment.
He raised his precision rifle and carefully aimed.
A short burst of gunfire echoed across the water.
Without even looking back, he immediately turned the boat away and accelerated.
A few seconds later, one of the helicopters erupted into a massive explosion mid-air.
The second aircraft abruptly climbed upward in alarm.
Burning wreckage crashed into the sea below, blocking the pursuit path of the incoming patrol boats.
By the time the authorities regained control of the situation, the attackers had already vanished into the darkness.
The four speedboats eventually returned to the abandoned warehouse on the mainland.
When Ethan saw that Bullseye had brought back four people instead of one, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Bullseye handed him a document containing the laboratory records.
After reading through the files, Ethan quickly understood what had happened.
Worthington Laboratory had not only been researching ways to suppress mutant abilities. They had also begun studying mutants themselves as potential biological assets.
Among the four captives was a boy named Jimmy, whose power could completely neutralize the abilities of other mutants.
Another prisoner was a young mutant capable of regenerating severed limbs.
The third and fourth subjects possessed unusual abilities as well. One could accelerate plant growth dramatically, while the other had a unique physiology—two complete sets of internal organs, granting him greater physical endurance and resilience than ordinary humans.
While Ethan examined the files, the distant sound of helicopters and approaching vehicles began echoing outside the warehouse.
The authorities had already located their position.
Ethan didn't hesitate.
With a simple gesture, he opened a portal leading directly into his divine realm and led everyone through it.
Entering the divine realm from the outside allowed Ethan to appear anywhere inside his domain. However, leaving the realm required either returning to the entry point or using a previously established coordinate.
After entering the realm and exiting again, Ethan reappeared at a predetermined location—Typhon Manor.
Meanwhile, his private jet that had supposedly transported him to San Francisco was landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Frank was already waiting to pick him up, maintaining the illusion that Ethan had never left the flight.
At this point, Ethan was almost certain that the events related to the X-Men storyline were effectively finished.
With Jimmy under his control, Magneto imprisoned, and Xavier's school now connected to the government through his efforts, the situation had stabilized in his favor.
Only one problem remained.
Colonel Stryker.
But eliminating that obstacle wouldn't be particularly difficult.
Over the next several days, Ethan returned to his usual routine.
After his near-death experience, Tony Stark threw himself into developing his armored suit technology. He had lost interest in competing for magazine covers or attending flashy parties.
For someone like Ethan, that made life feel surprisingly dull.
Still, he had been busy recently.
During a short trip he took several days earlier, several hundred new residents had quietly entered his divine kingdom.
Now his growing world had gained hundreds of additional inhabitants.
One morning in Ethan's office on the forty-first floor of the Typhon Building, he watched a live news broadcast on television.
Two armored figures—one large and one small—were fighting inside Stark Industrial Park, causing chaos in the surrounding streets.
Ethan smiled slightly.
He knew exactly what this meant.
Iron Man was about to officially appear.
Early that morning, Ethan sat comfortably in his office waiting for Tony Stark's inevitable announcement on live television. At the same time, he looked forward to the surge in stock prices that would follow.
Just then, his assistant informed him that a visitor had arrived.
Someone Ethan had not expected at all.
"Mayor George," Ethan said with a welcoming smile as the man entered. "What a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect you to visit in person."
The visitor was the mayor of New York City—a powerful political figure whose influence extended across the entire state. Attorney General Borrell was also known to belong to his political faction.
"Mr. Voss," the mayor replied with a friendly smile, "the last time we met was at the charity gala I hosted last year, wasn't it?"
He sat down comfortably.
"I've actually been meaning to speak with you for some time. Unfortunately, our schedules never aligned."
They exchanged a few polite greetings before turning their attention to the television.
Tony Stark had just stepped in front of a crowd of reporters.
Without speaking, both men watched the broadcast carefully.
"Some people have speculated," Stark began awkwardly, "that I was involved in the incident on the freeway and the rooftop…"
He continued reading from a prepared script.
Before long, a female reporter interrupted him.
"Excuse me, Mr. Stark," she asked, "do you honestly expect us to believe that an armored bodyguard just happened to appear at the right time during those events?"
Stark looked slightly uncomfortable.
"I understand your skepticism," he replied. "It's perfectly reasonable to question the official explanation. But making unfounded claims and calling me some kind of superhero would be irresponsible."
"I didn't call you a superhero," the reporter said calmly.
"Oh? That's good," Stark answered quickly.
"Because that would be ridiculous. I mean, clearly I'm not the hero type. I have too many flaws. I've made too many mistakes, and some of them have had very negative consequences…"
From the side of the stage, James Rhodes whispered urgently.
"Stick to the script."
Stark glanced down at the notes in his hand again.
"In fact…" he said quietly.
He paused.
Then suddenly he looked up, staring directly into the camera.
"I am Iron Man!"
The press conference instantly exploded into chaos.
.....
Join my p@treon and read ahead by more than 60+ chapters.
Link : [email protected]/InfinityWeaver
Free members can read the next two chapters for free on my p@treon