The sprawling network of shadows delivered results within a day.
Max stood in the center of his domain, receiving the silent reports transmitted through the hive mind of his immortal soldiers.
A squad of Razor Khan located the sprawling estate of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters nestled in the lush landscape of Westchester County, New York.
Another detachment tracked a massive magnetic signature across the ocean, locating an isolated island fortress acting as a sanctuary and base of operations for the mutant known as Magneto.
Max reviewed the current state of the timeline.
The wandering, amnesiac mutant known as Wolverine and the runaway girl named Rogue had not yet crossed paths with the established factions.
Magneto operated without restraint, building his Brotherhood in the dark, preparing for his impending war against humanity.
Max analyzed the psychological profiles of both mutant leaders.
A frontal approach or a formal invitation to join his hidden dimension would end in a clear failure.
Charles Xavier possessed an unbreakable, stubborn idealism and a desire to integrate with the surface world.
Erik Lehnsherr harbored absolute pride and a militant hatred for anyone dictating terms to his kind.
Offering them a place in a subterranean realm governed by a human child would feel like a cage to one and an insult to the other.
Max formulated a subtle strategy.
He tapped into his global intelligence network.
He instructed the Shadowkhan to hunt for the darkest secrets of human governments and private military contractors.
His invisible assassins infiltrated secure servers and bypassed physical vaults.
They gathered the exact coordinates, security layouts, and addresses of underground laboratories conducting illegal, brutal experiments on mutant children. You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
Max ordered his ninjas to compile this data into thick, physical dossiers.
In the dead of night, a Shadowkhan materialized in Westchester, placing a stack of files on the center of the desk in Xavier’s study.
Miles away, another shadow slipped into the island fortress, leaving identical documents on Magneto’s metal war table.
Max would let the mutant leaders discover the horrors and mobilize their own forces to rescue the children.
It was a silent invitation.
The act demonstrated his reach, his intelligence gathering capabilities, and a shared desire to protect their kind.
He would lay the groundwork for an eventual alliance by proving his value from the shadows, letting them strike the first blows against their oppressors.
With the mutant situation set into motion, Max turned his attention back to the discarded human soldiers.
The wounded veterans of the world required a different approach.
He initiated a mental link with Alpha, projecting his thoughts into the ambient consciousness of the dimension.
He established strict, uncompromising parameters for recruitment.
Alpha utilized her vast processing power to sift through military databases, Veterans Affairs hospital records, and street-level surveillance networks.
She searched for candidates worthy of joining the ranks of the Shadow Garden.
The selection process began with a rigorous psychological evaluation.
Prejudice resulted in automatic disqualification.
Max demanded individuals who harbored zero discriminatory beliefs.
If a soldier carried hatred for his fellow man based on origin or appearance, that soldier would fail to comprehend the vast universe.
A man incapable of respecting human equality could never be trusted to stand shoulder to shoulder with Skrulls, mutants, or alien races. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
The Shadow Garden required a foundation of absolute unity.
Max prioritized candidates devoid of strong earthly attachments.
Single, isolated individuals made the optimal recruits.
A veteran returning to a vibrant family life with a miraculous, regrown limb or cured ailments would draw intense scrutiny from the authorities, medical institutions, and the media.
Max needed ghosts.
He needed the men and women forgotten by the society they bled to protect.
Physical condition held zero weight in the selection process.
Alpha flagged files of veterans living in alleyways, battling terminal illnesses, and suffering the deep ravages of old age.
Max viewed these physical limitations as temporary illusions.
His mastery over his magical core made him a god of restoration.
He could weave ambient mana into bone and muscle using Limb Regeneration.
He could scrub viruses and genetic decay from their bloodlines using Disease Removal.
A missing leg, a failing heart, or decades of physical wear meant nothing in the face of his power.
He possessed the ability to cure their afflictions, reverse their physical decline, and enhance their baseline strength beyond human limits.
He stood in the serene environment of his forest, feeling the pulse of his expanding magic.
He would take the broken pieces of humanity, heal their wounds, and forge them into an unbreakable vanguard to protect the Earth.