Chapter 63

In Canada, there is an artificial lake named Ekalie. This was a large artificial dam built after World War II, funded by the U.S. government to assist the Canadian government. The purpose was to provide convenient irrigation and prevent summer flash floods in the region.

Due to the extremely abundant rainfall in the area, the dam soon formed a large artificial lake after its construction. This led to farmers and residents gradually migrating to the area. Within just a few decades, a town of considerable size had formed.

For the residents of the town, the lake named Ekalie had become an indispensable part of their lives. A significant portion of their livelihoods depended on this lake, a situation that had persisted for generations. However, the residents could never have imagined that the lake and the nearly abandoned dam it concealed held astonishing secrets.

This was the location of General Striker's secret base, where the mysterious organization he led was hidden within the abandoned dam.

To transform the dam, he had invested a great deal of effort. The primary goal was to prevent various mutants with different abilities from entering or leaving the area. He viewed mutants as his lifelong enemies, and even his base was designed to combat them. Inside the base, apart from his soldiers, the most numerous were the mutants he had imprisoned.

Decades of relentless effort had filled his base with prisoners. These were mutants from all over the world. Some had been transferred here after being arrested for crimes and using connections, but many more had been captured by his subordinates without considering whether they were good or bad. Even more shockingly, many of the mutants he captured were children.

In the eyes of Striker and his soldiers, mutants were not human. Even mutant children were no exception, and they felt no psychological burden. They could even watch these mutants undergo inhumane experiments as if they were animals.

Just like now.

A mutant struggling fiercely was securely locked in a chair. Several men in white coats used a high-speed drill to make a small hole in his skull, then injected a strange-looking liquid with a long, thin needle.

The soldiers around them showed no change in expression, as if the subject of the experiment was not a human but a white mouse with a human appearance. They had become accustomed to everything they saw and heard, including the moans and screams. This had become an indispensable part of their daily lives.

No one was interested in the subject's pleas and suffering; they were only interested in the results of the experiment.

As the mutant's pupils gradually dilated and his struggles slowly ceased, the white-coated men exchanged glances. They saw a common expression in each other's eyes—joy.

"General, it seems we have succeeded," one of the men in white coats said to a stern-faced man standing beside them.

This was a man who, despite his graying hair, still looked quite robust. He wore old-fashioned glasses, and his neatly trimmed beard and tightly closed lips indicated that he was a serious person. His always straight posture and steady gait exuded a strong military presence. This was General William Striker, the highest commander of the secret military base.

Upon hearing the researchers' report, General Striker quickly walked to the side of the subject. Normally, the mutants here would either hate him with a passion or cower like frightened quails when he approached. He was the devil in the eyes of all mutants, a fact he did not deny.

At this moment, however, the mutant's expression was peculiar. His eyes stared at Striker without any fluctuation, as if he were facing a stranger. This was not the only strange thing about him; if one had to describe it, one might say his expression was unusually pure, like that of an infant.

Striker gazed at his expression for a moment, then brought his hard face close to the mutant's. In this close proximity, he spoke softly to him.

"Listen, Cain. I am the person you respect the most, and you always obey my orders. No matter what I ask you to do, you will do it. You always believe that everything I say is right, and you will do whatever it takes to accomplish what I ask."

Cain, the mutant, tilted his head and stared at Striker, as if trying to understand what he was saying.

Seeing Cain's reaction, Striker waved his hand and said, "Soldier, release his restraints."

"General, I do not recommend this. Subject 254's abilities are very dangerous, and we don't need to test the results in this way!" One of the men in white coats quickly advised.

This was only the initial experimental result, and there was no need to confirm its effectiveness in such a dangerous manner. If the subject really lost control, his abilities could pose a significant threat to everyone present, including Striker and the researchers.

"I don't like you people for one important reason: you lack any courage," Striker said, pulling the corners of his mouth into what was the most expressive gesture he was willing to show. "Soldier, follow my orders. Release his restraints."

For the soldiers here, Striker's orders were to be carried out unconditionally, regardless of the danger.

Under Striker's command, several soldiers approached. They unlocked the restraints on Cain's limbs, completely freeing him from the steel chair.

However, Cain did not make any worrying moves after being released. He looked around and then slowly walked behind Striker, like his shadow.

Striker's lips curved into a satisfied smile, clearly pleased with Cain's behavior.

"Very good, Cain. Now, I order you to transform," he turned and softly commanded.

Cain took a few steps back and then began to undergo a significant transformation. His body rapidly grew taller, and his skin developed a texture like wood. Soon, his entire body had transformed, looking like a giant wooden statue.

"No, no, Cain. Not this kind of minor transformation. I want you to transform into your most terrifying form. The giant form."

Cain's wooden eyes moved, showing a hint of hesitation. But he soon nodded, and his already over two-meter-tall body began to change again.

His wooden skin quickly covered with bark-like shells, and his height increased, soon reaching the ceiling of the laboratory. His skull had transformed into an outwardly extending shape, and a dense layer of green leaves covered his entire head, making him look like the crown of a tree.

His limbs also underwent a remarkable transformation. His massive arms no longer resembled human arms but were thick tree trunks with roots, extending from his shoulders and swaying with his movements. His lower body was also composed of similar tree trunks, but the roots were even thicker and more powerful, tearing through the thick concrete floor and firmly anchoring themselves in the ground.

At this point, Cain no longer looked human. If one had to describe him, he looked like a large tree with a vaguely human shape.

This was the ability of the tree mutant, Cain. When fully released, he could grow into a four-meter-tall humanoid tree. In this form, he could move slowly but exert enormous strength. A single blow from his massive tree trunk arms could cause a two-ton impact. As long as his roots were embedded in the ground, he could continuously absorb nutrients and strength from the soil, healing any damage he sustained.

His hard wooden skin could even withstand the bullets of ordinary automatic weapons.

According to Striker's records, the tree mutant Cain's strength, defensive capabilities, and recovery abilities far exceeded those of ordinary mutants. Among his many prisoners, he was one of the more dangerous types.

However, this danger was within controllable limits. Cain's ability could not be maintained indefinitely. If he maintained this form for too long, his brain would gradually become woody, and he would truly become a tree. Therefore, he would voluntarily revert to his human form after a certain period, which was only about one to two hours.

Seeing Cain transform into a giant tree, Striker was not surprised. He was waiting, waiting for the final result. He wanted to see if Cain would continue to obey his orders or revert to his human form out of self-preservation.

Time passed, and Cain's tree-like face showed signs of difficulty. However, he did not move, maintaining his tree form. Striker watched him, seeing his expression gradually stiffen, his movements slowly cease, and finally, he became a real tree in front of him.

Two hours later, Striker tapped Cain's body, and the hard surface produced a dull sound, the sound of high-quality wood.

"Cain, Cain. Respond if you can hear me!" He tried calling out, but the completely transformed tree had lost its ability to speak. While he was still alive in a biological sense, he was essentially dead from a human perspective, with his brain having shut down.

Not getting a response from Cain, Striker drew his gun and fired a few shots at the tree. The bullets tore through the outer layer of bark but were embedded in the inner wood. If it were the usual Cain, he might have moved in response to the pain, but now the entire tree was motionless.

"It seems it really works!" Concluding this, Striker put away his gun and ignored the tree. "Soldier, clean up this mess. Chop it up and throw it out. Don't leave it here to get in the way!"

"Now, tell me. How confident are you in repeating this experiment? How many doses can you produce?"

The men in white coats discussed for a moment and quickly responded.

"Given the available raw materials, we can produce enough for about ten people. If more is needed, we will have to wait for Subject 147 to recover."

"Use all the materials you have. I have plans for them," Striker waved his hand and gave the order. Then he looked outside the laboratory.

There, in the vast prison cells, many prisoners were looking at him with sad and hateful eyes. They were all mutants.

"Mutants are very useful tools. With them, my plans will soon be realized." Striker muttered to himself, clenching his fist tightly. He had been waiting for this day for too long.