Chapter 63: 95% million-sun sentry template, the snarky Deadpool
Rumble-Rumble Fruit...
The strongest Logia fruit in the One Piece world.
After eating it, one could wield the power of lightning; destroying cities and annihilating islands could be done in a split second.
Not to mention that Arthur now possessed the Power of a Million Suns, and overlaying this current of electricity...
If he could control electromagnetism, he would probably truly possess power above the multiverse tier!
Speed-of-light movement, lightning attacks, elementalized body...
"Arthur... can you take me back?"
Jean's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Arthur's thoughts.
He lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the girl's face.
Because of the scene she had just seen, the girl's face was pale at the moment, full of worry, looking pitiful enough to stir one's pity.
"I will take you back, don't worry."
Arthur patted her shoulder; since the mission had already been issued, and Jean had indeed seen the crisis.
Then he would try to take her back...
"But... you said before that you can only locate Universes that have already been opened by rifts."
Jean turned her head to look at him, her face full of worry.
"My Universe will be very hard for you to find..."
"That was before." Arthur took out the Space Stone from the system space.
"The essence of the Space Stone is to manipulate dimensional space. As long as I concentrate, theoretically I can sense any corner of the multiverse."
These words were half-true and half-false.
The system had indeed disabled the function of traversing Universes, but the power of the Space Stone was real.
As long as he was given enough time, he could indeed tear open the dimensional barrier.
It was just that the positioning might have some deviation.
"Really?" Jean's eyes lit up.
"Of course." Arthur kept a straight face. "But I need to concentrate. Don't hold out too much hope; there might be some... errors."
"It doesn't matter." Jean shook her head quickly. "As long as I can go back, I can accept any error."
Wanda stood to the side, watching the two of them, and quickly stepped forward to whisper, "I'm going too."
Arthur turned his head to look at her, then spoke, "You stay here."
"Why?" Wanda frowned.
"I don't know what the situation is over there," Arthurexplained.
"Besides, our Earth needs someone to guard it, right? What if some weird guys invade?"
Wanda wanted to say something else, but Arthur had already turned his head to look at Jean.
"Are you ready?"
Jean took a deep breath and nodded.
"I'm ready."
Arthur held the Space Stone in his hand and closed his eyes.
The Space Stone began to rotate under his will, the blue light growing increasingly intense.
Arthur could feel it.
The barriers of the multiverse unfolded before him like countless layers of gauze.
Behind each layer of gauze was a different world.
Some worlds were filled with light, while others were plunged in darkness.
He searched among them.
Jean's Universe...
The source of the Phoenix Force...
That Earth targeted by Galactus...
Found it!
Arthur suddenly opened his eyes.
"Let's go!"
The Space Stone erupted with dazzling blue light, enveloping both Arthur and Jean.
A flash of light.
The two disappeared within the training ground.
Wanda stood in place, looking at the empty training ground, clenching her fists, her heart filled with worry.
"You must come back safely."
Unknown Universe, New York City, Times Square.
A pillar of blue light descended from the sky, landing right in the center of Times Square.
Passersby stopped in their tracks; some took out their phones to take pictures, while others thought it was some kind of street performance.
The pillar of light dissipated.
Arthur and Jean stood in the square.
"This is..." Jean looked around, her brows slightly furrowed.
Arthur was also observing the surrounding environment.
Tall buildings, neon billboards, yellow taxis.
But some details weren't quite right.
He hadn't seen much of the brands written on the billboards, and the styles of clothes worn by the passing pedestrians were somewhat old-fashioned.
And most crucially...
"Jarvis is not here." Arthur raised an eyebrow.
Jean's Universe should be a world full of Mutants, but here...
His Super Hearing didn't seem to pick up any information regarding Mutants.
"Arthur." Jean pulled on his sleeve, pointing at an LED screen not far away.
On the screen, a man in a suit was shouting loudly:
"Spider-Man is not our friendly neighborhood! Without him, the lives of New York City citizens would be more peaceful!"
"Spider-Man?" Arthur frowned.
He certainly knew Spider-Man, but the problem was...
"This is not my Universe." Jean beside him shook her head, a hint of disappointment in her tone.
"I know." Arthur sighed. "It seems the first positioning had some deviation."
He prepared to reopen the Space Stone and open the portal once again.
However.
Boom!!!
A loud noise came from afar.
Arthur and Jean turned their heads at the same time.
Only a few blocks away, a huge sandstorm was raging on the street.
In the sandstorm, a huge Sandman could be vaguely seen waving his arms, entangled in a fierce battle with a red and blue figure.
Red and blue suit, is that Superman?
No, it's Spider-Man!
The red and blue figure swung back and forth between buildings with agile movements.
"Spider-Man?" Jean recognized the figure.
"Tobey Maguire's version of Spider-Man?"
Arthur narrowed his eyes, his Super Vision piercing directly through the mask to see that person's face clearly.
He had watched those movies in his past life.
He naturally recognized this version of Spider-Man.
"Arthur, we have to leave here," Jean frowned and said. "This Universe has nothing to do with us."
"Wait." Arthur watched the battle in the distance.
Sandman, Flint Marko.
In the movie, this was one of Spider-Man's most troublesome opponents.
He could manipulate sand and turn into any form, making physical attacks almost ineffective.
But now...
Since they had come here, Arthur didn't mind helping him out.
He locked onto him, and immediately the blue light of the Space Stone exploded in the distance.
Right beneath the feet of the Sandman who was tangling with Spider-Man, space suddenly split open a gap, like a giant mouth, swallowing the Sandman entirely.
The upper body of the Sandman was still struggling, but the gap had already closed, completely devouring him.
"What?!"
Spider-Man landed on a streetlight, supporting his knees with both hands, panting heavily.
He had just been driven into a desperate situation by the Sandman, only for that Sandman to suddenly... disappear?
He looked around, his gaze finally falling on the two figures in Times Square in the distance.
Arthur waved at him, and then activated the Space Stoneagain.
Blue light enveloped him and Jean.
"Wait!"
Spider-Man shot a web, wanting to catch up, but the pillar of light disappeared.
"Just who... were those people?" Tobey Spider-Man stood on the streetlight, his face under the mask filled with confusion.
That Sandman... vanished into thin air?
And those two people standing in the square...
A flash of blue light.
Arthur and Jean landed in a snowfield.
Surrounded by a vast expanse of glaciers, the sky was gloomy, and the wind and snow howled.
"Where is this..." Jean looked around.
A huge base could be vaguely seen in the distance, with a logo carved on it.
"X-Men?" Arthur looked at the logo.
But the X-Men base in this Universe was obviously much more dilapidated than he remembered.
The outer walls of the base were covered with bullet holes and traces left by explosions; the gates were wide open, and it was pitch black inside.
"No." Jean shook her head. "In my Universe, the academy is not like this, and..."
She closed her eyes and sensed for a moment.
"There is no Phoenix Force in this Universe."
Arthur sighed.
"Wrong again."
He activated the Space Stone once more.
The two came to a desert again.
Arthur looked at the city in the desert and sighed.
"This is... Las Vegas?" Jean frowned.
"This is indeed Las Vegas, but unfortunately it's not our Universe's. Look at the billboard over there."
Jean looked in the direction of his finger, only to find that she didn't recognize the characters written on the billboard at all.
It wasn't English, nor was it any kind of writing she had ever seen before.
"Wrong again."
Blue light flickered.
This time, they appeared in a ruin.
At the center of the ruins stood a giant statue; the person on the statue wore armor and held a hammer in their hand.
"Thor?" Arthur looked at that statue.
The Thor on the statue was obviously much older than the one he knew, covered with the traces of time, as if it had stood there for a millennium.
"This is not my Universe," Jean beside him said softly.
Blue light flickered.
Blue light flickered...
Still blue light flickered!
The two passed through countless Universes.
Cyberpunk-style New York, Atlantis submerged by seawater, a doomsday world full of zombies...
"Arthur, otherwise let's just go back." The expression on Jean's face became increasingly dejected.
"Don't worry, we're almost there." Arthur patted the girl's shoulder.
Through multiple traversals, he had already sensed the location of Jean's Universe.
That vibration frequency was becoming clearer and clearer.
"Last time."
A flash of blue light.
The two appeared inside a subway station.
The walls of the subway station were plastered with posters, and newspapers and trash were scattered on the ground.
The fluorescent lights overhead flickered on and off, emitting a buzzing sound.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of rust, mold, and disinfectant.
"Wrong again." Jean sighed.
She had given up hope.
"Wait." Arthur suddenly spoke.
Jean raised her head.
"What is it?"
Arthur turned his head to look at a corner of the subway station, where a man wearing a red tight suit stood.
He wore a red mask, carried two katanas on his back, and had a handgun hung at his waist.
At this moment, he was staring at the corpse on the ground. Hearing the voices of Arthur and Jean, the man turned his head to look over.
"Yo, Jean Grey?"
Deadpool tilted his head and put his hands on his hips.
"Long time no see, did you bring your boyfriend back?"
Hearing this familiar voice, Jean was stunned for a moment and turned her head to look.
Deadpool?
"Is this my Universe?" Jean asked eagerly.
"Naturally evil Phoenix brat, do you finally want to use the Phoenix Force to rule us?"
"No, I mean, is this the Universe where I used to be?"
"Of course, did you cross Universes too? Poor child, welcome home."
Deadpool spread his arms, his tone exaggerated.
"Although I'm not sure if you want to come back, considering the situation here right now..."
He paused, then shrugged.
"It's a bit bad."
"This is my world, I must come back."
Jean turned around and looked at Arthur beside her, her eyes filled with disbelief and gratitude.
"Thank you, Arthur, I'm back."
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the "Send Jean back to her Universe" mission]
[Reward received: million-sun sentry template progress + 5%, Silver Superman Template fragments * 5, Rumble-Rumble Fruit]
[million-sun sentry template progress: 95%]
[Silver Superman Template fragments: 25 / 100]
[Rumble-Rumble Fruit has been stored in the system space]
Arthur looked at the panel before him, understanding it in his heart.
95%.
Only the final 5% was left from the complete body of the million-sun sentry template.
And the Rumble-Rumble Fruit...
He felt the floating Devil Fruit in the system space.
As if lightning itself was dancing.
"So..."
Deadpool walked up to the two of them, tilting his head to look at Arthur, as if looking at a monkey in a zoo.
"Are you a newly arrived Mutant? Or Jean's new boyfriend?
If it's the latter, I have to remind you, Wolverine might give you trouble."
Chapter 64: Million Sentry Template Nearing 100%! Rumble-Rumble Fruit Power!
Arthur glanced expressionlessly at Deadpool.
"Shut up."
"Alright."
Deadpool obediently shut his mouth, but it only lasted for three seconds.
"However, I still have to say, that blue light you used just now, what was that? Space Stone?
Whoa, you have a Space Stone too? Then what about Thanos in your Universe?
Dead? Or killed by you?
Or..."
"Deadpool."
Seeing that Deadpool was about to keep chattering, Jean suddenly spoke up and interrupted him.
"Hmm?"
"Take me to see Professor X."
Deadpool blinked: "Well... I'm afraid that's not very convenient."
Jean frowned and looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because the Professor..." Deadpool paused, "is missing."
Jean was slightly startled: "Missing?"
"Yes." Deadpool shrugged, "About three weeks ago, the Professor said he was going to attend a Mutant rights meeting, and then he never came back.
We searched everywhere we could find, the Xavier Institute, Magneto's old base, even the ruins of the Weapon X facility hidden deep in the Canada forest..."
He counted on his fingers.
"None of them. Professor X just vanished into thin air."
"Where is Scott?" Jean hurriedly pursued, "Storm? Wolverine? They must know something, right?"
"They know a little." Deadpool tilted his head, "But they aren't on Earth right now."
"What?"
"Went to the moon." Deadpool pointed at the ceiling, "It seems to be the last message left by Charles before he went missing, pointing to a secret base on the moon.
They left three days ago and still haven't returned."
Jean froze on the spot instantly, as if she had lost all her strength, and leaned sideways.
Arthur reached out and supported her shoulders.
"Don't rush." Arthur said, "You just got back, figure out the situation first."
"There's no time to figure it out." Jean shook her head, her voice filled with anxiety.
"The Professor has been missing for three weeks, the X-Men went to the moon for three days with no news, and there's also Galactus that I saw..."
Right at this moment, Arthur's eyes suddenly flashed.
The system panel emerged.
[Current Quest: Find Charles Xavier]
[Quest Description: Professor X Charles Xavier is missing, please find him.]
[Rewards: million-sun sentry template progress + 2%, Silver Superman Template Fragment * 3]
Looking at the system panel before him, Arthur raised an eyebrow.
2% template progress.
Only the last 5% remained until 100%, and he couldn't let any quest go.
"Jean." Arthur spoke, "I can find Charles."
Jean was stunned: "You... you can find the Professor?"
"My Super Vision and Super Hearing can cover the globe." Arthur nodded, "As long as you give me a little time, I can lock onto his location."
Jean's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?"
Hearing this, Deadpool beside them curled his lips and complained:
"Bro, are you Superman? Super Vision and Super Hearing, but this is the Marvel set..."
"Shut up!" Jean interrupted him, turned her head to look at Arthur, "Hurry up and try."
Arthur nodded, expanding his Super Hearing to capture all information related to "Charles Xavier".
the military encrypted communications, secret whispers of Mutant underground organizations, whispers among a few surviving Mutants...
Information flooded into his mind like a tide.
"Xavier? That bald guy? He's been locked in the 'Circle' base for three weeks, and that lunatic Stryker tortures him every day."
"The President has already approved the 'Extinction Project'. Once Stryker digs all the Mutant ability data out of Xavier's brain, all Mutants will die."
Arthur opened his eyes: "Found him."
Jean asked eagerly: "Where?"
"A the military base called 'Circle'." Arthur said, "Underneath the Great Lakes, Charles has been locked up there for three weeks."
Jean's pupils suddenly shrank.
"Great Lakes... Stryker..."
"You know this base?"
"Stryker is the the military's most radical Mutantopponent." Jean gritted her teeth, "He has always wanted to completely wipe out all Mutants. If the Professor falls into his hands..."
She didn't continue, but the meaning was already very obvious.
The Professor would likely be subjected to horrifying treatment.
"Let's go." Arthur said, "I'll take you there."
However.
Boom!!
Sonic boom sounds came from the sky.
"Someone's here." Arthur frowned.
Before Jean could react, the ceiling of the subway station suddenly exploded.
A red laser shot straight down from above, cutting through the ceiling and the ground.
Following closely, a figure jumped down.
Red goggles, brown short hair, black battle suit.
Cyclops, Scott Summers.
Storm followed closely behind, her long silver hair dancing in the wind, her eyes flashing with white light.
Further back, a furry blue figure walked out from the shadows; it was Beast McCoy.
Finally, a man covered in metallic skin landed on the ground, making a dull thud.
Colossus.
"Jean?" The moment he landed, Scott froze.
"Scott?" Jean froze as well.
She didn't expect to meet them here.
According to Deadpool, the X-Men should have gone to the moon.
"I didn't expect you to actually come back..." Scott took a step forward, his voice slightly trembling, "You disappeared for a full three months..."
Jean opened her mouth, not knowing how to explain.
Three months?
In her perception, she left her own Universe, traveled to Arthur's Universe, and then followed Arthur through countless multiverses...
In her perception, all of this was only a few days.
But three months had already passed in this Universe?
"I..." Jean took a deep breath, "I'm back. Now is not the time to talk about this. I heard the Professor..."
"The Professor was captured by Stryker."
Scott interrupted her, his tone suddenly becoming serious.
"We just got back from the moon. That base was a trap.
Stryker intentionally leaked the news to lure us over, and then set an ambush on the moon."
Storm stepped forward, looking at Jean with a complex expression on her face.
"Ororo." Jean nodded at her.
"You've come back just in time." Storm looked at her, "We need everyone's power."
"Wait."
Scott's gaze crossed over Jean and fell on Arthur behind her.
"Who is this person?"
Everyone's sight focused on Arthur.
Beast narrowed his eyes; he could sense an extremely dangerous aura emanating from Arthur.
This was the beast's intuition.
"He is... my savior." Jean blocked in front of Arthur, "He brought me back."
"Brought you back?" Scott frowned, "From where?"
"Another Universe." Jean said calmly, "I traveled to another Universe, and he helped me find my way back."
"Another Universe?" Scott's expression became strange, "Jean, do you know what you're saying?"
"I know." Jean's gaze was firm, "Every word I said is true."
Scott looked at her for a long time, and finally turned his gaze to Arthur.
"So, you are a person from another Universe?"
"Right." Arthur nodded.
"What are you doing in our Universe?"
"Helping her home." Arthur pointed at Jean.
Scott fell silent.
He could sense that Jean was defending this person, but was a stranger from another Universe really trustworthy?
"Scott." Jean spoke up, "The Professor is locked in Stryker's 'Circle' base, and we need to go rescue him."
"We know." Scott snapped back to reality, "We just got back from the moon, specifically for this matter."
"Then don't waste time." Jean nodded, "Take me."
"And him." She pointed at Arthur.
Scott glanced at Arthur, his gaze full of scrutiny.
"I don't trust him."
"You don't need to trust him." Jean said indifferently, "You just need to trust me."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds.
Finally, Scott looked away.
"Keep up." He turned around and walked out of the subway station, "If he makes any suspicious moves, I'll blast his head off with my laser."
Arthur followed. As he passed by Scott, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Is that so? But that laser of yours just now probably couldn't even cut my hair."
Scott's footsteps paused for a fraction of a second, and he continued walking forward.
Jean and Storm walked side by side, conversing in low voices.
Beast walked at the very back, his gaze fixed on Arthur's back.
"Hank." Storm looked back at him, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Hank shook his head, but the vigilance in his eyes didn't dissipate.
"I just feel... that person has a power on him that I've never felt before."
...
Great Lakes, the military secret base Circle.
Colonel Stryker sat in the interrogation room, facing a metal table.
Across the table, Professor X Xavier sat in a wheelchair, his hands locked by special metal handcuffs.
Two electrodes were attached to his temples, connected to the instrument behind him.
"Charles." Colonel Stryker spoke, his voice carrying undisguised sarcasm.
"You think you can really make Mutants and humans coexist peacefully?" Colonel Stryker sneered, "You're too naive."
"Do you know how humans view you? Monsters.
You are all monsters. Your power makes humans feel fear, and fear breeds hatred."
Colonel Stryker stood up and walked slowly around the table.
"You think you're Martin Luther King? You think you're Gandhi?
No, Charles, you're just a bald man sitting in a wheelchair, delusional enough to make two irreconcilable species shake hands and make peace."
"Humans and Mutants... are essentially the same." Charlesspoke calmly.
"The same? Ha?" Colonel Stryker laughed, "Any random Mutant student of yours can raze an entire city to the ground, and you call that the same?"
"Power itself has no good or evil." Charles retorted, "How it is used is the key."
"That sounds so nice."
Colonel Stryker walked behind Charles and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"But the reality is, humans won't accept you, never will.
You will either be eliminated or enslaved; there is no third path."
Charles closed his eyes.
"What you're saying is just your own thoughts."
"No." Colonel Stryker leaned down and whispered in Charles's ear.
"This is the consensus of the entire United Statesgovernment leadership.
When your students come to save you, they can be wiped out in one fell swoop.
Once all of you Mutants are dead, humanity can truly..."
Boom!!!
Before he finished speaking, a loud crash came from outside.
The entire base shook violently, and the fluorescent lights on the ceiling swayed wildly.
Colonel Stryker abruptly raised his head.
"What's going on?!"
Another loud crash came from the direction of the base's main entrance.
"Sir!" A soldier's panicked voice came through the communicator, "The base's main entrance is under attack! No, that's not right, it's..."
"What is it?!" Colonel Stryker roared.
"It's thunder!!"
Colonel Stryker rushed out of the interrogation room, looked out the window, and then saw a sight he had never seen in his life.
A thick pillar of thunderous light descended from the sky, several thousand meters in diameter.
Silver-white lightning poured down like a waterfall, slamming into the fortifications of the base's main entrance.
Soldiers fled in all directions, but in front of that terrifying electric field, they didn't even have a chance to run away.
All of them fell to the ground, life or death unknown.
Colonel Stryker froze in place, staring intently at the sky-covering thunder.
Not knowing if it was his illusion.
He always felt...
Amidst the thunder, there seemed to be someone.
Chapter 65 Current Rotation!!
Half an hour ago.
Great Lakes, outside the circular secret base of the the military.
After learning that Professor X was locked up here, the members of the X-Men rushed over quickly.
On a dark and windy night, a group of people slowly approached the lakeside in the night.
The clear lake water reflected the bright moonlight, and the the military base was hidden deep at the bottom of the lake.
The only entrance was a the military facility disguised as an abandoned pier.
"According to intelligence, the base has three floors in total." Scott squatted at the edge of the woods, observing the distant lights with a telescope.
"The top floor is a conventional the military garrison, the middle floor is a laboratory, and the bottom floor is a detention area. Professor X is most likely locked up on the lowest floor."
"I know Stryker." Storm Ororo stood by his side, her eyes gleaming with white light, and the surrounding air pressure fluctuated slightly.
"You all know how many inhumane things he used to do in the Weapon X project."
"So we need to be even faster." Jean's voice came from behind.
She walked to Scott's side, squatted down, and her red hair was blown by the night wind.
"The Professor has been missing for three weeks. A person like Stryker won't just lock him up so simply.
Perhaps he will use various means to force the Professor to open his mouth, or even use instruments to directly extract the Professor's memories."
"So what do you mean?" Scott turned his head to look at her and asked doubtfully.
"I mean, let's not have any infiltration plan." Jean raised her head, her gaze sweeping across everyone present.
We will kill our way straight through the front door and break through the defense line with lightning speed.
Before they can react, save the Professor."
"No." Scott shook his head in denial, "This is a the militarybase with thousands of soldiers inside, as well as heavy weapons. A frontal assault would cause too many casualties."
"Afraid of their heavy casualties?" Jean frowned, "Scott, they captured the Professor, and they are torturing him."
For Jean, Professor X was her life mentor.
If it weren't for Professor X, she might have long since become a puppet of the Phoenix Force!
Therefore, Professor X must be rescued quickly now.
"I know." Scott's tone became a bit heavier, "Precisely because of this, we cannot be rash. If we are also caught, who will save the Professor?
Furthermore, Professor X has always asked us to suppress our own abilities and not cause too much destruction.
Jean, I don't know what you experienced before, but I am the Captain of the X-Men!"
"You will regret this, Scott!"
Storm Ororo glanced at the two of them and said, "I support Scott. Infiltration is safer. We don't understand the internal structure of the base, and the risk of a frontal assault is too high."
"I also support infiltration." Colossus stood in the back, crossing his metal arms in front of his chest, "I can attract firepower from the front and let you sneak in from the side."
Jean gritted her teeth and turned her gaze to Beaststanding in the shade of the tree.
"Hank, what about you?"
Beast leaned against the tree trunk with his arms crossed, his blue fur almost invisible in the night.
However, his gaze had always been fixed on Arthur, just like a creepy stalker in some adult movies.
But he didn't mean that kind of thing towards Arthur.
It was just that Hank's beast intuition had been warning him, as if Arthur was an extremely formidable man.
"Hank?" Jean shouted again.
Hank only then snapped back to his senses, turned his head to look at her, and his voice was low.
"Jean, just make your decision. I won't participate in this aspect."
After saying that, he turned his head again to stare at Arthur.
At this moment, Arthur was standing at the edge of the crowd, his eyes slightly narrowed, looking closely at the bottom of the lake.
Super Vision was penetrating the lake water and the layers of armor of the base, scanning every corner inside.
First floor, second floor, third floor...
Metal walls, patrolling soldiers, and densely packed laboratory instrument pipelines.
Soon, Arthur's vision penetrated into a closed room on the lowest floor.
A bald old man sat in a wheelchair, his hands locked by metal shackles, and electrodes were attached to his temples, connected to the instrument behind him.
His face was pale, his lips were chapped, and his whole body was emaciated.
This should be Professor X Xavier that the mission was looking for.
And beside Professor X stood a middle-aged man in a the military uniform.
He had a head of short grey hair and a gloomy expression, but at this moment, a mocking, ferocious smile hung on his face.
Colonel Stryker of the the military... It seemed this guy was mocking Professor X.
Without waiting for the X-Men next to him to finish discussing, Arthur slowly flew up and came to the surface of the lake.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit he had obtained previously had already been eaten by him, and the surging lightning energy was now jumping between his cells.
Not only that, Arthur also discovered that the Power of a Million Suns could actually intertwine with this thunder and lightning power, producing a certain chemical reaction.
Crackle, snap!!
Silver-white electric arcs jumped inside Arthur's body, natural and powerful forces surging and rotating!
Current Rotation!!
In an instant, fine silver-white electric arcs appeared on the surface of Arthur's body, crackling.
Boom!!!
A bolt of thunder struck down from the sky.
Above the entire Great Lakes, dark clouds instantly condensed, and thunder light surged in the clouds, illuminating the entire night sky as bright as day.
Thunder was like rain, like a waterfall and a flood, descending from the sky.
Silver-white lightning poured down, metal instantly melted, concrete shattered, and reinforced concrete structures instantly collapsed under the high-voltage current.
Soldiers hiding inside the base looked at the scene in front of them with horror on their faces.
"What the hell is this?!" An officer couldn't help roaring out loud.
"Thunder!" The panicked shouts of soldiers came from the communicator, "There is thunder everywhere, we are suffering..."
Before he finished speaking, the communication was interrupted.
Arthur swooped down from mid-air, like a silver-white lightning bolt striking the front door of the base.
Boom!!!
The front door was smashed through head-on, the metal door panels were torn apart like paper, and fragments splashed out with electric light.
Behind them, the members of the X-Men saw this scene and were all stunned in place.
Scott was originally discussing the plan with everyone, but then he saw the bolts of thunder summoned by Arthurcrashing down on the base like divine punishment.
What the hell is this?
Storm Ororo and Colossus were also dumbfounded.
We were still discussing the plan here, why did you suddenly rush up?
As for Beast, who had been staring at Arthur, an expression of "as expected" appeared on his face.
This man truly possessed such powerful strength.
"Don't just stand there, let's rush up too!"
With his right hand pressing the button on his glasses, Scott spoke while rushing forward.
The other members of the X-Men also followed closely behind.
...
With Arthur's intrusion, the interior of the base had already turned into chaos.
The alarm sounded harshly, and the red lights flashed continuously.
Soldiers ran around east and west, some trying to organize a defense line, others rescuing comrades knocked unconscious by electric shocks.
Then...
They saw a man in a white shirt, glowing with electricity all over his body, speeding through the base corridor like a God Among Men.
Wherever he passed, all electronic equipment was overloaded and burned down, and weapons melted into molten iron.
"Open fire! Open fire!"
A team of special forces soldiers raised their guns and shot in sheer terror.
However.
The bullets, like a torrent of steel, seemed as if they were frozen in front of Arthur.
The elementization of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit unfolded, and the bullets passed through Arthur's body without posing the slightest threat to him.
"This... How is this possible?!"
Squad leader George looked at all this with horror on his face, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Those bullets clearly hit that man, but the other party was completely unharmed. This was truly terrifying.
"Is... Is he an immortal being?!" A team member's voice trembled.
"No." George gritted his teeth and reloaded, "His body has turned into current; bullets simply cannot hit a physical entity!"
As the Captain of the most elite special reaction squad of the Ring base, George had seen quite a few Mutants and some absurd abilities.
But the elementization displayed by Arthur still inevitably generated fear in his heart.
"Switch to RPG!" George roared, "High-explosive armor-piercing shells, blanket fire!"
Two soldiers quickly pulled rocket launchers from the weapon rack, one loading and one aiming.
The others continued to suppress fire with rifles, except that all those bullets passed through Arthur's body and hit the wall.
"Fire!"
Two RPGs were fired simultaneously, dragging long tail flames, fiercely shooting towards Arthur.
However.
Arthur moved his right hand slightly, and the rotation of the current generated a strong magnetic field, directly suspending and controlling the missiles in mid-air.
"Is that it?" He tilted his head, with no expression on his face.
But George on the opposite side and the other U.S. grunts had expressions of absolute despair.
"My God, how is this possible?!"
"Fuck, is he a god?"
"Shit, run quickly, we can not beat this guy at all!!"
"Escape? Where can you escape to?"
Arthur sneered, his eyes glowing scarlet, and the blazing Heat Vision was incomparably thick, pouring down like a torrent and instantly filling the entire corridor.
Seeing this scene, George's pupils contracted sharply.
Goodbye mother, tonight I'm setting sail...
The beam tore everything apart, flesh and blood were instantly cut to pieces, dripping with blood.
Before his consciousness blurred, George barely kept his eyes open.
He saw that person sweep through the corridor like electric light, heading towards the lowest floor.
"He is going to the detention..."
George opened his mouth wanting to say something, but his whole body was weak, and a cold, dark feeling surged up.
He died.
At the end of the corridor, the X-Men also rushed in.
Scott landed first, his red goggles scanning the soldiers all over the floor and the burned equipment, his expression changing slightly.
"He actually killed so many people? Just how strong is he... To achieve this level all by himself..."
"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and keep up!" Jean swept past him, her face full of anxiety.
Storm manipulated the airflow, blowing away the residual smoke, revealing the scene deep in the corridor.
The walls were burned to a charred black by lightning, and all pipelines were melted through.
The metal supports were twisted and deformed, and all electronic equipment within a dozen meters along the way was completely scrapped.
There were also many severed limbs and flesh scattered around, presenting a bloody sight.
The air was filled with the smell of burning and a strong, pungent stench of blood.
Hank landed at the very back, his blue beastly pupils scanning the surrounding wreckage, his heart full of shock.
Such destructive power...
Even if he went berserk with all his might, he couldn't achieve this level, right...
That man named Arthur was actually this strong?!
"Hank, don't daze off!" Colossus ran past him and reminded him.
Hank snapped back to his senses and followed.
...
Arthur had already arrived at the lowest floor of the base.
He stood in front of a thick alloy door, his Super Visionpenetrating the door panel to confirm the situation inside.
Charles Xavier's face was frightfully pale, his lips chapped, and his whole person looked weak to the extreme.
And opposite him, Colonel Stryker was holding a handgun, with the muzzle aimed at Charles's forehead.
"Don't move."
Colonel Stryker's voice came from behind the door, filled with irrepressible panic.
"I know you're strong, but if you dare to break through the door, I'll shoot and kill him!"
Chapter 66: The Dark Phoenix Screaming Hoarsely from the Electric Shock
"Don't move!"
Colonel Stryker felt the extremely terrifying oppressive force outside and couldn't help trembling all over.
"I know you're very strong, but if you dare to break through the door, I'll shoot and kill him!"
With Super Vision penetrating the iron door, Arthur could clearly see that Stryker had the muzzle pressed against Charles's temple.
Charles had his eyes closed, with little expression on his face, as if he had already become numb to this kind of thing.
Without the slightest hesitation, Arthur's body transformed into a silvery-white electric current, directly passing through the metal door panel and re-condensing into human form on the other side of the door.
Seeing this scene, Colonel Stryker's pupils suddenly constricted.
"What?" Filled with fear in his heart, he instinctively pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet shot toward Arthur's glabella.
But the bullet could only pass through his afterimage, causing him no harm at all.
Looking at the panicked Colonel Stryker, Arthur reached out his right hand and directly gripped his throat.
"Ugh!"
Stryker was lifted up entirely, his feet off the ground.
The pistol slipped from his hand and dropped to the ground with a clatter.
His face turned flushed red, and his hands desperately tried to pry open Arthur's fingers.
But those fingers were like cast iron, not moving a fraction of an inch.
"You…" Stryker looked at Arthur, squeezing the words out from between his teeth with difficulty, "You are… making an enemy of the entire America the military…"
"America the military?" Arthur tilted his head slightly, his tone calm, "Do you think they can stop me?"
Stryker glared at him, the fear in the depths of his eyes surging up like a tide.
He could feel that the hand pinching his throat was tightening bit by bit.
"I…" Stryker's voice grew weaker and weaker, "You can't kill me… I am a… colonel…"
"A colonel?" Arthur let out a laugh, "A mere colonel, what do you think you are."
Snap!
A crisp sound of bones cracking.
Colonel Stryker's body twitched abruptly, and then he went completely limp.
Arthur turned around and walked over to Charles's wheelchair.
Professor X raised his head, looked at the young man in front of him, and smiled weakly: "You killed him."
"Yeah."
Arthur squatted down, grasped the shackles on his wrist, and with a flash of electric current, the shackles shattered.
"You shouldn't have killed him," Charles sighed. "He was a bad man, but his death will make the relationship between Mutant and humans even worse."
"That's your business," Arthur stood up. "I'm only responsible for saving people."
Charles was silent for a few seconds, then nodded slightly: "Thank you."
"Don't thank me; if you want to thank someone, thank Jean."
Just then, rapid footsteps came from the corridor.
Jean was the first to rush into the interrogation room, closely followed by Scott, Storm, Hank, and Colossus.
"Professor!" Jean rushed to the wheelchair, grasped Charles's hand, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Jean." Charles gently patted the back of her hand, "Thanks to this friend of yours."
Jean raised her head and looked at Arthur: "Thank you, Arthur."
Arthur shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged: "You're welcome."
Scott stepped forward, looking at Stryker's corpse on the ground, his brow tightly furrowed.
"You killed him?"
"He was pointing a gun at this bald guy's head just now," Arthur tilted his head to look at him, "What do you think I should have done?"
Scott stood frozen in place, recalling Arthur's destructive and unstoppable performance just now, a myriad of complex emotions churning in his heart.
Although he really wanted to save the Professor, wasn't killing everyone in the base a bit too cruel?
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the "Find Charles" mission]
[Reward obtained: million-sun sentry template progress + 2%, Silver Superman Template fragments * 3]
[Current million-sun sentry template progress: 97%]
[Silver Superman Template fragments: 28 / 100]
It's finally 97%!
Feeling the surging Power of a Million Suns within his body, Arthur felt a surge of joy in his heart.
With just the last 3% remaining, he would be able to completely possess the Power of a Million Suns!
Moreover, the Silver Superman Template fragments had also gathered a quarter; before long, the power of Silver Superman could also be mastered.
Silver Superman…
Breathing out to extinguish the Universe, stringing countless planet together with bare hands, and even being able to travel to the past and future.
I'm really looking forward to it.
Putting away the panel, Arthur turned and walked outward.
"Let's go, this place is not suitable for a long stay."
The X-Men pushed Charles's wheelchair, following behind Arthur as they passed through the thunder-destroyed corridor and walked out of the base gates.
On the lake surface, the moonlight was bright, and the Water waves were calm.
Charles sat in the wheelchair, took a deep breath of the night wind, and looked up at Arthur.
"Young man, aren't you a person of this Universe?"
Just now, Jean had told him about how she had traveled to other Universes and been brought back by Arthur.
This made Charles feel extremely surprised.
To think that people from other Universes would come over.
However, thinking of that guy Deadpool, Charles felt relieved.
Mutants all had various weird abilities, so the existence of a multiverse wasn't impossible.
"Yes," Arthur nodded and answered.
"Did you come here for Jean?"
"Otherwise?"
Charles was silent for a moment, and finally spoke: "Thank you for bringing Jean back; she is our family."
"I know." Arthur shrugged.
The group walked toward the lakeshore, preparing to leave this place.
However.
Right at this moment.
A ball of Fire suddenly attacked Hank.
"What?!"
Hank was completely unprepared as the Fire swallowed his chest, blasting him flying entirely and crashing heavily into the tree trunk behind him.
"Hank!" Storm screamed out, turning her head to look at Jean who was attacking Hank, "Jean, what are you doing?!"
Jean's eyes turned into a burning crimson red, and the Phoenix Force spun wildly around her body, like an out-of-control blazing flame.
"Jean, what's wrong?!" Scott rushed forward, his red goggles lighting up.
Jean ignored them, simply raising her right hand as the Phoenix Force turned into an Shockwave, directly flipping Scott away.
"Jean!" Storm Ororo floated up, white light flashing in her eyes, Storms condensing around her, "Are you crazy?!"
Jean only stared coldly at Storm, with no expression on her face, saying not a word.
Boom!!
The Phoenix Force turned into countless fire threads, winding toward Storm.
Ororo manipulated the Storm to form a wall of air attempting to block it, but the flames of the Phoenix Forcedirectly penetrated the Storm, forcing her to retreat repeatedly.
"Colossus!" Ororo shouted.
Colossus spread his arms, attempting to hug Jean from the side.
But Jean only waved her hand gently, and the Phoenix Force turned into a giant flame palm, directly slapping Colossus into the ground.
Seeing this, Charles immediately unleashed his psychic power, attempting to probe Jean's consciousness.
But the next moment, his expression changed.
"A strange psychic Mutant…" Charles spoke in a low voice, "Someone is using psychic abilities to control Jean…"
"What?!" Scott crawled up from the ground, blood hanging at the corner of his mouth, "Who?!"
"I don't know," Charles shook his head, "The opponent's psychic power is very strong; I can only see a blurry figure in Jean's consciousness."
"Stay away from me…" Jean's voice was trembling, her eyes completely turned crimson red.
The Phoenix Force burned wildly around her, distorting the surrounding air and blasting toward Scott.
Scott was too late to dodge, only able to cross his arms to block in front of him. A pillar of fire blasted onto his body, sending him flying again.
"Who is the person controlling Jean?" Arthur turned his head to look at Professor X beside him.
"I don't know," Charles shook his head, "But the opponent's psychic power is extremely strong."
"A psychic Mutant." Arthur frowned.
Being able to control the consciousness of a Phoenix Forcehost, and retreating unscathed in front of Charles, the opponent was definitely no ordinary character.
However, right at this moment.
The system panel lit up before his eyes.
[Current mission refreshed: Stop Jean Grey and find out the mastermind behind the scenes]
[Mission description: Jean Grey is controlled by an unknown psychic Mutant. Host, please subdue Jean Greyand find out the psychic Mutant behind the scenes.]
[Mission reward: million-sun sentry template progress + 3%, Silver Superman Template fragments * 5]
Arthur glanced at the panel, wild joy in his heart.
3% sentry progress!
As long as he completed this mission, he would be able to completely unlock 100% of the sentry template!
100% Power of a Million Suns, no matter which Universeit was placed in, was an absolute terrifying existence.
And now…
Looking at Jean who was still throwing heavy punches at her teammates, Arthur clasped his hands together, the energy of Qi and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit intertwining and surging.
"Thunder Shock Surprise!"
The Qi within his body instantly surged, transforming into an electric current that intertwined with the lightning of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, piercing through Jean's Phoenix Force barrier and heavily blasting onto her body.
Crackle, crackle!!
Electric currents surged.
Jean rolled her eyes back, her whole body trembling rapidly, and hoarse screams emitted from her mouth from time to time.
"Oh ho ho ho… ho ho ho ho ho…"
Stimulated by the electric current, Jean, who was originally controlled, instinctively curled up on the ground, trembling constantly.
And seeing this scene, Arthur himself was a bit dumbfounded.
"Young people really know how to play," Charles beside him patted his forearm.
Arthur: "…"
What is this supposed to be?
He originally just wanted to subdue Jean.
Never did he expect that Jean would have such a reaction.
Wouldn't this be a bit too obscure?
Chapter 67: Storm and Jean Grey's Battle Groans, Ability Replication?
Although Dark Jean Grey Jean was controlled by a mental Mutant.
Fortunately, Arthur was able to use lightning to counter-control Jean.
So...
Jean ended up in a state of continuous groaning.
"Oh, ho, ho, ho..."
Her entire body trembled continuously, sweat seeping out from her snow-white skin, and then large beads of sweat slid down her fair skin.
Jean probably didn't have much combat power left now.
But just as Arthur was about to step forward.
Swoosh!!
A blazing red laser fiercely tore through the airflow and shot over explosively.
Noticing the wind, Arthur immediately elementalized and dodged the beam.
He quickly turned his head to look in the direction the laser was shot from, only to see Scott, who had just been heavily injured by Jean, standing up with his eyes glowing red, aiming right at him.
Swoosh!!
The air was torn apart once again. Cyclops's optic blast was exceptionally thick, almost completely engulfing Arthur.
As an X-Men team leader, Cyclops's eyes connected to another dimension, capable of releasing endless Shockwave.
At this moment, he didn't know what had provoked him, or perhaps, just like Jean, he had been controlled by an unfamiliar Mutant.
The terrifying Shockwave instantly blasted toward Arthur.
At the same time, Storm beside him also raised her head, her eyes glowing with white light.
As an Omega-level Mutant, she possessed the terrifying ability to control the weather.
With a wave of her hands, snow fell all over the sky, freezing Professor X Charles beside Arthur until he shivered and even sneezed several times.
As for Beast and Colossus, they charged toward Arthur like absolute madmen.
The situation wasn't quite right.
Arthur punched Colossus away with a single blow, then slapped Beast across the face twice, directly knocking him unconscious.
Right now, fighting these X-Men members was as effortless as beating little girls.
Even Omega-level Mutants like Storm and Jean could be easily taken down in his eyes.
Arthur brought his hands together, gathering Qi and lightning energy in his palms.
The next moment—
"Thunder Shock Surprise!"
The current instantly poured out, fiercely striking Storm's body.
Electric arcs darted around continuously, and a tingling sensation welled up.
Storm's entire body trembled violently, unable to say anything, and she could only emit inexplicable groans just like Jean beside her.
"Oh, ho, ho, ho..."
I must admit, as an Omega Mutant in the X-Men, Storm's appearance was quite good.
Her silver-white long hair draped over her shoulders like a waterfall, her facial features were deep, and her dark brown skin was smooth as jade.
Her figure was tall and slender, with a slim waist, full thighs, and plump hips tightly wrapped in a form-fitting battle suit, outlining a perfect curve.
But at this moment, this cold and stunning Goddess of Storm was entangled by Arthur's lightning, unable to even speak, her body trembling violently and uncontrollably.
"Oh, ho, ho, ho..."
The current crawled all over her body, wave after wave of tingling sensations washing over her. She couldn't even stand steadily, and could only barely support herself against the tree trunk behind her.
Her messy silver hair clung to her sweat-dampened cheeks, her usually aloof eyes now vacant and misty, her lips slightly parted as she continuously made inexplicable sounds.
I must say, this current was quite useful.
It was just that Professor X, watching Jean and Ororo look so disheveled under Arthur's current, couldn't help but wear a slightly peculiar look in his eyes.
Do young people nowadays play in such fancy ways?
"Were they also controlled by someone?"
Arthur turned his head to look at Professor X and asked.
Although he possessed formidable strength, he wasn't proficient in mental aspects.
Therefore, regarding what was wrong with the X-Men, he could only ask Charles beside him.
Charles operated his wheelchair, slowly moving to the sides of Jean and Ororo.
He extended his hand, gently pressing it against Jean's forehead, and closed his eyes.
Mental power surged into the depths of Jean's consciousness like a tidal wave.
A few seconds later, he withdrew his hand, turned to Ororowith a solemn expression, and probed once more.
After a round of this, Charles's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
"They have indeed both been controlled." Charleswithdrew his hand, his voice low.
"The opponent's mental power has penetrated very deeply, as if a switch had been implanted in their consciousness.
With just a triggering signal, it can make them lose their self-awareness and become puppets.
Perhaps having Scott and the others come here to rescue me was part of the mastermind's plan all along."
"Can you tell who did it?" Arthur leaned against the tree trunk and asked.
Charles pondered for a moment, then spoke:
"This method of mental control... I've seen it before."
"Who?"
"Jason Stryker."
When saying this name, a hint of a sigh tinged Charles's tone.
"Codename Mastermind, one of the core members of the Hellfire Club."
"The Hellfire Club?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"A secret organization composed of the world's top billionaires, politicians, and Mutants," Charles explained.
"On the surface, it's an upper-class social circle, but secretly it controls the economic and political lifelines of the world.
Jason is a capable subordinate under the White Queen. His mental power is very special, capable of creating extremely realistic illusions and even directly controlling the consciousness of others."
"The White Queen?"
"Emma Frost, Sebastian Shaw's capable assistant," Professor X said while recalling.
"An extremely dangerous woman with a diamond form and telepathic abilities."
Arthur nodded.
So that was how it was. But thinking about it carefully, he actually knew this woman too.
White Queen Emma Frost was sometimes an ally of the X-Men and sometimes an enemy.
But in this Universe, she was clearly on the opposite side.
"Why did they control the X-Men?" Arthur asked again.
"I don't know," Charles shook his head, "but Jasoncontrolling Jean is clearly for the Phoenix Force.
If he can manipulate the Phoenix Force through Jean, then the entire Hellfire Club will possess a weapon capable of subverting the world."
"He's dreaming," Arthur scoffed.
Right at this moment, the system panel lit up before his eyes.
[Ding! Current quest refreshed: Destroy the Hellfire Club]
[Quest Description: Mastermind Jason Stryker of the Hellfire Club controlled X-Men members to attack the host.
As Superman, please have the host go to the Hellfire Club, defeat Jason Stryker, and destroy the organization.]
[Quest Reward: million-sun sentry template progress +3%, Ability Replication (can replicate others' superpowers for personal use)]
Looking at the words on the panel, Arthur's expression froze slightly.
Ability Replication?
This reward seemed even more tempting to him than the progress of the sentry template.
Although he already possessed the Body of Superman, Power of a Million Suns, Turtle School Qigong, six Infinity Stones, Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Ultraman Tiga's spark lens...
But these powers were essentially given by the system.
Meanwhile, Ability Replication meant that he could actively acquire more abilities.
If he were to replicate Jean's Phoenix Force, Wanda's Chaos Magic, or Charles's mental abilities.
Or perhaps...
Replicating Galactus's incoming abilities.
Just how powerful would he become?
Chapter 68 White Queen? Move yourself!
New York, Hellfire Club.
In the circular hall on the third underground floor, Emma Frost sat at the head of the long table, and the screen in front of her was playing a piece of surveillance footage.
On the screen, in the corridor of the Great Lakes base, silver-white lightning poured down like a torrent, and soldiers fell in rows.
Special forces' bullets passed through that man's body, and the RPG missile hovered in mid-air.
Immediately after, crimson beams were released, and the entire corridor turned into hell.
"Rewind." Emma frowned and pointed at a frame.
Jason Stryker stood beside her, his mouse slid, and the footage replayed.
"Here." Emma pointed at the silver-white figure on the screen, her brows slightly furrowed.
"His speed is faster than lightning. Bullets can't hit him, and physical attacks are ineffective against him.
It seems he has some kind of Mutant ability related to lightning?"
"How do we deal with him?"
A middle-aged man in a suit spoke beside them. He was the treasurer of the Hellfire Club, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat at the moment.
"Even Stryker's entire base couldn't stop him alone."
"It's normal that they couldn't stop him." Emma picked up her wine glass and took a sip of red wine.
"Stryker is just a the military colonel with only conventional weapons and a few hundred soldiers in his hands. His failure was within my expectations."
"Then White Queen, what do you mean..."
"A Mutant of this level can only be defeated on a mental level."
Emma put down the wine glass, a flash of cold light passing through her blue eyes.
"Physical attacks are ineffective against him, but what about his consciousness? It's impossible for him to be immune to mental attacks as well, right?"
"But Charles Xavier is by his side," Jason reminded, "Charles's mental power is very strong. If he intervenes..."
"Charles has been locked up for three weeks, and his mental power is hugely depleted." Emma glanced at him. "Besides, don't we still have you, Jason?"
Jason slightly bowed. "My illusions can deceive him."
Emma stood up, her white dress trailing on the ground, her figure fully displayed under the lights with full curves.
The neckline of the white dress on her chest was cut extremely low, exposing a large expanse of snowy skin and a deep cleavage, which was rising and falling slightly with her breath at the moment.
"I want you to control him directly. No matter how strong he is, as long as his consciousness falls under your control, he will be our weapon."
"What if he also has mental defense?" Jason turned his head to look at Emma.
"Then change to another method—seduction."
Jason was stunned for a moment. "Seduction?"
"Whether human or Mutant, as long as he has desires, he has weaknesses."
Emma raised her hand, looked at her slender and fair fingers, and the corners of her mouth ticked up slightly.
"No matter how strong that man is, he is still a man after all. As long as he is a man, he has a man's weaknesses."
"You mean..." The treasurer swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
"Let him come."
Emma sat down, her legs crossed, and the high-slit skirt hem slipped down, revealing an entire slender and well-proportioned leg.
"I will let him know what it means to..."
Before she finished speaking.
A cold male voice came from the corner of the hall.
"Feel at home?"
Everyone's bodies stiffened simultaneously.
Emma abruptly turned her head.
In the shadows of the corner of the hall, a figure slowly walked out.
He was wearing a black suit with his hands in his pockets, grinning with a faint sneer.
"Sorry, I was listening to your meeting just now and got too absorbed in it."
Arthur walked over to the long table, casually pulled out a chair and sat down, crossing his legs.
"Continue, don't mind me. Where did we just leave off? Seduction?"
Emma turned her head to look at Arthur in front of her, subconsciously deploying her telepathy in an attempt to probe Arthur's consciousness.
But as soon as her mental power touched the surface of Arthur's body, it was like crashing into a wall forged by thunder.
Currents exploded in her mind, and a tingling pain caused her to stagger back a step.
"Don't bother." Arthur turned his head and glanced at her. "You can't control me."
However.
Jason beside him still didn't care, his eyes lit up with blue light, and his mental power turned into an invisible torrent, rushing straight towards Arthur.
He wanted to control this man's consciousness and make him a puppet of the Hellfire Club.
The blue light sank into the center of Arthur's brows.
The corners of Jason's mouth ticked up slightly.
Did it succeed?
No... not yet!
His mental power entered a boundless space, with no boundaries and no end.
In the exact center of that space, a figure towering between heaven and earth was suspended, and behind him were millions of burning stars.
"You..." Jason's voice trembled.
"What do you mean, 'you'?" Arthur raised his hand, and a flash of lightning flickered.
Jason's mental power was forcibly cut off, and his whole body was like being struck by a giant hammer, bleeding from his seven orifices and collapsing to his knees on the ground.
"Jason!" Emma exclaimed.
"Illusion Master?" Arthur stood up, looking at Jason kneeling on the ground. "Playing mind control in front of me?"
He walked up to Jason and squatted down.
"Your ability isn't much!"
Casually crushing Jason to death, Arthur stood up and his gaze swept over the others present.
"Very well, now it's your turn, you guys."
Emma stood at the other end of the long table, her white dress fluttering slightly in the wind, looking at the God Among Men in front of her with a solemn expression, and asked:
"What do you want?"
"What do I want?" Arthur tilted his head.
He walked up to Emma and looked down at her.
The White Queen was very beautiful, with hair as white as snow, skin better than porcelain, and a graceful and slender figure under her white dress.
She stood there like a noblewoman who had stepped out of a classical oil painting.
"Didn't you say just now that you were going to seduce me?"
Arthur leaned down and spoke softly in her ear.
"Now let me see?"
Emma took a deep breath and straightened her back.
The white silk long dress fit her body, outlining her slender waist and plump buttocks.
The high-slit skirt hem slid apart to both sides, revealing an entire slender and well-proportioned leg, with full lines from thigh to ankle.
"You're right."
Emma spoke, her voice a few shades lower than before.
"Mind control is useless against you."
She lifted her hand, her slender and fair fingers resting gently on Arthur's shoulders.
"But some things don't need control, right?"
Emma slightly tilted her head back, her blue eyes looking at him.
Those eyes, usually as cold as ice, were like melting at the moment, carrying a kind of moist light.
Her lips were slightly parted, ruddy and full, and the breath she exhaled brushed gently against Arthur's chin.
Her other hand slid down Arthur's chest, feeling his strong muscles through the shirt.
"You are strong," she said in a low voice, her body leaning forward slightly. "But no matter how strong a man is, he still needs someone to understand him."
Emma's body was almost pressed against Arthur.
She could feel the temperature coming from her chest, the fabric of the white dress as thin as cicada wings, displaying the curves of her body without reservation.
Her waist was very slim, her hips were very round, and from head to toe she exuded a charming attraction.
"I can be that person."
Her fingers stopped at Arthur's collar, gently spinning around.
"The Hellfire Club's global resources and network are all yours, and I..."
Emma slightly stood on tiptoe, her lips moving close to Arthur's ear.
"Am also yours."
"Is that so?" Arthur grinned.
"Since that's the case, then move yourself!"
Chapter 69: The White Queen's Jean-Style Death
"On... On her own?"
The White Queen was stunned for a moment, but the next instant, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"As expected..."
"All men are the same."
Without a trace of hesitation, her small hand slid down Arthur's chest.
Meanwhile, Arthur grabbed the White Queen's hair with his right hand and pushed it forcefully downward.
"Hiss..."
"Oh, this won't do."
Emma Frost knelt on the marble floor, her golden hair scattered all over the ground.
Her body was still trembling slightly, the lingering aftershocks of the current crawling across her skin, and the numbness had not yet completely faded.
Everything that had just happened left her mind somewhat dazed, but she still recovered in the shortest time possible.
"You spared my life."
Emma slowly stood up, her white dress already mostly shattered, revealing large patches of fair skin and graceful curves.
She didn't care at all; instead, she straightened her body, displaying herself without reservation in front of Arthur.
"I knew it, men are all the same."
Emma took a step forward, her finger gently tapping on Arthur's chest.
"No matter what you say with your mouth, your body is always honest."
She believed in her own judgment; while on the bed, she could feel that this man had a physical reaction to her body.
A man who was willing to have a relationship with her, how could he bear to kill her?
This was Emma's logic.
"The Hellfire Club can give you everything," she said softly, "resources, intelligence, wealth, power. We are the same kind of people."
She reached out her hand, wanting to touch Arthur's cheek.
Arthur tilted his head slightly, dodging it.
Emma's hand stopped in mid-air, slightly startled.
"You..."
"You are overthinking it," Arthur spoke, his voice very calm.
"I slept with you simply because I wanted to."
Emma's expression froze.
"What?"
She instinctively wanted to retreat, but before her body could move, Arthur's hand had already reached out.
Five fingers locked around her throat.
"Wait..."
Emma struggled desperately, her hands beating against Arthur's arm, but that hand didn't move a single inch.
She tried to unleash her telepathy, but the moment her mental power touched Arthur, it instantly shattered.
"You... You can't..."
Her face flushed red, and fear welled up in her eyes.
Arthur looked down at her: "I did it with you because I wanted to, and killing you is simply because I want to kill you."
"As for the Hellfire Club... there is no longer any need for it to exist."
Crack!!
A crisp sound of bone fracture echoed in the spacious hall.
Emma Frost's body stiffened, and then suddenly went limp.
Her head tilted to one side, her golden hair scattered, covering half of her cheek.
A look of disbelief still lingered in her eyes.
She just died like this?
Her corpse was released by Arthur and slid to the ground.
Her white dress was shattered, and her fair skin gleamed with a cold light under the lights.
Until her death, she never figured it out.
Why this man wanted her in bed, yet still killed her.
Arthur lowered his head to glance at the corpse on the ground, his expression showing no fluctuation.
He turned around and looked at the club members by the long table who were scared out of their wits.
The treasurer collapsed in the chair, his face pale, his pants soaked in a patch.
The rest of the people were no better off; some were trembling, and some had already passed out.
"As for you..."
Thunder gathered in the palm of his hand.
Boom!!!
The entire three underground levels of the Helios Club were completely wiped flat in the silver-white electric light.
Arthur stood amidst the ruins, surrounded by broken steel bars and marble crushed into powder.
However, the mission was not yet completed, which indicated that the Hellfire Club still had other members, or perhaps...
"The Hellfire Club, the White Queen, the Illusion Master..."
Arthur counted them one by one, confirming that he had already killed the two most important surface-level figures of this organization.
Logically speaking, the mission should have been completed.
Yet on the system panel in front of him, that line of grayish-white text was still flickering.
[Status: Incomplete]
"What is the situation?"
Arthur's brows furrowed.
He originally thought that maybe Jason or Emma had a body double, or that there were still some hidden members who hadn't been cleared out.
But upon second thought, he felt something wasn't right.
His Super Hearing could cover the globe, and his Super Vision could penetrate all physical barriers.
Before destroying the Hellfire Club, he had already used Super Hearing to confirm the locations of all core members.
Aside from Jason, Emma, and a few middle-level cadres, no other high-tier Mutants were hiding.
Unless that person wasn't in the club from the beginning to the end.
Arthur suddenly raised his head.
"Professor X?" he muttered silently in his heart, trying to use his mental power to sense Charles.
Although his mental abilities were inferior to Charles', the mental link actively established by Charles just now should still retain a trace of a trace.
A few seconds later, a weak voice indeed sounded in his mind.
"Mr. Arthur."
Charles' mental power traveled across hundreds of kilometers.
The voice was intermittent, like a radio with extremely poor signal.
"The Hellfire Club... has more than just the White Queen."
Charles' voice paused for a moment, as if organizing the upcoming information.
"After Sebastian Shaw died, everyone thought that the Hellfire Club only had the White Queen left."
"But in reality... Shaw didn't die at all."
Charles' voice became increasingly urgent.
"Back in that explosion, the one who died was his body double."
"The real Shaw has always been hiding behind the scenes, manipulating everything."
"Emma was just a puppet he pushed to the front stage, and so was Jason."
"The entire Hellfire Club was merely a tool used by Shaw to infiltrate the global political and business circles."
Sebastian Shaw.
In the X-Men comics and movies, this character was one of the founders of the Hellfire Club.
Possessing the ability to absorb all energy and convert it into his own strength.
In the movie X-Men: First Class, he tried to provoke a U.S.-Soviet nuclear war and was killed jointly by Professor Xand Magneto.
But this Universe was clearly not the movie Universe.
"I just read Jean's deep consciousness," Charles continued. "In the mind-control directives Jason implanted in her, there is a hidden backdoor program."
"That program's authority level is even higher than Jasonhimself."
"Is it Shaw?"
"Yes. Jason is just the executor, and Shaw is the true controller," Charles' voice grew increasingly weak. "He used Jason to control Jean, but if Jason failed, he would personally step in at a critical moment."
"Jason's death... might make him launch it ahead of time."
Arthur lowered his head to glance at the system panel, and then glanced at Emma's corpse.
The White Queen didn't know until her death that she was merely a chess piece.
She thought she could manipulate everything with her body and wrist, but in the end, she didn't even see her own position clearly.
"Tell me where he is," Arthur said.
"I am looking..." Charles was silent for a few seconds, his voice suddenly changing, "Wait."
"What is it?"
"He moved." Charles' voice suddenly became urgent, "Arthur, he is moving, very fast, his direction is..."
"Where?"
"X-Mansion."
"He is going to capture Jean."
As soon as those words were spoken, Charles' mental connection suddenly cut off.
"Professor X?"
Arthur's brows furrowed slightly, taking a deep breath to force himself to calm down.
Sebastian Shaw, the true Black Emperor of the Hellfire Club.
He had been hiding for so many years, always lurking behind the scenes manipulating everything.
Now Jason was dead, and Emma was also dead; all his chess pieces had been uprooted.
Therefore, he had to take action himself.
The target was Jean Grey.
The host of the Phoenix Force, one of the strongest Mutants in the entire X-Men Universe.
If Shaw controlled Jean, it would be equivalent to controlling the Phoenix Force.
Controlling the Phoenix Force would be equivalent to mastering a weapon capable of subverting the entire world.
However...
The power Arthur currently possessed could completely contend with Jean.
He just didn't know whether the Black Emperor Sebastian would arrive at the X-Mansion a step ahead of him.
Thinking of this, Arthur's figure instantly soared into the sky, disappearing into the night sky of New York.
Chapter 70: Defeating the entire X-Men single-handedly!
The X-Mansion is located in northern New York, an estate covering hundreds of acres.
The main building is a Gothic Revival style masonry structure.
Spires, arched windows, and ivy-covered walls make it look like an old university rather than a Mutant sanctuary.
The infirmary is on the east side of the second floor, spacious and bright, with several landscape paintings hanging on the walls and potted plants on the windowsill.
At this moment, the room is filled with the mixed scent of disinfectant and ointment.
Jean Grey lies on the hospital bed, her red hair scattered across the white pillow.
Her complexion is paler than the sheets, her lips are chapped, and her eye sockets are deeply sunken.
Tossed around by the mind control of Jason for so long, coupled with the repeated stimulation from the lightning of Arthur, her nervous system is almost overdrawn to the limit.
Lying on the neighboring hospital bed is Storm Ororo.
Her condition is slightly better than that of Jean, but not by much.
Her silvery-white long hair is casually draped over her shoulders, and faint red traces left by the current still linger on her dark brown skin.
She closes her eyes, and occasionally her body trembles uncontrollably, which is a sign that her muscle nerves have not fully recovered.
Scott sits in a chair in the corner, his chest wrapped in bandages.
He was previously blasted away by the Phoenix Force of Jean, breaking two ribs and causing minor internal bleeding.
He just sits there silently, the gaze behind his red goggles gloomy and complex.
Hank is tending to his wounds in his own laboratory, while Colossus, due to severe damage to his metallic body, has been sent to a repair room specially modified for him.
Professor X sits in his wheelchair, parked next to the hospital bed of Jean.
He closes his eyes, his psychic power covering the entire room like a thin veil, both monitoring the status of Jean and Ororo and guarding against external anomalies.
The nurse is a middle-aged woman with short hair, round-framed glasses, and a white nurse's uniform.
She is an old employee of the X-Mansion, having taken care of countless injured Mutant students.
At this moment, she is holding a handheld scanner, moving it slowly over the body of Jean to read her vital signs data.
"Muscle damage is recovering, but the nervous system is still in a highly sensitive state," the nurse says, looking at the data on the screen with slightly furrowed brows.
"Her psychic consumption is too great, coupled with the external electric shock stimulation, it may take a few days to fully recover."
"A few days?" Jean opens her eyes, her voice hoarse and weak. "I do not have that much time to rest. Professor said that Shaw might come at any time."
"In your current state, it is difficult even to stand up," the nurse shakes her head. "Not to mention fighting, you cannot even walk a few steps."
Jean grits her teeth, wanting to prop up her body, but as soon as her arms exert force, a wave of soreness hits, and her whole body falls back onto the bed.
"Damn..."
"Do not rush," Charles speaks, his voice gentle. "Shaw has hidden for so many years, he will not act rashly just because of temporary exposure. We have time."
"But Professor..."
"Trust Arthur," Charles says. "He went to the Hellfire Club. If Shaw is really there, he will handle it."
Jean is silent for a while, and finally closes her eyes.
The nurse continues to check her body with the scanner, while reaching out for the medicine bottle next to her.
"This is a nerve repair agent, it can help your nervous system..."
Before she finishes speaking.
A gun is pressed against the back of her head.
The cold metal touch makes the hair on her whole body stand on end.
"Do not move."
A low, elegant voice comes from behind her.
Charles opens his eyes abruptly, and Scott springs up from his chair.
Jean and Ororo simultaneously turn their heads to look behind the nurse.
They see a man standing there, holding a pistol in his right hand, the muzzle steadily pressed against the back of the head of the nurse.
Black Emperor, Sebastian Shaw.
"Charles," Shaw smirks, his gaze passing over the nurseand falling on the old Professor in the wheelchair.
"Long time no see, you look... not so good."
"Sebastian."
The voice of Charles is calm, but deep in his eyes there is a trace of imperceptible solemnity.
"I knew you were not dead."
"Dead?" Shaw smiles. "Why would I die? I still have too many things to do."
With a casual push, he sends the nurse stumbling aside.
"Quite a full lineup." The gaze of Shaw finally falls on Jean, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes. "Phoenix Force, I have spent so many years, just for this moment."
"Shaw," Scott grits his teeth and stands up, his red goggles lighting up. "Do not even think about it."
"Scott Summers," Shaw tilts his head to look at him. "Cyclops, your ability is not bad, but do you think you can beat me?"
Scott directly clicks the switch on his goggles.
"Hiss!!"
Red optic beams shoot out, blasting straight at the chest of Shaw.
However.
The optic beams blast onto the body of Shaw, and the energy is absorbed by his body, turning into a warm current flowing through him.
"Too weak," Shaw shakes his head. "Your laser energy is just a free lunch to me."
He raises his hand, and the palm that absorbed the laser energy strikes back with a backhand blow.
A red Shockwave bursts from his palm, heavily hitting the chest of Scott.
Scott flies backward, heavily crashing into the wall behind him.
The wounds under the bandages split open again, blood seeping out. He lets out a muffled grunt and slides to the ground.
"Scott!"
Ororo struggles to crawl up from the hospital bed, waving her hands as a Storm condenses around her.
Lightning strikes in from outside the window, blasting toward Shaw.
Shaw stands in place, letting the lightning strike his body.
The current is absorbed by his body, transforming into energy flowing within him.
"Storm," Shaw smiles. "Your lightning tastes not bad."
He reaches out and grabs into empty air, energy gushing from his palm and turning into an invisible chain that wraps around the body of Ororo.
"Ah!!"
Ororo lets out a miserable scream, her whole body blown away by that energy Shockwave, heavily crashing onto the hospital bed, spitting a mouthful of blood.
"Ororo!" Jean shouts.
Hank rushes in from the door, blue beast claws tearing through the air as he pounces toward Shaw.
Shaw sidesteps to avoid it, reaching out to rest his hand on the shoulder of Hank.
Energy is released from his palm, invading the muscles and bones of Hank.
Hank lets out a painful roar, his whole body bouncing away, crashing through the glass window of the infirmary and falling onto the outer corridor.
In the infirmary, only Jean and Charles are left.
Shaw turns around and looks at Jean.
"Alright, now no one is disturbing us."
He walks up to Jean, squats down, and presses his fingers on the forehead of Jean.
"Phoenix Force, starting today, belongs to me."
Jean struggles desperately, but she is too weak.
The overdrawing of her nervous system makes her unable to even raise her arms, let alone release the Phoenix Force.
Thanks to the illusion previously set up by Jason deep in the consciousness of Jean.
The psychic power of Shaw surges into her consciousness, like a key inserting into a keyhole.
Jean feels her consciousness being suppressed, the flames of the Phoenix Force raging madly within her body, yet imprisoned by some invisible force.
"Do not struggle," the voice of Shaw is very calm. "I have planned for so many years, just for this moment."
He stands up, grabs the arm of Jean, and pulls her up from the bed.
Jean staggers and cannot stand steady, having to lean against the arm of Shaw. Her eyes look at Charles, full of helplessness.
"Professor..."
Charles sits in the wheelchair, his fists clenched tightly.
His psychic power is completely exhausted, and he can no longer launch any effective attacks.
"Let us go, Miss Jean. We still have many things to do."
Shaw passes by Charles. This once most powerful Mutantis now just an old man sitting in a wheelchair, powerless.
However.
Just as Black Emperor is preparing to take Jean away.
A figure appears at the door.
He just stands there, like an insurmountable mountain.
God Among Men...
Has arrived!