It was thanks to the help of a group of mutants that the excavation of the Apocalypse Pyramid progressed so rapidly. Among them were those who could control sand and earth, and others endowed with immense strength—these were the true driving force behind the excavation. Just as when the pyramid was first built, a diverse group of mutants with various abilities formed the backbone of the operation. Without them, relying solely on a few hundred ordinary laborers to dig up the colossal structure would have taken months at the very least.
Construction crews during World War II were nothing like those of the future. They had no access to advanced machinery or specialized equipment.
"Gold diggers in the desert?"
A man lay sprawled inside an open-air tent, a pipe between his lips. Behind his sunglasses, his eyes held a deep, probing look as he gazed toward the dunes where the discovery had been made.
The reason other mutants could simultaneously sense Herman and Evelyn was because this pipe-smoking man possessed a mutant ability known as [Mental Link]. He could connect companions within several kilometers into a shared mental "channel," allowing instant communication on a psychic level.
It was, in essence, a crude, low-tech version of a "group chat." But for this era, such a mutant ability was quite impressive—certainly more valuable than those who merely enhanced their muscles or took on animal-like forms. Because of that, he naturally stood as one of the leaders among these mutants. They were, after all, the descendants of Apocalypse's most devoted followers.
The X-Gene is hereditary. And the offspring of two mutants are very likely to be mutants as well. For that reason, mutant families have continued through the generations—they only reproduce with other mutants. Though some of their children may be born ordinary, even non-mutant offspring hold certain value to these families. They can serve and assist the family's core members...
As the pipe-smoking mutant turned his gaze toward him, Herman picked up fragments of thought from the man's mind.
"Followers of Apocalypse," Herman murmured softly.
He wasn't surprised to find mutants in a place like this. Among Apocalypse's followers were not only countless ordinary families obsessed with gaining extraordinary power but also descendants of mutant families who had once supported his rule.
In fact, it was precisely because of these families that belief in Apocalypse had endured for so long on Egypt's ancient soil.
These mutant families sought Apocalypse to "evolve" their powers and receive his "gift." Their devotion and praise, in turn, continuously attracted ordinary people—those who longed for power and dreamed of the same blessings. Since powerful "superhumans" worshiped this god, others naturally never doubted his authority. Compared to unseen and intangible deities, Apocalypse felt far more real.
People, by nature, are self-serving. One could say all of Apocalypse's followers shared the same selfish desire—to evolve through his power and gain something in return. That's why Apocalypse is often called a false god; he has no true believers, only opportunists seeking his favor.
Judging by both the quality of his followers and the extent of his strength, Apocalypse could only be considered a false Sky Father–level being.
Against beings below the Sky Father level, he could flaunt his might, projecting an illusion of overwhelming power to crush weaker foes.
However, once he encountered an equal, his true nature was quickly exposed. Apocalypse might wield countless abilities, but none touched upon the realm of universal laws. Even if he were granted ten times more powers, when faced with a law-level force like the Phoenix Force, he would still meet the same inevitable defeat.
"Those people... their looks are wrong!"
Evelyn, always quick with her instincts, tensed the moment she felt the gaze of a group of mutants. She lowered her voice and whispered a warning to Herman beside her.
"Of course their looks are wrong. Because these people are planning to take us out."
Herman had been eavesdropping on the mental exchanges between several mutants. Though the pipe-smoking mutant's power was well-hidden, mental activity still couldn't escape Herman's perception.
His psychic strength was no weaker than Professor Charles's; the pipe-smoking mutant was at best a mutant with a modest psychic ability.
It wasn't that Herman looked down on them—the fact was every mutant present was only a low-level mutant.
As everyone knew, mutants were strictly ranked. The hierarchy was far stricter than ordinary biological classifications, and it determined a mutant's power ceiling. Omega-level mutants stood at the peak. Mutants like Magneto and Professor Charles belonged to the Alpha tier; with the right growth they could approach Sky Father–level power. Delta- and Beta-level mutants had much lower ceilings. The mutants gathered at the Apocalypse Pyramid belonged to those lower ranks, and their mental communications were completely exposed to Herman.
"Take out those two unlucky bastards."
"Does it have to be that cruel? I mean, there's a pretty chick inside too."
"We can't let them spread the word. The mission to welcome the great Apocalypse's return must not suffer a single mistake."
"Don't fuss over women. Once Apocalypse awakens, he'll grant us wine and beauties far more beautiful than the one you see now."
"Hahahaha, too bad for the girl, then. Charlie, go snap their necks—make them know they trespassed into forbidden ground."
...
This was the mutants' mental exchange.
Herman found it utterly amusing.
Unlucky bastard?
He really didn't know who the real unlucky bastard was. After the brief telepathic chatter, the hulking, super-strong mutant dropped what he was doing and strode toward Herman and Evelyn with a savage grin, still shouting arrogantly into the shared mind-channel.
"I love this kind of work—simple, easy, and I get to savor the despair on the ants' faces." Those who worshipped Apocalypse naturally did not regard ordinary humans as kin.
Like the pure-blood supremacists in Harry Potter, Apocalypse's devotees held to mutant supremacy.
In the normal "Days of Future Past" timeline, Magneto joining Apocalypse's ranks made sense—Apocalypse's ideology shared many parallels with his.
"Stop focusing on trivialities! Get back to work! Prepare for the great Master's return!" The pipe-smoking mutant barked orders at the excavators who'd paused to gawk. He made no secret of the true purpose behind digging the pyramid.
The ordinary people allowed to take part in this work were his most loyal "slaves," and in his eyes Herman and Evelyn were already as good as dead. The burly mutant he'd assigned handled chores with brutal efficiency.
They had met passing gold-diggers before—after all, the gold-rush craze was raging. Without exception, those prospectors had become the desert's damned.
None of the mutants present felt the slightest sympathy for ordinary humans.
"This doesn't look good." Even without Herman's mind-reading, Evelyn could sense the hulking mutant's hostility.
Whether it was his nearly three-meter frame or the fact he'd just carried a boulder weighing at least ten tons, Evelyn's small face had gone deathly pale despite knowing Herman was a "mystical wizard."
Evelyn compared Herman's build to the mutant's and felt alarmed. She hurriedly urged Herman in a low voice, "Think of something! Don't let that guy get close! Your magic—do you have a gun or anything on you?"
"My aim's good. At this distance I could take him down with one shot." Evelyn hoped Herman would hand over a gun to make her feel safer.
However—
"A gun? I don't have that. What does a wizard need a gun for? Wizards who don't use magic are outcasts, destined to become strippers." Herman couldn't help but chuckle, thinking of the actor who played Harry Potter and his off-path antics after leaving magic.
He looked perfectly relaxed. The mutant's terrifying physique was just empty muscle in front of Herman. Standing where he was, Herman could shrug off the brute's attacks—his defenses wouldn't break.
"Then your magic! Hurry! Use your magic on him! He's definitely dangerous—one punch and you wizards wouldn't stand a chance!"
Evelyn didn't know much about the supernatural world, but in ordinary people's minds, wizards were fragile, long-range types—an image shaped by countless fantasy novels and role-playing games.
"Give me a moment to prepare." Herman watched Evelyn's panicked face and decided to tease the amusing girl a little. He spoke with mock solemnity, "Magic needs preparation time. Yes—there's a pre-cast phase... hmm, allow me to chant a spell." As he spoke, Herman actually began to murmur as if reciting something.
His performance made Evelyn feel like an ant on a hot pan. What time was this? Chanting spells now? Was her wizard employer even trustworthy?
The hulking mutant grinned maliciously as he closed the distance. Panic gripped Evelyn; she tried to steer her camel behind Herman for cover. Despite living in Egypt for a while, she clearly wasn't very familiar with camels.
"Run! By the time you finish your chant he could've killed us ten times over! Let's get moving—two legs can't outrun a camel's four!"
Evelyn tugged at the reins to turn the camel, but in her fluster she pulled too hard. The white camel screeched in pain, failed to turn, and instead folded its legs and collapsed.
Evelyn panicked even more.
She knew how dangerous hostile people in the desert could be. This was a place beyond the reach of law. Murder for treasure was common, and many took pleasure in eliminating rivals. Evelyn had heard countless stories—she never imagined she'd be the one to face such misfortune in the wild.
The mutant's grin left no doubt about his intent. Evelyn wasn't stupid; she understood exactly what he planned for her and Herman.
"Please! Don't mess up now! Get up! I'll get you a female camel when we get back!" The more Evelyn tried to control the camel, the more it refused. The camel simply gave up; even Evelyn's attempted "charm offensive" did nothing.
"Yours... is a female camel." Herman, unsure whether camels had "preferences," noted that Evelyn's mount showed no interest. Thanks to Herman's lingering divine blessing, both camels could understand human speech and were as intelligent as ordinary people.
"Fine—then I'll get you male camels! Ten males—no, twenty!" Evelyn babbled incoherently, clearly terrified.
...
She probably never imagined that just as a woman couldn't handle too many men, a female camel certainly couldn't handle that many male camels either.
"Hmph!"
Evelyn's camel clearly disapproved of her random matchmaking. With a disgruntled snort, it shook its back violently, tossing Evelyn straight into the sand. The once-graceful beauty ended up face-first in the dirt like a dog eating mud.
"The camel rebelled!"
Evelyn pushed herself up, coughing and spitting out mouthfuls of sand. She wiped her eyes and was just about to start complaining again when—
The sunlight suddenly dimmed.
Evelyn looked up.
Standing before her was the towering, muscle-bound mutant. His hulking figure cast a long shadow across the sand, and the savage grin on his face made her heart seize.
"You… hello?"
Evelyn's heart filled with overwhelming fear.
Still, she knew that panicking now would only make things worse, so she forced out a smile that looked more like she was about to cry.
She tried to greet him, hoping it might somehow ease the tension—but of course, that sort of thing never worked.
The mutant showed no sign of softening toward her, nor did he intend to spare her or let her stall for time.
"Sweetheart, you ready to join your man in the afterlife?" The brute's eyes gleamed with malice as he raised his hands and cracked his knuckles, as though warming up before twisting her neck. Clearly, this guy knew nothing of pity—for him, Evelyn was probably nothing more than a worthless human.
"Uh… murder's a crime, you know. Even if no one can see you here, still…" Evelyn tried her hardest to keep him distracted.
But then—
The vicious light in the mutant's eyes only grew stronger. His massive hand reached toward her, and Evelyn's face went completely pale.
"My damn employer! Are you going to save your guide or not?! Where's your magic?!" Evelyn screamed for Herman's help. Shutting her eyes tight, she curled up on the sand, convinced it was the end.
"Magic? Heh… what a joke. You really think your man could—"
The mutant's mocking words never finished.
"Crash—"
A sudden tearing sound echoed through the air. The brute's grin froze in place, his taunting voice cutting off mid-sentence. The hand he'd raised toward Evelyn stopped abruptly in midair.
"What… when…"
The mutant struggled to look down. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw his chest pierced clean through—a hand had reached from behind and crushed his heart. His massive body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous thud, kicking up a wave of sand. Even as life left him, he couldn't understand how his body, tougher than steel, had fallen so easily—or who the attacker behind him even was.
"Magic isn't always that practical, I'll admit. What was it you said earlier? That wizards can't fight up close? I think you might have a bit of a misunderstanding about wizards."
Herman's teasing voice rang out.
Evelyn, after holding her breath for what felt like forever, realized her head was still attached. Only then did she slowly, cautiously, open her eyes.