"What are you doing here?"
Vane stood calmly in the hallway, his eyes fixed on the blue-skinned woman in front of him.
Mystique glanced behind him. Jean Grey, Wolverine, Storm, and several others were already approaching from the corridor, their expressions tense and watchful.
She tilted her head slightly before answering.
"I want to cooperate with you."
Vane smiled faintly and nodded as if he had understood something obvious.
"Sorry," he said casually. "No need. You can go back."
Mystique snorted in disbelief.
"You think you can rescue Charles with your current strength?"
Her tone grew sharper.
"You're incredibly naïve. You have no idea what kind of methods Stryker uses."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I was there when Charles was captured. Even someone as powerful as him couldn't resist."
"If you had been present, it wouldn't have made any difference."
Vane folded his arms calmly.
"Even if everything you said is true," he replied, "what exactly would adding you accomplish?"
Mystique raised one eyebrow.
"If you follow my plan," she said slowly, "you'll gain someone even more powerful than the professor."
Vane let out a quiet laugh.
"So in the end your goal is still to rescue Magneto, isn't it?"
He had already guessed.
At some point, Mystique had clearly learned that Magneto was currently in Vane's custody.
Mystique stared at the calm man in front of her.
Her earlier confidence began to waver.
Why wasn't there even a hint of fear in his eyes?
Did he truly believe he could defeat Stryker without Magneto?
"Eric is a mutant on the same level as Professor Xavier," she insisted. "His power would give you overwhelming firepower."
She leaned forward slightly.
"With him, you'd actually have a chance against Stryker."
Vane didn't move.
"I'm sorry," he said plainly. "I don't trust him."
"So I won't cooperate with you."
Mystique's patience was beginning to run out.
She had never encountered someone so stubbornly determined to walk into danger.
"Are you insane?" she demanded.
"You're gambling with the lives of your companions!"
Her voice rose with frustration.
"Do you even understand what's about to happen? Stryker is persecuting mutants everywhere."
"We're the only ones who can save them."
"I already have a plan," Vane replied indifferently. "So you don't need to worry."
Mystique gritted her teeth and turned toward the others.
"You're really going to let him do whatever he wants?"
Wolverine immediately snorted.
"He's one of us," he said bluntly.
"Meanwhile, you're our enemy."
He gestured toward Vane.
"So who do you think we're going to trust?"
Storm shrugged slightly, clearly agreeing.
Mystique's blue face remained expressionless, but her clenched fists revealed her frustration.
After a moment, she exhaled sharply.
"Fine," she said. "Forget Magneto."
"But at the very least, you're taking me with you."
"I'm not bringing you."
Mystique's posture tensed as if she were about to act.
Jean Grey stepped forward quickly.
She leaned close to Vane and spoke softly.
"She probably really does want to save the professor."
"We could take her with us."
Vane thought for a moment.
Without Magneto involved, Mystique alone wasn't likely to cause much trouble.
Finally, he nodded.
After everything had been discussed, the group decided to rest overnight.
The following day, they would depart for Stryker's base at Alkali Lake.
The academy slowly quieted as night fell.
Around midnight, Vane suddenly sat upright in bed.
He could faintly hear the distant chopping sound of helicopter rotors.
Knock. Knock.
A firm knock echoed at his door.
Wolverine's deep voice followed immediately.
"Several helicopters are heading this way."
Vane's eyes lit up.
He quickly stepped out into the hallway.
"This must be an enemy attack," he said as he walked. "Right now we're not in a good position to fight them directly."
"I'll open a portal."
"Gather everyone immediately."
With the help of the older students, the children were quickly assembled.
Vane discreetly gave Jean and Storm a signal.
The two understood instantly.
Using the excuse of protecting the aircraft, they quietly escorted Mystique away.
Moments later, the academy's jet roared into the sky and disappeared before the approaching helicopters could react.
Meanwhile, the younger mutants stared curiously at the shimmering portal Vane had opened.
None of them had ever seen the mysterious world beyond it.
Bobby Drake in particular was extremely curious.
He already knew that Rogue lived inside that strange world behind the door.
Now he could finally see it with his own eyes.
Under Colossus's direction, the children entered the portal one by one.
Soon only Vane and Wolverine remained behind.
Wolverine stood beside him, his claws sliding out again with a metallic sound.
"That Stryker?" he asked.
"At the very least, it's one of his teams," Vane replied. "Whether he personally came, I'm not sure."
He glanced at Logan.
"So… interested in giving them a little gift?"
Wolverine narrowed his eyes.
"What kind of gift?"
Without Logan noticing when it appeared, a large crate was now sitting behind Vane.
"I've got a small bomb here," Vane said casually.
"When they enter the building, we shut the door and detonate it."
He shrugged.
"Not many of them should make it out alive."
Even Wolverine was stunned.
"A bomb?" he repeated.
His voice rose in disbelief.
"This is the professor's school!"
Vane shrugged again.
"It's just a building."
His tone was completely indifferent.
"If it were me, I'd blow up my own ancestral graves if it helped."
Then he added calmly.
"If you're not willing, I won't force you."
"I suppose we'll just let Stryker do whatever he wants."
Wolverine stared at him.
For a brief moment, he thought he saw a hint of contempt hidden deep in Vane's eyes.
The feeling struck his pride like a blade.
A wave of guilt suddenly surged through him.
Kayla's death.
The hatred he carried.
How could he hesitate now?
"Fine!" Logan snapped.
Vane sighed dramatically.
The sound felt unbearably heavy to Wolverine.
"Bomb them," Logan growled.
"Blow the bastards to hell."
"Great."
Vane immediately handed him a small device.
"This is the timer detonator. Just press the button."
Crack.
Somewhere nearby, glass shattered.
The enemy had already entered the building.
Behind them, the portal shimmered open.
"Hurry," Vane urged repeatedly. "They're almost here."
Wolverine hesitated only briefly.
Then footsteps echoed in the hallway nearby.
Closing his eyes, Logan pressed the detonator.
Immediately afterward, the two of them leapt through the portal.
They arrived safely in Noah Town.
Meanwhile, far away at the academy—
Although the president had not approved Stryker's operation against Xavier's School, the colonel had never been the type to obey orders blindly.
If he was willing to attempt assassinating a president, ignoring an order about a small academy meant nothing.
Stryker stood outside the gates as his elite soldiers stormed into the building.
In truth, he would have preferred not to openly disobey the president.
But the situation had changed recently.
Ever since the X-Men helped stop Abomination, public opinion across the United States had begun shifting.
Some mutants had even started appearing openly in front of the media.
Worst of all was that loudmouth newspaper veteran J. Jonah Jameson.
That fool had begun promoting the idea that mutants were harmless.
Stryker was convinced someone had paid him.
If public support continued growing, mutants might eventually become national heroes.
And once that happened, his plans would become impossible.
He could no longer wait.
"Colonel," a voice reported over the radio, "the academy appears empty."
"We haven't located any targets."
"What?"
Stryker frowned.
Their intelligence earlier that day clearly indicated over a hundred mutant children were present.
Even if some had escaped using the aircraft, the school shouldn't have been completely empty.
"Activate infrared scanners," he ordered immediately. "Search every corner."
As he spoke, he gestured for a soldier to bring him a briefcase.
Capturing mutant children wasn't his only goal tonight.
He had something far more important to retrieve.
If he succeeded…
Mutants might disappear from the world entirely.
Just as he stepped forward toward the entrance—
A frantic voice suddenly exploded through the radio.
"Retreat!"
"There's a massive bomb inside!"
"Evacuate immediately!"
Boom.
Flames erupted from the academy building.
A thunderous explosion tore through the night, sending fire and smoke roaring into the sky.
The shockwave slammed into Stryker and knocked him violently to the ground.
Behind him, a helicopter rocked dangerously, nearly flipping over.
A jagged piece of debris struck Stryker's forehead.
Blood instantly began streaming down his face.
If he looked this bad outside the building, the soldiers who had already entered must have suffered far worse.
He staggered back to his feet slowly.
Looking at the burning ruins before him, he almost coughed up blood from pure rage.
After a long moment, he grabbed a nearby soldier by the collar.
His voice came out through clenched teeth.
"There's something else down there."
"Something I need."
His eyes burned with fury.
"Find it for me."
The explosion had been powerful.
But he refused to believe it had destroyed the one thing he needed most.
The Cerebro amplifier.
.....
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