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After Darian finalized the plan, the Brotherhood members boarded the Blackbird SR-71 one after another.
CIA agent Moira also went with them. These days, Charles and she had been hitting it off, with him often inviting her to see his private collection in his room, and one visit would last an entire night.
Raven felt she would soon have another sister-in-law. If Charles was more proactive, he might even come with a nephew or niece, exclaiming that Darian was a prophet and his previous prediction was spot on.
After everyone boarded, Hank acted as the Captain and Moira as the Co-Captain. The Blackbird SR-71 roared into the sky, speeding towards the Ba Gu embargo line.
During the flight, except for Logan who showed obvious discomfort, everyone else was fine, chatting and drinking as usual.
Taking advantage of this free time, Charles quietly prepared a Plan B for the upcoming operation.
It wasn't that he disliked Darian's overly simplistic plan; he just thought it was safer to have multiple plans.
If the plan failed, at least there would be a backup. And if the plan was good... well, he just found Darian's plan too simplistic, he wasn't going to pretend anymore!
However, Charles knew Darian was a bit petty.
So, he didn't openly express his opinion on the original plan. Instead, he secretly created a small combat command group, using his telepathy to pull in everyone except Darian.
Charles: Can everyone hear my voice? If you can, respond 'Received' in your mind.
Erik: Received!
Raven: Received!
Hank: Received!
Others: Received!
Logan: Do you have a paper bag? I feel a bit like throwing up, ugh!
[Logan has been kicked out of the chat by Charles]
Charles disconnected from Logan's mind with a hint of disgust, to avoid the sensation of vomiting from spreading through their connection.
Immediately after, Charles began to systematically assign combat missions to everyone.
His plan, while not perfect, was at least much more detailed than Darian's.
Oh no, Darian's couldn't even be called a plan.
Everyone tacitly maintained their outward calm, as if nothing was happening, but in reality, they were all intently listening to Charles's plan in their minds, occasionally responding 'Received'.
Only Darian and Logan were not in the small combat command group.
Seeing the members suddenly fall silent, Darian thought they were just nervous before the battle and offered comfort: "Don't worry, we have a huge advantage right now, it's a guaranteed win."
However, the members weren't listening to him at all, and subconsciously replied.
Erik: "Received!"
Raven: "Received!"
Hank: "Received!"
Others: "Received!"
Logan: "Do you have a bucket? I feel like the paper bag isn't enough, ugh!"
Darian: "..."
Are you guys all repeaters?
At this moment, a Red Bear cargo ship, the Salty Sea, was slowly sailing towards the Ba Gu embargo line.
On both sides of the Salty Sea, the Red Bear and U.S. fleets were facing each other across the sea, the atmosphere tense as a bowstring.
The Salty Sea was carrying Red Bear's nuclear weapons, and once it crossed the Ba Gu embargo line, a major war would be unavoidable.
Even the soldiers in the Red Bear and U.S. fleets dared not act rashly, fearing they would be blamed for starting the Third Season. They could only wait for orders from their superiors.
Fortunately, the Red Bear fleet received the latest directive, ordering the Salty Sea to turn around and return to port, not to cross the embargo line.
The Red Bear Commander finally breathed a sigh of relief, as no one truly desired war.
He immediately sent a signal to the Salty Sea, demanding it change course, but no matter how he hailed it, there was no response from the Salty Sea, and it continued to advance towards the Ba Gu embargo line.
The Red Bear Commander noticed something was wrong and quickly contacted the U.S. fleet, stating that they had notified the Salty Sea to stop sailing, not to fire, not to fire!
However, the U.S. Commander didn't believe them. These old Russians were cunning; perhaps they were up to some new trick.
Just as the Salty Sea was about to approach the Ba Gu embargo line, a Blackbird SR-71 suddenly streaked across the sky, appearing above the Salty Sea.
"There's something wrong with that cargo ship, Old Charles, take a look."
Darian checked the mini-map and found two red dots marking enemies on the Salty Sea.
Upon hearing this, Charles immediately unleashed his domain, a powerful psychic wave instantly spreading out towards the Salty Sea, then possessing the Captain.
Mind Transfer Jutsu complete!
Through the Captain's perspective, Charles could clearly see Red Devil in the cockpit, controlling the Salty Sea's course. Fallen crew members lay all around him, clearly the entire ship's crew had fallen victim to him, and the Captain he possessed was also barely alive.
Red Devil seemed to sense someone was secretly watching, and with a glance, he whipped his tail, stabbing at the Captain controlled by Charles.
Just as Charles was about to control Red Devil, a familiar psychic force suddenly struck, it was Emma, also a telepath.
Telepaths are mutually attracted.
Emma instantly recognized Charles's psychic wave and immediately used her ability to isolate it, firmly blocking his perception.
Charles opened his eyes and frowned, saying, "All the crew members on the Salty Sea have perished; it was Red Devil, Sebastian's subordinate, and White Queen is also with him. She has blocked my abilities."
Moira anxiously said, "Once that ship crosses the embargo line, our soldiers will blow it up, and then war will inevitably break out."
"Old Charles!"
Darian gave Charles a look.
No words were needed; he believed that with their understanding, the other party would instantly grasp his meaning!
"Understood."
Charles returned a look of trust, immediately redirecting his psychic energy to the Red Bear fleet, quickly taking control of a Red Bear adjutant, and ordering him to the control panel to fire a missile at the Salty Sea.
Red Devil and Emma glanced at the incoming missile from the sky, their faces turning green.
"So this is how we're playing!?"
Red Devil didn't care about the Salty Sea, which was about to cross the embargo line, and quickly teleported away with Emma by his side.
Boom!
Under everyone's stunned gaze, the Red Bear fleet launched a missile at its own cargo ship, blowing the entire vessel to smithereens just before the Salty Sea could cross the embargo line!
The U.S. Commander was shocked. Are these old Russians really so ruthless to their own people?
Not only was the U.S. fleet bewildered, but even the Red Bear fleet itself was bewildered.
The Red Bear Commander was stunned for a long while, then was overjoyed. The adjutant's actions not only successfully prevented the outbreak of nuclear war but also saved him from taking the blame for this huge mess. He wished he could thank the adjutant's ancestors for eighteen generations.
To thank him, he immediately ordered the bewildered adjutant to be locked in solitary confinement, awaiting a subsequent military court martial.
Just like that, a devastating crisis was easily resolved by Charles. Apart from the sacrificed Red Bear adjutant, there were no other victims.
Red Bear Adjutant: &*%￥#@#!
Darian was also surprised: "Old Charles, I didn't realize you were even more ruthless than I imagined!"
Charles was stunned: "Ah, didn't you want me to do that?"
"Of course not! Who told you to fire a missile? I meant for you to control the U.S. Commander and make them not attack."
Charles: "..."
Why didn't you say so earlier!
I have mind-reading, not eye-reading. How could I understand what you meant with just a look!
However, there were no survivors on the Salty Sea anyway, so Charles didn't directly go god-mode. It was also fortunate that nuclear weapons wouldn't detonate due to external reasons, otherwise, he wouldn't have the nerve to call himself a conservative in front of Erik anymore.
Charles pretended to cough a few times to cover his embarrassment, then said seriously, "Red Devil and White Queen seem to have escaped. I can't sense their whereabouts."
"They shouldn't be nearby."
Darian checked the map and found no red dots representing enemies, inferring that they had already left the detection range.
Erik interjected, "They have a submarine; it's likely hidden underwater."
"But we don't have sonar, so we can't pinpoint the submarine's exact location," Hank said with a frown.
"No, we do."
Sean, one of the new members, suddenly spoke.
His codename was Banshee, and he possessed the ability to emit and receive sound waves, which could perfectly replace sonar.
Upon hearing this, Hank maneuvered the Blackbird SR-71 to a lower altitude, opening the missile bay doors. Banshee leaped into the Water, began emitting sound waves in all directions, and quickly received feedback, confirming the submarine's location.
Since Banshee was in the small combat command group, Charles received his detection information in real-time and synchronized it to Hank and Erik.
Hank immediately flew the Blackbird SR-71 to hover directly above the submarine, while Erik, holding onto the landing gear, descended beneath the aircraft and activated his abilities towards the sea below.
Things were different now. After days of Charles's talk therapy and special training, Erik's abilities had significantly improved. He was no longer the rookie who was dragged underwater by a submarine, drinking seawater.
Now, he had successfully evolved from the King of Hundred Metals to the King of Ten Thousand Metals!
As for why it wasn't Magneto, those who know, know.
Erik's veins bulged, his face flushed. Under his full power, a giant submarine bearing the Red Bear emblem broke through the Water. The tens of thousands of tons behemoth slowly rose into the air, finally hovering steadily in mid-air!
This shocking scene left both the U.S. and Red Bear fleets utterly dumbfounded.
U.S.: Has Red Bear's black technology advanced to this extent? They've even developed an aerial submarine. How are we supposed to fight this!
Red Bear: Why don't we know we have such advanced technology?
In fact, Erik could have controlled the submarine to move underwater, which would have saved more energy.
But Erik was always a showman, instinctively loving to make a grand spectacle.
Perhaps powerful mutant abilities all come with side effects, just like Charles's telepathy, whose side effect is a moral bottom line that locks his blood, and Erik's metal manipulation, whose side effect is a fondness for showing off.
As expected, the Hellfire Club members were hiding inside this submarine provided by Red Bear.
Sebastian felt an abnormal tremor in the hull, frowned, and ordered Riptide: "Go see what's happening outside."
Riptide peered through the periscope for just a moment and exclaimed in shock: "Oh no! We've flown into the sky!"
Sebastian: "???"
What the hell, a submarine can fly into the sky?
He then reacted, chuckled, and said, "It's little Erik Lensherr. I didn't expect his abilities to have grown to this extent. I truly didn't misjudge him back then. Since that's the case, let's activate the backup plan."
Upon receiving the order, the Hellfire Club members sprang into action, while Sebastian turned and walked deeper into the submarine.
Soon, Riptide was the first to burst out of the submarine, waving his hands and summoning a powerful tornado that swept towards the Blackbird SR-71!
"Everyone, hold on tight!"
Hank shouted, gripping the control stick tightly, using all his strength to stabilize the violently shaking aircraft.
Facing the roaring tornado, Erik showed no fear. While clinging tightly to the landing gear, he continued to use his abilities to push the submarine towards the shore.
"Erik, it's too dangerous, come back!" Charles shouted anxiously.
"No, wuwuwu—"
As soon as Erik opened his mouth, it was filled with the strong wind, and his entire face was blown wide and distorted, looking like a pea shooter, an exceptionally comical sight.
Darian naturally wouldn't stand by and do nothing.
He didn't want to go through a chase, and besides, the Blackbird SR-71 was an important asset of the Brotherhood. If it crashed, the loss would be huge.
He immediately shouted to Hank: "Hank, push out to the perimeter with full power!"
"Engine power isn't enough, forcing it is very dangerous!" Hank gripped the control stick, his voice urgent.
"You just push, leave the rest to me!"
Upon hearing this, Hank could only push the control stick, gritting his teeth and boosting the engine thrust to its limit.
The Blackbird SR-71 emitted a heavy roar, struggling forward against the strong winds.
Just as it was about to be completely swallowed by the tornado, Darian quickly pulled out a red mushroom with a White dot, and pressed it directly onto the inner wall of the fuselage.
[Item: Acceleration Mushroom (Use on vehicle, provides one acceleration effect)]
Buzz—!
In an instant, two dazzling tail flames erupted from the rear of the Blackbird SR-71!
An indescribable surge of power instantly permeated the entire aircraft. The Blackbird SR-71's speed suddenly skyrocketed, like a black lightning bolt, it forcefully burst out from the edge of the tornado's vortex!
Erik: "Wuwuwuwu—"
Thanks to his sufficiently strong killing intent towards Sebastian, Erik refused to let go no matter how the wind howled, stubbornly maintaining control of the submarine.
The moment the Blackbird SR-71 burst out of the storm, he exerted all his strength and hurled the submarine fiercely towards the nearest island shore.
Bang!
The submarine crashed heavily onto the island, kicking up a cloud of dust and sand, creating the rare sight of a submarine landing.
Subsequently, Hank maneuvered the Blackbird SR-71 to land on the shore.
The Brotherhood members disembarked one after another, uniformly dressed and full of imposing presence. In a slow-motion, they appeared one by one like heroes making their entrance.
"Ugh!"
As soon as Logan stepped out of the aircraft door, he bent over, dry heaving, instantly breaking the grand entrance of the entire team.
Darian looked at Logan with disdain.
This old wolf looks so big and strong, why does he get airsick?
He turned to look at the overturned and beached submarine not far away, praising Erik: "Well done, Old Magneto, at the critical moment, it still depends on your grand pfft!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Darian couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He couldn't be blamed; Erik's current appearance was simply too comical.
Due to undergoing a round of strong winds, his hair was disheveled and wild like heavily kneaded weeds, and his nose and mouth still had some unknown liquid hanging from them. Yet, paired with that cool, posturing face, it created a truly humorous contrast.
Erik: "..."
Seeing Darian laugh so wildly, Charles felt a bit uncomfortable and spoke up for his good friend.
"Hey, Darian, we shouldn't laugh at Erik like this. This time, thanks to pfft, Erik, don't look over here yet, I can't hold it in."
Erik: "..."