One cage held a blonde girl who looked out of place among the many Mutants.
While everyone else wore uniform deep red prison clothes, she only wore a white short-sleeved shirt on her upper body.
But that wasn't the point; the point was her name.
[NPC: Emma Frost]
[Codename: White Queen]
[Affection: 0]
[Evaluation: A Telepathy user who can turn her entire body into diamond; Wolverine's sister-in-law]
Indeed, the girl before him was the White Queen, Emma.
However, she was quite different from the Emma Darian remembered; not only was her appearance different, but this Emma was clearly much younger.
Well, small in every sense of the word.
This Emma looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, just reaching adulthood, with a hint of childishness still on her face.
The Emma Darian knew had been a mature woman decades before this timeline, with her stats at their absolute peak.
As for this little Emma... one could only say there was still a lot of room for future growth.
The Logan in the previous two dungeons had at least the same character model and similar experiences.
But this little Emma couldn't even be considered a younger version of the other Emma; aside from the name and abilities, they had almost nothing in common—they were essentially two different people.
Darian originally thought this dungeon was a future extension of the one he'd experienced, but now it seemed there were significant differences between the two.
"Who are you?"
Hearing someone call her name, little Emma immediately frowned, her eyes full of vigilance.
She didn't know Darian, but she recognized Victor standing next to him like a bodyguard; he was the one who had dragged her to this hellhole. Naturally, she assumed Darian was a high-ranking official of the experimental Base.
Darian chuckled, "I'm Darian, I'm here to save you. Step back."
As he spoke, he pulled Hill's longsword out of thin air. Before Emma could react, he swung the sword down hard against the cage's lock!
Clang—!
Accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of metal clashing, the specially made bolt broke under the blade, and the cage door swung open.
Little Emma was stunned, seemingly unable to believe she had been freed just like that.
Darian didn't stop. The sword light flashed repeatedly, and with the crisp sound of metal snapping, the locks of the surrounding cages were slashed open one by one.
One by one, the cell doors opened, and the Mutants held inside slowly walked out, their eyes filled with confusion.
"From now on, you are free...ly set free."
Darian sheathed the longsword, his voice echoing clearly through the detention area.
Hearing this, the Mutants snapped out of their daze. Their numb expressions softened, and a long-lost spark gradually lit up in their eyes.
"We're... free?"
Darian nodded: "Yes, you're free. Once you leave this place, you can go wherever you want."
After a brief silence, the detention area suddenly erupted into suppressed sobs and whimpers.
Most of these Mutants were teenagers who should have been in school. Instead, they had been inexplicably captured and imprisoned in this dark place, subjected to inhumane experiments day after day. To have survived until now without a mental breakdown showed their inner resilience.
Little Emma's reaction was relatively calm.
Thanks to her sister, Stryker hadn't done much to her, at most taking some blood samples for research.
Her eyes were fixed on Darian, full of curiosity: "Who exactly are you?"
Darian suddenly felt mischievous and replied, "The Hellfire Club, the current Black King."
"Hellfire Club?"
Little Emma looked confused; she had clearly never heard the name.
"That's right. Our Hellfire Club is a secret organization composed of Mutants, and we only recruit the elite of the elite."
Darian smiled slightly: "I see you have remarkable potential and extraordinary talent. You fit our club's recruitment standards perfectly. Are you interested in joining the Hellfire Club? I can offer you the seat of the White Queen."
Hearing this, little Emma suddenly became shy.
Black King and White Queen—don't those titles sound like a pair?
She lowered her head somewhat bashfully: "This might not be appropriate... we only just met. At least... we should have dinner together first."
Darian: "?"
You must have misunderstood something. What's with this skyrocketing affection level?
It wasn't actually surprising. The "hero saves the beauty" trope is cliché, but it works.
In psychological terms, it's the Suspension Bridge Effect.
People's hearts race in dangerous situations, and if they happen to meet someone of the opposite sex then, they easily mistake that physiological response for attraction, leading to favorable feelings.
Of course, this effect is also very dependent on character models.
If it had been John saving Emma from her misery, little Emma would have only thanked him sincerely, saying she could never repay him in this lifetime.
Soon, all the Mutants were rescued. Their restraints had been removed, and various abilities began to manifest; it was quite a gathering of talent.
Unfortunately, none of them were the Mutants Darian was looking for. Even if one or two had faster healing speeds, they were far from meeting the requirements for a high-concentration Healing Factor.
"So where am I going to find the remaining four members?" Darian felt a bit troubled.
Seeing no suitable candidates, he prepared to evacuate with the newly rescued Mutants.
However, before the group had moved very far, a heavy thud suddenly came from around the corner of the corridor ahead, and Logan was seen flying out, slamming hard into the wall.
Before everyone could react, a figure walked out unhurriedly from the corner.
It was a bald man with a bare torso, his skin covered in strange black stripes, looking like surgical guide lines drawn by a Doctor with a marker. He was completely hairless, not a single strand on his body.
Most bizarrely, he had no mouth on his face, only a pair of eyes devoid of emotion, staring fixedly at the crowd.
[NPC: Wade Winston Wilson]
[Codename: Deadpool]
[Affection: 0]
[Comment: A Mutant chimera, aggregating various Mutant abilities including Wolverine's Healing Factor. His mouth was sewn shut because he talked too much. One of the beings the original Deadpool hates most.]
Darian's eyes immediately lit up.
Having the same healing ability as Logan—isn't this exactly the team member he wanted?
"Wade?"
John looked at Deadpool in surprise: "How did he end up like this?"
Darian asked: "You know him?"
John nodded: "Yes, he was once part of our squad. He had rapid reflexes and was great with a sword, but I remember he had terminal cancer. Logically, he shouldn't have had much time left."
Logan climbed up from the ground and explained: "That guy Wade volunteered to be Stryker's test subject. They fused my genes and the genes of other Mutants into his body, giving him different abilities. Now Wade has become Stryker's killing machine."
In the Marvel Universe, the most powerful ones often aren't those with superpowers like flying or shooting fire, but rather those seemingly ordinary scientists.
Despite having no special abilities, they can create things even more ridiculous than superpowered individuals.
John swallowed: "Should we run?"
"There are so many of us, why be afraid of just one guy?"
Darian snorted and waved his hand: "Close the door! Release Victor!"
As he spoke, Victor charged forward without a word, pouncing toward Deadpool!
Just as Victor approached, two cold glints suddenly sprang from between Deadpool's fingers, and two long blades slashed crosswise toward Victor's chest and abdomen!
Squelch!
Amidst the dull sound of flesh being sliced, two deep, bone-deep wounds exploded on Victor's shoulders, blood spraying!
But Victor didn't stop. Using his momentum, he continued to charge, his sharp claws slashing fiercely at Deadpool's face, instantly leaving several gashes of torn flesh!
However, not a drop of blood seeped from Deadpool's wounds, and they healed before their eyes at a visible speed, his healing ability not inferior to Logan's or Victor's in the slightest.
The offensive from the blades in his hands didn't diminish. As he swung the twin swords, they turned into streaks of silver light, attacking Victor's vitals like a torrential storm.
Victor roared repeatedly, slashing back frantically, but his attacks were either blocked or dodged by Deadpool's long swords.
It wasn't that Deadpool's combat level was significantly higher than Victor's, but rather that Logan and Victor had relied on their healing abilities for so many years that they had long since developed the habit of not bothering to dodge.
Since they couldn't be killed anyway, there was no need to waste energy dodging.
Over time, when faced with attacks, they mostly parried perfunctorily, actually relying entirely on their bodies to tank the hits.
Within moments, Victor's body was covered in dense sword wounds. His healing speed gradually couldn't keep up with the rate of destruction, and his movements began to slow.
Seeing this, Logan unhesitatingly extended his six Adamantium Claws and charged toward Deadpool!
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Deadpool suddenly turned around and swung his right blade upward, parrying Logan's descending Adamantium Claws!
Clang!!
The ear-piercing sound of metal clashing was like a demonic sound piercing the ears, sparks flying.
The long blades in Deadpool's hands were clearly also forged from Adamantium. They easily withstood the collision with Logan's Adamantium Claws.
Just as Deadpool blocked Logan, Victor seized the opportunity to attack Deadpool from behind, his claws slashing hard at Deadpool's neck, attempting to sever it.
However, when his claws sank into Deadpool's flesh, he felt something hard.
Through the sliced crimson flesh, the Adamantium skeleton inside could be clearly seen.
Victor's movements froze.
If he were conscious, he would probably be cursing up a storm by now. One after another, they all had Adamantium skeletons installed. Logan was like that, and now even this chimera was like that. Was he the only honest man left, still using traditional bone claws to fight these metal lumps?
Suddenly, Deadpool vanished from sight and reappeared directly behind Victor in the blink of an eye.
John's eyes widened. He recognized it immediately—this was clearly his own Teleportation ability.
It wasn't surprising; with Stryker's Military influence, obtaining his genetic samples wouldn't have been difficult.
The next moment, Deadpool's eyes, which had been devoid of emotion, suddenly lit up with a terrifying crimson red!
Shoom—!!
Two scorching, dazzling red energy beams shot out from his pupils, slamming squarely into Victor's back!
The massive impact sent Victor flying forward, crashing hard into Logan in front of him. The two were thrown together and slammed into the metal wall under the continuous push of the energy beams!
The terrifying heat turned the skin where they touched bright red and charred. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air—it was at least medium-rare.
"The two brothers really can't be relied upon."
Darian shook his head and turned his gaze to John beside him.
John noticed his look, and his mouth twitched: "You're not going to make me fight this guy, are you?"
Even the two brothers, Logan and Victor, couldn't beat him. If he went up, he'd be dead for sure!
Darian waved his hand helplessly: "Forget it. You take the other Mutants and evacuate first. I'll hold him off."
John looked worried: "Can you handle it alone?"
Darian didn't answer. He simply reached out into thin air, and a mask appeared in his palm.
He slowly placed it on his face. The moment the mask touched his skin, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed.
Only from deep within the mask's eye sockets did a terrifying light burst forth. Countless eerie runes writhed and spread like living things, making him look exactly like an evil demon king.
Of course, this was all special effects—a new Black Magic Darian had learned. Like the artifact of that Black-robed Woman, it could temporarily absorb the surrounding light.
It wasn't very useful, but as long as it looked cool, that was enough.
The effect was very significant; John felt a chill down his spine and uncontrollably took half a step back.
Such an evil aura!
John felt the pressure from the big boss and no longer doubted him. He immediately called the other Mutants to evacuate with him.
"Emma! Hurry, leave this place!"
Little Emma wanted to stay, but her sister Keira suddenly stumbled out from around the corner of the corridor, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her toward the retreating crowd.
Deadpool's cold eyes shifted slightly, locking onto the fleeing Mutants.
His feet moved slightly, as if he had received some instruction to intercept them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three Energy Bullets suddenly tore through the air, precisely hitting Deadpool's head!
His movements froze instantly. He slowly turned his head, and his cold eyes, which had just finished regenerating, looked at Darian, who was holding the golden desert eagle.
Darian said cheerfully: "Brother, I see you have remarkable potential. Are you interested in switching jobs and joining my team?"
Deadpool: ...
"Alright, I forgot you don't have a mouth. I'll take that as a yes."
Deadpool didn't respond. He extended his two Adamantium blades and charged at Darian, giving his answer in the most direct way.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!
Darian raised his arm almost simultaneously. The muzzle of the golden desert eagle flashed repeatedly as a series of Energy Bullets left the barrel!
Faced with the incoming barrage, Deadpool's forward momentum didn't slow. He simply moved his arms rapidly, his two Adamantium blades dancing into an airtight silver screen in front of him, actually blocking all the bullets.
In an instant, he had broken through the barrage and was within three steps of Darian, his twin swords thrusting at Darian from left and right!
Darian didn't pull out a weapon to block as he usually did. Deadpool's weapons were made of Adamantium, which was essentially indestructible, and he wasn't sure if his own weapons could withstand it.
But he didn't panic at all.
It's just Adamantium. It's not like he didn't have any.
The next moment, two alloy-forged humanoid hand bones suddenly appeared in Darian's hands, fitting perfectly over the backs of his hands.
Clang—!
Six Alloy Claws popped out from between the finger bones, actually blocking Deadpool's Adamantium blades!
Logan:"....."
Why do those claws look a bit familiar?