White Queen

The Hellfire Club had branches all over the world. Its Los Angeles branch was located near the Hollywood Hills.

It looked like a fairly secluded private club. By the time Li Chen's car arrived, a whole collection of luxury cars was already parked outside.

Following the instructions in the letter, Li Chen put on a newly purchased Batman mask before getting out of the car.

That was right. Everyone entering the Hellfire Club wore a mask to keep others from recognizing them.

The masks were practically useless against people who knew them well, but their main purpose was to keep them from being recognized by strangers.

Of course, having overly distinctive features could be a problem.

Take Julia Roberts, for example. If she attended a masked party like this, people could recognize her by her big mouth.

It was simply too distinctive.

Two burly white men stood at the entrance. Li Chen narrowed his eyes and took a look. They seemed to be Mutants.

Unless they had some visible mutation, Mutants actually looked no different from humans. Some Mutants' abilities were not even useful.

Li Chen had only been able to tell them apart by using his super vision.

By now, he had learned to control his superpowers skillfully.

He no longer saw everyone as nothing but flesh and bones.

Mutants looked just like ordinary people, but their bodies were noticeably different. They looked firmer, and there also seemed to be something inside them.

Li Chen paid it no further attention and handed over his invitation.

Only after checking it did the burly man in a suit say, "Sir, please come in."

After Li Chen went inside, they said something into their earpieces.

The inside of the Hellfire Club was somewhat different from what Li Chen had imagined.

It did not seem any different from an ordinary club.

He had thought that with everyone wearing masks, things would at least be a little wilder...

But aside from some people dancing and the gentle music, nobody was behaving too wildly.

Perhaps they still cared about appearances, or perhaps this was just the outer area.

He thought so because a bunny-girl attendant had approached him as soon as he entered.

"Sir, the White Queen is waiting for you."

She gave Li Chen a flirtatious wink. She was blonde and blue-eyed, and quite attractive.

But Li Chen took one look and saw that she was a Mutant too.

Her ability, however, did not seem useful in combat. It could only be used in certain places.

It ought to feel pretty good in use.

Li Chen followed the bunny girl through several corridors and enclosed spaces before finally reaching the inner area.

Sure enough, things were different inside. The place was steeped in decadent luxury, and since almost everyone wore masks, some people were letting themselves go.

But this was clearly not Li Chen's destination yet. He was led to a secluded room.

The bunny girl could go no farther, so she awkwardly asked Li Chen to go in by himself.

Li Chen was not afraid. He had already used his super vision to look through the walls, and there was no one inside but the White Queen.

So he strode straight in. "White Queen, probing someone's mind the first time you meet them isn't very friendly."

The White Queen, Emma Frost, was slightly surprised.

She was used to using her telepathy to probe ordinary people's minds as she pleased.

But she had not expected Li Chen to be completely immune to her telepathy.

She did not even know that Li Chen could probe her in return without her detecting it.

Ever heard of super hearing?

Superman was DC's own golden boy. How could Mutants compete with that?

"Sorry, it's just a habit."

As the famous White Queen, Emma Frost did not apologize often.

She looked at Li Chen curiously. "Are you a Mutant too, Mr. Li?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Li Chen shook his head.

He did not say much either. Only the White Queen seemed somewhat disappointed. "Please, have a seat."

Li Chen did not stand on ceremony and sat down right beside her.

The White Queen was sitting on a red sofa, which gave the scene a distinctly Hollywood casting-couch feel.

Rumor had it that on Hollywood's red sofas, actresses had to give up something if they wanted to land a role.

Only now did the two of them get a chance to size each other up.

Emma Frost was not wearing a mask. Her blue lipstick gave her a cool, regal beauty, and her long blonde hair fell over her shoulders. Her features were strikingly noble and elegant, and her expression was utterly aloof.

She was dressed entirely in white, from her top to her cape. Everything was pure white.

Li Chen, meanwhile, wore a suit and a "serious" Batman mask.

To ease the atmosphere, the White Queen, Emma Frost, asked curiously, "Why Batman?"

"Because Superman doesn't wear a mask."

Li Chen answered.

I couldn't very well wear a Joker mask, could I?

The answer made the White Queen laugh. "Who doesn't like Superman?"

"I'd like to be both Batman and Superman, with the power of money and superpowers."

Li Chen offered his analysis with perfect seriousness, drawing a giggle from the woman.

Honestly... he had quite the dream.

Still, Li Chen was already very wealthy, and he was no ordinary person.

With that thought, the White Queen looked at Li Chen differently.

She had assumed he was just an ordinary rich man and had not planned to treat him any differently, but things had changed.

As though chatting with an old friend, she asked, "What do you think of the club?"

"It's like any other party."

Li Chen replied.

The White Queen immediately smiled. "That's for ordinary members."

"If you join Hellfire, I can give you senior membership. That bunny girl from earlier—her ability is to increase her suction."

"As long as you agree, she's yours."

Hearing this, Li Chen shook his head.

"As far as I know, positions in the Hellfire Club are named after chess pieces."

He looked at the White Queen and changed tack. "You, for example, Emma, are the White Queen. So does Hellfire currently have a White King?"

Those ambitious words made the White Queen, Emma Frost, look at him intently.

"Of course. Magneto, Erik, is Hellfire's White King."

"You see, there's no position that suits me."

Li Chen spread his hands.

The White Queen, Emma Frost, smiled at that and explained, "To gain a position, you need to make sufficient contributions to the Hellfire Club."

"How about this? If you can help us find a senior member, I can override the objections and give you the position of White Rook. If you want to be the White King, you'll have to find your own chance to defeat him."

In this world, a man still had to rely on his own abilities to rise to the top. A woman could only help him for a time.

Besides, the White Queen, Emma Frost, did not have the final say in the Hellfire Club. This was the greatest promise she could make. A rook's position was second only to the king and queen.

So Li Chen weighed it over and found it somewhat interesting.

If he wanted to enjoy life, he needed a high enough position. Otherwise, just any random nobody might harbor ill intentions toward him.

Though he did not care, enough ants could still be annoying.

"Who is this person?"

Hearing Li Chen's question, the White Queen slowly spoke a name. "Tony Stark."