His Face Was Practically Black with Rage

The White Queen glanced at the Black Queen, Selene, only to see her sipping her red wine without a word.

Although she wanted to compete with the White Queen for him, she did not acknowledge Li Chen's strength either.

No one knew what Li Chen had done.

The main issue was that the White Queen had been far too generous, granting her little lover the position of White Rook as soon as he arrived. Would she make him White King next, or even Supreme King?

The Supreme King held the highest position in the Hellfire Club.

But to become Supreme King, one had to overpower everyone in the club and earn their respect.

Strength alone could not make someone Supreme King.

"Li has a high social standing, and he also helped us find Tony Stark."

The White Queen sat down and crossed her legs. "The military has already taken action. They might be rescuing him as we speak."

At that, something stirred in Li Chen's mind.

The stock was finally going to rise.

Some people still objected, but since the White Queen had spoken, there was nothing they could do.

Sunspot, however, could still voice his opposition. He was the Black Rook, ranking only below the two queens present.

The Hellfire Club's Black King and White King had not come.

They were more ambitious than the two queens and unwilling to wait around in the club.

"He only found someone. I could have done that too."

Sunspot immediately stepped forward.

He was a young black man, not American but Brazilian.

He had loved playing soccer since childhood and had awakened his mutant ability on the field when he was fourteen.

His mutant ability sounded somewhat like a Kryptonian's. He could absorb and store solar energy, using it to enhance every aspect of his physique and physical abilities.

That made him almost like a little Superman. Using solar energy, he could fly, control temperature, release waves of light, and more.

Although his abilities did not reach the level of an Omega-Level Mutant, he was already powerful enough and renowned within the Hellfire Club.

"I'm informing you, not asking for your opinion."

The White Queen, Emma Frost, looked at him coldly.

"Oh? Since when did the Hellfire Club become a one-person show?"

The Black Queen, Selene, spoke up. "A matter this important requires the approval of at least two queens or kings."

The Hellfire Club had existed for so many years, so naturally it had rules.

White Rook was a senior position, and naturally the White Queen could not appoint one by herself.

"How about this?"

The Black Queen said lazily, "Let Li and Roberto have a match. If Li wins, I'll support him becoming White Rook."

She gave Li Chen a seductive glance. "Li, are you confident?"

The White Queen, Emma Frost, looked at him as well.

Everyone else turned to look, their gazes carrying different meanings.

Some were sizing him up, while others were waiting to laugh at him.

Just then, the White Queen's voice entered Li Chen's mind. Li, you have to teach them a lesson, or else...

Otherwise, she would lose face as the White Queen too.

Li Chen glanced at the White Queen. He knew this was the American style.

Like the cowboys of old, they would pull out their guns and go pew pew at the slightest disagreement.

There was no point reasoning with people here.

Just like Vi's line: punch first, then ask all the questions while punching.

"No problem."

Li Chen spoke calmly.

He completely ignored the little black guy's stare.

Sunspot sneered, and the group immediately left the room and headed to the passage at the very back, where there was a hidden elevator.

They took the elevator underground.

Li Chen naturally knew there was an underground space here; his super vision had spotted it the first time he came.

Clubs like these all liked to build underground spaces, where whatever they did would be more discreet.

But the Hellfire Club had not built this underground space for a casino or anything like that. It was for safety and for training mutants.

Sure enough, the group arrived at an enormous training ground.

It had a high-tech look, with the walls covered entirely in shiny silver-white panels.

Li Chen and Sunspot went to the very center.

The Black Queen, Selene, still held her wineglass. Parting her black lips, she said, "Good luck."

She hadn't said a name, so no one knew which side she was cheering for.

On the field, the atmosphere between the two was tense.

Sunspot, Roberto, spoke. "Kid, don't say I didn't warn you. There's still time to admit defeat."

He was not fully black, but mixed-race, which made him look a little white.

To everyone else, though, it made no difference.

Black folks had the one-drop rule: as long as you had one drop of black blood, you were black...

"Cut the crap."

Li Chen reached out and beckoned him forward.

Since he was bullying a kid, he might as well let the kid make the first move.

That infuriated Sunspot. He was simple-minded to begin with, and now, in a burst of anger, he immediately used his ability.

He had plenty of solar energy stored in his body, so he did not become useless at night or when there was no sun.

As he converted the solar energy, his whole body became like a black hole, instantly absorbing the surrounding light. His skin turned completely black, leaving only the whites of his eyes visible.

It made Li Chen feel as though he were watching a black-and-white silent film.

Then a point of sunlight bloomed in Sunspot's palm, and an intense wave of light shot toward Li Chen.

To everyone watching, Li Chen did not dodge at all. He simply stood there, as if frozen with fright.

The White Queen frowned, barely holding back a cry.

On the other side, the Black Queen, Selene, was also curious about Li Chen's ability.

"Idiot."

Sunspot felt helpless. He hadn't meant to kill anyone outright; that would be no different from offending the White Queen.

But who would have thought Li Chen wouldn't even try to dodge?

"Boom!"

The wave of sunlight slammed into Li Chen, whipping up a storm inside the room.

It made everyone unable to open their eyes.

After quite a while, the wave of light finally faded.

Li Chen stood where he was, his expression unchanged. He merely brushed off his suit.

Though he hadn't said a word, everyone could sense what he meant.

It was as if he were saying, That's it?

The White Queen's eyes lit up. She wanted to follow the Black Queen's example and open some red wine to celebrate. No, it should be champagne.

Even she would have had to transform into her diamond form to take Sunspot's attack head-on.

Otherwise, given her body's durability, she would probably have been reduced to dust.

Yet Li Chen didn't even seem to have a speck of dust on him.

Sunspot felt humiliated, so he stopped holding back and began to unleash his abilities.

Controlling the temperature was one thing. Li Chen felt as though he were sunbathing, warm all over.

"Not bad. Could you make it a little hotter?"

Kryptonians could bathe on a star; this temperature was no different from an ordinary person basking in the sun.

If Sunspot hadn't been black, his face would probably have turned completely black with rage by now.