Facing a Formidable Enemy

On the lawn of an estate far from downtown Washington D.C., the X-Jet slowly descended.

"Professor, it's so good to see that you're all right!"

The moment Hawking pushed Professor X out of the aircraft, he saw a burly man covered in blue fur, wearing glasses and a suit, striding over and happily embracing Professor X in his wheelchair.

Professor X smiled as well. "We have Little Hawking, a new student, to thank for this. Otherwise, I might already be in a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison.

By the way, he happens to need a little help from you."

With that, he introduced Hawking to Beast.

Hawking also greeted him politely.

"Hello, Professor Hank."

"Hello, Little Hawking. What do you need my help with?"

Professor Hank turned to Hawking, his eyes filled with appreciation.

Charles had briefly mentioned Hawking's contributions to this rescue operation during their phone call the previous day.

"Professor Hank, whenever I activate my ability, I manifest a weapon with special powers. This weapon helps me use my ability more effectively.

So I'd like to see whether we can examine this weapon, extract its properties, and apply them to other existing weapons."

Hawking explained the wand's abilities and his general requirements as carefully and plainly as possible.

Beast nodded after listening.

"That's not particularly difficult, but I'll need to return to the school in a few days and use some equipment to test your weapon's performance and characteristics before I can be sure."

"Thank you, Professor Hank."

Hawking's eyes immediately lit up when he heard that there seemed to be hope.

Beast smiled and waved a hand.

"It's no trouble. Helping students create things that assist them in controlling their abilities is part of my job."

"It's been a long time. Looks like you've finally stopped using that garbage serum and returned to the way you were meant to be."

Magneto spoke up to greet him as well.

However, Beast clearly did not like Magneto. He instinctively opened his mouth and let out a roar at him before forcibly calming himself and replying, "Erik, you'd better not pull any tricks behind the professor's back. Otherwise, I won't let you off!"

"Hank, is this how you treat an old friend after so long?"

Mystique stepped forward and placed a hand against Beast's cheek.

Beast looked at Mystique with an extremely complicated expression.

"Raven, I... sigh."

From the first time he met Mystique, he had fallen in love with this spirited, lively woman, even after she ultimately left their original team with Magneto.

But after 1973, Mystique's personality had suddenly changed drastically.

The original Mystique hated humans, but she had not been extreme. The later Mystique, however, had come to hate humanity intensely. Even innocent people like the elderly and children received no mercy when it was time to kill.

"Hank, you never experienced my pain. You don't understand just how cruel humans can be."

Perhaps sensing the complexity in Hank's gaze, Mystique withdrew her hand.

As Hawking listened to their conversation from the side, something stirred in his heart.

He knew that the pain Mystique spoke of likely referred to the cruel human experiments Bolivar Trask had once performed on her.

Bolivar Trask was a military scientist, the founder of Trask Industries, and once Colonel Stryker's superior. Compared to his former boss, Stryker was nothing more than a minor player.

Trask believed that mutants and humans were not the same species, and that mutants would eventually exterminate humanity. Thus, he began capturing mutants for experiments and created Sentinel Robots capable of identifying and killing mutants.

During the years when Magneto was imprisoned for attempting to assassinate the president and Professor X had fallen into despair, Mystique was captured by Trask and subjected to all kinds of inhuman, twisted experiments. In the end, her abilities were successfully incorporated into the Sentinel Robots.

In the future, the powerful Sentinel Robots began hunting mutants and all humans carrying mutant genes. Even Magneto and Professor X together were beaten so badly that they could only reverse the future.

Though this universe might not develop the same way, he still needed to remain vigilant. If he got the chance, he could find the place where the Sentinel Robots were still being researched and destroy it in advance.

There would surely be quite a few Justice Points to collect as well.

"Let's go. I've already prepared the cars. It'll take some time to get there."

After a moment of silence, Beast returned to normal and led Professor X's group of four to the entrance of the estate.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, the Triskelion, was located on the Potomac River between Washington D.C. and Virginia. Driving there from here would take at least an hour.

Meanwhile, inside the Director's Office at the Triskelion.

"Have you found them?"

With his hands behind his back, Nick Fury asked Hill, who stood before him in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s skintight leather uniform.

Hill operated the laptop in her hands a few times, and a projection immediately appeared on the office wall.

"They appeared at the entrance of an estate in the suburbs half an hour ago and quickly drove away. Based on their route, they should be heading in our direction. They'll arrive at the building entrance in around forty minutes."

The images in the projection showed Professor X's group of four escorting Stryker into a vehicle at the estate entrance, captured by satellite.

"Immediately activate the large-scale brainwave interference device and extend its coverage across the entire headquarters. Temporarily evacuate all non-combat personnel, and put every combat agent on alert.

The moment they enter headquarters territory, monitor them from every direction without any blind spots. Make absolutely sure they don't pull any tricks here.

Especially that mutant child named Hawking. He may possess some kind of invisibility ability. Have Barton keep a close eye on him. Even if he goes to the bathroom, Barton is to follow him!"

Nick Fury issued one stern order after another.

After the previous battle, he knew all too well how destructive Magneto, Professor X, and Hawking could be when three top-tier mutants joined forces. He had no choice but to treat this with the utmost seriousness.

"Fury, don't worry so much. I don't think Professor Charles is a bad man. Besides, you have me."

Seeing Nick Fury acting as though he were facing a formidable enemy, Captain Marvel stepped forward, took his hand, and comforted him.

Hill, still single over there, curled her lips and coughed to remind him, "Director, what about the matter the Minister of Defense mentioned?"

"Tell him not now. In two weeks, I'll hand William Stryker over to him completely unharmed. I won't let him be injured."

Nick Fury frowned at those words.

As for Colonel William Stryker, since he was connected to the mutant assassination attempt on the president, Fury had originally planned to imprison him for life if the evidence proved conclusive, after extracting all intelligence related to mutants from him.

However, Trask Industries, which had close ties with the military, seemed to have deep connections with Colonel Stryker. It had actually found the Minister of Defense to act as its advocate.

Considering that he had only taken over as director a few years ago, and that many of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s future development plans would require dealing with the government, he had no choice but to grant this favor.