Darkness Beneath the Light / Black Widow's Dark Past

"I know they're called Terminators, and they seem to be related to Cyberdyne Systems products and Project Sentinel..."

"You all take care, I need to hurry and check elsewhere..."

After the commander shared some information, he flapped his wings and flew away, his gaze freezing as he turned away.

Fifth Rank – King-class!

This is only the overall assessment released by [Apocalypse]. This Professor X can read other people's minds within a radius of about 250 miles (about 402 kilometers), and can also create illusions and manipulate other people's thoughts.

If equipped with the brainwave enhancement machines found within Mutant School, his mental radiation range could almost cover the entire world.

Such an assessment is understandable.

However, compared to other species, mutants rely too much on the superpowers granted by the X-Gene, making them a typical example of someone who is severely unbalanced in their abilities.

Despite his immense Mental Power, Professor X's physical body is quite fragile. If he were caught off guard, an ordinary person could easily kill this King-class mutant with a knife.

Of course, Professor X's most terrifying aspect lies in the silent and stealthy nature of his mind invasion.

Just now, Kevin instinctively developed a sense of trust in him and voluntarily revealed a lot of key information.

That's why he left in a hurry, so as not to expose more secrets to this mutant.

Fortunately, Professor X has always been committed to the peaceful coexistence of humans and mutants, and therefore has exercised considerable restraint in his abilities.

Besides that, Kevin had another reason for having to leave, and that was "Doctor Bolivar"...

His action of getting out of the car was too decisive, and when he asked if he was a mutant, his tone was not confrontational, but rather seemed to have a kind of inexplicable closeness.

This is quite unlike the style of Doctor Bolivar, who promoted the "mutant threat theory".

Therefore, for now, it's enough to get acquainted with the X-Men and build goodwill. Before the situation becomes clear, it's not advisable to have too much talk with someone you don't know well.

Tsk... things are getting more and more complicated...

Thinking about this, Kevin had a headache. However, due to insufficient information at the moment, he could only take it one step at a time, play it safe, and slowly lay the groundwork.

At the same time, Doctor Beast put on the cleaned glasses, adding a touch of intellectualism to his hairy face.

"A very alert young man..."

Doctor Beast looked in the direction Kevin had gone, smiled slightly, and whispered something to his old friend whom he knew well.

Even though Professor X restrains his superpowers, his psychic abilities unconsciously inspire trust and rapport.

These X-Men all gradually overcame the influence of the system through long-term training.

Upon their first meeting, the young man only exchanged a few words before regaining his senses and leaving immediately, demonstrating not only strong will but also considerable tact.

"I could sense his closeness and goodwill, but the aura of the Kaslana Family emanating from him truly surprised me..."

"As you know, the Mutant School has collaborated with [Anti-Entropy], and most of the nobles from [Schicksal] view mutants as the result of genetic mutations caused by Honkai energy..."

"The more mutants there are, the closer the Honkai is to coming... They don't have much affection for us New Humans..."

Professor X nodded slightly, his eyes showing approval and curiosity as he watched the departing figure.

However, he didn't have time to chat with the kid right now, because McCoy's "old friend" was sitting in the driver's seat.

After Doctor Beast helped Professor Charles into the car, he climbed in himself and closed the door. The remaining three bodyguards obediently stayed outside to bury their comrade's body and contact the vehicle.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Raven..."

Professor Charles, sitting in the passenger seat, smiled slightly, his tone wistful.

P. S.: I accompanied a friend to a job interview on Sunday, so it was a bit late. However, the update schedule on Shuke (a Chinese online learning platform) runs from 6 AM to 6 AM the next day, so this doesn't count as absenteeism, right?

Updates will be done as usual on Mondays, and I'll try to do it as early as possible.

Also, I will speed things up and update more chapters soon; I feel really bad about it.

Chapter 229 Darkness Under the Light (Section 243)

As soon as he finished speaking, Doctor Bolivar's short body began to stretch with Affliction groans, and his skin, which resembled blue scales, transformed into a blond-haired, blue-eyed figure.

The mutant Mystique, whose real Raven Darkholme, possesses the superpower to manipulate the atoms of her body, allowing her to replicate the appearance of any humanoid creature.

Mystique can accurately replicate any target, whether male or female, wearing any clothes or accessories. She can also replicate the target's retina, fingerprints, palm prints, skin texture, and vocal cords.

Therefore, she rarely wears clothes. (Reminds me of Bayonetta)

Furthermore, Mystique can increase her size at will, but not her mass. Therefore, the greater the degree of alteration, the deeper her Affliction.

For Mystique, disguising herself as Doctor Bolivar's dwarf body was indeed a difficult task.

"Tsk tsk, old Charles heard your cries for help, immediately stood up from his wheelchair, and led his mutant men to your rescue..."

Doctor Beast adjusted his glasses, flipping through an economics magazine in the carriage, and jokingly recounted his old friend's concern for Mystique.

"You're spying on me!"

However, this woman, who had grown accustomed to betrayal throughout her life, first thought of Professor Charles's omnipresent spiritual perception.

Speaking of which, Mystique and Charles have a close relationship. When she was a child, she sneaked into Professor X's house to steal food because she was hungry, but Professor X later discovered that someone was in the kitchen.

So she quickly disguised herself as Professor X's Mother, but Professor X saw through her disguise, and Mystique eventually reverted to her original form.

Professor X learns that Mystique is a mutant and shares his plight, so he becomes friends with her (as seen in X-Men: First Class).

However, Mystique later switched sides to Magneto due to differences in ideals with Professor X, and the two went their separate ways.

"Raven, Doctor Bolivar is in the back, he's safe, right?"

Professor X sighed slightly, temporarily suppressing his joy at reuniting with his friend. After briefly deciphering Mystique's thoughts, he inquired about Poliva's condition.

"Don't worry, I won't let him die so easily without his permission to completely delete the Sentinel Robot's data."

"However, according to information obtained by the Brotherhood of Mutants, his Sentinel program has entered the mass production stage, and many of its designs are aimed at hunting down mutants..."

"Putting aside any personal feelings, his existence is a threat to us! Are you still sure you want to protect him?"

Mystique smiled coldly, staring directly at Charles, awaiting his reply.

"Poliva is simply afraid of our existence, just as humans fear the unknown. Once there is a foundation of mutual trust and understanding, conflicts can often be avoided..."

"Raven, you know that whether it's the fraternity you and Erik formed, or my Mutant School, the goal is coexistence..."

"Exterminating humanity and establishing a mutant regime is utterly unrealistic. You should understand this after all these years, and you must have seen the efforts that Cauless and I have made..."

"Furthermore, Bolivar's two mutant children have already enrolled in Mutant School, and we've even won over his wife..."

Professor Charles spoke earnestly, hoping the facts would convince his friend Raven.

In reality, both sides understand that Magneto's occasional big news is merely a means, not an end.

The inheritance of the X-Gene has no inherent pattern, and without the support of the vast human population, mutants would likely cease to exist.

But Charles understood even better that the more radical Brotherhood of Mutants a necessary evil to keep humanity in awe of them, and therefore he had secretly helped Magneto's gang on more than one occasion.

In recent years, however, Magneto's actions have become increasingly radical and have gone beyond control, causing Charles to gradually feel powerless.

If possible, he would prefer to persuade his two old friends to heed his advice and stop their behavior, making it easier to "whitewash" and "recruit" them later.

However, it's clear that Magneto mired in this mess; even Raven has become paranoid.

After listening to Charles's tired old arguments, Mystique remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she scoffed at them.

However, with the combined fighting prowess of Doctor Beast and Professor Charles, Mystique had no chance of succeeding, a fact she was well aware of.

"Fine! Polivare is yours. But William Stryker, the executioner who oversaw the Weapon X Program and killed so many of our compatriots, you have no reason to protect him now, do you?"

Mystique turned and stared at Professor Charles. Raven smiled coldly at her hesitant old friend.

"Charles, you know what? I envy you guys being able to shout nonsense like 'human rights,' 'coexistence,' and 'equality' under the spotlight without any burden!"

"But don't forget, every ray of sunshine you enjoy is bought with every drop of blood we shed in the darkness!"

"But rest assured, for the sake of our fellow mutants, I will handle this perfectly, without a single flaw..."

Watching the figure that had been changing shape as it pushed open the door and left, Professor Charles opened his mouth several times, but in the end he did not try to stop or admonish him.

It's pathetic that even though he stands in the light, he still needs the darkness within the mutants to demonstrate his power of deterrence to those with ill intentions.

However, a vague, inexplicable unease grew stronger.

Moments later, they found themselves on the same stretch of road where they had been attacked.

A Hummer and two stretch Lincolns were already parked on the side of the road waiting. Tony took off his helmet and was having his personal assistant, Pepper, clean the wound on his forehead.

After calming down, Ada, 2B, and Yuriko Takagi chose to get into the more durable Hummer and opened the door for Kevin.

"I think I believe you. Now the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Every minute we stay here increases the danger..."

"Let's go back to Stark Industries' Los Angeles branch first, and then we'll discuss this further..."

"At the very least, I need to get a weapon specifically designed for self-defense..."

Tony pointed to the wound on his forehead and earnestly suggested it to Kevin, to which the commander readily agreed.

The group immediately started their vehicles, drove away from the dangerous section of road, and headed towards downtown Los Angeles.

In the car, Kevin frowned slightly; he felt like something was missing.

The founder of Project Sentinel is safe and sound, and the X-Men have joined the search and rescue efforts nearby. These Terminators shouldn't be able to cause any trouble.

Where exactly could the problem lie...?

At the same time, General William encountered the biggest crisis of his life. He looked at the blonde woman in front of him whose arm had returned to normal skin after being hit by a particle cannon, and tried to remain calm.

"Who... who are you? What are your intentions? Do you know you are provoking a great nation!"

The TX Model Terminator smiled slightly and pointed to its kind, whose body outlines had twisted and transformed into the appearance of fallen soldiers after the corpses were cleared from the road.

"Join us and witness that great moment together, and you will know everything..."

At this moment, General William's arm was supported by two T-800s approaching from the left and right, and the fingertips reaching towards his eyes, under his desperate gaze, condensed into sharp metal spikes.

"No!"

The hysterical cries became echoes drifting in the wind.

P. S.: Information compiled to help everyone understand the plot.

1. Skynet: The Terminator has taken control of General William and is scheduled to execute him on Judgment Day; the rest is unknown.

2. YoRHa Unit: Machines created by humans. A2 protected Sarah Connor, 2B temporarily takes the orders of Kevin to protect the continuation of humanity, and the rest is unknown.

3. Politics + Mutant: Hoping to use this expo to contact Doctor Bolivar and persuade him to terminate "Project Sentinel".

4. S.H.I.E.L.D.. + Super Hero: Hoping to gradually assemble the Avengers and investigate the cause of the strong Electromagnetic Interference in Los Angeles.

5. The military: hopes to promote the Skynet system and regain control of the narrative.

6. Hydra: Making a big splash, they have acquired the technology of Thought Network, but their specific purpose is unknown.

7. BSAA: Made contact with Marvel forces to prevent Judgment Day from occurring; other information is insufficient.

It's not too complicated, is it?

Chapter 230, Section 244: The Black Widow's Dark History

Stark Industries Tower.

The group leaned back on the sofa and began discussing the details of the attack.

"The current information indicates that four convoys were attacked. Eight people, including ourselves, Officer McCoy, Doctor Bolivar, and General William, were killed and ten wounded; most were accompanying security personnel..."

"All the important figures escaped unharmed, therefore the attackers' operation essentially ended in failure..."

"The only problem is that the things those guys left behind at the scene decomposed automatically in less than ten minutes."

"Aside from the looting of three arms stores in Los Angeles, we've obtained almost no useful intelligence..."

"But the Terminator robot you're talking about is nothing special..."

Tony walked over with a coffee pot and clicked on the cursor on the table, revealing the latest data analysis.

Kevin took the coffee Tony offered, nodded slightly in thanks, glanced at the data briefly, but his expression turned serious.

"According to the information released above, the four convoys were attacked by approximately 40 Terminator robots..."