Retreat

Raven lay limp in his arms. Although Hank hadn't examined her yet, he knew her injuries must be quite serious. Otherwise, given his strong character, he wouldn't have let himself be held so easily unless he was unconscious.

If this alien hadn't taken a single step back and plowed out this deep trench to dissipate the force, Raven would have turned into a bloody pulp slammed against the wall!

Hank knew exactly how Jean's telekinesis worked, so he never considered using her as a human shield. He certainly wouldn't question her about it. Being a scapegoat was probably the best solution.

Henry saw the Beast's slow reaction as cleverness, but not as a display of quick wit.

Beast's character and intelligence are undeniable; he serves as a bridge between the X-Men and the government, and also as a scientist researching logistics and equipment.

But that doesn't mean he has the judgment and decisiveness to make decisions in emergency situations. No wonder Cyclops is the leader of the X- X-Men's operations team. In person, he's quite indecisive.

At least from the way he looked at the blue-skinned woman in his arms with that Beast, ugly face, gazing at her with tender affection, Henry felt only concern for him.

Henry said, "Hey buddy, aren't you going to take him back for treatment? Or does your self-glow have healing properties? You can heal him just by looking. Is this some new mutant ability?"

Beast, his intelligence returning, finally snapped out of his daze, scooped Mystique into a princess carry, and hurriedly said, "Let's get on the X-Jet quickly and head back to base to heal. What about you?"

With a long sigh, Henry said, "Let's go together." Today's situation is a little different from last time. Although the X-Men are also in a mess, he can't just leave.

We need to give Mystique is still alive, an explanation and get a word out of her that the matter is settled. Otherwise, these kinds of arrests of government officials might happen again and again.

On the police side, although Phoenix overturned two of their cars, the officers inside were all wearing seatbelts.

They were lucky to survive. However, they were all stuck and couldn't be rescued immediately.

The X-Men were preoccupied with their own problems. Although no one died, Mystique and Quicksilver were seriously injured Nightcrawler Cyclops Storm abrasions. The latter three had to clean up the mess and carry Quicksilver onto the X-Jet on a stretcher.

This speedster was in a terrible state, crashing into Phoenix, Phoenix Force was on the verge of going out of control. It's safe to say he broke many bones throughout his body. Honestly, he's lucky to be alive.

Henry didn't help anyone; he wasn't going to die anyway. To him, the sirens of the police cars and fire trucks approaching from afar were exceptionally piercing, indicating that additional police forces would be arriving soon.

They never seem to come when they should, and they always seem to come when they shouldn't. The United States police always seem to have perfect timing, making you want to grind your teeth in frustration.

As for the townspeople, although the houses in the town were affected by the fighting and suffered some damage, no residents were seriously injured or killed. Even Jean Grey's biological father was unharmed, only quite frightened.

The X-Men are not subordinate to the police force, and with Professor X unable to manage affairs, the group practically fled on their X-Men jets, flying back to their base beneath Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Henry was among them.

Perhaps seeing that Mystique's life was spared eased Professor X's worries considerably. At least his face, which was over fifty years old, no longer looked like a wrinkled, bitter gourd.

It wasn't until Mystique and Quicksilver were taken to the medical platform and treated by Beast Hank that everyone realized how serious their injuries were.

Quicksilver suffered multiple severe fractures throughout his body. Although his recovery speed was faster than that of an average person, it was still not as fast as the Flash with his Speed Force, and his ability was not a regenerative mutant.

Therefore, according to Hank's estimate, Quicksilver will need to stay in bed for at least one to two weeks to fully recover after the bone repositioning surgery. The only saving grace is that he won't need any metal pins, just a cast.

Mystique fared much worse. Due to the immense force exerted on her, all her organs were showing signs of failure.

Since boarding the X-Jet, the IV drip has never stopped. His vital signs have been fluctuating wildly, completely testing whether the Beast's first aid skills are up to par.

What's even more damning is that this guy didn't actually lose consciousness; he still has a mouth that can keep talking. Truly, even in death, his mouth remains, immortal for ten thousand years.

"You think I invited you here just to watch a show? How did you feel about witnessing the X- X-Men's infighting up close? How much do you think I should charge for a ticket to be worthy of this spectacular show?"

Although she could only utter weak and feeble sounds, it was enough for Mystique to unleash her venomous tongue on the helper she had summoned who had failed to serve any purpose.

Henry, who was leaning against the door, walked to Mystique's bedside. With ill intent, he extended a finger and pressed it into the biceps of Mystique's upper arm.

"Given your earnest invitations and our meager friendship (thinner than toilet paper), wouldn't it be too much of a shame for me not to come and watch this spectacle? Who would sit at home watching the news when they can get up close and personal with the gossip?" Henry said.

He didn't exert much force, but the pain caused Mystique's skin to rip and her appearance to constantly change.

Fortunately, this Mutants woman was very tough and didn't utter a sound. She just bared her teeth, widened her eyes, and tried to stare this damned alien to death.

Henry, chased away by the Beast, chuckled and continued, "Besides, do you really want me to fight that girl? I don't want to get hurt by him: if I hurt him, you'll be sad and upset, and you might even blame me."

"So not making a move is the best option. Besides, I only took one hit from him and that deep trench was left. You bunch of amateurs didn't achieve much, and you've just made a mess of the town too."

"If I go all out and fight him, regardless of who wins or loses, how much damage do you think it will cause to that small town? Is that what you want? Is that what the X- X-Men want? Or is achieving your goals more important than the lives and property of ordinary people?"

No wonder some people enjoy standing on the Moral high ground to lecture others, and they do get a sense of pleasure from seeing the other person speechless.

Even Mystique couldn't bring herself to say anything like "it doesn't matter if the town is destroyed." After a long pause, he finally blurted out, "But you just watched us fight!"

Henry said, "She's just an angry little girl. Only by letting her vent her anger can we talk to her calmly and find a solution. So I think letting her beat you up is a pretty good method."

"What kind of bullshit method is this? Your brain is full of shit, is this the kind of plan you can only come up with?" Mystique continued her rant.

"How could it be useless? He knows you, right? If you know each other well enough, and if he beats you badly enough, it might make him feel ashamed. Once that feeling arises, there's an opportunity to take advantage of the situation and undermine his anger."