Chapter 51

A few days later, the group crossed Asgard's Rainbow Bridge and returned to New York City. After that, they each went their separate ways, back to their own homes and families.

With the Green Goblin captured, Guan Heng had finished his undercover assignment at the school. However, he hadn't moved away from Peter's neighborhood. He was still Spider-Man's S.O. supervisor, and living nearby meant they could keep an eye on each other.

Since he no longer had to go to school, and Spider-Man could handle the nighttime patrols around New York City, Guan Heng spent the next few days refitting the interior of Osborn Enterprises. He turned the building into his own private headquarters. Stark Enterprises handled the entire job, installing a fully automated security system and the most sophisticated facilities. Apart from Guan Heng, only a few close friends, such as Iron Man and Spider-Man, could enter. Guan Heng had furnished the rooms in his own distinctive style. The building had everything from a gym with equipment for fitness tests and strength training to laboratories for developing biochemical products and superhero gear. It was truly Guan Heng's fortress.

After several days of work, all the blueprints were finished, and the initial renovations to the laboratory and gym were complete. Guan Heng left the rest to Stark Enterprises and its super-butler, Jarvis. He was just planning to take a few days off when Peter showed up with a letter.

"A letter for me?" Guan Heng asked, puzzled. "I don't know many people besides you guys. Who would write to me?"

"Ha, you'll see when you read it." Peter tossed him the letter. "Here, take it."

The letter was written in Huaxia characters. Guan Heng's heart stirred, and he quickly tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter. He couldn't help laughing in surprise. The first of the two sheets had only a few words: "Big brother, I miss you so much! Come see me!" A big cartoon face with tears streaming down it was drawn on the page.

"She didn't know your current address, so she sent it to my mailbox," Peter said with a shrug.

"So it's from Qianhuan." Guan Heng laughed, then read the second sheet. It was full of details about how much Li Qianhuan missed him and all the friends she'd made at X Academy. She'd also included the academy's location and asked Guan Heng to visit her as family.

"If Qianhuan misses you, you should go see her," Peter said with a grin, draping an arm over Guan Heng's shoulder. "I'll keep an eye on things here in New York City. Nothing will go wrong. Unless, of course, you don't trust me."

"Then it's settled." Guan Heng smiled and nodded. "I'll go visit my sister and pay a visit to those famous X-Men while I'm at it."

Peter said goodbye and left. While Guan Heng was away, he'd have to patrol even more diligently, so no criminals could take advantage of the situation.

"I'm finally going to meet Professor X, Xavier, and all those X-Men," Guan Heng murmured to himself. "I wonder if they're as cool in person as they are in the movies and comics."

He closed his eyes and recalled the characters he knew: Cyclops, Scott, had eyes like a pair of laser cannons that could fire high-energy beams. Storm, Ororo, excelled at controlling the weather and commanding wind and lightning. Come to think of it, had Black Panther from Wakanda managed to win her over? Old Wolf Logan had a body as tough as steel. And Phoenix, Jean Grey, was an Omega-level Mutant with the greatest potential.

Ordinary people and Mutants were caught between a fragile détente and open conflict. That was why X Academy was tucked away in a remote, secret location. The students' safety was a concern, but with the X-Men there, the school was as secure as a fortress. Many young Mutants like Li Qianhuan could receive proper protection.

Professor Charles Xavier, known as Professor X, had spent years striving for peace and balance between humans and Mutants. He used his immense wealth to establish X Academy, a school that taught Mutants to use their powers responsibly and contribute to society. He had also formed the Mutant superhero team, the X-Men, most of whose members were his students.

"Qianhuan must be having a wonderful time now." Ever since Guan Heng had asked Wolverine to take her away, he'd kept worrying about her. Now that he finally had a chance to see his adopted sister, he was delighted.

"Beep. Identity confirmed: Guan Heng. Security system deactivated."

"Mm, the security system designed by Tony and the super-intelligent Jarvis really is something else."

Guan Heng was entering his private laboratory. At the entrance, he'd entered his fingerprints and a multi-digit password, then undergone an iris scan. Only then had the security systems been taken off standby. The precautions were, of course, to keep out unwelcome guests.

The private laboratory was enormous, divided into many rooms: a gym, a training room, a potion-mixing room, and more. Jiang Dabao usually trained with his two shields in the gym. The shields were made from the space-grade satellite alloy Guan Heng had scavenged from S.H.I.E.L.D. They were exceptionally tough, so Dabao and Guan Heng could train as hard as they wanted without damaging them.

Guan Heng had come to the potion-mixing room. He went inside and took a number of potions, stowing them in the compartments in his belt. After spending a long time mixing them, he'd combined diluted blood samples from several superheroes—the Hulk's blood, Frost Giant blood, and a strength-enhancing serum made from Norman Osborn's body, among others—to create special plasma for Super Zombie Dabao, Er Ni, and the Half-Corpse Giant Insect, Huang Santai. They injected it or fed it to them with a syringe to maintain and restore their energy. It was very convenient.

"Mm, now I'm all set. Time to go." Guan Heng slung the Chengying Sword across his back, summoned the Giant Insect Emperor, Huang Santai, on the roof of the building, and headed straight for X Academy.

Huang Santai flew incredibly fast. In just a few hours, Guan Heng had reached the outskirts of the academy, around three or four in the morning. He was in a forest more than ten kilometers away—a natural barrier protecting X Academy.

"Mm, that's far enough." Guan Heng ordered Huang Santai to land, then recalled it. "You're a little scary to look at. I'll walk the rest of the way."

The academy was far from anywhere, and there were rarely any passersby. The narrow forest path twisted through the trees, gloomy and forbidding. Black clouds rolled across the sky, veiling the moon and allowing only a dim, hazy light to filter through. The wind swayed the treetops, stirring a vast, slow rustle. It was as if a sea of trees, as broad as a desert, moved overhead beneath the quiet night. A faint chill hung in the air. Dew floated in the breeze; it was hard to describe, but whenever it touched the skin, it raised a small patch of goosebumps.

Walking slowly by the faint light of the bright moon, Guan Heng was about to hum a tune when his ears twitched. He suddenly heard voices nearby and darted into the woods.

Peeking out from behind a tree, he saw four or five masked men in black up ahead, checking their guns. The sounds of weapons being loaded rang out one after another. The men were muscular, with a murderous air about them. They were clearly well-armed mercenaries, hardened by years of bloody combat.

What were these guys doing here? The only buildings nearby belonged to X Academy. Guan Heng's heart stirred. Could their target be the Mutants?

Two more burly men in black, rifles slung over their backs, emerged from deeper in the woods. They were carrying a writhing, misshapen sack.

"Boss, we're back," one of them called quietly. "We got lucky today. We caught a kid who'd sneaked out to play nearby. He's definitely a Mutant."

"Mmmph! Mmmph!" A child struggled inside the sack.

"You little brat, hold still!" One of the men swung his gun and slammed the butt against the sack. "Mm! Mmmph!" The person inside had apparently been knocked unconscious by the blow.

"Since we've already caught a little Mutant, why don't we get out of here?" someone suggested.

"Cowards." A tall man in black snorted. He stood nearly two meters tall and was built like half a stone tower, clearly the leader. "Do you know what the Mutant we caught is? He's a walking pile of cash."

The leader's eyes swept over his men. "Every kid in that academy up ahead can fetch a fortune. Circus troupes, research institutes, biotech companies, the military—they'll all pay through the nose for them. If we take a chance, we'll never have to live like miserable mercenaries again. We can take the money to the Maldives, live like rich men, and spend the rest of our lives with beautiful women."

He waved a hand. "Two of our men still haven't come back. We'll wait for them. I refuse to believe they came back empty-handed."

Guan Heng's expression darkened behind the tree, and he clenched his fists. Another bunch of bastards trying to sell Mutant children for cash. His anger blazed. He was about to leap out when he heard them say two of their accomplices hadn't returned. He immediately held back.

Just wait until those two get back, and I'll deal with all of you at once, Guan Heng thought. Don't worry. None of you are getting away. That way, no one will slip through the net and keep harming the academy.

Guan Heng then wondered how these mercenaries had managed to come and go freely, snatching a child right under Professor X and the X-Men's noses. He cursed inwardly. Their security was far too lax.

Just then, something unexpected happened. A burst of rapid gunfire came from the distant woods.

Boom! Someone had set off a grenade. Then came a heartrending scream: "Ah! No, no!" That patch of woods was suddenly swept by lightning and howling winds.

"Damn it! Tom and Jerry have been spotted!" The leader snatched up the sack on the ground, slung it over his back, and shouted, "Move! A powerful Mutant is coming!" With his long legs, he covered more than ten steps in a few bounds.

There were seven of them in all. "Good." Wearing the Exorcist Mask, Guan Heng suddenly darted out from the side.

Three of the men were running almost shoulder to shoulder. Guan Heng punched, his force blasting through all three of them. A series of cracks rang out as their bodies flew away, who knew how many bones broken. They hit the ground spitting blood, clearly beyond saving.

Thud, thud! The three mangled corpses rolled into the grass.

"Damn it! Shoot him!" The remaining four men raised their guns, but Guan Heng instantly flipped through the air twice and landed right in their midst.

The angle was too tricky. If they fired at Guan Heng, the four of them would shoot one another to death.

They hesitated for half a second, their fingers easing off the triggers. Guan Heng's fists swept through the air and struck two of them in the chest with a pair of thuds. Their breastbones shattered.

His left leg followed, a kick like the blurred shadow of a venomous snake, sweeping into one man's neck. With a crack, his neck snapped, and he flew sideways, tumbling into one of his companions. Guan Heng pounced, struck once, and finished off the last man.

From the moment Guan Heng attacked to the end, the entire series of moves took less than ten seconds. It was enough to show how powerful and ruthless he was in close combat.

Guan Heng untied the sack from the dead leader's back. A bruised little boy crawled out. He had black hair and black eyes. As he surveyed the corpses scattered across the ground, his gaze remained indifferent, as though he'd long since grown used to death.

"So you're a Huaxia child." Guan Heng took the cloth out of his mouth and untied his hands. "What's your name?"

"I don't remember," the boy replied. "The bad people who sold me to the circus hit me on the head. They also killed my friend. I was so scared that I forgot everything. But they branded this mark on my arm with a hot iron."

The boy showed him a burn on his arm. It was shaped like a Huaxia dragon. "Before I take revenge myself, I've given myself the name Azure Dragon."

"Poor kid." Guan Heng rubbed his head. "Can you run on your own now?"

"Don't look down on me." The boy craned his neck and glared up at Guan Heng. "I'm a man, too."

The gunfire in the distance had stopped. Guan Heng sensed an invisible pressure approaching from the direction of the explosion. He knew the X-Men from the academy were coming, so he told Azure Dragon, "Run toward the academy by yourself. I won't walk you there."

"Can you tell me your name?" Azure Dragon asked, tilting his little head.

"I'm the Exorcist," Guan Heng replied. He was still wearing the red mask. "Don't tell anyone I rescued you. You're a man, so you should listen to the person who saved your life."

As soon as he finished speaking, there came a flutter of clothing. When Azure Dragon looked again, Guan Heng had vanished.

I can't meet anyone from the academy yet. For one thing, I don't want to explain why I beat those men. For another, I want to avoid any misunderstandings, Guan Heng thought. As long as they know I rescued the boy and mean no harm, that's enough. If I'm going to meet them, I'll walk through the front gate in broad daylight tomorrow morning.

Azure Dragon stood where he was and murmured to himself, "I really want to know what he looks like."

"Hey, Azure Dragon!" A woman's voice suddenly came from behind him. "You snuck out to play again, didn't you? Don't you know how dangerous that is?"

"Sorry, Sister Ororo," Azure Dragon said, lowering his head. "I'll change."

"That's strange." Ororo looked at the bodies strewn across the ground, puzzled. "Who killed these mercenaries?"

"It looks like they were beaten to death with bare hands," Ororo murmured. "Who could have such incredible hand-to-hand fighting skills?" She turned to Azure Dragon and asked, "Did you get a good look at the person who saved you? Was it a man or a woman?"

Azure Dragon shook his head. Remembering Guan Heng's warning, he didn't tell her the truth. "I was unconscious, so I didn't see."

A short while later, inside X Academy, in Xavier's office.

"Professor, I brought Azure Dragon back," Ororo said as she entered. "The child had a rough time and got beaten until he was black and blue. I think he's learned his lesson and won't sneak out of school again."