Establishing a Capture Plan

When we stopped the assailant from escaping the scene, one of our agents performed with incredible bravery. Fury hadn't forgotten to brag about his subordinate. The man had been stomped on the face several times by the attacker, but he'd still managed to hide a tracker in the attacker's pant leg before passing out.

"Damn, that guy's head and face are incredibly tough. Fury, you should promote him. A man so devoted to his duty is a model S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."

"It's too late. The hospital just sent word." Fury spread his hands. "They say he's been kicked into a coma."

"Oh, is that so? I'm glad for him—at least he won't need to be covered with a star-spangled flag just yet," Guan Heng said casually, though inwardly he thought, Damn, this Teleportation guy's going to be hard to catch. No matter how fast Huang Santai is, he can't keep up with someone who can teleport several kilometers at a time.

"What's the attacker's maximum teleportation range?" Guan Heng asked. He needed to know what he was dealing with before he could figure out how to counter it.

"You're worried he can teleport too far in one jump, right? Don't worry. From the surveillance footage, we've determined his range isn't very long—at most ten meters," Fury said. "You can definitely find a chance to catch him. Everyone else has to stay here to protect the mayor and the President. You're the only one who can leave, so you'll have to do it."

"Fine." Guan Heng thought it over for a moment before agreeing. Then he cautioned Fury, "I'll go after him once I've finished what I'm dealing with. But you'd better talk the President out of going after all Mutants. Not all Mutants are bad. Just arrest the criminals—don't make enemies of every Mutant."

Fury smiled and said quietly, "I knew you'd say that when I found out you were at X Academy. You've always been close to that girl, Li Qianhuan, haven't you? And now you're at X Academy again." He didn't finish, but his meaning was clear.

Guan Heng fell silent. Li Qianhuan really was his weak spot, like a younger sister to him. He'd only just made friends with the X-Men, and now he was caught in this awkward situation. The thought of arresting a Mutant attacker made him feel terribly conflicted.

When Guan Heng didn't respond, Fury sighed. "All right. I'll send the tracker's signal to your communicator shortly. As for what you said about Mutants, I'll consider bringing it up with the President."

Fury gave him a few more instructions, telling him to capture the attacker as soon as possible, then ended the call.

With a grave expression, Guan Heng headed back toward the academy's main hall. Halfway there, he suddenly thought of William Stryker, the man who hated Mutants most of all.

That bastard Stryker held an important position now. He wasn't a Mutant, but his son was. He'd had an impact on many Mutants' lives. Back then, he'd gathered a group of Mutants like Wolverine to experiment on them, hoping to create the ultimate Mutant weapon. But after his wife was killed by their Mutant son, Stryker had developed an intense hatred of Mutants. Unless he used this chance, with the President under attack, to crush Mutants once and for all, he wouldn't let it go.

"Everyone, I have some very bad news." Guan Heng entered the main hall with a grim face and addressed the others. "This concerns the safety of every Mutant. In short, things may soon be turned upside down."

"What happened, Guan Heng?" Professor X heard the unusual tone in his voice and immediately sensed trouble.

"For certain reasons, I'm working for S.H.I.E.L.D. right now," Guan Heng said helplessly. "Nick Fury just contacted me and told me to arrest a Mutant."

"What?" Cyclops slammed a fist on the table and demanded angrily, "Guan Heng, are you really willing to be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s lapdog and wreck the bridge of friendship we've just built? You—" He stopped himself.

Scott had wanted to lose his temper right then, but the others' looks had stopped him. Seeing that Guan Heng's expression remained calm, he decided to hear him out.

"Is there a special reason?" Professor X asked. Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. could be overbearing, it rarely arrested Mutants without cause.

"They started it," Guan Heng said with a frown, spreading his hands. "That Mutant kicked Uncle Sam's spokesperson in the ass. Do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. can just ignore that?"

Everyone present knew which Mutant Guan Heng was talking about. The room erupted in shock.

Professor X asked gravely, "That Mutant attacked the President?"

"And the poor mayor of New York City, for good measure," Guan Heng replied with a nod. "If this was a prank, it went way too far."

"Oh my God. The authorities were already so unpredictable in their attitude toward Mutants. Now..."

"Yeah, I can feel a storm coming." The X-Men began discussing the situation among themselves, while Professor X fell silent, desperately thinking through the dangers that lay ahead and how to prepare for them. "For now, Nick Fury wants me to catch the attacker," Guan Heng explained. "As far as I can tell, S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't currently planning to go after all Mutants."

"But the military's another story," Guan Heng analyzed. "They won't be so reasonable. They experiment on Mutants while hating them with a passion. Professor, you know that man, John Stryker, don't you? He knows this place like the back of his hand. I'm afraid the military is now trying every trick to get the President's authorization, so they can move against you immediately."

"Without S.H.I.E.L.D.'s support, it won't be so easy for Stryker to come after us," Cyclops said. "Unless he ignores the consequences and deploys weapons of mass destruction and a large number of troops, he'll have a hard time posing a threat to us."

Professor X and the others were worried that S.H.I.E.L.D. might get involved. There were plenty of Superpowered Beings as skilled as Guan Heng in the organization.

If S.H.I.E.L.D. joined the fight against X Academy, the X-Men would have a hard time protecting the children and getting out safely. At the moment, the academy's only fighters were Scott, Jean, and Ororo. Wolverine wasn't there, and most of the others were Mutant children who could barely control their powers, let alone take part in a battle.

"Professor, what should we do now?" Scott realized how serious the situation was and spoke up. "Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. stays out of it, that bastard Stryker in the military will use this as an excuse to attack. If the attacker keeps causing trouble, it'll make things even worse between us and ordinary people. We may not be able to keep ourselves and the children safe."

"Hmm." Xavier considered it carefully. "Let Jean go with Guan Heng to capture the attacker. Her telepathic sense should be able to pick up clues about the culprit."

"Ah, then we'll have to cancel the welcome party today." Jean came in carrying an adorable little girl. The children had all been so excited, but now they'd be disappointed.

Guan Heng sighed inwardly. At a time like this, safety comes first. We need to stay alive. The party will have to wait.