Emergency Departure (Third Update)

"All right, everyone." Guan Heng clapped his hands and grinned. "We'll have plenty of chances to hold a welcome party later. By the way, I have a huge appetite, so remember to prepare plenty of food. And if you invite me to a restaurant, make sure you pool enough money, or I'll eat you all into poverty."

The X-Men and Professor X all laughed. They knew Guan Heng was trying to lighten the mood.

"I've got the prisoner's tracking signal from Director Fury." Guan Heng pointed to the communicator in his hand. A small red dot on its screen showed the prisoner moving at high speed. "And with Phoenix's powerful telepathy, that attacker won't get out of our grasp this time. I'll make sure we capture him in one fell swoop!"

"Wait. Take Scott and a few of the more capable kids with you," Professor X said. "They can help, and it'll be good training for them. This is part of preparing the next generation to take over. I hope they'll be able to stand on their own as soon as possible."

Professor X knew that there were plenty of talented kids at the school, but they lacked combat experience and control over their abilities. They needed to be put through their paces.

Then he told Cyclops to bring over three students: Fireman, Iceman, and Colossus.

Iceman was only fifteen or sixteen now, but in the future he would become one of the X-Men's veterans. His power let him lower the temperature of matter until it froze, including the air. He could shoot ice, create ice weapons, and even make clones of himself. When his whole body turned to ice, he gained superhuman strength and could increase his size. Even if he was injured, he could quickly draw water vapor from the air, freeze it, and restore his body. He could also see infrared light and move rapidly over long distances by merging his body's molecules with flowing water.

For now, though, the young Iceman hadn't fully developed his powers. Fireman needed no introduction: he was a master of fire control, able to transform into flames and burn his enemies with fierce, scorching attacks.

Colossus was still quite young, too. He could transform every part of his body into a steel-like substance. Its hardness was second only to the Adamantium claws of Wolverine. It wasn't actually steel, but a carbon steel-like material similar to osmium. In this form, he didn't need to breathe, though he still couldn't survive in a vacuum for long. The limit, supposedly, was three and a half minutes.

"Professor, are you sure it's all right to send them away?" Jean Grey asked anxiously. "Those three are our strongest fighters after us. I'm worried you'll be short-handed here."

"It's fine," Professor X replied. "Guan Heng can get to know everyone and work with them. I'm sure he can handle things."

"There's one more thing I should warn you about." Guan Heng thought of a concern. "I suspect the military has already started mobilizing. There are too many kids here, so you should prepare for the worst. Stryker knows about your abilities. What if he uses the kids to threaten you and force you to wear something that blocks your telepathy?"

"Then Scott should stay behind," Professor X said after considering it. "I've also notified Logan. He's on his way back."

Guan Heng's eyebrows twitched. Qianhuan will be all right, won't she?

Professor X noticed his worried expression and reassured him. "Don't worry. Logan will take care of her. You should have faith in Wolverine's skills."

"Right." Guan Heng nodded.

Cyclops was leading all the students to the basement shelter to wait for the time being, while Jean took Guan Heng and the young assistants to where the X-Jet was parked.

The three assistants— Iceman, Fireman, and Colossus—were all around sixteen or seventeen. They couldn't live with their families or ordinary friends, or enjoy a normal school life. Instead, they had ended up here.

The three boys looked at Guan Heng with admiration and awe. They were at the age when heroes were idolized, and Guan Heng, who had beaten their teacher Cyclops, was an incredibly awesome hero in their eyes. Excited, they crowded around him, ready to follow his lead.

Since Guan Heng knew the movie's plot, he knew a great deal about their powers and that they would all become pillars of the X-Men in the future. He made it clear that he was happy to befriend them. This made everyone feel that he was approachable, kind, strong, and funny. That was the good impression Guan Heng left on the three boys.

Jean Grey's abilities needed no introduction. She had telepathic powers that let her read other people's minds and control them according to her own will. She could also read many minds at once. As Phoenix, she could use telekinesis to lift and manipulate objects, create force fields, fly, and stimulate heat molecules to produce high-speed shock waves.

Guan Heng knew the abilities of these veteran and newer X-Men very well. He began planning how to capture Nightcrawler and make the best use of everyone's powers. Soon, they had all boarded the X-Jet.

Seated in the pilot's chair, Jean Grey couldn't help glancing at Guan Heng. She seemed about to say something, but quickly looked away. Guan Heng noticed. From the moment he'd sat beside Jean, he had felt a burning sensation in his chest. The closer she was, the stronger it became.

It was just like the feverish, restless heat he had felt when he received the Dragon Heart Flame's legacy deep inside the Kunlun Secret Cave.

But Guan Heng forced down the urge to have a long talk with Jean Grey. He sat in the copilot's seat with his eyelids lowered, looking half-asleep, like a monk deep in meditation.

Whoosh! The X-Jet suddenly took off, slicing through the sky as it flew toward the distant horizon.

Professor X and Scott watched until the plane disappeared, then hurried to begin moving the students to safety. Their preparations for the worst were now underway.

Not long after Guan Heng and Jean's plane left, a small truck rattled along the road leading to X Academy.

"Just my luck. I picked up two more problems on the way back." Logan, who was driving, gripped the steering wheel and complained nonstop.

Three girls sat in the back. Two were beside Li Qianhuan: one was unconscious, her head resting on Qianhuan's lap; the other was wrapped tightly in a black cloak, sitting in the corner and afraid to touch anyone.

"Uncle Logan, stop complaining," Li Qianhuan said with a smile. "You were the one who rushed to attack those Hydra thugs when we saw them just now."

She then asked the girl wrapped in the black cloak, "You said your name was Rogue. What about her?" She pointed to the unconscious girl. "I saw her running around in a panic, phasing through walls to escape those Hydra guys. Then she accidentally hit something hard and passed out. She was so careless."

"She's a new friend I just met," Rogue said. "Her name is Kitty, but people also call her Phantom Cat."

"Hmph. Little girls chatter so much. It's annoying," Logan muttered unhappily. The military's been gathering around here so often. Their target might be X Academy. Something big is probably about to happen.