Swift Reinforcements

Swish, swish, swish! Sharp claws clashed violently against adamantium claws, then locked together, producing a piercing squeal.

"Ha-ha-ha, Logan, you're still as useless as ever!" Sabretooth laughed. Knowing his claws weren't as tough as Wolverine's adamantium ones, he didn't keep trading blows head-on. Instead, he unleashed a furious barrage of attacks and completely suppressed his opponent.

Sabretooth, Victor, was cruel and bloodthirsty. He had the same healing ability and eternal life as Wolverine, and surpassed him in strength, speed, observation, and perception. But after Wolverine had adamantium implanted in his body, the two were evenly matched. The sly Victor simply knew Logan's impulsive nature too well, and kept provoking him with taunts during the fight.

"You useless bastard! Didn't you get enough milk? Is that all the strength you've got?"

"I've been beating you to a pulp for ages, and nothing's changed. Ha-ha-ha!"

At last, Wolverine lost his composure. With a roar, he lunged at Sabretooth. "Aaaah! Die!"

He swung both claws with all his strength, but Victor easily dodged the blow. "Idiot! You fell for it!"

Sabretooth drove his claws hard beneath Logan's ribs. Pfft! Then he twisted them inside him, mangling his organs. "Die, brother!" Victor laughed savagely, drunk on bloodlust.

"Guh..." Wolverine pitched forward and collapsed. Blood poured out beneath him in an instant. Even with his Immortal Body, he couldn't get back up—not yet.

At the same time, Cyclops braced both hands against his Ruby Quartz Glasses, ready to act. With no other choice, it was finally time for him to step in.

"Ororo, have you reached Jean and Guan Heng yet?" Professor X asked in a low voice.

"Our communications equipment seems to have been jammed by the enemy," Ororo replied. "I don't know if they're doing it with their powers or with scientific equipment." Sweat beaded on Storm's forehead, and her eyes began to turn white. She was about to join the fight, too.

Sabretooth had brought more than a dozen Ability Users from the Brotherhood of Mutants. Besides those who could block telepathy, there were Ability Users capable of jamming communications, while the rest were assassins whose powers targeted the team's weaknesses. They had completely surrounded the school, and the X-Men were in grave danger.

Savage, bloodthirsty enemies stood before them, while dozens of innocent children were behind them in the school building. Though they knew they were outmatched, the X-Men would fight to the bitter end, determined to protect this peaceful place.

Only Cyclops, Ororo, and Wolverine were still able to fight. But Logan had fallen, his life uncertain, while Ororo and Scott had to protect the Professor and the children in the school behind them. They could hardly hold out against the Brotherhood's mutant thugs.

Fortunately, they still had one last hope. Professor X unconsciously touched the button on his shirtfront and pressed it hard. A faint Communication Wavelength slipped silently through the enemy's signal-jamming Ability Field and shot straight toward the X-Jet in the distant sky.

Because X Academy was in a remote location, the Professor had to find a way to notify the X-Men if trouble or some unexpected crisis arose while they were elsewhere. He usually used telepathy, but had also considered what might happen if he ever lost his powers. So he had developed this unusual signal frequency. It was weak, but the weaker it was, the easier it was to overlook. That allowed it to slip through all kinds of unexpected interference and reach the Designated Device.

At that moment, this signal was X Academy and the X-Men's lifeline.

Meanwhile, in the X-Jet's cockpit, Guan Heng saw the communicator beside him flashing red. "What's going on?"

"Oh no!" Jean Grey's expression changed drastically. "That's the Emergency Communication Wave the Professor set up. He'd only use it as a last resort. Something terrible has happened at the school!"

"Just as I suspected." Guan Heng's face darkened. He gritted his teeth, his eyes flickering as he thought through their options.

There were barely any fighters left at the school. Jean was frantic with worry, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "A powerful enemy has appeared and surrounded them. The Professor must have sent the distress signal because he couldn't handle them. How strong must they be? Everyone there must be in terrible danger!"

"Buckle up, Jean." Jean Grey clenched her teeth, grabbed the Control Stick, and shouted, "I'm activating the Super Acceleration Device. We're going back!" At once, the rear of the aircraft began to flare as it prepared to accelerate. In the violent shaking, Fireman, Iceman, and Colossus, who had been chatting in the back, were caught off guard. Smack! "Ow!" Their three faces abruptly crashed together.

"Blegh! Blegh!" They couldn't stop retching.

"Jean, stop!" Guan Heng pressed down on Phoenix's hand as she gripped the Control Stick. "If we accelerate like this, the plane will break apart!"

Jean Grey's face suddenly flushed. She gently pulled her hand free from Guan Heng's grasp. "But I'm worried..."

"Here's what we'll do. Open the hatch," Guan Heng said after a moment's thought. "I'll ride the Giant Dragonfly back to the school and reinforce them. You can fly back as fast as you can."

Guan Heng looked into Jean Grey's eyes. "If it were just the two of us on the plane, I'd agree without hesitation to use the Super Acceleration Device. But there are three others aboard. They're the future hope of the X-Men. Promise me you won't risk your life or theirs. I won't let you put yourself in extreme danger."

Jean Grey's face showed lingering apprehension. She glanced back at Iceman, Fireman, and Colossus, still shaken by the earlier turbulence, then lowered her head and said, "All right."

The Ice Fire Steel Trio had realized that something might have happened at the school. They looked at one another, their young faces tense with worry.

"Good. Then hurry back, Jean." Jean knew how strong Guan Heng was. He had easily defeated Cyclops, so him returning alone to reinforce the school would do more good than all four of them going together.

Creeeak—clang! The hatch opened, and a powerful gust of air rushed into the cabin.

Jean Grey's delicate frame lurched. Guan Heng caught her and steadied her, then called out, "Trust me! I'll make sure everyone gets back safely. Phoenix, wait for me. There are so many things I've never told you."

"Me too." Jean Grey's hair streamed in the wind, and tenderness glimmered in her eyes. "Be careful."

Clinging to the hatch as if about to leap, Guan Heng turned and shouted, "You brats, your boss is heading out first! Take good care of Sister Qin!"

"Don't worry, boss! We've got it!" the Ice Fire Steel Trio answered in unison.

Guan Heng launched himself into the air and gave a sharp whistle. Giant Dragonfly Emperor Santai appeared out of nowhere, spun around, and caught him perfectly.

"Santai, full speed ahead! Destination: X Academy!" Guan Heng flicked the reins, then casually plunged three syringes of Diluted Solution into the giant insect's head. "Double the Fuel Blood!"

The Giant Dragonfly's wings buzzed thunderously. Its already astonishing speed climbed even higher, and in an instant it became a streak of light racing toward the school.

"What a speedy bug!" all four of them exclaimed.