Brotherhood of Mutants Temporary Base
Almost an hour had passed since Bullseye left, Kingpin the check with Kingpin's signature was still on the table. The amount on the check was enough to tempt anyone present, but no one touched it, though the room was now in an uproar.
A tall, thin Asian man covered in spikes spoke first. His nickname was Hedgehog Man, and true to his name, his unique mutant ability was to use his spikes to stab his opponents. However, he couldn't penetrate even slightly tough skin. In contrast to his ability was his personality: arrogant, domineering, and self-righteous.
" Kingpin's people say Pyro has been beaten into a vegetative state. The boss told us not to get involved, but those S.H.I.E.L.D.. guys have really messed with us. If we don't retaliate, what's the Brotherhood's reputation to lose? What's the point of talking about this?!"
A white-haired woman wearing reading glasses sat against the wall, knitting with her head down. " Pyro acted on his own, going to bomb S.H.I.E.L.D.. without telling anyone. Now he's been driven back. Who's to blame?"
"Whose fault is it?!" The Hedgehog Man's voice rose a half-octave. "Blame S.H.I.E.L.D..! Blame that big guy! Are we to blame Pyro himself? We're all fellow Mutants, and he's been beaten into a vegetable like this, and we're still having a meeting here? What kind of meeting is this?!"
The white-haired woman stuck the knitting needle into the ball of yarn, took off her reading glasses, revealing a pair of cloudy but sharp eyes. " Hedgehog Man, why do you think that big guy only targeted Pyro? Because he messed with someone else's people. He's clear about his goals and decisive in his actions; that's his own rule. You want us to stick up for a fool who acted on his own, to provoke someone who can single-handedly take down Kingpin's entire lair?"
The Hedgehog Man's face flushed crimson, and several bone spurs popped out from the back of his hands. "So, according to you, if Brotherhood members get bullied on the street, we'll all hide here and knit sweaters?"
"What I mean is --"
Before the woman could finish speaking, a man emerged from the corner. His name was Sabretooth, Wolverine's brother, but the two had completely opposite personalities, being both violent and cruel.
He walked to the center, his rugged face expressionless, but his Beast -like vertical pupils were fixed on the checks on the table, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
" Victor?" The white-haired woman frowned as she saw Sabretooth walk onto the stage. "You weren't really swayed by Kingpin, were you?"
"Persuade?" Sabretooth, revealing a nonchalant sneer. "I have no interest in working for Kingpin. However, that big guy—"
He picked up the check, glanced at it, and casually tossed it back onto the table.
"I never thought much of Pyro anyway; he's incredibly weak and always causing trouble. He deserved to be beaten up." Sabretooth cracked his neck, his knuckles popping. "But no matter what, he's still Mutants. If he gets beaten up like a punching bag, what Brotherhood? I'll go meet that Lin Xiao. Not for Kingpin, but to let outsiders know that anyone who tries to mess with Brotherhood has to get Victor's claws' permission first."
The Hedgehog Man's eyes lit up, and he was about to speak in agreement when the white-haired woman stood up first.
" Victor, this isn't the time to act rashly. That big guy beat Pyro like that, if you go alone, what if—"
"What if what?" Sabretooth turned around, looking down at her condescendingly, "What if I also get beaten up by him? Is that what you mean?"
The white-haired woman's lips moved, but she didn't speak.
"I'm not that Pyro trash." The Sabretooth's claws shot out half an inch before retracting, its voice low and filled with barely suppressed bloodlust. "I've lived for almost two hundred years, and I've fought more people than he's killed. Besides, how long has it been since Erik called us out for an operation?"
The white-haired woman's expression finally changed. " Victor, you can't touch civilians. That's the bottom line. What about Professor X— "
"Don't mention professors to me!" Sabretooth slammed his fist on the table, splitting the solid wood in two, sending splinters flying. "This is the Brotherhood, not Xavier's School! You should listen to Professor X, Charles. Go back to your ethics class!"
The room fell silent. The Hedgehog Man swallowed hard and silently took a step back. The white-haired woman gripped her knitting needles tightly and said nothing more.
Sabretooth glanced around, exhaling two heavy breaths from his nostrils. No one dared to contradict him. He scoffed, turned, and walked towards the heavy iron door. Sabretooth wasn't so kind. What did he care about other people's lives? In the end, he was just a slightly stronger ordinary person who had killed a piece of trash. He was constantly being suppressed by the blue-skinned monster and Iron Head. He'd kill that guy himself, and then they'd see who dared to look down on him!
The door slammed shut behind him, and the footsteps faded into the distance.
The room remained silent for a long while.
The white-haired woman sat down again, paused, and sighed softly.
"... This won't end well."
Manhattan, Lin Xiao's penthouse apartment
Lin Xiao was lying under a parasol on the rooftop, holding an iced cola and watching the " The Maury Show," living the most carefree life imaginable.
Just then, a rapid notification sound rang in my mind.
"Ding--A high-threat Mutants has been detected within 100 kilometers of the host. Target codename: Sabretooth. Combat strength rating: B-. Tracking movement trajectory..."
A blue screen popped up in front of Lin Xiao, displaying a map of New York with a red dot moving at high speed. The speed was fast, and the direction was clear—it was approaching his location in Manhattan.
Lin Xiao put down the cola and pulled up detailed information about the Sabretooth.
" Sabretooth, Victor Kree. Age: Approximately 200 years old. Abilities: Super healing factor, retractable bone claws, enhanced senses, Beast Instinct. Brother of Wolverine, sharing the same healing factor, but with a stronger offensive capability. Preferred tactics: Head-on crushing; prefers to break down the target's psychological defenses before attacking; enjoys brutally killing opponents." Note: C+ level combat power holder; due to his healing factor, his actual combat power ceiling is raised to B-.
Lin Xiao's brows slowly furrowed. A B-rank was nothing to him. Beating a B-rank was like bullying a child for him now. But this guy had a problem—his self-healing ability. Just like Wolverine's, he could heal in two seconds after being slashed, and punching him was like hitting putty. Unless he caused serious damage in one go, he would stick to him like a leech, never stopping.
Moreover, there's one record in this guy's resume that really bothers him: he likes to target people he cares about.
Lin Xiao didn't like others plotting against the people around him; otherwise, he wouldn't mind strangling that old bastard with his own hands. Just then, Lin Xiao smiled, a smile like a fox. He had come up with a good plan.
" Doupao."
"Ding--Here."
"Find Storm's phone number for me."
Doupao silent. She remained silent for a full three seconds. A flash of blue light appeared, its color much deeper than usual, and it trembled slightly, as if something was vibrating at an extremely high frequency.
"Ding--Please! Treat me like a person. I am your system, not your tool."
Lin Xiao picked at his ear, flicked something off his fingertip, and said matter-of-factly, "You can hack into military satellites, can't you scan a radius of 100 kilometers? You can track Mutants signals in real time, can't you? What's wrong with checking a phone number?"
"Ding--This system was forced to cooperate at the time, and each action's objective was directly related to the host's own interests."
"This is also directly related. Sabretooth is coming for me, so it's perfectly reasonable for me to ask Storm for help."
"Ding--Host, please allow me to be frank. With your current combat strength, the probability of you defeating the Sabretooth alone is over 10,000. You don't need to ask for help at all. You just want to watch the show."
Lin Xiao lowered his hands, stood up, walked to the edge of the rooftop, placed his hands on the railing, looked at the Manhattan skyline in the distance, and sighed softly.
" Doupao, do you even know what resource optimization means?"
"Ding--I don't understand."
"It's not bravery to have someone else do it and insist on fighting yourself; that's stupid." Lin Xiao counted on his fingers, his tone as serious as if he were lecturing a student. " Wolverine and Sabretooth are mortal enemies, fighting for over a hundred years. If I were to do it myself, I'd be solving Wolverine's nemesis for him, and I wouldn't even get a thank you. But if I give the information to the X-Men, Storm owes me a favor, Wolverine owes me a favor, and Professor X owes me a favor. It's killing three birds with one stone, a huge profit. What's that called? It's called using someone else's strength against them, using one tiger to devour another—the culmination of thousands of years of Dragon Country wisdom. Of course, a system like you wouldn't understand."
"Ding--The host just said that the Sabretooth's combat strength is only B-, and it's not worthy of your personal intervention. This is the real reason, isn't it?"
Lin Xiao coughed lightly, his expression unchanged. "That's a secondary reason."
"Stop talking nonsense, I need your help now, so just tell me if you'll help or not."
A flash of blue light appeared.
"Ding-- Searching for Storm's contact information. Search complete. Establishing an encrypted communication connection..."
Lin Xiao's lips curled up. He took out his phone, and the screen showed a number being dialed, with the nickname. "Dark-skinned Hot Girl · Celestial-level Combat Power · Human Weather Station".
The phone rang three times before being answered.
"Hello."
The voice on the other end was calm and wary, with a hint of obvious uncertainty. Storm clearly didn't recognize the number, but not many people could call her personal cell phone, so she didn't hang up immediately.
"Ms. Ororo!" Lin Xiao's voice suddenly rose half an octave, adopting a tone that was both surprised and aggrieved. "Thank goodness, you answered the phone! I thought I'd never be able to reach you again—something terrible has happened to me, you have to help me!"
"... Who are you?" Storm's voice turned colder. "How do you know this number?"
"I'm Lin Xiao! The one who helped you take Pyro back to the Brooklyn warehouse a few days ago—you remember? You even said you wanted to thank me, but I said no thanks, we're friends—" Lin Xiao spoke incredibly fast, not giving Storm a chance to interrupt, "And just a few days later, the Brotherhood is coming to kill me! I'm being targeted, and I'm so scared my legs are shaking. I have a wife and kids to support, what will they do if I die? The fruit is unsold, please help us, uh, please help me."
"Wait." Storm interrupted him, a subtle emotion lurking in her voice, "What exactly are you talking about? Who wants to kill you?"
" Sabretooth! Victor Kree! The Brotherhood!" Lin Xiao's voice was even more aggrieved, "Just today, Sabretooth is already heading towards New York! I'm just an ordinary person, all alone, S.H.I.E.L.D.. has abandoned me, so I can only turn to you X-Men for help—"
Storm paused for a moment, then asked, "How do you know all this?"
"I have an informant," Lin Xiao said without changing his expression.
"... Do you have an informant planted in the Brotherhood?"
"That's not the point!" Lin Xiao's voice rose another half octave. "The point is, Sabretooth is coming! He's heading straight for my house! Ms. Ororo, aren't the X-Men here to protect Mutants and humans so they can coexist peacefully? Now a Mutants is coming to kill an unarmed civilian like me, aren't you going to do anything about it? You can't just stand by and watch me die because I'm not a Mutants, can you? You can't just leave me to fend for myself because I don't have superpowers!"
There was silence for several seconds on the other end of the phone.
" Lin Xiao." Storm's voice rang out again, calm yet tinged with weariness. "You said you were just an ordinary person, unarmed. That night in the Brooklyn warehouse, who was it that braved five tornadoes and nearly Pyro into a charred corpse?"
"That was an accident. I was so angry at the time, my adrenaline surged, and I performed beyond my normal limits. Now that the adrenaline has subsided, I'm back to being a normal person. Seriously, I can't even kill a chicken now."
"... Didn't you say you were S.H.I.E.L.D.."
"Yes. I'm currently unemployed, a genuine civilian. If word gets out that a civilian is being hunted by Mutants... So, would the X-Men take the case?"
"We're not police," Storm's voice held a hint of restraint. "We're dealing with Mutants crisis, not a civil dispute."
"This is a crisis!" Lin Xiao's voice suddenly became very serious. " Sabretooth is Mutants, and he's your Class A threat Mutants. He's roaming around New York City, and could cause civilian casualties at any time. Isn't this a crisis? If you don't do anything, he'll go on a killing spree in Manhattan. What will the headlines be then— 'X-Men stand by and watch Mutants run rampant in New York, innocent citizens suffer.' Have you considered the public relations impact?"
Storm didn't speak. Her breathing came through the microphone, even and steady, as if she were using deep breaths to maintain some kind of bottom line.
"Give me an address," she finally spoke, her voice regaining its businesslike calm. "I'll send someone over."
"Great!" Lin Xiao's voice instantly switched to enthusiasm. "Ms. Ororo, I knew you X-Men were responsible! The address is Lower Manhattan, near the abandoned industrial area by the Hudson River. My intelligence indicates that Sabretooth will arrive there in 40 minutes."
"... Your information is quite detailed."
"The informant was great. I'll send you his contact information later, so you can contact him directly if you need anything." After saying that, Lin Xiao quickly hung up the phone, not giving Storm a chance to ask any further questions.
The wind on the rooftop rattled the parasols. Lin Xiao leaned against the railing, twirling his phone between his fingers a few times, a smirk playing on his lips. He thought of Kingpin. Kingpin was trying to use him as a tool to kill someone. Fine, looks like he's itching for a beating again. You recruit Mutants, I gain experience, isn't that great? Why did you have to make such a big fuss? Now look what happened, I'm fine, but I'll remember you. I'll teach you another lesson tomorrow, then you'll be furious.
Meanwhile, at a bar in Brooklyn.
Wolverine got completely drunk.
Three of the wine glasses in front of him were already empty, and the fourth was nearly gone. The bartender, a bald, burly man, glanced at him several times from behind the bar, wanting to remind him that it was almost time to go home, but looking at his bloodshot eyes and the faintly visible bone claws on the back of his hands, he silently swallowed his words.
Just then Wolverine's phone rang.
When his phone rang, he didn't even bother to look at it. He picked up his glass and took a swig. Then the phone rang a second time. He put down his glass, muttering, "Who the hell is so annoying?" The third time, he growled, pulled his phone out of his pocket, and intended to crush the annoying piece of plastic. That is, until he saw the caller ID.
Storm.
His finger paused for a moment above the screen. Storm rarely called him first, especially when he was on vacation. Unless it was something important. He pressed the answer button.
"What's going on?"
" Logan Sabretooth has appeared. In New York, moving towards Manhattan. According to intelligence, his target is the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. who crippled Pyro a few days ago."
Wolverine sat up straight. He pushed his glass aside, and the alloy claws on the back of his hand involuntarily extended half an inch, leaving three shallow scratches on the bar. The bartender was startled and took a few steps back.
Wolverine narrowed his eyes, his voice low. "Is the intelligence source reliable?"
"... Barely reliable." Storm's tone held a hint of skepticism. "The intelligence provider was that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. himself. He contacted us."
Wolverine paused for a moment. The news itself wasn't problematic— Sabretooth was his mortal enemy, and he wanted to meet Victor wherever he went. But something about Storm's tone was off. He'd known Storm for too many years and knew when she spoke with certainty and when she hesitated.
You don't sound very happy.
"That agent is tough to deal with; you'll know once you make contact." Storm's voice regained its businesslike calm. "Whatever method you use, stop Sabretooth before he causes further damage. If possible, capture him alive. But if you absolutely must take action—be careful. Victor hasn't been idle these past few years."
"Don't worry." Wolverine stood up and slapped a few crumpled American bills on the bar. Before the bartender could even give him his change, he had already pushed open the bar door and disappeared into the night.
Manhattan, Lin Xiao Apartment
Lin Xiao stepped down from the rooftop, carrying a folding stool and a large bag of melon seeds in his left hand, and a DV camera in his right. He walked excitedly outside. Before leaving, Lin Xiao made a point of checking the DV's battery and memory card—it was Sony latest model that he had taken from Peter's room, with night vision and high-definition recording capabilities, enough for him to film the scene tonight clearly.
"Let's go, let's go eat some melon seeds."