"A little more to the left!"
Emma Frost stood in front of the main building of the manor, looking up at the slowly descending mountain, her voice already somewhat changed.
"There's a wall on the left."
Chen Mo stood at the front of the mining area, glanced down at her, and said, "If you go any further to the left, you won't need to install a gate anymore; you'll have to climb over the wall to get in and out."
Emma Frost looked at the main entrance, which was already half-collapsed.
Does it seem like there's not much difference between now and not having it?
"Then move back!"
The main building is behind it.
"Forward!"
"If you go any further, don't blame me if I run you over."
Emma Frost fell silent.
Chen Mo stroked his chin and earnestly suggested, "Why don't you stop giving orders for now? This place is already small; if you keep giving orders, I'm afraid your club might just move headquarters today."
The people inside the manor retreated again and again, until finally they all crowded in front of the main building.
Some were carrying documents, some were dragging equipment, and several guards even forgot to grab their guns, only looking up at the sky.
The first things to fall were the two broken rails.
Hundreds of meters of steel rails were held up by telekinesis, bypassed the main building, and were laid steadily at the edge of the training ground. Immediately afterwards, several abandoned warehouses emerged from the red mist, with their foundations and large areas of soil, and landed one after another on the west side of the manor.
A series of booming sounds rang out.
The ground shook incessantly, and the windows of the main building trembled as well.
Several veteran club members stood at the back of the crowd, their faces increasingly grim.
Just half an hour ago, they were privately discussing whether to take advantage of Emma Frost's unstable footing and regain control of the club.
The person in charge of making contact hasn't left yet.
A mountain came first.
The middle-aged man wearing glasses glanced furtively at his companion and asked a question with his eyes.
(゜Д゜): Shall we go again, bro?
His companion received a glance, stared at the mountain range above them that seemed to stretch to the horizon, and his eyes twitched violently twice.
(ಠ益ಠ): What a load of crap.
This isn't a power grab; it's clearly a suicide mission.
The two silently took a step back, but then felt it wasn't safe enough, so they squeezed into the center of the crowd, shielding everyone in front of them and trying to make themselves look like ordinary members.
High in the sky, Chen Mo raised his right hand.
The dark red smoke covering the mountain quickly receded, and the vast mining area descended accordingly. The concrete ground of the training ground was the first to crack, and thick layers of rock slowly pressed into the soil, squeezing out the soil and rocks that surged in all directions.
The manor's walls collapsed in large sections, and several observation towers were pinned down by the edge of the mountain, buried underground like sandcastles.
Emma Frost watched helplessly as the training ground she had chosen disappeared.
A few minutes later, the shaking finally stopped.
The mining area lies to the west of the manor, leaving only a corner of the once spacious training ground. Several underground passages are exposed along the edge of the mountain, and broken cables are still sparking.
Chen Mo stepped down from the sky and stopped in front of Emma Frost.
"It's placed properly."
Chen Mo glanced back. "It's a little crowded, but it's not a big problem. If you expand the wall outwards and cut down the trees next to it, you should be able to make room for another parking space."
Emma Frost looked at the west wall, which had completely disappeared.
"Master, that grove of trees does not belong to the club."
"I've moved this entire mountain! According to the rules of the martial arts world, this place belongs to me from today onwards."
Chen Mo answered naturally.
Several club members nearby lowered their heads, pretending they hadn't heard anything.
Chen Mo raised his hand and waved.
At the entrance to the mining area, a metal door slowly opened. A dozen researchers walked out, their movements stiff, their faces filled with fear, followed by several automatically moving experimental devices.
"The people, the equipment, and all the data inside are all yours."
Chen Mo pointed at the researchers, "These people are fairly obedient. If anyone suddenly wants to serve the Empire, just have Azazel remove their head."
The researchers turned even paler.
Emma Frost wasn't in the mood to look at them; she lowered her head slightly and carefully wrote down every word Chen Mo said.
"I need you to resume the experiment as soon as possible."
Chen Mo continued, "They've already deciphered one-fifth of the text on the black stone tablet; don't stop on the rest. All the club's original experimental personnel have also been transferred in."
"Yes, Master, I will reorganize the research groups."
Emma Frost said, "It should take at most two days to restore the main equipment to normal operation."
Two days is too slow.
"Then one day."
That's more like it.
Chen Mo looked at her, "And Xiao. Activate all the intelligence channels the club has—the military, the railway, the experimental departments—don't let any place with transport records slip by."
Emma Frost lowered her head in front of everyone.
"Yes."
She offered no explanation, nor did she attempt to maintain the White Queen's authority.
The club members watched this scene in silence, their last shred of hope gone.
Emma Frost didn't just bring back an assistant; she found a new master for the club.
He's the kind of guy who, if he feels the place is too small, will go somewhere else and climb a mountain to get back.
"It's too dusty outside, please go to the conference room."
Emma Frost turned to the side and personally led the way for Chen Mo.
Chen Mo nodded.
"Perfect timing, let's see how you've been doing these past few days."
The crowd naturally followed behind the two, and no one dared to fall behind.
Soon, the group entered the main building.
Inside the conference hall, chairs had been rearranged on both sides of the long table. The seat at the very top, which originally belonged to Black King, had a backrest that was higher than the others, and the club's logo was inlaid on the armrests.
Chen Mo walked over and sat down directly.
There were more than a dozen lists on the table, recording the club's current members, experimental projects, and external contacts.
He picked up a document at random and flipped through it.
Emma Frost was standing to the side, just about to give her report, when she saw that Chen Mo neither asked her to sit down nor to leave, so she quietly knelt down on one side of the chair.
She tidied up the scattered documents, then picked up the wine bottle on the table and poured half a glass for Chen Mo.
"Please have some, host. This is red wine from the club's collection."
How expensive?
"It's hard to buy outside."
"That means it's hard to say the price."
Chen Mo picked up his glass, took a sip, and commented, "The taste is so-so, not even as sweet as grape juice."
Emma Frost didn't argue, and put the list he had finished reading on the other side.
The club members at the long table felt a chill run down their spines.
They had seen far too many people kneeling before the White Queen before.
Officers, wealthy businessmen, Mutants, and those who tried to rebel against her.
Emma Frost only needs to sit there, without even saying a word, and the other person will confess everything on their own.
But now, she kneels beside someone, even observing Chen Mo's expression before pouring wine.
Several quick-witted individuals exchanged glances, immediately left their seats, and knelt on either side of the long table.
The others realized what was happening and quickly knelt down as well.
Only two people remained standing in the same spot.
One of them was a veteran of the club, and the other was in charge of military liaison. The two of them had been hesitating just now, but now they suddenly realized that everyone around them looked shorter.
What happened?
Shouldn't we be sitting during meetings?
Before the two could figure it out, a cloud of red mist appeared from behind them.
Azazel appeared behind them, his short knife slicing across their necks in an instant.
Two heads landed on the table, the headless corpse swayed twice, and then collapsed onto the carpet.
The meeting room fell completely silent. Several people knelt motionless in the pool of blood beside the corpse.
Chen Mo glanced at the red wine in his glass, then at the spreading blood.
"Is this carpet expensive? Is it dirty?"
Emma Frost whispered, "It's alright, Master, there are new ones in the warehouse."
"That's all."
Chen Mo continued drinking, as if he had only knocked over two chairs.
Azazel sheathed his dagger and returned to the doorway.
"I heard before I came that some people present had some opinions about Emma Frost's new arrangements?"
Chen Mo put down his wine glass and glanced at both sides of the long table. "Anyone with a problem can speak up now. I'm a reasonable person, so I'll allow you to speak freely."
No one answered.
The two veteran members who had previously plotted to seize power now had their foreheads pressed against the carpet.
They are now filled with regret, not for not acting sooner.
Instead, they regretted having a brain.
If one were less intelligent, they might never have thought of such a suicidal idea as seizing power.
The middle-aged man wearing glasses spoke first, "I fully support everything the White Queen has planned."
A companion quickly added, "The club definitely needs changes; the White Queen's decision is absolutely correct."
"Didn't you two say before that she lacked experience?" another member whispered a reminder.
The man's face stiffened.
"What I mean is, she lacks experience in taking over the club."
He looked up at Chen Mo, then quickly added, "But with your guidance, experience is no longer important."
The conference room fell silent for a few seconds.
This statement, though shameless, is quite reasonable.
The others all expressed their opinions, and none of them wanted to fall behind.
Chen Mo listened for a while, then lost interest.
"Alright, get up, everyone."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but no one dared to actually sit back down; they simply stood by the table.
Chen Mo looked at Emma Frost.
"Make a note of the people who just spoke."
The two veteran members felt a chill in their hearts.
Keep those who can get things done.
Chen Mo swirled his wine glass. "If you want to keep causing trouble, just kill him and replace him with a clone. The appearance, memories, and abilities will all be identical, ensuring it won't interfere with work."
The two of them shuddered.
Only at this moment did they understand the true nature of those strange club members who had suddenly become fiercely loyal to the White Queen.
Chen Mo wasn't warning them they would die.
He was telling them that they had to keep going to work even if they died.
This is worse than death.
Emma Frost picked up her pen and made a few marks on the list.
"I've got it."
She placed another document in front of Chen Mo.
"Master, this is the latest battle report."
No one in the meeting room raised any further objections.
Emma Frost unfolded a map of the Europe battlefield, pressing down the corners with several metal blocks. The map was covered with arrows, and the direction of the German advance was marked in red.
" The Germany army is advancing on all fronts."
Her fingers traced several areas in succession. " The Soviet Union has just abandoned Kyiv, and the countries on the western front are barely holding on. If the German army continues to deploy cyborgs, the existing defenses won't last long."
Chen Mo remained silent.
As for Sebastian Shaw...
Emma Frost paused, then lowered her voice, "I'm sorry, Master, the club still hasn't found any trace of him."
The wine glass in Chen Mo's hand stopped in mid-air.
His gaze fell on the map.
The two German advance points, just circled in red, are located at the northern and southern ends of the battlefield, respectively.