Fortunately, Professor X is in a state of detachment at this moment, like an observer looking down on all living beings. As long as he doesn't actively make contact, he won't be overwhelmed by the chaotic information.
Following the information provided by Scott, he navigated the vast sea of information, filtering it layer by layer.
Normal brainwaves are a uniform white light; while Mutants are distinct: the color, rhythm, and intensity vary according to their abilities and are clearly discernible.
Based on Alexander's abilities, Professor X's consciousness raced across the brainwaves of hundreds, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of Mutants; hundreds of similar spectra appeared one after another, only to be eliminated one by one; finally, the signal anchored in southern Africa.
More importantly, the target fluctuation was surrounded by the densely intertwined traces of consciousness of more than a dozen Mutants and hundreds of ordinary people.
The moment Professor X touched his consciousness and simultaneously read the memories of several people around him, his expression suddenly darkened, and he abruptly opened his eyes.
"There's even a Sentry Laboratory hidden there."
His expression was solemn.
Fragments of memory indicate that it was indeed a secret Sentry base, overseen by Larry Trask. This man was the son of Bolivar Trask, the proposer of the original Sentinel Program, and also the brother of the Trask who was killed by Chen Xiao.
Larry's approach was completely different; he didn't pursue mass production but focused on cutting-edge technology. The " Killer Sentry," which was specifically designed to counter Magneto and was completely immune to magnetic field manipulation, originated from this place.
This laboratory is extremely well-hidden, known only to a very few people; there is no trace of it on the internet; its apparent identity is nothing more than an ordinary military industrial plant under Trask Industries.
If it weren't for tracking Alexander, Professor X would never have discovered its existence.
Alexander was not kidnapped, but rather lured there by Larry under the pretense that a "custom-made suit could help him control his abilities." The two parties agreed that Alexander would cooperate with the experiment in exchange for a power control solution.
The real purpose was to extract the core mechanism by which he absorbed and transformed Cosmic Energy, and graft it onto the already formed " Killer Sentry No. 2," a machine whose power far surpassed that of the original.
Professor X's voice was deep but resolute. "Immediately summon all X-Men, depart immediately, and destroy that laboratory."
In the past, he might have been concerned about the US attitude; now the situation has changed, and these cutting-edge weapons designed specifically to hunt down Mutants must be destroyed one by one.
With the order given, the entire X-Men were ready to go.
At the same time, in the direction of Africa,
Magneto also received a call from Professor X, ordering him to dispatch men to the South Africa border to coordinate a surprise attack.
Unlike Chen Xiao, who acted decisively and ventured into challenges alone, Professor X always prioritized thoroughness: he preferred to be better prepared than to let his team members take unnecessary risks.
In South Africa, a hundred kilometers east of the capital of the small country of Kuwari, stands a seemingly ordinary industrial town.
The town is small, but it is built like a military fortress: towering concrete walls surround it, watchtowers disguised as ordinary buildings rise from the ground, and guards with guns are stationed everywhere, their eyes alert and their movements efficient.
Hidden in the shadows are even more formidable heavy firepower: Gatling gun positions, self-propelled machine guns, multi-band radar stations, and several anti-aircraft missile launchers that can be quickly erected.
The town's entrance is bustling with traffic, with military transport trucks frequently entering and exiting, their engines roaring and dust billowing. Such a busy scene is truly rare on the resource-scarce and underdeveloped Africa continent.
Several kilometers away, on a barren wasteland, a fierce wind suddenly arose without warning.
The ground trembled slightly as a stealth fighter silently glided down and landed quietly.
The hatch opened, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Shadowcat, Iceman, Wolverine filed out.
Professor X remained at Xavier's School to oversee operations in case of unforeseen circumstances and did not join the expedition.
The group did not rush in immediately, but stood still and waited. A moment later, a gray-black fighter jet flew low and hovered steadily not far away.
Judging from the aircraft design, avionics configuration, and maneuverability alone, it is not difficult to see that Professor X and Magneto had a tacit cooperation long ago.
The hatch opened, Quicksilver, dressed in a red and white bodysuit, jumped out first, followed by Polaris, Nightcrawler (who had previously clashed with the X-Men), Juggernaut, Banshee, Psylocke, and Pyro.
In addition, there were more than ten Mutants warriors, including Storm, whose faces they had never seen before.
As the country with the highest concentration of Mutants in the world, Magneto are numerous and powerful, now surpassing the X-Men in both numbers and combat strength.
Quicksilver grinned, a hearty smile spreading across his face. " Scott, Ororo, everyone, long time no see."
He fought alongside these X-Men three years ago at Stryker Base and knew them well, so he naturally took the lead in commanding this operation.
Scott glanced at the new faces and nodded, saying, " Pietro, you've arrived."
"This time, the target is that industrial town ahead, which outwardly bears the sign of ' Trask Military Industries,' but is actually a secret research and development base for Sentinels."
"Understood, a mechanical Killer created specifically to hunt Mutants." Quicksilver nodded, then asked, "How do you plan to fight?"
Scott's tone was calm. "The plan is straightforward. Ororo and I will first clear the area remotely, destroying the outer firing points and the main building structure; then the melee team will storm in, completely paralyze the laboratory, destroy all the Sentry prototypes, and rescue our imprisoned comrades."
The forces assembled here represent the world's most elite mutant combat capabilities, making a direct confrontation entirely feasible.
As soon as she finished speaking, Storm spread her arms and soared into the air, a whirlwind suddenly rising around her.
boom!
The sky changed instantly, a fierce wind raged, dark clouds surged, and the sky darkened suddenly within tens of kilometers. The entire town was swallowed up by thick clouds in an instant.
The strange phenomenon caused an uproar among the town's garrison.
Before they could even sound the alarm, Storm eyes rolled back, and she swung her arms down suddenly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Giant tornadoes, each tens of meters in diameter, descended from the sky like giant pythons, sweeping across the land with debris and broken wood, as if the end of the world had arrived.
At the same time, the Cyclops standing on the gentle slope shone brightly, and two beams of crimson light roared out, accurately blasting towards the heart of the town a kilometer away!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Wherever the beam of light reached, armored vehicles exploded, machine guns went silent, radar towers collapsed, and all defensive structures along the way were reduced to infernos and wreckage.
With the addition of a raging tornado that surrounded the town from all sides, the town was quickly reduced to ruins by the double blow of flying sand and stones, twisted steel bars, and collapsed walls.
The two players' actual combat skills have improved significantly compared to three years ago.
Under Chen Xiao's strict supervision, the entire X-Men underwent continuous high-intensity training, constantly pushing the boundaries of their abilities.
The progress made in just a few months far exceeded the accumulation of the previous ten years.
In the past, they suppressed their instincts and feared losing control, so their abilities remained at a superficial level; now that they are given free rein, their potential is truly bursting forth.
Once the last defensive node was destroyed, Cyclops and Storm simultaneously withdrew their attacks.
In just over ten minutes, this industrial site, built of reinforced concrete, was reduced to charred ruins, a testament to the staggering destructive power of the destruction.
Looking at the scene before him, Quicksilver couldn't help but whistle. "It's been years, and you two have really gone all out."
Cyclops, concealing the glint in them, and said calmly, "Our abilities are naturally suited for mid-to-long-range suppression; not using them at full strength would be a waste."
"That's right, guys, it's our turn! Let's take out the remaining enemies on the ground first, then work together to destroy the underground Sentry production line!"
"Receive!"
Before he could finish speaking, Quicksilver vanished in a flash.
The Juggernaut, which had been severely damaged by Chen Xiao, roared and charged forward, its footsteps shaking the ground; Nightcrawler, Psylocke, and Banshee followed closely behind, Wolverine drew his claws, Colossus' muscles bulged, and Iceman exuded a chilling aura, all pressing forward.
Faced with this top-tier combat force, the research institute's defenses crumbled instantly, and even the newly activated enhanced Sentry was destroyed in the encirclement.
Amidst the ruins, a group of imprisoned Mutants are rescued one after another, including Havok Alexander, who was tricked by Larry into falling into a trap.
He was wearing a yellow and black uniform, his clothes were disheveled, and he looked dazed. He had just been caught off guard and knocked away by the Juggernaut head-on, and then Quicksilver struck him in the temple with a heavy punch at a speed that was hard to see with the naked eye. He was stunned on the spot and could only instinctively release a ring Havok, knocking over several guards.
Alexander shook his head, looked at Scott, and said in a daze, "Brother... you're saying I've been tricked?"
"That's right, this isn't a collaborative project at all, but rather..."
Scott was about to explain when the rest of the team had already cleaned up the site—or rather, completely destroyed the laboratory: all the key equipment was smashed, the core research data was copied selectively, and worthless data, along with the storage media, was burned.
As Colossus was examining the wreckage, he glimpsed a palm-sized black wooden piece floating silently inside a sealed glass case. The piece was neither gold nor stone, and its surface was etched with crooked and strange runes.
Curious, he reached out and shattered the reinforced glass with a punch, then clenched the wood shards in his palm.
The instant his fingertips touched the wooden piece, a faint light flashed from the runes, and a voice, both familiar and distant, resounded deep within his mind:
"I am Illyana... I'm on the Limbo... No..."
Above the boundless sea of clouds, sunlight pours down, making the sky crystal clear for thousands of miles.
More than a month has quietly passed since the battle in Qigela City.
Above the sea of clouds, Chen Xiao stood still like a god, his body emanating an invisible yet powerful force of attraction, which seized and absorbed all the sunlight within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.
As a result, the residents of the city below have been feeling that something is wrong lately.
Although it's already the height of summer with clear skies, it feels like early spring or late autumn. You need to wear a light jacket when you go out in the morning; the midday sun shines directly on your shoulders, but there's no scorching heat. Instead, it has an indescribable chill that makes your spine tingle and your heart pound for no reason.
The root cause can be traced back to seven days ago.
At that time Chen Xiao's single-hand grip strength exceeded 300,000 tons, and his explosive power in the instant of punching jumped to 3 million tons. His body quietly underwent a profound transformation: the gravitational field suddenly strengthened, and the cells' thirst for solar radiation became stronger, even giving rise to an impulse to break out of the atmosphere, hover in Earth's orbit to bask in the sun, and completely open up to absorb light energy.
But he suppressed the thought as soon as it arose.