The wind shrieked past his ears as the scenery below rapidly grew larger in his vision.
Seconds later, he was only a dozen meters above the ground.
He flung his arms wide, fully unleashing the force field within his body to meet the omnipresent geomagnetic field.
His descent abruptly slowed.
Then, under his precise control, his body shifted slightly, and he landed lightly like an eagle folding its wings.
As his feet touched the ground, a satisfied smile curled Chen Xiao's lips.
Riding the wind through the air felt amazing! Too bad it was only gliding. Being able to fly wherever I wanted would feel even better.
Of course, the cost was considerable: the excessive force he had just exerted had once again torn a vicious gash in the upper of one of his shoes.
He glanced down and shook his head helplessly.
Simply put, even if only to spare himself the trouble of replacing his shoes after every fight, he had to master his strength as soon as possible.
Otherwise, walking barefoot after a fight would really hurt his image.
Just then, he suddenly turned toward a familiar figure behind a third-floor window of the school building and called out, "Teacher, we have a visitor."
"A visitor? Who?" Storm paused in surprise.
"Not sure."
Chen Xiao really did not know. While airborne, he had only glimpsed a car heading straight toward the school gates. Its occupants had been indistinct, and he had not gotten a clear look at them at all.
But the answer came quickly.
A few minutes later, the school gates opened, and Ororo walked up with a smile to greet the tough, capable-looking man stepping out of the car. "Logan, welcome back."
Beside her, Cyclops Scott's expression quietly darkened, filled with indescribably complicated feelings.
"Long time no see." Logan nodded to them, then turned his gaze toward the boy beside them.
Indeed, Chen Xiao's physique had improved by leaps and bounds lately. He had shot up to 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a composed expression, looking every bit like a college student.
Yet Logan's instincts told him that this kid was young-very young.
Seeing Logan studying Chen Xiao, Ororo introduced him with a smile. "This is Vitas, a newly arrived mutant prodigy."
"A prodigy?" Wolverine raised an eyebrow.
Anyone Storm herself called a "prodigy" was certainly no ordinary person.
The news soon spread throughout the school.
As a veteran who had personally taken part in the X-Men's first battle, their second, and countless mutant rescue operations, Logan knew many people at the school. Some had fought beside him, while others were students he had personally rescued from danger back then.
But unlike the excited teachers and students, Chen Xiao was a little worried.
Logan's return meant that the X-Men's third battle was about to begin.
In that battle, Jean Grey would return from the dead and kill Cyclops and Professor X in succession; a mutant cure would emerge out of nowhere, causing fierce divisions within the school; Magneto would reappear, gathering a vast number of mutants to take aim at human society...
What troubled Chen Xiao most was that he had only just gotten started himself. He really did not want to be swept into the eye of the storm so soon.
For him, simply basking in sunlight would make him steadily stronger. With just a year or two to build himself up, he would be strong enough to go wherever he pleased in this danger-ridden world.
If he could really spend ten years basking on the surface of the sun... by the time he came out, he would probably have evolved into Silver Superman long ago.
By then, Thanos and the Celestials would be nothing but paper tigers.
"Ah! I thought I'd at least have a few more peaceful months. I didn't expect it to come so soon." Chen Xiao sighed softly.
The girl beside him, wearing headphones, looked up at the sound and asked quietly, "Vitas, what's wrong?"
He smiled. "Nothing. I just feel like time flies. I've already been at the school for half a month before I knew it."
"Oh."
The girl nodded obediently, then raised a stack of drawing paper in her hands and blinked her bright eyes. "Vitas, when are you going to draw the rest of the story?"
After casually drawing Son Goku the day before yesterday, Chen Xiao had had nothing to do that evening. Remembering that Clarice liked storybooks, he had drawn the first chapter of Dragon Ball from memory.
As a result, Clarice had immediately been captivated by the lively, spirited, overwhelmingly powerful Goku, Bulma riding around on a motorcycle in search of treasure, and that strange, fantastical world.
It truly was a classic that had taken the world by storm.
The two had just finished lunch and were sitting on a bench beside the sports field, letting their food settle.
Under the girl's expectant gaze, Chen Xiao considered for a moment.
"We're not doing anything anyway. Come on, let's go back to my room, and I'll draw the comic for you!"
Clarice's eyes instantly lit up, her lips curving into a sweet smile as she said softly, "Vitas is the best!"
Women really were easy to please. Just a few pages of hand-drawn stories, and they willingly let themselves be "bought." Chen Xiao's lips lifted slightly, a subtle sense of satisfaction rising within him, as though he were cultivating a delicate, long-term companionship, accumulating trust and closeness little by little.
He had his reasons for putting in so much effort.
On the one hand, he was genuinely very interested in the spatial ability Clarice controlled, which would make in-depth research convenient in the future. On the other, he valued her growth potential, which had yet to fully blossom, even more. She was young now, so he would first carefully nurture their bond. Once she grew into a mature woman with outstanding poise and exceptional skills, things would naturally fall into place, keeping her firmly by his side.
He would secure both the person and the resource.
Compared with the little time and patience he was investing now, the future returns would make even the shrewdest investor envious.
Inside the room, the scratch of pencil against paper continued without pause.
Sunlight slanted through the window onto the sill, gently covering Chen Xiao's shoulders. He sat upright at the desk, his fingers nimble and steady. Panels gradually took shape on the A4 paper, a multi-panel comic emerging at astonishing speed.
In truth, what he called "drawing" was closer to precisely reproducing images already fully formed in his mind. He did not need to devise compositions or deliberate over panel layouts; he only had to copy what he remembered.
Of course, the process was not entirely without benefits.
For instance, he gradually discovered that finely controlling the force in his fingers while drawing was an excellent way to hone his control over his strength. With his current twenty-ton grip strength, holding an ordinary pencil was practically like gripping tofu. The slightest lapse or loss of control would snap the lead. This continuous training in minute adjustments was quietly improving the precision with which he controlled his rapidly surging strength.
As Chen Xiao's pencil flew across the paper and pages of comics rapidly piled up, Clarice leaned against the edge of the desk, her chin propped in both hands, her eyes shining with undisguised admiration.
In her eyes, Vitas could do practically anything: he was powerful, emotionally steady, and skilled at drawing. After merely watching Colossus casually draw a sketch, he could turn around and reproduce it with remarkable accuracy. Not to mention how captivating his storytelling was-Dragon Ball had her emotions rising and falling.
She envied Son Goku so much, free and unburdened, without a care in the world. If she could become like him, she would definitely catch a heap of delicious-smelling prey, bring it back, and give it all to Vitas...
While Chen Xiao drew the comic for Clarice, the atmosphere in a conference room deep beneath the school grew heavy.
At the broad conference table, Professor X sat at its head, his expression solemn. Seated on either side were Cyclops, Storm, Iceman, and Rogue Anna, along with Kitty Pryde, who was still a student but had officially joined the X-Men, and Colossus Peter, who had just returned from Russia.
In front of them, Wolverine Logan was explaining in a low voice why he had suddenly returned to the school.
A little over half a month earlier, he had accidentally discovered a secret mutant research facility in a secluded valley in neighboring Mexico. Dozens of mutant children were imprisoned inside, subjected to all manner of inhumane human experiments of appalling cruelty.
But the place was heavily guarded, with strict layers of security. He had infiltrated it twice to probe its defenses, only to meet powerful resistance both times. In the end, he had been forced to withdraw without rescuing a single person.
So he had come back to seek support.
Professor X's face was grave, his voice low but carrying great weight. "I never imagined that, despite our years of relentless crackdowns, a mutant laboratory of this scale could still be hidden right next door in Mexico."
"An institution that treats life as worthless and uses our fellow mutants as expendable experimental materials must be eradicated completely."
"I'll contact the Department of Defense immediately to register the operation. We'll carry out this mission at eleven tonight, with Scott and Ororo leading the team and Logan accompanying them."
"Kitty, you'll go too. Rescuing people takes priority, and your phasing ability will be crucial."
"Peter, your steel body can provide a solid shield on the front line. You'll handle the frontal breakthrough."
"Professor, what about me?" Bobby could not help raising his hand to ask.
Professor X looked at him and considered briefly before saying, "Bobby, you'll stay to guard the school. Though having you in battle would increase our overall strength, we can't neglect the school's defenses either."
"Lately, I've had a strong sense of unease, as though some crisis were approaching."
As one of the world's foremost telepaths, his mental power had long since become as vast as an ocean over the decades. But his ability differed from ordinary telekinesis: he could not directly distort reality, yet he could silently enter another person's consciousness, read their memories, influence their thoughts, and even plant suggestions.
In addition, it had developed into an almost instinctive warning ability. Whenever a major danger truly affecting him or mutantkind approached, a chill and a tremor he could not ignore would rise within him.
This time, that sense of alarm was especially sharp and frequent, far exceeding anything he had felt during previous brushes with death. It forced him to raise his guard.
Over the past few days, he had activated the underground Cerebro several times, scanning signal sources across the globe in an attempt to pinpoint the threat. Unfortunately, he had found nothing.
As he pondered, he suddenly spoke. "Scott, take Vitas along on this operation."
Cyclops paused, then said hesitantly, "Teacher, Vitas hasn't received systematic combat or tactical training yet. Wouldn't sending him straight into actual combat be too rash?"
"I don't think it's entirely advisable either." Storm nodded slightly.
Faced with his students' doubts, Professor X merely shook his head calmly. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Besides, you underestimate Vitas."
"He's only fifteen, but he's exceptionally composed, and his abilities are extremely solid. With a little guidance, he'll be a dependable fighter."
"A real battlefield is the harshest and most effective training ground."
"Perhaps by the end of this battle, he'll already be a qualified member of the X-Men."