With that, he patted the still-dazed girl on the shoulder. "Come on, hurry! If we dawdle any longer, all the good food will be gone."
Following Chen Xiao, the dark-haired girl ventured, "Vitas, what does 'croak' mean?"
"It means to die."
"Die...? Then what about 'kick the bucket'?" Clarice blinked, looking confused.
Chen Xiao answered casually, "It means to bite the dust."
"Bite the dust... what does that mean??"
"The professor detected a clear increase in the activity of Vitas's X-Gene. His ability is undergoing a leap in development."
"At the same time, his emotions are stable and his mind is clear. Based on the overall assessment, his potential rating has been raised to Alpha-level, qualifying him for selection to the X-Men Reserve Team."
"Of course, whether he ultimately joins and whether he's willing to shoulder that responsibility are decisions he must make himself."
In the conference room, Scott, wearing specially designed glasses, spoke steadily. "So I intend to have him participate in this afternoon's combat training."
Rogue Anna hesitated briefly. "Isn't that a little rushed? He's only been enrolled for a week."
Iceman Bobby nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Putting him in now is a bit premature."
Storm Ororo folded her arms, her tone calm. "Since the professor has approved his assessment, I have no objections."
Everyone present was a battle-hardened member of the X-Men, and several were also instructors at the school. Naturally, Scott had to take their views seriously.
But Professor X had already approved this arrangement. Scott's expression grew solemn. "I understand you're all worried about forcing his development."
"But lately, the professor has repeatedly sensed obscure signs of a crisis, yet he's been unable to trace their source. Another wave of turmoil may already be brewing in the shadows."
"We need to strengthen our core fighting force as quickly as possible. At a critical moment, every bit of strength gives us more room to maneuver."
Hearing that the professor had personally directed this, Anna and the others paused briefly, then offered no further objections.
That afternoon, when Chen Xiao was led into the underground training room, six senior students were already waiting on the floor.
They were standouts selected from the school's mutants: gifted with exceptional abilities, steady temperaments, and considerable mastery of their talents.
Kitty Pryde was among them, and Chen Xiao was the youngest of the group.
A broad fighting platform stood in the center of the room, with Cyclops Scott, Storm Ororo, and Iceman Bobby standing side by side on it.
Once Chen Xiao had taken his place, Scott said quietly, "As mutants, our first priority is to master our own power."
"Whether your abilities involve energy, the mind, or physical enhancement, our physical capabilities naturally far exceed those of ordinary people."
"That means we must develop our fighting skills and accumulate combat experience. This is an indispensable part of becoming an X-Man."
"Today, the three of us will act as your sparring partners to help refine your abilities, improve your reactions, and broaden the ways you use your powers."
"This is also an opportunity to get to know one another and build trust."
"Those of you here may very well fight side by side in the future. Perhaps as soon as tomorrow, you'll be comrades entrusting your lives to one another."
"All right, let's begin. Peter, you're first."
The young man called forward was powerfully built, with resolute features and a cold metallic sheen to his skin. He was Colossus, whose ability allowed him to turn his entire body into steel.
Although he was already a member of the X-Men, he still took part in the school's daily training as a senior student.
The platform covered several hundred square meters, and the entire underground space was vast and imposing. It was hard to imagine such a massive structure buried deep beneath the ground.
Colossus stepped onto the platform. Scott and Ororo immediately withdrew to either side, leaving Iceman Bobby alone in the center.
Bobby, who was in his early twenties, grinned at Colossus. "Old buddy, shall we skip the fancy stuff and get straight to it?"
Colossus replied, "Sure."
Before the word had faded, every muscle in his body suddenly tensed. His skin rapidly turned silver-gray, and his clothing hardened along with it. In an instant, he became an alloy giant impervious to blades and bullets.
Boom!
He stamped down, and the hard alloy floor beneath his foot instantly fractured in a spiderweb pattern.
Propelled by the recoil, he thundered forward like a heavy tank, crossing over a dozen meters in an instant with an imposing charge.
Bobby pressed his right hand against the ground,
In an instant, cold erupted, and the moisture in the air rapidly condensed.
A glowing blue layer of ice raced across the floor, building into a half-foot-thick ice wall between them in the blink of an eye.
Without slowing in the slightest, Colossus slammed straight into it!
Bang!
The ice wall shattered on impact, sending shards flying.
But the instant the broken ice flew into the air, three new walls rose in succession behind it. At the same time, an ice track formed beneath Bobby's feet, and he shot backward like a skating blade.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The three ice walls shattered in turn. Now twenty meters away, Bobby flicked his wrist,
Seven or eight ice projectiles the size of human heads formed out of thin air and hurtled toward Colossus with piercing whistles, tearing through the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ice projectiles struck Colossus's chest armor, bursting into clouds of white mist and knocking him several steps backward.
But once he steadied his footing, only a few faint white marks remained on his body. He had suffered no other damage.
Chen Xiao's pupils contracted slightly as he watched.
Compared with the straightforward fights in the movies, the contest before him fully displayed fine control over their abilities and tactical maneuvering:
Colossus was no mindless bull, but a mobile fortress combining offense and defense;
Bobby was certainly no reckless kid who could only release cold air, but clearly a master of ice-based battlefield control, his fingers dancing as he unleashed one move after another,
Ice projectiles, ice chains, and ice barriers appeared in succession, the tempo tight and the changes fierce.
Colossus was just as astounding: one stomp cracked the floor, one punch shattered solid ice, and he rampaged about unscathed, like a savage beast clad in alloy armor.
The duel shook Chen Xiao.
Still, compared with Iceman, who possessed Omega-level potential, Colossus fell slightly short. His fighting style was too straightforward, too rigid, and lacked variety.
So despite the spectacular commotion of the fight, Iceman had kept him firmly suppressed from the very first second.
As the two fought, Chen Xiao silently worked through the possibilities: if he were out there instead, how would he break the deadlock?
After a brief comparison, he lowered his eyes slightly, already forming an assessment. In terms of raw strength alone, I'm nowhere near Colossus right now.
There's a clear gap in defense, too. At most, my body can withstand ordinary blades right now. I might not even be able to take a bullet from a small-caliber handgun head-on.
But speed is my greatest advantage. His flesh and strength are enhanced, but his reactions, footwork, and dodging haven't kept pace at all. His movements are rigid and easy to predict.
As that thought ended, he willed it, and his attribute panel appeared:
Host: Chen Xiao (Vitas Chen) Race: Human Bloodline: Kryptonian Superman "Bronze Age" Constitution: 420 Spirit: 213 Strength: 490 "Grip strength: 6 tons" Agility: 412 X-Gene ability: Energy Berserk "Level 1" Storage space: 1 × 1