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*****
Life returned to its usual rhythm.
Apart from school, Gwen enrolled in two extracurricular classes: mixed martial arts and piano.
One dynamic, the other serene—an absolute contrast.
Yet after just two sessions of each, Gwen had already developed a fondness for both these vastly different activities.
As for Mike, his days were leisurely, spent basking in the sun, sipping tea, playing cards, and occasionally fishing. Sometimes, he'd pick up the kids from school. His life was undeniably relaxed.
So relaxed, in fact, that he became the "lazy fish" in Nick Fury's words.
But Mike believed that Nick Fury was simply jealous of him.
"Pah! Me, jealous of you?!"
Nick Fury cursed as he hung up the phone, then looked at the pile of documents on his desk and smacked his forehead in frustration.
Alright, fine. He was jealous.
Sighing, he opened a drawer, took out a key, and walked to a safe in his office. He inserted the key, entered a password, then turned the key. A small cylindrical scanner extended outward—an iris verification device. He leaned in close.
Ding!
With a soft chime, the safe clicked open.
Glancing around cautiously, he carefully pulled out a metal tin, carried it to his desk, took out a small teddy bear-shaped cookie, and popped it into his mouth with a satisfied sigh.
Ah, the small joys of adulthood…
Shaking the cookie tin, Nick Fury muttered, "I need to find a chance to buy another one. Or maybe pay Mike a visit."
He'd heard that Mike had adopted another child. He figured it was time to start building a good relationship.
Just then, his office door burst open. Fury quickly put the cookie tin away, straightened his face, and asked the person who entered, "What happened?"
The visitor glanced around the office. Noticing the open secret safe and Fury's nervous expression, he silently made a mental note, then said, "Director, Magneto has appeared. He broke out the captured Hellfire mutants!"
"What?!"
Fury shouted in disbelief. "How is that even possible?!"
John Garrett gave a bitter smile and replied, "I find it hard to believe too, but it's the truth."
Fury frowned. "Do we have any footage?"
"No," said John Garrett.
Great job!
Fury cursed silently, then asked, "Were the tracking chips implanted in their bodies also destroyed?"
"Yes," Garrett said helplessly. "Magneto's powers pose a huge threat to us."
Oh, don't say us. You mean you, not me.
Fury nodded, let out a deep sigh, covered his face with both hands, then rubbed it slowly. His voice turned heavy. "Go. Track their whereabouts."
After a pause, his tone lightened a bit. "Luckily, the prison wasn't one of ours. Otherwise, we'd be in a real mess right now."
Garrett nodded in agreement.
Fury waved his hand, and Garrett swiftly left. The moment the door closed, Fury broke into a smile.
That kid Erik—he's pretty fast.
After this incident, those people are going to be scrambling again.
Ha!
No one knows we're working together.
Fury suddenly felt a wicked sense of satisfaction and tossed another cookie into his mouth.
Now, how much operational funding should I apply for this time?
Half an hour earlier—
Wearing his helmet and cape, Erik—known to the world as Magneto—soared through the skies and arrived over the Atlantic Ocean, dozens of kilometers off the coast of New York.
Hovering above the sea, he extended one hand toward the water, eyes tightly shut, as if sensing something.
Several minutes later, he felt a response.
A large fish was swimming his way.
But the real "big fish" wouldn't trigger such a strong reaction from his powers.
As the creature reached the waters beneath him, Erik's eyes flashed. He extended both hands toward the sea and clenched his fists.
A terrifying force surged downward like an invisible net, seizing the "big fish" in its grasp.
"Hmph!"
With a low shout, he slowly pulled the "big fish" up from the ocean.
Finally, a black "fish" nearly a hundred meters long was dragged from the seabed and floated to the surface, revealing its true form.
It was a submarine—nearly a hundred meters long—specially designed to imprison mutants.
Erik slowly descended, though he remained hovering above the submarine. With a thought, all the electronic equipment inside the submarine was instantly disabled. Then, with a flick of his finger, the submarine's hatch opened, and he flew straight inside.
The moment he entered, gunfire erupted.
Ratatatat!
Bullets flew at Erik but were halted midair, drawn into his palm. Under his control, they condensed into a solid orange-yellow mass of metal in his hand.
He pressed his hand lightly forward, and the prison guards—armed and guarding the submarine—were suddenly slammed against the cabin walls by the very metal on their bodies. The violent impact knocked them unconscious.
As a specialized prison, the facility wasn't heavily guarded. Erik advanced with ease, dealing with the guards along the way. Soon, he reached the prison's central holding area and released the captured members of the Hellfire Club.
Most of them belonged to Hellfire, but among them was one particularly unique inmate—someone Erik intended to learn more about before making any decisions.
The Hellfire members recognized Erik, joy flashing across their faces.
"Magneto! Did the Black Queen send you to rescue us?"
"Magneto, what about the others?"
One question after another was hurled at Erik.
Erik raised a hand, and the clamor immediately fell silent. With a mocking expression, he said, "You actually expected the Black Queen to come save you? Don't you remember why you were captured in the first place? If she was going to rescue you, she would've done it long ago."
Why were they captured?
Because they'd followed the Black Queen's orders, stirred up trouble for Hellfire, and collected life force on her behalf.
Everyone exchanged glances, then looked back at Erik.
"We're grateful you saved us, but… be careful with your words. If she finds out—"
"Find out?" Erik chuckled coldly. "She's already gone to hell. I doubt she'll be managing things up here anymore."
The room fell silent. The others looked at Erik in fear and disbelief.
"She… she's dead?"
One of the Hellfire members cautiously voiced the question.
Erik gave a calm nod and replied, "Yes. You're free now. The Hellfire Club is no more. From now on, there's only the Brotherhood."
The Brotherhood?
"You're the one leading it?"
A mutant asked.
Erik nodded. "That's right."
"If any of you want to join, you're more than welcome. If not, that's fine too—I'll see that you're safely taken elsewhere."
The group stared at Erik in disbelief.
Erik smiled faintly. "Don't look at me like that, my fellow mutants. I'm not the Black Queen."
Silence fell again.
Then Erik turned his gaze to the one prisoner who wasn't part of Hellfire and said, "Alright, let's hear it—what's your story?"
As he spoke, the person slowly lifted their head.
Revealing a pair of wild, beast-like eyes.
(End of Chapter)