A Deteriorating War Situation

Zhang Xuan returned to the familiar Howling Commandos camp, only to discover that there was not a single person there. He searched the entire camp and did not even find any trace of Carter. "Did they all go on a mission?"

Filled with confusion, Zhang Xuan went to Howard’s laboratory. The lab seemed to have expanded several times over since before, with all kinds of equipment crammed inside. There were also many more people coming and going, most of whom Zhang Xuan did not recognize.

After much difficulty, Zhang Xuan grabbed a scientist he had met a few times and immediately asked, "Where’s Howard?"

"Hey, Alex, you’re finally back!" The bespectacled scientist looked up at Zhang Xuan for quite a while before recognizing him. A smile appeared on his wrinkled face. "Headquarters. They’re all at headquarters."

"Thanks!" Alex thanked him, but instead of rashly heading to headquarters, he turned and returned to the camp to wait for them.

He waited until evening before Steve and the others finally appeared at the camp, looking exhausted.

When he saw Alex, Steve could not help but smile. "Alex, you’re back!" Though his words were calm, they carried deep joy.

Alex looked at Steve and nodded heavily. He gently patted Steve’s shoulder, a relaxed smile on his face. "Yeah, I’m back."

"It’s good that you’re back. Good that you’re back!" Steve repeated himself twice, eager to throw the burden on his shoulders to Alex. "You should be Captain again from now on!"

"You’re the Captain. No one can change that!" Alex could tell that Steve was truly tired, so he comforted him softly. "We’re brothers. I’ll always stand behind you and support you."

"Alex, it’s truly wonderful that you’re back." Carter looked especially exhausted. Even her once-radiant skin had turned dull and lifeless. "We really need you!"

"I don’t see how it makes any difference whether he’s here or not." As soon as Carter finished speaking, a troublemaker stepped forward, his arrogant face filled with disdain.

Namor. Alex turned to look at him, and the name surfaced in his mind. Back then, with all his attention focused on China, Alex had ignored this man’s repeated provocations. But that would not do now. Alex was returning to the Howling Commandos, and there were certain displays of authority he had to make.

Alex eyed Namor from the corner of his eye, his expression full of contempt and his tone exceedingly flippant. "So you’re the merman king, Namor?"

Alex’s contemptuous gaze and mocking tone successfully enraged the troublemaker. Without saying a word, Namor charged forward, his fists smashing toward Alex without hesitation.

"Is that all you’ve got?" Alex neither dodged nor moved. As Namor’s fist neared him, the disdain on his face deepened. "Too weak!"

Namor’s expression changed several times. He knew exactly how strong he was, and Alex’s ability to take his punch without a scratch made him feel a little frightened.

Only Steve and the original Howling Commandos members knew about Alex’s Replication Ability. Namor, Human Torch, and the others who had joined later did not.

While the copied Absorption and Sunfire abilities were still active, Alex struck decisively. "Let me show you what I can do!" Purple-red flames burst forth and swiftly wrapped around Namor before he could react, yet they did not harm him.

Namor was terrified. Although the purple-red flames had not touched him, their searing heat nearly made it impossible for him to breathe. The burning pain made him want to scream.

"This is only a lesson. Don’t try to provoke me again!" Alex stopped while he was ahead and withdrew the flames. He shot the slightly dazed Namor a cold glare, then turned back to Steve and asked in confusion, "Did something happen when you went to headquarters today?"

Steve and the others exchanged glances and sighed together, their faces dejected. "The scales of war have tipped badly. Our chances of winning are getting smaller and smaller!"

"What happened?" Alex looked at them in surprise, an ominous feeling rising in his heart. They were all battle-hardened veterans and rarely showed such pessimism. Yet they all looked this way now. Clearly, the situation had deteriorated beyond recovery.

"The Hellfire Club has fully entered the war. More and more mutants are appearing on the battlefield, and most of them are Level Three or Four mutants with extremely powerful strength and abilities." Carter understood the situation at the front best. With a bitter smile, she explained, "In only two days, a hundred thousand Allied soldiers have died. The front lines have been collapsing all the way, and there is less and less room left for us to turn things around."

Over the past two days—yesterday and last night, plus all of today—Alex had been in China and had no idea what had happened. Hearing Carter’s words, he looked utterly incredulous. Since when had Sebastian Shaw become the leader of the Hellfire Club again?

"After Shaw was rescued, he quickly returned to the battlefield with even more powerful mutants." Steve knew what Alex wanted to ask, so he explained before Alex could speak. "Without any effort at all, they defeated us, and a hundred thousand Allied soldiers vanished with them."

"So it really was Sebastian Shaw!" Alex’s expression became strange. Shaw joining the war was not merely a personal action unrelated to the Hellfire Club? What was going on now? Had Strucker lied to him?

"With that teleporting Red Devil around, Shaw has become even harder to deal with. There’s nothing we can do against him." Logan nodded, his face full of irritation. "We can’t beat him, and we can’t catch him. It’s damn frustrating!"

Putting aside his plan to immediately find Strucker, Alex quickly focused himself. His expression turned serious as he asked, "Did those big shots at headquarters say anything?"

"Given how powerful the mutants are, the Allies are preparing to recruit more superpowered individuals, mainly mutants, and form a new team specifically to deal with the Hellfire Club’s mutants." Carter recited the order expressionlessly, her voice flat. "This is the order from headquarters, and it’s the most effective solution we can think of right now."

Using mutants against mutants was indeed a good idea. However, as an old mutant power, the Hellfire Club had countless mutants under its command, some of whom were as formidable as figures from myth. In Alex’s view, the chances of succeeding with this plan were extremely low. Worse, it would be easy for the Hellfire Club to exploit the opportunity, making things even more troublesome.

Noticing that something was off about Alex’s expression, Steve and the others, who knew him well, immediately understood. They looked at him in surprise and asked, "Alex, you don’t think this plan will work?"

"Forget whether we can recruit more superpowered people. Even if we do, how long will it take them to adapt to war?" Alex shook his head, his face bitter. "Time is on Little Mustache’s side. We can’t afford to wait."

Steve understood that reasoning as well, but he could not think of any other feasible solution. Seeing Alex’s expression now, he immediately grew excited. He grabbed Alex and asked eagerly, "Alex, do you have a better idea?"

Alex shook his head. "What idea could I possibly have? Let’s go meet them first!"

P.S. I uploaded two chapters together, so don’t miss one.

P.S. The China trip is basically over. Many readers in the review section did not understand this part of the China trip and felt that Scorpion was venting purely for the sake of venting. To be honest, Scorpion did not write this part well either. Many things that were meant to be expressed were not conveyed accurately, and Scorpion regrets that deeply. Still, several plot threads have been laid, and their meaning will become clear in time.