Destruction

Hearing Strucker’s words, Alex had yet to speak when Crystal and the other six X-Men flew into a rage first. Crystal nearly attacked on the spot, but Alex stopped her in time.

After giving Crystal a reassuring look, Alex turned to Strucker, his brow slightly furrowed and his expression hostile. "Strucker, if you have something to say, say it properly. There’s no need for this kind of emotional nonsense. It’s meaningless!" Alex was no fool. How could he throw his life away just because of a single sentence from Strucker?

"This isn’t emotional nonsense. It’s the result of careful consideration!" Strucker’s expression suddenly turned cold. He stared at Alex for a long while before speaking. "Now, either you die, or the entire Savage Land is destroyed. Choose!"

Alex looked at Strucker grimly, his eyes narrowing to slits as sharp light flashed within them, carrying icy killing intent. "Strucker, you’re courting death!"

"Yes, I am courting death!" Strucker wore a shameless expression as he grinned at Alex, completely disregarding his anger and even taunting him. "If you’ve got the guts, kill me!"

"Since you’re courting death, I’ll grant your wish!" Crystal snorted coldly and attacked without hesitation. A massive stone fist burst from the ground and struck Strucker with lightning speed.

Strucker had never expected anyone to actually attack, so he had no defense prepared. Half his sideways-facing body was instantly smashed to pieces, while the other half was hurled away by the tremendous inertia. Like a cannonball, he crashed into Poseidonia, demolishing a swath of buildings before vanishing from sight.

Seeing that Strucker could not possibly survive, Alex looked bitterly at Crystal. He wanted to say more, yet feared angering her again. In the end, he could only offer a harmless remark. "Crystal, you were too impulsive!"

"Would you rather keep letting him threaten you?" Crystal looked at Alex, her brows gradually knitting together. She was not angry, only unwilling to accept it—unwilling on Alex’s behalf.

Alex shook his head without hesitation. After pondering for a moment, he explained, "It’s not the right time yet!" Emma had never given up on infiltrating AIM, hoping to find the key to controlling the Savage Land system. Once there was a breakthrough, Alex would not hesitate to destroy Strucker.

"The sooner, the better. This is the perfect time!" Crystal refused to yield and instead argued with Alex, her little face filled with stubbornness. "I know what you’re worried about, but I have a way!"

Alex froze at her words, and the other six X-Men also looked at Crystal with delighted expressions. The safety of the Savage Land had always been controlled by AIM, leaving all the X-Men deeply frustrated, as if a bone were stuck in their throats. If Crystal truly had a solution, they would naturally be overjoyed and would praise her to the skies for killing Strucker.

Crystal glanced at the six X-Men, then shifted her gaze to Alex. With a mysterious smile, she slowly said, "You’ve been to my home before. Why don’t mutants build a home of their own?"

"Attilan?" Alex paused slightly. The magnificent city floating above the pinnacle of the world appeared in his mind, and excitement welled up within him. Yet it quickly became nothing more than a sigh. "We don’t have technology like yours!"

Attilan could float high above the world, and the technology it possessed was no weaker than that of the Savage Land. That was precisely what X-Mansion lacked most. The establishment of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters had greatly improved X-Mansion’s technological level, but the time had been too short and the results too few, let alone advanced anti-gravity technology.

Seeing Alex’s gloomy expression, Crystal could not help rolling her eyes. "I never said you had to make it like Attilan from the beginning. Besides, Attilan wasn’t built in a day. Take it slowly!"

"Let’s go back first!" Alex neither nodded nor shook his head. He used Teleportation to bring everyone back to the Floating Giant Island, then left them behind and went straight to find Emma.

The destruction of the Savage Land had become inevitable. No matter what, X-Mansion needed a place to settle. Alex leaned toward Crystal’s suggestion, but everything had to be discussed with Emma first. Relocation was no easy matter, and they also had to guard against changes in the Savage Land.

Just as Alex found Emma, an accident struck—or rather, the end of the Savage Land arrived.

The Savage Land, which had always been warm as spring, suddenly began to hail. Bowl-sized hailstones fell like cannonballs, and the Floating Giant Island, which had not yet been rebuilt, suffered another devastating blow. Many people were even injured by the falling hail!

"What happened?" Two voices spoke the same words at the same time. Emma and Alex shouted almost simultaneously.

Emma’s reaction needed no explanation. Hailstones continued to fall from the sky, and after being struck by one, she immediately entered Diamond Form. Surprise filled her dazzling diamond face.

Alex had long known that the Savage Land would undergo drastic changes, so he was not overly shocked by the hail. The reason he had shouted those words was because he discovered that the Floating Temple had been destroyed once again!

"Red Skull blew this place up and released Erik and Mystique!" Emma was the first to recover. She glanced at Alex and said bitterly, "Fortunately, we got back in time. Red Skull didn’t have the chance to rescue Sebastian Shaw!"

Because of past lessons, Emma had imprisoned Sebastian Shaw, Erik, Mystique, and the others in the Floating Temple, deliberately keeping them separated and setting up layer upon layer of obstacles. Fortunately, those measures had worked to some extent. Otherwise, Sebastian Shaw would have escaped as well.

After learning what had happened, Alex had no time to investigate further. He said helplessly, "If they escaped, they escaped!" Then his expression turned anxious as he immediately continued, "Now isn’t the time to worry about that. Strucker is dead, and the Savage Land is about to be destroyed. We…"

Before Alex could finish, Emma interrupted him with a horrified expression. "What did you say?!"

"The Savage Land is going to be destroyed. The hail is proof!" Alex pointed at the hail constantly falling overhead, his expression becoming increasingly pained. "Now, we have to find a way to leave this place!"

"Where can we go?" Emma froze slightly and looked up at Alex, tears filling her eyes.

Looking at Emma, who was on the verge of collapse, Alex knew it was probably impossible to ask her to make a decision. He gently embraced her, already having made up his mind. "Emma, trust me. We’ll all be fine!"

Releasing Emma, Alex turned to Tessa at the side and ordered in a deep voice, "Tessa, notify everyone. Return to the Floating Giant Island immediately. We’re leaving the Savage Land at once!"

"Ah?!" Tessa had just turned to leave after hearing the order when she suddenly understood what he meant. She looked at Alex in shock, as though she could not believe her ears. Leave the Savage Land? How could over a million mutants leave?

"Do as I say!" Alex frowned, glanced at Tessa, then calmly turned and walked away.

Tessa paused, then relayed the order immediately without the slightest hesitation.