Practical Combat Training

Five months passed in the blink of an eye. X-Film Company’s second movie was released on schedule and received an equally enthusiastic response. Remy LeBeau also became a rising new star in Hollywood. It was said that other film companies had already approached him about making movies.

None of that had much to do with Alex, however. For those five months, he had practically gone into seclusion at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. He arrived early every morning to lead the students in physical and combat training. After spending half the morning busy with that, he would dart between the school’s various classrooms, no different from an ordinary student.

Over five months of study, Alex had truly learned a great deal, especially in improving the strength of his Psionic Power. Although it was still a subject the school was researching, Alex had vaguely found the right path. Given a little more time, he might achieve something.

After finishing the morning combat training session, Alex turned to leave. He still needed to hurry to another class.

At that moment, more than a dozen students gathered around him. Their youthful faces, now bearing an added touch of resilience, were filled with barely contained excitement.

"What is it?" After five months together, Alex had become familiar with his students. These dozen or so were his most outstanding students, possessing considerable talent in both combat and Mutant Abilities.

The students nudged one another back and forth until the oldest and tallest among them stepped forward. A trace of restraint showed on his handsome face. "Teacher, we want to go into the forest for practical combat training this weekend."

Practical combat training had been part of Alex’s planned curriculum from the beginning. Once he felt the students had learned enough, he would take them into the forest to fight dinosaurs and savages. When Alex had first announced it, every student had erupted with excitement. They had all dreamed of taking part in such practical combat training.

Alex carefully examined the dozen students. After hesitating for a long while, he finally nodded. "All right, but first, you need to persuade your parents. And of course, you’ll also need Dean Emma’s approval."

"Dean Emma agreed ages ago! We were just waiting for you to say yes, Teacher!" As soon as Alex said that, one girl impatiently cried out.

"All right. I’ll wait for you at the school entrance then." Alex nodded with a light laugh and pointed at the training room door. "Now, your teacher has to go to class too!"

Amid the students’ laughter, Alex calmly used Teleportation and vanished. When he reappeared, he was already in another tiered classroom.

Before long, the weekend arrived. Alex came to the school as usual, where the dozen students were already waiting in full gear. Quite a few other students stood nearby watching, and the envy in their eyes was unmistakable.

"Alex, this practical combat training idea of yours is excellent." Emma had one arm looped through Alex’s as they walked side by side toward the gate. "I’m planning to develop it into a major assessment for the students, a required test after they complete a certain amount of coursework."

Alex shrugged nonchalantly. "I just hope the students won’t blame me for it." Back when he had been in school in his previous life, Alex had hated nothing more than suddenly added classes.

"Look at them. They can’t wait for it!" Emma laughed softly, releasing his arm before reminding him, "Be extremely careful. Keep the students safe."

Alex rolled his eyes speechlessly and pointed at himself. "Because of your worries, I copied Shaw’s, Erik’s, and three other people’s abilities yesterday. So relax!"

Emma nodded at that, passed through the gathered students, and headed deeper into the school.

After seeing Emma off, Alex gathered the students taking part in the practical combat training. Once roll call was finished, his Psionic Power enveloped everyone, and with a flash, they arrived in the primeval forest—the place where Tarzan had been filmed last time.

The instant they landed, all the students screamed. They had all watched Tarzan and remembered its scenes vividly. The moment they saw the familiar surroundings, they could no longer hold themselves back. They scattered and rushed toward the places they knew best.

Alex was not worried. He found a tree branch and sat down, continuously sweeping the surroundings with his Psionic Power as he observed every student.

By the time the students finally calmed down, ten minutes had passed without anyone noticing.

"Teacher, are we going to fight the spotted leopard?" The youngest among the dozen students was only eleven or twelve, still rather innocent. Tugging on Alex’s hand, he said indignantly, "I’m going to beat that bad guy to death!"

"Teacher doesn’t know either." Alex truly did not know. Practical combat training was not something that could be arranged in advance. Who knew what they might encounter in this primeval forest? Perhaps a savage would come rushing out at any moment.

As he led everyone out of the forest, Alex faintly sensed something running toward them in the distance. He began backing away while warning the students, "Students, the enemy has come looking for us. Get ready!"

His words instantly put every student on edge. They widened their eyes and scanned their surroundings. Some were so nervous that cold sweat appeared on their foreheads.

Alex’s senses were far sharper than the students’, and his Psionic Power had already extended far into the distance. He spotted the enemy immediately and warned them again, "Students, the first enemy is a big one, so be careful. From now on, you’re on your own. Teacher won’t help."

The moment he finished speaking, an earth-shaking roar rang out. Within seconds, an enormous dinosaur burst from the dense woods and appeared before the students.

All the students were startled by the dinosaur’s sudden appearance. They stood there blankly for a long moment, unable to react.

Behind them, Alex could not help sighing at the sight. He spoke for the third time. "This is a juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex, one of the largest carnivorous animals in history. It is violent and brutal by nature. Do not underestimate it."

His words jolted all the students awake. Their faces reddened, and they immediately unleashed their various methods in a fierce attack on the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

To become the first students selected for practical combat training, these dozen students were all quite capable and intelligent. They had learned forty to fifty percent of Alex’s combat skills, and when combined with their own Mutant Abilities, the fighting power they unleashed could not be underestimated.

Sure enough, before the Tyrannosaurus Rex could even react, it was beaten dizzy by the group of students. Within minutes, it collapsed.

After knocking down the Tyrannosaurus Rex, excitement filled every student’s face. They turned to seek praise from their teacher, but where was he?

The students panicked at once, nervously calling Alex’s name.

From his hiding place, Alex did not show himself. Instead, he said, "You will have to complete the rest of the training yourselves. Teacher will not appear again, nor will I give any more warnings, no matter what danger you encounter."

"Oh, and one final reminder: the little Tyrannosaurus Rex’s parents are coming for you. Take care of yourselves." After saying that, Alex fell completely silent.