Still Waters

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Seeing Audrey held tightly in Raven’s arms, the fake Sebastian Shaw, who had been smug just moments ago, immediately panicked. He knew Audrey and knew something about her relationship with Alex. He did not dare let Audrey be harmed.

"Let her go!" Just as the fake Sebastian Shaw hesitated, a cold voice rang out.

Turning around, they saw Emma leading more than a dozen people over at a rapid pace. Emma, at the front, wore an icy expression, her white cape billowing despite the lack of wind, radiating a terrifying killing intent.

At the sight of Emma, Raven remained unfazed. Her left hand tightened slightly around Audrey’s throat, and her blue face filled with ferocity. "Release Sebastian Shaw immediately, or I’ll kill her right now!"

"Since you’re asking to die, don’t blame me!" Emma snorted coldly. Her eyes narrowed as telepathy crashed against Raven’s Mental Defense Line like a whirlwind.

Before Raven could react, her head spun. Realizing something was wrong, she was just about to tighten her grip when darkness fell over her vision, and she collapsed unconscious.

"Take her away. Within an hour, I want to know everything!" Emma glanced at someone behind her. After speaking, she had her people carry Vivien Leigh and the other two girls away, then left the observation room.

Ten minutes later, Vivien Leigh and the other two girls woke up one after another in the Floating Temple.

"What happened?" Monroe rubbed her head as she looked around. "Why are we here?"

Audrey painfully touched her neck, her little face scrunching up unconsciously. "It hurts. It feels like someone strangled me."

"You’re awake. Then hurry back to New York. It isn’t safe here." Emma sat in a chair nearby. Only after seeing that all three girls had awakened did she rise to her feet and speak calmly.

"What happened just now?" Before fainting, Vivien Leigh vaguely remembered Emma attacking her. Her eyes were full of anger as she looked at Emma. "Why did you knock us out?!"

Emma froze, then shook her head with a bitter smile and explained the matter of the fake Emma. "…You were all deceived. Someone else knocked you out."

"Then was what she said true?" Vivien Leigh frowned, temporarily believing Emma. "Did AIM and the Hellfire Club really join forces to attack us?"

"It’s true. They have indeed joined forces. Their raid on the observation room was intended to rescue the Hellfire Club mutants being held there." Emma did not hide anything, while continuing to urge them to leave. "So if you remain here, it will be extremely dangerous."

"Where’s my brother?" Audrey rubbed her neck, looking heartbroken. "We were attacked. Why hasn’t he come to see us?"

Emma trembled, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. Barely suppressing the urge to cry, she said softly, "Alex is busy right now. He really doesn’t have time to see you." Telling them about Alex would serve no purpose. It would only make the three girls worry, so it was better left unsaid.

"Can we go see our brother?" They had not seen Alex in a long time, and all of them missed him dearly. Since Alex did not have time to visit them, Monroe wanted to go see him instead.

"That’s the front line of a war. If you go there, you’ll only distract Alex." Naturally, Emma would not agree. She solemnly found an excuse. "If you truly care about Alex, don’t trouble him. Go back to New York and help him develop X-Film Company. That would be the greatest expression of your love for him."

In the end, under Emma’s persuasion, Vivien Leigh and the other two girls got nothing out of it and obediently returned to New York to continue managing X-Film Company.

As soon as the three girls left, Howard emerged from some corner, disappointment written across his face at having missed a good show.

"Why didn’t you tell them the truth?"

Emma let out a long sigh and gazed at the distant horizon. "Wouldn’t it be better to let them have some peace of mind?"

"Let’s hope they don’t come after you over it later." Howard shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Emma did not dwell on the matter any further. Thinking of that girl with the incredible shapeshifting ability, she changed the subject. "By the way, how did the interrogation of Raven go?"

"She doesn’t know anything. Those Hellfire Club mutants never told her any secrets." At the mention of business, Howard’s expression immediately turned serious. "They fooled her with just a few words. It was practically brainwashing. She’s completely devoted to serving them now."

Emma raised her delicate brows, somewhat doubtful. "Are you sure there hasn’t been a mistake?"

"Ten telepaths searched her memories separately. The memories were identical, with no signs of having been altered or erased." Thanks to Emma, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters had many telepaths and the deepest research into telepathic abilities. Interrogating a young girl was no difficult task for them.

"Strengthen the defenses around the observation room. They definitely won’t give up so easily." Emma wore a bitter expression as she turned to Howard, her face full of pleading. "I’ll also have to trouble you, Howard, to help reinforce the security measures in that area. It’s too large, and I’m afraid we mutants won’t be able to watch over all of it."

Howard pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

For several consecutive days, the Savage Land remained calm. The X-Men continued launching attacks, and by now, they had liberated most of the cities in the plains. Only a few cities near the coast and Poseidonia remained under AIM’s control. As for the Hellfire Club mutants, they had not shown themselves even once. Aside from a single girl causing trouble in the observation room, there had been no further news from them.

"What exactly are they planning?" Emma came to the observation room once again. As she casually looked over the imprisoned mutants, her thoughts ran wild, yet she could not make sense of anything. "Tessa, what do you think they want?"

"Without question, they’re after these people." Hearing this, the woman beside Emma spoke. Her androgynous attire gave her a valiant air. Standing beside the sexy, enchanting Emma, she possessed a different kind of beauty.

Tessa, codenamed The Sage, had once been a member of the Hellfire Club. After being held captive for some time, she chose to surrender. Her computer-like brain, her ability to rapidly process vast amounts of information, and her ability to sense mutant traits had earned Emma’s favor. She was now the deputy Emma was focused on cultivating.

"Then why haven’t they made a move yet?" Emma glanced at her, her expression still filled with confusion. "Could one failure really have frightened them off?"

Tessa shook her head expressionlessly. Her deep eyes stared ahead as though she were considering something. Only after a long while did she speak. "They should be preparing a larger plan. All we can do now is strengthen our defenses and wait for them to come."

"This is too passive!" Emma deeply disliked this feeling. She would rather resolve every problem before they arrived.

A trace of helplessness flashed through Tessa’s eyes. She shook her head with a bitter smile. "There’s no other way. The enemy is hidden while we are exposed. We can only do this."