Undercurrents Stir

Time passed unnoticed, and another week went by amid Emma’s anxious waiting.

The entire plains region of the Savage Land had now been liberated by the X-Men, and the Descendants of Atlantis had once again become the masters of the plains. Meanwhile, the once-aggressive Strucker and AIM seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth. The X-Men searched the entire plains but found no trace of them.

"Howard, has there been any news from S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Standing before the holographic console, Emma looked graver than ever. AIM’s complete disappearance had made her extremely tense, even fearful.

Howard shook his head, his expression equally stern. "Everything outside is calm. Nothing unusual has happened."

"If only Alex were here!" Emma crouched on the floor with a bitter expression, clutching her head as she cried out in anguish.

Although Alex was often lazy and loved dumping responsibilities on others, whenever he was truly needed, he would throw himself into it with every ounce of effort and do his very best.

At that moment, with no leads at all, Emma truly wished Alex were by her side to offer her some advice.

"Alex!" Tessa, standing nearby, suddenly cried out, her face lighting up with realization.

Emma and Howard exchanged glances, then both turned to look at Tessa, puzzled by her sudden reaction.

Tessa gave a mysterious smile and explained, "I think the reason they haven’t made a move is most likely because of Alex."

"Alex?" Emma’s mind raced, and she instantly understood. "You mean Alex scared them so badly that they don’t dare act rashly?"

Howard was no fool either. He immediately thought of the letter Strucker had sent earlier. "So that alliance letter Strucker sent before was genuine?"

"Whether it was genuine or not, at least he didn’t want to make enemies of us at the time." Though Tessa had not been Emma’s assistant for long, she knew everything she needed to know. "That’s why they never made a move after we sent out the X-Men."

After thinking it over, Emma realized that it did seem to be the case. Strucker’s forceful entry into the Savage Land had probably been driven by Hydra and the fake Red Skull. The position of the Hellfire Club mutants, on the other hand, seemed rather strange.

"We have to find Alex as soon as possible. Otherwise, once enough time passes, they’ll still attack us." Tessa did not know Alex’s exact circumstances, only that he was traveling outside. "I’m afraid they may already be growing suspicious. That Raven was probably just a test."

As she spoke, Tessa suddenly grew agitated, and her expression turned exceptionally ugly. "There must still be one of their people on the Floating Giant Island. Someone has been watching us all this time!"

Emma vaguely realized something, while Howard was slower on the uptake and did not understand at first. "What do you mean?"

"We have to find Alex!" Tessa stared at Emma solemnly. "Only his appearance can deter them now."

Emma gave a bitter smile and shook her head, then turned to Howard.

Howard spread his hands and shrugged, looking utterly helpless.

Tessa’s superhuman mind was exceptionally sharp. She immediately noticed the oddity between them. Her heart skipped a beat, and remembering that she had not seen Alex for so long, she instantly guessed what had happened. "Something happened to Alex?"

After some thought, Emma decided not to hide it anymore and revealed what she knew. "Ever since he was taken away by Korlon, we haven’t received any news. Korlon has vanished as well."

Tessa fell silent. This war was probably unavoidable unless Alex suddenly appeared.

Attilan, Fetal Care Center.

His Highness Alex stared blankly at the mutagenic chamber before him with panda eyes. A faint sense of despair lingered in his unfocused gaze.

On the seventh day of the mutation, His Highness Alex had been filled with joy.

On the fourteenth day, His Highness Alex had been ecstatic. Such a long duration had already set a new Inhuman record.

On the twenty-first day, His Highness Alex began to grow nervous, and panic gradually rose in his heart.

On the thirtieth day, despair kept washing over His Highness Alex’s heart, wrapping around him like a cocoon and tormenting his mind bit by bit.

"My child, I haven’t even had the chance to see your eyes yet!" His Highness Alex suddenly came back to his senses. His unfocused eyes gradually sharpened and settled on Alex’s tightly shut eyes within the blue Crystal. "Are they as captivating as hers, like black pearls?"

Tessa’s prediction seemed to have come true. A few days later, another group infiltrated the Floating Giant Island. No one knew where they had come from; they simply appeared on the Floating Giant Island without warning.

This group numbered twenty-seven, causing enormous chaos on the Floating Giant Island. Many people were injured amid the disorder. Although all twenty-seven were eventually captured under the X-Men’s all-out pursuit, an ominous feeling gradually settled over everyone.

"At most, after two more probes, they will surely launch a large-scale attack."

Emma’s face was incredibly grim, and she even erupted in a rare fit of anger. "I just want to know how they got onto the Floating Giant Island!" Emma pointed at the people responsible for the Floating Giant Island’s and border defenses, cursing furiously, "Are you all useless? People got into our home and you didn’t even notice! What the hell am I keeping you for?!"

The several people in charge lowered their heads and let Emma spit insults at them, but they were deeply frustrated. They believed the defensive lines they had set up were extremely tight, with guards every few steps and sentries everywhere. Forget a fly—even a Teleporter should have been discovered quickly. Yet the twenty-seven mutants who had broken into the Floating Giant Island had thoroughly slapped them in the face.

"There’s no point cursing them. Think about how to improve the defenses next time!" Only after Emma had raged for more than ten minutes did Howard speak up, his face full of worry. "We managed to find them this time, but we may not be able to next time!"

At Howard’s words, Emma finally stopped. The several people in charge felt grateful, but their hearts were filled with bitterness, because they had no idea how to defend against this either. It seemed that no matter what defenses they arranged, the enemy could always reach the Floating Giant Island directly.

Emma shot the people in charge a sidelong glance, both furious and anxious, yet helpless. She had personally selected these people and personally participated in the defenses of the Floating Giant Island and its borders. If even they could not handle it, Emma truly did not know what to do.

Just as everyone was at their wits’ end, a flying dragon suddenly flew in from outside. An eight- or nine-year-old child sat atop its massive body. The child wore nothing but a piece of animal hide, looking exactly like Tarzan, wildness radiating from every inch of him.

"Why are you back?" Emma glanced at the child and dragon and scolded them irritably. "You’ve been running around outside for so long, and you still remembered to come back?!"

The child and dragon were none other than Little Logan, Logan’s long-unseen son, and Little Fire Dragon Qiqi. The pair spent most of their time in the forest. Emma had worried about them at first, but after seeing that they had become the forest’s dominant force, she stopped interfering and let them fool around as they pleased.

"Little Mom, look what this is!" Little Logan flipped off Qiqi’s back, pulled something from his clothes, and waved it around proudly, a hint of smugness on his youthful face.

Seeing the object in Little Logan’s hand, everyone present sprang to their feet in shock, because they knew that thing far too well!