War Escalation

After agreeing to Hank’s request, Alex brought him to the research base of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. It was a separately developed area adjacent to the school, covering an enormous expanse no smaller than the entire campus. It possessed advanced laboratories in numerous fields, including biological genetics and mechanical engineering, and its research capabilities were no inferior to those of America’s Ivy League universities.

Hank knew quality when he saw it. At a glance, he recognized the strength of this research base. His face, already slightly flushed with excitement, had turned completely red. He turned to Alex and opened his mouth, stammering for a long while without managing to say a single word. He could only jump and wave his arms on the spot.

Alex watched Hank with a smile and made no move to stop him. After all, when Alex had awakened from ten years of slumber and first seen this research base, his reaction had not been much different from Hank’s.

Although the Marvel Universe contained many mythological and magical elements, it was fundamentally still a science-fiction world, and the power of technology could not be underestimated. For mutants to possess their own scientific research capabilities was of vital importance to their future development.

After handing Hank over to one of the research base’s supervisors, Alex left. After all, he was not a researcher, and there was no point in him staying there.

After leaving Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, Alex gave it some thought and decided to talk to Crystal. Because of the Cuban Missile Crisis, he had neglected her somewhat lately, and he had not paid much attention to the matter of her sister, Medusa. He felt somewhat guilty about it.

"Alex!" The instant Crystal saw Alex appear, a brilliant smile suddenly bloomed on her expressionless face. She ran over like a butterfly flitting through flowers, then stopped prettily a few steps away from him. The smile on her face quickly faded, replaced by a resentful expression as she said mournfully, "So you finally remembered me!"

Crystal’s reaction startled Alex. He stood stunned for a long while before recovering and asking in confusion, "Crystal, are you all right?" Though he had not known Crystal for long, Alex understood her personality well. How could someone as cold and proud as her act like a neglected wife?

"Of course I couldn’t fool you!" Crystal’s expression changed as swiftly as a mask. She resumed her cool demeanor, stared steadily at Alex, shrugged, and spoke with perfect calm.

Just as Alex was feeling puzzled, Monroe walked out of Crystal’s room. The rather androgynous vest she wore revealed a different kind of sensuality. Noticing Alex’s gaze, Monroe smiled brightly and walked to his side in a few steps. She wrapped both arms around his arm, turned to Crystal, and complained softly, "Blame your poor acting. Otherwise, how could he have seen through you?"

Unexpectedly, Crystal did not get angry. She merely snorted, turned her head away with an haughty expression, though her bright eyes held a trace of spirited fighting intent.

Alex stared dumbfoundedly at the two women before him and asked incredulously, "You two are close?"

Monroe reached out and pulled Crystal over, wrapping her left arm around Crystal’s shoulders. She raised her head to look at Alex and said proudly, "We’re good sisters now!"

Alex froze again. Once he confirmed that Monroe was not joking, he hurriedly gave her a grateful look, thanking her for caring for Crystal. The guilt in his heart eased somewhat as well.

"I’m sorry, Crystal." Monroe’s care alone was not enough, so Alex took the initiative to apologize. "Once this is over, I will definitely take you to find your sister. I promise!"

Crystal’s expression abruptly turned cold. She glared at Alex, turned her head away again, and ignored him completely. It would have been better if Alex had said nothing, but the moment he brought it up, Crystal became angry. She had followed Alex here a long time ago, yet he had never paid much attention to the matter of her sister.

Alex had brought this upon himself. He gave an awkward laugh, looked pleadingly at Monroe, and even made a begging gesture with his hands.

Monroe rolled her eyes, reached out and tugged Crystal’s shoulder, then leaned close to whisper something in her ear. Before long, Crystal actually laughed through her tears, and even the occasional glance she cast at Alex had become much gentler.

Having finally soothed Crystal, Alex did not dare investigate further, lest he anger her again. After leaving behind a few promises, he hurried away, looking as though he were fleeing in defeat.

After wandering around the Floating Temple with nothing to do for half the day, chatting with Emma for a while, and casually giving the X-Men some guidance, Alex suddenly received a message from Nick Fury.

Not daring to delay even for a moment, Alex instantly appeared in Nick Fury’s director’s office at S.H.I.E.L.D. The moment he appeared, he hurriedly asked, "What happened? Is there any progress?" Alex intended to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. out of the US-Soviet Hegemony, but in many cases, he had no choice but to rely on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s intelligence channels.

Nick Fury’s face was grim, and a frighteningly fierce light flashed in his single eye. "The Soviet fleet has approached Cuban waters, and the American fleet is ready as well."

"Don’t interfere in this matter. The two of us will handle it!" Alex’s expression shifted. Leaving those words behind, he vanished in a flash.

Staring at the spot where Alex had disappeared, Nick Fury muttered a complaint under his breath. He picked up the phone on his desk, dialed a number, quietly issued several instructions, and then ignored the matter, as though he had never received the news at all.

Nick Fury understood Alex’s intentions. This was for S.H.I.E.L.D.’s own good, and he had no reason to refuse.

After leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., Alex went directly to the CIA, where Charles’s team was stationed.

"Alex, why are you here?" Sea Siren Sean was the first to notice Alex. Holding a glass of wine, he hurriedly rose from the sofa, his slightly round face carrying a hint of ingratiation.

Alex ignored Sea Siren Sean and looked around. When he failed to find who he was looking for, he quickly asked, "Where’s Charles?"

"Charles went to the CIA. He was going to look for information!" Darwin also rose stiffly to his feet. Looking at Alex, he gave a serious explanation, though his voice trembled slightly. From the very beginning, Alex had shown great interest in Darwin, which had kept Darwin nervous, especially whenever he saw Alex.

Speak of the devil. The moment Darwin finished speaking, Charles ran in from outside with a tense expression. He paused slightly when he saw Alex, then immediately understood. "Are we leaving now?"

Alex did not answer. Instead, he asked, "What did the CIA say?"

"They want us to move out immediately and do everything we can to stop Sebastian Shaw." Charles did not conceal anything and relayed the intentions of the CIA leadership.

After hesitating briefly, Charles continued, "But they seem to have another plan, one that is highly confidential."

"Forget about it. Get ready. We leave immediately!"