Mystique, Sabretooth, Lizard, Magneto.
Today is New Year's Day, but these four mutants are not celebrating the holiday. Instead, they've come to the Statue of Liberty to cause trouble, drawing the attention of the X-Men—Storm, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Wolverine—and X-Men's external reinforcements, Liu A'dou and Elsa.
With a sharp turn, the aircraft hovers near Liberty Island. "You all go ahead. Elsa and I will stay here as backup. If you fail, I'll have Elsa freeze the whole Statue of Liberty," Liu A'dou says.
The four mutants nod.
"Let's go!" Wolverine shouts, racing ahead of Cyclops.
Cyclops silently follows behind, and it's a four-on-four battle.
Mutant battles are usually not as explosive as one might expect due to their physical limitations, sometimes seeming weaker than they actually are.
Jean Grey, while using telepathy, tends to stiffen, making her vulnerable to attacks. Cyclops' attacks are always in a straight line, easy to counter. Storm takes too long to power up her abilities and can be interrupted. Wolverine, despite his toughness, can only engage in close combat with a limited range.
On the other side, Magneto sends out Mystique and Lizard, with Sabretooth holding the line. Mystique can transform into anyone, excelling in close combat with incredibly agile movements. Lizard is swift, with a tongue strong enough to easily swing objects weighing hundreds of kilograms. These two agile fighters are the X-Men's kryptonite.
Liu A'dou can sense their combat through different life waves. The X-Men are getting battered; their attacks cannot keep up with the enemy's speed. The X-Men are split apart. Wolverine is ensnared by Mystique, caught off guard by her swift and fierce attacks, making him dizzy.
Meanwhile, Lizard faces the other three, trapping Cyclops inside a warehouse, tossing Storm upstairs, and holding his ground against Jean Grey.
The disgusting Lizard spits out a mouthful of green phlegm. Jean Grey, mid-attack, can't dodge in time, and the phlegm hits her face, making it hard for her to breathe.
But Lizard underestimated the X-Men. Storm, upstairs, manages to charge her attack. Lightning engulfs her body.
"Why don't you all just die?" Lizard sighs, preparing for the final blow by swinging a hard object with his tongue.
Storm's eyes glow, and a violent wind bursts from behind her, blowing Lizard away with what feels like a Category 12 gale. Even more dangerously, the wind is laced with lightning, striking Lizard and sending him into the ocean.
"The toad got struck by lightning, so dangerous!" Storm jokes as she blows the trembling Lizard into the sea.
On the other front, Cyclops breaks through the door and successfully emerges, using a low-powered optic blast to dissolve the disgusting substance on Jean Grey's face. The first battlefield ends.
The second battlefield is Wolverine versus Mystique. Wolverine's durability shines through after Mystique delivers several strikes. No matter how much Mystique attacks, Wolverine just keeps getting back up.
Mystique realizes that Wolverine is difficult to deal with and can't let him reach Magneto, so she changes tactics, planning to lure Wolverine away. She hides, watching his reactions, and then transforms into Storm to approach him from behind.
"Wolverine."
Wolverine, with his back to Mystique, warns, "Be careful, Mystique is nearby."
Mystique silently smirks, thinking, "I'm right here, but you won't know," and approaches him. "We need to meet up with the others, follow me."
But just as she gets close, Wolverine suddenly spins around, his sharp claws piercing Mystique's abdomen, inflicting a severe wound.
"I know that disgusting scent," Wolverine says, recognizing that the person behind him is not Storm but Mystique. He unleashes an optic blast and defeats her. The durable warrior outlasts the agile thief.
After finding the others, they initially mistake Wolverine for an imposter. Cyclops says, "Prove it."
Wolverine looks at Cyclops and says, "You're an idiot."
Cyclops lowers his guard, signaling that Wolverine is indeed the real deal.
Two grumpy old men—it's almost cute.
"Almost done. It's about to end." Liu A'dou thought to himself, holding the popcorn. These shots were quite good. Though not flashy, it was real combat, and losing could mean death.
Liu A'dou knew that no matter how much the X-Men fought, they wouldn't change the elite's view of mutants. The Mutant Registration Act would still have support, which was truly unfair to them. That's why Liu A'dou came out to help them.
The X-Men were easily subdued by Magneto, tied up like dumplings with thick iron bars, unable to move, while the radiation equipment was set up on the torch of the Statue of Liberty.
"Help." By now, they could hear the cries of the young mutant girl, still terrified. If the machine started, she would undoubtedly die. "Help."
Magneto ignored the poor girl's cries and instead lectured the controlled X-Men, arrogantly proclaiming his ideals: "Why don't you understand? Those people, those leaders of the ordinary world, those fools who are as ignorant as single-celled organisms, they control our fate as mutants. I just want them to personally experience the excellence of mutants."
"Shut up," Wolverine grumbled, hearing the girl's cries, his anger rising. "If you're so capable, why don't you operate the machine yourself?"
Magneto was left speechless, not responding to Wolverine. He was about to activate the machine. Liu A'dou, who had always disliked Magneto's hypocritical attitude, was ready to act.
Whoosh.
A cold wind met Magneto. The entire arm of the Statue of Liberty was frozen, preventing him from getting close to the machine.
"Magneto, you old bastard, come down and accept your death!"
"Liu?" No one expected Liu A'dou to come up. "Be careful."
Careful of Sabretooth, Wolverine's brother, who saw an uninvited guest rushing toward Liu A'dou. Liu A'dou remained unmoved, watching as Sabretooth turned into an ice sculpture.
No one could harm the Pope in front of Elsa. As Zeus' appointed monitor of the Pope, it was also her duty to protect him.
"Magneto, you despicable scoundrel, come down now!" Liu A'dou shouted.
Magneto flew down, but not because of Liu A'dou. He noticed Elsa and recognized her from all the posters flooding the media recently. "Didn't expect to meet so soon, Queen of Ice and Snow. Very good, your powers have surpassed ordinary mutants." Seeing Elsa's abilities in person, he couldn't help but praise her.
"Trying to flirt, you old pervert?" Liu A'dou drew Magneto's attention toward himself.
Liu A'dou had no powers, so he was just an ordinary person.
"Who are you?" Magneto asked, clearly displeased by Liu A'dou's arrogance.
"Name's Liu A'dou," Liu A'dou replied. "Magneto, you've already lost. Just surrender and go to jail."
"Go to jail? You think you have the power to make that happen? You're just an ordinary person with no powers."
Liu A'dou laughed. "Pity, I'm just as despicable as you. You plan to use the girl to accomplish your goal, so must I fight you myself?" Liu A'dou laughed with glee, almost asking for a fight. "Magneto, you're no match for Elsa. Just give up and surrender."
"Ridiculous!" Magneto retorted. He had spent his entire life mastering his abilities—how could he admit defeat? "I want to see the true power of the Ice and Snow Queen."
"Elsa, freeze him," Liu A'dou ordered.
Elsa raised her palms, and Magneto was frozen inside a coffin-like block of ice, leaving only his head visible. Elsa's speed was several times faster than Magneto's, showing that her physical training was effective.
Elsa then froze the metal strips binding the enemies into ice blocks, shattering them and freeing the X-Men.
"You can't do this. Don't you want a nation for mutants? A nation free from discrimination," Magneto continued, trying to persuade the X-Men. "A nation where we can use our powers freely."
"Shut up, Magneto," Liu A'dou said, feeling bothered by the constant ranting. When he saw Wolverine going to rescue the young mutant girl, he felt a little more at ease.
"Who are you really? I've never heard of you," Magneto shouted at Liu A'dou.
"Me? I'm the planner of Frozen and a good friend of the kind mutants. The enemy of the evil mutants," Liu A'dou said with a smile.