"Try again," Lucci said lightly.
Logan suddenly looked up at Hulk not far away, eyes bursting with unprecedented brilliance!
Roar—
He charged again! This time, even facing Hulk's massive, crude fists, Logan didn't get knocked away. He crossed his claws, poured all his strength into the decisive moment, and though he staggered from the impact, he stood his ground! He could even seize an opening to counterattack!
Still at a disadvantage—but finally... he could fight Hulk toe to toe!
This monumental change was witnessed by everyone present—including Professor X, who watched from his wheelchair as hope and confidence for the future shone on each student's face. He finally realized that his decision to surrender to Lucci was perhaps the wisest, greatest choice of his life!
This was no mere boost—this was a leap in civilization!
Lucci's presence was like ancient humans discovering "fire" for the mutant race. Under his guidance, the mutant tribe entered an unprecedented golden era!
At this moment, Professor X couldn't help but think of his old friend—Erik Lehnsherr. Magneto.
He knew Erik had always fought for mutant survival and dignity—just with different means and ideas.
"I can't let Erik continue down that twisted, hate-filled path..." Professor X told himself. He had seen the future with Lucci's temporal powers, knew what road Magneto would walk. He felt responsible—he had to show his old friend true hope!
So, he wheeled himself to Lucci.
"Prince Lucci."
"Yes? Charles, what is it?"
Professor X took a deep breath and spoke earnestly:
"I wish to invite an old friend to join our leadership..."
"Oh? You mean Magneto?"
"Yes! Given his methods, I fear that if great changes come, he might become an obstacle to mutant progress, causing unnecessary trouble."
Lucci glanced at Professor X and nodded. "Alright."
Hearing Lucci's positive response, Professor X was delighted, as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart! He immediately returned to his office and wrote a letter to Magneto by hand:
…
Somewhere in a secret base—
This was the Brotherhood of Mutants' headquarters, the last refuge for many mutants rejected and hunted by human society.
The base's plaza was filled with jubilation. Not long ago, their leader, the great Magneto, had decided to rescue fellow mutants imprisoned and tortured in secret jails.
A horned mutant with rock-like skin raised his ale and shouted,
"Hail Magneto!"
"Hail Magneto!"
"He gave us new life!"
"He alone can lead us to found the mutant kingdom!"
Cheers echoed and faded. All rescued mutants looked up at the floating figure with fanatical, worshipful eyes.
Erik Lehnsherr, clad in his iconic crimson armor and helmet that blocked all telepathy, swept a cold gaze over his excited followers, a smile playing at his lips. This was the cause he had fought for all his life—to protect his comrades, resist human oppression, and fight for mutant space and dignity!
At that moment, a blue figure slipped through the crowd like a ghost, approaching Magneto.
"Raven."
Magneto descended slowly, facing his lieutenant, Mystique.
With a solemn expression, she handed him a letter sealed in red wax.
"Erik, this is from Charles himself."
"Charles?" Magneto frowned slightly as he took the letter. He and Charles Xavier were once closest comrades—now adversaries with utterly opposed ideals. They'd had little direct contact for years.
He broke the seal and slowly unfolded the letter. The handwriting was unmistakable—Charles's strong, timeless script, impossible to forge.
But as he read, for the first time, his usually steel-cold face showed extreme shock!
[My dear old friend, Erik...
...The one giving us hope is not a human.
Erik, please. Lay down your pride and come see... witness a miracle!]
A miracle? Magneto's hand trembled slightly as he gripped the letter!
He knew Charles too well—a staunch materialist, a scholar of science and genetic evolution. The word "miracle" did not exist in his dictionary! Yet here, in his own writing, Charles solemnly, even fanatically, invited him to "witness a miracle"?
This... This wasn't like Charles at all!
"Erik, is something wrong with Charles?" Mystique, having read the letter, also grew anxious. She and Charles had grown up together as siblings, and though now estranged, she still deeply worried for his safety.
"I'm worried... could he be under some control we don't know about?"
Magneto frowned. Control Charles? Who on earth could control the world's most powerful telepath? But the letter's contents were just too abnormal!
Clutching the letter, Magneto said coldly, "Whoever is behind this, they must have struck Charles with some crazy idea... to harm us mutants!"
Suddenly, he turned and ordered all Brotherhood members in the plaza,
"Gather up! Target: Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters!"
…
On the lawn at Xavier's School, a climactic scene was unfolding.
Roar! Hulk threw a punch, the wind from his fist rustling distant trees like a small hurricane.
Clang—! Wolverine crossed his arms, Adamantium claws clashing fiercely with Hulk's casserole-sized fist, the sound of metal ringing out!
Though he was still knocked back, carving deep grooves in the turf, Logan could now block Hulk's attacks head-on!
Meanwhile, Storm floated in the air on another field, teaching a group of mutant teens how to resonate with the flow of air and energy. Cyclops was instructing others on precision energy shooting.
The whole school buzzed with positivity and intense training.
But at this moment—the sky suddenly darkened! Not just a shadow across the sun, but as if an invisible force field enveloped the mansion, distorting even the light!
A suffocating pressure descended from above!
"What's going on?" Hulk and Wolverine, in the midst of their duel, both stopped and looked up. Storm and Cyclops also changed expressions, immediately moving to protect the students behind them.
Above the school, a figure in deep crimson armor and helmet was slowly descending—Magneto. Behind him were Mystique, Riptide, Red Devil, and other Brotherhood core members!
"Erik!" Wolverine bared his teeth, muscles tensing for battle.
"Magneto!" Storm and Cyclops' faces were filled with wariness.
Magneto, Leader of the Brotherhood, landed regally on the school lawn. He glanced at the X-Men, frowning beneath his helmet.
What did he see? Storm, wreathed in golden, solar-like energy—far beyond his previous understanding! Cyclops' red eye-beams had grown more than ten times stronger! Wolverine's life force was more powerful than ever, healing energy nearly bursting from his body! Even the young students were no longer weak.
When did they become so strong?
Soon, Magneto's gaze fell on the terrifying green giant—Hulk.
"And who is this big green guy?" Magneto's chest tightened with doubt. A new mutant? Judging by his size, definitely a strength type—but he could actually overpower Logan?
He instantly felt that something was off throughout Xavier's School today!
On the other side, Wolverine, Storm, and the rest had no idea about Professor X's letter. To them, Magneto's arrival with so many people was clearly a threat!
"Erik!" Wolverine was the first to step forward, Adamantium claws flashing in the sun. His voice was low and full of warning.
"What are you doing, barging into our school with all these people?"
Magneto merely glanced at him, his expression filled with unconcealed disdain.
"Logan, this isn't the place to talk." Magneto's tone was calm yet full of authority.
"Have Charles come out to see me."
He didn't even look at Logan again, simply waved his hand.
Buzz—
An invisible but irresistible magnetic force instantly enveloped Wolverine! He felt as if his indestructible Adamantium skeleton had become a puppet in Magneto's hand! He couldn't resist at all, his entire body dragged back by a giant force and tossed far into the lake!
Splash— A huge wave boomed as Wolverine disappeared into the water.
This simple, clean move displayed Magneto's terrifying magnetic control!
But! The moment this happened, a deafening roar erupted!
Roar— Hulk was furious!
He and Wolverine had built a revolutionary friendship through daily sparring. Hulk's logic was simple—Wolverine was his sparring partner. He could smash him, throw him, but—
NO ONE ELSE COULD!
"How dare you hit Logan!" Hulk's massive body bulged with emerald veins like dragons. The aura erupting from him was ten times more intense than when fighting Wolverine!
Boom— Before the words finished, the ground beneath Hulk's feet exploded! His gigantic body shot forward like a green cannonball, smashing everything in its path, charging straight for Magneto!
Seeing this green behemoth attacking, Magneto's eyes flashed coldly.
"Another brute with more muscle than brains."
He remained suspended, unmoving, supremely confident in his powers. In his view, dealing with such a strong but simple-minded foe was child's play!
"If you want to be tied up, I'll... satisfy you!" Magneto sneered, pressing both hands down.
Clank— Instantly, every bit of metal in Xavier's School shuddered violently! Dozens of alloy training dummies twisted under invisible force. Underground metal pipes were ripped from the earth. Even the steel frames of classroom buildings moaned under the strain!
Countless pieces of metal, smelling of blood like sharks, surged toward Hulk! In the air, they rapidly reshaped and fused into a massive cold metal—either a giant steel web or a massive steel chain, thick as a python!
They rushed from all sides to bind, trap, and suppress Hulk!
But! Faced with a metallic frenzy that would drive any mutant to despair, Hulk showed no fear—only greater violence!
Roar!
He ignored the massive steel web and did only one thing—punch!
Bang— With a punch, the giant steel web shattered like paper, metal fragments flying everywhere! More punches! The thick metal pipes crumbled under his berserk force—scrap metal!
No matter the situation, no matter how tough the metal, how complex the structure—Hulk's solution was always the same:
Smash it with his fists!
...
Bonus chapter at 100 PS
Read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode