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Meanwhile, inside the castle building.
Because the commotion outside was so great, most of the personnel originally guarding the castle had been redeployed to the high points and outer walls, leaving only a few small teams stationed inside.
Deep within the castle, there was a massive underground space.
This place used to be the X-Men's secret Base.
However, it had now been converted into a research institute, filled with purple suppression lights specifically designed to prevent Mutants from infiltrating.
Several fully armed soldiers were patrolling the corridor.
Suddenly, a digging sound came from beneath their feet. Looking down, a pit had appeared out of thin air in the floor.
The soldiers were instantly dumbfounded and hurriedly shouted, "Enem—"
Before they could finish their cry, several pitch-black tentacles shot out from the hole, instantly entangling their bodies.
Without even a chance to struggle, several living men were dragged directly into the dark hole. Muffled screams echoed from within before everything went completely silent.
After a few seconds, Darian jumped out of the pit.
He pressed the communicator by his ear and whispered, "I've successfully infiltrated. No one has spotted me. Over."
The same trick cannot be used twice.
But that's only if the opponent is a Saint Seiya.
With Erik and the others drawing fire on the perimeter, almost all defensive forces had been pulled outside.
Darian then repeated his old trick, digging another tunnel to quietly sneak into the castle's interior.
He didn't waste any time, directly activating quest tracking and moving in the direction guided by the system.
Just as he turned a corner, he ran straight into a patrol squad.
The group opposite him was clearly stunned for a moment, then their expressions changed drastically as they hurriedly raised their guns to fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several black tentacles suddenly shot out with startling speed. Before the soldiers could react, they were sent flying, smashing heavily against the corridor walls.
Darian didn't even spare them a glance, continuing further inside.
Soon, he arrived at a straight corridor.
At the end was a heavy circular metal valve door with a large 'X' symbol printed in the center.
Darian took out the Master Key to open it. Accompanied by the sound of air pressure valves venting, the metal door slowly opened.
Before him was a vast circular space.
The walls were lined with dense rows of metal plates. In the center was a circular platform where several researchers in white lab coats and masks were gathered around an operating table.
A woman lay on the operating table, covered in tubes and electrode patches, her hands and feet firmly secured by metal rings.
Darian took a glance and confirmed that this woman was the Rogue he was looking for.
However, her current state was very poor. She was afflicted with multiple debuffs like Excessive Blood Loss, Vitality Decay, and Deep Coma. Her maximum health bar had been significantly shaved off; one could imagine how much inhuman torture she had endured.
Darian strode forward. Black tentacles instantly coiled around the researchers and tossed them off the circular platform.
Reaching the operating table, he pulled out a life potion, pried Rogue's mouth open, and poured it in.
Fortunately, the life potion didn't need to be swallowed; it dissolved automatically upon entering her mouth.
As her health gradually recovered, Rogue slowly opened her eyes, seeing Darian leaning close at first glance.
"You're awake?"
"Who... who are you!?"
Rogue's eyes widened as she looked at Darian in terror.
Several black tentacles surrounded the man before her, dancing constantly in the air and emitting eerie black energy fluctuations that were almost tangible, making the originally bright space seem a bit darker.
Rogue was so scared her whole body went stiff.
It's over, it's over. Had she fallen into the hands of some big boss again?
And looking at this style, he was definitely the super evil kind of big boss!
Darian comforted her, "Don't be afraid. I'm a good guy. I'm specifically here to rescue you."
But Rogue didn't believe him at all.
With that look, combined with the fact that she was currently tied to an operating table, he didn't look like a good person in any way.
"You devil! Let me go!"
Rogue struggled desperately on the table, trying to escape Darian's clutches.
"Is the reaction that strong?"
Darian felt a bit helpless seeing how much she was overreacting.
Thus, he retracted the black tentacles and took a ring out of his game warehouse, placing it on top of his head.
"Look closely. I'm an Angel. I even have a halo. I'm not some devil."
Darian pointed to the ring floating above his head.
Rogue's mouth twitched.
"Who are you kidding? Don't think you're an Angel just because you have a ring on your head!"
Darian looked up and noticed the ring's surface was dim and dull. He realized, "Sorry, sorry. I forgot to put in the batteries."
Saying this, he took the ring down, flipped open the back cover, took out a few AA batteries and stuffed them in. The ring immediately lit up.
Rogue: "???"
Whose Angel halo needs batteries!?
"Done!"
Darian put the ring back on his head.
In an instant, his entire being seemed coated in a soft, warm, holy light that felt as if it could shine directly into one's soul.
Rogue only felt a wave of warmth flowing from head to toe, and the fear and unease in her heart suddenly receded by more than half.
In its place was an indescribable sense of peace and tranquility.
In a daze, she seemed to see the holy light emanating from Darian faintly condensing into a pair of white wings behind him.
Various small winged figures flew around him, and ethereal singing echoed from afar, making one involuntarily quiet down and listen intently.
[Equipment: holy halo (Purifies the minds of those around, comes with Heaven special effects, requires AA batteries to use)]
"You're really an Angel?"
Rogue was simply stunned.
There used to be a Mutant called Angel in the X-Men, but he only had a pair of wings. Compared to Darian's full set of special effects, he was at most a birdman.
Darian nodded.
"Genuine and authentic."
Rogue was full of confusion. "But if you're an Angel, why were you emitting black mist just now?"
"That is power from Heaven."
"How can the power of Heaven be black? Shouldn't it be full of holy white?"
Darian said solemnly, "That's all a misunderstanding you mortals have about us. The purer the power of Heaven, the blacker it is. Otherwise, why do you think God is a black man?"
Rogue was a bit dazed. "...Is that so?"
"That's exactly how it is."
Darian nodded with certainty and reached out to tear apart the metal rings securing Rogue's limbs.
"Follow me."
After saying that, he turned and walked toward the door.
Rogue hesitated for two seconds before following him.
Just as the two stepped out of the circular valve door, heavy footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.
Three tall silver figures emerged from the corner, blocking their path.
"Oh no, it's the Sentinel Robots."
Rogue's face turned pale instantly.
The Sentinel Robots were upgraded based on her genes, so she knew very well how terrifying these things were.
Darian, however, wasn't panicked at all and walked toward the Sentinel Robots.
The next moment, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed, and those black tentacles quickly emerged from behind him again.
Before the foremost Sentinel could move, several black tentacles bound its neck and limbs.
Then the black tentacles exerted force simultaneously, pulling hard in different directions!
Crack!
Accompanied by a piercing sound of tearing.
A series of sparks erupted from the Sentinel's joints as its limbs and head were brutally torn off.
Mechanical parts scattered across the floor, the severed ends still sizzling with electrical arcs.
Another Sentinel charged forward, its body surface rapidly changing. In the blink of an eye, it turned into steel, its fist carrying the sound of breaking wind as it smashed toward Darian.
Darian neither dodged nor avoided it.
He clenched his fists, and a pair of alloy gauntlets instantly appeared on his hands as he met the blow head-on!
Boom!!
With a muffled thud, the Sentinel was instantly sent flying, smashing into the wall and leaving a large indentation.
Suddenly, a scorching pillar of fire erupted, swallowing Darian whole.
Rogue closed her eyes in fright.
But when she opened them again, Darian had already walked out of the fire. Forget being injured, even his clothes weren't singed.
Black tentacles shot out, instantly wrapping around the fire-breathing Sentinel and twisting forcefully.
The Sentinel's head spun a full circle, the fire pillar stopped abruptly, and the light in its mechanical eyes extinguished as it crashed to the ground with a thud.
Meanwhile, the Sentinel that had been sent flying was also dragged to Darian's feet by the black tentacles.
Darian looked down at it and slowly raised his right foot.
Crack!
With one stomp, the Sentinel's head exploded on the spot, shards and parts splashing everywhere.
Darian curled his lip.
"All these fancy maneuvers are no match for pure stats."
Rogue watched dumbstruck, unable to speak for a long time.
These were the Sentinels that had nearly wiped out the Mutants!
And they were just instakilled by Darian!?
Rogue swallowed hard, stepped forward, and asked cautiously, "Um, who exactly are you? Why are you saving me?"
Darian grinned. "My name is Darian, the leader of the Brotherhood. I saved you because I want you to help with something."
Hearing he was the leader of the Brotherhood, Rogue was momentarily stunned, but she didn't care too much.
Mutants nowadays no longer had much of a faction divide; whether X-Men or Brotherhood, they were all just survivors struggling in this apocalypse.
Besides, she had been imprisoned for so many years. Perhaps Magneto had already retired, and it was normal for the leader of the Brotherhood to have changed.
"So you're also a Mutant?"
"Don't I look like one?"
"Uh..."
Rogue looked at the holy halo on Darian's head and the tentacles stepping on thick black mist.
It was hard to imagine that a person's upper and lower body could present two completely different styles.
This look indeed didn't resemble a Mutant.
Of course, it didn't look like a human either.
Rogue decisively skipped the topic and asked, "But aren't you an Angel?"
Darian said, "I'm an Angel and also a Mutant. The two don't conflict. I even have a demon Mutant under me."
Rogue: "..."
What? A demon is an Angel's lackey?
Rogue was confused.
But on second thought, since Darian was a Mutant, at least she wouldn't be captured by humans for experiments anymore.
Thinking of this, Rogue felt a wave of relief and asked, "So what do you need my help with?"
Darian smiled slightly.
"We have some research work that needs you."
"Huh? Research?"
Rogue said in surprise, "But I don't know how to do research."
She was a standard academic underachiever. Back at the X-Mansion, she was too busy dating to focus on studying.
Darian said cheerfully, "Don't worry, the job you'll be responsible for is very simple. There's no educational requirement."
Rogue asked curiously, "Then what kind of research is it?"
"Being researched by us."
Rogue: "...."
Is it too late for me to lie back down on the operating table?
Darian's actions were very swift.
By the time other human soldiers and Sentinels arrived at the scene, he had already left with Rogue through the underground tunnel.
And Erik's group, who were responsible for drawing fire on the perimeter, also received news of the successful operation and immediately chose to withdraw.
It wasn't that they couldn't beat these Sentinels.
It was that they were fighting too smoothly.
Having fought the Sentinels for so long, Erik and Magneto's states were more or less affected.
In contrast, Jean was getting more energetic as she fought.
Initially, she had to concentrate to control a few Sentinels at once, but later she could control more than ten simultaneously without feeling strained at all.
Originally, they were only meant to stall the Sentinels to buy time for Darian to save the person, but as the fight went on, they were almost about to charge into the enemy's headquarters.
Magneto watched with trepidation.
He was terrified that the power hidden within Jean would suddenly awaken and stage another 'X-Men 3' plot for him.
Fortunately, after so many days of fishing training, Jean's temperament had stabilized significantly.
Although a voice in her mind constantly tried to influence her sanity as her power gradually increased, she quickly suppressed it.
For a fisherman, saying all that was not as effective as a single line like 'Why are you here feeding the fish?' to break one's composure.
With a flash of red mist, the several people fighting the Sentinels instantly vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a group of Sentinels that had lost their targets.
[Quest 'Rescue Rogue' completed]
[Rewards Obtained: 2000 EXP, Anchor Shards *2, Item 'Taunt Potion', Equipment 'life-steal ring']
[Item: Taunt Potion (After drinking, all hostile targets will be affected by a taunt effect for a certain period, launching attacks at the user)]
[Equipment: life-steal ring (Damage dealt to hostile targets can be converted into a certain amount of health to replenish oneself; absorption targets are limited to sapient beings, no race restriction)]
When Darian handed Rogue over to Hank, the system's voice rang out at the right time.
Taunt Potion, this was good stuff, a standard miracle drug for a tank to pull aggro.
As for the life-steal ring, it was simply too practical.
Anyone who played games knew how broken the life-steal attribute could be.
As long as the life-steal attribute was strong enough, the health bar would never go down. Theoretically, one could even gain more health as the fight went on, grinding the enemy to death.
And this life-steal ring had no race restriction.
In other words, as long as the enemy was a sapient being, even a robot could trigger the life-steal effect.
Darian couldn't help but wonder, "Speaking of which, if the life-steal effect triggers on a robot, is it stealing blood or gasoline?"