Even dressed in a neutral-toned women's suit, Psylocke's figure was anything but concealed.
If anything, the outfit only amplified her allure.
Gwen knew very well—
Some men loved this kind of style.
"Ahem."
The first cough.
Peter didn't react. His mind was still working, trying to identify the woman below—Asian features, a powerful physique, and a psychic ability user.
That narrowed the list down significantly.
"Hmph."
The second sound wasn't a cough.
It was a cold snort.
This time, Gwen's gaze had turned sharp enough to cut.
Peter finally glanced sideways at her, confused.
He had already figured it out—Psylocke.
Her psychic power wasn't pure telekinesis, but something more unique—
Manifestation.
She could turn her psychic energy into physical weapons, or enhance existing ones with it.
…
"Peter. Parker."
Gwen's voice was low. Dangerously low.
In her eyes, Peter had been completely captivated by that woman—staring for far too long, unwilling to look away.
Unacceptable.
Seeing the anger on her face, Peter suddenly remembered something very important.
He had a girlfriend now.
"…Hey, don't misunderstand," he said with a helpless shrug. "I was just figuring out who she is. If someone comes looking for me, I need to know why, right?"
To him, it was a perfectly logical explanation.
To Gwen—It sounded like a weak excuse.
"Hmph. And how do you know they're here for you?" she shot back. "Have they even looked at you once?"
She pointed downstairs, her expression filled with indignation.
They were standing at the second-floor corridor of the hotel, while Mystique and Psylocke were in the parking area below.
Peter sighed and pointed as well.
This girl…
She had been staring at him the whole time and hadn't noticed anything else.
Gwen followed his finger, lifting her chin slightly as she glanced down.
And then—
She froze.
Because the two people below were, in fact, looking directly at them.
The refined-looking man—Senator Kelly—was even smiling and waving.
Awkward.
Very awkward.
Peter, naturally, chose to be magnanimous.
Jealousy like this?
Completely normal.
If she didn't react, that would be strange.
Jealousy meant she cared.
If she didn't care—
Then even if he stared at a hundred beautiful women on the street, she wouldn't give him a second glance.
-----
A short while later—
In the hotel lounge, Peter sat across from Mystique.
Gwen had been gently persuaded to leave.
"Alright," Peter said casually, leaning back. "What do you want? If you're here to thank me, don't bother."
"Thank you?" Kelly—no, Raven—smiled.
But her tone was ice-cold.
"You ruined our plan. The fact that I haven't killed you already is me showing restraint."
She hadn't forgotten that night.
Peter's mockery. His attitude.
The way he toyed with her—
In all her years, no one had ever humiliated her like that.
She was always the one pulling the strings.
Never the one being played.
"Ruined your plan?"
Peter let out a soft laugh.
"No. I saved you."
"If I hadn't stepped in, you'd all be dead by now—hunted down by every military force on the planet."
"Don't forget… magnetism isn't omnipotent."
"At least, he hasn't taken it that far."
Magneto was powerful.
His potential?
Near limitless.
If he truly mastered the unified field theory—if he applied electromagnetic force on both the macro and micro scales—
He could become a creator.
A god.
But instead—
He had turned himself into nothing more than a metal manipulator.
As if magnetism only worked on metal.
When in reality—
The entire material world existed because of electromagnetic force.
"If humans want war," Raven said, her eyes narrowing slightly, "then that's exactly what we need."
"A war to wake our kind up."
"To make them understand where the real threat lies."
She was probing him.
Everything she said echoed Magneto's ideology.
Not her own.
She needed to know—
Would Peter become an enemy?
Or an ally?
"War is a good idea," Peter said thoughtfully, nodding.
"Only blood and fire can make people understand certain truths."
"Only by tearing apart the illusion of peace can you see the filth underneath."
…
Raven was surprised.
According to her intelligence, Peter had always been mild-mannered.
A quiet, decent kid.
But now—
This?
"Power really does change people…" she thought.
She had seen it countless times.
Ordinary people gaining abilities—
Then becoming arrogant.
Reckless. Treating human life as insignificant.
Her evaluation of Peter dropped slightly.
…
But then—
He continued.
"However…"
"War doesn't always lead to rebirth from the ashes."
"Sometimes…"
"It just burns everything to the ground."
"And in the end—"
"There's nothing left. Only ash."
--------------
T/N:
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