Neither Raven nor Erik wanted to rescue a raving lunatic who called himself Mutant Number One.
Erik, piloting the aircraft, turned his head and asked, "Exact location?" He pressed a few buttons before adding, "Or you could have Charles contact me directly."
"I'm afraid that's not possible. That mutant has the ability to block telepathy. Charles can't project his thoughts to him. It took me a long time to even establish contact."
Erik clicked his tongue. "So he didn't tell you the location?"
"He's not sure either. He only knows he's near a sea and locked in a sealed room."
Erik: "…Ask him if he wants to live."
Near the sea? A sealed room? Does he think this is the FBI?
"If he can't give me a general location, believe me, I'm turning this thing around right now."
Saiki Kusuo was silent for a few seconds, seemingly communicating with Charles. Then he looked up: "He says, of course, he wants to live. And if you save him, he'll give you a raise."
Erik: "…"
His attitude did a complete 180. "Why didn't he say so earlier?"
His hands flew across the controls again. He called out to the others in the cabin, "Everyone, hold on tight!"
Erik's piloting skills could be summed up in a few words: life is precious, money be damned.
But with Charles's life on the line, everyone in the cabin could only grit their teeth and bear it. Raven thought that if this kept up, these sheltered kids would be on their knees before they even saw the enemy.
Fortunately, though, Erik quickly located where Charles was being held.
Actually, they didn't even need to search. This mutant seemed incredibly confident. Using Charles's abilities, he'd brazenly declared to the world his intention to destroy everyone and create a new world. He'd built a structure that looked like a pyramid and thrown down the gauntlet, welcoming anyone who disagreed to challenge him.
"Quite a confident declaration," Erik remarked. "Reminds me of myself back in the day."
Raven shot him a look. "You're proud of that?"
Erik said smugly, "Of course." Not only was he proud, but he also told all the new students about his past exploits, though Charles, unable to bear it, always stopped him, leaving Erik feeling somewhat unfulfilled.
Raven was about to make another sarcastic comment when she happened to glance below. The houses were gradually turning to dust; the entire city was disappearing. Her expression darkened.
"That guy's really starting his destruction plan. Hurry, Erik. We have to stop him."
Erik had also noticed the situation and was immediately anxious.
"Damn it, my wife is still at home! Saiki!"
"I know," Saiki Kusuo stood up. "Do you have a picture of your home?"
"Upper pocket."
Saiki Kusuo retrieved a casual photo of Erik and his wife from Erik's pocket. He glanced at it, then turned to Pietro.
"Excuse me, do you happen to have a picture of your home?"
"What?" Pietro looked up, bewildered.
A minute later, Saiki Kusuo returned to the aircraft. "Don't worry, I've taken care of your wife."
Erik was relieved, but before he could thank him, Saiki Kusuo added, "Oh, by the way, I brought Pietro's mother along as well."
Erik: "…"
"You bastard, are you trying to kill two birds with one stone? No, you didn't tell her, did you?"
Erik asked, fuming.
"Of course, I didn't. But you know how accurate a woman's intuition is. They found out about your… indiscretions. So, now there's good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Erik wanted to turn the aircraft into a sharp knife and chop Saiki Kusuo into eight pieces. But he could only think about it. On the surface, he had to make a choice.
"I'll take the good news first."
"I thought, given your personality, you'd want the bad news first," Saiki Kusuo said.
Erik immediately retorted sarcastically, "That's because anything that comes out of your mouth, even good news, is bad news to me. Stop wasting time and get on with it!"
"Alright," Saiki Kusuo shrugged. "The good news is that your ex-wife and your current wife get along remarkably well after learning about each other's identities. The bad news is that they're currently discussing how to punish you, the deadbeat who abandoned them and their children, when you get back."
Erik: "…"
Raven couldn't resist teasing, "Quite the charmer, aren't you, Erik?"
He really shouldn't have come to the school in the first place.
Jean, who had been quiet until now, suddenly interrupted their conversation.
"I sense Professor X!"
Everyone turned to look at her. Jean, still new to the X-Mansion and not yet fully in control of her abilities, almost lost control from the sudden attention.
"Don't be nervous. Take it slow," Raven reassured her.
Calmed by Raven's words, Jean slowly relayed the information she was receiving from Charles. But soon, Mutant Number One detected her connection with Charles and used his powers to interfere.
The aircraft began to shake violently, affected by the interference. At this rate, it would fall apart before they could even land.
Saiki Kusuo didn't want to have to carry everyone down, so he said calmly, "Calm down, Jean."
"Stop thinking of yourself as the only freak at school. There are plenty of people with stronger abilities than you, like me, and the Professor. We can control our powers perfectly well. Why can't you, a fellow telepath? You're dragging us down."
Raven looked at him disapprovingly. "Are you trying to comfort her or tear her down? If you can't say anything nice, shut up."
Ignoring her complaint, Saiki Kusuo continued, "As a telepath, you should face challenges head-on. Mutant Number One is controlling you, influencing you. Are you just going to let him lead you by the nose?"
"But what am I supposed to do?" Jean clutched her head in pain.
Saiki Kusuo continued to guide her, "It's simple. He dares to control you, so you control him back."
Jean shook her head. "I can't."
Saiki Kusuo: "Don't worry, I'll help you. Just unleash your power and fight back. Control him. Here, I'll give you a task. Control him and make him say 'I love you' to Charles."
Raven: "…Charles has suffered enough. Can't you just leave him alone?"
It's okay, he'll suffer even more later. A handsome young man going bald just like that.
Jean closed her eyes, frowning, seemingly battling with Mutant Number One. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and exclaimed joyfully, "I did it!"
The plummeting aircraft stabilized. Crisis averted.
Nearby, Charles had been caught communicating with Jean and was being mentally tortured by Mutant Number One. He clutched his head, writhing in pain on the ground. Suddenly, the pain vanished. He took a few ragged breaths, barely managing to regain some strength, and opened his eyes.
He saw Mutant Number One staring at him with a strange expression. Just as he thought the mutant was about to devise another method of torture, Mutant Number One suddenly spoke.
"I like you."
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