The video on the screen paused, presenting a new question. The two options were simple: Yes or No. It didn't seem like a particularly difficult choice. At least Erik didn't hesitate and chose "Yes." He had unwavering faith in his desire for revenge and his persistence. He also believed in the abilities of Charles, Hank, and the others. More importantly, he firmly believed that as long as mutants stood united, they could overcome any problem!
But Logan had a different opinion. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "If you intervene, you'll have to destroy that cargo ship. But don't forget, even though you're not part of the U.S. military, the Soviets will definitely see you as American forces. That will still provoke retaliation from the Soviets and might trigger a nuclear war! And by the way, you got the last question wrong about whether you could kill Sebastian Shaw."
"I've made far more correct choices than wrong ones, Logan. Don't forget, we're in the lead because of me!"
Erik shot him a glance. "But you're right; we can't destroy that cargo ship ourselves. But what if the Soviets destroy it?"
"Charles' telepathy could control the commander on the Soviet ship, forcing them to destroy the cargo ship before it crosses the line. That way, the crisis is averted."
Looking at his future self from an observer's point of view, Erik could clearly see the situation. In fact, before the question was even posed, he had already come up with a solution.
He believed that his future self, along with Charles, could also think of a way to resolve the problem. That's why he confidently chose his answer.
Logan scratched his beard, looking a bit uncomfortable. Although Erik's words weren't exactly polite, they were undeniably true.
Since joining this strange quiz game, Logan had adopted a completely uncooperative attitude. Initially, he even tried to rebel violently, but after learning his lesson with some electric shocks, he chose a strategy of passive resistance — non-violent, non-cooperation.
That being said, he was lucky enough to be teamed up with Erik. Thanks to Erik's string of correct answers, their Team had maintained the lead in points, making victory in this quiz game seem well within reach.
Throughout the process, it was almost entirely Erik who carried the team by constantly answering correctly. Logan, meanwhile, just tagged along, barely contributing. In fact, for a first-time participant in this game, Logan was much luckier than Peter (from the Garfield version) on Team A.
Despite his reputation as a hardened warrior, even Wolverine couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed being carried so hard. All he could do was grunt in dissatisfaction, unable to argue against the facts.
Erik, for his part, didn't mind Logan's indifference. As soon as the countdown for the next question began, he immediately hit the answer button and chose "A" with full confidence. As usual, Logan remained silent, choosing to stay out of it.
On the other side, Team A — which consisted of Wanda and Peter — also discussed their options before choosing "A" as well. Naturally, they sided with Professor X and Magneto from the video. No matter how they looked at it, these two were clearly the representatives of justice in this situation.
Peter had a certain admiration for Professor X. He was particularly impressed by the calm, composed, and elegant demeanor that Charles exuded in the video. He thought that if he could become a person like that, Gwen's parents might actually approve of him.
He might have been on to something. If Peter had the kind of wealth and prestige Charles had, Gwen's parents would certainly be much more open to their relationship. However, it wouldn't necessarily be for the reasons Peter thought. Most likely, they would be more interested in Xavier's sprawling mansion that spanned several hundred acres...
Both teams quickly submitted their answers, with Team A successfully beating Team B to the punch. Despite both teams choosing the same answer, the final score was announced as follows:
[Congratulations to Team A for successfully securing the answer. Player Peter Parker and player Wanda Maximoff have each been awarded 4 points. Team B answered correctly as well, with player Erik Lehnsherr and player Logan Howlett each earning 1 point.]
Even though they had answered correctly, Erik wasn't particularly happy. He had expected to be right, but failing to secure the answering rights and only earning a single point left him feeling a bit unsatisfied.
He shot a glance at the silent Wolverine. "Our lead is shrinking. You need to pull your weight, at least try to be more proactive during the answer round."
Erik had been playing this game long enough to realize he hadn't quite grasped the trick to winning the buzzer race. Sometimes, he felt like he'd hit the button as fast as humanly possible, only for Team A to still snatch the answer. Other times, he felt sluggish, yet they would somehow still manage to secure the buzzer.
The two teams were separated by a semi-transparent barrier, so while they couldn't fully see each other, they could still vaguely discern the other team's movements. By observing Peter and Wanda's actions, Erik tried to deduce the timing behind the buzzer race.
His eventual conclusion? The button in front of him was likely just a prop. Winning the buzzer seemed to be completely random.
As Erik pondered this, the video on the screen resumed. The situation was becoming increasingly tense as the cargo ship continued to edge dangerously closer to the embargo line.
The Soviets, realizing they had lost control of the cargo ship, quickly hailed the U.S. fleet, explaining the situation and urging them not to open fire. However, the U.S. commander, a hardline hawk, wasn't buying it. He believed the Soviets were engaging in deception and was determined to proceed with the attack. The countdown to open fire had already begun.
At this critical moment, Charles, aboard one of the fighter jets, fully grasped the situation. Using his telepathy, he took control of a commander aboard the Soviet ship and made him press the missile launch button. The fighter jet shot a missile, which arced through the sky, heading directly toward the rogue cargo ship.
However, Charles, Erik, and the others were aboard a fighter jet directly in the missile's trajectory. Fortunately, Hank was quick on the controls. Despite his large, rugged appearance, Hank had remarkably precise piloting skills. In a split-second maneuver, he flipped the jet upside down, pulling off a complex aerial stunt that managed to avoid the missile. Thankfully, everyone was strapped in, or they would've been thrown around the cabin like rag dolls.
Outside the screen, Erik turned to look at Logan Howlett with a teasing grin. "Logan, if you were on that plane, would you be puking by now?"
Logan's face twitched slightly. It seemed his fear of flying was a weakness that would follow him for the rest of his life. Irritated and slightly embarrassed, he glared at Erik. "Mind your own business! What happens to me has nothing to do with you!"
Inside the video, Hank, who had also been startled by the near miss, was visibly shaken. He immediately realized that it had been Charles who manipulated the Soviets into firing the missile, which nearly resulted in disaster for their own team. Frustrated, he couldn't help but complain to Charles: "Professor, next time, give us a heads-up before you make a move!"