Xu Mo, having spent the day indoors, stepped out onto the balcony at dusk. Lorna, who had been in a grueling training session with him until the early afternoon, joined him. Despite her powerful abilities, mutants like her also had physical stamina far beyond that of normal humans.
"What's on your mind?" Lorna's tired voice reached Xu Mo, her delicate features reflecting the exhaustion of the night before.
Xu Mo, gazing at the sky, replied with a soft smile, "Stryker has probably already started his operations. Are you going to confront him?"
"Of course," Lorna said, her hair beginning to float and turn dark green as she manipulated a coin with her powers. "I intend to capture Stryker and make him pay."
With that, Lorna prepared for their mission. Xu Mo, meanwhile, reviewed his inventory. He had a single item fragment: a time machine fragment from Doraemon. He was unsure if it would be usable in the Marvel Universe, especially since the apology bug had limited effects on Thanos. Marvel's powerful artifacts were usually in the possession of the Sorcerer Supreme, like the Ancient One.
Other items in his collection included reconstituted flashlights, rabbit-changing biscuits, shadow scissors, and a stone ghost mask. The shadow scissors could turn shadows into obedient dark entities, though their effectiveness declined over time. The stone ghost mask, from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, could turn its wearer into a powerful vampire-like creature, especially if inlaid with the Super Aizhe redstone. Xu Mo wondered if such redstones existed in the Marvel Universe.
"If not, this mask might be less useful," he mused, planning to have Alice look for a suitable alternative.
Xu Mo then checked his skill panel, noting an eclectic mix of abilities:
Active Skills: Vaccine Lightwave Ball (lv3), Shunpo, Rukia's Kidō, Third Generation Ninjutsu, Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan, Gray's ice modeling magic, Ashura mode.
"It's a bit of a hodgepodge," Xu Mo thought, feeling that his current skill set was not well-suited for specific challenges. He anticipated that future mall functions would allow for more specialized abilities.
His fan base had grown to 300 million, an impressive figure boosted by global reach and the popularity of his comics. The appeal of titles like One Punch Man and Tokyo Ghoul transcended cultural boundaries, with One Punch Man ranking third on Amazon's Manga of the Year list, just behind American classics like The Sandman and Star Wars.
Xu Mo decided to spend 100 million fan points on the system's lottery. The results included:
Two-color Haki of Red-Haired Shanks (Armament and Conqueror's Haki)Captain-level Kidō (Hadō and Bakudō, numbers 1 to 99)Sage ModeDoraemon Shards x2Mikasa Shards x2 (from Attack on Titan)The essence of three heroesJOJO's outerwearTazmi's scabbardKakashi's maskStraw hat
Xu Mo was a bit disappointed with the results, feeling that 100 million fan points should have yielded more significant rewards. He planned to sell some of the less useful items to Uncle Andy for a good price.
The newly acquired abilities were impressive:
Two-color Haki: Enhanced combat capabilities with Armament and Conqueror's Haki.Captain-level Kidō: Comprehensive Hadō and Bakudō spells.Sage Mode: Amplifies physical and sensory abilities through natural energy.
Xu Mo equipped these and felt a warm surge of energy. He replaced Rukia's Kidō with Captain Kidō and added Sage Mode alongside Ashura Mode.
Next, Xu Mo brought three silver-gray pills to Jin Kaneki, who was currently engaged in a meal in the basement. Xu Mo handed over the pills, saying, "These should help with your evolution."
Jin Kaneki accepted the pills calmly. De Cooler, who was restrained by silverware, pleaded for release, but they ignored him as they left the basement. Jin Kaneki would undergo the next stage of evolution while Xu Mo awaited Charles's actions.
White House - Conference Room
Charles, accompanied by Scott, was pushed into the conference room in his wheelchair. Cyclops was left outside, and a presidential assistant delivered coffee before leaving. As soon as the door closed, small holes appeared in the walls, releasing a colorless, odorless gas that began to envelop Charles.
Charles, aware that the gas was not deadly to him, remained calm. He had anticipated this kind of trap. A woman appeared and shot Cyclops, but he fell into unconsciousness too late to stop the gas.
Meanwhile, at Stryker's secret base under the Akalia Lake dam, mutant children, unconscious from anesthesia, were being placed into cells by soldiers. Stryker was frustrated to find only children and not the young mutants he sought.
"Everyone else was led away by Wolverine through the tunnel," a soldier explained.
"Damn it, almost..." Stryker seethed, his anger palpable as he slammed his fist against the wall. His plan had backfired; Charles was trapped, and the X-Men had been diverted by the Blue Devil.
However, Stryker was not entirely discouraged. He planned to use the brainwave machine to control Charles with the help of his son Jensen, a powerful telepath.
Suddenly, several flashes of cold light cut through the night sky as dark metal bars, propelled by a magnetic field, pierced through the guards.
Lorna, using her magnetic powers, dismantled the dam gate and created a whirlwind of metal. The X-Men, including Wolverine and Storm, watched in awe as Lorna, displaying her formidable abilities, breached the base.
"This is incredible. She's truly Magneto's daughter," Storm remarked. "Why is she helping us?"
Wolverine, still shivering from his encounter with Magneto, questioned Lorna's motives. Storm speculated that Charles might have more information.
As Lorna and the X-Men infiltrated the base, Stryker was caught off guard. Lorna's control over metal rendered the soldiers' weapons useless. Despite her efforts, Stryker's Admiral Yuriko was defeated quickly.
Stryker, surrounded by hostile mutants, tried to escape. Charles, now entering the base, declared, "We needed evidence, which is why we attacked the military base."
Charles then revealed that he had been working with Xu Mo, and the X-Men and the Academy were now under Xu Mo's control. Xu Mo arrived, accompanied by Terminators who began searching the base for experimental materials.
Mutants, horrified by the turn of events, looked to Charles for reassurance. "Don't be afraid," Charles said gently. "You'll become real heroes."
As Xu Mo prepared to upload the collected evidence online, he asked Lorna about her experience. "How does it feel, finally unleashing your full power?"
"It's exhilarating, as if everything is surrendering to me," Lorna replied, manipulating metal with ease.
Xu Mo concluded, "Let's head back. The President will likely make a statement on mutants tomorrow. If you release this information online, it will cause a stir."
The alliance between Charles and Xu Mo had shifted the dynamics. Instead of seeking peace with the President, they had chosen to expose Stryker's operations and assert their own influence in the world of mutants.