~~"Child, do you need help?"~~
Brian said, sending a low-frequency sound wave toward Moira.
The sound wave traveled the 10-kilometer distance instantly, reaching Moira's ears with precision.
"Who? Who's talking?!!" Moira asked aloud, her eyes darting around in surprise.
"Moira, what are you rambling about now?"
LeBron snapped, glaring at her. He was losing patience. If not for their shared history, he might have been tempted to shoot her on the spot.
"Didn't you hear it?" Moira asked hesitantly, frowning at LeBron.
"Hear what? All I hear is you shouting nonsense," LeBron replied, looking at Moira as if she had lost her mind.
Looking into Agent LeBron's skeptical eyes, Moira began to wonder if she was hallucinating.
But before she could dismiss the thought, that gentle and magnetic voice sounded in her ears once more.
~~"Child, I have many names. The ancient pharaoh, En Sabah Nur. The sun god. The god who once ruled Egypt. But I prefer when people call me the God of Apocalypse."~~
Moira froze, her face a mask of shock. What did I just hear? she thought.
"Apocalypse?" she whispered to herself. "What is that?"
The voice returned, calm and resonant. "Child, I am the mutant you have been seeking."
Hearing this, a mix of surprise and exhilaration flashed across Moira's face.
"You're a mutant? Apocalypse?" she asked, her voice trembling with excitement. "Why are you speaking to me?"
LeBron and the other agents exchanged confused glances, their expressions growing more concerned as Moira seemed to talk to thin air.
~~"Child, you need my help,"~~ the voice replied.
~~"And I, the great god Apocalypse, require your help in return. I slumber deep beneath the sands of Egypt, and I need you to find me... and wake me."~~
The voice belonged to Brian, speaking with intentional mystique. Though his words carried an air of grandiosity, they were not entirely untrue. In the Mutant Apocalypse event, it was indeed Moira who had discovered Apocalypse's burial site and inadvertently awakened him.
"W-Why should I help you?" Moira asked, her voice wavering.
~~"Because I will grant you supreme power,"~~ the voice replied smoothly. ~~"You will become one of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, destined by me to wield extraordinary mutant abilities."~~
Brian continued his charade with an air of conviction.
Through his super-hearing, he could detect the rapid, uneven beating of Moira's heart—a clear sign that she was tempted.
"And how exactly are you going to help me?" Moira asked, glancing uneasily at Agent LeBron. Despite her interest in the offer made by this supposed "Apocalypse," she remained shackled and powerless to escape.
Brian didn't reply. Instead, he simply whistled softly.
The infrasound waves, infused with immense energy, traveled instantly to the ears of Agent LeBron and the two other CIA operatives.
Before Moira's stunned eyes, the bodies of Agent LeBron and the other two agents exploded violently under the force of the sound waves.
Brian's abilities had been significantly enhanced since acquiring Julie's super-hearing. Combined with his soundwave manipulation, he now possessed an impressive range of destructive and communicative powers.
Through super-hearing, Brian could locate anyone with pinpoint accuracy, then snipe them from long distances using targeted soundwaves. Alternatively, he could communicate over vast distances with ease.
This combination of super-hearing and soundwave manipulation gave Brian a unique and powerful edge in long-range combat.
"Ha!—W-W-What the...?" Moira gasped, her voice trembling with disbelief as she stared at the gruesome aftermath. She was so shocked that she could barely form words.
Moira was stunned by the mysterious and deadly abilities displayed by the ancient pharaoh "Apocalypse."
At the same time, her belief in the existence of mutants solidified completely.
Mutants are real. And this 'Apocalypse' is an incredibly powerful one, she thought to herself.
"I've helped you; now it's your turn to help me, child," the voice continued smoothly. "Go to Egypt. Find my burial place, and I will grant you supreme power."
With that, Brian ended his communication, ignoring any further calls from Moira.
"Apocalypse? Apocalypse!" Moira called out desperately, but the voice did not respond again.
She glanced around at the remains of the three CIA agents.
The gruesome sight confirmed the power of the mutant she had just encountered.
However, as a CIA agent, Moira also understood the dire situation she was now in. The deaths of LeBron and the other two agents would undoubtedly be pinned on her.
The existence of mutants was considered a delusion, and no one among the CIA's leadership would take her claims seriously.
Left with no other choice, Moira decided to follow the guidance of "Apocalypse." She gathered a few of the guns scattered on the ground and hurried away, determined to travel to Egypt and search for Apocalypse's burial site.
Using his super-hearing, Brian listened as Moira made her way to the Las Vegas airport. He followed her movements as she boarded a flight bound for Egypt.
"Go, my mutant treasure-hunting mouse~" Brian said to himself with a sly smile as he tapped his ear lightly, disabling his super-hearing.
Under his calculated manipulation, Moira was now en route to Egypt to locate Apocalypse.
As for Brian, it was time for him to head to Siberia.
"Kayla, let's go," Brian said, lifting Kayla Silverfox effortlessly into his arms.
The four wings behind him unfurled with a powerful motion.
Boom.
With a single flap of his wings, Brian shot into the air like a streak of white light, ascending rapidly to an altitude of 10,000 meters.
At a blistering speed of Mach 8, Brian flew toward Siberia in the Soviet Union.
...
A few hours later
Siberia, Oymyakon region.
Known as the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere, this area was a vast expanse of permafrost. The entire land was blanketed in thick snow, and the icy winds cut through the air with a bone-chilling ferocity. The temperature hovered at a staggering 60 degrees below zero.
Amid this frozen wasteland, a figure descended from the sky.
It was Brian.
Standing amidst the snow-covered terrain, Brian surveyed Oymyakon with interest. Despite its harsh reputation as the coldest city in the world, he appeared utterly unfazed.
Brian was dressed in nothing more than a thin shirt and shorts, standing in stark contrast to the heavily bundled locals of the Soviet Union.
As he entered the extreme environment, his adaptive evolution immediately activated, responding to the freezing conditions.
In an instant, Brian's skin transformed into a frosty blue hue, adorned with intricate, mysterious frost patterns.
With his new form, Brian became perfectly attuned to the subzero environment. The bitter cold, which would have been lethal to most, had no effect on him. The icy temperatures of 60 degrees below zero felt as natural as a warm summer breeze.
Rather than feeling discomfort, Brian found the extreme cold exhilarating. It made him feel exceptionally at ease.
He had already named this new evolutionary state: Frost Form.
In this form, his skin absorbed the surrounding cold air and converted it into heat, which sustained his body's energy requirements. Theoretically, the colder the environment, the more comfortable Brian felt.
Turning to Kayla Silverfox, Brian noticed her pale complexion and trembling body. The freezing temperatures had taken their toll on her.
Without hesitation, he grabbed her right hand.
Kayla, who had been shivering uncontrollably, suddenly felt a surge of warmth spread through her body. The comforting heat dispelled the cold and enveloped her in a sensation akin to soaking in a hot bath.
This was another feature of Brian's Frost Form. His azure-blue skin not only allowed him to adapt to extreme cold but the maxed-out form also enabled him to transfer stored heat to others through physical contact, shielding them from harsh environments.
As they touched down in the border town, Brian activated his super-hearing.
Instantly, a flood of voices filled his ears, allowing him to survey the area with precision.
Within moments, he located the person he was searching for.
The White Queen—Emma Frost.
___________
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