Before Hawk and Wanda came to this Mutant Underground Community, they couldn't help but wonder what this underground community was like.
For example...
Hidden inside the sewer pipes.
After all, the sewers of New York City are extensive, and in the winter, some homeless people even take shelter there.
In short.
Better to stink than to freeze to death.
In fact, the Mutant Underground Community here is indeed hidden within the sewers.
But there's only one entrance to the underground community; you can only enter through a basement entrance in this five-story apartment building with weathered walls, then you walk about fifty meters to reach the community.
The sewer here seems to have been abandoned, lacking the usual dampness of sewers. Although the air doesn't smell great, it's small but well-equipped.
Looking around.
Epsilon-level mutants are visible, though their clothing isn't great, and they don't look very spirited.
But...
"Mutants helping mutants."
"Although the living conditions here aren't ideal, at least they can survive here."
"If they were outside and got discovered, within half an hour, people from the Sentinel Special Service Bureau would take them away, never to be seen again."
With Wanda disguised as a mutant using Crimson Chaos Power, under the guidance of the community's administrator, they were led inside.
After all, without an X-gene detector, they couldn't visually distinguish whether Wanda was really a mutant or not.
Wanda's gaze swept over the severely deformed Epsilon-level mutants, capturing the keywords in the administrator's words.
"Wasn't the Sentinel Special Service Bureau disbanded ten years ago, after Magneto caused chaos in Washington?"
"Heh!"
The administrator let out a derisive laugh at this question: "Those brightly dressed gentlemen on Congress Hill said so, but the persecution of our kind merely went underground. Their persecution never actually stopped."
From the tone of voice, it was evident the administrator held a grudge against Washington.
Hm.
Enough resentment to sustain an Evil Sword Immortal.
If his mutant ability weren't so weak, the administrator might have wanted to charge into Washington with a knife.
Hawk observed the administrator's face, full of resentment and anger, while thinking this.
After a while.
The two followed the administrator to a typical sewer platform with a recessed area, featuring a rusted iron door.
Upon pushing open the door, they entered an air-raid shelter the size of approximately two football fields, which was carved out during the initial sewer construction.
The shelter was brightly lit, with mutants displaying visible alterations, and some indistinguishable from ordinary people walking in small groups.
This was New York City's Mutant Underground Community.
"Normally, this place opens only at 10 PM."
"And closes at 4 AM."
"During this time, any mutant can come here seeking help from us or other fellow mutants."
The administrator led the two to a small office-like room at the edge of the shelter, inviting them to sit and explain the community's operational rules before shrugging: "After all, mutants help mutants, so, is there anything I can help you with?"
Wanda said nothing and looked at Hawk.
Hawk spoke directly: "I heard from Soren that you might know the location of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."
Soren was that long-haired guy's name.
He roughly knew that Xavier's School should be on the outskirts of New York City.
But...
Let's put it this way.
Folks in the East think anyone from outside their region is from the boonies, New York City is the same, anything outside it is considered the suburbs.
Moreover, even the surrounding areas of New York City are vast, so instead of searching aimlessly, they decided to follow the lead provided by Soren.
The administrator was slightly taken aback at Hawk's inquiry.
"You're looking for the X Academy?"
"Yes."
"Sorry."
Upon confirmation, the administrator offered a regretful smile: "I don't know the address of the X Academy, and even if I did, I wouldn't advise you to go."
Hawk raised an eyebrow.
Wanda was curious upon hearing this.
"Why?"
"No one knows the address of the X Academy."
The administrator, knowing that Hawk and Wanda had come from outside New York City, understood their intent to find the legendary sanctuary for mutants, the X Academy, and said seriously: "You won't find the X Academy; the X Academy finds you. Most of today's addresses claimed to be that of the X Academy are false, traps set by the Sentinel Special Service Bureau to capture us."
You cannot find the X Academy; the X Academy must find you.
The current X Academy addresses are all traps of the Sentinel Special Service Bureau?
Hawk listened to the administrator's serious explanation, his expression thoughtful.
"So, the X Academy is invite-only?"
"Who knows."
The administrator shrugged and chuckled, "If every mutant knew about X Academy and could go there, then my Mutant Underground Community wouldn't exist."
It was indeed true.
Everyone knew that Magneto was the hawkish leader of the mutants, but since the events of ten years ago, he had disappeared without a trace.
Similarly, all mutants knew the renowned Professor Charles Xavier and his X Academy, which provided shelter for all mutants.
But...
Seeing is believing.
The administrator handed the two glasses of whiskey he had poured to Hawk and Wanda, and once again said with a smile, "At least in my memory, I have never seen any mutant I know go to X Academy, or rather, some tribesmen went, but I have never seen them reappear."
Hawk took the whiskey handed to him by the administrator and took a sip.
Hearing the administrator's words, some fragments about X Academy appeared in his mind, along with scenes he had just seen when entering the sewer.
Come to think of it, he indeed had never seen an Epsilon-class mutant in any movie clips about X Academy.
That is, the kind of mutant who had negligible powers and severely deformed appearance, wandering as a vagrant.
So...
What exactly is X Academy, which protects and shelters all mutants, protecting?
Of course.
Hawk neither harbored malice nor goodwill towards the renowned Professor X.
Simply put.
It was none of his damn business.
He just wanted to find X Academy and see if the Jean there was really his daughter.
That's all.
With these thoughts in mind, Hawk looked at the administrator, clinked glasses with him, and asked, "So, if I want to find the X Academy, what can I do?"
The administrator took a sip from his glass.
"Mr. Phoenix, you seem very concerned about X Academy, can you tell me why? Of course, if it's inconvenient..."
"Our daughter is suspected to be inside X Academy."
"..."
The administrator's expression was slightly stunned as he looked at Hawk and the Wanda beside him.
But the two maintained serious expressions, with not a hint of jest.
"Hiss!"
The administrator gasped, then smiled bitterly, shaking his head, "Sorry, I truly don't know."
Upon hearing this, Hawk was not disappointed.
There is always a way out.
If worse comes to worst, find a car, take Wanda, and roam around the suburbs of New York, after all, the suburban area adjacent to New York City isn't too vast.
With his thoughts in place, Hawk downed his drink, looked at the administrator in front of him, and smiled, extending his right hand: "Thank you, sorry for the trouble."
The administrator shook his hand, smiling, "I'm sorry I couldn't help."
At the side, Wanda also shook hands with the administrator, expressing her thanks.
Soon.
Hawk and Wanda prepared to take their leave from here.
But just as the administrator was escorting them out of the office, a dull thud suddenly sounded, followed by a cacophony of noise and the sound of triggers being pulled, intermixed with various screams coming from outside.
The person standing at the air-raid shelter entrance opened the rusty iron door, letting shouts, screams, and yells clearly flood in.
"Sentinel Special Service Bureau!"
"Get down!"
"Get..."
"Fuck, fire, fire!"
"Pop, pop, pop!"
"Shit!"
As Hawk and Wanda exchanged glances, the administrator's face changed dramatically: "It's the Sentinel Special Service Bureau."
At the same time, seeming to maintain order and protect the underground mutant community, over a dozen mutants residing in the shelter, of varying colors and some evidently Epsilon-class, quickly grabbed their weapons and rushed to the administrator's side: "Fuck, Sentinel Special Service Bureau, they've activated the X Power Inhibitor, boss, you should leave through the emergency passage, here..."
"No way!"
Before the leader of the guard could finish speaking, three more mutant guards, faces bloodied, rushed over from the other side: "The emergency passage is blocked by the Sentinel Special Service Bureau too, Jack and Allen were killed by them, they're closing in."
The administrator's face kept changing, but his actions were swift, taking a gun from the leader of the guards, he handed it to Hawk beside him, smiling bitterly once again: "Apologies, Mr. Phoenix, we may not escape today, I don't know how much you know about the Sentinel Special Service Bureau, but trust me, you don't want to fall into their hands, a word of advice, if we lose, better to take your own life, it would be a relief."
Having said this.
Without waiting for Hawk to reply, the administrator shoved the gun into Hawk's arms and shouted: "Brothers, let's take on the Sentinel Special Service Bureau bastards, take one down, it's break even; two, it's a blood profit."
The dozen guards surrounding him rose to their feet and shouted loudly.
No sign of fear was evident, and under the administration's rallying cry, they rushed toward the emergency passage swiftly.
…