"That's impossible!"
He suddenly felt a faint trace of death pressing against the back of his neck. It was as if taking even one more step forward would result in his throat being pierced instantly.
QiQi quickly turned around with a friendly expression and tried to explain himself.
Whew… this combination.
That has to be Hawkeye and Black Widow, right?
At this moment, the sharpshooter and the charming woman were wandering around the streets of New York. They even carried FBI credentials to disguise their identities.
Thinking about it carefully, there really weren't many other people who would do something like that.
After a brief moment of thought, Marvel Qi raised both hands high in the air, slowly turned around, and shouted.
"I'm a law-abiding taxpayer! I can sue you for defamation!"
His stubborn resistance seemed to amuse the woman with the beautiful legs.
With clear interest in her eyes, she said casually,
"Sue us for what, exactly, Mr. Mutant?"
Marvel Qi glared at her as if he were furious.
"I'm going to sue you for…"
"You're not seriously planning to accuse us of defamation, are you?"
"Hahaha…!"
Maybe the situation was just too ridiculous.
The woman suspected to be Black Widow burst into laughter. Her body swayed back and forth as she laughed, her long legs crossing elegantly.
The visual impact nearly overwhelmed Marvel Qi.
Finally, she took a thick stack of documents from the suited man beside her and tossed them onto the metal counter with a loud bang.
"Mr. Mickey," she said playfully, "why don't you take a look at these and see whether your disguise is really as flawless as you believe?"
"Huh?"
Suppressing his unease, QiQi flipped through the pages.
The paper rustled softly.
The more he read, the more shocked he became.
Before even finishing the file, his face had already turned pale.
He stopped flipping pages.
"You're breaking the law," he said stiffly.
The documents the suspected Black Widow had given him were filled with photographs and detailed records.
They contained not only solid proof of his identity as a mutant but even photos of him posing in relaxed, rather suspicious positions.
The woman with the beautiful legs reacted lightly to his accusation.
"Oh? Really?"
She leaned back comfortably and continued in a teasing tone.
"Are you under the illusion that the FBI doesn't represent the law?"
Those three rapid-fire questions shattered the pleasant illusion of fairness that this country liked to display. The reality beneath it stood naked in front of Marvel Qi.
Black Widow was already far too experienced for tricks like his.
Seeing that his disguise had been exposed and the other side had revealed their true intentions, Marvel Qi could only reach for his final option.
He called for help.
He placed both hands on the counter like a trapped animal and asked hoarsely,
"So that's it? There's really no way out?"
The woman watched him quietly for a moment.
He did look rather pitiful.
She exchanged a glance with the suited man beside her.
The message between them was simple.
Time to close the net.
After all, if it came to acting weak and helpless, Black Widow herself was practically the queen of deception.
Trying to bluff past her with cute tricks would never work.
But who said Marvel Qi was relying on himself?
He had his own backup.
Phoenix.
"Waaah! Sister Jean! Someone is bullying me!"
The crying began the instant the phone connected.
On the other end of the line, Jean Grey had just answered the call.
She immediately heard the pitiful sobbing of the boy she cared about.
Marvel Qi had even saved up money to buy her this groundbreaking smartphone.
Now he was calling her for help.
Jean's anger exploded instantly.
The power of the Phoenix stirred around her like a rising flame of destruction.
"Mickey, don't be afraid," she said in a low voice. "Are you still near the Manhattan campus of the New York Institute of Technology?"
"Wait for me."
"Jean, hold on."
A voice suddenly interrupted.
Scott Summers, Cyclops, who was currently walking across the grounds of the Xavier Institute with his girlfriend and a decorative lamp shaped like Wolverine, immediately stepped forward.
"Is Mickey in trouble?"
At this critical moment he tried to display the dignity expected of a boyfriend.
Unfortunately, Jean's protective instincts were far too strong.
She glared at Scott like an anxious mother hen protecting her chick.
"Scott, you're too cautious!"
Her sharp words pierced straight through Cyclops' fragile heart.
"Jean, I…!"
Cyclops still wanted to defend himself.
But someone else had already stepped in.
Logan, Wolverine himself, walked forward with complete confidence and poured metaphorical salt on Scott's wound.
"Scott, you're handling this wrong."
"That kid Mickey is one of the brightest students at our school."
Then he glanced at Jean's expression.
Seeing her soften slightly, Logan spoke quickly.
"Jean, grab me and fly us there."
"I've got healing abilities and bones stronger than steel. I'll be fine."
Jean hesitated.
"Logan… the Phoenix Force is hard to control. You might suffer."
As the current host of the Phoenix Force, Jean knew exactly how dangerous it could be.
But Logan was not about to miss this opportunity.
"As his teacher, it's my responsibility to help when a student is in trouble," he said boldly.
"Besides, if you go alone, you might run into complications. Bringing me gives you another option."
As he spoke, Logan casually extended his metal claws, increasing his sense of authority.
Jean glanced briefly at her somewhat helpless boyfriend.
Considering the destructive nature of the Phoenix Force, she finally nodded with gratitude.
"Logan, I'm glad you're willing to help."
Logan smiled sincerely, looking every bit the dedicated teacher worried about his student.
Cyclops, however, was not fooled.
His girlfriend was flying off with another man.
How could he possibly accept that?
"Jean…"
The words he wanted to say never had the chance to leave his mouth.
Jean interrupted him immediately.
"Scott, go inform the Professor and Hank. Logan and I will head there first."
Before Cyclops could reply, Jean grabbed Logan's wrist.
With a gentle pull, the two of them soared into the sky, flying straight toward Mickey's shop.
The only consolation Cyclops received was Jean's concerned remark before leaving.
"Logan, it might hurt a little. Try to endure it."
And the person receiving that concern was his greatest romantic rival.
"NO!!!"
Cyclops shouted at the sky.
Just then, Storm happened to pass by.
"Scott? What's wrong?"
Cyclops coughed awkwardly.
"Nothing. A student asked me a math question and I couldn't solve it."
Storm nodded sympathetically.
"That makes sense."
"Ever since Mickey left the academy, only Jean and Hank are good at academic subjects."
"People like us and Logan aren't exactly experts in that area."
She gave him a gentle smile.
"Don't worry. If you can't solve it, just ask Jean. She's your girlfriend, after all."
"From the look on your face just now, I almost thought Logan had already replaced you."
Storm flew away gracefully after saying that.
The speaker meant no harm.
But the listener took it very seriously.
Logan replaced me…
Logan replaced me…
The sentence repeated itself in Cyclops' mind like hypnotic magic.
"No. I can't just sit here and do nothing."
Cyclops suddenly made up his mind.
"Otherwise what Storm said might actually come true!"
After thinking carefully, he rushed to find Hank McCoy, Beast, Mickey's mentor in mechanical science.
He quickly explained everything he knew.
"What?!"
Beast immediately jumped up after hearing Cyclops' incomplete explanation.
"You're saying Mickey is being threatened?"
Without hesitation, the blue-furred genius turned and ran toward the hangar where the X-Jet was parked.
As Mickey's mentor, how could he stay behind at a time like this?
Cyclops watched the huge blue figure rush away.
He stood there in shock.
"Hank, wait! I'm also Mickey's…"
Before he could finish speaking, Beast turned around.
He gave Cyclops a slightly embarrassed smile.
"Oh, Scott! I was in such a hurry that I forgot you were here."
Cyclops forced a smile.
"So… can I come?"
Beast hesitated briefly before answering.
"Scott, could you inform the Professor instead?"
"Why?!"
Cyclops finally exploded.
He had been pretending to stay calm this whole time just to help that kid Mickey.
But now Hank wanted him to handle the worst task.
"Go report to the Professor while I deal with everything?"
Cyclops laughed bitterly.
"Hank, stop right there."
"I'm coming too."
"Otherwise," he added firmly, "I'll call the Professor myself."
"You…!"
Beast's blue fur practically stood on end with frustration.
But in the end he had no choice but to agree.
After activating the X-Jet's stealth system and taking off quietly, Beast asked with confusion,
"Scott, Jean asked you to inform the Professor. But you came to find me and now you're flying with me."
"So what about the Professor?"
Cyclops looked surprisingly confident.
He smirked and spoke a single name.
"Ororo."
"Ororo?" Beast asked in confusion.
"What does she have to do with this?"
Seeing that Beast's scientific mind clearly struggled with social strategies, Cyclops explained patiently.
"I sent her an email describing the situation and asked her to notify the Professor for me."
"She's serving as the Professor's assistant today. Once she reaches the office and checks the computer, the message will reach him."
Cyclops looked extremely proud of his clever plan.
Beast sighed helplessly.
"I suspect Miss Ororo will repay you for this little surprise with a very large lightning bolt." ⚡