Chapter 372 On the Eve of the Battle

Afternoon, X Academy.

A beam of golden red fire fell straight down from the sky, and soon it landed on the ground, and Xu Yue stepped out from the drifting flames.

Unlike the grand momentum when he left the academy, he deliberately chose a rather secret place to land when he returned, so this time he did not attract much attention from the teachers and students of the academy.

Of course, this does not include Professor X, whose spiritual energy can cover the entire academy, and the other party noticed it as soon as he landed.

"Come to the underground base."

"Okay, professor."

Listening to the voice transmission in his mind, Xu Yue nodded and walked quickly towards the direction of the castle gate.

After a while, he took the elevator inside the castle to the underground base on the first floor, and went straight to the medical room with ease.

Soon as the metal hatch of the medical room opened, a lively scene immediately came into Xu Yue's eyes. The spacious room in front of him accommodated all the current X-Men members.

In the center of the room were two operating tables standing side by side, on which lay Scott and Mystique, who were also receiving blood and various liquid medicines. Beside them, a monitoring machine displaying a lot of data was beeping, indicating that the vital signs of the two were relatively stable.

Storm and Logan were standing near Scott's bed and whispering something, while the professor looked down at the skinny Mystique on the other bed with a complicated expression. The only silent person in the field, apart from the two patients, was the Red Prison Armor standing quietly in the corner like a metal statue.

As the sound of the hatch opening at the door spread, the three people who were still awake in the room almost looked over at the same time, and Storm Ororo's reaction was the most significant. After seeing Xu Yue return safely, she left Logan behind and hurried over to meet him.

"Xinhuo, how are you? Are you not injured?"

"Nothing."

He waved his hand casually to calm Storm's anxious mood. As for why she was so enthusiastic, Xu Yue was not surprised.

Before, Scott was taken away, and Storm could only guard the academy and could not go out to protect the students, so Xu Yue went to rescue him alone. With her personality, letting her teammates take risks alone would definitely make her feel guilty. Now, after receiving Xu Yue's reply that he was safe, she finally felt relieved.

During the conversation, the two of them also moved from the door to the inside of the treatment room. After finishing the conversation with Storm, Xu Yue simply greeted Logan, and then looked directly at the professor beside him and said:

"Jean has been taken away from Lake Alkali by Magneto."

"Yes, I saw it."

On the side of the operating table, the professor sitting in a wheelchair looked solemn. After returning to the academy, he hurriedly used the brain wave amplifier to detect the traces of the Brotherhood and naturally saw Jean taken away by Magneto.

Although the other party was still in a coma, the professor was able to easily identify Jean's current specific state through observation of her spiritual space. The Phoenix personality in her body had been completely awakened and occupied an absolute dominant position in the spiritual space. Now calling her the Dark Phoenix might be more appropriate than continuing to call her Jean.

At this point, Jean, who controlled the power of the Phoenix, could no longer be re-sealed by relying solely on his spiritual energy, so even if he observed the Brotherhood's movements, the professor did not stop them. He just watched Magneto and others return to the secret base stationed in the forest and completely disappeared from his perception range.

Recalling the intelligence he had gathered from the Brotherhood's base, the professor said in a deep voice with a trace of worry in his eyes:

"There are about a thousand mutants of varying strength gathered in the Brotherhood's base now. Eric has almost taken in all the radical mutants in the Federation, and within these few days, it should be the time for them to launch a general attack on humans."

After speaking, Xu Yue, who was facing the professor, had not yet replied, but Logan, who was standing by, came over first. He was not very interested in the specific number of mutants stationed in the Brotherhood. He only cared about Jean's safety.

In this academy, it is not just Scott who likes Jean. Although Scott is Jean's real boyfriend in name, Logan obviously does not care about this.

"Jean was kidnapped by Magneto, right? Now that we have found the Brotherhood's base, when will we rush in to rescue her?"

"Kidnapped?"

Glancing at Logan, who had a hint of murderous intent on his face, Xu Yue shook his head slowly.

"To be precise, Jean left with Magneto voluntarily, not kidnapped, and now it is another Dark Phoenix personality that controls Jean's body. She is most likely unwilling to return to the academy."

"Calm down, Logan. You can't save anyone if you act rashly now. I promise to bring Jean back to the academy within three days at most."

Xu Yue's tone was firm. He first temporarily appeased the anxious Logan, and then turned to look at Storm who was hesitant to speak.

"The number of thousands of people in the Brotherhood is more exaggerated than expected. Coupled with the human camp, the intensity of the war after the war can be imagined. It is difficult for us to play a decisive role alone. Ororo, how many reserve X-Men are there now?"

The so-called reserve force is the outstanding combat members selected from the students of the academy. Iceman, Colossus and Phantom, who have been trained by Xu Yue before, are the X-Men reserve forces selected by Storm, but this number is far from enough to participate in a war.

In Xu Yue's estimation, the next "antidote battle" is only a primary battlefield, and the subsequent independence war is the real bloody meat grinder. By then, the students who have been sheltered for a long time in the academy will never be able to stay out of it. Instead of being caught off guard at that time, it is better to start rehearsals in advance now.

From ancient times to the present, whether it is a nation or a country, the process of independence has been tempered by countless blood and corpses. Regarding this, Xu Yue has never thought of taking their due responsibilities alone.

On the other side, although Storm did not know the specific plan for the subsequent independence, she was very clear about the importance of the antidote, so she has been carefully selecting suitable students to join the X-Men reserve force in the past few days. After hearing Xu Yue's inquiry, she replied decisively.

"It has been increased from four to eight. There are many students with strong mutant abilities in the academy, but they are either too young or their psychological quality is not up to standard. Only so many people can be gathered in a short time."

"If you want to continue to expand the number, you can only contact those students who have graduated, but this takes time."

"There are only eight people for now..."

This number is less than Xu Yue expected. During the time he taught at the X Academy, he saw a variety of mutant abilities, many of which even surprised him. After counting, there are more than eight senior students whose combat effectiveness can meet the requirements of the X-Men.

And now this result can only be said that the requirements set by Storm must be quite strict, but it is not difficult to understand. After all, the academy has always cultivated only a group of students. Maybe they all have good potential, but age and mentality are absolutely weak.

In fact, Xu Yue did not have much expectation for the actual combat effectiveness of those new recruits in the reserve. There is not much difference between eight and eighteen people for him.

But even if the actual role that the reserve can play is limited, he wants these students who have been accustomed to peace and protection for a long time to participate in the war as much as possible, and get used to the bloody and cruel atmosphere of war as soon as possible. This is the best way to grow up.

As for the sacrifices that may be brought about, as he has always believed, the independence of a race must stand up straight on the bloody sea of ​​corpses. There are enemies among the piles of corpses, but more will only be compatriots.

"The scale of less than two digits is far from enough. This battle for the antidote is just the beginning. Continue to expand, and you can start to contact those suitable graduates and start to strengthen the combat training of all students. Peace will not last too long, and the college will not be spared by then."

Listening to Xu Yue's slightly meaningful words, Storm pursed her lips and did not reply immediately. He first lowered his eyes to look at the professor beside him, and after confirming that he had no objection to this, he nodded in agreement.

"No problem!"

"By the way, how is Mary in the reserve now? Have you decided whether to inject the antidote?"

Storm was stunned when she heard this, and the figure who rushed to the principal's office and asked in surprise not long ago quickly emerged in her mind. At first, she was firmly opposed to Mary's decision to inject the antidote.

But later, after following Xu Yue to see the true situation of the lower-level mutants, she gradually understood Mary's decision a little more. At least she would no longer explicitly dissuade her, but she did not openly encourage her either. She just quietly paid attention to what she would choose.

"She is still struggling, but it shouldn't take too long, so she is not included in the eight reserve personnel I mentioned before."

After speaking, Xu Yue lowered his eyes and said lightly:

"If she finally decides to inject the antidote, then tell her that the effect of the antidote is not permanent. At most, her ability will be restored in ten years. It depends on her wishes to make the decision afterwards."

"Not permanent?!"

"Well, the antidote can only suppress, but not exterminate genes. As you said, we have never been a disease, so how can we talk about a complete cure."

"I know, I know..."

Looking at Storm, who was so excited that she was mumbling in a low voice beside him, Xu Yue retracted his gaze and turned to look at the professor who had been quietly watching him give instructions in the wheelchair.

"Professor, what about the Hellfire Club?"

"Don't worry, we have reached a cooperation with Emma, ​​and she will make a move in secret."

"Hank..."

...

The discussion echoed in the room until more than ten minutes later, when Xu Yue and the professor finished discussing the preparations before the antidote campaign. After making sure that there were no omissions, he decisively said goodbye.

"Professor, I will leave first, and there are some preparations I need to arrange in advance."

Hearing this, the professor smiled and nodded with a slightly tired look, but when Xu Yue was about to leave, he suddenly said:

"Xinhuo, thank you!"

The professor did not specify what he was thanking for, perhaps for Scott who was rescued on the operating table and Mystique who was not killed, or perhaps for the various matters that Xu Yue had been running around for during this period of time.

In short, no matter what the specific reason was, the sincerity in his words was truly revealed, and Xu Yue did not ask too many questions after listening. He just curled his lips at the professor, and then turned around and nodded slightly to Storm and Logan on the other side of the room.

Finally, he stretched out his hand to summon the Red Prison Armor that had always stood still in the corner. After doing this, he quickly walked away.

Behind him, the Red Prison turned into a beam of red light and merged directly into his body, and the people in the room were also isolated by the closed hatch. Before Scott and Mystique fully recovered, they would probably not leave the medical room so quickly.

Outside the treatment room, the crisp footsteps gradually moved away in the metal corridor and soon disappeared. A few minutes later, Xu Yue walked out of the elevator on the third floor of the castle and then went straight to his lounge.

The door was closed gently. After returning to the room, Xu Yue did not rush to rest. Instead, he took out the only scarlet card he had obtained in this battle. At the same time, he also took out the sleeping manta ray in the space in the form of a gem and woke it up.

"Bing~"

A lazy chirping sound came from the blue gem in his hand, and then small crystal wings stretched out from both sides of the gem. In the blink of an eye, the gem that was originally a dead object turned into a vivid and gorgeous flying fish.

The warm sea-blue eyes opened, and after seeing a blood-red vortex suspended in the air not far away, the sleepiness in the manta ray's eyes quickly dissipated. It cried excitedly, flapped its wings and dived into the vortex.

The manta ray was not excited about drawing cards. What really excited her was the soul crystal (small) and green gem it obtained after drawing the scarlet card last time.

In its simple cognition, drawing cards and feeding have been equated.

Glancing at the figure of Manta disappearing in the vortex, Xu Yue did not choose to stand there and wait, but pulled out the armchair beside him and sat down, and began to study his still somewhat shriveled arm.

As his mind turned, the Red Prison Armor in his body trembled slightly, and then a scarlet blood light slowly appeared on his arm, and a faint sore and itchy feeling rose. The flesh and blood in his arm that had become shriveled due to the erosion of evil energy began to rejuvenate under the nourishment of this blood light, and it was completely restored in a short while.

"Red Prison's recovery ability seems to have become significantly stronger."

Sighing slightly at the changes after Red Prison's return, he dispelled the blood light on his arm and looked up at the three items that were neatly placed on the surface of the desk in front of him.

The luster of the two green and one white equipment bloomed in his eyes. Although it was not as good as the last harvest, Xu Yue did not feel disappointed.

Getting nothing is often the norm when drawing scarlet cards. Now that he can get three pieces of equipment in a row, it can already reflect Wen Yu's luck. Anyway, it is foreseeable that he will have many opportunities to get scarlet cards in this world, so he is not in a hurry.

After simply scanning the specific attributes of the three pieces of equipment and determining that they are not very useful, Xu Yue threw them directly into the space. The greatest value of these low-level equipment to him is to use them to decompose and refine magic dust. In short, they will not be useless.

After opening the scarlet card, Xu Yue handed a green gem to Wen Yu, who was staring at him eagerly, as usual, and then summoned the magic mirror to open a portal to Cairo.

Soon the figure in the room disappeared, leaving only Wen Yu, who was holding the gem and chewing it happily.

Xu Yue's words to the professor that some preparations needed to be arranged were not false, but these preparations were not in the academy, but in Cairo, Egypt.