Chapter 148: Retreat

The Raven in his arms was completely limp; although Hank had not yet performed an examination, he knew the injuries must be extremely severe. Otherwise, given her strong personality, as long as she was not unconscious, she would never willingly let herself be held like this.

If that alien had not retreated half a step, not plowing this deep trench to dissipate the force, then Raven would have only become meat paste slapped against the wall!

Hank knew very well how Jean's telekinesis worked, so he never considered the option of acting as a meat shield to block the disaster. Of course, he would not use this point to reproach the other party. Acting as a cushion was probably the optimal solution.

And the beast's delayed reaction, in Henry's eyes, was a sign of being smart but lacking quick wit.

Being able to serve as a bridge for X-Men and government contact, while also being a scientist for logistics and equipment research, the Beast's character and wisdom were visible to all.

But this did not mean he possessed judgment and decisiveness in emergency situations; no wonder the X-Men's action team leader was Cyclops. Upon personal contact, this guy was actually quite indecisive.

At least from the way he used that beastly ugly face to look with deep affection at the... blue-skinned woman frowning and groaning in his arms, Henry only felt anxious for him.

Henry said: "Hey, buddy, aren't you taking her back for treatment? Or does your gaze have a medical effect? Just by looking, you can heal him. Is this a new mutant ability?"

The Beast, whose IQ weight had finally come back online, finally came to his senses, held the Mystique in a princess carry, and hurriedly said: "Let's get on the X-Jet quickly and return to the base for healing. What about you?"

With a long sigh, Henry said: "Let's go together." Today's situation was quite different from last time. Although the X-Men were also a mess, he could not just leave.

He had to give an explanation to the surviving Mystique and get the matter settled from her mouth. Otherwise, incidents like today's forced conscription might happen again and again.

On the police side, although the Phoenix Girl had overturned two cars, the police sitting in the cars had fastened their seatbelts and luckily did not die. However, they were all stuck and could not be rescued for the time being.

The X-Men were taking care of themselves. Although no one died, Mystique and Quicksilver were seriously injured, while Cyclops, Storm, and Nightcrawler had minor abrasions and contusions. The latter three had to clean up the aftermath and also carry Quicksilver onto the X-Jet on a stretcher.

This speedster was in terrible shape; he had crashed into the Phoenix Girl whose Phoenix Force was on the verge of losing control. A conservative estimate was that many bones in his body were broken. Frankly, being able to survive was a great fortune.

Henry did not step in to help anyone; anyway, no one would die. In his ears, the sirens of the police cars and fire trucks approaching from a distance were unusually grating. It was visible that the police's follow-up forces were also about to enter.

Truly, when they should come, they do not; when they should not come, they insist on coming. American police always have the timing down perfectly, making people grit their teeth in hatred.

As for the small town residents, although the town's houses were affected by the battle and suffered some damage, no residents were seriously injured or died as a result. Even Jean Grey's biological father was not seriously harmed, only suffering a considerable fright.

The X-Men were not a subordinate unit of the police, and with Professor X unable to handle affairs, the group almost fled in panic onto the X-Jet, flying back to their base underground at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Henry mixed in among them.

Perhaps seeing that Mystique's life was saved reduced Professor X's frown considerably. At least that fifty-something-year-old old face no longer looked like a wrinkled bitter gourd.

Not until Mystique and Quicksilver were put onto the medical platform and treated personally by Beast Hank did everyone know how severe their injuries were.

Quicksilver had multiple severe fractures all over his body. Although his recovery speed was faster than normal humans, it was ultimately not as fast as the Flash in the next stall who possessed the Speed Force, and it did not belong to the regeneration-level mutant abilities.

So according to Hank's estimation, after the bone-setting surgery, Quicksilver would have to lie in bed for at least one to two weeks before fully recovering. The only thing worth celebrating was that he did not need steel nails, just some plaster casts.

Mystique was much worse off. Because of the crushing force of a huge power, all her organs showed signs of failure to some extent.

Since getting on the X-Jet, the intravenous drip had not stopped. Her vital signs were fluctuating up and down, completely testing whether the Beast's emergency treatment skills were up to standard.

What was even more damn terrible was that this person was actually not unconscious and still had a mouth to babble on. Truly, when a person dies, the mouth remains; immortal for ten thousand years.

"Did you think I called you here just to watch the show? How did it feel to watch the X-Men's internal strife up close? How much do you think I should charge for tickets to be worthy of such a wonderful show?"

Although she could only make a sound weakly, it was enough for Mystique to unleash her poisonous tongue, spraying at the helper she had found but who had not played any role.

Henry, leaning against the door, walked to Mystique's bedside. With ill intent, he extended a finger and pressed it into the position of the other party's upper arm biceps.

"Just based on your heartfelt invitation, and based on our friendship which is thinner than toilet paper, if I did not come to watch this excitement, wouldn't I be too unreasonable? Being able to eat melon up close, who would still sit at home watching the news?" Henry said while speaking.

He did not even use much force, yet it hurt so much that Mystique's skin flipped wildly, constantly changing her appearance.

To her credit, this mutant big girl was very tough; she stubbornly did not make a sound. She just bared her teeth, widened her eyeballs, and tried to glare this damn alien to death.

Henry, driven away by the Beast, continued speaking with a smile: "Besides, do you really want me to start a war with that little girl? I don't want to get beaten up by her; if she gets beaten up by me, you will also be sad and even blame me.

"So not taking action is the best choice. Besides, I only took one hit from her and left such a deep trench. You lot, with your third-rate skills, did not achieve much result, yet still made a mess of the small town.

"Once I let loose and fought her, regardless of who wins or loses, how much damage do you think would be brought to that small town? Is this what you want? What the X-Men want? Or is carrying out your goals more important than the lives and property of ordinary people?"

No wonder some people like to stand on the high ground of morality to lecture others; watching the other party speechless indeed gives a sense of pleasure.

Even Mystique could not say things like it doesn't matter if the small town is destroyed. After holding it in for a while, she finally blurted out: "But you watched us get beaten with your own eyes!"

Henry said: "That is just an angry little girl. Only after she vents her anger can we speak to her calmly and find a solution. So I think letting her beat you up is a pretty good method."

"What kind of bullshit method is this? Is your brain filled with shit, only able to think of such a plan?" Mystique continued to spray nonsense.

"How could it be useless. He is familiar with you, right? As long as you are close enough, if you are beaten badly enough by him, it might arouse his shame. Once this emotion is generated, there is a chance to take advantage of the opening and dissolve the anger in his heart."

(End of Chapter)