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The strongest?
Despite Raven's admiration, Alex didn't feel the least bit joyful. He knew full well he was nowhere near deserving of such praise.
Forget about the numerous supervillains in this world who could level cities—or even the entire planet. Even among mutants alone, Alex was far from being the strongest.
Take the Black King for example. Alex had just fought him, and he still wasn't able to kill the man.
And once Professor X grew into his full potential in the future, he too would become a major threat to Alex—
Purely from a power standpoint, of course.
As for that ridiculously overpowered Phoenix girl? There was no need to mention her. In front of the Phoenix Force, Alex might as well be a speck of dust.
And let's not forget Apocalypse, still slumbering beneath the earth somewhere...
Alex still had a long road ahead of him.
"Raven, I'm still far from strong enough," he said seriously, shaking his head. "If I were strong enough, it wouldn't be me running away—it would've been Shaw."
"You've already done great, Alex. You stood up to Shaw and protected everyone. And us?"
Raven let out a bitter laugh, the self-mockery evident in her voice. "We didn't do anything. All we did was act like a bunch of scared rabbits."
---
"Laser beams from his eyes? Just how many secrets are hidden in that body of yours, little one?"
Kamar-Taj.
Within the grand hall of the Sanctum, the Ancient One sat cross-legged before a magical mirror conjured by her spellcraft.
Displayed on the mirror was Alex, testing his heat vision at Charles's estate.
The Ancient One stared at the image with growing interest, a rare flicker of curiosity lighting up her usually serene face.
"Fascinating… It's been a long time since I've felt this kind of surprise."
Swish—!
With a flick of her right hand, the mirror vanished as if it had never existed.
Naturally, Alex remained completely unaware that he'd just been peeped on by the Ancient One.
It wasn't just because he wasn't strong enough now—even if Homelander himself showed up, he probably still wouldn't be a match for that old woman.
---
"Raven, let's head back."
Alex didn't want to linger on such a heavy topic, so he gestured toward Mystique and started walking.
"Oh, right. Sorry about smashing the stone in Charles's yard."
He glanced at the large boulder he'd reduced to gravel and shrugged.
"I'm sure Charles would be proud if he knew why it was broken," Raven said with a casual smile.
Back in his room, Alex finally let go of all his burdens. Lying down on the bed, he quickly drifted off to sleep.
---
"Ahhh!"
"A brand new day!"
Waking up refreshed, Alex stretched lazily.
He pulled open the curtains. Warm sunlight streamed through the window, spilling across the room.
Outside, lush green lawns and vibrant flowerbeds came into view—it felt like something straight out of a big movie.
After a quick wash, Alex headed downstairs into the living room.
To his surprise, the others were already gathered there—Raven, Hank, Angel, Havok, and the rest of the mutants had all arrived.
Everyone sat in silence, the atmosphere heavy and grim.
"Well damn, Alex. You really can sleep through anything," Havok said, impressed.
Considering what happened yesterday, how could this guy sleep so soundly?
Then again... remembering how powerful Alex was—
Fine. Maybe he was just being small-minded.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Alex casually found an empty seat and sat down.
"We're wondering if we should go out and gather intel," said Angel, straightening up from her slouch.
They'd managed to escape Shaw and made it through the night unharmed—but who knew if he was tracking them?
What if Shaw did figure out where they were?
They'd be sitting ducks.
But that was also the exact reason no one dared to act rashly. If they went out and got caught... what then?
The CIA base had already been wiped out. Who here had the guts to face Shaw head-on?
Still, they couldn't just sit around forever, ignoring the world outside.
"I'll go," Raven offered, standing up. "I grew up around here—I know the best places to gather information."
"Raven!"
Hank's concern was immediate.
Back at the CIA base, there had been some ambiguous tension between him and Raven. Of course, he had no idea she'd already "cheated" on him last night.
"It's too dangerous. What if you run into him?" Hank said, clearly unsure.
"Hank, I know this area. I can shift into anyone. You and I both know I'm the best one for this."
Her tone left no room for argument.
The experiences of the previous night had changed Raven—she'd matured, even if just a little.
"You shouldn't have to shoulder all of this for us," Havok added, disapproving.
He thought it was shameful that they were relying on a woman with no real combat ability.
"Alex, Raven's right," Darwin said calmly.
He understood that while the risks were real, this was the best option they had.
"No need to worry, guys. I'll go with Raven."
Alex stood up.
Sitting around wouldn't trigger any new missions. He didn't expect them to drop into his lap like yesterday.
But stepping outside?
That gave him a chance.
"With Alex going too, that's even better!"
Angel laughed and clapped, relieved.
No one else objected. This was clearly the ideal pairing.
Without wasting more time, Alex and Raven prepared to head out.
Raven transformed into a middle-aged man.
As for Alex... even though he didn't think it was necessary, he still agreed to a basic disguise at everyone's urging—he put on a hat.
He also borrowed one of Charles's old trench coats and threw it on.
"Wow, Alex," Raven said, eyeing him up and down with clear satisfaction. "Didn't expect Charles's coat to suit you so well. Looks great."
"Yeah?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "So who's more handsome—me or Charles?"
"Oh, you, of course." Raven gave him a playful wink.
"Raven, with the way you look right now, pulling that expression just makes you look like a total creep."
"…"
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