He traversed a secret passage beneath Xavier's Mansion with Logan, and by the time they reached the exit, they were a long distance from Xavier's Mansion. General Stryker might have guessed there were secret passages in the Mutant school, but he would never have imagined the exit being in such an odd place.
It was an abandoned sewer pipe, and it looked like a privately built one at that. It was likely that even the New York City urban planning department wouldn't have any records of its construction. In such circumstances, the possibility of this secret exit being exposed was extremely slim.
"What now?" Logan scratched his head, looking at the group of children, most of whom were still in their pajamas, some even clutching dolls. This was what he was worst at handling; as a lone wolf, taking care of himself was his absolute limit.
"I'll handle it!" Zhou Yi patted Logan's shoulder and looked at the young people. Pietro was still holding two twin Little Girls, Rogue stood isolated to the side, and next to her was the young man named Bobby. Although none of the children spoke, Zhou Yi saw panic and fear in their eyes.
"Don't worry too much, children. This is like a nightmare, it will pass quickly." He tried to comfort the children, but the effect was not obvious, especially for those students who had seen the armed Soldiers shooting at them.
"Sir, what do we do next?" It was Rogue who asked, one of the few relatively calm students there. Of course, this might have something to do with her past life as a wanderer.
"Don't worry, you can stay at my house for now. After the teachers and I resolve this matter, I will bring you back to school. Don't worry, it won't be for too long."
Seeing Rogue turn and leave to comfort the younger students, Zhou Yi thought for a moment and dialed someone's number. Soon, the call was connected, and a woman's voice came through.
"Hello, Yi. How do you have time to call me?"
"Sorry, Pepper. I need your help with something!" The person Zhou Yi contacted was none other than Tony Stark's secretary, Young Miss Potts, at Stark Industries.
"My goodness, this is rare. What could be so difficult that you, who can solve anything, need help from someone like me who just works for a living?" Young Miss Potts asked, puzzled. Given her relationship with Tony, she was well aware of Zhou Yi's connections. And precisely because of this, she couldn't understand why such a person would need her help.
"It's urgent, I need help from people who aren't so conspicuous in official circles. Pepper, I can only think of you now. For Tony's sake, please help me." Clearly understanding the ambiguous relationship between Young Miss Potts and Tony, he knew exactly how to persuade her.
"Alright, alright. Tell me, how do you need me to help you?
You know, my abilities are limited." Pepper's voice sounded helpless, but sharp as Zhou Yi was, he clearly heard the joy in her words. Being recognized by one of the most representative people in Tony's circle of friends was a very important thing for her.
"I know Tony entrusted you with some of the staff training. I need you to create a diversion, mobilizing some Stark Industries vehicles to this location. I have a group of children here who need help!"
Hearing Zhou Yi's words, Pepper paused, then quickly asked, "Children? Yi, what exactly are you doing? Why do you need a diversion? Is there something that can't be done openly?"
"This is a group of Mutant children from Xavier's Mansion; they've just been attacked!" Zhou Yi paused here, but ultimately chose to explain clearly. "They were attacked by the Military. I need you to help me transfer them to my manor. There, the Military will be wary and won't dare to act rashly."
"Damn it, the Military is attacking a group of children?" Pepper's incredulous voice came through the phone. Clearly, Zhou Yi's news shocked her and also made her angry. As a woman, concern and sympathy for children are almost instinctual. And this was precisely why Zhou Yi sought her help. Zhou Yi knew many people who could do this, but only Pepper Potts could truly stand on this side and help him.
"I've already contacted the company's HR department. They will arrange several large buses to your location in half an hour. Additionally, I've arranged for a few private Doctors to accompany the vehicles. Do I need to inform Tony?" After a brief silence, Pepper's voice delivered what could be considered the best news.
Hearing this news, Zhou Yi smiled. For him, the remaining matters were now very easy to resolve. With Stark Industries, this behemoth, blocking the way, Stryker would absolutely not dare to act rashly. All that remained was to rescue Professor Charles, and everything would return to normal.
"No need to tell Tony. With this diversion, I can easily handle the rest. Also, Pepper, I must say, you are a very capable woman. I finally understand why Tony cares about you so much. If Tony wasn't my old friend for so many years, I really wouldn't mind being a competitor."
"Spare me, Yi. I don't want to be the prize in a duel between you and Tony." Pepper heard the playful tone in Zhou Yi's words and responded in kind. "However, Yi. If you encounter any trouble, contact us immediately. Both I and Tony will be on your side."
"Thank you, Pepper. I still have things to do, let's talk next time." After a moment of silence, Zhou Yi hung up the phone. On this matter, he really didn't want to involve his friends, especially when Tony was just Tony.
Seeing Zhou Yi hang up the phone, Logan came closer and asked, "Is it resolved?"
"It will be resolved soon. Stark Industries' vehicles will be here shortly. Those Soldiers have no right to stop them, so you just have to wait. These children will be completely safe very soon."
"I don't understand all this complicated stuff, but you're in charge now!" Logan shrugged. He trusted Zhou Yi's ability to solve the problem, so he wouldn't ask any more questions. This was his long-standing life experience.
Zhou Yi nodded and made another call. This time, he contacted his Little Girl assistant.
"Master, is there something?" Serana's voice came through the phone, along with the sound of a television. Clearly, this energetic little Vampire was watching a midnight show again.
"Serana, I'll be bringing a group of children back. Contact the housekeeping company and the restaurant to prepare some household items and food."
"Okay, Master.
But how much do we need to prepare?" Although Zhou Yi's order was strange, the Vampire Young Miss agreed unconditionally.
"Quantity? Prepare about two hundred servings!" Looking at the groups of children around him, Zhou Yi's face held a slight wry smile. He finally understood how difficult Professor Charles's job was.
"Alright, Sir!" Serana was clearly startled by the number Zhou Yi quoted, but she immediately responded, "It might take some time, I'll get it done as quickly as possible."
"I'm counting on you, Darling. Also, these are Mutant children who have just been attacked by the Military. They might need some other help; I'm leaving all of that to you."
"I understand, Master. I will arrange everything properly." Serana responded clearly. Having been an assistant for so long, her abilities had improved to a very good standard. She could handle anything properly once it was assigned.
This was also related to her own efforts; she was always striving to make herself an indispensable part of Zhou Yi's life. So far, she had been very successful.
"Goodbye, Darling. We'll be back soon." Hanging up the phone, Zhou Yi contacted Ororo, who was on her way back. He didn't want Ororo and Jean to walk into a trap.
"Yi, what's wrong?"
Ororo seemed a little surprised by Zhou Yi's call, as they had just spoken not long ago. This gave her a bad premonition.
"Stryker attacked the school." Zhou Yi didn't hide anything, directly stating the worst news.
"Damn it! How are the children? Nothing happened, right?" Ororo immediately pressed for answers. The children's safety had become the most important thing to her.
"Don't worry, the children are all fine; they're with me." After calming Ororo's emotions, Zhou Yi continued, "Stryker and his people should still be at the school, so you'd best not go back."
"I know, but what about you all? Stryker definitely won't let these children go." Despite hearing the news about the children, Ororo was still worried.
She knew that if Stryker could attack the school at this time, it meant he no longer cared about the superficial rules. As one of the high-ranking Military personnel, there was too much he could do when he didn't play by the rules. This made her worry about the children's safety.
"Don't be afraid, I will take these children away under Stark's identity. The Military people wouldn't dare to lay a hand on Stark. You need to be careful; Stryker represents the Military's power after all, and I'm worried you might face resistance from the Military."
Zhou Yi couldn't count how many unscrupulous things the U.S. Military had done. So he had to warn them.
"Don't worry about us, we're not pushovers." Ororo replied coldly, clearly completely angry about the Military's actions.
"Alright, you two be careful. I'll be waiting for you at my house with the children. As long as Charles is rescued, everything will be fine."
"I understand! Be careful!" Ororo hung up the communication. She still needed to tell Jean and Hank the news.
At this moment, lights were slowly approaching on the road near the pipeline. Those were large buses from Stark Industries, and also the best protective charm for these children.