"This… this is a complete disaster!" Jack thought frantically, his police training momentarily failing him.
He was staring at two impossible things: first, the legendary martial arts master, Huang Wen, who had just inexplicably caught a bullet and paralyzed an entire street gang with an unseen force; and second, the most globally recognized terrorist, Magneto, standing right in the middle of Chinatown on a sheet of floating metal.
Magneto was supposed to be in the plastic isolation prison! The entire chain of command and security protocols of the U.S. government had clearly failed in spectacular fashion.
"Police? A carefully orchestrated trap by the humans? No, I dismissed that possibility immediately." Magneto's mind worked with cold, ruthless efficiency, ignoring the flashing blue and red lights of the squad cars.
"These officers are armed, yes, but to me, they are nothing more than poorly directed magnets, useless targets merely sent here to meet their end. There is no threat here, only annoyance."
"Teacher, please, be extremely careful," Jack finally managed, running quickly but cautiously to Huang Wen's side, lowering his voice to an urgent whisper, though he knew the man on the floating metal plate could probably hear him perfectly. "Those guys—the ones with the metal disk—they are absolutely not to be trifled with. They are… they are another level entirely."
"It's quite alright, Jack. I appreciate the concern," Huang Wen replied, his expression utterly unperturbed. He offered Jack a reassuring smile that did nothing to calm the officer's racing heart.
"You can take these gentlemen away now. I heard the NYPD has been intensifying its crackdown on organized crime recently. I believe these twenty-plus arrests—the entire leadership of the so-called Star Gang—should count as quite the impressive haul for your unit, wouldn't you agree?"
"Th-thank you for this opportunity, Teacher! I won't forget it!" Jack's eyes lit up. This wasn't just an arrest; it was a career-defining moment, a gift handed to him on a silver platter. He glanced quickly at the motionless Star Gang members. "Teacher, just a quick query for procedure: how long before these pressure points… expire?"
"Approximately twenty minutes," Huang Wen replied with a slight nod. "More than enough time for you to transport them safely to the station and begin the processing. Now, you needn't worry about the situation here anymore. However, I must insist, for everyone's safety, that you keep the existence of… these others confidential for the moment." He gestured subtly toward Magneto and the remaining X-Men.
"Don't worry, Teacher. These are all my most trusted men," Jack assured him, casting a look that dared his fellow officers to look too closely at the flying man. "The achievements you've given me today, combined with the influence of my uncle and family connections, should provide a significant boost to my standing within the department. I owe you a massive debt, Teacher!"
"That is merely a reflection of your family's deep-rooted influence, Jack, and your own dedication. It has nothing to do with me," Huang Wen said, dismissing the thanks with a wave of his hand and a warm smile. He then turned, his gaze hardening slightly, toward Magneto, who was still approaching, making no effort to halt his trajectory.
Huang Wen then subtly placed a restraining hand on Logan's shoulder as the Wolverine tensed, ready to spring into a futile attack. "No rush, Logan. There are too many people here, and this location is too public. Let's conduct this discussion inside the martial arts school. Anyway, we were planning to begin the renovation process soon, so a little accidental damage won't matter."
By stepping in, Huang Wen effectively prevented a suicide charge. If Logan, with his metal skeleton, rushed Magneto, the mutant master could simply turn the Wolverine into a living puppet, a fact Logan likely knew on a primal level but refused to acknowledge due to his berserker rage. Magneto didn't even need to kill Logan; he could simply encase him in concrete or twist his limbs into knots.
"Teacher, I'm departing immediately!" Jack exclaimed, snapping a crisp salute, eager to secure his prize and flee the increasingly surreal scene. He quickly ushered his officers to begin the process of loading the stiff, statue-like gang members into the police vehicles.
"Did I give you permission to leave?" Magneto's voice sliced through the morning air, cold and dismissive. He raised his hand imperiously, his eyes locked on the escaping patrol car. "Until this matter is settled, you would be wise to remain here and observe obediently."
"Whoosh!"
As Magneto finished speaking, a palpable, invisible force—his magnetic field—swept out, intending to halt the police cruiser mid-street and yank the keys from the ignition.
"Hmph!"
Huang Wen responded instantly, a silent, internal snort of defiance. He focused his entire Legendary-level Essence, Energy, and newly refined Spirit into a razor-sharp mental barrier, a pure psychic wall of refined Shen—not telepathy, but the sheer force of his concentrated will. This barrier intercepted and neutralized the invisible vector of Magneto's ability aimed at the police car.
"Clatter!"
The police car, already moving, did not stop. Instead, the various discarded handguns that Magneto had suspended in the air a moment ago—which Jack and his officers had been pretending to ignore—all lost their magnetic support simultaneously and crashed to the ground with a loud, messy clatter.
"Hah?" Magneto let out a soft exclamation of genuine surprise. He glanced sharply at Huang Wen, his eyes narrowing, but he did not choose to escalate the attack immediately. He was calculating the nature of this resistance.
Jean Grey, standing beside Magneto, also reacted, a flicker of pure psychic investigation leaping from her mind. She immediately began scanning Huang Wen, trying to detect the subtle 'signature' of an X-gene activation.
Mutants are defined by the awakening of their X-gene, granting them corresponding powers. While the most definitive tests are genetic, powerful telepaths like Jean can usually confirm a mutant's status psychically.
However, Jean Grey's probe encountered nothing but a smooth, impenetrable void—no X-gene, no recognized mutant power, just a silent, profound inner strength unlike anything she had ever felt. It wasn't psychic defense; it was simply not psychic.
The police officers were oblivious to the tense, unseen confrontation. But Jack, who had been watching Magneto like a hawk, felt a sudden, profound chill sweep over him as the magnetic master had raised his hand. That chilling sensation was immediately followed by Huang Wen's cold snort, and then, inexplicably, the guns falling.
At that moment, Jack fully grasped the depth of his cheap Sifu's power. The man who charged only $800 a year for lessons was far more unfathomable than the strongest martial artist he had ever imagined. And, most importantly, according to Huang Wen's earlier, baffling claims, all of this could be achieved through continuous learning, not genetic mutation.
Jack was fiercely tempted to abandon his duty and throw himself back at Huang Wen's feet, begging for the next level of training, but now was not the time. His priority was securing the Star Gang and leveraging this sudden, massive achievement to improve his standing within the police force.
If he succeeded, he would have more opportunities to interact with Huang Wen, rather than just being another face in the crowd learning basic Wing Chun drills.
In moments, Jack successfully led the officers away, disappearing with their impressive, paralyzed catch. Magneto made no further attempt to stop them, his entire focus now consumed by the enigma standing calmly on the sidewalk.
"It is perfectly acceptable for you to conduct business in Chinatown, but I must insist: if you intend to engage in any form of combat or display of force on my street, you will politely ask my permission first,"
Huang Wen said, his voice quiet but carrying the weight of his newly achieved Legendary status. He glanced indifferently at Magneto, then briefly at Jean Grey and the others. When his eyes rested on Jean, a flicker of profound apprehension crossed his face.
There was no denying the danger. If Magneto was a major problem in the mutant world, Jean Grey was the unpredictable apocalypse. Regardless of the version of the story, the Phoenix Force she was capable of unleashing was effectively invincible—and she wasn't even at full power yet.
"Oh? Is that so?" Magneto raised a curious eyebrow, squinting at Huang Wen, a faint, predatory smile touching his lips. "It's been an embarrassingly long time since anyone dared to address me with such confidence. Tell me, little friend, are you perhaps a disciple of the mythical Kunlun?"
"No, I am merely a humble successor to the ancient martial tradition of China," Huang Wen stated plainly. He glanced at Zhong Qiang and Riesfisk, who were watching the tense standoff from the doorway. "Zhong Qiang, please go upstairs and check on the guests. They haven't been awakened even by this level of commotion. They must be incredibly heavy sleepers!"
"A successor to an ancient martial art, you claim?" Magneto scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. The handguns lying on the street instantly floated up, encircling him, prepared to become lethal shrapnel.
"Snap!"
Magneto suddenly froze mid-gesture. Every single muscle in his body instantly locked up, his hand suspended in the air, the guns hovering precariously.
Huang Wen nodded helplessly. He had just hit Magneto with the Sunflower Acupuncture Technique, the specialized, paralyzing pressure point strike of the Sunflower Scroll.
Magneto was indeed powerful, but his sole focus on his mutant ability—the control of metal—was his greatest weakness. He had never engaged in the comprehensive development of Essence, Energy, and Spirit that Huang Wen had achieved. His physical body was only marginally stronger than that of an ordinary man.
Without the corresponding, esoteric method to instantly release the pressure point, even Magneto—the Master of Magnetism—would require considerable time and effort to overcome the paralysis, even though the internal force of the Sunflower Acupuncture Technique was, in raw power, weaker than his mutant abilities.
"What in the blazes did you do to him?!" Mystique demanded, her eyes blazing with wary hatred, her posture shifting into a defensive crouch.
"HA-HA-HA-HA!" Logan erupted in a fit of smug, delighted laughter, seeing his nemesis struck dumb and paralyzed. "You finally got what was coming to you, you elitist prick! You love controlling my body and locking me down—how do you like being unable to scratch your own nose now?!"
Before Logan could finish his gleeful taunt, his laughter died in his throat. His adamantium-laced body suddenly floated up again, pulled skyward by an unseen force. The guns that Magneto had been controlling, still hovering, began to twitch and tremble, the triggers straining, the safety mechanisms threatening to fail.
Magneto's body was frozen, but his mind was still clear, and his mutant ability was a continuous, active extension of his will. He didn't need fingers or movement to use magnetism. The message was crystal clear: release him, or he would open fire on everyone present!
"Boss, what's happening?" Logan yelled from his precarious position in the air, deeply puzzled. "Wasn't he completely locked up by you?"
"Ah, I see. A fascinating demonstration of ability retention," Huang Wen observed, not the slightest bit flustered. He smiled, waved his hand, and targeted a second, more effective pressure point.
Magneto suddenly plummeted, and as he hit the ground, a faint, rhythmic snoring could be heard. This time, Huang Wen had directly struck the Sleeping Pressure Point, the effect of which was no different from a massive dose of a powerful, fast-acting hypnotic drug. The magnetic field instantly dissipated.
Simultaneously, the guns crashed harmlessly back to the ground. Huang Wen caught the falling Logan with another gentle cushion of Qi and set him softly on his feet.
"Let's discuss this matter inside," Huang Wen said calmly, gesturing toward the open doors of the Wing Chun Kwoon. The dawn light glinted off the discarded metal. The street was silent once more, save for the faint sound of Magneto's deep, medically induced sleep.