My lord, the mutants have been settled," Dr. Leonard reported respectfully to Lancelot at the Mutant Evolution House.
"Well done, Dr. Leonard," Lancelot said with a smile, looking up at him.
"I live and die for my king," Dr. Leonard said, his aged face full of excitement.
Dr. Leonard was also one of the foremost scientists in the field of evolutionary biology. His lifelong dream was to accelerate humanity's evolutionary path—overcoming disease, aging, and even death.
Yes, Dr. Leonard was ambitious. At over seventy years old, he was not ready to die. He wanted to become like Mr. Sabretooth—a living symbol of power and evolution.
Once, such thoughts had seemed fanciful. But now, in the presence of so many mutants at the Evolution House, he felt that perhaps he truly had hope to live beyond his natural years.
All thanks to Lancelot, Dr. Leonard's faith in him bordered on fervent devotion.
"Very well, Dr. Leonard, go and inject the mutant growth hormones into my mutant companions," Lancelot commanded, waving his hand. After touring Darwin's laboratory, he handed all the mutants over to Dr. Leonard.
Most of these mutants had only awakened their mutant abilities at a primary level; some could barely control their powers. These fragile mutants required time to grow. Injecting mutant growth hormone was the most suitable method.
It would take some time for this group to reach full combat capability.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Shortly after Dr. Leonard departed, a knock sounded at Lancelot's door. Following his signal, Raven entered with several mutants.
"My king!" Raven and the others bowed respectfully and moved aside.
Lancelot looked down at the mutants gathered below the platform. This was his first assembled team, with each member ranked as a Level 3 or Level 4 mutant.
"My mutant companions," Lancelot spoke quietly, his gaze sweeping over the mutants beside Raven.
Phantom John, mutant ability: teleportation.
Gambit Remy Lebo, mutant ability: converting potential energy of objects into kinetic energy and triggering explosions.
Silver Fox Kara, mutant ability: mental manipulation through touch.
Cyborg Bradley, mutant ability: controlling any electronic device with his mind and supplying power mentally.
Tank Fred, mutant ability: absorbing and storing energy through body fat, then releasing it all at once.
These five had mostly been part of Wolverine's future mutant squad, but now served under Lancelot. Cyborg Bradley and Tank Fred were Level 3 mutants; the others were Level 4. Also included was Sabretooth Victor, a Level 5 mutant, recruited by Lancelot to join Logan's squad.
In this era, Lancelot had established his own third mutant faction—alongside the X-Men and the Hellfire Club.
"It's time to step onto the stage that belongs to us mutants," Lancelot said, lightly tapping the table with his right hand. His luxurious robes accentuated his nobility and elegance.
"Tell me, my king," Gambit, Remy, and the others replied, their faces brimming with excitement. They finally had the chance to display their mutant powers for their king.
"Raven," Lancelot said, glancing at the mysterious Raven. She leapt gracefully onto the platform like a cheetah, transforming into Silver Fox Kara before embracing Lancelot's neck.
"My king, give the order," Silver Fox Kara said, casting a teasing glance at the Kara in the audience, then curiously eyeing the document under Lancelot's right index finger.
Having tracked Lancelot for some time, Raven quickly realized it was intelligence just received from the CIA headquarters.
Lancelot casually handed the document to Raven. She glanced at it, then reverted to her original form, clearly surprised by what she held.
"White Queen Emma was captured by Charles?" Raven frowned. According to her intelligence, she was already aware of recent events.
Professor X and Magneto had spent over a week tracking Emma, the White Queen, to a secret base in Moscow. They simultaneously fired on her, with Professor X using telepathy to control everyone inside. Magneto, using his metal manipulation, captured the diamond-form White Queen Emma and violently interrogated her about the whereabouts of the Black Queen Shiao.
However, when Professor X and Magneto returned with the intel, they were shocked to discover that Black Emperor Shiao had already invaded their X Base two days prior.
Everyone in the base, except agent Francis, had been thrown from the sky by the combined power of Red Devil Azazel and Black Emperor Shiao. The X Base's only tactical squad had been obliterated mid-air by Shiao's energy absorption and release abilities.
The entire X Base was reduced to ruins. After killing everyone inside, Black Emperor Shiao located the X-Men's quarters, delivered a speech, and then left with Dragonfly Girl Salvador.
Since Lancelot had already taken Darwin and Raven beforehand, Darwin and Alex, also known as Shockwave, attempted to save the remaining people. Darwin was given some minor energy pills to assist.
Nevertheless, while Lancelot had altered Darwin's fate, other events remained unchanged.
Upon returning to the base, Professor X and Magneto were stunned to see the destruction, with only Francis surviving.
"Damn you, Black Emperor Shiao!" Professor X exclaimed through telepathy, his face filled with fury. Seeing Shiao effortlessly annihilate the tactical squad with a single stomp, his usual calm, gentlemanly demeanor vanished, replaced with rage.
"Assemble! You need special training," he said to Shockwave, Alex, and the others, his voice stern and commanding.
"Charles, calm down. Why are you so angry? Only humans died," Magneto said, frowning.
"Falk, Black Emperor Shiao destroyed our base and killed everyone inside! How can I possibly stay calm?" Professor X shouted, emotions raw. From Alex and the others, he had seen the despair of those trapped inside the base.