With all the commotion on their side, Erik had long been aware of their presence. His goal was to wipe out everyone in the bar, and while most had escaped, it didn't matter; he could still deal with these overconfident fools.
Logan and the others, clearly the leaders, were still fighting Victor. The enraged Victor was even more difficult to deal with than usual. He let out a bestial roar, his sharp teeth seeming ready to tear his opponents to shreds. The weakest, John, had already surrendered and was lying on the side, trying to avoid any confrontation with Victor.
The piercing sounds of the battle made Jean cover ears in discomfort, and the immense impact caused the overloaded bar to teeter precariously.
Seeing Saiki Kusuo still standing there, she couldn't help but ask, "Saiki? Aren't we leaving yet?"
Before Saiki Kusuo could answer, she couldn't resist trying to read his mind again. Perhaps because her emotions hadn't fully settled, the thoughts she received were fragmented.
But she could still make it out.
Saiki Kusuo couldn't use teleportation to get her out of here.
That dangerous man surrounded by a magnetic field, the one with Raven, was going to target them.
Jean immediately became anxious. She gestured for Saiki Kusuo to put her down.
"Since we can't leave for now anyway, I'm pretty heavy. Put me down first."
Saiki Kusuo complied, thinking she had a good sense of self-awareness.
She looked at Erik, who was brutally slaughtering the people below. The bloody scene made her face turn pale, and she nearly vomited.
She suppressed her fear and asked Saiki Kusuo, "Is... is there anything I can do?"
Honestly, if it weren't for Saiki Kusuo's frequent use of X-ray vision, making him accustomed to seeing human skeletons, a young man who hadn't witnessed such a scene would probably be as unbearable as Jean.
This man was too dangerous. Even without telepathy, he could sense this man's hatred for humans.
He instructed Jean, "Protect yourself."
However, they were the same kind as Erik, so logically, he shouldn't make things difficult for them. The reason for keeping them here might be because they were opposed to Charles. As Charles's students, they naturally needed to be dealt with. Or perhaps, he wanted to use them for something.
Having finished off all the lackeys, Erik flew towards them. Saiki Kusuo subtly shielded Jean behind him. Noticing his action, Erik gave a faint, cold smile.
"Even though you're clearly afraid, you still protect the woman behind you. Quite the gentleman."
He uttered a strange, sarcastic remark. Saiki Kusuo frowned, feeling that the other man had misunderstood something.
Raven also jumped up to the second floor. She didn't recognize Saiki Kusuo, but when her gaze swept over Jean, she frowned and harshly scolded her.
"Why are you in a place like this? Did you sneak out? Otherwise, Charles would never allow you to leave the school!"
Her tone and attitude made Jean feel like she was back in the days of being relentlessly trained by the female tyrant, and she couldn't help but shiver.
Erik gave her a mocking glance and reminded her, "Raven, now's not the time for your professional habits to kick in."
Realizing her mistake, Raven choked back a retort, somewhat annoyed. "I know, I don't need you to remind me!"
Having known Erik for so many years, she naturally knew what he was planning to do by trapping them here. Although she didn't approve of Erik using his own kind, as long as it didn't harm their lives, she usually turned a blind eye since she'd decided to cooperate with him.
Besides, Erik always knew his limits.
Jean seemed to sense that Raven still held some affection for her. She called out "Raven, Professor," hoping to evoke the other woman's sympathy.
Unfortunately, that tenderness had been snuffed out after countless companions had fallen.
Raven told Erik, "I'll go down and check on those guys. I'll leave this to you."
Without another glance at Jean, she jumped straight down.
Jean bit her lip, her face filled with despair. Erik, taking in her expression, wore a kindly smile. "Alright, kids, don't be afraid. You're safe now."
Saiki Kusuo: "???"
He'd clearly been acting menacingly, as if he was going to tie them up, but now he'd suddenly changed his tune and was playing the good guy? Who would believe that?
Saiki Kusuo couldn't help but internally facepalm. Jean, however, asked in confusion, "Sir, what do you mean...?"
Erik smiled even more benevolently. "We're here to rescue you, child. Raven and I received information that there were mutants in this bar. We thought they might be newly awakened, vulnerable children without support, and we intended to take them in. We didn't expect that the humans had also received this information."
As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the people still fighting. Jean followed his gaze, remembering how she had just been humiliated by those people, treating her like an object. She gritted her teeth.
Noticing her emotional shift, Erik gave a satisfied smile and continued, "These guys have been slaughtering mutants all along, even using our kind for experiments. Luckily, we got here first and prevented them from taking you away."
(You're a better storyteller than Andersen!) Seeing Erik's passionate performance, Saiki Kusuo's internal commentary was practically screaming.
Jean had a look of realization and relief. "Is that so? Thank you so much, sir, and Raven, Professor."
Saiki Kusuo: "..."
(Unbelievable, there really are fools who would believe this.)
Erik was indeed Charles's good friend; his methods of persuasion were cut from the same cloth. With just a few words, he had completely convinced the inexperienced Jean, who couldn't read his mind.
He was quite satisfied with Jean's attitude and turned his gaze to Saiki Kusuo.
After a brief exchange of glances, Saiki Kusuo was the first to look away, saying insincerely, "Sir, you are such a good person. Thank you so much."
His eyes darted around, and his tone was flat, making it seem more like he was just going through the motions. However, Erik simply assumed he was a naive child like Jean and didn't think much of it.
After saying that line, playing along with Erik, Saiki Kusuo felt like something inside him had shattered.
Satisfied with his level of brainwashing, Erik saw that Raven had almost finished dealing with things below. His previously kind expression suddenly turned serious.
"Oh no, I almost forgot the important thing while talking to you. It's not just the mutants in the West Side bar who have been attacked by humans. We also discovered our fellow mutants in a village on the East Side border. Those humans probably got the news too. We must hurry and save them!"
Erik kept repeating "fellow mutants" and "our," making his intentions clear. Faced with his clumsy performance, Saiki Kusuo really didn't want to play along anymore.
So he nodded to Erik. "In that case, sir, you and Miss Raven should hurry and save the other mutants. Don't worry about us. We can take care of ourselves."
Erik: "..."
This wasn't how it was supposed to go!
Shouldn't you be anxious and eagerly volunteer to come along?
Tsk, the students Charles taught really lack camaraderie.
Erik, as always, badmouthed his old friend... ahem, old acquaintance. He pondered what words he could use to further provoke the two youngsters.
But unexpectedly, one of them turned out to be a traitor!
Under Raven's past tutelage, Jean had also donned the X-Men uniform and rescued her fellow mutants. So when Erik mentioned that new mutants had been discovered and might be in danger, she instinctively offered to go with them.
"Sir, I'd like to help too."
(No! You don't!)
"Although I don't have powers as strong as yours, I promise I won't be a burden. After all, I was once Raven, Professor's student. I won't embarrass her."
(No, this kidnapper is hoping you'll embarrass her.)
Erik initially pretended to be hesitant, but when he heard her mention Raven, his brows relaxed.
"Alright, since you're Raven's student, I trust you. But you must promise me to ensure your own safety."
"Don't worry!" Granted permission, Jean happily grabbed Saiki Kusuo's arm. "Saiki and I will keep ourselves safe."
Saiki Kusuo: "???"
(Hey, hey, did any of you ask for my opinion?)
The place Erik brought them to was called a village, but it looked more like a slum.
Because they had to deal with Stryker's men, Raven hadn't come along, making it easier for Erik to employ his brainwashing techniques.
Seven or eight malnourished, dirty children huddled together, trembling in their home.
The lock on the front door was long broken, and the half-closed door was pushed open by Erik. After taking a look around the room, he came out.
"They're not here." He shook his head at Saiki Kusuo and Jean, gesturing for them to follow him. Jean couldn't help but feel sorry for the children in the room, whose eyes were no longer clear and whose expressions were numb.
"Don't feel sorry for humans, Jean," Erik said, walking ahead. "These cunning, hypocritical, and cruel scums don't deserve your sympathy."
"But..." Jean, who had been taught by Charles to coexist peacefully with humans, wanted to refute Erik's words, but a young voice suddenly came from behind.
"St...stop!"
The young voice was filled with fear and determination. Saiki Kusuo suddenly realized Erik's purpose in bringing them here.
Erik's brainwashing methods were more aggressive than Charles's. Charles gradually changed the mutual impression between mutants and humans through daily interactions, allowing them to coexist peacefully. Erik, on the other hand, was much more direct.
He wanted them to see the negative emotions of humans, thereby shattering the beautiful image of humanity that Charles had instilled in them. Once their long-held beliefs and ideals were broken, they would be easier to control.
You're really something, Erik! The second-best at pyramid schemes!
Sure enough, when they turned around, they saw the child who had been trembling in the room standing behind them. He was holding a knife, pointing it at the one who seemed easiest to deal with among the three... Saiki Kusuo.
(Wait? Shouldn't it be Jean, being the female? Why me?)
Just as Saiki Kusuo was feeling a bit baffled, the child suddenly attacked him.
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