"Jack."
"Jack."
"Jack."
The voice echoed again and again.
Li Jie found himself standing inside a pitch-black world that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction. There was no ground, no sky, and no visible boundaries. The darkness felt thick and oppressive, like being trapped inside an endless void.
A single beam of light shone down in the distance.
Under that narrow pillar of light sat a figure.
Li Jie's first instinct was that it must be Doctor Strange. The environment looked almost identical to the strange mental dimension where the sorcerer had appeared before.
As the beam of light slowly widened, Li Jie finally saw the figure clearly.
It wasn't Doctor Strange.
Sitting beneath the light was an old bald man in a wheelchair.
Professor X.
Li Jie immediately recognized him. The faint aura of decay surrounding the man made it obvious that something was terribly wrong, yet there was no mistaking his identity.
Charles Francis Xavier.
The founder of Xavier's School and the leader of the mutant superhero team known as the X-Men. Born into wealth, Professor X had devoted his entire life to maintaining peace between humans and mutants.
Among mutants, he was widely seen as a symbol of justice.
Without him constantly mediating conflicts and preventing extremists from escalating violence, the fragile relationship between humans and mutants would have collapsed long ago. In fact, it was very possible that humanity might have already been wiped out by mutant factions even before the zombie crisis began.
Now that Li Jie looked at him closely, the truth became painfully obvious.
Professor X had already been infected.
His skin was pale and slightly gray, and his expression carried the stiff, unnatural look of someone whose body was no longer entirely alive.
A zombie.
After confirming Professor X's condition, Li Jie quickly looked around again.
This place wasn't real.
It only took a moment for him to understand that he had been pulled into Professor X's mental world.
His first instinct was to leave immediately.
However, the moment he tried to break free, he realized something disturbing.
He couldn't escape.
It felt like realizing you were dreaming while asleep, yet no matter how hard you struggled, you simply couldn't wake up.
As one of the most powerful psychic mutants in existence, Professor X's control over the mind was nearly unmatched.
Still, Li Jie refused to give up.
He closed his eyes and began searching through the spells stored in his memory, trying to find something that could help him break out of this psychic prison.
"Jack, I mean no harm. I only wish to speak with you."
Professor X's voice echoed calmly through the darkness.
Li Jie slowly opened his eyes and looked at him again.
The zombie's face was attempting to smile.
Unfortunately, the stiff muscles and lifeless skin only made the expression look more disturbing. The harder Professor X tried to appear gentle and harmless, the more unsettling the result became.
Fortunately, Li Jie's mental fortitude was strong.
Otherwise, the horrifying sight alone might have been enough to send someone collapsing to the ground in terror.
"I've already spoken with Doctor Strange," Professor X continued.
"He told me that you are the only one capable of resolving this crisis."
Hearing Doctor Strange mentioned finally made Li Jie respond.
"What exactly do you want to talk about?" he asked.
Professor X's eyes grew serious.
"A war."
"A war between humans and mutants is about to break out," he said slowly. "You must find a way to stop it."
Li Jie frowned slightly.
"Me?"
"Yes," Professor X replied firmly. "You are the only one who can stop this war."
Li Jie folded his arms as he considered the statement.
"Then explain something first," he said. "How did this war begin?"
Professor X remained silent for a moment.
"My time is running out."
His voice sounded weaker now.
"If you want answers, come to Xavier's School. There you will learn everything."
His gaze locked onto Li Jie.
"Jack, you must come find me."
"Jack."
"Jack."
"Jack!"
The light suddenly shattered.
Professor X vanished.
The dark world collapsed around Li Jie as the voice calling his name grew louder and louder.
"Jack! Wake up!"
Li Jie's eyes snapped open.
The first thing he saw was Diana Prince leaning over him. She was wearing nothing but a small tank top, and her expression was filled with concern.
"Oh my God," she said, exhaling in relief. "You're finally awake."
Li Jie immediately understood why Professor X hadn't explained how the war began.
The connection between their minds had been interrupted by the real world.
Professor X simply hadn't had enough time.
Judging by his condition, the professor had already mutated into a zombie. However, because he possessed extraordinarily powerful psychic abilities, he had managed to retain his consciousness even after infection.
In that sense, he was somewhat similar to Doctor Strange.
The difference was that Strange relied on magic, while Professor X relied purely on his mental powers.
Even so, maintaining awareness after turning into a zombie was already impressive. Establishing a temporary psychic connection with Li Jie was probably the absolute limit of what he could do.
"Diana," Li Jie said, pretending to look confused. "What happened to me?"
Diana sighed.
"That's exactly what I want to ask you."
"We were just… doing something," she said awkwardly, "and you suddenly fainted. You scared me half to death."
Li Jie blinked.
Doing something?
Then the memory returned.
Right before Professor X pulled him into the psychic world…
Oh.
That.
"Diana," he said slowly.
"What?"
"What do you think happened?"
"I have no idea."
Their conversation drifted off into awkward silence.
…
"Jack! Jack!"
Later that day, just after Li Jie finished eating, Dr. Banner's voice suddenly called from outside the room.
Li Jie sighed and kissed Diana lightly on the cheek before getting up to answer the door.
"Hi, Diana," Banner greeted politely, noticing her still lying in bed wrapped in a sheet.
Then he turned to Li Jie.
"Sorry to bother you, but Coulson is here."
"Coulson?" Li Jie frowned. "That guy never shows up without a reason."
Banner nodded.
"Yes. He's outside waiting for you."
"I see."
Li Jie stretched lazily.
"Give me a moment to change clothes."
After closing the door, Diana climbed out of bed.
"What does Coulson want with you?" she asked.
"I don't know yet," Li Jie replied. "But it's probably nothing good."
"In that case," Diana said with a playful smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "why don't we deal with it later?"
She slowly pulled him back toward the bed.
Those eyes were impossible to resist.
Coulson could wait.
…
Meanwhile, Coulson had already finished touring the Kryptonian spaceship. During the long wait, he drank three cups of coffee and visited the restroom twice.
Finally, he began to lose patience.
"Banner," he said, rubbing his temples, "are you sure you told Jack I'm here?"
"I'm absolutely sure," Banner replied calmly.
After a brief pause, he added, "But Jack isn't a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He's not going to come running just because someone calls him."
"If you want to see him, you'll need to wait."
Coulson sighed helplessly.
He desperately wanted Li Jie to join S.H.I.E.L.D., but convincing him had always been impossible.
"Fine," Coulson said at last. "Then pour me another coffee."
"Of course."
Banner handed him a fourth cup, silently noting that Coulson's kidney problems would probably send him to the bathroom again soon.
Compared to that, Li Jie's stamina seemed almost unfair.
After finishing his fourth cup, Li Jie finally appeared.
"Coulson," he said with a cheerful smile, "what brings you here?"
"Jack, you're a busy man," Coulson replied. "If I didn't come personally, I might never see you again."
Then he noticed Diana standing nearby.
His eyes widened instantly.
"Wait… is that Wonder Woman?"
His expression turned into that of a star-struck fan.
"Can I take a photo with you?"
Coulson had once collected photos with almost every Avenger. As a lifelong superhero enthusiast, he simply couldn't resist the opportunity.
Diana normally refused such requests.
However, considering Coulson's position as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and his relationship with Li Jie, she reluctantly agreed.
After taking several excited photos, Coulson couldn't help himself.
"Diana," he asked eagerly, "have you ever considered joining S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Diana shook her head politely.
"Sorry. I prefer working independently."
"That's okay," Coulson said, quickly handing her his business card. "Call me if you ever change your mind."
Li Jie rolled his eyes slightly.
"Coulson, if you came all this way just to recruit people, you can leave now."
Coulson laughed awkwardly.
"No, no. I actually came for two reasons."
"First, I heard you rescued the superheroes Loki kidnapped. I was thinking that maybe—"
Li Jie cut him off immediately.
"Coulson, I suggest you stop thinking."
He crossed his arms calmly.
"Those mutated heroes ended up like that partly because of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"If I hand them over to you again, can you guarantee they won't disappear a second time?"
Coulson looked extremely embarrassed.
In truth, bringing the heroes back to S.H.I.E.L.D. had been his main objective.
Unfortunately, Li Jie had just blocked that path completely.
S.H.I.E.L.D. simply didn't have the manpower or resources to protect them right now.
"Fine," Coulson said at last. "Let them stay here."
Then he smiled meaningfully.
"By the way, Banner told me you already have a method to revive them."
Banner quietly wished the floor would swallow him.
Li Jie smiled.
"Coulson, you've seen Banner yourself. He's the one I revived."
"Unfortunately, the method I used before doesn't seem to work anymore."
"I'll have to find another solution."
Coulson nodded thoughtfully.
"In that case, there's something else."
"Several of our agents have recently been killed or gone missing. We'd like your help investigating."
"You mean someone is targeting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents?" Li Jie asked.
"That's one possibility," Coulson said slowly. "But I think the situation is more complicated."
He lowered his voice slightly.
"This may involve mutants."
Li Jie's eyes narrowed.
He had just spoken with Professor X in a psychic world.
Now Coulson was telling him mutants might be involved in the murder of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
It seemed the predicted war between humans and mutants really was approaching.
"Do you have any evidence?" Li Jie asked.
Coulson handed him several files.
"These are three of the victims. No external injuries were found, and the autopsies couldn't determine the cause of death."
Li Jie studied the photographs carefully.
The victims looked completely peaceful, almost as if they had simply fallen asleep.
Deaths without visible causes usually involved supernatural forces.
In this case, it was very possible that mutant abilities were responsible.
After reviewing the files, Coulson spoke again.
"If you want to investigate personally, the plane is ready."
Li Jie closed the folder.
"I'll go eventually," he said, "but first I need to visit another place."
"Where?"
"Xavier's School."
Coulson's smile vanished instantly.
"Jack… you're not joking, right?"
"That place has been declared a forbidden zone for humans."
Li Jie smiled faintly.
"Hasn't it always been a forbidden zone?"
Coulson hesitated.
Originally, Xavier's School had simply been a private academy for mutants. Ordinary humans avoided it because it was mysterious and dangerous.
But after the zombie outbreak, things had changed.
Mutants who became zombies lost control of their powers.
Airplanes flying nearby had even crashed after being hit by uncontrolled mutant abilities.
Li Jie eventually arranged for Diana to accompany Coulson back to New York to investigate the agent murders.
Meanwhile, he headed toward Xavier's School alone.
The academy stood inside a large castle not far from New York City. It had originally been Professor X's family estate before being converted into a training ground for young mutants.
As Li Jie approached the area, his mech's systems suddenly began malfunctioning.
Communication with the White Queen was lost.
If he had been flying a normal aircraft, it would have already crashed.
Fortunately, the armor allowed him to land safely.
Still, before touching down, Li Jie intentionally staged a dramatic crash to make it appear that the machine had lost control.
After landing, he left the armor lying in the clearing and hid nearby beneath Harry's invisibility cloak.
A few minutes later, three children ran out of the woods.
They looked like elementary school students.
One chubby boy hardened his skin into stone and cautiously approached the fallen mech. Another taller kid pointed his hand at the machine while staring intensely at it.
The third child stood nearby, carefully watching the surroundings.
All three were mutants.
The chubby boy clearly possessed petrification abilities, while the taller one likely disrupted electronic devices. That power probably explained why aircraft malfunctioned near the school.
As for the last child, his ability remained unclear.
Once Li Jie confirmed there were only three of them, he removed the invisibility cloak and stepped into view.
"Will, watch out!" the freckled boy shouted instantly.
At the same time, he grabbed the air with both hands.
The vines wrapped around a nearby tree suddenly came alive, twisting like snakes as they shot toward Li Jie.
"Ah—!"
The stone-skinned chubby boy abruptly turned around and charged straight toward Li Jie.
....
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