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*****
Terrigen Crystals.
This was a gift from the heavens to the Inhuman race.
Maximus had thought this more than once.
Terrigen Crystals were the ultimate tool for distinguishing humans from Inhumans.
They could activate the dormant genes within an Inhuman, granting them superpowers, and even better, they would turn any human who dared touch them into a petrified statue.
Therefore, in Maximus's eyes, the Inhuman race was a species superior to humanity.
And with just a slight shift in thinking, the Terrigen Mist created from these crystals could become a terrifying weapon of mass destruction.
Whether human or mutant, anyone who came into contact with Terrigen Mist would die.
The only slight difference was that humans would turn directly into stone, while mutants would die from genetic collapse.
These were the results Maximus had verified through experimentation.
The Awakening Plan was his first phase—a plan to pave the way for the Eradication Plan.
His true target was Planet Kent!
He knew very well that even if he dealt with the superheroes on Earth, as long as Planet Kent existed, it would always be a massive threat. Planet Kent might even intervene directly to prevent him from wiping out humanity.
But if the mutants on Planet Kent were eliminated, the Inhuman forces and the Terrigen Mist could easily complete the Awakening Plan.
Thus, the primary objective of this operation—the only one that must be achieved—was the elimination of the mutants on Planet Kent.
"With massive amounts of Terrigen Mist appearing on Earth and humans unable to resolve it, the X-Men and the Super-Powered Sentinels of Planet Kent will definitely not stand idly by. Once they leave Planet Kent and its defensive forces are significantly weakened, the Eradication Plan... will absolutely succeed!"
Maximus whispered to himself, his heart leaping with joy.
To him, the Kent family was currently tied down by Earth's affairs. A Planet Kent with depleted defenses was like a piece of cake—beautiful yet fragile.
"They've moved!"
Maximus's eyes lit up. Seeing spatial portals tearing open one after another below Attilan and the superheroes rushing in, excitement flooded his face.
This crucial step had finally arrived.
He tapped rapidly on the virtual screen in front of him.
Instantly, footage from every location across the world where he had planted Terrigen Mist appeared on the screen.
"Come, come! The more people from Planet Kent, the better!"
Maximus murmured, a cold smile appearing on his lips.
Meanwhile, at the United Nations headquarters beneath the island of Attilan.
Eric watched the superheroes leaving one by one through the spatial portals, his expression calm.
Terrigen Mist?
Eric pondered for a moment, a flash of anger in his eyes.
Based on the speed and locations of the mist's spread, if left unchecked, humanity could actually face extinction.
This kind of thing was utterly insane; they definitely could not stand by and watch.
Not just because of their conscience, but because Planet Kent had countless ties to Earth—and there were still a large number of unawakened mutants on Earth!
Before entering the spatial portal, Tony paused and looked back at Eric. "Here?"
"Leave it to me. You go."
As Eric spoke, he manipulated a torrent of metal to form an attack, forcing back the remaining dozen or so Inhumans.
Tony nodded. "Be careful!"
With that, he decisively charged through the portal. The X-Men also nodded to Eric before quickly departing.
The Terrigen Mist had to be dealt with, and the sources emitting the mist had to be stopped as fast as possible. Once it spread, the consequences would be too severe.
"However, the people we have now aren't enough."
Charles's voice rang out in Eric's communicator.
"There are too many locations where the Terrigen Mist has appeared."
Clark's voice came from behind Eric.
He walked out of a portal with Charles. The three of them stood together, looking at the Inhumans currently fighting Eric.
The Inhumans looked at the trio and instinctively stopped their hands, cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads.
The pressure was terrifying.
Superman, Magneto, Professor X...
Just looking at them made their legs feel weak.
As they looked at each other, unsure of what to do, a terrifying psychic power directly invaded their minds.
In the next second, they lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
"Solved!"
Charles said casually, waving a hand at Eric with a smile. "Alright, put down that junk you're controlling. Why create such a big scene for just these few enemies?"
"A big scene? You call this big?"
Eric retorted, instinctively glancing at Attilan above them.
Noticing Eric's movement, Clark put a hand to his forehead. "Don't even think about it. If this thing falls, the damage it would cause wouldn't be small."
"Hehe!" Eric rubbed his head. "I was just imagining it."
"Not even imagining. Your hands move faster than your brain! What if you accidentally pull it down?"
Charles teased.
Eric glared at Charles and raised a hand to swat at the other's head.
Since Charles had lost his hair and become bald, that shiny head had become a primary target of attention for the family.
Charles dodged easily.
"Hey! You missed!"
Eric rolled his eyes, feeling his hands were still a bit itchy.
Today, either Charles was going to take a slap, or Attilan was going to get a tug.
"Stop messing around!"
Clark said coldly, and the two instantly turned into well-behaved children.
"Go deal with the Terrigen Mist."
He spoke calmly, glancing at Charles. "You go back to Planet Kent. If we need you, come back at any time."
"Understood!"
Charles said seriously, then muttered, "I wonder how things are going on Dad's end."
"There won't be any problems."
Clark smiled faintly. "We just need to do our part."
Hearing this, Charles and Eric nodded. Once two spatial portals opened, they stepped inside respectively.
Clark soared into the sky, and after a spatial portal appeared above his head, he charged in without hesitation.
At this time, outside Earth.
The battle between Mike and Black Bolt had finally come to an end.
Once the Terrigen Mist appeared across the globe, Mike knew that Maximus had begun the subsequent phase of his plan.
In that case, he had no reason to waste any more time with Black Bolt.
So, to Black Bolt's horrified expression, Mike moved at a speed far exceeding before—appearing in front of him almost like a teleportation. As if ignoring the sonic armor, Mike reached out and covered Black Bolt's mouth.
"Heh!"
Mike smiled faintly. The unique glow of an activated card dissipated quickly, while the hand holding Black Bolt's mouth began to glow with a red light.
Name: Dual Hands (Shuangquan Shou).
Skill Description: The red hand can alter the physical body; the blue hand can alter memories and manipulate the soul.
Note: A little squeeze, and you can be a new person again.
In the next second, Mike's hand wiped across Black Bolt's mouth.
Black Bolt's eyes shrunk, while Mike smiled with satisfaction.
Black Bolt's mouth had actually vanished from his face, as if it had been erased by an eraser.
Black Bolt looked at Mike in terror.
Mike smiled at him and disappeared from Black Bolt's sight again.
When Mike reappeared, the psychic dampener on the back of Black Bolt's head was crushed into powder in Mike's hand.
Seeing this, a bad premonition surfaced in Black Bolt's heart. Just as he tried to fly toward Earth, the light of a card manifestation shone. A powerful psychic force flooded into Black Bolt's mind, bringing him under control and forcing him to fly back.
"You can't go back just yet."
Mike's voice echoed in Black Bolt's mind.
Black Bolt's heart sank.
"Don't think too much. Watch the situation on Earth with me."
As he spoke, the communication ring on Mike's hand projected a ghostly blue light. The light then expanded, turning into a virtual screen.
At this moment, images from Earth were flashing across the screen.
"These are all the places where the Terrigen Mist is appearing."
Mike explained to Black Bolt via telepathy.
Black Bolt watched the footage. Though his expression remained blank, his eyes slowly changed as he saw person after person come into contact with the mist and turn into stone statues.
He couldn't bear it; this wasn't the scene he wanted to see, but...
This was Hive's command. Hive's command was above all else.
A thought instinctively surfaced in his mind.
"Hive?"
Mike, who had maintained a psychic link with Black Bolt, whispered the name in his mind.
So, these Inhumans were being controlled by Hive?
Hive, Hive...
Mike searched his memory for this name that felt somewhat familiar.
A few minutes later, Mike's eyes lit up, and he lightly tapped his forehead.
"I remember now!"
Mike said happily as an octopus-like face appeared in his mind.
He finally recalled some data on Hive.
Hive was an entity designed by the Kree to lead the Inhumans and serve as a tool to fight for them.
Hive could control Inhumans, making them obey him from the depths of their hearts. He could even transfer himself into other people's bodies. He was a treacherous and cunning fellow.
Only due to a series of accidents, the Kree abandoned the Inhuman project, and Hive was exiled to a desolate planet.
And now... Hive had appeared?
Mike arched an eyebrow and tapped his forehead lightly.
He remembered that Hive seemed to have a natural enemy—someone who could break Hive's control.
Mike frowned deeply.
It had been too long; he was forgetting many things.
After a moment's thought, Mike used his current psychic power to explore the corners of his memory.
A moment later, Mike's eyes lit up and he let out a soft breath.
Good, he found the memory.
In that case.
With a thought from Mike, a card quietly appeared, followed by a figure appearing on the card.
Name: Lash.
Ability Description: Wow, Hive's parasites? Crunchy! Tastes like chicken!
Note: Hive's nemesis. The only Inhuman who cannot be infected by Hive, and can also heal Inhumans who have already been infected.
Lash. The character in the picture was an Inhuman with black skin, a tall and sturdy build, and a head of messy hair.
Mike smiled slightly.
Without hesitation, he used this new ability card.
After a phantom figure dissipated into points of light, Mike pressed his hand onto the face of the controlled Black Bolt.
Controlled by psychic power, Black Bolt could only watch helplessly.
At this time, Mike's voice appeared in his mind: "I'm going to help you break Hive's control. Do you have any objections? If you do, please speak up."
Hearing this, even with Black Bolt's temperament, he couldn't help but curse inwardly.
He didn't even have a mouth right now—how the hell was he supposed to speak!
How petty can you be!
Sensing Black Bolt's thoughts, Mike was secretly surprised.
Upon hearing about the removal of the control, Black Bolt didn't feel happy; instead, he was full of resistance.
But...
Objection overruled!
Besides, since you didn't say anything, I'll take it as silent consent!
Mike smiled faintly, and the hand pressed against Black Bolt's face glowed with a silver-blue light.
Black Bolt's eyes widened violently. He saw parasites as tiny as dust particles gathering together, forming thin threads that converged in Mike's palm, where they were enveloped by the silver-blue light.
These were the parasites Hive used to control people?
Mike glanced at them, frowned with some disgust, and with a thought, the silver light flashed slightly, annihilating the parasites completely.
Mike looked at the now-calm Black Bolt. His hand glowed with red light again as he wiped it across Black Bolt's face, returning his mouth to him. "You're free now."
Having regained his self-control, Black Bolt looked pained. No longer controlled by Hive, his expression became incredibly ugly as he remembered the events of the day.
Inside his own mind, he said to Mike: "I will take responsibility for today's events."
"Compensation?" Mike replied coldly. "Let's resolve today's business first."
Mike pointed toward the virtual screen in front of them.
Black Bolt looked and saw spatial portals representing Planet Kent appearing continuously. Mutants from Planet Kent emerged from them one by one, beginning to help the people and deal with the sources spreading the Terrigen Mist.
Seeing this, Black Bolt felt a surge of relief, but then he suddenly said to Mike, "This is bad!"
"What's wrong?"
"The Terrigen Mist on Earth is only one part of Maximus's plan. His true target is Planet Kent! He intends to release the Terrigen Mist on Planet Kent to wipe out all the mutants there!"
Mike paused for a moment, then smiled. "That is a fairly good plan."
So everything happening now was just cover for the true objective?
He certainly was willing to pay a high price for his goals.
"Now is not the time for that!" Black Bolt said quickly. "Right now, in order to deal with the Terrigen Mist on Earth, Planet Kent has sent a massive number of people to provide support. We must hurry to Planet Kent, or it will be too late!"
"Too late?" Mike laughed in astonishment. "You really underestimate Planet Kent. It isn't nearly as fragile as you think."
Right now, in Mike's eyes, there was only one thing of utmost importance: dealing with Hive and Maximus.
Only once those two were handled would this matter be truly concluded.
Thinking of this, Mike informed the other of his intentions via telepathy.
"Do you know where they are?"
Black Bolt shook his head, then said, "But there is someone who definitely knows!"
"Oh?"
"Lockjaw!"
"Take me to him!"
Mike commanded, then severed the telepathic link with Black Bolt.
(End of Chapter)