Kino sat in his wheelchair, rolling outside to gaze at the pitch-black sky.
What is going on with this world?He had sensed it from the moment he arrived—something was off. The place was filled with death, yet at the same time, it brimmed with vitality.
His eyes shimmered with starlight as he stared at the sky cloaked in dark clouds.
His gaze pierced through the surface, seeing deep into the layers beyond.
A soft voice suddenly broke his contemplation.
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing much. Did you need something from me?"Kino came back to his senses, turning to look at Blink. His eyes returned to their normal appearance.
"No, I just wanted to thank you—for coming to rescue us. Here, take this. Supplies are scarce, but…"Blink handed over a cup of hot coffee.
"I have my own goals, too."Kino didn't refuse, accepting the coffee and taking a direct sip.
Blink sat gracefully on a nearby stone platform, crossing her legs elegantly.
"Is it about the Sentinel robots?"
"Yes. These machines are crucial for a certain plan we're working on," Kino replied.
"Once it's over... will you leave?"Blink asked casually.
"Yes. But your world still has other issues," Kino replied, recalling the disturbing things he had seen earlier.
"Then... could you stay here?"Blink stared at him, eyes unblinking.
In this apocalyptic world, love had long since become a distant, unattainable luxury.
People struggled daily just to survive, constantly facing danger and suffering.In such a place, what passed for relationships was usually just mutual dependency—or the weak clinging to the strong.
"I can't. Besides, I already have one, two, three… eleven women. My heart is too full—no room left."Kino spoke with calm indifference, his rejection crisp and absolute.
Blink stiffened slightly, an awkward expression flickering across her face. An air of suffocating silence hung in the air.
After Blink left, Kino continued sipping his coffee.
Dr. Zola's infiltration had gone surprisingly quickly.
Twelve transport ships appeared before Kino. Over a thousand Sentinel robots stood neatly in formation.
"Dr. Zola, is this all of them?" Kino asked.
Dr. Zola explained,"Not quite. These are just the Sentinels from this specific region.Each region's Sentinel units operate on an independent network, with no interaction between areas.However, they are all governed by the same central master system.
At regular intervals, this master system performs a comprehensive data update across all units.
This update strengthens the system's security and stability—an admirable design… but useless against me."
Zola's expression was full of disdain.
"When's the next update?" Kino asked.
"Sixteen hours from now. Once the master system connects to these units, my backup will seize control of every Sentinel on the planet."
Some of the others were still in disbelief.
The Sentinels that had forced them into hiding were now easily dealt with—just like that.
"Less than a day? Let's head to the human settlement first," Kino said as he packed away the robots.
"Commander, our aircraft doesn't have enough seats for everyone," Professor X said.Even he had started calling Kino "Commander."
"I've got my own ride."
As soon as Kino spoke, the falling snow above them abruptly stopped.
Everyone looked up.
A massive warship loomed in the sky.
"Oh my God! That's huge!"Iceman exclaimed.
"That's the Commander's Demon King. The first interstellar warship built by Earth."John's eyes gleamed with envy. Who wouldn't want a ride like that?
The Demon King beamed a ray of traction light downward.
Everyone boarded the warship.
A cute, snow-white robot with a smooth surface and cheerful steps approached them.
"Welcome back, Captain."
"Eva, long time no see."Kino patted Eva's little head and walked toward the cockpit.
Eva had been designed collaboratively by Banner, Tony, and Zola—an advanced AI exclusively for the Demon King.
Not only could she manage the ship's operations and pilot duties efficiently, she could also handle resupply tasks and even upgrade the ship on her own, ensuring it always remained at peak performance.
Everyone followed Kino on a tour of the ship.
Apart from Tony and the other designers, this was the Demon King's first time receiving guests.
Especially Jean Grey (the Phoenix)—she touched everything, poked and prodded like a curious child.
The others were tempted too, but no one dared to be as unrestrained as Jean.
Eventually, they reached the cockpit.
Kino was just about to sit down in the pilot's seat when someone tugged at his clothes.
"Kino, can I try flying it?"
Jean Grey's eyes sparkled at the sight of the ultra-high-tech and stylish control seat.
You could always trust Tony Stark's sense of aesthetics.
Kino nodded, giving permission.
Everyone took their seats.
Jean sat down in the pilot's chair, grabbing the twin control levers.
But then she froze. She looked down at her feet.
"Where's the throttle?"
Everyone's expression changed.This is a spaceship—why would it have a throttle?
"Jean, wait—"
She didn't hear the rest of what they said.
Jean pushed both levers forward.
The Demon King's rear blasted with intense jet flames, launching the entire ship like an arrow from a bow.
No one knew how long they flew.
Eventually, the ship came to a halt.
The crew sat slumped in their seats, pale and dazed.
Especially Professor X and Magneto—The two elders had completely passed out.
With a wave of Kino's hand, trash bins appeared before everyone.
"Urgh!"
Aside from a few who had superior physical conditioning, everyone else grabbed their bins and began retching uncontrollably.
It wasn't just the speed.The problem was Jean's flying style: death spirals, extreme maneuvers, and… she had even crashed into Mount Everest.
This near-death experience had left them all shaken.
Tony finally recovered enough to groan at Zola,"I think we need to add a child-lock mode to the Demon King."
Zola shook his head helplessly.
"From a technical standpoint, the ship's safety systems are excellent. But we never expected someone to fly a starship like it was a Formula 1 race car."
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"Jean Grey frantically ran around the cockpit, trying to escape blame.
"You totally meant to! Get back here!"Jean (Phoenix) roared in fury."You don't even know how to fly, why'd you snatch the controls?! And crashing into Mount Everest?!"
She was absolutely livid—this was humiliation on an interdimensional scale.
Jean had spent so much time around Ganaata that she thought she'd secretly learned how to fly a spaceship.
In reality, it was like a pig sticking a scallion up its nose—trying to look like a proper pilot.
Quote of the Chapter:"Just because you can take the wheel, doesn't mean you should. Especially if it's a warship."
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