The top of the bunker instantly erupted into a chaotic brawl. Both sides engaged in fierce combat, each with their own advantages. Weapon X had superior numbers, and most of them possessed healing factors, making them fearless in death.
The X-Men, on the other hand, had a more balanced configuration, unlike Weapon X, where four out of seven members were of the same type, relying solely on close combat and healing.
But none of this concerned Peter.
The Quinjet crashed firmly into the sea and then broke apart. Although his powers were somewhat out of control, Peter, at least uninjured, swam in the ocean for a while before Beast pulled him ashore. He looked over to the other side, where Jubilee, seemingly unable to swim, was being dragged to the dock by Cindy.
"Looks like our wish to stay in the sky didn't pan out," Beast said resignedly. The good news, however, was that the large fireball wouldn't be focusing on them anymore—Iceman was currently engaged in a spectacular ice-and-fire duel with him high above, a stalemate for now.
"I have an idea," Peter suddenly blurted out. "Why don't we seize this opportunity to capture Ajax, then use the gene splicer to accelerate my gene fusion, and then come out and help?"
To be fair, it was a good idea. Both sides on the field had their own telepaths, which essentially meant neither side had an effective telepath. Although Beast didn't know how long the gene splicer would take to heal, or rather, adjust Spider-Man, it was certainly more useful than just waiting around.
There was only one problem: they had two non-combatants. Spider-Man was fine; Beast trusted him not to act rashly. But Jubilee… she was a complete newbie.
He looked at Jubilee and said earnestly, "That's a good idea, with one condition. As temporary commander, I need you to follow my suggestions. That's about it."
To be fair, for him to phrase it as a "suggestion" showed that Beast wasn't a confrontational type. But that suited them perfectly, and the group set off stealthily. Following his past experience with the X-Men, Beast silently called upon the White Queen, asking her to spare a moment to create a psychic invisibility for them, allowing them to enter the bunker unseen by the Weapon X group.
After that, he led the three young mutants forward.
They stealthily infiltrated the Weapon X bunker. There didn't seem to be anything unusual here; everything appeared normal. Beast took out a pair of glasses from his pocket, put them on, and surveyed the surroundings. After assessing the building's layout, he stated confidently, "This way."
The bunker was large and deep. Beast found an elevator going down and proceeded to descend. This action, however, alerted Mister Sinister. He was initially slacking off, watching the show, when he suddenly noticed the control panel indicating an intrusion into the bunker, heading towards his laboratory. He frowned, just about to shut down the elevator, when a sharp pain shot through his brain. The new telepath had detected his actions and was trying to stop him.
Mister Sinister hesitated for nearly a second, then determined which was more important—compared to Logan's single DNA, the vast amount of data in the gene splicer was definitely more crucial.
So, he sighed. Then, the entire roof of the bunker was torn open, and a powerful telekinetic force astonished everyone on the field.
Ajax stepped into the void, walking in mid-air, then shook his head helplessly.
"I regret it. I was hoping to collect all your DNA, especially Logan's. But I can't. You're planning to… break my little toy. So I must deal with you first. My old friends."
He swept his hands from his forehead backward, and red crystals emerged from his brow. His entire skin turned pale, a full head of hair replaced his original baldness, and even his white lab coat was replaced by a black gothic robe.
Cyclops was stunned at this sight.
"Nathaniel Essex?! How can you still be alive?!"
"Of course I'm alive. The body, to me, is merely a vessel for action." Mister Sinister smiled slightly, then sighed and raised his hand. "The only pity is that if I intend to reveal myself, it means I must expose myself to sunlight. What a shame, I still have so much research to do."
"X-Men—"
"You are nothing."
Accompanied by a cloud of blue smoke, Mister Sinister appeared before Cyclops and pressed down on his head. Cyclops's eyes, which could normally emit optic blasts, gradually lost their glow, becoming like those of an ordinary person. Logan lunged at him from behind with his claws, but Mister Sinister turned and clutched his throat, lifting Logan into the air, then watched as Logan's skin slowly decayed.
"There was a child, called 'Leech' by Stryker. His mutant gene is very interesting, capable of suppressing other mutants' X-genes within a certain range. It took me a long time to combine his gene with other mutants' genes, allowing me to use my abilities while also wielding his power."
Mister Sinister spoke with a raised eyebrow, tossing the dying Logan aside. He looked at everyone present, and in an instant, pulled both Weapon X and the X-Men towards him. Only the White Queen managed to resist, relying on her own telekinetic power.
"Ajax, you son of a—"
"The Ajax who modified you ran off long ago, Deadpool," Mister Sinister said, casually picking at his fingernails, not even looking at them. "I just needed that identity to infiltrate Stryker's team, after all, my gene splicer was in his hands. As for you all, you're really no different from other mutants; you're just experimental material that I need."
"Originally, once you caught Logan, I was going to make you all my little lab rats for comparative experiments. This is just happening a bit earlier."
Everyone pulled towards Mister Sinister had their X-genes suppressed by the mutant ability called "Leech" that he wielded. Then, using the trace amounts of red Omega death pheromones that Mister Sinister had transplanted, he rendered almost everyone unconscious.
This kind of mechanism-based kill was convenient; as long as they were mutants, they couldn't be his match.
"Oh, and you, my dear."
Mister Sinister looked at Emma in the distance and smiled. He knew Emma was a member of the Hellfire Club, but he didn't mind offending a new mutant organization.
It didn't make much difference anyway.
A cloud of blue smoke appeared. He elegantly strode behind Emma, and her diamond-hard skin quickly returned to normal. With the last person on the scene falling, Mister Sinister motioned to the only non-mutant present, the original Human Torch, to guard his precious experimental subjects. Then, he flew deep underground.