Blessings never come in pairs, but misfortunes never come alone.
Just as the Megalodon and Octalus were chasing Jonas and the others upward, the Mosasaurus circling nearby and the Kaiju Chaos also sensed the disturbance and began rapidly approaching the area.
On the screen, in addition to the central research station and the Argo, which remained motionless on the surface, a total of five gigantic unidentified creatures appeared on the sonar display.
It was as if the monsters had gathered for a grand feast.
Morris wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced toward the helicopter on the helipad above, hesitating over whether he should quietly slip away first.
When the creatures closed to within five hundred meters of the research station, the gigantic beasts below also noticed the motionless behemoth on the surface, the Argo.
More importantly, the strange steel monster was saturated with the scent of countless living organisms.
The Mosasaurus abruptly changed direction and charged straight toward the Argo.
With a loud crash, the Argo rocked violently from side to side but sustained no serious damage.
The current Mosasaurus weighed only around a thousand tons.
In contrast, the Argo was approximately 260 meters long, with a gross tonnage in the tens of thousands of tons.
There was no way the Mosasaurus could sink it by ramming alone.
After the failed attack, the Mosasaurus immediately veered off in another direction.
Close behind it was the Kaiju, Chaos.
Chaos was a Category Two Kaiju, nearly ninety meters long and weighing over two thousand tons.
But compared to the luxury cruise ship, it was still insignificant.
However, as a Kaiju, it was far more agile than the Mosasaurus and could easily climb onto the Argo.
Strangely, Chaos did not attack the cruise ship. Instead, it turned and continued pursuing the Mosasaurus.
Luke was slightly surprised by this.
The Kaiju's true mission was to invade Earth, so why abandon that objective to chase the Mosasaurus instead?
It was completely out of order.
Could it be… the Precursors want to obtain the genes of Earth's monsters to create even stronger Kaiju?
Luke made a bold conjecture.
The Precursors could monitor Earth's situation through certain methods.
The Kaiju were their active eyes.
That was also why, when the Martians invaded Earth, the Precursors had immediately dispatched Axe Head to join the battle.
It was likely meant to protect Earth while simultaneously testing the Martians' capabilities.
But no one had expected Luke's Godzilla form to suddenly appear.
With overwhelming power, he suppressed Axe Head and the tripod mecha.
If Luke were a Precursor, he would certainly covet Godzilla's immense power.
According to the Pacific Rim records, Chaos was supposed to attack the Philippines. Yet now it had diverted to North America and, for unknown reasons, encountered the Mosasaurus, apparently mistaking it for a Titan of the same lineage as Godzilla.
Watching Chaos pursue the Mosasaurus only reinforced Luke's speculation.
Just then, Octalus, which had been lurking at the very bottom, abandoned the Megalodon and latched onto the underside of the Argo.
Its massive body, flexible like a serpent, burrowed into the hull.
Just as it prepared to force its way into one of the ship's narrow passageways, an invisible force struck Octalus and tore off one of its tentacles.
Luke rose to his feet in surprise. There was another powerhouse here?
He immediately used his 3D stereoscopic view to examine the situation aboard the Argo.
He saw that all the crew members and passengers had been gathered into the spacious dining hall.
Several mercenaries armed with thermal weapons were maintaining order.
And then—What the..!!?
Luke noticed a woman who absolutely should not have been there.
"Phoenix... Jean Grey?!"
[Abnormal target Phoenix Jean Grey detected. 100 anomaly points gained. 1200 / 3900]
Phoenix Jean Grey stood at the center of the dining hall, a solemn expression on her beautiful face.
Luke knew that Mutants existed, but he had not expected Phoenix, who should have been at the Mutant school, to appear on the Argo.
"Wait. In Deep Rising, there's a female jewel thief named Trillian, and she was played by the same actress as Jean."
"But here… is Trillian actually Jean herself?"
Luke had not anticipated events unfolding like this.
Phoenix had once been called the strongest Mutant.
She possessed Omega-level Mutant potential, and within her resided the embodiment of life and psychic power, the Phoenix Force, symbolizing life and emotion.
It was a power capable of destroying the universe, and even Luke had to treat it with caution.
"Why would Phoenix appear on the Argo? It can't really be to steal jewelry, can it?"
Luke thought for a moment but couldn't reach a conclusion, so he decided to check the situation personally.
Suyin quickly asked, "Where are you going?"
"To take a look at the Argo. Want to come?"
Luke turned back to look at the beautiful woman.
Suyin's expression stiffened for a moment, then she seemed to come to a decision. "Yes."
Dr. Zhang's face changed. "Suyin, you—"
"Dad, why don't you come with us?"
"Hm?" Dr. Zhang was confused. The Argo was currently a magnet for danger.
Why leave the relative safety of the research station and head there, only to walk into potential disaster?
Suyin looked at Luke with a steady gaze. "If something happens to the Argo, we'll be next."
"Since we can't escape, we might as well go there and face the monsters together."
"Besides… Mr. Luke doesn't seem afraid of monsters. I think staying by Luke's side might be the safest place in the world."
"A smart woman." Luke applauded lightly in appreciation.
Dr. Zhang suddenly understood.
That was right. From beginning to end, Luke had been an enigmatic figure who seemed to know everything.
Even knowing that the monsters were converging here, he showed no fear, as if everything were under control.
In a situation like this, perhaps only by following Luke could they truly ensure their safety.
Luke waved his hand, and an arcane teleportation circle appeared beneath his feet.
"Does anyone else want to go? Hurry up and step inside; we aren't waiting."
Suyin stared blankly for a moment before becoming the first to step into the circle. Dr. Zhang hesitated briefly, gave Morris an apologetic look, and followed her in.
As for the others—they remained skeptical.
Morris, in particular, had wanted to enter the teleportation circle, but after thinking about the helicopter, he felt that the station was the safest place to be. If the situation turned sour, he could evacuate at a moment's notice.
Because of this delay, the teleportation circle activated, and Luke and the Zhangs vanished from the research station. They left behind a group of shocked and uncertain staff members.
The team remained gathered around the computers, tracking the signal of the giant creature that had collided with the cruise ship before disappearing. Although they couldn't see exactly what was happening, the situation on the ship was undoubtedly dire.
The research station was safe, at least for the time being.
"Don't worry, everyone," Morris said. "I spent 1.3 billion dollars building this station. It was designed to withstand typhoons!"
"A few deep-sea creatures can't possibly harm us."
"Trust me, this place is absolutely safe!"
"Leaving with them is what would truly lead to danger," Morris said, trying to reassure everyone.
His words helped the staff relax slightly. But at that exact moment, a loud crash echoed from the lower level.
Everyone's expression changed drastically. The monsters had arrived.
Jax quickly operated the sonar to assess the situation. Directly below them, three more giant creatures with unidentified signals were rapidly ascending toward the surface.
What frightened them even more was that these three monsters appeared even larger than Chaos, the biggest one currently present. They seemed to have detected the research station's sonar and immediately changed direction, swimming straight toward the station.
"Oh, shit! They found us!"
"The sonar gave away our position! Turn it off immediately!"
"No! If we turn off the sonar, we'll be blind. We won't see anything, and then we'll truly be doomed!"
"Don't wait! Run!"
"Where is Luke? Damn it! maybe I should have gone to the Argo with them!"
Luke was unaware of the situation at the research station. After arriving at the Argo, he immediately sought out Jean Grey.
Sensing someone approaching, Jean looked over, instantly alert.
"Phoenix, what are you doing here?" Luke asked, walking over with Suyin and Dr. Zhang. He got straight to the point.
"You know me?" Jean Grey was surprised. She looked Luke up and down, confirming she had no memory of him, and felt confused. "Do I know you?"
"My name is Luke. You don't know me, but I know you," Luke said with a kind smile. "I thought you would always stay by Charles's side. I didn't expect even you to be on a solo mission."
"Did Charles let you come out alone?"
Jean Grey grew increasingly confused. She was certain she didn't know Luke, yet he seemed to know everything about her situation.
Could he be a friend of Professor Charles?
Suyin noticed the strange tension between the two and, worried the situation would stall, she extended her hand and smiled. "Madam Phoenix, I am the marine biologist Zhang Suyin. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Jean Grey hesitated for a moment before shaking hands with Zhang Suyin. "Hello, I am Jean Grey of the X-Men."
"X-Men?" Suyin murmured. It was a strange name. Was it some kind of police organization?
Jean Grey instantly realized that Zhang Suyin was not one of them. She looked back at Luke, her expression hesitant. She wasn't sure of Luke's identity, but judging by the situation, he didn't seem to be an enemy. Since he knew the Professor, he had to be trustworthy, right?
Dr. Zhang was about to introduce himself, but just then, something struck the hull from beneath the ship.
"Oh no, it still got in!"
Jean Grey's expression changed drastically as she spoke urgently. "Luke, Suyin—I don't know your relationship with the Professor, but I need your help right now."
"An evil, octopus-like monster has already bored into the cruise ship. If we don't find a way to kill it, thousands of people on board will be in danger."
Upon hearing this, Suyin and Dr. Zhang instinctively looked at Luke, their faces etched with nerves. "What should we do now?"
Luke signaled for them to relax. "Don't worry too much. It's just an ordinary octopus, not Squidward or Cthulhu."
Although Octalus had a fearsome reputation in biological horror movies, it was essentially a creature that could be taken down by a few torpedoes. Even heavy firepower could sever its tentacles. As long as it remained a biological entity, there was nothing to fear.
However, if it had been Squidward or Cthulhu, Luke would have left immediately without a second thought.
Luke flipped his right hand, and a Tiger Talisman appeared.
He had been nursing an idea for some time. Since the Tiger Talisman balances Light and Darkness, could it balance Jean and the Phoenix?
Because the Phoenix Force had been suppressed within a mental cage for so long, a dark persona had been born deep inside Jean.
If the Tiger Talisman could balance and merge Jean's consciousness with the Phoenix's, would she be able to perfectly wield the Phoenix Force?
Becoming the most perfect Phoenix host!
However, Luke thought better of it and put the Tiger Talisman away.
Although the idea was fascinating, he still had reservations. What if the Tiger Talisman wasn't powerful enough to balance the Phoenix Force and Jean, and instead caused the entity to break completely free from its cage?
That would be real trouble.
It was better to proceed slowly.
For example, he could first conquer Jean's body and mind.
Once he obtained the Phoenix Panel, he could then try using the Tiger Talisman.
If successful, he would gain a powerful fighter and a perfect Phoenix Jinchuriki!
Sweet!
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