It was truly unfair to blame Toad for his immense fury; he had placed considerable trust in Reef precisely because the first time, Reef had absolutely no obligation to save him, yet the unpredictable Reef had actively chosen to do so.
So, the second time, Toad, feeling completely secure, had charged in boldly, only to be betrayed at that very moment!!!
It was akin to someone finding a lost fortune of one million, returning it to the rightful owner, yet subsequently borrowing ten thousand and refusing to pay it back.
Toad's rage wasn't about his injuries, but likely the realization that the one person he had finally dared to trust had utterly deceived him… that raw, bloody feeling of being wounded after trusting someone for the first time!
By this point, the battle was largely drawing to a close. The Green Giant’s eyes were completely blinded, and he had fled into the sea, his fate unknown. Of the Fantastic Four, the Thing (Grimm) was captured, likely doomed to revert to his human form, while the remaining leader, the elastic Mr. Fantastic, Reed, was pinned down by two Vampire Counts.
Learning from the demise of the one who was killed, the Vampire Counts were extremely cautious, operating under the philosophy of ‘no credit sought, but no blame accepted’ as they entangled Reed, aided by a swarm of fearless Blood Servants brandishing weapons and bombarding him relentlessly—a truly agonizing ordeal.
One Vampire Count, in particular, seemed exceptionally battle-hardened. Wielding a Fallen Communion Knife, he consistently aimed his strikes at the pinky finger, heel, and back of Reed, content merely to break the skin and draw blood. These accumulated curses, stacking up like layers of severe psoriasis or vitiligo upon Reed’s skin, inflicted damage that was surprisingly extensive.
Fang Senyan and his group eyed the Fallen Sacred Artifact with avarice. However, after detection, they realized the artifact could either only be used by a vampire, or, after being purified by a powerful entity, by a devout Paladin. It was completely out of reach for Fang Senyan’s group, so they abandoned any thought of double-crossing their allies.
However, Fang Senyan and his team had underestimated the capabilities of the Fantastic Four’s leader. After leaving behind a bloody, elastic arm, Reed screamed and retreated into the submarine, detonating the bomb before anyone else could charge in.
Clearly, Reed must have had a contingency plan, making such a ‘suicidal’ move. Gazing at the dark, churning sea, no one truly dared to pursue recklessly.
After this battle, Fang Senyan’s side suffered a slight dip in morale, having lost one Vampire Count and with Toad heavily wounded, but upon returning to the rendezvous point, they found their group’s casualties were relatively light.
The team led by Magneto had suffered the most horrific losses, losing a full seven mutants, including two of Professor X’s favored disciples: Sunspot and Iceman.
Logically, Sunspot and Iceman were still youths and shouldn't have been deployed, but Magneto admired Sunspot’s potential and brought him along. Unexpectedly, Sunspot engaged the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four, who countered fire with fire and burned Sunspot to ashes.
Seeing Sunspot killed, Iceman's eyes turned red, and he charged in headlong, thus becoming cannon fodder as well.
Magneto, who had valued and brought them out, had inadvertently doomed them! He instantly felt utterly disgraced and was about to lose control, but the opponent Magneto faced was no weaker than himself: Batman!
Furthermore, Magneto’s abilities were heavily constrained by the environment. In a place like a scrapyard, he was a god; in areas lacking metal or with scarce resources, he was slag. Consequently, Magneto’s team not only suffered the heaviest casualties but also failed their mission.
Conversely, the contingent led by the other major figure, Prince Dracula, successfully completed their mission, although they too lost three Counts. Their opponents were characters like Deadpool, Blade, and Ghost Rider, resulting in both sides being severely crippled.
After this battle, both factions felt immense pressure. Upon learning the casualty list, Dr. Charles Xavier painfully closed his eyes. After a long moment, he stated firmly, “No, I believe we can negotiate with them. Aren’t our airships designed to create many of these, at least? Why can’t we cooperate?”
Hearing Dr. Xavier’s suggestion, Prince Dracula suddenly interjected, “Doctor, your idea is excellent, but regrettably, it is impractical.”
Dr. Xavier looked astonished. “Why?”
Prince Dracula sighed. “In fact, I knew roughly what the world-ending event would be two years ago. In Europe, there is an organization called ‘Survival,’ formed by those abandoned by their governments, who have also begun implementing methods to adapt to the apocalypse.”
Dr. Xavier frowned. “Then why didn’t you join back then?”
Prince Dracula spoke slowly, “I would have liked to join with my own descendants, but regrettably, the Survival organization is led by Countess Báthory. She is also a Prince/Princess, and many of her doctrines—such as bathing in blood and using the Iron Maiden (this device is extremely bloody and violent; it can be understood as a suit of plate armor with numerous hollow spikes on the interior. The victim is pushed inside, the armor sealed, and the hollow spikes pierce the victim’s body, allowing blood to flow out through the spike apertures).”
“If I were to join, I would have to abandon our principle of hiding among humans without harming them, embracing killing for pleasure, and becoming their slaves! That is absolutely unacceptable; even death would not make us yield.”
Dr. Xavier frowned. “We can simply exclude the Survival organization from those we seek to cooperate with.”
Doctor Octopus and Magneto also sighed and shook their heads. “Charles, cooperation seems virtually impossible now. Think about it: the other organizations have likely been preparing for the end of the world for a very long time. Trying to persuade them to abandon plans meticulously prepared over months or years for our hastily assembled plan—even if the leaders were convinced, everyone else would assume you used your brainwaves to control them.”
Charles instantly froze. Fang Senyan cut to the core: “Professor, what is the justification you offer that makes our plan superior to theirs?”
Professor Charles pondered for a moment, then seriously replied, “It is because we possess the intelligence you provided, knowing the precise details of the 2012 cataclysm! This allows us to make targeted preparations.”
“GOOD.” Fang Senyan looked directly into Professor Charles’s eyes. “Professor, you believe me because you can see concrete evidence in my mind! Magneto believes me because he knows your integrity and character! Doctor Octopus believes you because he… has no choice, oh no, because he is as upright as you are… Dr. Dracula (this is Dracula’s peculiar habit; he likes to be called Doctor) believes me because the Cullen family also possesses a vampire with mind-reading abilities, like the immensely promising Mr. Edward Cullen (surely the protagonist’s potential can’t be weak?).”
Pausing here, Fang Senyan continued slowly, “But why should anyone else believe me? Every ark currently being built by other factions carries the hopes of thousands, and in a way, determines the immense power of the rulers of Earth after the catastrophe!!”
“Professor, if you step forward to persuade the other factions to cooperate, at this crucial juncture of life and death, people will only suspect the worst—that you are using your unique, powerful abilities to seize power and resources, never believing it is for genuine cooperation.”
Professor Charles covered his face with both hands, finally letting out a painful, weary sigh. “Yes, I understand. You are right.”
Fang Senyan nodded, looking at him earnestly. “Mr. Charles Francis Xavier, within a two-kilometer radius centered on this conference room live many unarmed humans. They possess no means of resistance. While they may be insignificant to others, they are our family, friends, lovers—the primary motivation for our survival and struggle in this world.”
“And surrounding these humans are the factories manufacturing escape tools for the coming apocalypse! Now, these two most precious assets should be, and must be, under your surveillance! The war has begun; the enemy's retaliation could arrive at any moment. Any mercy shown could result in the murder of our loved ones, of our very lives!”
Professor Charles took a deep breath. He felt everyone in the room watching him, their gazes heavy enough to crush an ordinary person. But Charles could not look away, because his lover and children also resided here!
“I understand,” Professor Charles’s expression suddenly turned cold. Jean startled, realizing that the Professor had successfully hypnotized himself into his second personality—the ruthless persona devoid of pity or sorrow!
It is worth noting that this very alter ego, while Charles was still a fetus, eliminated Charles’s own twin brother, forcing him to flee in spirit form! Professor Charles immediately spoke coldly, “Worker Mark in Workshop Number Three, Halland, Victor, and Castle have a 45% probability of being spies; execution is recommended. In Workshop Number Six, Hack, Bobby, and Tony attempted to steal confidential data; for the sake of secrecy, execution is recommended.”
Then Professor Charles turned to Prince Dracula. “Doctor Octopus requests the kidnapping of the following research personnel; please dispatch manpower for this task. Bring them to my room after capture; I will perform brainwashing on them. If there is nothing else, the meeting is adjourned.” (To be continued.)