Laughter drifted in from outside the window.
Hang opened his eyes and walked over. On the lawn, several teenagers were playing around. A girl raised her hand, and dew condensed into ice crystals. Another boy shot red beams from his eyes, slicing a leaf cleanly in half.
All mutants.
He turned, washed up, and changed into the clothes Erik had prepared—a black T-shirt and jeans. The man in the mirror looked completely ordinary, with nothing unusual about him.
When he stepped out, students were already moving through the hallway. A boy with a mohawk passed by, faint flames flickering across his body. The energy inside him was unstable.
The boy didn't look at him and headed straight downstairs.
Hang followed. The dining hall was full, students gathered around long tables eating eggs and bacon.
Charles sat at the head of the table. Seeing Hang, he smiled and gestured.
"Good morning, Hang. Come, sit here."
Hang walked over and sat to Charles's right. Across from him, Erik was slowly cutting into his eggs.
"Everyone, this is Hang," Charles said. "He arrived yesterday and will be studying with you starting today."
Several students looked up. The mohawk boy stared at him for a few seconds before looking away. A brown-haired girl smiled and nodded. In the corner, a boy wearing sunglasses never lifted his head.
Charles pointed at the mohawk boy. "This is John. He can control fire. That's Kitty—she can phase through walls. The one with the sunglasses is Scott; his eyes emit concussive blasts."
Hang memorized each one. John's flames were self-generated, Kitty's ability was molecular phasing, and Scott's blasts were pure kinetic energy.
"And Jean." Charles glanced toward the doorway.
A red-haired girl walked in, around sixteen or seventeen, her face carrying a hint of fatigue. Her psychic power was immense—second only to Charles among those present.
But that wasn't all.
Hang's mental sense brushed over her and immediately detected the suppressed force buried deep within.
An orange-red flame—like a sleeping phoenix.
The Phoenix Force.
Jean sat down and nodded at Hang. "Hi."
"Hi," Hang replied.
"Jean is one of our most outstanding students," Charles said.
Jean lowered her head and continued eating, saying nothing. She seemed to be deliberately restraining her psychic power, like someone clenching a fist, afraid of breaking everything around her.
"Hang, spend today getting familiar with the environment," Charles said. "There's a training session at three this afternoon. You can observe—or participate."
"I'll participate."
Erik glanced up at him. "The training intensity isn't low."
"I can handle it."
After breakfast, Charles asked Jean to show Hang around the school.
They walked through the hallway. Jean moved slowly, her gaze slightly unfocused. Her psychic power ebbed like a tide—every few seconds it leaked out, then was forcefully suppressed.
"Can you hear other people's thoughts?" Hang asked.
Jean stopped and looked at him.
"Did Charles tell you?"
"I guessed."
She was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "Since I was a child. I can hear everyone's thoughts. I can't control it. The professor is helping me build mental barriers, but… it's difficult."
"Your barrier is very stable," Jean added. "I tried reading you—there's nothing."
"I don't like being seen through."
"Neither do I," Jean said with a bitter smile. "But I don't have a choice."
She led him to the basement—a massive metallic room filled with scorch marks and scratches.
"This is the Danger Room," Jean explained. "Professor uses it to test our combat abilities."
Hang stepped into the center, looking up at the projectors and laser emitters on the ceiling.
"Have you passed it?"
"Once," Jean said. "But I lost control. Almost destroyed the whole room."
Her tone was calm, but Hang could sense the suppressed emotions beneath.
Footsteps sounded behind them. John walked in, a lighter in hand.
"New guy?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Heard you're Omega-level?"
"That's what Charles said."
"Then you must be strong." John flicked the lighter open, the flame dancing. "Want to try? I can spar with you."
Jean frowned. "John, it's not training time."
"I just want to see how strong the new guy really is."
Hang looked at him. There was provocation in John's eyes—and a trace of unease.
"Three o'clock. Training session," Hang said. "We'll see then."
John grinned. "Sure. Don't chicken out."
He turned and left.
"Don't mind him," Jean said. "John always wants to prove he's not weaker than anyone."
"Is he weak?"
"Not weak—but not strong enough," Jean said, looking in the direction he left. "He can't control his flames well."
Hang nodded, asking no further.
On the second basement level, a heavy metal door blocked their path.
"That's Professor Xavier's workspace. We're not allowed inside."
Hang stood before the door. His mental force pierced through the metal, scanning the interior. A massive circular device floated in the center—
Cerebro.
Jean watched his back, then suddenly spoke.
"You were scanning it."
Hang turned. Jean's gaze had sharpened.
"I can feel your psychic power," she said. "Just now, your fluctuations were as strong as Professor Xavier's."
Hang didn't deny it. "Just curious."
"Curiosity gets people killed," Jean said. "The professor won't allow anyone to probe that device."
They held each other's gaze for a few seconds before Jean looked away and continued walking. Hang followed, sensing her growing wariness.
---
3 PM. Danger Room.
Charles and Erik stood in the control room.
"Today's training is teamwork," Charles announced over the speakers. "You'll face simulated attacks and must pass within ten minutes. Hang, you'll team up with Jean, Scott, and Kitty."
Hang stepped into the room. Jean, Scott, and Kitty took positions around him.
The lights went out.
A second later, the walls glowed red. Over a dozen mechanical arms extended from the ceiling, each equipped with laser emitters.
Scott removed his visor—red blasts shattered three arms instantly. Kitty turned semi-transparent and phased through a wall. Jean raised her hand, forming a telekinetic barrier to block incoming lasers.
Hang didn't move.
"Hang!" Jean shouted. "What are you doing?"
A laser shot toward his chest. He raised his hand—a golden energy shield formed, dispersing the beam into harmless light.
In the control room, Charles narrowed his eyes. "His reaction speed…"
"Faster than expected," Erik said.
More mechanical arms deployed. Scott's angles were limited, and cracks began forming in Jean's barrier.
Hang stepped forward.
With a flick of his hand, dozens of golden energy threads shot out, precisely striking the joints of every mechanical arm.
Metal snapped in rapid succession.
Within five seconds, all the arms crashed to the ground.
Jean turned to him, shock in her eyes. Scott put his visor back on. Kitty phased out of the wall, her expression complicated.
"Pass," Charles's voice came through. "Hang, your energy control is precise. But this isn't a solo performance—it's team training."
Hang dismissed the energy. "I understand."
"Work on coordination next time," Charles said before cutting the communication.
The four exited the Danger Room. Jean walked ahead, clearly unwilling to speak to him.
Back in his room, Hang sat on the bed and closed his eyes.
The Phoenix Force was his true objective—but now Jean was wary of him. Any direct approach would only alert Charles.
He needed an opportunity.
A knock came at the door. Erik stood outside.
"Mind if I come in?"
Hang opened the door. Erik stepped inside and sat down.
"You performed well today, but you exposed a problem," Erik said. "You don't trust anyone."
"I'm used to working alone."
"That won't work here," Erik said calmly. "What you did today made Jean think you look down on her."
Hang was silent for a moment. "I'll keep that in mind."
"You'd better." Erik stood. "And stop scanning Cerebro. Charles noticed—he just didn't say anything."
With that, he left.
Hang closed the door and sat back down. He knew he had been a bit reckless today—but time was limited.
---
Night fell, and the mansion grew quiet.
Lying on the bed, Hang extended his mental force again, locking onto Jean's room.
She was still awake, sitting on her bed with her knees drawn up. Her psychic energy fluctuated violently. The Phoenix Force within her seemed to sense something, beginning to stir. Orange-red flames flickered around her, small cracks forming on the walls.
Charles's psychic power quickly surged in, soothing her mind.
The flames gradually subsided. Jean collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Hang withdrew his mental force.
The instability of the Phoenix Force was worse than he had imagined. Jean could lose control at any moment.
But that also meant—
His opportunity to come into contact with the Phoenix Force… was approaching.
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