The fierce wind howled, raising waves over a hundred meters high. The sea surged, and the two fleets along the blockade line rose and fell with the waves.
Everyone aboard the fleets stared with wide eyes in horror at the "sun" high in the sky as it gradually dimmed, finally turning into a mass of black clouds.
"That's terrifying."
"Who would believe it? A nuclear bomb exploded right above my head."
"Good thing it exploded high in the air, or we'd all be dead."
"But mutants are too terrifying. They can actually control nuclear bombs!"
"How are ordinary people supposed to live like this!"
Whether they were from the Federation or the Soviets, every ordinary person aboard the ships felt immense fear toward mutants for the first time.
Especially since they could see that Erik still had quite a few nuclear warheads beside him.
In the distance, Alex had already released his control over Shaw before the nuclear bomb exploded. He had no desire to experience what Shaw was going through. Although he probably wouldn't feel the controlled person's pain the way Professor X did, he still didn't want to take the chance.
When there was no risk, taking things a little recklessly was fine.
But when faced with the unknown, Alex still chose to be cautious.
Better safe than sorry.
At this moment, Raven was pressed tightly against him.
Alex, carrying or supporting Alex(Havok) and the others along with Charles's body, landed on a small island.
Only after her feet touched solid ground did Raven climb down from him. She collapsed onto the ground, still unable to believe what she had seen.
Unable to believe Charles was dead.
Unable to believe a nuclear bomb had exploded right before her eyes.
"What are we going to do now?", Darwin said quietly, "Erik detonated a nuclear bomb. I think from now on, the existence of mutants won't be a secret anymore."
Alex glanced at Charles's body.
If Professor X hadn't died, he would have turned the mansion into a school in the future, taking in those lost mutants who weren't accepted by ordinary people and giving them a place to belong.
But now Charles was dead, and no one knew what would happen.
At that moment, Alex(Havok) said with a grim face, "Mr. John, you could have stopped Shaw, couldn't you?"
Alex nodded.
Alex(Havok) shouted, "Then why didn't you act sooner!"
"If you'd acted sooner, Charles wouldn't have died."
"Alex, don't say that."
Darwin quickly said, "Mr. John wasn't obligated to help us, and we have no right to blame him."
Alex(Havok) said, "But he clearly had the ability to stop the disaster, yet he chose to stand by and watch, just like at the CIA base last time."
"If he'd acted sooner, so many people at the CIA wouldn't have died."
"Stop it!"
Raven cried out in pain.
Deep down, she also blamed Alex for not acting sooner. If he had, her adoptive brother wouldn't have died.
But reason told her that, just as Darwin had said, Alex had no obligation to help them, and they had no right to blame him.
But Charles's body was lying right in front of her, and she was still only a teenage girl. She couldn't be that rational.
Not blaming Alex like Alex(Havok) already was the limit of what she could do.
Alex looked at them.
He said nothing.
His cape fluttered, and his feet left the ground.
Without a word, he left.
"See? He just left like that. He didn't even explain himself!", Alex(Havok) said angrily.
Darwin sighed, "You should be glad he left, brother."
"To us, Mr. John is as powerful as a god."
"The kind of power that goes beyond all standards, that can't be measured by common sense."
"What do you think we are in his eyes?"
Alex(Havok) paused, "Aren't we friends?"
Darwin smiled, "Would you be friends with cats and dogs?"
Without thinking, Alex(Havok) said, "Sure. I like cats and dogs."
Darwin hurriedly said, "No, no, that's not what I mean. What I mean is, we're simply not on the same level as Mr. John."
"He may have lived with us for a while, but believe me, he doesn't see us as friends."
"Even if he guided us, to him, it was probably just something he felt like doing on a whim."
"He's different from Charles."
"So if you keep talking like that, he might turn against us. He might even kill all of us."
"When someone becomes too powerful, the laws and moral standards made by humans can no longer restrain them."
"Someone who does whatever they want, acting however they please, is the most frightening."
"If you ask me, only Miss Caitlin is within the range of people he cares about."
"I'm not mistaken. I'm a taxi driver. I've met all kinds of people."
"Good people, bad people, selfish people, and kind people."
"But Mr. John doesn't belong to any of those groups. The moment he killed that red-skinned monster as easily as crushing an ant, I knew what kind of person he was."
Darwin's words left everyone silent.
Suddenly Hank let out a cry, "What are they trying to do?"
The sea had already calmed down, but now one warship after another turned its guns toward Erik.
At this moment, Erik was sinking the nuclear warheads into the sea one by one.
Just then, he heard a barrage of cannon fire. Amid the deafening noise, countless missiles came whistling toward him.
Erik watched it all without expression, "Look, Charles."
"I told you before. Even if we saved the world, the world wouldn't thank us."
"In their eyes, there's no difference between us and Shaw."
"What a pity."
"You won't get to see it."
"What a relief."
"You won't get to see it."
As he spoke, Erik raised a hand and pressed it toward the incoming missiles.
The missiles immediately stopped. Under the influence of electromagnetic force, they were restrained and suspended in midair.
"Do you want war that badly?"
"Then come on!"
Erik's eyes were cold. He turned the missiles around, aimed them at the two fleets on the sea, waved his hand, and sent them back the way they had come.
On the two fleets, people could only watch as missile after missile fell from the sky. Then explosions and flames erupted across the sea.
The sea, which had only just calmed, was once again thrown into turmoil. Orange fireballs, large and small, rose and fell across the entire surface of the ocean.
Explosions, screams, and the sound of ships breaking apart blended together.
The brilliant firelight reflected on Erik's face. He raised both hands and said softly, "Cheer for the arrival of the new world."
That day, the Federation and Soviet fleets disappeared from the sea.
After contact had been lost for twelve hours, the two superpowers each sent search and rescue teams to those waters, but they failed to rescue anyone.
They confirmed only one thing.
Their fleets had suffered devastating attacks and had completely sunk.
The next day, the two countries issued declarations.
Declarations of War!