Without wasting another second, Sean, Eric, and Charles quickly unbuckled their seat belts and moved toward the hatch at the bottom of the Blackbird.
"Hank, open the lower hatch!" Sean shouted toward the cockpit.
A loud mechanical rumble followed.
Boom—boom—
The hatch slid open, revealing the raging ocean below. Violent wind and cold sea air instantly rushed into the aircraft cabin, striking everyone like a sudden storm. The pressure of the air made breathing difficult as the fighter roared through the sky.
Charles stood beside Sean, his voice firm but encouraging.
"Remember, this is just a muscle. You can control it," he said, offering quick psychological support. "Trust yourself. We'll see you in a moment."
Sean took a deep breath and nodded.
"On my count," Charles continued. "Three… two… one… go!"
Whoosh!
Sean leapt directly out of the open hatch.
His body cut through the air before plunging straight into the ocean below.
The moment he entered the water, he opened his mouth.
"BZZZZ—!"
A powerful sonic wave burst outward from him and spread rapidly through the sea. The vibrations traveled across the water in expanding rings, penetrating deep into the surrounding ocean.
In effect, Sean had become a living sonar system.
Throughout the entire process, Charles maintained a telepathic connection with him. Sean's senses were effectively linked to Charles's mind. The instant Sean located Shaw's submarine, Charles would know the exact position.
Eric stood nearby, waiting.
Once the submarine was found, it would be his responsibility to pull it out of hiding.
As for Rorschach—
A series of system notifications suddenly echoed in his mind.
[New mission generated.]
[Mission: Thwart the plans of the Black Emperor Sebastian Shaw and kill Shaw.]
[Mission reward: 2000 Origin Points.]
Rorschach's eyes narrowed slightly.
Two thousand Origin Points.
Based on previous experience, that reward would unlock approximately twenty percent of his template progression.
It was by far the largest reward he had received since obtaining the system.
For the first time in a while, genuine anticipation stirred inside him.
"Shaw," he thought silently, a faint glimmer flashing in his eyes, "now I really have a reason to kill you."
He unfastened his own seat belt and moved closer to the open hatch.
Rorschach had no intention of standing aside and watching.
Inside the cabin, everyone's attention gradually focused on Charles. They knew the outcome now depended on Sean's sonar scan beneath the ocean.
Time passed slowly.
Nearly five minutes later, Charles suddenly opened his eyes.
"He found it!" Charles announced, his voice filled with excitement. "Sean has locked onto Shaw's position!"
Energy surged through the cabin.
Everyone immediately straightened.
Charles turned to Eric.
"Are you ready?"
Eric's expression hardened.
"I've been waiting for this moment."
Charles nodded once before relaying the coordinates Sean had detected to Hank in the cockpit.
The Blackbird adjusted its course immediately.
Within seconds, the jet was flying directly above the submarine hidden beneath the sea.
Eric climbed partially out of the aircraft and stepped onto the landing gear. Bracing himself against the roaring wind, he stretched one hand toward the ocean below.
His senses extended outward.
Searching.
Feeling.
"Remember," Charles shouted over the wind, "the key is balance—somewhere between anger and calm!"
Whether it was Charles's guidance or the dramatic increase in Eric's power after his recent breakthrough, Eric quickly felt it.
The submarine.
A massive nuclear submarine resting deep beneath the ocean surface.
Eric clenched his hand.
The magnetic field around the submarine responded instantly.
Then—
He pulled.
Splash!
Water erupted violently as an enormous nuclear submarine burst out of the ocean and rose into the air.
The gigantic vessel hung suspended beneath Eric's outstretched hand, as if caught by an invisible force. Slowly but steadily, Eric dragged the submarine toward the nearby shoreline.
The scene was utterly shocking.
Inside the Blackbird, Alex stared wide-eyed.
"Is Eric serious right now?"
His jaw nearly dropped.
That display of power was simply ridiculous.
Down below, both the American and Soviet fleets had also witnessed the impossible sight.
Sailors stared upward in disbelief.
"What the hell is happening?"
"How did that submarine just fly out of the ocean?"
"Look at that guy—he's lifting it!"
For the soldiers on both sides of the blockade line, the sight felt like watching reality collapse.
Their understanding of the world shattered in an instant.
At the same time, a deep unease crept into their hearts.
If someone could manipulate a nuclear submarine so effortlessly… what could stop him from doing the same thing to an entire fleet?
The realization was terrifying.
Inside the submarine itself, chaos erupted.
"What's going on?"
"What just happened?"
"It's them!"
Several mutants gathered in a control room suddenly reacted with alarm.
The Black Emperor himself was nowhere to be seen.
At that moment, Shaw was inside a sealed chamber within the submarine, completely focused on absorbing nuclear energy from the vessel's reactor.
His ultimate plan was to secretly launch nuclear missiles at either the United States or the Soviet Union, triggering a full-scale nuclear war.
However, the destruction of the Aral Sea cargo ship had already forced Shaw and his followers to act personally.
They quickly realized their enemies had arrived.
"How is this possible?"
A shirtless mutant with large hawk-like wings growing from his back snarled angrily.
"How dare they ruin our plan?"
Without hesitation, the winged mutant climbed up a ladder and pushed open the top hatch of the submarine.
The moment he emerged outside, he saw something unbelievable.
The submarine… was flying.
Just moments ago, they had been submerged beneath the ocean.
Now the entire vessel was suspended high in the sky.
Turning his head, he saw the source of the impossible phenomenon.
A man was standing on a fighter jet, holding the submarine aloft with an outstretched hand.
Eric.
Exactly as Shaw had warned them.
Those mutants had arrived.
A cold gleam flashed in the winged mutant's eyes.
With a powerful beat of his wings, he launched himself into the air and shot straight toward Eric.
His wings weren't ordinary feathers.
Attached to them were metallic exoskeleton blades, shaped like elongated daggers. Each edge was razor sharp and designed specifically for combat.
At that moment, Eric was fully focused on controlling the massive submarine. Diverting his attention could cause the entire vessel to drop.
He had no time to defend himself.
The winged attacker closed the distance rapidly.
Fortunately, Eric wasn't alone.
"Do you really think he's unprotected?"
Rorschach's voice rang out coldly.
He leaned forward slightly as his eyes ignited with blazing heat.
SWISH!
Two brilliant beams of heat vision shot forward.
The winged mutant's expression changed instantly.
"It's him!"
Rorschach had already become infamous among Shaw's inner circle. Several of Shaw's trusted followers knew exactly who he was and what he could do.
Everyone understood that Rorschach was extremely dangerous.
The winged mutant was no exception.
And because of that—
He didn't dare underestimate him.
.....
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