"Saiki, look out!" Jean shouted. Before she or Saiki could react, there was a loud "thud," and the child who'd been causing trouble flew backward.
It was Erik who'd acted.
Or rather, he hadn't acted, per se.
He'd simply used a protective barrier created by his magnetic field to surround the three of them. The child had crashed into the barrier and been bounced right off.
The child looked badly hurt, his body convulsing as he lay on the ground. He vomited a mouthful of blood with a loud "wah."
Pain caused him to sob, snot, tears, and blood mixing on his face, making him look both disgusting and pitiful.
Seeing this, Jean instantly forgot Erik's warnings and tried to rush over to the child.
"Don't go over there, Jean. Have you forgotten that he was just trying to hurt Saiki?"
"But... but..." Jean hesitated, biting her lip.
Erik patiently coaxed, "Humans are cunning and cruel. They are good at disguising themselves, making themselves appear weak to gain sympathy. This child grew up in a slum; he's not as fragile as you think. If you pity him, Jean, you'll get hurt."
However, Jean suddenly raised her head, her face full of determination, rejecting Erik's persuasion.
"Even so, I still believe that there are good people among humans. They need our help, and when we need their help one day, they will also lend a helping hand."
After Jean finished speaking, she walked over to the child who was still convulsing.
Truly, hopelessly naive.
Erik, who had been refuted, didn't show any displeasure. On the contrary, as Jean got closer and closer to the child, a triumphant curve appeared at the corner of his lips.
(This isn't good.) Saiki Kusuo thought.
Jean had already gently helped the child up. The seriously injured child trembled with fear at her approach.
"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."
The child's timid gaze made Jean feel a surge of compassion. Disregarding the child's disheveled appearance, she gave him a hug.
The child sobbed in her arms, his weak voice saying intermittently, "Sis... sister, you're... such a good person. But... but I... I'm so hungry, so... I'm sorry."
Sorry for what?
Before Jean could think it through, the child, clutching a dagger, stabbed her in the back.
Jean, completely unprepared, had almost no way to resist. Fortunately, Saiki Kusuo couldn't bear to watch any longer and used teleportation to rescue Jean.
When Saiki Kusuo displayed his superpowers, Erik's eyes showed a flicker of delight, and he murmured, "Teleportation, is it?"
The child, having missed his target, looked utterly despairing. He looked at Jean, opened his mouth as if to say something, but when his gaze inadvertently swept over Erik, he shivered and fled.
"Jean."
Jean, who had been rescued by Saiki Kusuo, lowered her head. The shadow hid her face, making it impossible to see her expression, but both Saiki Kusuo and Erik knew she was upset.
Erik suppressed his triumphant expression and spoke in a heavy tone.
Jean trembled slightly and with difficulty, raised her head. Her eyes were wide, filled with tears, as if they would spill over with the slightest blink.
Seeing Jean like this, Erik felt that he had achieved his goal. He slowly spoke, seemingly to deliver the final blow to Jean.
"Now you know, the true face of these humans."
Her beliefs seemed to shatter in an instant.
Jean's tears fell.
Saiki Kusuo couldn't help but sigh.
He had to correct his previous assessment. Erik wasn't just more aggressive than Charles; he was also more unscrupulous.
Erik seemed to know a lot about Jean's powers, so he used his own abilities to suppress her telepathy, allowing him to completely convince her.
Unfortunately, Erik had overlooked the fact that he, Saiki, also possessed telepathy.
Erik had used most of his power to deal with Jean, so apart from being unable to read Erik's mind, Saiki Kusuo knew the thoughts of everyone else clearly.
That child was Erik's setup.
There were no mutants here at all. This was just a brainwashing ground used by Erik to manipulate his own kind for his purposes. These refugees were bought off by him. Under his control, they became tools to attack mutants and even humans.
He didn't care about their lives; even the most pitiful humans couldn't earn his sympathy. He only needed to provide cheap food each day to make them do anything for him, regardless of the consequences.
He was a master strategist, a formidable leader. But in Saiki Kusuo's eyes, he was just a mad dog who had lost his mind to revenge.
Saiki Kusuo neither pitied nor hated him for his experiences and actions. But that was on the condition that this guy didn't come to provoke him.
The other man clearly wanted to use him and Jean's abilities to deal with the human government and the X-Men.
Erik looked at Jean, who was sobbing from grief. He was very gentlemanly and didn't press her further, instead turning his gaze to Saiki Kusuo.
"She's very upset."
Erik's tone was odd.
Saiki Kusuo's head was filled with question marks. So what?
Erik looked exasperated.
"As a man, when a girl is sad, you should comfort her. You won't win any girls over like that."
Saiki Kusuo: "..."
Why was it that he understood every word this guy said, but when put together, it made no sense?
However, the one thing he did understand was that Erik wanted him to comfort Jean.
But... Saiki Kusuo glanced at Jean, who seemed to have stopped sobbing. His expressionless face took on a hint of schadenfreude.
Jean didn't need his comfort.
Just then, Jean raised her head, wiping the tears from her face. "I understand, Mr. Erik. Please don't worry about me. Let's continue looking for our fellow mutants."
Erik had almost forgotten the reason he'd tricked them into coming here.
However, girl, your reaction isn't quite right? Shouldn't you be screaming that Charles is a liar, cutting all ties with him, and then throwing yourself into my arms... ahem, joining my organization?
But Erik was an old fox after all. Although he was puzzled, he remained calm on the surface and continued with their rescue plan.
Finally, they found a mutant on the verge of death in a patch of grass.
It was still a child.
As for why he was staying here, according to the dying child, it was because government officials had come to capture experimental subjects, targeting his friend. To save his friend, he had inadvertently triggered his own abilities, driving away those people. But his friend and the others, fearing his powers, had driven him out of the village, leaving him to wait for death in the grass outside the village.
The child's narration was moving, but Saiki Kusuo knew he was lying. Erik, in order to brainwash them, had arranged everything meticulously.
Erik comforted the crying child while observing Jean.
"He's seriously injured. I need to take him back for treatment immediately. Jean and Saiki, will you come back with me?"
Erik extended a direct invitation, awaiting Jean and Saiki's response.
Saiki Kusuo remained unmoved, while Jean, conflicted, clenched her fists tightly. Then she spoke, "I'm sorry, sir, I can't go back with you."
Saiki Kusuo's sharp eyes caught Erik's surprised eyebrow raise.
Before Erik could respond, Jean continued, "My mind is in turmoil right now. I don't know what to do. Professor... Professor always told me that if we are kind to humans, one day, humans will accept us and coexist with us peacefully. But after seeing this, I have doubts about his words."
Her struggle gave Erik a sigh of relief. He'd almost thought his arrangements had failed to shake the girl.
"I understand your confusion, Jean," he soothed, sounding remarkably like Charles comforting Jean when she lost control of her emotions. "Learning that the truth you've known for years is just a lie, anyone would find it hard to accept. You can take your time to think it over. When you've figured it out, you can come find me. I'll always be waiting for you at that bar."
Jean nodded. "I'll consider it carefully, sir."
(So, did you guys not ask for my opinion?)
Seeing the unconcealed smugness on Erik's face, Saiki Kusuo felt his mental activity must be intense, so he couldn't resist pulling off his limiter.
Immediately, Erik's thoughts flooded in.
[Children are so naive, especially the students that fool Charles taught.]
[Too bad there wasn't enough time. If we'd had more time to talk, she might have betrayed Charles.]
[But it's okay. After this, she'll doubt Charles. Even if she doesn't join me, she won't be loyal to Charles anymore. I can use that when we clash in the future.]
(You can't go three sentences without mentioning Charles. Are you trying to take revenge on society, or are you just trying to make trouble for Charles?)
Erik sent the two of them back to where they'd started and left with the child.
Saiki Kusuo looked at his confident demeanor and couldn't help but sigh again.
Jean clenched her fists, then frowned, then bit her lip, still looking conflicted.
Then, after gazing in the direction Erik had departed for a long while, she quietly asked Saiki Kusuo beside her.
"Has he left?"
Saiki Kusuo glanced at her and nodded.
"I can't sense his presence anymore."
"That's good."
Jean breathed a sigh of relief, wiping away the tear stains on her face. Her demeanor did a complete 180, switching from a conflicted girl whose beliefs had been shattered to a smug expression, bragging to Saiki Kusuo.
"Hey, Saiki, how was my acting just now?"
Saiki Kusuo: "...So-so."
Dissatisfied with his assessment, Jean complained, "What do you mean, so-so? It was amazing. Didn't I completely fool that man?"
(He wasn't completely fooled by you. He was just too arrogant, thinking you were easy to deceive.)
He thought she was a naive, inexperienced girl, but she was actually quite cunning.
That's why Saiki Kusuo had remained a cold observer the whole time. Their battle of wits was quite a show.
"It's a shame I should have talked to him more, found out the location of his base and the members of his organization. We might have been able to wipe them all out."
Jean looked regretful.
"But it's okay, didn't he say he'd be waiting for us at the bar? I'll go back and tell Professor Charles about this when I get back."
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