16
However, this simple greeting made the pupils of the few people present constrict sharply.
How did Li Da know that besides the Professor, there were other people present?
If not for absolute trust and confidence, everyone would almost suspect that he had installed pinhole cameras or ** in the X-Mansion.
But this obviously defied common sense.
This prescient ability instead added another layer of mystery to Li Da.
Charles didn't think much of it and laughed heartily: "Good morning, Mr. Li Da, apologies for the intrusion."
"It's fine, I just woke up too."
Li Da chuckled softly, and his tone immediately shifted: "Is the Professor looking for me because of the commotion last night?"
Although it was a question, the tone was undoubtedly certain.
As expected.
Hearing this rhetorical question, everyone exchanged glances.
Last night's affair was indeed inseparable from him.
All the previous speculations finally had a foothold.
Charles stopped beating around the bush and said bluntly: "Indeed, the sound of ** last night caused quite a commotion."
"There's no help for it, the opponent is a bit tricky."
"Oh?" Charles's expression tightened, "I'd like to hear the details."
The other end of the phone was silent for a moment.
Mere seconds of silence felt as long as a century in the ears of the X-Men members.
The air seemed to freeze, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the revelation of that unknown answer.
Li Da's voice came through the radio waves, clear and calm: "Mephisto."
In this instant, dead silence enveloped the conference room.
Except for Logan, the pupils of the rest constricted sharply, and their breathing seemed to stall at that moment.
Hank's Adam's apple rolled violently, and he cried out in shock: "What?! That Mephisto?"
"You mean that Lord of Hell?"
"Precisely." Li Da's tone was brisk, even carrying a hint of playfulness, but this did not ease the gravity of the scene at all.
Everyone frantically searched their minds for the weight of this name.
Mephisto.
The Demon King.
The ruler of hell.
That suffocating sense of oppression Professor Charles had once described was now materialized into a cold fear.
This was simply not on the same level.
Mutant giants like Magneto Erik were not even considered dust in front of that existence.
Hell's Gate.
The apocalypse descends.
Purgatory on Earth.
A series of terrifying images exploded in everyone's minds.
If that Demon King appeared, would it mean that Earth was about to become his backyard?
"Heh..." Hank twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile uglier than crying, "This is truly a'surprise' hitting home. Tell me, will it hurt if I pinch myself right now? I'm dreaming, right?"
【Requesting flowers and monthly tickets】
* * *
Heavy.
The air was so viscous it was suffocating.
Charles broke the silence first, his reason quickly returning: "Mr. Li, what is Mephisto's true combat power? If it's truly as terrifying as the rumors say, the scale of the battle just now should not have been so limited."
His gaze was sharp.
Although the destructive power of that battle was great, if the Lord of Hell had come in person, the surrounding cities would probably have long been reduced to ruins.
The logic doesn't hold.
There must be a hidden story.
Li Da's answer confirmed his conjecture: "Limited by a certain rule, Mephisto cannot descend to Earth with his true body. What I clashed with just now was merely a wisp of a soul projection. Compared to his true body, his strength is like heaven and Earth."
The truth comes to light.
The tightened nerves eased slightly.
Li Da politely said goodbye and cut off the communication.
Charles did not continue to press.
After all, the two sides had only just established trust, and as a benefactor, it was inappropriate to excessively demand privacy.
However, the mystery was not completely solved.
Why could his true body not descend?
Why cast a soul projection?
Behind this, was there a deeper conspiracy hidden?
That suffocating sense of oppression shrouded the high-level conference room of the Mutant alliance like dark clouds.
No one wanted to reach out and touch Mephisto's mess.
After all, a disaster at the level of a Lord of Hell, once out of control, would drag the entire Earth down with it.
The X-Men did not consider themselves strong enough to shoulder this karma alone, and they were even more afraid of being inversely eroded by this evil force.
Charles Xavier frowned, his gaze sweeping across the heavy faces of every member present.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the worry in his eyes, and kept his voice as smooth and gentle as possible:
"Li Da has already stepped in and settled Mephisto. As long as he doesn't go back on his word, Earth can be considered safe in the short term."
The Professor paused, his tone turning serious:
"But I won't lower my guard. Jean, go keep an eye on the joint investigation team and see if you can dig out any valuable clues, or... surprises."
"Understood, Professor."
The communication was cut off.
In the private estate in the suburbs of New York.
Li Da put away the communicator with a calm expression.
Xavier's perception was indeed sharp, but this was not unexpected.
Looking across the globe, apart from The Ancient One, the existences capable of reaching this spiritual dimension could be counted on one hand.
As for intentionally keeping them in suspense just now?
It was purely out of laziness to talk nonsense.
His friendship with the Mutants wasn't deep enough to pour his heart out to them.
Casually shoving his phone into his pants pocket, Li Da straightened his collar.
The cuffs of his white shirt were rolled up casually, revealing the sturdy lines of his forearms.
Slim-fit trousers paired with clean skate shoes, his entire person was as upright as a pine, possessing both the stability of a mature male and the refreshing fashion of a youth.
Waking up early today was because Natasha was coming back.
She even brought along a few dead weights along the way—those were his children.
The four Little guys at home had long finished washing up and took a Bentley driven by the butler to a private elite school.
Although the curriculum there was relaxed, the morning sense of ritual and social circle could not be taken lightly.
Not showing off wealth in such a circle would instead make it easy to be isolated and squeezed out; Li Da still understood this bit of common sense.
The servants respectfully retreated.
With leisurely paces, Li Da came to the large lawn in front of the estate.
In the morning suburbs of New York, the air was filled with the fresh fragrance of grass and trees.
There was no hustle and bustle of the city center's traffic, only the birdsong and cicada chirps from the distant forest, as well as the low neighs of fine horses in the stable.
These sounds intertwined together, resembling a natural morning symphony.
Making one's mind peaceful and serene.
Li Da loved this rhythm very much.
The high-pressure, fast-paced life of his past life had exhausted him; now in this world, being able to slow down and feel the breeze brushing against his face was a rare luxury.
Sitting in this tranquility, Li Da couldn't help but inwardly rant about those villains who shouted about destroying the world all day long.
Each one had a tragic background, seemingly pitiful.
If they really had ability, they should go take down the backstage **, go regulate the chaebol giants, instead of stretching their dirty hands toward the innocent public.
Destroy the world?
That was a stupid thing only done by someone whose brain had flooded with water.
Rather than being full of slogans, it was better to calm down, appreciate the rain on a rainy day, and view the scenery on a snowy day.
Such quiet and peaceful years, wouldn't that be nice?
At a time like this, rather than stubbornly putting up a strong front, it was better to sprawl on the sofa, with iced orange juice, freshly ground coffee, or whiskey on the rocks prepared at hand.
That feeling was what you call comfortable.
He indeed had no stance to judge other people's lifestyles, but if this wave blew onto his own head, that would be having too long a life.
Grand narratives like saving the world or destroying the universe sounded blood-boiling, but were exhausting to do.
Not to mention wasting time and effort, one would also have to stake the second half of their life; what if bad luck struck and a superhero popped out halfway to clean them up, wouldn't that be all for naught?
Right, speaking of that Thanos with his mouth full of 'balance'.
The ideal was plump, and doing population control was fine too, but insisting on dragging the entire universe to be buried with him, and even including Earth into the calculation range, made his brain seem not so bright.
It would simply defy reason not to get beaten to a pulp.
As his thoughts drifted wildly, Li Da raised his head.
Above his head was a clear and washed blue sky.