Marvel: Xenomorphs

At this moment, the Broadway incident had yet to subside, and while the world was still grappling with the surge in superhuman crimes, another earth-shattering piece of news spread across all major organizations and powers.

Magneto's Brotherhood had suddenly appeared in Alaska, engaging in a fierce battle with a formidable enemy. It seemed they had also been ambushed by a group of mysterious, powerful individuals, suffering devastating losses!

Rumors circulated that several key members had been killed.

This was a shocking development. The one who had been dealt a blow was none other than Magneto—a seasoned professional who had spent years honing his skills and dedicating himself to his cause. A man who was either in prison or on his way there, a mutant leader whom humans dared not kill even if they managed to capture him!

Who had dared to attack Magneto?

And who could possibly make Magneto suffer such a defeat, causing the entire Brotherhood to suffer heavy losses?

On various dark web platforms, countless ambiguous messages spread like wildfire, making it difficult to distinguish truth from lies. Rumors ran rampant, and chaos ensued.

Anyone with even a hint of status wanted to gather information, at the very least to find out who had managed to take down Magneto.

Who on Earth possessed such power?

In the dilapidated Weyland building, Duncan sat on a couch, idly swirling a glass in his hand. It wasn't wine—just plain water.

He stared at the computer screen in front of him, taking in all the rumors circulating on the dark web.

"So, Magneto took a hit? Just Ikaris alone clearly doesn't have that kind of power. If he wasn't beaten to death by Magneto, he should consider himself lucky. It's likely that their battle caused the Deviants frozen in the lake to awaken."

Duncan pondered for a moment, suspecting that other Eternals might have joined the fight. He recalled that among the eleven Eternals, one possessed super speed, much like the Flash from the neighboring universe. This ability allowed them to quickly transport their comrades from around the world to the front lines, making it a top-tier skill for calling reinforcements, second only to teleportation.

If Magneto's Brotherhood had to face both the Eternals and the Deviants simultaneously, and without being familiar with their combat styles, it was only natural that they would suffer a major defeat.

"Magneto is a staunch extremist. I wonder what his expression will be when he realizes that Ikaris isn't the kind of Deviant he imagined, but instead, the 'ancestors' he idolizes are actually a bunch of big black dogs crawling on the ground."

Duncan slumped back into the couch, muttering to himself and letting out a soft chuckle, clearly in a very good mood.

Around him, a group of Xenomorphs and one human gathered, guarding his safety.

In the entire building, aside from Duncan, only the Queen in the underground cavern was more important.

"Was this intentional? Did you feed false information to Magneto?"

Elektra's face was stiff. Despite her efforts to control her emotions, she occasionally let out a look of resentment. She was constantly devising escape plans, fantasizing about how she would carve beautiful scars into Duncan's calm and handsome face once she regained her freedom.

Elektra wasn't anxious about the mutants' predicament; she was anxious about her own life and actions being controlled by Duncan.

"Why do you say that, rookie assassin lady?" Duncan said. "I just had a chat with a S.H.I.ELD. agent. Even you didn't understand what was said, so how could Magneto have known?"

"Let's not talk about mutants. What exactly do I need to do to satisfy you?" Elektra desperately wanted to kill this man, but every time she entertained the thought, the parasite in her chest would wriggle—a clear and terrifying warning.

This feeling was utterly panic-inducing. However, Elektra had also gained enhancements from the Xenomorph genes—superior strength, speed, and regenerative abilities. Her power had skyrocketed, elevating her beyond the ordinary. This made her both happy and unhappy at the same time.

Duncan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What makes you think you can earn your freedom from me while still alive? Or would you rather work for an organization like the Hand than serve me? At least I'm generous enough to enhance your abilities and extend your lifespan."

Elektra opened her full, red lips but found herself at a loss for words.

In a way, the man wasn't wrong. Between two equally unsavory options, she seemed to have no choice but to pick the lesser evil.

"What do you need me to do, new boss?" Elektra asked, as if all her strength had drained away, her head bowing low.

"Just stay by my side. I can't handle everything myself. For example, when I finally decide to wipe out the Hand," Duncan said casually.

Elektra looked puzzled. "You might not realize how powerful the Hand is. With just you and these Xenomorphs…"

"No, I'm well aware. I also know who the true masters behind the Hand are—those otherworldly entities from beyond Earth. Their fate is already sealed," Duncan replied.

As they spoke, a Xenomorph walked up behind Duncan. This wasn't unusual; Xenomorphs weren't statues. Protecting Duncan's safety didn't mean standing still indefinitely.

But the moment this Xenomorph moved to attack Duncan…

Elektra, who had been seething with resentment and despair just moments ago, transformed as if a switch had been flipped. Driven by instinct to protect Duncan, she instinctively drew her blade and blocked the claw aimed at Duncan's neck.

Clang!

Elektra intercepted the strike.

At the same time, the other Xenomorphs sprang into action, perfectly coordinated. In an instant, they disarmed the rogue Xenomorph, severing its limbs and piercing its shoulder with a tail, lifting it into the air.

"I was wondering how long you could hold out. I didn't expect you to break so quickly," Duncan said calmly, turning around.

The Xenomorph's form shifted, eventually transforming into a person.

Mystique, Raven.

"You knew from the start?" Raven stared intently at Duncan.

"Of course. I share an inseparable mental connection with every Xenomorph. So when you slipped in, it was like finding a curry-flavored vegetable patty in a box of delicious egg tarts. Awkward, don't you think?"

Duncan sighed, patting Mystique's cheek.

Hmm, nice texture, he thought, then gave it a firm pinch.

Mystique showed no reaction. This level of interaction was trivial, incapable of eliciting any form of emotional response from her.

Had she not been certain that this man was utterly obsessed with Xenomorphs, she might have tried seduction. But after some thought, she concluded that such a calm and collected man would likely be immune to such tactics, so she abandoned the idea.

"Why?" Raven pressed, unwilling to give up. "Why did you deliberately spread false information, using me to strike at the Brotherhood? Maybe you're a mutant too, and your abilities come from the X-gene…"

"True, that's theoretically possible. But I could also be from Professor X's side, sent to weaken you," Duncan said. "However, I never gave you any concrete information. You chose to believe what you wanted to believe. It was your own actions that led to your people's deaths, not mine."

Raven frowned, her gaze fixed on Duncan. After a moment, a device on her arm vibrated. "Erik wants to talk to you."

Duncan ordered a Xenomorph to release Raven's arm.

Raven didn't attempt anything foolish, like attacking Duncan to escape. Instead, she activated the device's speaker.

"If this was your way of sending me an invitation from the start, I must say, it worked. This little game of yours was quite effective."

Magneto's voice rang out: "Kid, let's talk now—about the true Deviants. In return, I'll give you what you want: those damned, lowly reptiles that crawled out of the lake to ambush us!!"