Chapter 113 – Allen Starts Conning Apocalypse
Inside the base, four people were holding a meeting.
"I suggest we take down the Hellfire Club first. We need to secure our core manpower before proceeding with further expansion," Psylocke proposed.
"I disagree. We should prioritize taking control of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Although their abilities are unimpressive, we can enhance them through power amplification. Besides, they're the largest in number, with a wide range of abilities that could be useful across many areas."
Archangel immediately objected.
Both had been recruited under Apocalypse around the same time, and it was inevitable that they would try to outshine one another in hopes of earning more power.
They had already seen Apocalypse's immense potential and were eyeing the position of second-in-command in the empire he would surely build.
Allen, on the other hand, didn't care. He casually pulled out the Blade of Redemption from behind and used it to scrape at the soles of his feet.
"What about you? Any suggestions?" Apocalypse turned to him, curious to hear the thoughts of the new recruit.
"No suggestions," Allen replied blandly. "None of your plans will work anyway."
Instantly, Psylocke and Archangel glared at him, clearly furious that Allen was shooting down their ideas.
A newcomer being this brash and eager to show off was just plain annoying.
"And what great wisdom do you have to offer?" Archangel sneered.
Inwardly, he scoffed—What kind of scheme could a lunatic possibly cook up? If Allen said anything ridiculous, he would shoot it down immediately, making sure Apocalypse saw him as worthless and unfit to be part of the core team.
"Shut it, pretty boy."
Allen, having sensed the hostility, retorted without hesitation, "All you can do is fly and shoot feathers from your wings. You seriously think you're a threat? One sniper with a Barrett could take you out."
"…"
Archangel's face turned beet red.
He couldn't argue. Carrying those massive wings around made him a huge target. He couldn't exactly wrap himself in body armor, either—his metal wings were heavy enough. Adding another hundred pounds would kill him before any enemy got the chance.
Psylocke jumped in to help, "Please stay on topic."
Seeing that Allen wanted to rise above them, the two tacitly formed a temporary alliance.
"Aren't your underwear riding up uncomfortably?"
Allen squinted mischievously at Psylocke's suit, which looked like a high-waisted yoga outfit.
"Stay focused on the issue," Apocalypse said sternly. He didn't want to see his subordinates tearing each other apart before they'd even established a mutant empire.
"Yes, boss. No problem, boss."
Allen straightened up in mock solemnity and said, "What I'm trying to say is—both of their suggestions are ignorant and naive."
The mood immediately grew heavy.
Murderous intent began to simmer in Psylocke's and Archangel's eyes.
Allen's blunt criticism was basically a declaration of war.
"Has anyone considered the consequences? No matter which target we strike first—Hellfire Club or the Brotherhood—it will inevitably lead to one outcome."
Allen paused slightly, waiting for someone to ask. He enjoyed the back-and-forth—it made things feel more dynamic.
"And what outcome would that be?" Apocalypse asked in a deep voice.
"We'll force them to ally with the X-Men to fight us." Allen leaned back theatrically, striking a strategist's pose. "We're a brand-new power. The Hellfire Club, Brotherhood, and X-Men are all established factions. There's no way they'll sit back and let us grow stronger. A new, unknown force poses a huge risk. They'll want to nip us in the bud."
His words left Apocalypse and the other two stunned into silence.
It was just too logical.
His angle of analysis was shockingly sharp.
Any rising faction would inevitably be suppressed by the old guard. No matter how you looked at it, they wouldn't allow outsiders to enter the game.
Bro, come on. There's no way a lunatic came up with this… right?
"Then what, do nothing?" Psylocke asked seriously.
She didn't dare make any more random suggestions—getting verbally smacked down by a crazy guy had been more than enough embarrassment.
"Change the playing field."
Allen wore an air of mystery as he pulled a hot dog sausage from under his armpit and held it in his mouth like a cigar.
It was a prop he had used during a previous scene with Wade in the principal's office. He hadn't wanted to eat it at the time and hid it away instead. Now, it was making its return appearance.
He took a dramatic suck of the hot dog—
Pop!
Cough—
He'd sucked too hard, and the sausage, along with its plastic wrapping, shot straight into his throat.
The three others looked at him in disgust. This guy's really sick in the head.
Gulp.
"AHHH!!!"
He swallowed it.
He seriously swallowed the whole thing without even chewing.
"Holy crap—I almost died! That's it, I'm quitting smoking today."
Allen tossed the plastic wrapper and continued, "We need to bide our time. We can't go head-to-head with them right now. Instead, we should build our strength through other means. Step one: wait."
"Wait!?" Archangel asked, "Wait for what?"
"Wait for Stryker."
Allen paused again.
His way of speaking really drove people crazy.
Most people would just say everything at once—he treated every sentence like toothpaste, squeezing it out little by little. But you had to admit, there was substance to what he said.
"And why would we wait for him? Stryker is the common enemy of all mutants. Why would he help us?"
Psylocke couldn't follow the lunatic logic anymore. She didn't even want to try—too many brain cells were dying just trying to keep up.
"Exactly, yaa baby~"
Allen stood up dramatically, hands behind his back, smugly saying, "A few days ago, I captured Stryker and handed him over to Charles. I'm certain Charles made some backroom deal with the government to release him. But I predicted that from the start. He'll never abandon the Weapon X program, and that's exactly what I want."
"And when the time comes…"
Allen spun around suddenly and slammed both hands on the table, his tone eerie. "To continue his research, Stryker will have to capture a lot of stray mutants. Once the time is right, we'll swoop in to rescue them and personally kill the mastermind. Then, we indoctrinate them with the idea of a mutant nation. After surviving such horror, we show up like saviors—they'll follow us to the ends of the earth. Keh keh keh…"
Bro, stop laughing like that—you're freaking us out!
At that moment, both Psylocke and Archangel were fully convinced. Apart from having powers, they felt like total idiots in comparison.
Even Apocalypse, normally unreadable, was now looking at Allen with admiration—like a tiger among detectives.
"Wait. There's one fatal flaw," Archangel quickly added, trying to salvage what was left of his shattered pride. "How are we going to find Stryker? You already caught him once—he's bound to be in deep hiding now."
"Excellent question."
Allen sat back in his wheelchair and replied calmly, "Step two—take control of Hydra. Use them for resources and intel. And I'll be Hydra's team leader."
"There's no organization more hidden than Hydra. Once we control them, we indirectly control S.H.I.E.L.D. Through S.H.I.E.L.D., we can pressure the mutant population. Meanwhile, we build up our strength in the shadows…"
As he reached the climax of his speech, Allen clenched his fist, grinning darkly, "The day we reign supreme… will be the day the world bows to us."