"It's actually him!" Raymond's pupils shrank sharply when he saw the system prompt.
Cain Marko, codename "Juggernaut," the stepbrother of Professor X!
Although they were brothers, there was no blood relation between them. Professor X's mother had remarried Cain's father after divorcing, which made them stepbrothers.
And their relationship was very bad.
But one thing was certain—his strength was on par with several well-known Level Four mutants, including his brother, Professor X.
In some Marvel universes, he had even become the number two figure in the Brotherhood of Mutants, second only to Magneto. It was unclear whether in this world he had ever joined the Brotherhood, or why he had become the Black King of the Hellfire Club.
But based on his strength alone, he definitely deserved the position of Black King.
Raymond had never once linked Juggernaut with the identity of the Black King. He had even wondered if the Black King might be Magneto himself.
After all, Juggernaut always gave the impression of being a brute—strong body, simple mind—while the Hellfire Club was often associated with words like "schemes" and "ambition."
Every leader of that organization Raymond had heard of was a cunning strategist.
Juggernaut's style really didn't match that of the Black King.
But now, the truth was right in front of him, and he had no choice but to accept it.
As for the graceful woman who appeared beside Juggernaut, she was also someone important, though Raymond didn't notice her at first because he was so shocked that Juggernaut was the Black King.
Once he came to his senses, he remembered who she was:
Betsy Braddock, codename "Psylocke," a Level Three mutant with the power to turn psychic energy into physical form and the ability to sense others' emotions.
Her ability made her a more combat-capable version of Sonya.
Of course, compared to Juggernaut, her strength was far weaker.
Not that Level Three mutants were always instantly defeated by Level Four mutants. Even Professor X, with his powerful mental abilities, could be killed easily by a regular agent if he was wearing equipment that blocked mind control.
The same went for Magneto—if he were placed in an environment where he couldn't use his magnetism, he'd be almost the same as an ordinary person, just with a stronger body.
But in most cases, Level Four mutants had overwhelming advantages over Level Three ones.
And Juggernaut wasn't even a mutant. He just had strength equal to a Level Four mutant, which led many people to mistakenly believe he was one.
Maybe because he was always around mutants and also Professor X's stepbrother, people just assumed he was one of them.
No one ever asked him to take a test to prove it—being a mutant wasn't considered an honor, so no one would pretend to be one without reason.
But Juggernaut was a strange case. He didn't care if people thought he was a mutant.
Still, even though Psylocke was much weaker than Juggernaut, her older brother was amazing... so amazing that compared to him, Juggernaut was nothing.
Yes, she had an older brother—actually, two.
Her second brother was Brian Braddock, codename "Captain Britain," a powerful user of magic.
When people saw that codename, many might think of comparing him to the famous "50-50" fighter, Captain America—but their strength wasn't even in the same league.
From the level of their enemies, you can already see the difference.
Captain Britain's archenemy is a ridiculously powerful Level 5 mutant. Even though he ultimately failed to defeat this enemy, just being able to stand up to them says a lot.
And their eldest brother? Even more impressive. Like Captain Britain's nemesis, he's also a Level 5 mutant. The only problem is that he's mentally unstable—most of the time, he acts like a lunatic.
Of course, Raymond didn't believe that the Level 5 mutants in this world were as overpowered as those in the comics. If they were, Earth would've been destroyed dozens of times by now.
In his estimation, a Level 5 mutant in this world might be on par with Apocalypse from the X-Men movies—not someone who can casually reboot the universe.
But no matter how you looked at it, this family was insanely powerful.
In terms of background, she might be one of the most well-connected people on Earth. Anyone who knew her background probably wouldn't dare to mess with her.
"Could she also be part of the Hellfire Club?" Raymond couldn't help but wonder.
He had considered switching to his Tao Pai Pai persona and going on a killing spree if the talks fell through. Even if the Black King turned out to be someone like Magneto, with a surprise attack, he might still be able to take him down.
For example, Juggernaut's strength grew the longer he fought.
If he was suppressed from the start, he'd have no chance to turn things around.
But now Psylocke had appeared... Sure, she would be far easier to kill than Juggernaut, but killing her brought an even bigger risk—who could guarantee that her brothers wouldn't come knocking afterward?
Let's not even talk about her crazy eldest brother—he might not even understand what revenge means. But her second brother, Captain Britain, was already enough of a threat to make anyone think twice.
"So troublesome…" Raymond suddenly felt a headache coming on.
Still, no matter how troublesome it was, he was already here—he'd just have to adapt on the fly.
Pulling the car up next to the three, Raymond got out.
"I'm not late, am I?" he said with a smile the moment he stepped out.
"Of course not. There are still five minutes left before the agreed time," Carl said, now composed. Smiling, he added, "We were just walking around and happened to arrive early. Let me introduce you—this is the Black King you spoke to on the phone yesterday…"
"Nice to meet you," Raymond said with a nod and a smile, looking at Juggernaut.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Raymond—"
Juggernaut didn't seem nearly as brainless as he looked. He reached out politely to shake Raymond's hand, smiling as well.
Raymond keenly noticed how Juggernaut addressed him and raised an eyebrow. "So, you already investigated me in advance?"
Juggernaut replied with a calm smile. "I made a special trip out here because I genuinely want you to join us, Dr. Raymond. But our club has lasted this long because we don't accept just anyone. Even as the Black King, I won't break the rules of the club lightly…"
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