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Chapter 300: The Culprit Actually Went to Space
🕑 Added 2025-09-02 16:13:43 +0000 UTC
Everyone in the war room had placed their confidence in Charles’s psychic abilities. To them, his mind was the ultimate weapon—sharp, limitless, and terrifying. When amplified through Cerebro, Charles’s mental power could, if he willed it, erase every thought on Earth in an instant. That was the scale they were working with. That was why, no matter how impossible the situation, everyone still felt reassured as long as Charles was the one searching.
But this time—
It wasn’t enough.
Charles’s expression grew darker by the second. Sweat traced down his temple as his brows knotted into a twisted furrow. His lips trembled as he finally admitted:
“Nothing. I found… nothing.”
Copycat’s eyes widened. “What do you mean nothing? You searched the whole Earth!” Her voice carried both disbelief and a hint of panic.
“I’m sorry,” Charles muttered, shaking his head. “I’ve read countless minds already. Every thought, every memory in the vicinity. There isn’t a single clue that points to the Cosmic Cube.”
His tone carried a weight of defeat, one that chilled the entire room.
The others fell silent, stunned. To see Charles—always the calm, unshakable professor—look so shaken made the incident feel a hundred times worse.
Raven crossed her arms, her golden eyes narrowing. “Could it be the thief used some kind of shielding technology? Something specifically designed to counter psychic detection?”
It was a grim possibility.
Erik’s jaw tightened. “To steal the Cube and then block Charles so cleanly… it wasn’t just luck. Whoever planned this knows us well. Too well.”
The implication sank heavily into the room.
For twenty years, their mutant alliance had crushed every threat that dared to rise. Mr. Sinister was gone. Apocalypse had not yet stirred. The so-called enemies that surfaced in the meantime were swept aside like weeds in a storm. Their community of shared interests, their vast networks, even the vampires under their watch—all of it had worked together to ensure peace.
It had been so long since anyone had dared strike at them.
And yet, just as they were celebrating the Soviet Union’s support and the dawn of their dream nation, someone had driven a knife straight into their hearts.
“The Cube isn’t just energy,” Hank muttered, his face pale. “It’s the foundation of Krakoa’s defenses. It’s the Infinity Stone Alex needs to face Arishem. If we lose it now—” He stopped, the words hanging in the air like a death sentence.
Copycat slammed her fist against the table. “Whoever did this—I’ll tear them limb from limb!”
Her rage only reflected what everyone else felt.
Raven, however, was more calculating. “No. Think carefully. Hank’s lab is shielded by a dozen layers of security. Even I can’t walk in unnoticed. If the Cube was stolen without tripping alarms…” She looked up slowly, voice heavy. “That means there’s a traitor.”
The word struck like a thunderclap.
An insider.
Someone close enough to bypass every defense and walk away with the Cube.
“Yes,” Erik said grimly, nodding. “It’s the only explanation.”
Charles, who had been silent for a long moment, suddenly straightened, his eyes flashing with renewed determination. “Then let’s prove it.” He donned the Cerebro helmet once more. “I won’t search the whole world this time. I’ll scan only Hank’s team.”
Everyone held their breath as he focused inward, diving into the thoughts and memories of the laboratory personnel. Unlike before, this time he struck gold.
“Parker and Morrison,” Charles said slowly. “They both claimed sick leave this month. But during those same days… they were seen inside the lab. Perfectly healthy.”
Hank’s eyes went wide. “Impossible. No one on my team has missed a single shift recently.”
“And Dawn,” Charles added sharply. “Witnesses saw him get hit by a car three days ago. The injuries should’ve been severe—broken bones at the very least. Yet the next day, he was back at work, good as new. Too good. The ‘Dawn’ that came back wasn’t him at all.”
The pieces clicked into place.
The thief had been impersonating staff, slipping in and out without suspicion.
And then Charles’s eyes snapped open, a glimmer of certainty within them. “Two hours ago… that fake Dawn left the base carrying a box.”
A chill swept through the hall. The case was cracked wide open.
Emma Frost stepped forward, her voice sharp. “If we know when the Cube was taken, Charles, spread your net from that moment. Read outward. Find anyone who saw him after he left the base.”
Charles nodded, his power radiating outward like an ocean tide. He sifted through minds, memories, fleeting thoughts… but still, nothing.
No trace.
Alex, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly rose to his feet. His eyes burned like embers, and the air around him trembled.
“Two hours,” he said. His voice was cold, steady, absolute. “No matter who this thief is, no matter what they’re carrying, they won’t have gotten far. I’ll find them.”
The words were barely finished before he vanished with a sonic boom.
In the skies above New York, Alex became a blur. His speed tore through the air as he scanned the city with his X-ray vision, his hearing tuned to every frequency. Block by block, rooftop by rooftop, he swept outward in an expanding radius.
Nothing. Nothing. Nothing—
And then.
“…I can’t believe we pulled it off this easily.”
“Easy? Do you know how many faces I had to wear to get in? My bones are still aching from the transformations.”
“You did well. The commander will reward you. Now stop whining—we’re leaving this cursed planet.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed.
The voices weren’t coming from the ground. They were above. High above.
His head tilted back toward the stars.
And the truth hit him like a hammer.
No wonder Charles had found nothing. No wonder every Earthbound search had failed.
The culprit hadn’t just stolen the Cosmic Cube.
They had already left the planet.
