The Sensible Baron Teslak
"Send Erik over here!"
Xu Mo's calm command snapped Emma out of her near-tears. She followed his gaze upward.
Far above, Magneto—Erik Lehnsherr—hovered in the air. Beneath his feet, a massive ship, easily the size of a luxury cruiser, rose from the water. They had begun exactly as Xu Mo had planned.
In truth, Emma Frost alone could have dismantled the Hydra base. It wasn't as though the mountain compound housed super-soldiers or powered individuals—only conventional troops and outdated weapons. Against Emma's psychic dominance, they had no real defense.
But Xu Mo's aim wasn't destruction.
He wanted the base intact: its soldiers, its scientists, its equipment. To harvest all of it. Which raised a practical concern—transport.
And why carry the burden himself when he had subordinates to do it?
---
Sokovia, Eastern Europe
On a forested slope halfway up the mountain, a space gate flared open. Xu Mo, Emma Frost, and Erik stepped through, gazing at the ancient stone structure crowning the peak.
Xu Mo turned to Emma.
"The rest is up to you."
Emma's lips curved faintly. "Of course."
Her silver-lit eyes gleamed as she probed the compound's mindscape. Within seconds, she smiled.
"Found him. Top floor, southeast corner."
At her words, Xu Mo gestured, and another portal snapped open. The trio stepped through—into a richly furnished office.
A middle-aged man with sharp eyes and cropped hair stood behind the desk, frozen in a psychic haze.
Xu Mo strode forward and sat in the chair as though it were his own. With a glance at Emma, he gave the signal. She snapped her fingers, breaking the trance.
The man blinked, startled, then stiffened as he noticed the intruders. His hand slid discreetly behind his back.
"Who are you? How did you get into my office?"
In one smooth motion, he drew his pistol and fired.
Less than a second. Baron Teslak knew his reflexes outmatched most mercenaries—no one could dodge at that speed.
Three bullets punched clean through the foreheads of his uninvited guests. They collapsed.
He exhaled in relief—only to freeze at the sound of slow applause.
The corpses blurred, dissolving like smoke. Xu Mo and his companions stood exactly where they had before, unharmed.
Seated at the desk, Xu Mo clapped lightly, smiling.
Baron Teslak's breath caught. Cold sweat trickled down his temple.
"How… impossible. I shot you…"
His certainty wavered; the foundations of his worldview cracked.
Xu Mo chuckled. Emma's psychic illusions were, against ordinary humans, nothing less than godlike. Even before mastering the Phantom Demon Secret Technique, she could have toyed with Teslak. Now, her mastery dwarfed the likes of Charles Xavier—not in raw talent, but in accumulated wisdom passed down over ages.
"You seem confused," Xu Mo said mildly. "Try again, if you like. Perhaps this time you'll actually kill us."
Teslak's grip tightened. But then, as a Hydra baron, he knew better. He had seen enough of powered beings to recognize futility when faced with such calm confidence. Slowly, he lowered the gun, then tossed it aside.
"You didn't kill me at once. That means I'm still useful. Tell me—what do you want?"
Xu Mo's smile sharpened. Sensible man.
"It's simple. You, and this entire base, will now work for me."
Teslak didn't hesitate. "Agreed."
Xu Mo knew better than to trust the words. But with Emma's presence, deception was irrelevant. Her subtle influence could reshape loyalties over time, like slow, patient indoctrination—more effective than Hydra's own methods.
Under Teslak's command, the base mobilized.
Through Xu Mo's portals, Hydra's weapons, tanks, aircraft, and even full production lines were transferred piece by piece to Death Island.
Xu Mo marveled at Hydra's hidden might. Entire fighter squadrons, countless armored vehicles, complete manufacturing facilities—enough to build an army fit for war if properly funded.
The relocation lasted a single day, only possible thanks to Erik's magnetism, which lifted tons of machinery effortlessly through the gates.
By nightfall, the base stood empty.
As the last portal snapped shut, explosions tore through the mountain compound, erasing all trace of Hydra's presence.
What remained was rubble—and Hydra's Sokovian chapter, now swallowed whole into Xu Mo's growing empire.