"What do you mean by that, Mr. Raymond?" John looked a bit surprised.
"Just what I said," Raymond replied calmly. "If something like today happens again, do you really think rookies like you can protect her? Or anyone else in your group, if they run into a similar problem—what can your organization really do to help?"
"Honestly, I don't see why she needs to stick with you all. A bunch of weak rookies sticking together still can't solve anything…"
"Brother! How can you say that?" Clarice got anxious.
"Shut up. I haven't even dealt with you yet," Raymond glared at her.
Hearing that, Clarice immediately went quiet.
But while Clarice backed down, Lorna couldn't hold it anymore and said, unconvinced, "That guy played tricks, and Clarice's powers suddenly got unstable, that's why we were at a disadvantage. If we were a bit more careful, this wouldn't have happened."
"You think so too?" Raymond looked at Clarice.
Clarice didn't answer.
But from her expression, Raymond could tell she probably agreed.
Raymond shook his head and asked, "Have you heard of the Hellfire Club?"
At this, Clarice and Lorna looked completely confused, clearly it was their first time hearing the name. Sonya frowned a little, as if trying to recall something.
Only John's expression suddenly changed.
"So, you know about it," Raymond turned to him.
"I heard an older mutant mention it once. They say it's the oldest mutant group still around. It existed even before the Brotherhood or the X-Men…" John said.
"So that's the group!" Sonya seemed to remember something too, then asked in surprise, "Mr. Raymond, are you saying those people just now were from the Hellfire Club?"
"That's right." Raymond nodded slightly.
Hearing Raymond confirm it, John's heart sank hard.
Unlike Lorna, who only awakened her powers long ago but didn't join the mutant world until recently, John had been involved in it much earlier. He knew just how terrifying the Hellfire Club was—recognized as the most mysterious and oldest mutant organization.
The Mutant Underground he led wasn't even third-rate compared to them.
He knew exactly how big the gap was.
But while John knew how serious things were, Lorna, who didn't know about the Hellfire Club's background, still wasn't convinced. "So what if they've been around a long time? That guy didn't seem that great. He just had thick armor. I don't believe he's unbeatable!"
"He's not unbeatable. Every power has a weakness," Raymond said.
"See? Then there's nothing to be afraid of!" Lorna felt more confident after hearing that.
"Little girl, you didn't really think that guy was the boss of the Hellfire Club, did you?" Raymond chuckled and shook his head.
"He wasn't?" Lorna was surprised.
"Technically, the Hellfire Club's core has sixteen members. That guy was just one of them, and one of the weaker ones at that…" Raymond revealed the truth.
And it wasn't an exaggeration.
Since the Hellfire Club named its core members after chess pieces, their rank also followed the rules of chess. Carl, the "Black Knight," was likely ranked near the bottom among them.
"No way?!" Lorna was shocked by this.
Even though she really disliked that guy, she had to admit his powers were impressive. He could handle both her and John with ease, even on his own.
She and John were already the strongest fighters in the Mutant Underground. While some other members had a bit of combat ability, they were nowhere near their level.
In other words, that guy earlier could take on the entire Mutant Underground by himself.
But even someone that strong was just one of the sixteen core members of the so-called Hellfire Club—and one of the weaker ones at that?
Then how powerful must the others be?
If that was true, how terrifying must an organization with so many powerful mutants really be?
This kind of mind-blowing idea made it hard for Lorna to believe it was real.
But when she looked at John, she found that he didn't argue with Raymond at all. Instead, he had fallen silent, his face heavy with concern.
Seeing his reaction, Lorna finally started to believe that what Raymond said might actually be true.
What she didn't know was that even John wasn't sure if everything Raymond said was 100% accurate. He had never heard anything about there being sixteen core members in the Hellfire Club.
Still, when Raymond said it, he wasn't surprised.
Because only an organization that powerful could've lasted for hundreds of years.
The history of mutants was a history of humiliation—there was no denying that.
Even today's two major groups often had to hide, compromise, or keep a low profile just to survive.
A mutant organization couldn't possibly last for centuries without overwhelming strength. It would've been wiped out long ago.
That said, John wasn't someone who would back down easily.
He wasn't the kind of person to give up just because the enemy was a giant like the Hellfire Club. Even when Carl revealed who he was, John never once thought about abandoning his teammates.
But now, faced with the concern of a family member like Raymond, he couldn't lie to himself.
"I admit, against the Hellfire Club, I'm no match… but no matter what, I won't give up on Clarice. She's my friend!" John said firmly.
"Me too!" Lorna added, recovering from her shock.
Sonya didn't say anything, but her determined look made her stance clear.
Looking at their serious expressions, Raymond really wanted to say, The Hellfire Club just came to recruit, not to kill anyone. Why are you all acting like you're marching to your deaths?
But splashing cold water now would've been too harsh… better to let it be.
So instead, he kept a straight face and looked at Clarice. "Are you really sure you want to keep messing around with them? This is the last time I'll ask you. Think carefully before you answer."
Clarice struggled for a moment but eventually nodded. "I've never made any important decisions in my life. Just this once—please let me do something selfish, big brother. I'm begging you."
"I hope you won't regret it," Raymond said, giving her a long, hard look.
Then he turned and walked back to the car without saying anything more.
After getting in, he rolled down the window just a bit, looked at her, and said, "Come home early tonight. Don't stay out too late. Also… don't worry about the Hellfire Club anymore. Just enjoy yourself."
Before the words fully left his mouth, the car had already driven off in a flash—
Leaving behind a group of people standing there, full of shock and confusion.
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