Marvel: Xenomorphs

In Duncan's understanding, no matter what the situation, whenever mutants are involved, simple matters tend to become complicated.

Political and social issues are just one aspect. If we judge purely based on power, there are a few troublesome individuals among the mutant community who are hard to pin down.

A prime example is the Omega-level mutants, who possess limitless potential. Interestingly, the same mutant might be Omega-level in one universe but mediocre and lacking potential in another. The X-gene, derived from the Deviants, always carries various uncertainties.

And Juggernaut is precisely one of those individuals who demands attention—strictly speaking, Juggernaut isn't even a mutant.

In most universes, Juggernaut's power comes from an ancient and terrifying force—the supreme demon of the multiverse, residing beyond the dimensions of the Crimson Cosmos—Cyttorak!

Many powerful spells used by the Kamar-Taj lineage draw their power from Cyttorak.

It's unclear whether Cyttorak has a peculiar obsession with the Infinity Stones or if it's just a twisted sense of humor, but he generally doesn't mind others using a bit of His power. However, he enjoys scattering Crimson Gems across the multiverse.

Each Crimson Gem acts as an anchor point, directly connecting to Cyttorak and receiving his immense power.

And in most universes, the one who bears the power of the Crimson Gem is none other than... Juggernaut!

"The Deviants have the ability to absorb the life force and genes of various life forms, and they can alter their own forms based on the genes they absorb. You all know this, right? I'm guessing many of your comrades have been absorbed by the Deviants," Duncan said.

Raven sneered, "What does that prove? That ability is despicable, but it's still far from matching you."

Duncan shrugged, "Be wary of the Deviant leader who captured Juggernaut. Do you want to guess why that leader didn't take anyone else but Juggernaut? If luck is against us, you'll soon be facing an unimaginably powerful enemy."

"The Deviant leader who absorbed Juggernaut?" Magneto clearly didn't believe it.

He knew Juggernaut's strength all too well. At most, it would make the Deviant leader's body indestructible, but that didn't mean it couldn't be dealt with.

However, disbelief aside, Magneto had seen his fair share of storms and had full confidence in his own power. But since the mysterious Duncan had emphasized this point, he had already raised his guard.

"Let's start the transaction. You asked a question, and I've answered. Now, send me five Deviants. I still have some trust in the reputation of one of the two poles of the mutant world," Duncan said.

"What exactly happened to the Eternals and Deviants 20,000 years ago?" Magneto asked his question.

"The two sides fought for control of Earth."

"And the result?"

"That's another question. Pay the deposit first."

"?"

"Don't stay silent. Even if I tell you who won or lost, you'll definitely ask about the fate of these two races and why they disappeared from Earth. The value of this information far exceeds your imagination," Duncan replied.

When it came to the Celestials, beings who started at the level of strong Skyfathers, such information was worth exchanging for several batches of Deviants.

The two sides ended their communication.

As for Raven, Magneto didn't mention asking Duncan to release her. Both sides understood that anyone with half a brain wouldn't sabotage their own channels during the initial stages of cooperation.

As long as Raven was alive, she could serve as a communication medium for Duncan and observe him up close. Once valuable secrets were extracted, she could report them to Magneto immediately.

Duncan stood up, stretched, and ordered the Xenomorphs to release Raven.

"Find a way to bandage yourself," Duncan said casually, glancing at the penetrating wound on Raven's shoulder.

Raven remained expressionless, simply manipulating the nearby muscle cells to wriggle and reshape, quickly repairing the injury.

"You seem a bit anxious. I believe it's not because of Erik, but because of Juggernaut," Raven observed Duncan's expression with a sharp gaze.

Duncan paused, then admitted, "Anxious? For a moment, yes. As I said, you know nothing about Juggernaut and have no understanding of what might happen in the future."

"You mentioned it would only happen if luck is against us. I'm more curious about what exactly makes Juggernaut so significant to you?"

An indestructible body? Such an ability is insignificant in the face of Magneto. All he needs to do is bury Juggernaut underground and pile metal on top of him. No matter how tough the body, it would be useless.

Duncan smiled slightly but didn't respond. Instead, he took out a Xenomorph egg and placed it in front of Raven.

"I've been wanting to sneak underground to see what's going on, but the Xenomorphs have always stopped me. This time, it should be fine, right?" Raven said, her heart skipping a beat as she watched the egg open, though she maintained a calm facade.

When the Facehugger leaped onto her face, Raven, experiencing this for the first time, finally couldn't hold back her reaction. She instinctively raised her hand to swat the creature away.

Thud!

Duncan punched Raven in the stomach, and that single blow was enough to let the Facehugger latch onto her face and complete the implantation.

After a while, when Raven woke up, the first thing she did was check her body.

"So, it seems I've become your slave, just like that little woman over there."

Raven moved gracefully, attempting to approach Duncan, but before she could take a step, Duncan interrupted her: "If you're thinking of leaving me, finding a place to perform open-chest surgery to remove the Xenomorph, give up. I won't give you the chance."

Raven's face stiffened, her smile slowly fading as a fierce glint appeared in her eyes.

But there was nothing she could do. Every move she wanted to make had been blocked by Duncan.

"I need to improve my strength quickly... Not just my own personal power, but I also need to build a sufficiently large army in a short time."

Duncan pondered. To rapidly expand the Xenomorph numbers, there were two main factors: first, the Queen's egg-laying speed, which was currently about five to ten eggs per day, though the rate was increasing over time. Duncan guessed this was because the Queen had evolved from an ordinary Xenomorph and was inherently limited in terms of reproduction.

Second, a stable and reliable source of hosts.

Parasitizing ordinary animals was out of the question, as the resulting Runner Xenomorphs were too weak.

Parasitizing a large number of humans? Duncan himself was human, and doing such a thing at this time would provoke hostility from the entire world.

Parasitizing only death row inmates wasn't particularly meaningful either. So, the truly cost-effective option was to target those whose locations and population distributions Duncan had already mapped out...