American comics: I am full of martial virtues and I love to be kind to others.

"I heard you're not feeling well?" the medical staff asked, their voice professional and calm, as they walked toward the entrance to the detention cell.

Flame nodded and continued her performance: "My throat is very dry and sore."

Medical personnel stopped at the entrance, activated security protocols, and prepared to enter the detention cell. Flame knew this was the most crucial step in the entire plan—the cell door had to be unlocked from an external control panel before it could be opened from the inside. Once the medical personnel entered and closed the door behind them, she would be temporarily isolated and would need to go through the external system again to leave.

The safety procedures were completed, the door lock made a slight click, and the medical staff pushed the door open and came in, carefully closing the door behind them.

“I need to check your vital signs,” she said, placing the tray on the table beside her and picking up a glass of water. “Drink some water first, then I will—”

Before she could finish speaking, Flame acted swiftly. Despite wearing restraint gloves, her physical reflexes and fighting skills remained fully intact. In a quick and precise movement, she grabbed the medic's wrist while simultaneously covering her mouth with her other hand to prevent her from sounding the alarm.

“Don’t move, don’t make a sound,” Flame warned in a low voice. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if necessary.”

The medical staff's eyes widened in horror, but she nodded in understanding. Lieyan quickly turned her over and pinned her to the bed, binding her with sheets and medical tape and gagging her.

“That’s good,” Flame whispered, quickly checking his gloves. “Now let’s deal with these nasty things.”

She picked up the scissors from the medical tray and carefully cut the seams of the suppressor gloves. These gloves were specially designed to block her abilities, but not completely indestructible. After several minutes of effort, she finally succeeded in breaking the key component and felt a long-lost warmth gather at her fingertips.

“Finally,” she whispered, her hands shimmering with a faint orange-red light, “I am free.”

She turned to the cell door. This was the biggest challenge—even without gloves, she still needed external control to open it. But Flame was prepared. She pressed her palm against the door, focusing her flames not with an explosive attack, but with a sustained, concentrated burst of heat, targeting the weakest point of the lock mechanism.

A few minutes later, the metal began to glow red and soften. The flames intensified until part of the lock melted, exposing the internal mechanism. Then, using medical tools obtained from the paramedics, she carefully manipulated the melted mechanism to simulate an unlocking signal.

Click. The door lock is loose.

Flame grinned victoriously, gently pushed open the door, and peeked out to check the situation. The corridor was deserted, save for the soft hum of the quietly operating ventilation system.

“Too easy,” she whispered confidently as she stepped out of the cell.

In the monitoring room, Bobby Drake suddenly noticed something unusual on the monitor screen. Flame had not only moved from her position but had even left the cell, while the medical staff were strapped to the bed.

"Damn it!" he exclaimed, immediately pressing the alarm button and grabbing the communicator. "Emergency! Prisoner escaped! Repeat, Flame has escaped the cell! Immediate backup needed!"

Alarms began to echo throughout the underground facility, and red warning lights flashed. Bobby immediately rushed out of the control room, transforming into his Iceman form—covered in a thick layer of ice, capable of generating and controlling ice and cold.

Meanwhile, Flame had already figured out the route to the elevator and was moving quickly. Hearing the alarm, she quickened her pace, knowing her escape had been discovered. Turning a corner, she saw the elevator leading to the upper floor and was about to rush towards it when suddenly an ice wall rose up in front of her, blocking her path.

“You don’t want to do this,” the Iceman’s voice came from behind, “Go back to your room, and no one will get hurt.”

Flame turned around and saw Bobby, whose entire body was frozen solid, standing at the other end of the corridor, his hands ready to fire more ice.

"What a touching proposal," Flame sneered, his hands igniting bright flames. "Unfortunately, I must refuse."

She swung her hand sharply, and a wall of fire swept towards the Ice Man. Bobby reacted swiftly, launching a powerful stream of ice to meet it. Fire and ice collided in the center of the corridor, generating a large amount of steam that almost instantly filled the entire space.

Taking advantage of the obstructed view, Lieyan rushed towards the emergency staircase next to her. Unlike the elevator, the staircase might not lock immediately, providing her with another escape route.

"Don't think this is the end!" the Iceman shouted from the steam, and began the pursuit.

Flame pushed open the emergency staircase door and ran quickly upwards. She knew time was running out—the entire academy was on high alert, and X-Men members could arrive at any moment. She needed to reach the ground as soon as possible and then find a way out of the academy.

After ascending several floors, Flame reached the door leading to the main floor. She carefully pushed the door open a crack to observe the situation outside. The corridor appeared temporarily empty, but footsteps and voices could be heard in the distance, indicating that the academy had clearly begun organizing a search.

Flame waited a moment, then slipped into the corridor and quickly moved towards the nearest exit she remembered. Based on her observations when she was brought into the academy, she knew there was a door on the west side leading to the garden, where security was likely relatively weaker.

However, just as she turned a corner, she suddenly ran into someone face to face—the FBI agent, Lynn Hall.

They both paused for a second, then reacted at the same time.

"Flame!" Lynn shouted, immediately assuming a battle stance.

"You!" Blazing Flame roared, launching an attack without hesitation.

She thrust her palm forward, sending a pillar of fire hurtling towards Lynn. Lynn quickly dodged to the side, ducking into a classroom doorway. The flames grazed his shoulder and struck the wall at the end of the corridor, leaving a charred mark.

"Surrender!" Lynn shouted from behind cover. "The entire academy is hunting you; you can't escape!"

“I’ve been trained far more rigorously than you imagine, Agent,” Flame sneered, moving slowly to find a better angle of attack. “A bunch of students and teachers won’t stop me.”

Just then, more people appeared at the other end of the corridor—Jubilee Lee and several older students, clearly drawn by the alarm. “The flames are here!” Jubilee shouted, her hands immediately radiating pink energy.

Flame realized he was caught in a pincer movement and quickly assessed the situation. Jubilee's explosive abilities were extremely dangerous in a confined space, while the students' abilities were unknown. Unlike Lynn, these were mutants who could pose a real threat.

She made her decision, turned and rushed to the nearest window, unleashing a burst of flames that shattered the glass. The window shattered under the intense heat, shards flying everywhere. Before they could react, the flames leaped out and landed on the roof of the first floor.

"She went east!" Lynn shouted into the communicator and ran quickly toward the destroyed window.

Outside, flames raced across the rooftops, searching for a path to the ground. The academy's main building was magnificent and complex, with numerous facades and roof layers offering a variety of possible routes. She chose the seemingly least conspicuous path, sliding down a drainpipe to a lower platform.

Just as she was preparing to continue her descent, a voice suddenly rang in her mind: "You won't escape, Flame. Why don't you stop and we can talk?"

Professor Xavier's telepathy. Flame gritted her teeth, trying to block out the sound and continue her retreat. She had been trained to resist telepathy; while she couldn't completely block a powerful telepath like Xavier, she could mitigate its effects.

"Get out of my mind!" she roared inwardly, quickening her pace.

“Violence is not the only way,” Xavier’s voice continued, gentle but firm. “Black Crow used you, Flame. You deserve better.”

Ignoring the words, the flames finally reached the ground. She was now in the eastern garden of the academy, surrounded by meticulously manicured shrubs and trees that offered some cover. In the distance, she could see the academy's walls—a symbol of hope for freedom.

But just as she began her charge toward the wall, the ground suddenly trembled, and a crack rapidly widened before her, blocking her path. Flame stopped, warily surveying her surroundings.

“Good evening, Flame,” a young girl’s voice came from the nearby bushes, “enjoying your jog?”

An Asian girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, walked out. Her hands emitted a faint yellow light—"Earthquake Controller," Flame immediately analyzed.

“Child, you don’t know what you’re facing,” Flame warned, gathering flames in his hand again. “Leave. I don’t want to hurt the students.”

“That’s touching,” the girl replied sarcastically, “but we X-Men students aren’t fragile.”

With that, she stomped her foot, causing more cracks to spread into the flames. The flames leaped to avoid them, simultaneously launching a burst of fire as a warning. The girl quickly erected an earthen wall for defense; the flames struck the wall, charring parts of it but failing to penetrate it completely.

Instead of continuing her attack, the flames turned in another direction, attempting to bypass the obstacle. But suddenly, a biting gust of cold wind swept in from her right, and then the Ice Man appeared there, an ice axe already formed in his hand.

“We meet again,” he said, his voice hoarse from the icy state of his body.

Flame gritted her teeth, now caught between two enemies. She quickly assessed the situation and decided to confront Iceman head-on—his ice abilities were naturally opposed to her fire, but in the open, her fire should have the upper hand.

“Come on, popsicle boy,” she taunted, her flames intensifying instantly, heat waves spreading outwards, “let’s see whose element is stronger.”

The Iceman seemed to accept the challenge, gliding forward while launching a series of ice spears from his hands. Flame gracefully dodged, retaliating as flames and ice intertwined in the air, creating plumes of steam and mist.

However, Flame quickly realized that this young X-Men was far more skilled than she had anticipated. He wasn't just attacking directly; he was strategically creating ice and barriers around her, gradually restricting her movement. Meanwhile, Earthquake Girl was also coordinating from a distance, constantly altering the terrain to make it difficult for Flame to find a stable foothold.

“You’re all good,” Flame acknowledged, while continuing to resist, “but I’ve been through worse.”

She suddenly changed tactics, no longer targeting the Iceman himself, but instead launching a powerful pillar of fire upwards, striking a giant tree branch. The branch snapped in two and began to fall, forcing the Iceman and the Earthquake Girl to retreat temporarily. Using this opportunity, the flames surged towards the academy walls.

She was getting closer. Once she got over that wall, she could escape the academy's direct control and have a greater chance of escape. Blazing Flame accelerated, preparing for the final sprint.

Suddenly, a red beam shot from the side, striking the ground in front of her and blasting a small crater. Flame was forced to stop and looked towards the source of the beam—Cyclops stood not far away, one hand resting on the side of his special glasses, ready to fire the next beam at any moment.

“That’s enough, Flame,” he said calmly. “You’re surrounded.”

Flame looked around and found it to be true. Besides Cyclops, Iceman and Earthquake Girl were already back in position; Lynn Hall and Jubilee were approaching from another direction; in the air, Storm floated, her eyes white, controlling the surrounding weather; and there were even more students and teachers waiting in various places.

But Flame wasn't one to give up so easily. She quickly crouched down, her hands touching the ground, and suddenly released a ring of flames that spread in all directions. This wasn't to cause harm, but to create chaos and obstruct vision, paving the way for a final attempt to escape.

However, she underestimated the X-Men's coordination. Storm immediately created a strong wind from the air to control the spread of the flames; Cyclops precisely fired several beams, blasting small craters in key locations to further restrict the path of the flames; Iceman quickly created a wall of ice around the flames, completely surrounding her.

Flame found herself trapped in an ice ring, surrounded by enemies. She straightened up, her hands still burning with flames, but a hint of exhaustion flashed in her eyes. The continuous use of her abilities and running had taken a toll on her stamina, and having just escaped from captivity, her physical condition was far from optimal.

“Surrender, Flame,” Lynn Hall stepped forward, his voice firm but without sarcasm. “There’s no need to escalate this chase into a real battle.”

Flame looked at the people surrounding her—not just X-Men, but also many students, some of whom looked very young. She knew that continuing to resist could cause unnecessary harm, especially to the young mutants who had not yet fully controlled their abilities.

But more realistically, she was also aware of her situation. Even at her peak, it would be almost impossible to fight so many mutants at once, let alone in her current weakened state.

“Alright,” she finally said, slowly lowering the flame in her hand until it was completely extinguished, “it seems you’ve won this round.” (End of Chapter)