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*****
Why disguise himself as Magneto?
Of course, it was to wait for Apocalypse to seek him out and willingly enhance his powers.
In this parallel universe, Apocalypse existed.
Apocalypse was one of the oldest mutants, born in 3000 BC during Egypt's First Dynasty.
Because he could continually transfer his consciousness into the bodies of other mutants—and even accumulate their abilities—
he became one of the most powerful mutants in existence.
From George's perspective, his overall power was nearly on par with a god-tier being, without any real weaknesses. To kill him would require absolute, overwhelming force.
This mutant had once ruled ancient Egypt, but when he attempted to transfer his consciousness into a mutant with regenerative powers, he was betrayed.
Since then, he had been sealed beneath a pyramid of his own design, slumbering for centuries.
Now, however, he should have already been awakened by accident.
Among the many abilities Apocalypse had inherited, there was one he valued above all others: the power to dramatically enhance the abilities of other mutants.
By the natural course of events, once Apocalypse reemerged, he would seek to dominate the world again, gathering powerful mutants as his followers.
And Magneto was the most valuable recruit of all.
This was the very reason George needed to impersonate Magneto.
As long as he concealed his true power and only revealed abilities that matched Magneto's, Apocalypse would not notice the deception and would believe him to be Magneto.
That way, George could develop his powers effortlessly.
In truth, his strength already surpassed Apocalypse's, and even capturing him alive would not be too difficult.
The real challenge was that Apocalypse possessed psychic power even greater than Professor X's. Even if George captured him, it would be extremely hard to force Apocalypse to develop his abilities for him.
Moreover, causing too much disturbance would risk drawing the attention of the Time Variance Authority, which would be troublesome.
Thus, it was far more convenient to disguise himself as Magneto, allowing Apocalypse to willingly enhance his abilities. If the plan failed, George could always resort to force later.
"Good evening, Henrik. What are we doing here?"
The town's police officers regained their senses. Seeing George disguised as Magneto, one greeted him politely. Then, noticing the bow and rope in his hands, he looked utterly confused.
George smiled.
"Didn't you just say you were going into the forest to catch rabbits?"
"That's right, we came to catch rabbits. Once we get some, we'll be sure to send you one."
The lead officer slapped his forehead as though suddenly remembering, then led the other policemen deeper into the forest.
After they left, George picked up a handful of grass from the ground, blew on it, and cast a transfiguration spell. In an instant, the grass transformed into over a dozen corpses.
Each corpse looked identical to the policemen who had just left, including Magneto's wife and daughter.
After arranging the scene, George closed his eyes and began making subtle adjustments to his body.
Disguising as Magneto required more than just matching his appearance and powers. That might fool ordinary people, but it would not deceive Apocalypse—or Caliban, who was currently running his black-market business.
In George's original universe, there was also a mutant named Caliban, who had once lived alongside Professor X and Wolverine. Not long ago, after George mastered the Shuangquan Hand, he even cured Caliban's albinism.
Before starting this plan, George had specifically tested his disguise on Caliban.
If he only used transfiguration to look like Magneto, Caliban's mutant-tracking ability still detected George, not Magneto.
Thus, George also had to make subtle adjustments to his soul to perfect the disguise. Only then could he be certain he wouldn't be exposed.
"All set!"
After finishing the adjustments, George picked up the transformed figures of Magneto's wife and daughter, his face filled with anguish.
"My wife, my daughter… you died so tragically. I will take revenge on society, on humanity itself—I will avenge you!"
After about ten minutes of acting, he finally stopped and rose from the ground.
Moments earlier, he had already sensed Caliban probing with his mutant-tracking powers.
Since Caliban could only detect mutants and not ordinary humans, when searching for Magneto, he would only perceive what George had just staged.
As long as George conveyed the image that Magneto's wife and daughter were murdered, and that Magneto slaughtered a group of policemen in retaliation, everything would fit perfectly.
Meanwhile, at the mutant black market—
Mystique had just rescued Nightcrawler from an underground arena. She placed a thick wad of U.S. dollars on the desk of the black market boss, Caliban.
"The usual—get him a travel pass."
Back in 1973, she had heeded Professor X's words and refrained from killing Trask and the president. Mutants became known to the world, and governments officially recognized their existence.
But that was only on the surface. Many human factions and organizations continued to capture and experiment on mutants in secret.
Thus, Mystique became a lone hero, traveling the world to rescue fellow mutants. To many, she was a symbol of hope.
"Oh, oh, oh, good to see you again—though that face isn't really yours," Caliban remarked with a mocking tone.
"So, where is this gentleman headed?"
"I don't know, and I don't care. I only rescued him. The rest is up to him."
Mystique wasn't angered, merely shrugged indifferently.
She was neither Magneto nor Professor X. She only did what she could to help those who needed help, never forcing her own will upon others.
Caliban nodded, a flicker of admiration in his eyes.
Though he was a money-driven black market dealer, deep down he respected what Mystique did.
Because if he ever fell into human hands, she would likely come to save him too.
He signaled one of his subordinates, who immediately pulled Nightcrawler aside to take a photo and begin forging a pass.
"I'll give you some free information. Just as you walked in, I sensed your old friend—or at least, if you still consider him a friend."
Caliban lifted the money from the table and sniffed it.
"Erik Lehnsherr. I saw his wife and child lying dead beside him, along with a group of policemen's corpses. I expect the news will report it soon.
But since I admire you, I'm telling you ahead of time."
Mystique's pupils contracted sharply at the mention of Magneto's wife and daughter's deaths. She immediately turned to Nightcrawler:
"How far can you teleport?"
"As long as I've seen or been to the place, I can get there."
Nightcrawler sat on a stool, clutching his forged pass, completely baffled.
Mystique grabbed him by the collar and yanked him upright.
"Didn't you say you wanted to follow me? Fine—I agree. Take me to New York."
She had to find Professor X at once, then work with him to locate Magneto precisely. They needed to calm him down—otherwise, the world might descend into chaos again.
(End of Chapter)