So far, Shin had yet to find a good opportunity.
These mutants had been through a lot. They weren't like Superman in the early days, naively unaware of the dangers of letting their DNA leak out. If Shin outright said he wanted to examine their bodies, they'd probably start arguing with him on the spot.
So, he shifted his attention to Magneto, who now looked half-dead.
At first, Magneto was completely disillusioned, and Shin wasn't confident he could convince him. The old man didn't fear death anymore, what else could possibly move him?
However, over time, a few things had changed. On one hand, Professor X had been trying to cheer him up. On the other, the sudden emergence of Apocalypse had ignited new hope. Compared to Magneto, Apocalypse was an even more radical extremist, he outright wanted to deify mutants and rule over humanity.
Well… thinking about it, compared to Magneto's plan to exterminate all humans, Apocalypse didn't seem that radical…
More importantly, Apocalypse was undeniably powerful. In the current circumstances, where most potential-filled mutants hadn't fully matured, he was the only one whose strength consistently remained at the Omega level. Humanity's armies had no way to deal with him.
Even nuclear weapons were ineffective. After testing his teleportation powers, it was confirmed they posed no real threat to Apocalypse.
The reason Apocalypse wanted to eliminate nuclear weapons wasn't because he feared them, it was because he didn't want humans to go down with the ship and destroy the world out of spite. It wasn't self-preservation so much as an aversion to mutually assured destruction.
After witnessing Apocalypse firsthand, Magneto began to believe in mutant supremacy again. His entire demeanor improved noticeably.
The X-Men's situation was mixed. Apocalypse's arrival had indeed caused various nations to ease their persecution of mutants. Governments feared Apocalypse's retaliation, especially because of his teleportation ability and unpredictable movements. Many powerful mutants had already been rescued by him, and his strength was growing rapidly, snowballing with every new ally.
Most of the national leaders previously affected by Magneto's electromagnetic assault were now dead. When those people were alive, they acted without restraint, blinded by hatred. Now that they were gone, the remaining officials hesitated.
In the past, those in power had nothing to lose, they were dying anyway. But now, the new leaders were cautious. They didn't realize Magneto only wanted all leaders to be mutants. To them, he was just a mad terrorist.
If Magneto was that terrifying, what about Apocalypse, who was even more extreme? Just think of the millions of lives in Cairo that were sacrificed to build Apocalypse's new pyramid. This was a man who slaughtered people like chickens... he clearly didn't value human life.
If Apocalypse was pushed into a corner, he could easily erect a few pyramids in New York, Washington, London, and Paris. That alone was enough to terrify world leaders into submission.
This was the real reason the global situation had eased. The new officials in power, those with something to lose, no longer dared to provoke these aggravated mutants.
The reasons were complex, but Magneto didn't grasp the full picture. While he had strong charisma, he was not a skilled leader.
Even his propaganda to fellow mutants was laced with supremacist rhetoric. He preached about mutants being a superior race and wanting to eliminate inferior humans.
Were it not for the fact that most mutants lived under severe oppression and discrimination, Magneto's abilities as a leader wouldn't even reach the level of a cult figure.
Now that Apocalypse had emerged, Magneto felt like he'd made a comeback. With mutants seemingly on the rise again, his spirits had lifted.
"Can you really help me recover?" the weary-looking Magneto asked, staring at Shin with unease.
"I can't make you fully recover, but I can give you another ten or more years," Shin said, glancing at him.
Magneto was nearing the end of his natural lifespan. Unlike Rogue, he had no method of replenishing his vitality. He was dying of old age, and ordinary treatments couldn't do anything to help.
Shin didn't have a perfect solution either. The dragon bones that could extend life had long been drained by him. The so-called anti-aging surgery could only preserve one's current state, it wouldn't actually extend their life. It slowed the loss of vitality, but didn't replenish it.
In short, there was no chance of restoring Magneto's youth.
The only hope lay in the vitality contained in Hashirama's cells that Shin still possessed. However, even Hashirama's cells weren't infinite. Not even Hashirama Senju himself had achieved immortality, he'd simply lived longer and remained stronger than most.
Shin estimated that the vitality from Hashirama's cells could grant Magneto perhaps a dozen extra years. But the quality of life would drastically improve. The energy would maintain Magneto's youth and physical capacity. Even in his final days, his body and mind wouldn't deteriorate significantly.
"Another ten or so years… That's enough," Magneto murmured, nodding. "But why would you help me? You're not a mutant, are you?"
That question hit the core of the issue. The animosity between Magneto and regular humans was extreme.
When Shin said Magneto wanted to wipe out humanity, he wasn't exaggerating. In one X-Men movie, Professor X was mind-controlled into using a brainwave amplifier to kill all mutants.
Magneto and the X-Men had joined forces to stop him and succeeded. But as soon as Professor X was rescued, Magneto betrayed them. He used the same method to try and wipe out all humans.
This was an actual attempt at global genocide. The consequences didn't need much imagination. With 95% of the population gone, civilization would collapse entirely.
Worse yet, most mutants were raised by human parents. Many had ordinary spouses, children, and relatives. While some had poor relationships, plenty had loving families.
If Magneto had succeeded, even the mutant population would revolt. The ones grateful to him would be a small, radical minority. Most would be horrified by his cold-blooded actions and many would want him dead.
This was so obvious, how could Magneto not understand? But he still did it, not just out of loyalty to mutant-kind, but also because of his deeply rooted hatred for humanity.
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