Chapter 127 – A Hero Past His Prime
After replaying the entire plot of Logan in his head, Royfinally took stock of his surroundings.
Night had swallowed the land.
In the distance lay an unfamiliar city he couldn't place.
Although he had no idea which city's outskirts he was in, he didn't waste time guessing; he simply pulled the Tesseract from his system space.
Right now he didn't need to know his exact location—only where he was headed next.
The moment the cube was in his hand he activated it without hesitation.
In the next instant, jet-black "storm clouds" and silver-white "lightning" swallowed him whole.
In a flash he was standing on the western edge of El Paso, Texas.
El Paso sits in far-west Texas, its southern border touching Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
The climate is classic temperate desert; roughly 370,000 people live here, 83% of them Hispanic or Latino.
Roy clearly remembered that the film opened with an aging Wolverine killing a gang of thugs who were trying to steal his chrome rims.
Because he'd used his Adamantium Claws to kill those punks, Donald Pierce—security chief at the Alkali Lake Gene Modification Research Institute—picked up his trail.
Everything that followed sprang from that single moment.
Once in the El Paso suburbs Roy tossed the Tesseractback into his system space and deployed the magnetic-field sense he'd invented.
He'd already created Water Molecule Perception, letting him track or spy on targets via water; after acquiring Magneto's card he'd used the same principles to build a magnetic counterpart.
Every living human emits a faint bio-magnetic field.
Though the signal is weak and easily drowned out by background magnetism, conventional detectors struggle with it.
For Roy, who can bend magnetism at will, it's no problem at all.
No matter how faint the field, if it lies within his range he can read it effortlessly.
Better yet, each person's bio-field carries subtle differences, letting him tell one individual from another.
With the sense active, every bio-magnetic signature in El Paso appeared inside his mind.
Among the hundreds of thousands he locked onto Wolverine's in seconds.
First, Wolverine is a Mutant; his field is markedly different from a baseline human's.
Second, his skeleton is laced with Adamantium.
According to the signal, the old man was asleep.
Around him Roy detected five ordinary human fields.
So the story had just begun.
He muttered the thought, then teleported straight to Wolverine's location.
Just as he remembered, the old man was parked beside Route 54 on the outskirts of town.
The stretched Chrysler—practically a limo—confirmed he was working as an Uber driver.
The five normals he'd sensed were crouched at the right front wheel, jacking the car up to steal the rim.
They weren't even trying to keep quiet.
A boom-box beside them blasted music at full volume.
Roy stayed under a billboard and watched, letting events unfold.
Exactly on cue, the vibrations, music and chatter woke Wolverine in the back seat.
Realizing what was happening, he swore, shoved the rear left door open and staggered out.
Tangled grey hair and beard, cheap white shirt, black suit.
Exhaustion carved deep lines into an aging face.
Watching him, Roy's mind supplied a single phrase: a hero past his prime.
Face haggard, Wolverine braced his left hand on the trunk and called to the thieves, "Guys, those nuts are chrome—you've ground the finish clean off."
They straightened, one hefting a shotgun, and walked toward him.
"Yeah?" the leader said.
"Car's rented—nobody pays to drive a—"
BANG!
Before he could finish the leader fired into his chest.
Wolverine hit the dirt.
The gang laughed in contempt.
"Dead man walking."
"Back to work!" the leader barked in Spanish.
The others returned to the wheel without a second thought.
"Damn it…" Wolverine groaned, struggling upright.
"You'll regret this, boys."
They stared, shocked he was still breathing.
He lifted his hands; the Adamantium Claws sprang out.
Perhaps rusted by age or disuse, the index claw on his left hand only extended halfway.
He stared at the stub in bewilderment.
A thug charged.
CLANG!
A steel tube cracked across his skull, sending him off balance.
Before he could recover a wrench smashed into the same spot.
He swung wildly with his right; he missed and took a club across the back.
In his prime he'd have shredded them.
Now they had the upper hand.
"No—don't shoot the car!" he roared.
To save the Chrysler he threw himself in front of the blast, taking buckshot meant for the door.
Pain flared; a punk tackled him.
"Kill the bastard!"
"Stamp him out!"
Roy had originally planned to watch Wolverine finish off every last thug, but when he saw Wolverine knocked to the ground and being kicked by those worthless punks, he changed his mind.
Or rather, he couldn't bear to watch any longer!
Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed Cyclops's power; his eyes blazed with a ruby glow.
optic blast!
The laser-like beam crossed dozens of meters in an instant and drilled straight through one thug's head.
Bang!
The punk's skull burst like a watermelon dropped from a height, blood, brains, and shards of bone spraying everywhere.
After dropping the first one, Roy fired twice more, blowing the heads off two additional thugs.
Before the rest could react, he flickered across the space like a ghost and appeared in front of them.
Adamantium Claws!
He showed no courtesy; the Adamantium Claws sprang from his hands.
Shnk! Shnk!
The razor-sharp claws swept across their throats like lightning, severing their heads.
From the moment he changed his mind to the last thug hitting the ground, less than three seconds had passed.
The punks hadn't even realized what happened—neither had Wolverine.
Only when the final two headless corpses thudded to the dirt did Wolverine, still on the ground, finally snap out of it.
Because he'd been knocked down, he hadn't clearly seen Roy's optic blasts.
But he'd seen every frame of Roy decapitating the last two with those claws.
Impossible.
How could he have Adamantium Claws?
Who is this guy?
Wolverine stared at Roy, stunned.
"Hi. I'm Roy Chen, a Mutant from another Universe."
Roy walked up, retracted the Adamantium Claws, and offered his right hand.
He'd been in this Universe less than five minutes, yet he already knew exactly what identity to present.
He had no intention of hiding the fact he came from another Universe.
Nor did he plan to tell Wolverine about the system.
Wolverine didn't take the offered hand; he struggled to his feet, eyes wary.
"You're not a Mutant."
"I am a Mutant," Roy replied.
"You're not."
"I am."
"Not."
"Am."
Wolverine fell silent for a few seconds, then barked, "You can't be a Mutant—no new Mutants have been born in over twenty years!"
"You can't have claws like mine. Adamantium isn't something you're born with."
Though Wolverine's emotions were running high, Roydidn't take it to heart.
"You're right—Adamantium isn't congenital."
"My power is copying other Mutants' abilities."
"Not only do I have your healing and Adamantium Claws, I've got plenty more."
"Magneto, Iceman, Cyclops, Angel, Shadowcat—you name it."
Roy spoke calmly, meeting Wolverine's gaze.
As he finished, Angel's power manifested: a pair of pristine white wings unfurled from his back.
Seeing those wings, Wolverine fell silent.
"Want me to show you Magneto and Cyclops next?" Royasked.
After a pause, Wolverine muttered, "Magneto."
"No problem."
Roy immediately activated Magnetism Manipulation Superpower.
Under his control, Wolverine rose helplessly into the air.
At the same time, Roy "pulled" the half-protruded claw from Wolverine's left hand.
The moment he felt himself float, Wolverine knew it was the same magnetic power as Magneto's.
Roy didn't keep him aloft long; after five or six seconds he lowered him gently to the ground.
Once steady, Wolverine frowned. "What do you want?"
Though he sensed no malice, his guard stayed up.
"I'm here to help you," Roy said.
"To help you and the Professor."
"I know about the accident a year ago, and why you want to buy the Sunseeker."
"Neither of you deserves to end your lives in such a hopeless way."
"I can't change the past, but I can give you a better future."
Roy's tone was earnest.
Wolverine gave a bitter laugh.
"A better future?"
"Kid, I don't know what your Universe is like, but in this one Mutants have no future."
Without waiting for an answer, he lurched toward the driver's seat.
He'd only gone a few steps before he stopped—Roy had pinned him in place with magnetism.
"You've misunderstood something," Roy said.
"I'm not asking; I'm informing you."
"Put bluntly, from the instant I arrived, your fate—and the Professor's—was already rewritten."
"I won't let you die like a stray dog on some broken-down boat, nor let the Professor pass as a senile old man in bed."
"I'll change your future, and this Universe's future."
"I'll rebuild the Mutant School, and the World will know the X-Men—and Mutants—are still here."
"If need be, I'll even establish a Mutant nation on Earth."
Still holding Wolverine in place, Roy stared straight at him.
"How many times must I say it? No new Mutants are being born!"
"Even if you rebuild the school, there'll be no students."
"The X-Men are gone!"
"The Mutant School is gone!"
"Mutants were just a cruel joke played by God!"
Wolverine shouted.
Roy understood the outburst—had he been in Wolverine's place, he might've been even louder.
"I will change your fate. Not even God can stop me—mark my words."
With that, Roy used his magnetism to draw the truck keys and the Adamantium bullets from Wolverine's pockets into his own hand.
Chapter 128 – Psychic Isolation
Roy took the car keys, but Wolverine didn't think much of it.
What he hadn't expected was that Roy actually knew about the Adamantium bullet he carried.
Not even Professor X or Caliban knew he possessed that Adamantium bullet.
He'd obtained the round years ago.
At first he'd kept it to remind himself of who—and what—he was.
Now he carried it purely as an easy way to kill himself.
Suicidal thoughts had surfaced more than once.
Yet whenever he thought of how much Professor X still needed him, he forced the urge down.
"I'll hold on to this bullet for you."
"If, after I leave this Universe, you still want to die—use it then."
With that, Roy tossed the Adamantium bullet into the system space.
He then manipulated the magnetic field, opened the rear door, and stuffed the paralysed Wolverine inside.
Once the door shut again, he strolled to the driver's seat, started the engine, and pulled away.
"Where are you taking me?"
Wolverine asked from the back seat, frowning.
"Taking you home, of course."
Roy glanced in the rear-view mirror, perfectly calm.
"You know where we live?"
Wolverine pressed.
"I only know you've stashed Professor and Caliban in an abandoned smelting plant on the Mexican border.
Exact location—no clue."
Roy replied.
"How did you find that out?"
Wolverine stared hard at him.
"Take a guess."
Roy wasn't about to admit he'd seen it in a movie; he answered with a grin.
Annoyed, Wolverine lapsed into silence.
Nearly half a minute passed before he spoke again. "How old are you?"
"Nineteen."
Roy answered.
Nineteen wasn't his real age; it was the age of the body he now inhabited.
He'd been twenty-two before he transmigrated.
Without the jump he'd be a freshly graduated corporate drone by now.
"In your Universe, how are the X-Men and the Mutant School doing?"
Wolverine asked slowly.
"Doing fine."
Roy's tone stayed unruffled.
Although Mutants hadn't existed in his former Marvel Universe, he saw no reason to volunteer that detail.
Wolverine went quiet for several seconds. "Thanks."
"What for?"
Roy asked.
"For letting me know they're still alive—somewhere."
Wolverine answered.
Er… Roy gave him a surprised look, pulled the car to the curb, and said, "No need. Let's deal with those bullets first; they're no fun to keep inside."
He released the restraints on Wolverine, restoring his mobility.
Once free, Wolverine flexed his limbs, then walked to the rear, opened the boot, and took out spare clothes.
He didn't bother returning to the car; he stripped off jacket and shirt right there.
He tossed the blood-soaked garments aside, braced his hands on the lid, and strained.
After nearly thirty seconds the embedded slug popped out and clattered to the ground.
Roy watched from the driver's seat via the mirror.
The old Wolverine would have shrugged off such injuries; in seconds the wounds would have sealed.
Now it took him half a minute just to force the bullet out.
The bleeding had only just stopped.
Moving stiffly, Wolverine donned the clean shirt and jacket and climbed into the passenger seat.
"We need to hit the hospital—Charles's meds are gone."
He told Roy.
Though the appointment wasn't for days, he refused to return empty-handed.
"You sure your contact can get them right now?"
Roy asked.
"Should be able to."
Wolverine replied.
"Fine—what hospital?"
Roy glanced sideways.
Without hesitation Wolverine rattled off the name and address.
He pulled out his phone, ready to call the back-alley Doctor who sold him prescriptions.
But first he fished a pair of reading glasses from his pocket—still tagged.
Only after putting them on did he scroll for the number.
Predictably, the illegal prescriber greeted the late-night call with curses.
Roy expected Wolverine to snarl back.
He didn't.
Like a wage-slave whose edges had long been sanded off, Wolverine apologised.
Seeing this, Roy parked again.
"What's wrong?"
Wolverine asked, hanging up.
"Nothing—just thinking.
You took a bullet to keep some punk from hitting the car.
You're grovelling to a crooked Doctor for Professor's pills.
You're nothing like Wolverine anymore."
Roy said, meeting his eyes.
He understood why, yet the sight still twisted something inside him.
"I'm just Logan now."
Wolverine muttered.
Given a choice he wouldn't live this humiliated life—but he had none.
If he didn't swallow his pride, he couldn't buy the Professor's medicine or scrape together the money for the Sunseeker.
"I'll make you Wolverine again."
Roy restarted the car and headed for the hospital.
Half an hour later they arrived.
Roy parked beside the gates and stepped out.
Surprised, Wolverine followed.
At the entrance they spotted the prescription peddler.
Seeing the man approach with a paper bag, Wolverineinstinctively reached for his wallet.
"I've got this."
Roy said.
"No need—I brought cash."
Wolverine answered quickly.
He wanted no complications, only the Professor's pills.
"My call."
Roy walked straight toward the Doctor.
He channelled Gambit's Hypnotic Power.
"This isn't enough—it'll run out in a week. I need a month's supply."
He told the middle-aged physician.
Hypnotic Power wasn't as sweeping as Telepathy, but it was plenty to "convince" the man.
Under its influence the Doctor merely nodded. "All right—give me a few minutes."
He turned and walked back into the hospital, leaving Royand Wolverine watching in silence.
Minutes later, the middle-aged Doctor returned and handed Roy a larger paper bag.
Roy took a look inside the bag and nodded approvingly.
After tossing the bag into his system space, he produced a small gold bar and flipped it to the Doctor.
'Done. Let's go.'
Roy said to Wolverine.
Wolverine had assumed Roy would intimidate the Doctorfor more medicine.
Instead, Roy had traded gold for the drugs Professor Xneeded.
Glancing at the Doctor's satisfied face, Wolverine nodded and followed him out of the hospital.
Back in the car, Roy drove toward the border checkpoint.
'The border opens at dawn,' Wolverine said.
'I know,' Roy replied.
'We're not crossing there—we'll teleport.'
Roy spoke as casually as if he were talking about the weather.
Teleport?
How many powers had this guy copied?
Curious, Wolverine kept silent.
Half an hour later the checkpoint came into view.
Without hesitation, Roy activated his teleportation power while still driving.
The moving car vanished instantly.
Before Wolverine could blink they were past the checkpoint, inside Mexico.
An hour or so later, in the hall of an abandoned factory, Roy met Caliban—albino, Mutant-tracker.
In the films he was weaker than in the comics.
Movie-Caliban had no combat ability, only the power to sense other Mutants.
In the comics he also had super-strength and fear-absorption.
Under stress his body flooded with adrenaline, temporarily granting both powers.
At peak, his strength surpassed the original Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew.
By absorbing fear he could drain psychic energy and amplify it, sending everyone nearby into panic.
'Who is he?'
Seeing Wolverine return with a stranger whose scent was nothing like a normal Mutant, Caliban frowned.
'Roy Chen, a Mutant from another Universe,' Wolverineanswered.
Another Universe?
Caliban's first thought was that Wolverine's senility had started.
His face made his disbelief clear.
Roy said nothing; he extended his right hand's Adamantium Claws and, with Magnetic Field Rotation Power, levitated every metal object in the hall.
So… he really is from another Universe!
Caliban sucked in a sharp breath.
Composing himself, he stepped forward and offered his hand. 'Hello, I'm Caliban.'
'Pleasure to meet you,' Roy said, shaking it.
'How's Charles?' Wolverine asked.
'He ate dinner, took his meds, and should be asleep by now,' Caliban replied.
'He's getting worse.'
Charles was never great, Wolverine said with a shrug.
He turned to Roy. 'Talk with him tomorrow morning?'
'Fine,' Roy said.
The task would earn him Professor X's card, but he wasn't in a hurry; it was practically guaranteed.
'Tomorrow morning it is. Anything you need, tell Caliban.'
With that Wolverine headed to his room.
Once he was gone Roy said, 'You turn in too; I'll take a walk.'
'There's nothing nearby—the closest bar's twenty or thirty kilometers.'
'Not a problem—I can teleport,' Roy said casually.
Teleport? Caliban looked surprised.
'All right, I'll turn in then.'
Under Roy's gaze he left the hall.
Alone, Roy teleported to the nearest town.
He skipped the bar and cornered a few punks instead.
In minutes he'd lifted a phone with internet access.
He teleported back to the factory roof and searched for the Canwood Beverage Company.
On the surface it was just a giant firm making high-fructose corn-syrup drinks from GMO corn.
Roy knew this Universe's lack of new Mutants was tied to Canwood.
Dr. Zander Rice—creator of X-23 and X-24—used its drinks and cereals to slip gene therapy to the public.
The plan had turned the once-random X-gene into something eradicated like polio.
For twenty-plus years no natural Mutants had been born.
Roy didn't know which other corporations were helping Rice, but killing the Doctor wouldn't be enough.
To bring Mutants back he would have to take down every company in the scheme.
Otherwise, even if he saved Wolverine and Professor X, they wouldn't last.
He suspected the food had also caused Wolverine's sudden aging and Charles's dementia.
After reading up, he crushed the stolen phone in one hand.
At dawn the next day, Roy—hovering ten thousand meters up while cultivating Magnetic Field Rotation Power—suddenly opened his eyes.
For the first time the mind-shield granted by his Gambitcard had activated, blocking a telepathic probe.
He knew instantly who had reached out: Professor X—there were no other telepaths left in this Universe.
Chapter 129 – Most Wanted
After the psychic link was blocked, Professor X, who lived inside the dilapidated water tower, immediately ended his use of Telepathy.
Although he suffered from Alzheimer's, he hadn't completely lost his mind.
Besides, with his current level of control, he simply couldn't force his way into Roy's mind.
At his peak, Professor X had been the strongest telepath on Earth.
Now, he couldn't even use Telepathy to precisely control an ordinary person.
The instant Professor X broke off the mental contact, Roy—without a moment's hesitation—activated his teleportation power.
Within seconds, he dropped from ten thousand meters in the air, where he'd been cultivating the Magnetic Field Rotation Power, back into the factory's main hall.
It wasn't even seven o'clock yet.
Caliban, playing the role of caretaker, was already preparing breakfast for Professor X.
Once a black-market broker with scores of Mutant and human underlings, he had fallen on very hard times.
Still, he had no intention of leaving.
The reason was simple: Wolverine needed him to look after Professor X, and he, in turn, needed Wolverine's protection.
He no longer had a single subordinate or a single asset.
More importantly, as the X-Men, Mutant School, Fraternity, and Hellfire Club vanished from the stage one after another, oppression against Mutants had only grown worse.
"Today we've got cereal, sandwiches, and fried eggs."
Seeing Roy, Caliban spoke quickly.
"Thanks, I'm not hungry."
"By the way, the Professor's awake. He just tried to link minds with me; I blocked him."
Roy looked calmly at Caliban and said slowly.
"He probably mistook you for me. Every morning when he wakes up he instinctively uses Telepathy…"
He paused.
After a few seconds he continued, "Can you restore him, or at least keep him from using Telepathy?"
"He keeps telling me he's had psychic conversations with someone, full of details."
"I don't know if it's real or if his illness is getting worse."
Caliban watched Roy hopefully, longing for an affirmative answer.
Roy knew what Caliban feared and said slowly:
"I'm sorry, I can't fully restore him."
"As for limiting his Telepathy, I can try, but I can't guarantee success."
At that, Caliban frowned. "If we can't curb his power, I'm afraid one day he'll cause massive casualties."
"The Department of Homeland Security classifies his brain as a weapon of mass destruction for a reason."
Roy needed no reminder; he knew Professor X couldn't be left unchecked.
"We'll take it step by step; we'll find a way,"
Roy replied.
Caliban said nothing more, simply nodded.
As he finished preparing breakfast, Wolverine trudged into the hall, exhausted and listless.
"Charles awake?"
Wolverine nodded to Roy first, then asked Caliban.
"He is."
Caliban answered at once.
"Good. We'll see him together in a minute."
Wolverine sat at the table, voice calm.
A few minutes later,
Roy followed Wolverine and Caliban to the derelict water tank where Professor X lived.
Before they opened the hatch they heard his voice:
"She was eating her curds and whey when a great spider sat down beside her and frightened Miss Muffet away…"
Creak!
Wolverine, in the lead, pushed the sticking hatch and stepped inside.
Caliban, carrying breakfast, followed him into the overturned tank.
Only after they entered did Roy stroll in and see Professor X lying on the bed.
Professor X glanced at the three of them and resumed his monologue:
"Friends, I have good news: what you do doesn't matter, you simply can't live according to God's will—no matter, none of us is perfect…"
Perhaps because he'd just woken up, his voice rang out loud and theatrical.
Wolverine walked to the bedside and said, "Charles, this is Roy, a new friend here to help us."
"Sir, I don't know you."
Professor X looked at Wolverine and spoke earnestly.
"Do you know who I am?"
Wolverine frowned.
"No, I don't know you. You always make me sleep; I don't like you."
Professor X answered quickly.
Wolverine sighed in resignation and reached to lift him into his wheelchair.
Before he could touch him, Professor X shouted:
"No, don't touch me—stay away!"
At the same time he threw his hands up and struggled violently.
Wolverine ignored the protest and tried to lift him anyway.
Just then Roy spoke up:
"Let me talk to him first."
He looked at Wolverine.
"You sure?"
Wolverine turned to him.
"Of course."
Roy nodded.
After a silent moment Wolverine moved away and sat at the table.
Once he'd stepped aside, Roy unhurriedly approached Professor X and said, "Professor, you just tried to use Telepathy on me, to link minds. Do you remember?"
Professor X studied him for a moment and said slowly, "You're the one who was flying."
"That's right, that was me."
"My name's Roy Chen; you can call me Roy. I'm a Mutantfrom another Universe, here to help you."
The instant he finished, Roy activated Iceman's power.
In a heartbeat the stuffy tank turned cool and comfortable.
At the same time he formed an ice chair and sat beside Professor X.
"You're Bobby?"
Seeing the ice chair, Professor X became wildly excited.
"No, I'm not Bobby; I just have the same power he did."
Roy told him.
"Bobby's power?"
"Bobby was a good boy, he…"
Whatever memory had surfaced, the excitement drained from Professor X's face, replaced by uncontrollable sorrow.
Under the gaze of the three men, he clasped his head in his hands and mourned, "Bobby, Jean, Scott, Hank, Ororo…"
"Dead, they're all dead…"
Clearly the memories surfacing were anything but happy.
"Yes, they're all dead."
"Except for you and Logan, every one of the X-Men is gone."
Roy looked steadily at Professor X and spoke firmly.
The moment the words left his mouth Wolverine rose, strode over, and said, "Don't push Charles—it wasn't his fault."
"I'm not pushing him; I want him to remember who he is."
Roy answered calmly.
"Charles doesn't need to know that now—"
Before Wolverine could finish, Professor X cut him off.
No, Logan. I need to know who I am.
Professor X looked Roy straight in the eye and continued, "I thought you were one of them."
"I'm not. I'm from another Universe," Roy answered.
"Them?"
"Who are they?"
Wolverine and Caliban wore puzzled expressions.
Just as Wolverine was about to ask who "they" were, Roytold Professor X, "Breakfast tastes awful when it's cold. Eat first, Professor."
"We'll talk about the rest after you finish."
Wolverine stepped up to Professor X, lifted the now-clear-headed man into his wheelchair.
At the same time Roy used his Magnetism Manipulation Superpower to float the metal tray from Caliban's hand to the Professor.
Watching the tray glide over, Professor X murmured, "Magnetic field control, like Eric?"
"Yes."
Roy nodded.
Professor X said nothing more; he set the tray on the table and began his breakfast.
When he'd finished eating and taken his medicine, Wolverine wheeled him into the factory's main hall.
Wolverine and Caliban sat beside Professor X, their eyes on Roy.
Without wasting time, Roy revealed the truth: no Mutants had been born in more than twenty years.
He went further, speculating that Wolverine would age rapidly and that Professor X's illness was part of the same design.
Dr. Zander Rice, Canwood Beverage Company, dietary gene therapy, genetically engineered Mutants... After hearing it all, the three men's faces turned grave.
Never had they imagined Mutants were being driven to extinction because of gene-altered food.
After ten seconds of silence Professor X asked Roy, "How do you know all this?"
"I have a superpower called 'Prophecy.'"
Roy replied calmly.
Anyone else would have doubted him.
But the three Mutants did not.
Roy had already demonstrated several powers in front of them; one more was hardly surprising.
"What will you do now—wipe those companies out completely?" Wolverine asked, fighting to keep his anger in check.
"Destroying them is certain," Roy said.
"But there are other things to do first."
"Like finding the new Mutants Professor X sensed."
"Until natural Mutants start being born again, they're the only fresh blood our race has."
Roy spoke without haste.
As soon as he finished, Professor X's voice rang out.
"I can locate them."
Professor X said quickly.
"No need to trouble yourself, Professor; I have a way."
"Before we search, let's move."
"This place is uninhabitable."
Roy said earnestly.
Not knowing how he intended to track the gene-engineered new Mutants, Wolverine and the others simply nodded.
In less than ten minutes all three had packed their belongings.
Instead of driving back to America, Roy took out the Tesseract and opened a portal.
The moment the gateway formed, Wolverine drove straight through.
"What—?"
Exiting the portal, Wolverine and Professor X stared in surprise.
Mutant School!
Roy had set the exit in the abandoned Mutant School—
more precisely, in the plaza in front of its main building.
"It's not safe!"
"Charles is America's most-wanted fugitive!"
Wolverine shot a glance at Roy in the passenger seat.
That was one reason, but not the whole story.
A year earlier, Professor X's first psychic seizure had killed seven Mutants,
including every remaining X-Man but Wolverine.
In one stroke his loss of control had ended both the X-Men and the school he'd founded.
"It'll be fine," Roy replied.
"I'll have the government rescind the warrant."
To Wolverine that seemed impossible;
to Roy it was trivial.
A public display of power would be enough to make America cancel the order.
Before Wolverine could object, Professor X spoke from the back seat.
"Logan... this is our home."
Wolverine fell silent.
Noon.
After tidying the main building and settling the Professor, Roy said, "Logan, you're with me to Washington D.C.; Caliban, stay and look after him."
"Don't worry; we'll be back soon."
The two Mutants exchanged glances and nodded.
In front of them Roy opened a portal to The White House.
He stepped through first;
Wolverine followed, traveling in an instant from the school in upstate New York to a street outside The White House.
Staring at the seat of America's power, Wolverinemuttered, "Don't tell me we're storming in and threatening the President to drop the warrant."
"No need to storm anything—we'll walk in unopposed," Roy said with a smile.
He activated his Magnetism Manipulation Superpower.
Every car within ten kilometers lifted into the sky and drifted toward The White House like iron filings to a magnet.
At the same time the firearms of guards and Secret Service Agents tore free, floated overhead, clicked off their safeties, and aimed back at their owners.
Just as he'd promised, Roy and Wolverine strode unhindered into the Oval Office.
Roy wasted no words; he stated his demands.
First, cancel Professor X's warrant.
Second, return all seized property to the Xavier family.
He did not ask the President to halt production of the transgenic foods; he would deal with Canwood Beverage Company himself.
Under naked threat the President quickly agreed.
"A warning: I'm not like the Professor. I have no qualms about becoming a butcher."
"If you don't want to see America razed, stay out of our way."
With those parting words Roy left the Oval Office.
Chapter 130 – cerebro
After threatening the President, Roy grabbed Wolverine's shoulder and teleported them both out of The White House.
Outside The White House, he first let the cars floating above it drift safely to the ground, then used the Tesseract to open a portal back to the Mutant School.
Mutant School.
The moment Roy dismissed the portal behind him, Wolverine fixed him with a grave stare and said quickly, "If the President refuses your terms, would you really have dropped those cars on the crowd?"
Although Roy had threatened the President for Professor X and the school, he didn't like using civilians as leverage.
"Of course not."
"Even if I meant to make a bloody point, I wouldn't use innocent people to do it."
"I haven't sunk to slaughtering civilians."
Roy answered, unhurried, glancing at Wolverine.
Wolverine exhaled. "Next time give me a heads-up—we're on the same side now."
"All right."
Roy nodded.
Back in the main building, Caliban hurried over and started asking questions.
"With any luck, the Professor's arrest warrant has been rescinded," Roy said slowly.
As he left the Oval Office he'd warned the President's entourage, but there was no guarantee they'd behave.
In other words, the government would probably test him in every way they could.
Only when they were certain they couldn't take him would they back off.
Until then, they wouldn't let it go.
Roy had barely finished when Wolverine asked, "By their playbook they won't quit—so what's your move?"
"For now, ignore whatever stunt they pull."
"If they send someone to probe, I'll cut that someone down."
"Send one, I lop off one. Send ten, I lop off ten."
"Once the bodies pile high enough, they'll lose their appetite for tests."
"You two stay here and watch the Professor. I'll bring the new Mutants back."
Roy spoke calmly, looking from Wolverine to Caliban.
If events mirrored the film, Nurse Gabriela should already have brought X-23, Laura, to El Paso, Texas, hoping Logan would escort them to the rendezvous in North Dakota.
"Want me along?" Wolverine asked at once.
"No need—faster alone."
Roy refused without hesitation.
Before Wolverine could insist, Caliban said, "If the feds hit the school right now, I can't hold them off by myself."
Wolverine fell silent, then told Roy, "We'll wait for you here."
"Good."
Roy nodded.
He took out the Tesseract and opened a portal to El Paso.
The instant it stabilized he stepped through and vanished from their sight.
Seconds later the gateway winked out as if it had never existed.
Rooftop of a high-rise in downtown El Paso.
Roy stowed the Tesseract in system space, activated Magnetism Manipulation Superpower, and began scanning for Laura's bio-magnetic signature.
Though Laura wasn't a natural-born Mutant, her magnetic field differed little from one.
If anything, being younger, her signal was slightly weaker than Logan's.
That posed no problem for Roy.
Effortlessly his perception blanketed the entire city.
In barely twenty seconds he locked onto Laura's bio-magnetic trace.
As expected, she was in a downtown motel.
Beside her pulsed a far fainter signature.
No guesswork needed: the injured Gabriela.
Pinpointing the location, Roy teleported off the roof.
Three consecutive jumps brought him to the "Liberty" motel's parking lot where Laura was bouncing a rubber ball.
She wore the same red coat he remembered, her face cold and withdrawn.
Roy studied her a moment, then walked straight over.
Before he reached her, Laura pocketed the ball and watched him warily.
He stopped in front of her.
As he opened his mouth to speak, Gabriela, clutching a bleeding stomach wound, stepped out of a room.
She didn't know who Roy was; she only feared Lauramight hurt him.
Gritting her teeth, Gabriela moved to shield Laura and pull her inside.
"You're looking for Logan—he's not here," Roy told her.
His words made Gabriela instantly suspicious.
She said nothing, but her face screamed distrust.
Before she could speak, Roy added, "I'm not from the Alkali Lake Gene Modification Research Institute.
My name's Roy—I'm a Mutant."
He raised his hand, Magnetism Manipulation Superpowerflaring.
Without resistance, Laura floated upward, limbs pinned by invisible fields.
Fury flooded the girl's face; she shrieked at him.
Ignoring her outburst, Roy told Gabriela, "Forget Canada—the Mutant School's reopened.
Go pack; I'll take you to Logan and Professor X."
Though she still didn't know him, Gabriela sensed no malice.
"Can you put Laura down?" she asked.
"Not yet—she'll be free once we're back at school."
Roy replied.
Gabriela hesitated, then turned and limped to the room.
Minutes later she returned with both their bags.
Under their watchful eyes Roy drew the Tesseract and opened a portal home.
When it stabilized he stepped through, still levitating Laura.
Gabriela followed with the luggage.
Mutant School.
Living-room on the ground floor of the main building.
Roy didn't release Laura immediately upon arrival.
Only when Logan and Caliban led Professor X into the room did he let the invisible bonds dissolve.
At the sight of X-23, Professor X's deeply lined face lit up with an uncontainable smile.
Unlike the beaming Professor X, X-23 still glared at Royin fury.
The instant the restraints fell away, she released her Adamantium Claws and lunged at Roy like a wild animal.
She moved fast.
Before she could reach Roy, the magnetic field seized her again and hurled her toward the parlor sofa.
'Don't be hard on her—she's only a child.'
Professor X, seated in his wheelchair, said quickly.
'If I were being hard on her, she'd already be dead,' Royreplied.
Hearing that, Professor X sighed in resignation and turned to Wolverine and Caliban.
'Her name is Laura. She's the one who's been speaking with me telepathically.'
He looked toward X-23 on the sofa and added in Spanish, 'We've been waiting for you.'
X-23 met his gaze and retracted her Adamantium Claws.
Ten-odd minutes later.
On the lawn behind the main building, Wolverine sat silent on a bench.
'Suddenly having a daughter feels weird, doesn't it?'
Roy's voice came from behind him.
Wolverine glanced back and said slowly, 'You knew all along she was my daughter?'
'Yes.'
Roy nodded.
'Then why didn't you say so from the start?'
Wolverine demanded, displeased.
'Even if I had, you wouldn't have believed me.'
'Only by seeing her could you accept she's your daughter,' Roy said casually, stepping in front of him.
Wolverine fell silent.
As Roy said, without seeing X-23 and the files Gabrielaprovided, he would never have believed it.
In more than two centuries he'd been intimate with plenty of women,
but the idea of having offspring had never crossed his mind.
While he was at a loss for words, Roy pulled two bottles of Macallan from system space.
He handed one to Wolverine.
Then sat beside him, opened the other, and took a swig.
Wolverine eyed him, raised the bottle, and drank deep.
'Thanks,' he said.
'Don't mention it,' Roy replied.
'When do you plan to head to North Dakota?'
Wolverine asked.
'No rush. They won't leave North Dakota before Friday.'
Roy produced a box of Cuban cigars, a cutter, and a lighter from system space.
He lit one, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and passed the box and tools to Wolverine.
Watching Roy smoke, Wolverine—who'd quit long ago—lit a cigar himself.
'Those kids aren't in immediate danger.'
'Compared with them, you're in far worse shape.'
'I can still smell the blood on you,' Roy said, looking him straight in the eye.
A scene from the film had left a deep impression on him:
Wolverine swiping a handful of cigars at a gas station,
yet never getting to smoke one before he died.
'I'm getting old,' Wolverine answered, expression complicated.
'You're old, but not so old your body can't heal fast.'
'The problem is the poison inside you.'
'You've unknowingly consumed too much gene-therapy food.'
'It hasn't killed you, but it's crippled your healing, turning the once-harmless Adamantium into a slow poison.'
'I'm no scientist or Doctor, and I can't heal you myself,'
'but give me the right specialists and we can get you back on your feet.'
Roy spoke with absolute certainty.
He'd already worked out how to treat Wolverine the night before.
Leave the expert work to the experts.
Since he wasn't a scientist or Doctor, he'd hand the job to those who were.
That was one reason he'd forced the President to return every asset of Professor X's family.
Running the Mutant School—and treating Wolverine and Professor X—would take serious money.
'I won't drop dead tomorrow; focus on getting the school running first,' Wolverine said briskly.
'Getting you healthy and reopening the school aren't mutually exclusive.'
'I've no wish to teach. Once the kids arrive, you and the Professor handle them.'
'Enough talk—enjoy yourself.'
'And when you're done, go see Laura. Fathers and daughters need to talk to bond.'
Without waiting for an answer, Roy teleported and vanished from Wolverine's sight.
Noon on the third day.
North Dakota, on the U.S. border.
Roy brought X-23 and Gabriela to the rendezvous and met the young Mutants who'd escaped the research institute.
At first the kids refused to change course for the Mutant School.
But X-23 and Gabriela persuaded them.
Once they arrived, the school finally regained some of its old life.
Youth, after all, is full of energy.
With the newcomers the place became livelier—and spotless within hours.
Professor X resumed his old role, quickly drafting a new curriculum.
In his plan, Roy was listed as one of the teachers.
Roy declined without a second thought.
Principal's office.
Immaculately dressed and looking more like his old self, Professor X sat in his electric wheelchair.
'Caliban tells me you've had him contact black-market dealers to rebuild cerebro,' he said.
'That's right,' Roy answered.
'Even if it's rebuilt, I no longer have the ability to use cerebro,' Professor X said, frowning.
'You're overthinking it, Professor. The new cerebro isn't for you—it's for me.'
Roy spoke calmly.
'You're a telepath too?'
Professor X looked surprised.
'Not yet.'
'But I will be soon.'
Roy replied.
Although he hadn't completed the system's quest, in a few days he expected to finish it, earn Professor X's card, and gain the same telepathic power…
Chapter 131: The Third ssr card
In the movies, neither Wolverine nor Professor X lived for very long.
Professor X was killed by X-24 on the way to North Dakota.
As for Wolverine, he died on the border between Americaand Canada.
Although the movie's ending was quite poignant, not much time had actually passed within the story—only about five or six days.
In other words, in just a few more days, the original death fates of Wolverine and Professor X would be completely changed.
Additionally, as long as the school resumed classes, the requirement to rebuild the Mutant School would be officially completed.
"Logan told me that your superpower is mimicking the superpowers of other Mutants."
"Did you come to this Universe just to mimic my superpower?"
Professor X thought for a few seconds and said to Roy.
Roy didn't intend to explain too much and simply nodded.
"No wonder you had the idea to rebuild cerebro."
"Once you have Telepathy, you will indeed become the most suitable user for cerebro."
"What do you plan to do next? Use cerebro to find and deal with the people from the Alkali Lake Gene Modification Research Institute?"
Professor X looked at Roy seriously and spoke slowly.
Upon hearing Professor X's question, Roy quickly replied, "No, cerebro wasn't rebuilt just to deal with them."
"Of course, once cerebro is rebuilt, I wouldn't mind using it to take care of them."
To the current Professor X and Wolverine, the Alkali Lake Gene Modification Research Institute was indeed an insurmountable juggernaut.
But for Roy, dealing with them was as easy as drinking water.
He planned to rebuild cerebro mainly to search for other Mutants.
Because of super genetically modified foods, no natural Mutants had been born for over 20 years.
However, this didn't mean that Professor X, Wolverine, and the others were the only Mutants left in this Universe.
There might not be many Mutants left in America.
But there were bound to be many Mutants left in other countries.
To be precise, there must still be many Mutants in their thirties or forties.
"You plan to use cerebro to find other Mutants?"
Professor X continued to ask.
"Yes!"
"Although Caliban also has the superpower to sense other Mutants, his sensing range isn't that large, and his efficiency isn't very high."
Roy looked at Professor X calmly and spoke slowly.
As soon as he finished speaking, Professor X frowned and fell silent.
Although he now suffered from Alzheimer's and had forgotten many things, he clearly remembered his experiences using cerebro to find Mutants.
Especially the first time he used cerebro.
It was thanks to the cerebro created by Beast that he and Magneto were able to find Banshee, Darwin, Raze, and others to form the first generation of X-Men.
Seeing Professor X begin to reminisce about those good old days, Roy stood up quietly and left the headmaster's office.
Just as he stepped out of the headmaster's office, he encountered Wolverine, who had trimmed part of his thick beard.
Wolverine walked straight up to him and asked, "Are you free right now?"
"What's wrong?"
Roy asked.
"I'm ready to deal with X-24."
Wolverine looked at Roy with a serious expression.
Although Gabriela was the one who told Wolverine and Professor X about X-24's existence, she wasn't very clear about what X-24 actually was.
After Gabriela revealed X-24's existence, Roy told them the truth about X-24.
Without any suspense, once he knew that X-24 was his own clone, Wolverine felt the urge to completely eliminate X-24.
To that end, over the past few days, he had begun long-overdue combat and physical training.
Looking at Wolverine, Roy said unhurriedly, "I remember telling you before that I would handle X-24."
"I'm not trying to discourage you, but in your current state, you are no match for X-24."
Wolverine certainly knew he wasn't as strong as X-24right now, but he still didn't plan to leave X-24 to Roy.
"That's why I plan to take you with me."
Wolverine said quickly.
Thinking for a few seconds, Roy said to Wolverine, "I will give you the chance to deal with X-24 personally, but not right now."
"What you need to do now is cooperate with the Professor to start the new teaching plan as soon as possible."
"As for everything else, we'll talk about it later."
Although X-24 was equivalent to Wolverine in his prime, to Roy, X-24 was just an ant that could be crushed at will.
Even without using his Magnetism Manipulation Superpower, he could easily kill X-24.
"Then when do you plan to deal with them?"
Wolverine asked with a frown.
"In a few more days."
Roy said slowly.
Although he could go deal with X-24, Dr. Rice, and the others right now, he didn't mind letting them live for a few more days.
He had already planned everything out.
Only after obtaining Professor X's card would he begin the final operation to wipe out X-24, Dr. Rice, the Alkali Lake Gene Modification Research Institute, the Canwood Beverage Company, and the rest in one fell swoop.
Until then, he didn't plan to spend extra energy or time dealing with them.
Wolverine let out a helpless sigh and turned to walk toward his room.
Time flew by.
Five days passed before they knew it.
For Roy, these were five ordinary days.
But for Professor X and Wolverine, these five days were of great significance.
After finalizing the new teaching plan and purchasing the necessary books, the Mutant School finally resumed teaching once again.
Besides Professor X and Wolverine, Caliban and Gabrielaalso became teachers at the Mutant School.
Professor X was responsible for the main academic subjects.
Wolverine was in charge of history, physical education, and combat courses.
Caliban became the dorm supervisor.
Gabriela was responsible for teaching the young Mutants medical knowledge and served as the school's nurse in the infirmary.
Although there were only four teachers, it was perfectly adequate for the Mutant School, which currently had only a dozen or so students.
While the four of them began teaching, Roy wasn't idle either; he started rebuilding cerebro.
Caliban contacted familiar black market merchants and purchased the materials needed to rebuild cerebro.
Professor X recalled the X-Men's secret server, found the specific data for cerebro within it, and handed it over to Roy.
In the X-Men Base beneath the main building of the Mutant School.
The cerebro room.
After the accident a year ago, The White House had sent people to the Mutant School to forcibly dismantle the cerebro room.
Roy stood before the console in the cerebro room and used his Magnetism Manipulation Superpower.
Under his control, metal "wall tiles" made of a special alloy slowly floated up, as if guided by an invisible giant hand, and were installed one by one onto the spherical walls of the cerebro room.
In less than a minute, Roy had finished installing these metal "wall tiles."
After checking the alignment of the tiles and confirming there were no issues, he began repairing the Cerebro helmet and the console.
Although he didn't have a super-high IQ like "Beast" Hank, with the complete data provided by Professor X, repairing the helmet and console wasn't difficult for him.
Half an hour later.
Roy stood in front of the console, looking over the fully repaired console and cerebro with satisfaction.
All that's missing now is the Telepathy superpower!
After a brief moment of reflection, he turned and left the cerebro room, heading toward the main building above ground.
Just then, a system message appeared in his vision that only he could see.
[Mission Completed!]
[Mission Reward Dispatched!]
[Obtained SSR Professor X Card!]
[Deck Updated!]
[Deck: SSR Professor X, SSR: Magneto, SSR: Iceman, SR - Gambit, SR - Pyro, SR Cyclops, R - Angel, R - Agent Zero, Fusion - Wolverine-Spider, fusion: ghost cat]
The moment the system message appeared, the description for the SSR Professor X card popped into Roy's mind.
Although he knew very well what kind of superpowers Professor X had, he still browsed through the card description provided by the system.
Professor X was the most powerful telepath in the World.
However, Professor X was not an Omega-Level Mutant.
Besides Telepathy, he also gained the knowledge of genetics, biology, psychology, and more that Professor Xpossessed.
After browsing the description of the Professor X card, Roy turned back to the cerebro room.
Without any hesitation, he immediately put on the Cerebro helmet he had repaired himself.
As he put on the helmet, the large circular metal door of the cerebro room slowly closed.
Simultaneously, the cerebro room immediately lit up with dazzling white light.
These white beams of light didn't just condense into one figure after another; they also displayed the outline of the earth's surface.
The white lights represented ordinary humans.
Whereas Mutants...
...were represented by red lights.
With a thought from Roy, the figures condensed from white light vanished without a trace, replaced by figures condensed from red light.
If the human figures shown just now were as numerous as the stars in the night sky...
...then the figures condensed from red light were unusually few.
Including Professor X, Wolverine, X-23, and the others, Roy only sensed fewer than a thousand Mutants.
For a biological species, a population of fewer than a thousand individuals was equivalent to the start of an extinction countdown.
Although he sensed that there were fewer than a thousand Mutants, and the vast majority were over forty years old, he wasn't too disappointed.
Having eight or nine hundred Mutants still alive was already good enough; he couldn't ask for more!
After sensing these Mutants, Roy began further screening.
He first excluded those with low combat power and those over sixty years old.
Then, he excluded Mutants with poor character or bad personalities.
Finally, he applied some more specific criteria.
For example, whether their superpowers were suitable for combat, whether their personalities were optimistic or pessimistic, whether their will was firm, whether they were willing to help others, and so on.
Time ticked away.
After spending nearly half an hour, Roy successfully screened out over twenty Mutants who met the requirements.
After screening these people, he didn't hesitate and immediately sent them a telepathic communication.
He didn't explain too much to them; he simply gave a brief introduction of himself, told them about the Mutant School reopening, and asked if they were willing to come and serve as teachers.
Because they were screened targets, these people didn't think for long after hearing his telepathic communicationand quickly gave their answers.
Without exception, they all accepted the invitation.
Roy wasn't surprised by this result.
Or rather, it would have been surprising if they hadn't agreed.
After all, these twenty-plus Mutants were all carefully handpicked by him.
After ending the telepathic communication, Roy stopped using Telepathy, took off the Cerebro helmet, and left the cerebro room with a satisfied expression.
The headmaster's office.
Professor X sat in his wheelchair, looking at Roy in surprise.
"You successfully mimicked my Telepathy?"
Professor X said to Roy.
"Yes."
"Just now, I successfully mimicked your Telepathy and used the repaired cerebro to select over twenty Mutants who are willing to come to the school as teachers."
"None of them are currently in America, so it will take two or three days for them to arrive."
Roy sat on the sofa and spoke unhurriedly.
"How did you convince them?"
Professor X pressed Roy for an answer.
He had previously considered recruiting others to serve as school teachers and had contacted many Mutants using cerebro.
But none of those Mutants had accepted his invitation.
"It's simple. I browsed their memories and screened them."
"Before I even sent the telepathic communication, I already knew they wouldn't refuse."
Roy said slowly.
Browsing their memories directly for screening?
After hearing Roy's explanation, Professor X frowned slightly.
From his perspective, Roy's approach was an invasion of those Mutants' right to privacy.
Even though Roy's intentions were good, he still felt that doing so was wrong.
Just as Professor X was about to say something, Royspoke up: "I know you don't approve of my method, Professor, and feel that I've invaded their privacy, but this is the most efficient way."
"If I didn't do this, the school wouldn't be able to recruit enough teachers for a long time."
"I won't be staying in this World forever, and you don't want the school to close down again, do you, Professor?"
Professor X fell silent.
After a few seconds, he sighed and said slowly, "I am already an old man in my nineties. The future belongs to you young people. Just do as you see fit."
Roy nodded and stood up to leave the headmaster's office.
After coming out of the headmaster's office, he didn't return to his room but instead found Caliban, who was serving as the dorm supervisor.
"Over the next few days, more than twenty Mutants will be joining the school one after another. Make the arrangements in advance."
Roy said to Caliban.
"cerebro has been repaired?"
"Are they reliable?"
Caliban asked quickly.
"It was just repaired."
"You don't need to worry about their character; I've already verified everything."
"Alright, that's all. Go back to your work."
After saying that, Roy left Caliban's office and returned to his room..."}],
Chapter 132: Sentinel Robot
Roy sat on the sofa in his room, thinking about his next plans.
He had already obtained Professor X's card.
If he wanted to leave this place, he could do so at any time.
However, he didn't plan on returning to the original Marvel Universe immediately.
As the saying goes, if you're going to help, help all the way.
Although he had no intention of being a superhero or a savior for Mutants, he didn't mind staying in this Universefor a few more days.
After thinking for a while, he decided to wait until the twenty-odd middle-aged Mutants arrived at the school before dealing with X-24, Dr. Rice, Donald Pierce, and the others.
Having made his decision, Roy used teleportation to leave the Mutant School, planning to find some fun in New York City to pass the time.
Noon the next day.
The reception room of the Mutant School.
Roy, Wolverine, and the others sat on the sofa in the reception room, looking at the four people sitting opposite them: Brady, Connor, Stephen, and Danielle.
Brady and the others all lived in Canada and knew each other.
After finishing their telepathic communication with Roy, they agreed to head to the Mutant School together.
"On behalf of the school, I welcome you."
Professor X said to Brady and the other three.
"Professor, you're too kind."
Brady replied quickly.
After some brief pleasantries, Professor X introduced the school's current situation to the four of them.
Hearing that Roy wasn't a teacher at the school and would be leaving after a while, Brady and the others frowned simultaneously.
Although they didn't know Roy very well, he was a major reason why they joined the Mutant School.
Yesterday, Roy had proven with his actions that he had the strength to use cerebro.
As long as he and cerebro were at the school, the Mutant School essentially possessed a weapon of mass destruction that could deter any organization or nation.
In other words, Roy was now the Mutant School's greatest backer.
Yet now, Professor X was telling them that Roy, their greatest backer, would be leaving soon.
The four of them didn't say anything, quickly exchanging glances.
Although this wasn't quite what they had imagined, they were nonetheless Mutants handpicked by Roy, with both their superpowers and character passing the test.
"If I may ask, Roy, roughly when will you be leaving the school?"
Brady asked Roy.
"I'll only consider leaving once things here at the school have completely stabilized."
"Until then, you don't need to worry about me leaving quietly."
Roy knew what Brady and the others were worried about and replied with a serious expression.
Brady and his companions hadn't been hunted like X-23and the others, but their lives in Canada weren't exactly wonderful either.
Not to mention now, even back when Mutantorganizations like the X-Men, the Fraternity, and the Hellfire Club still existed, Mutants suffered from discrimination by ordinary people.
Ever since the existence of Mutants became common knowledge, this discrimination had always been present.
While not all ordinary people discriminated against Mutants without reason, the vast majority didn't particularly like them.
Hearing Roy's answer, Brady nodded and decisively ended the topic.
In his capacity as the headmaster of the Mutant School, Professor X formally accepted Brady and the other three, appointing them as teachers and assigning them to different roles based on their superpowers and personalities.
Brady and the others didn't resist Professor X's arrangements.
They had been mentally prepared for this when they accepted Roy's invitation.
Over the next two days, the other middle-aged Mutants invited by Roy arrived at the Mutant School one after another.
Their arrival unsurprisingly attracted the attention of the American Government and ordinary people.
Meanwhile, more and more reporters and protesters gathered outside the Mutant School.
A week ago, Roy had briefly demonstrated his Magnetism Manipulation Superpower in Washington D.C.
Although he hadn't caused any casualties, his action still made Mutants the focus of public discussion and attention.
Initially, people didn't know that the Mutant School had reopened.
It wasn't until they noticed that Professor X's name had disappeared from the Department of Homeland Security's wanted list that they realized what was happening, linking Roy's actions in Washington D.C. to Professor X.
What followed was simple.
Major New York media outlets were the first to send reporters and photographers to the Mutant School, discovering that the school, which had been abandoned for a year, had reopened.
Once the New York media reported this, protesters arrived outside the school to begin their demonstrations.
However, a protest was just a protest.
These protesters didn't try to force their way into the Mutant School.
The Mutant School was the private property of the Xavier family.
If they were to barge in, they would only have themselves to blame even if they were killed.
Furthermore, Roy's actions in Washington D.C.successfully reminded people of the threat Magneto once posed.
Most importantly, news had leaked that Roy had taken Wolverine to The White House and threatened the President into canceling Professor X's wanted warrant and returning the Xavier family's assets.
Although The White House held a special press conference to deny this, people didn't quite believe their explanation.
Other than the President being threatened, people couldn't think of any other reason... Alkali Lake Gene Modification Research Institute, New York Branch.
The sixty-year-old Dr. Rice sat in his office, browsing through the documents in his hands.
After finishing the documents, he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed an internal number.
"Come to my office."
Before the other person could speak, Dr. Rice said with a grim expression.
"Yes, sir!"
Donald Pierce on the other end of the line replied quickly.
Dr. Rice didn't say anything else and hung up.
Before long, Donald, who had a prosthetic right arm and short blond hair, arrived at Dr. Rice's office.
Once Donald sat down, Dr. Rice asked directly, "How is the investigation into Roy Chen's intelligence going?"
Without hesitation, Donald immediately relayed the gathered intelligence.
"What's certain for now is that he appeared in El Paso a week ago and found Wolverine."
"I had the car thieves' bodies examined in detail. It was confirmed that three of them had their heads blown apart by something similar to Cyclops' optic blast, while the other two were killed by Adamantium Claws."
"Given the Magnetism Manipulation Superpower he displayed in Washington D.C., the intelligence department suspects that, like X-24, he is a Mutantcreated using gene modification technology."
"Judging by the superpowers he uses, his genetic source should be Magneto and Cyclops."
"It's still uncertain which organization created him."
"Additionally, the intelligence department found that he purchased some special alloys and equipment on the black market a few days ago."
"Based on the materials he bought, he should be working on repairing cerebro."
As soon as Donald finished, Dr. Rice shook his head and said, "He wasn't created using gene modification technology."
"The President has had the Military, the Department of Homeland Security, and the CIA investigate all gene modification research institutes. None of them possess genetic samples of Magneto or Cyclops."
"They suspect Roy Chen is a naturally born Mutant."
Hearing Dr. Rice's words, Donald immediately frowned.
Just as he was about to say something more, Dr. Ricecontinued, "Roy Chen possesses the Magnetism Manipulation Superpower; X-24 cannot pose any threat to him."
"The President called me, hoping I can create a Mutantthat can counter him."
"If we can't create a Mutant to counter him, the Presidenthopes we can produce this."
With that, Dr. Rice handed the document in front of him to Donald.
Donald took the document from Dr. Rice.
Sentinel Robot Upgrade Project?
What is this?
Seeing the project name on the cover, Donald showed a puzzled expression, opened the file, and quickly scanned through it.
He quickly finished reading everything, handed the document back to Dr. Rice, and said with a frown, "Can this thing really be manufactured?"
Dr. Rice took the document and said unhurriedly:
"It should be possible."
"In 1973, Dr. Trask manufactured eight Sentinel Robotprototypes."
"Although the Sentinel Robot Project was later mothballed, all the data on the Sentinel Robots was preserved, and those eight prototypes were secretly stored away by the Military."
"The Military is currently upgrading those eight Sentinel Robot prototypes. I'm going to The Pentagon later to meet with the Military officials in charge, and you'll come with me..."
Dr. Rice paused, staring motionless at Donald.
Donald first looked surprised.
Then, a guess quickly flashed through his mind.
Telepathy!
Dr. Rice was frozen by Professor X's Telepathy!
Without any hesitation, he immediately stood up and grabbed the phone on the desk.
However, before he could dial the number, he stopped all movement just like Dr. Rice, standing frozen in place while holding the phone.
Donald was right; Dr. Rice was indeed frozen by Telepathy.
However, it wasn't Professor X who had frozen Dr. Rice, but Roy.
Currently, Professor X did not have the ability to use cerebro.
The medications Professor X took could only prevent him from losing control; they didn't have the effect of restoring him to his former state.
Once the invited middle-aged Mutants had all arrived at the Mutant School, Roy took Wolverine to the cerebroroom.
After activating cerebro, he located Dr. Rice without much effort.
After freezing Dr. Rice, he didn't immediately erase Dr. Rice's consciousness or use mental energy to destroy his brain; instead, he unhurriedly browsed through Dr. Rice's memories.
Currently, he only knew that the Canwood Beverage Company was a part of the Transgenic Food Treatment Program.
Although the Canwood Beverage Company was a beverage giant with a significant market share, they weren't the only ones cooperating with Dr. Rice to implement the Transgenic Food Treatment Program.
For instance, foods like breakfast cereals and oatmeal were not produced by the Canwood Beverage Company.
Roy had originally just wanted to confirm which other companies were cooperating with Dr. Rice.
He hadn't expected to actually find intelligence on the Sentinel Robot Project as well.
For him, this was undoubtedly an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Upon discovering that the government was preparing to restart the Sentinel Robot Project, Roy said to Wolverinestanding beside him, "Do you remember the Sentinel Robots?"
"Are you talking about the Sentinel Robot prototypes from '73, or the Sentinels from the future?"
Wolverine took the cigar out of his mouth and asked with a frown.
As the only Mutant in this Universe who knew that the future had been changed, his impression of the Sentinel Robots was more than just deep.
Although Mutants now were also on the brink of extinction, compared to the future he had experienced, the current situation wasn't particularly bad.
"The '73 Sentinel Robot prototypes, of course."
"You've already changed the future. The future Sentinels that can copy and share Mutant powers don't exist yet."
Roy glanced at Wolverine and said slowly.
"Weren't you searching Zander Rice's memories? Why are you suddenly asking if I remember the Sentinel Robots?"
Wolverine asked with a frown.
"I searched his memories and found that the government has restarted the Sentinel Robot Project."
Roy replied.
Hearing his answer, Wolverine's expression instantly became extremely grim.
Even though Bolivar Trask and Mystique were dead, no one could guarantee that government scientists wouldn't find other ways to upgrade the Sentinel Robots.
If government scientists found another way to upgrade them, that future he had changed might appear once again.
For him, this was even worse than the Alkali Lake Gene Modification Research Institute creating X-24.
"Stop them!"
"No matter what, they must be stopped. You absolutely cannot let them upgrade the Sentinel Robots!"
Wolverine looked at Roy seriously and spoke quickly.
Even without him saying it, Roy wouldn't let the government complete the Sentinel Robot upgrade.
Although he wouldn't stay in this Universe forever, he didn't want Wolverine and the others to be killed by upgraded Sentinel Robots just a few years after he left.
"Don't worry, they won't have the chance to upgrade the Sentinel Robots."
With that, Roy increased his mental energy output, directly destroying the brains of Dr. Rice and Donald.
After killing them, he didn't stop using Telepathy and began to lock onto the Military officials and the heads of the Canwood Beverage Company.
Time passed bit by bit.
Before he knew it, more than ten minutes had passed.
During these ten-plus minutes, Roy used Telepathy to find his targets, searching their minds for intelligence while simultaneously using Telepathy to deal with those who needed to be eliminated.
For example, the scientists and security personnel of the Alkali Lake Gene Modification Research Institute, the person in charge of the Sentinel Robot Upgrade Project, the senior executives of the Canwood Beverage Company, and so on.
It had to be said, Telepathy was truly useful.
With the assistance of cerebro, Roy easily took care of the targets scattered in various locations without shedding a drop of blood...