As a compassionate elder, a truly kind-hearted individual whom Zhou Yi considered a Saint of his time, he was deeply immersed in self-blame at this moment.
To save him, for his abilities, for the ambition and hatred of some people, did such a great price truly have to be paid? And even if a price had to be paid, why should these innocent people bear the ultimate harm?
These were questions he had pondered before, yet just as before, he still couldn't find the correct answer. He could only attribute everything to himself, letting the guilt become even heavier. Perhaps for him, this would make him feel a little better.
"You can only blame yourself for possessing great power but failing to deter the evil thoughts and greed in people's hearts, failing to suppress their hatred and malice. Charles, you are wrong, you always have been. You've only ever watched Mutants get hurt, wanting to soothe their wounds. But you've never considered how much they yearn for revenge, nor have you ever considered how much suffering their revenge would cause."
Seeing Charles's pain, Zhou Yi spoke calmly. He had witnessed too much hatred. It was an eternal theme, almost running through all life. And the destruction it brought was enough to make a behemoth collapse. Vampires were like this, and Mutants were the same.
"Charles, you must change. Otherwise, all the sacrifices made this time will be meaningless. If there can be one Stryker, why wouldn't there be a second? As long as you don't change, these people will emerge endlessly!"
Zhou Yi's words made Charles fall into thought. Before he could ponder further, the alarm from the lakeside town interrupted his train of thought. The residents of the town had discovered the surging flood. They sounded the alarm, warning all town residents. But beyond that, they had no way to stop it.
Neither the National Guards nor the local firefighters seemed too powerless in the face of this sudden natural disaster. The town's residents began to flee, hiding in their houses, hoping their homes would survive the flood.
But in truth, they themselves knew very well that this was just an unrealistic fantasy. The wooden houses in the town could not possibly withstand such a flood. They were merely comforting themselves.
Some began to pray, either to a non-existent God or to those true heroes. God naturally would not answer them, but a hero would.
Hearing the prayers of some people, Zhou Yi first brought Charles and Jean to the top of the town's church, settling them there. Then he rushed towards the flood with all his might.
His figure created layers of Qi waves in the sky, like a thousand troops charging. This sight naturally attracted the attention of the fleeing humans. They stared intently at the black Knight in the center, making different sounds.
Some who didn't yet know this hero asked those around them, wanting to know who this fellow was, a person or a monster. Those who recognized him, however, cheered at this moment. A Superhero who could save Paris from a near-apocalyptic attack would surely be able to save them from this natural disaster. This might just be their wishful thinking, but at this moment, even a straw to clutch at, they would desperately hold on.
Zhou Yi naturally wouldn't know the thoughts of these humans, and at his level, he no longer cared what these people thought. Saving lives had become his nature and duty, no longer just a hobby or interest.
The high value of life was no longer something he could treat lightly with mere interest.
The powerful gravity transformed into an indestructible drill, leading a surging wave of Qi that instantly tore through the flood's defenses. Under the dual effect of extreme speed and powerful ability, the flood's momentum was instantly curbed.
Like being reined in, they could no longer surge forward. Even more strangely, a peculiar sight appeared before everyone.
The surging flood began to flow backward. Carried by the Qi waves unleashed by that black figure, the endless Water flowed back to where it had come from. Countless giant logs and mud flows bobbed in the Water, winding forward like a giant yellowish-brown python, its momentum terrifying and magnificent.
However, no matter how terrifying the momentum at this moment, it was only a temporary display of power. Zhou Yi's power, no matter how great, could not reverse the laws of nature. The flood could not flow backward forever; it would inevitably return to its normal course.
This, even if for just a moment, was enough. Because the destruction of the dam gave the flood a chance to rage, then to tame this beast, one only needed to rebuild a cage. This was Zhou Yi's plan.
The force field began to warp and rotate at high speed. The highly condensed force field even affected the movement of the Water, causing it to twist again into a large vortex capable of tearing apart everything. This Water vortex scraped against the soaked mud, crushed layers of mountain rock, and drilled deep into the earth, into the heart of the mountains.
When the soft Water became hard, it possessed unimaginable destructive power. The earth rumbled under the impact of the flood, and as the force field with immense gravity sank, the Water even tore open the rocky mountain terrain, reshaping a river valley in this place.
The geology was greatly altered by one person's power. He tamed the flood, parted the mountains, and made the earth sink.
People watched in astonishment as the flood completely disappeared. They were trapped in the newly opened river valley, with only stream-like Water still flowing in the streets, telling people of their recent rampage.
A terrible crisis was rendered invisible by the hand of the so-called Superhero. He defeated the terrifying natural disaster, even changing the World they lived in.
Many people no longer cared about the muddy Water beneath their feet, directly kneeling devoutly on the ground. Among them, there might have been believers in God, but at this moment, they only believed in the deity before them. A deity living in reality, far more real than God.
And those who knew of the Dawn Knight's existence became even more excited. Superheroes were already very popular in this World, and their fan base was definitely no less than that of so-called celebrities. After all, celebrities gained recognition through fabricated heroic acts, while the actions of Superheroes were undeniably real. Naturally, they had an even larger base of supporters.
These supporters of the Dawn Knight cheered loudly, shouting the Dawn Knight's name, completely disregarding the threat of the natural disaster they had just experienced. The atmosphere was so enthusiastic it was like an important festival.
For a time, the entire town and even the mountains echoed with the same sound. This sound naturally reached Professor Charles's ears. As a Great Master of the mind, he heard not only these cheers but also the voices from deep within people's hearts. This almost fanatical emotion made him fall into contemplation.
Fairly speaking, had he not done much for this World? Not so. In his youth, he had made great contributions to humanity, even once preventing the outbreak of nuclear war between two giants. Without him, this World might have already been an apocalypse of spreading radiation and humans barely surviving.
However, almost no one knew him, let alone cheered for him. Not just him, all Mutants did not receive such treatment. If Superheroes like Zhou Yi were celebrities and nobles enjoying the highest strata of life, they were practically trash, worse than beggars and vagrants.
If the difference in treatment was due to a difference in ability, perhaps he wouldn't have any other thoughts. But their abilities were not inferior; even if not as good as this almost god-like Superhero, their vast numbers could completely bridge the gap between them. Compared to Zhou Yi, who was alone, they had more advantages.
Yet reality simply did not acknowledge their existence. The Dawn Knight could enjoy cheers from humans in the sunlight, while they, the Mutants, had to tremble under human laws, struggling every step of the way.
Envy inevitably appeared in Charles's heart. Although he quickly eliminated this negative emotion, there was still some regret. He regretted the so-called future of Mutants, something that, in his view, had not yet shown any light.
He felt as if he had to make a choice, but he lacked the courage to make such a choice. The conflicts among Mutants and the misunderstandings with humans were already very deep. Because of these misunderstandings, countless hatreds had already festered.
A wrong choice could very likely lead to the most terrible consequences. He had made such a mistake with Jason, treating Jason as the beginning of improved relations with humans, but he never expected it almost led to the destruction of Mutants.
With past lessons in mind, as the leader among Mutants, he dared not and could not make any decisions lightly.
At this moment, Zhou Yi, who had finished everything, had returned to their side. He glanced at Charles, who still wore a bitter smile, and asked calmly.
"Are you still unable to make up your mind, Charles?"
"I can't do that. I can't risk the Children doing dangerous things. Zhou Yi, many of them are Children. Why can't they live peacefully like ordinary people?" Charles replied bitterly. As wise as he was, he naturally understood Zhou Yi's meaning. But some decisions were not easily made.
"That's just your idea, not theirs. Isn't it? You only want them to live ordinary lives, but you haven't considered what they actually think. You cannot stop them from making any choices, even if you are their Professor, just like everything you did to the other entity within Jean's body was actually your wishful thinking. Isn't it?"
"Jean is different; that personality in her mind is very dangerous." Charles wanted to argue, but he was rudely interrupted.
"I'm also very dangerous! Charles, your mind has been bound by timidity and countless scruples. I admit you are an upright and kind person, but this kindness is of no help to them. The World is always moving forward, Charles. Things that stand still will be crushed to pieces by the advancing tide."