"Normal circumstances mean when there's no fire burning it. " John stepped forward, speaking over Bobby, who was stammering and couldn't even form a coherent sentence.
In his hand, he held a ball of Fire, which moved slowly like a docile kitten under his control. Not only did it not burn his palm, but it also didn't damage his sleeve or even his hair.
Mr. Stacy thought for a moment, then decided against trying to touch the ball of Fire with his hand. He looked at the somewhat arrogant young man and said,
"I remember you. Mr. Zhou Yi told me about a fellow who could control Fire. It seems that's you."
"Yes, sir. That's me, John. It's a great pleasure to serve you!"
John's voice was very excited, but it wasn't because of Director Fury. All the students present knew it was because Director Fury had just mentioned that Mr. Zhou Yi had spoken of him.
He was an out-and-out worshipper of Zhou Yi. At school, he had always promoted Zhou Yi's views on the future of Mutants, and he was even the first to respond when Rogue gathered like-minded students.
Perhaps it was due to admiration for the strong, or perhaps for other reasons. In short, John became Zhou Yi's most steadfast supporter. This was something no one had expected at first.
However, Mr. Stacy didn't know this. He thought the young man's behavior was because of him, so in an instant, he found the Little fellow pleasing to the eye. So he naturally said,
"Young man, honestly. We have high expectations for you because your ability is very special. You know, when Mr. Zhou Yi and I were discussing this cooperation, he said that if someone like you joined the Fire Department, our losses would be reduced to a very small extent. I didn't fully believe him because I felt only the person involved had the right to speak. Now, young man, I hope you tell me, can you achieve that level?"
"Of course, no problem, sir. I am very confident!" John vowed solemnly, and from his beaming expression, one could see how confident he was.
And this was exactly what Mr. Stacy wanted to see. He liked confident young people very much, because only confident people could achieve something, and only such people could be worthy of his promotion and appreciation.
As it stood, the two people who had demonstrated their abilities were worthy of Zhou Yi's recommendation. But Mr. Stacy still needed to observe further; he wanted to see what kind of skill the girl who had been acting as the leader possessed.
"Young Miss, it's clear you are the leader of these people. So I think you should be more representative. Could you show me what your ability is?"
Rogue raised her eyebrows. She casually smoothed her hair, and at this moment, the golden streak mixed in her brown long hair was very noticeable. She calmly said,
"Of course, sir. As long as that is your request!"
With that, she extended her hand, pointing it distantly towards Mr. Stacy. Dazzling golden light flowed from her palm. Seeing this light, John's eyes showed envy, while Bobby's eyes were filled with fear.
A faint glimmer of light splashed from the flowing radiance. This glimmer spattered onto Mr. Stacy, immediately giving him the sensation of soaking in a hot spring. His whole body felt comfortable, every part pleasantly refreshed.
He could even feel that the blisters on his tongue, which had just been scalded, were gone. And those old injuries, as well as various ailments caused by old age and an irregular lifestyle, all vanished under this light. This feeling was like being reborn.
The radiance quickly disappeared, which made Mr. Stacy feel very regretful. But as a self-controlled person, he did not forcibly ask Rogue to continue. He just looked at her with an amazed gaze, until she became flustered, then he said,
"My God, this ability is like a miracle. Child, is this your ability? Why do I feel as if I have experienced the glory of God?"
Mr. Stacy was a devout Catholic. In fact, a considerable number of people in his profession, Police, have a faith, because only a firm belief can give them the courage to Face so-called evil. Of course, this only refers to those Police who are truly willing to uphold justice.
Because he believed in God, he was a little flustered when he saw Rogue's ability, but only a little. He quickly regained his composure and, once again, as the New York City Police Commissioner and a collaborator in Zhou Yi's plan, he asked,
"Child, does your ability have limitations?"
"Yes, sir. This ability is strongest when applied to one person, but once it's spread out, it diminishes. Also, it cannot be used too frequently; if used too often, this ability might disappear."
"What about the limit, what's the maximum number of times?" Mr. Stacy quickly pressed, clearly showing how much he valued Rogue's ability.
Rogue heard Mr. Stacy's persistent question, thought for a moment, and held up three fingers.
"I can use it a maximum of three times a day. If I exceed that number, the power within me will be unable to regenerate due to overuse. That is to say, this ability will completely disappear!"
"Only three times?" Mr. Stacy murmured to himself, his Face now full of excitement and joy. "It's enough, Child. With your ability, our losses will drop to a very low level. Perhaps there will be no more sacrifices. This is very good, very good."
Hearing Mr. Stacy's words, Rogue also became excited. The reason for her excitement was not Mr. Stacy's praise for her, but his words of recognition for them. She quickly asked,
"Sir, are you saying you have recognized us?"
"Of course, you are excellent. Besides your age, I have no reason to refuse you, but that's not a problem. You can tell Mr. Zhou Yi that the plan can officially begin. In two days, I will introduce your existence to the entire New York City at a press conference. I believe you will not disappoint me, nor will you disappoint the citizens of New York."
Mr. Stacy nodded as he spoke. He had no reason to deny these young people. In his eyes, they were already outstanding enough. If it weren't for their troublesome identity, they would definitely be sought after by countless people. Of course, if they didn't have this identity, they wouldn't be standing before him, allowing him to choose them.
Thinking of this, he felt a little smug. Indeed, when one's luck comes, it's unstoppable.
"That's great. Mr. Stacy, thank you very much. I promise, we will not disappoint you." The young Mutants immediately cheered upon hearing this. Even the mature Rogue was so excited she couldn't contain herself, only able to express her gratitude with simple words.
However, Mr. Stacy didn't care about that. He was an upright and serious person. He hated flattery the most. On the contrary, straightforward behavior like that of these young people felt more amiable to him. So he didn't stop the group of young people from cheering, but just smiled and said to them,
"You all can stay here for these two days. I will arrange for someone to take you to your residence, which Mr. Zhou Yi specially provided for you. Also, I will give you the first two months' salary upfront. Get some good rest for two days; the press conference in two days will require you to Face those reporters in your best condition. In short, don't worry. I've got everything!"
Mr. Stacy spoke with great authority. He had already come to view these children as the Police Department's darlings, and he would keep them in the Police Department no matter what responsibilities he had to bear. This naturally earned the young people's favor.
Rogue and the others gratefully bid farewell to Mr. Stacy and, led by the subordinate he arranged, walked towards their new home. Mr. Stacy, meanwhile, leaned back in his chair, playing with the ice sculpture teacup while humming a country tune, looking very content.
This was a meeting that both parties were very satisfied with, but for the third party, it was not so pleasing.
Director Fury, who always preferred to stay behind the scenes, pointed at the footage on the monitor and loudly said in front of his most trusted subordinate,
"Phil, that troublesome Mr. Zhou Yi has given me another problem. He's put Mutants into the Police Department. Look, there's the one who plays with ice, the one who plays with Fire. And this Little Miss, can you tell me what her ability actually is? A few weeks ago, our data showed that this girl was a very rare Mutant who could absorb others' abilities. Why has she suddenly become a glowing Angel now?"
Coulson scratched his head. He had a bad feeling when Fury forcibly called him over while he was busy with other tasks. After carefully watching the constantly replaying footage on the monitor, he thought for a moment and found a plausible answer.
"Officer, if I'm not mistaken, this Young Miss's ability should have some connection to Dawn Knight. You know, among the two people who last came into contact with that Dawn Knight at the Battle of Paris, this Young Miss was one of them."
"It's that troublesome fellow again." Fury complained. He had actually had such a guess long ago. Now, asking Coulson was just to verify his own answer.
For this powerful individual, S.H.I.E.L.D. had not yet found a suitable way to deal with him. Especially when they were still in a honeymoon period, some extreme measures were even less usable.
After thinking and thinking and still not coming up with a suitable idea, he had no choice but to let Mr. Stacy and the others continue to cause trouble under his nose. At the same time, he began to ask other questions.
"How are things progressing on your end?"
"Currently, everything is still normal!" It was Commander Hill who spoke. She glanced at the smiling Coulson and said bluntly,
"But I'm still worried about the new Agent Coulson recruited. I've checked her file, and I'm very concerned she might do something against orders during this operation. You know, an Agent with such obvious hatred shouldn't be allowed to carry out relevant orders. Especially since she's still a newcomer!"
"Hill, I believe she can do well. You should have faith in our people. Or, as a friend, you should have faith in me."
"Sorry, I can't!"
Commander Hill truly gave Coulson no Face at all. And for Hill like this, Coulson could do nothing but give a wry smile.