A Turn of Events

"What plans do you have? Where are you planning to go?"

Sitting in the Truck, George asked the nurse Gabriella and the plump female driver, Isabelle.

In the movie, Gabriella had taken the Mutant Children to the border of North Dakota, but it hadn't really been simply because she had read a comic and believed that place was the mutants' last sanctuary.

She wasn't a child. How could she possibly believe something from a comic?

On top of that, Riktor, the leader of the Mutant Children in the end, had also been in contact with unknown forces over the radio.

Because George was a mutant and had just helped them, Gabriella already had a basis of trust in him, so she did not hide anything now.

"We have to reach the border of North Dakota before five o'clock next Friday, then cross the border into Canada."

"Why Canada? And why at that exact time?"

A trace of confusion appeared on George's face.

Gabriella explained, "We looked up the relevant information. Before mutants disappeared, Canada was the country friendliest to mutants, so before deciding to help the children escape, we contacted the Canadian government ourselves.

"They're willing to take these children in too, but they don't want to invite trouble.

"So we have to get to the border before five o'clock next Friday. When the time comes, they'll find a way to interfere with the satellites in that area, then meet us on the other side of the border."

"So it was the Canadian government."

George understood. He had watched the X-Men series, so he knew the general situation, but he didn't understand some of the specific details.

For instance, he truly hadn't known that the Canadian government was close to mutants—or rather, wasn't that opposed to mutants.

However, he then furrowed his brows again, because personally, he did not trust the Canadian government all that much.

A government was not an individual. There were many things it had to consider, and a change in leadership could mean a change in stance. Even if the Canadian government had once indeed not rejected mutants, what about now?

Could these Mutant Children become new test subjects after they went there?

For something with no guarantees, he would absolutely never choose it.

So he also told Gabriella his thoughts.

Gabriella was clearly surprised that George, a mutant who had never left the experimental base, could actually think so far ahead.

But her answer was also full of helplessness.

"There's no way around it. Even knowing there might be danger, we have no choice, because we really can't think of a better way."

Having worked in that cruel experimental base, how could they not understand the ugliness of human nature? How could they not worry that after the children went over there, they would simply enter another hell?

But they had no choice, because they were all a group of people at the very bottom of society, powerless and without influence, with only the kindness in their hearts not yet extinguished.

If the children stayed in this experimental base, they would die without a doubt. If they went to Canada, perhaps there would still be some hope.

"That's true. Sometimes life is just that helpless."

Hearing this, George also sighed.

In his previous life, hadn't he also been at the bottom of society? He had experienced plenty of those helpless choices too, just not ones this cruel.

But after thinking it over carefully, he didn't have any good ideas either. He was a stranger in this world, unfamiliar with both people and places.

However, he would not place his own fate in the hands of the Canadian government. Once he escorted this group of children to the border, he would leave and hide himself.

Risking his life to save these children was already going above and beyond. To protect this group of children, he would follow them to Canada and be restrained by the Canadian government? Impossible.

Escorting them to the border was already his limit.

At this moment, he had clearly already forgotten the somewhat selfish-sounding reason he had used to persuade himself back at the fork in the road.

"We've reached Juarez. We'll buy some necessary daily supplies, then head straight for the border, enter New Mexico, and go north all the way to North Dakota.

"If things go smoothly, it should only take about two days!"

After two hours of high-speed driving, the truck entered Juarez, a city in northeastern Mexico, and George also stuck his head out to look around.

He had heard of this city in his previous life, but not because of any good reputation.

Juarez, on the northeastern border of Mexico, on the south bank of the Rio Grande, faced El Paso in the United States across the river. It was known as one of the most violent cities in the world. At its craziest, nearly fifteen thousand people had been killed in criminal incidents over six years.

This city gathered the largest number of drug dealers in Mexico and was the most important source of drugs for the United States.

"Breaking news: Stark Industries executive CEO, the famous playboy Tony Stark, was kidnapped today in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. His whereabouts remain unknown."

The truck stopped in front of a large supermarket. While Gabriella and Isabelle went to purchase daily necessities, George, who stayed behind, was suddenly drawn in by the news being broadcast on the television in front of the supermarket.

"The event that gave birth to Iron Man!"

His body shook, and something suddenly came to mind. A faint smile gradually appeared on his face.

"Maybe there's still a new turning point."

Recalling all the Marvel movies he had watched in his previous life and carefully considering them, a new idea formed in his mind.

To him, rather than trust the government's character, it was better to trust Tony Stark's character. Although that guy was a bit of a playboy and a bit arrogant, there was nothing wrong with his moral character.

Besides, as one of America's biggest capitalists, even the government could do nothing to him. If he didn't want to hand over the Iron Suit, then he simply wouldn't.

Just like Professor X back then. The reason he had been able to open the Mutant School in New York was, aside from the X-Men's great strength, more importantly because Professor X himself was a tycoon, and his family was also a famous major capitalist.

If they could gain Tony Stark's protection, then these mutant children would not only be able to avoid a lot of trouble, they might even be able to enjoy a normal education and life.

And he would also have a safe place to study magic.

As for whether getting involved with Tony Stark would drag him into some later events and expose him to even greater danger...

There was really nothing to be done about that. He could only deal with the trouble in front of him first, win a relatively safe period of time, and use it as much as possible to improve his strength. In the end, strength was what mattered.

Besides, he had his own thoughts about whether or not to take part in those major events in the future.

If this were the Cinematic Universe, then he would definitely stay far away. Even if Thanos snapped his fingers, everyone would be saved in the end anyway. There was no need for him to get involved. Wouldn't it be better to just study magic in peace?

But this was not the Cinematic Universe. It was an unknown Marvel universe mixed with mutants, and that made things hard to say.

Because it was very possible that during some major event, the entire Earth would simply be gone. Since he lived on this planet, naturally he would not be able to escape either.

Rather than entrust his fate to those Superheroes, it was better to entrust it to himself.

Perhaps if he stepped in to help at a critical moment, they could get through those major events, allowing Earth—and himself—to remain safe and sound.

So making contact was something that would have to happen sooner or later.

"Right now, the most important thing is figuring out how to rescue Tony Stark and make him owe me a favor."

George stroked his chin and sank into thought.

If he wanted a top-tier tycoon like Tony Stark to owe him a favor and sincerely help them, then it could only be through saving his life.

But with just himself, and with his current strength, how was he supposed to rescue Tony Stark? He did not even know the man's exact location. He only knew that Stark seemed to be in a cave somewhere in the desert.