Venom Arrives

At 10 p. m., Hawking, who had finished his meditation half an hour early, arrived at Professor X's Headmaster's office.

"Professor, I think we can begin!"

"Okay, then I'll have someone register a new company immediately and start advertising according to your plan."

Professor X nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Over the past month, thanks to Hawking's continuous efforts, the expected results have indeed been achieved, and the majority of people in New York have reacted positively.

This convinced him that Hawking's plan was indeed feasible, and that he could increase investment and then select more Mutants to join.

But then Hawking shook his head:

"Professor, this is my idea: you should not register this company, and it is best not to have other Mutants involved in the early stages. Mutants should be added one by one after the company has reached a certain size."

Why do this?

Professor X looked puzzled upon hearing this, as it seemed somewhat different from the initial plan.

Hawking continued to explain:

"Professor, I've noticed lately that the general public has a really deep prejudice against Mutants. Even if I don't reveal my Mutants identity, many people's attitudes change after they guess that I'm Mutants, and they start spouting all sorts of conspiracy theories."

You can probably find these professors in the news and online.

If you funded and developed this company, and it was later exposed, it would confirm those conspiracy theories, and many people would think that the company's existence was to whitewash Mutants.

Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D.. will likely take some action as well.

"But Hawking, you are also Mutants. Once your identity is exposed, people will also be suspicious, and you will face the same problems."

Professor X was not angry at Hawking's explanation, but instead raised his own questions.

Hawking sighed:

"Professor, I'm sorry, there's something I haven't told you yet."

That is... I'm not actually Mutants; my abilities come from some unknown entity.

At this point, Hawking revealed his identity to Professor X.

If the target is Magneto, he will never reveal his identity, because Magneto only trusts Mutants.

But Professor X is different. Even if you are not Mutants, as long as you are close to Mutants, he will trust you.

Of course, this was not the main reason he revealed his identity.

The main reason is that his non- Mutants identity will be revealed sooner or later. If Heroes Alliance Company wants to expand globally, then if he is a Mutants, he will inevitably face great obstacles.

From the perspective of the entire human elite, what are you Mutants trying to do by forming a company, recruiting a bunch of Mutants to gain public attention, and invading various industries?

Is it an attempt to control all of humanity?

But if he is human, like the Avengers who have special abilities due to special circumstances, then it's naturally a different story.

So it's going to have to be said sooner or later, so let's tell Professor X in advance, that way Professor X will feel a little better.

After all, before it was made public, apart from Hawking himself, only Professor X knew that he was not Mutants.

"So... you really aren't Mutants!"

Upon hearing Hawking's answer, Professor X was taken aback for a moment, then showed a hint of disappointment.

He had long suspected Hawking's Mutants identity because he couldn't sense Hawking's unique Mutants brainwaves, and Hawking's abilities were beyond his usual understanding of Mutants.

In my heart, even if Hawking wasn't Mutants, as long as his heart was with Mutants, it wasn't a big deal.

Of course, there was some disappointment. He must have still hoped that a child as Yamato and outstanding as Hawking would be a Mutants.

"But Professor, rest assured, even though I am not Mutants, my beliefs are the same as yours."

My brother and sister are Mutants, my friends and teachers are Mutants, and my adoptive parents are human.

Therefore, I also hope that Mutants and humans can live in peace, and that in the future Mutants can be recognized by humans and there will be no more prejudice.

However, given the current situation, it's indeed necessary to first sever ties with Mutants before the company can develop. Once it's established, Mutants can be gradually brought in to promote the company and gain wider acceptance.

Seeing Professor X's slightly disappointed expression, Hawking explained again.

In response, Professor X looked up into Hawking's eyes:

"Hawking, if I don't get involved, how are you going to start a company and get through the early stages of development? Starting a company like the one you've planned is not an easy thing."

"Don't worry about that. The friend who's with me has a classmate whose father happens to be the chairman of the Osborn Corporation. He's willing to cooperate with me, so there won't be any problems in the early stages."

"Once the company grows and Mutants gradually join, Professor, you can then use your family's resources to help, and no one will have anything to say."

Hawking replied with a smile.

He came to see the professor today and patiently explained so much, most of which was the truth, but the core point was only one.

That means that the control of the Heroes Alliance Company he creates in the future will definitely be in his own hands, not in the hands of Professor X and his family.

Professor X is better suited to be a Headmaster, developing Mutant School to train more outstanding Mutants to join his company, become Super Hero, and gain public recognition.

Whether he had grasped Hawking's core insights or thought of something else, Professor X fell into deep thought.

For a moment, you could hear a pin drop in the entire Headmaster's office.

After about a minute, Professor X seemed to have figured something out, and finally a smile, the same one he always had, appeared on his face:

"Alright, Hawking, you've always had your own ideas, so let's do it your way."

If you encounter any trouble or need any help, feel free to come to me anytime. This school will always be your home, and everyone here will always be your family, regardless of whether you are Mutants or not—that will never change!

"Professor, thank you for believing in me!"

Upon hearing Professor X's answer, Hawking secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Having spent three years together, it's impossible to say there were no feelings involved. However, some things need to be clarified beforehand, otherwise it will only cause more trouble later.

"Very good. Next, we just need to focus on improving our capabilities and developing the company step by step."

Ideally, we should recruit more civilian heroes like Peter and Jessica, those with clean backgrounds. The more heroes we have, the faster the company will grow!

After leaving the Headmaster's office, Hawking returned to his room to tidy up before heading to Queens to meet Peter, as usual.

Meanwhile, on a Life Foundation spacecraft outside Earth.

"Life One is calling the Foundation Control Center. Sample collection complete, returning to base."

"Received, Life One, prepare to re-enter the atmosphere."

"Understood, initiating reentry procedure, coordinates 0.4103. Oh... what the hell is that? Close the hatch! Ahhh, help!!!"

"Signal unstable, control center calling Life One, please respond, please respond."

"Beep beep beep"