The Beginning

September 1944, Poland.

The sky after the rain was steeped in endless gloom.

Just like Gu Qing's heart at that moment.

He walked along a muddy path, with barbed-wire fences stretching onward beside him.

Looking into the distance, he could see guard towers and soldiers passing by from time to time.

"Move it! Stop dawdling, Dr. Schmidt is waiting for you."

Gu Qing felt someone shove his shoulder.

He staggered forward despite himself.

He turned around.

Two soldiers stood there, dressed in dark brown military coats, steel helmets on their heads and rifles on their backs.

The swastikas on their collars proclaimed their identities.

Gu Qing said nothing and continued forward under the escort of the two men.

He had never imagined that, after being hit by a car while saving someone, a civilized, courteous, well-rounded model young man from twenty-first-century China would not enter Heaven, but instead arrive in this genuine Hell!

Auschwitz Concentration Camp!

During World War II, one of the labor and extermination camps established by Germany.

It was known as the "Death Factory."

According to incomplete statistics, around 1.1 million people had been killed in this camp, the vast majority of them Jews.

And Gu Qing was now one of those Jews.

But he was no ordinary Jew.

He was Erik Lehnsherr.

The future Magneto!

Yet that news did not make him happy.

For now, this seemed to be a movie universe.

But he did not know whether it was merely the X-Men Movie Universe, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe mixed with the Avengers.

Either way, it was undoubtedly full of every kind of danger!

Still, those dangers were far from Gu Qing. The crisis before him was the truly fatal one!

As far as he knew, Erik had been imprisoned in the concentration camp throughout his teenage years.

He had suffered all manner of torment!

And that had shaped the extreme and radical personality he would develop later.

Gu Qing had no desire to experience life in a concentration camp, this Hell on earth.

Not for a single second!

He took a deep breath, and damp air mixed with the stench of rotting mud rushed into his lungs.

Then he slowly exhaled it.

It was as though it had carried away a tiny trace of the gloom in his heart.

Gu Qing began calculating how he could escape this damned place.

Running was not an option.

He was only fourteen years old.

He did not even have the strength to truss a chicken!

In a heavily guarded concentration camp, if he were discovered trying to escape—

Being shot dead on the spot would be the best possible outcome!

If I remember correctly, the Dr. Schmidt that soldier mentioned should be Sebastian Shaw, the future Black King of the Hellfire Club.

Maybe I can find a way out through him!

He slowly lowered the needle, and the vinyl record began to spin.

A beautiful, richly textured melody flowed out like a gentle stream.

Klaus Schmidt turned and fixed his gaze on Gu Qing's small, frail body.

"Do you understand this, Erik?"

When Gu Qing did not respond,

Schmidt returned to his chair.

A gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Those people... don't worry, I'm not like them."

As he spoke, he picked up a chocolate bar from the table.

He unwrapped it.

"Genes are the key, right? Yet their goal is blue eyes and blond hair. They're insane!"

As Gu Qing watched Schmidt put the chocolate into his mouth,

The hunger he had been ignoring suddenly surged up from his stomach.

"Would you like some chocolate?"

Looking at the chocolate pushed before him, Gu Qing did not stand on ceremony. He grabbed it and began chewing in large bites.

"Eat slowly."

Schmidt even thoughtfully poured Gu Qing a cup of hot water.

"Child, you must be starving."

Gu Qing stuffed the last bite of chocolate into his mouth.

Then he drained the cup of hot water.

"Thank you, sir."

Schmidt was very pleased with Gu Qing's behavior.

"Genes are the key to opening the door to a new era, Erik.

Humanity's new future represents human evolution!

You should know what I mean."

Gu Qing nodded slightly. "I can sense that I'm different, sir, but I can't control it yet. I need some time."

Schmidt gave a soft laugh.

"No, child. I will help you. You can rest assured of that."

Gu Qing caught a trace of chill in his smile!

He had originally thought that, as long as he showed a willingness to submit, his value would allow him to attach himself to Schmidt and escape the concentration camp.

But now, it seemed things were not so simple.

Schmidt shook the bell on the table.

The door opened, and two soldiers dragged Erik's Mother inside.

Looking at this woman, both familiar and unfamiliar, the remnants of Erik's memories gave Gu Qing a sense of closeness, but his reason told him that she was a stranger.

When Erik's Mother saw Gu Qing, she rushed forward excitedly and wrapped him in her arms.

Schmidt watched it all with a smile.

Then he waved his hand.

The two soldiers immediately understood and stepped forward to seize Erik's Mother and drag her away.

Schmidt placed a Coin on the table.

"Erik, my demand is simple. It's just a small Coin, nothing compared to that big gate. I trust you won't disappoint me, right?"

Gu Qing's expression changed slightly.

He had already tried when he first awakened.

But that X-Factor seemed to have fallen dormant, showing no reaction at all!

Even if he tried again now, he still could not sense the power of any magnetic field.

Naturally, he could not move the tiny Coin on the table.

The smile on Schmidt's face gradually faded.

He took a revolver from a drawer.

"I must admit, sometimes it is necessary to try certain methods."

The gun was aimed at Erik's Mother.

"I'll count to three. You move the Coin. If you can't move it, I'll pull the trigger. Understand?"

The pressure in Gu Qing's heart surged!

He remembered that in the movie, Erik had awakened his dormant X-Factor through extreme rage.

But Gu Qing himself had no feelings for Erik's Mother at all. Aside from a few lingering memories, how could he possibly feel anger over her?

Before he realized it,

Schmidt's countdown had ended.

Bang!

The gun fired!

Erik's Mother fell to the floor.

Gu Qing's heart skipped a beat!

It was not anger, but fear.

Fear that he would be next!

Schmidt sighed.

He walked out from behind the desk.

And patted Gu Qing on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll find a way eventually."

As Gu Qing listened to those seemingly comforting words,

And looked at the laboratory next door, filled with cold metallic tones,

His heart sank little by little.

Perhaps his fate would be even worse than simply being imprisoned in a concentration camp!

Just then,

A voice suddenly rang out in Gu Qing's mind.

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