Parting on Bad Terms

Jean Grey wasn't the type to let insults go unanswered; she retorted angrily, "What's wrong with doing things that lead to good results?"

"Even if it went against his will?" Henry countered.

Jean Grey hesitated for a moment, then managed to say, "We're doing this for his own good."

"Ah," Henry continued, "What If...? an old woman whose most beloved child has died in an accident..."

As a result, she was immersed in sadness all day long, which even affected her health and daily life.

"Do you think it would be better to take it upon yourself to erase the incident from the old woman's memory, changing her initial shock from knowing the child was dead to the fact that the child is missing, and from sadness to worry?

"Or we should just erase all of this child's memories from this old woman's mind. Let her forget that she once had a child she loved so dearly, so that she won't be immersed in grief and it won't affect her health."

"Isn't this a good thing, the right thing to do? She no longer has the memory of that child, and indeed, she no longer feels sadness."

But her most cherished memories are gone too.

"There was no sadness, no love. You just ripped a piece out of her life, probably the most important piece."

"Is this something you can decide on your own without going through that old woman?"

"I--" Jean Grey, caught off guard by the question, seemed somewhat at a loss for words.

Henry delivered his final blow, pointing at Jean Grey and saying, "What If...? you were the protagonist of this tragic story, could you still agree that those who did it were right?"

Although I don't know which version of Phoenix this is, judging from her naive and innocent appearance—oh, no, I mean her pure and innocent look—I can roughly guess that Professor X's mental lock on her head is still there.

Of course, Henry wasn't saying this to expose anyone's true feelings; he just couldn't resist making a few sarcastic remarks.

It was Mystique stepped in, hugging her student and saying loudly, "Ignore his words. He's just using a fallacy to confuse you."

"Ah, there are still smart people out there," Henry laughed. Decades of professional keyboard warrior skills, even with a hiatus, were still more than a match for a naive young girl.

This version of Phoenix looks like she's only recently come of age, maybe just graduated from college. With Professor X's overprotective parenting style, she probably hasn't seen much of the world, making her incredibly easy to manipulate. It would be a shame not to.

It's like seeing a kitten and wanting to grab its whiskers. There's no better way to be so possessive.

However, Mystique is a seasoned veteran who has seen it all and has also studied psychology extensively.

She pointed in the direction she left and said, "Get lost, alien. I think we've learned our lesson from today's offense. You don't need to stay and keep spouting nonsense."

This was a dismissal. Henry chuckled, "Oh, is this an apology?"

"Would a woman of my stature apologize?" Mystique retorted fiercely, seizing upon Henry's earlier sarcastic remark.

"Hehehe. I sincerely apologize for the trouble we've caused you. I'm very sorry. It's okay, I forgive you."

Although this sounds like a proactive apology, Henry speaks more like he's representing the X- X-Men, making them apologize to him, and then forgiving them.

Before Cyclops could even put his Cyclops back on, he bristled again, and Henry left with an easy gait.

On his way out, Henry assessed the unexpected encounter. Although he had narrowly defeated the X- X-Men, he was not complacent.

Rather than attributing the Kryptonian ' abilities to being overpowered after being exposed to the Yellow Sun, it was more accurate to say that the difference in intelligence allowed them to catch their opponents off guard and lay the foundation for victory.

Even if you can't recognize someone at first glance, you can still determine their identity and abilities from certain characteristics.

Add to that the most troublesome Omega-level Mutant, and Professor X was crippled in the first instance. Given that his intelligence hadn't been fully exposed, his victory, achieved through a calculated attack on the unsuspecting, is not surprising.

Besides, this is just a small test; neither side has started to go all out yet.

The most troublesome trait of superheroes is their unwavering perseverance. In Japanese parlance, it's called "a burst of inner power," while in Marvel's own language, it's called "I can play with you all day long."

These people seem to magically resurrect themselves at any moment; I really wonder if they're even from Earth.

And when everyone's really going all out, the fighting style is no longer like playing house.

This is why Henry only considered it a narrow victory, rather than a resounding triumph or a crushing defeat.

If he could, he wouldn't even want such a small victory. It would just expose his abilities for no reason, without gaining any benefit.

I have no desire to enlist in the X- X-Men, nor have I ever considered becoming a Mutants. What's the point of having the ability to expose myself?

Unlike last time, when he was applying to be Audrey Hepburn's driver and bodyguard, and thus risked exposing his Steel Body in hopes of increasing his chances of success, this time he was truly forced into it.

As for the issue of Mutants groups, it's the same old story: why should an alien like myself get involved with them?

The thankless task is secondary; the main problem is that even if something is accomplished, there's no guarantee of earning the gratitude of all Mutants.

There will always be opponents who disagree, traitors who sabotage, opportunists who only want to reap the benefits, and sanctimonious types who want to sacrifice more themselves. But there are also those who surrender and those who escape reality, always thinking they can live the same ordinary life as before.

Seriously, the Black community isn't that difficult to deal with!

Back in Manhattan, Henry saw himself as just another washed-up superstar's assistant and had no interest in the Mutants ' fates. He had plenty of work to do.

Going out today was just a stolen moment of leisure amidst my busy schedule. Unfortunately, this precious time was ruined by a group of inconsiderate uninvited guests, and the time that has passed can never be recovered.

So Henry had to use his superpowers to compress the things he wanted to do and handle them as well as possible. He needed to drive to pick up Ms. Audrey Hepburn and her family before dinner and take them to the restaurant where they had made a reservation.

Speaking of which, Hepburn's eldest son, Sean Farrell, also entered the film industry after graduating from university, thanks to his parents' connections.

This year, he also served as an executive producer for the first time, participating in the production of a film. His father, Mel Farrell, the veteran star, even made a cameo appearance in the film.

The woman's youngest son Luca Dotti, was still a university student and had taken a leave of absence to visit his mother.

Ironically, although Audrey Hepburn valued family highly, her family members had no other ties besides her and were not close to each other.

After today's meal, apart from Robert Wolders, her current boyfriend, staying, the two children will return to their own lives.

Just like the Buddhism eight sufferings of not getting what one wants.