Back to Los Angeles
The journey back to Los Angeles was uneventful.
Jean Grey, the Phoenix, left before even entering the airport. Her abilities, if properly developed, would be truly omnipotent, so there's no need to worry about her.
Perhaps only Scarlet Witch at full Chaos Force can be compared to her; neither of them is powerful enough to be restrained by the rules. In comparison, even Superman would need to develop to a certain stage before he could have a chance to contend with them.
However, the Mutants in this world are not only indulged by the U.S. government, but also too well protected by Professor X and Magneto.
The greater the external pressure, the greater the internal resilience. Conversely, the less external pressure, the less internal resilience. When those two Umbrella umbrellas, like mountains, shielded the Mutants from most of the storms, what they gained in return was the weakness of the entire group, not awakening.
Putting everything else aside, the abilities of the X-Men- Men in this world are far inferior to those of the X-Men in the comics. Everyone seems to rely on instinct to use their abilities, without any development whatsoever.
But from another perspective, this is also a good thing. At least the relationship between Mutants and governments hasn't reached a point of direct confrontation. The world is much more peaceful because of this...
Who knows how long that statement will last? Henry was both very confident and very unsure.
After unloading Switzerland luggage from the taxi, old Gary, who usually enjoys Sun Pharma on the street, was dressed as flamboyantly as ever, his lipstick still a garish purple. He spotted Henry returning at a glance.
With a swaying gait, old Gary approached Henry and looked him over, saying, "Oh, so you're planning to move back in? I thought you were going to keep renting my place to raise mosquitoes. I wasn't sure if I should talk to those mosquitoes about raising the rent."
"Hey, you old codger, you're giving me a hard time as soon as I get back. Looks like I'll have to go buy a few pounds of Mexico peppers and make a pot of spicy chicken to help cleanse your system. Are you still constipated? I promise I'll make you poop your intestines out."
"Oh, kid, relax. Old Gary is a good landlord; the best proof is that he didn't break your lock and rented the house to someone else," the smug old man boasted.
The two then laughed and gave each other a manly hug. No one foolishly moved their hands towards their backsides.
After exchanging greetings, old Gary picked out the lighter items and helped Henry carry his things upstairs. He casually asked, "Does your return mean there's been some news with Ms. Audrey Hepburn?"
Henry said in surprise, "Isn't there any news here yet?"
"No, apart from the news at the beginning of the month about Mother Teresa calling on everyone to pray, there have been no other reports."
"Then it should be reported in a few days." Henry didn't think there was anything to hide, after all, it was already in the Europe newspapers. Only the United States was a little slower to report it, so he said:
"Ms. Hepburn passed away on the evening of the 20th, and her funeral was held on the 24th. She was buried in the Tolochenaz Cemetery in the town of Trochena, Switzerland."
"Wow, that was just two days ago. And now you've been sent back?" Old Gary made an exaggerated expression of surprise.
Henry said, "Come on, I'm just Ms. Audrey Hepburn's assistant, not their housekeeper. Since I don't intend to go to heaven with her and continue serving her, what do her family affairs and her two children have to do with me?"
"That's true, you haven't even served Audrey Hepburn for two years yet. You probably weren't very familiar with her family either," old Gary said with a sigh. "But you certainly chose the best time to leave Los Angeles temporarily."
"What do you mean?" Henry asked, puzzled.
What happened last year caused quite a stir in the United States. Didn't you notice?
"You wouldn't be talking about that... well, that big incident that caused chaos all over America, would you?" Henry recalled some news he'd occasionally noticed while in New York.
Old Gary complained, "It's that one. A black man on parole from Madfak, who resisted arrest and assaulted a police officer, was portrayed as a victim by a group of maliciously edited media reporters, giving those blacks a reason to riot."
"What started as a march and protest quickly escalated into Riot, with clashes breaking out between protesters and police. Then, some people began vandalizing the white-owned shop and looting its merchandise."
"Then the whole thing got out of control, and the Black community seemed to want to vent their long-accumulated grievances. They not only targeted the white gentlemen, but also looted a lot of Asian stores."
"Do you know how crazy those days were? It wasn't just the Black people causing trouble; even the Mexico in the South were secretly joining in. Robbery, rape, murder, arson—it was so rampant I felt like I was in early 20th-century Chicago."
"Fortunately, we're close to the Brazil neighborhood, and we don't get along with the Mexico or Black people, so we managed to hold them off. But the fiercest counterattacks came from the South Korea neighborhood. I heard they even formed their own militia to defend themselves, and they killed and wounded quite a few people."
"In the end, it was only with the deployment of the military and the support of law enforcement officers from all over the United States that the situation was brought under control. However, although there were no major Riot, sporadic small-scale disturbances have continued to this day."
"So you've come back now, even though you've avoided the worst of the chaos in the middle of last year, the streets aren't exactly peaceful now, it's not as good as before you were Audrey Hepburn's assistant. You'd better be careful about your safety."
"I take your advice to heart. Thanks." Henry opened the door. The two carried the things inside and placed them on the floor.
Even though it was the lightest piece of Henry's luggage, old Gary was still panting. But he didn't give up on venting his complaints, as if he'd been holding them in for a long time.
He said, "I've heard people say that Black people are stupid all my life, and now I've finally seen it for myself. Even though the news has already clarified things, they're like they're blind, still clinging to old news."
"Heh," Henry said, "The truth has never mattered. They just want to justify their actions. Besides, for many people, once something is done, it's done; once something is stolen, it's stolen."
"Does discovering something is wrong afterward, apologizing, returning the items, and then wipe the slate clean of your mistakes? Why not just go with the flow and create the illusion that everyone is right?"
"If enough people make mistakes, and he's not the most serious one, then he has a chance to escape legal punishment. So you say Black people are stupid? I think they're overly clever."