Calling Mystique was indeed an easy thing for Lu Yifang to do. Although Mystique didn't much care for him, her loyalty to Magneto was genuine.
So when she heard Lu Yifang's request, Mystique frowned deeply. But because of Magneto's earlier orders, she still agreed.
After that, Fury used the stage he'd arranged to have Mystique appear as Tony. Of course, it was only a private appearance, just a meeting with those so-called major shareholders. There was no press conference in front of the public. Even so, Mystique only appeared briefly before leaving. Fury had done that on purpose; only by keeping things uncertain could he make the people lurking in the shadows more restless.
Of course, Lu Yifang wasn't involved in what followed. Something far more important had completely captured his attention.
"What? You awakened as a Mutant!" Lu Yifang stared at the girl in the hospital bed in disbelief.
"Probably. I don't know what happened, either." As Katie spoke, she reached for the cabinet beside the bed. Under Lu Yifang's gaze, her hand passed straight through it.
"You really did awaken an ability." Lu Yifang grabbed Katie's hand. At first, it felt solid, but the next moment it passed through his hand like a hologram.
Though surprised, Lu Yifang soon calmed down. Mutant awakenings followed no discernible pattern. Some people deliberately joined experiments and endured torment from all kinds of drugs, only to awaken in the most miserable way after nearly being cremated and ending up disfigured. Others might awaken just by sneezing and taking a nap.
"This ability is... Shadowcat!" After a moment's silence, Lu Yifang blurted out the name.
"Shadowcat? What's that? A title? It sounds pretty cool," Katie asked curiously.
"If you like it, then it's yours. Every Mutant has a title based on their ability, in addition to their own name. Quite a few Mutants even consider that title their real name." Lu Yifang explained, his gaze on Katie somewhat complicated.
He knew Shadowcat's name was Katie, but he hadn't expected this Katie to be the one he knew. Clearly, things had diverged from the story he remembered. But after the Liberty Island incident, he'd have to be an idiot to follow the original plot to the letter.
A butterfly flapping its wings might cause a tornado, after all. And this was a world where the X-Men and the Avengers had merged. Changes like this were perfectly normal.
"Then I'll gladly accept it. I really like the name Shadowcat." Katie smiled happily.
But just as she was about to say something else, she suddenly let out a muffled grunt and yanked her hand back as if she'd been shocked.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yifang asked hastily. He'd just felt his own ability activate on its own.
"Sorry, that was a reflex. I couldn't control it. Are you all right?"
"No, I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have touched you just now. I can't control my ability yet. I'm just glad you aren't afraid of it. Otherwise, I'd feel guilty for the rest of my life." Katie lifted the bedsheet, revealing numerous holes beneath it, each shaped like a fingerprint.
"Did you make all these while testing your ability?" Lu Yifang stared at Katie in amazement.
He couldn't help feeling a little shaken. No wonder it was a Space-type ability. She could phase her body through objects and then destroy them by turning solid again. It was incredibly powerful.
If Lu Yifang's reflex hadn't activated on its own just now and knocked Katie's hand away the instant it became solid, her hand would have severed his.
"Every newly awakened Mutant is like this. Don't rush. This is your ability, just as birds are born with the ability to fly. If you take your time, you'll learn to control it." Lu Yifang reassured her.
He knew Katie's ability went far beyond that. If she kept growing, she might even be able to touch the realm of time.
"Then can I go to the Mutant Academy too?" Katie asked.
"Of course. Professor X and the others are good people. They'll definitely welcome you. With Professor X's experience, you should be able to get used to your ability in no time." Lu Yifang spoke with complete sincerity.
So he began telling Katie about the Mutant Academy.
......
At a military base on the outskirts of New York, an Air Force transport plane landed safely. A man who looked utterly exhausted slowly descended from the plane, supported by a Black officer.
The man stared at everything before him, his eyes filled with bewilderment. A sense of unreality washed over him, as if everything he'd experienced in the Middle East had been a dream.
But the cold, hard object in his chest reminded him that the nightmare was real. And it hadn't just affected his body—it had affected his heart, too, leaving him unable to forget it.
His captivity hadn't lasted long, but it had permanently changed his beliefs and the principles he'd once held to. He was Tony Stark, but he was no longer the Tony Stark he'd been before.
While Tony stood dazed, a blonde woman with slightly reddened eyes had already walked over.
Looking at the familiar woman dressed as a secretary, he felt a warmth in his chest. A flood of complicated emotions welled up inside him.
"Your eyes are red. Were you crying over your boss, who'd been missing for so long?" Though there was so much he wanted to say, this was what came out.
His tone was calm. Compared with before, he was less flashy and flamboyant, but there was more sincerity in his words.
"They're tears of joy. I wouldn't want to lose my job." Pepper Potts wiped the corner of her eye and replied with mock haughtiness.
"Then your vacation is over." Tony smiled and climbed into the car.
"Take us to the hospital," Pepper said to the driver as she got in after him.
"I don't want to go to the hospital."
"Don't be difficult, Tony. You need to—"
"Nothing is necessary." Tony looked at Pepper.
"I was held captive for nearly three months. Right now, there are only two things I want to do. One is to eat an American cheeseburger, and the other is..."
"No!" Pepper immediately refused. Knowing Tony, she'd guessed that her playboy boss wanted to throw another pool party after coming so close to death.
But this time, she was wrong. After three months in captivity, the man before her had changed drastically from the Tony Stark she remembered.
"I want to hold a press conference right away," Tony said with absolute seriousness.
Half an hour later, Tony arrived at the press conference he'd requested. As soon as he got out of the car, a bald old man with a white beard came up to him. He was Stark Industries' second-in-command, and Tony's close friend, Uncle Obadiah.
"Tony, I thought you'd go to the hospital," Obadiah said, embracing him.
"No, I'm fine." Tony took the burger handed to him by an assistant and strode into the press conference.
Seeing the reporters waiting for big news, Tony sat down on the steps of the podium without a care for appearances and took a big bite of his burger.
"Could everyone sit down? That way, you'll be able to see me, and I won't have to be so formal."
The reporters hesitated at the sight of Tony's complete disregard for appearances and his strange reasoning. Then they all crouched down. After all, the genius trust-fund kid was known for his eccentricity. There was no telling what he might do.
"It's good to see you," Tony said to Obadiah.
"I never got the chance to meet my father, so there are questions I can't ask him anymore. I really want to ask him how he felt about what he did with the company. Did he ever feel lost? Did he ever have doubts?" As Tony spoke, his voice was filled with resentment toward his father. Whether in his memories or now, that man had always disappointed him again and again.
"I've seen so many of my young American compatriots killed by the very weapons I made to protect them. I've realized that I've become part of this system..."
As Tony spoke, he sank into his memories. The reporters and the spacious press conference venue began to fade away. For a moment, he was back in that despairing, dimly lit cave, surrounded by arrogant terrorists, quietly weeping women and children, and weapons marked with the Stark Industries logo.
He seemed to see the doctor who'd saved him again, watching him die in his arms, his face full of regret and unwillingness. All of it made Tony feel as though he were suffocating.
Tony closed his eyes and fell silent. A few seconds later, when he opened them again, his gaze had grown resolute.
"So, I'm shutting down Stark International's weapons manufacturing division!"
Before you continue