"As soldiers, we believe in winning through action, not empty talk." Even when trading barbs, someone like General Ross still showed the concise, no-nonsense style of an old-school soldier.
Xiang Qian let out a cold laugh, pretending he hadn't noticed the jab at him as an "empty-talking" Playboy.
"While I believe Your Excellency will faithfully uphold your duty as a soldier, I have to confirm one more thing, just to be safe." Xiang Qian spoke lazily. "Are you fully aware that my biological endocrine extraction and catalysis technology is essential to mass-producing Mutant Serum?"
Xiang Qian's tone and convoluted phrasing were steeped in the manner of an American elite lawyer, which greatly displeased General Ross.
"I think we can get straight to the point."
"No, no. I think it's best to make a few things clear first." Xiang Qian smiled cheekily. "Are you aware that whether I continue providing the relevant technology to develop Mutant Serum depends entirely on whether your side can guarantee the security of my investment in Worthington Industries?"
The veins on General Ross's forehead throbbed. "The orders I received were to do everything in my power to protect Worthington Industries. On United States soil, we'll do everything we can to protect everyone's lawful rights and interests."
This was General Ross's first time dealing with Xiang Qian. Had he been a member of the Spear Bureau, or someone familiar with Xiang Qian like Professor X or Magneto, he would never have tried to provoke him verbally.
Why reach out and poke a hedgehog for no reason? Especially when you needed something from him.
"All right, Your Excellency. Let's get straight to the point." Xiang Qian didn't push the matter, as though he'd completely forgotten who had just been beating around the bush. "Could you tell me the specifics of your plan to protect Worthington Industries?"
General Ross felt that this one phone call had used up all the patience he'd ever had. Even letting Dr. Banner escape after he turned into a huge green brute, causing the Super Soldier Program to fail, hadn't made him this furious.
"There's a paratrooper company from an Air Force rapid-response unit on Alcatraz Island. The White House has sent an reinforced Marine Corps company. The laboratory on the island is under the tightest security."
General Ross tried to make an impression with his powerful deployment.
Xiang Qian waited for a while, but when General Ross said nothing more, he asked in disbelief, "That's it? Two infantry companies? Do you know who you're up against?"
"This is the United States. We have the strongest military in the world." In General Ross's view, two reinforced companies, stationed on American soil with fortified positions and abundant technical support, could withstand any threat.
Xiang Qian was almost laughing with anger at General Ross's ignorance. "General, have you never dealt with Mutants before? Do you really know what the name Magneto represents, even after he's been lying low for ten years?"
"I've been granted full authority to handle Worthington Industries and the Mutant unrest." General Ross felt that Xiang Qian could easily provoke his anger. He had never hated every aspect of a person so much—not his tone of voice, nor his contemptuous attitude.✊💚 ඏ☆
Xiang Qian was utterly unconcerned. "Yes, yes, you don't have to emphasize that. My memory is fine. I still remember the last person who was granted similar authority. What was his name again? Oh, that's right—William Stryker, wasn't it?"
Xiang Qian's knack for provoking people's dislike was now on full display. "Do you know what people remember most about your predecessor? His miserable end. They found his body thirty feet below the surface of Alkali Lake, so badly mauled by fish that he was unrecognizable."
Xiang Qian smiled viciously. "San Francisco Bay is much deeper than Alkali Lake, General."
"What are you trying to say?" Though he was furious, General Ross keenly sensed that Xiang Qian's words carried an implication. After receiving authorization for the operation, General Ross had done his homework. The classified report on the Alkali Lake incident was essential reading.
Xiang Qian was equally pleased with General Ross's reaction. Someone who could keep his anger in check after being provoked, and retain some reason and keen perception, had the makings of a worthwhile partner.
What smart people hated most were those who let their emotions outweigh reason. Their actions were unpredictable, and no one knew what they might do.
"Magneto is the most powerful terrorist in American history—perhaps not the most terrifying, but certainly the most powerful." Xiang Qian's tone turned serious. "So I've found some help to protect my property."
"Who?" General Ross already had an idea. Given Xiang Qian's influence these days, the people who cared enough had long since dug up every last detail of his past in the United States.
Xiang Qian didn't bother with pointless riddles. "You must have guessed already, haven't you? The ones who can take on Magneto are, of course, his old rivals: the X-Men."
"We have considered working with them," General Ross said hesitantly. "But like Magneto, they haven't appeared since the Alkali Lake incident. The government believes they don't trust us because the military attacked X-Mansion."
Xiang Qian sneered. "Before you decide whether they trust the government, let me ask you this: do you trust them? They're Mutants, just like Magneto."
"I don't know. They've been gone for nearly ten years," General Ross said. "After William Stryker died, no one knew where X-Mansion was. The school still enrolled new students every year, but no one knew where it was. Even the students' parents couldn't say."
"That's Mutants for you: talents so powerful they inspire envy." Xiang Qian laughed happily, sounding almost proud. That was the school where a beautiful, mature woman taught.
General Ross pressed him. "So you trust them? They're willing to oppose Magneto, even if that means going against the Mutant cause?"
"General, since you've become the person with full authority over the Mutant unrest, I need to remind you of something: there is no such thing as a unified Mutant cause."
"So you mean the X-Men will side with us?"
Xiang Qian gave no clear answer. "Whether they side with us is my problem to solve. Your problem, General, is to give me a guarantee."
"What guarantee?"
"I need you to promise that if I persuade the X-Men, you'll take them seriously and let them play their part when they join the fight." Xiang Qian's tone was more serious than ever. "At least until Magneto is defeated."
General Ross fell silent for a long time. He sensed that the final words Xiang Qian had emphasized carried a deeper meaning. At last, he replied, "I won't turn down any help that could be useful."
"Wise choice. I'll be heading to the United States tomorrow, and I'll meet with representatives of the X-Men in San Francisco. I hope it goes well." Xiang Qian said before hanging up. "I look forward to working with you!"
After ending the call, Xiang Qian sat in silent thought.
The X-Men were a force that could be brought together, but their feelings and demands had to be considered. The United States Armed Forces were a force to be used; those American soldiers would make excellent cannon fodder.
As for Magneto, he was an inevitable target. Until he was defeated, he would serve as the best glue holding the various anti-Magneto forces together.
Primary and secondary contradictions; whom to rely on, whom to unite, and whom to strike.
Xiang Qian realized that high school civics and history textbooks were among the most valuable books he'd ever read.
Now, Xiang Qian was going to seek out the force he could rely on.