Life Needs a Little Imagination

As the Golden Gate Bridge rose into the air, silhouetted against the glow of the setting sun, Xiang Qian was comfortably enjoying the afternoon tea provided by the hotel.

Under Xiang Qian's gaze, the steel dragon, over a thousand meters long and weighing more than ten thousand tons, spanned the horizon. The twisted steel emitted a teeth-grinding screech that nearly drowned out the screams of every witness.

Even for Xiang Qian, who had spent years carving out his own path in the Soul Universe, seeing this scene in the real world left him somewhat dazzled. He had simulated the ways Magneto might reach the island countless times, but facing Magneto's actual execution, he could only feel genuine admiration.

Stripped of the god-like, illusory shell he wore in the Soul Universe, the real-world Xiang Qian did not transcend the category of humanity—even if he personally carried the power legacies of two great holy lands.

"My imagination was limited by my abilities." Xiang Qian sat back down at the tea table and drained his cup in one gulp. His calm and indifferent demeanor appeared completely out of place amidst the uniformly shocked expressions of the people around him.

With a massive roar, the steel dragon slammed down toward the direction of Alcatraz Island. In the hotel's presidential suite, located several miles from the coast, a clear tremor could be felt through the floor. Dust shaken from the ceiling sprinkled into the tea, creating a thin layer of white foam.

When Magneto unleashed his talents, the entire city of San Francisco trembled.

Xiang Qian irritably set down his teacup and clapped his hands to rouse his still-stunned subordinates. "Alright, time to work. Seal all exits and entrances to the room, and cut off all internal and external communications that aren't ours. Turn on the wireless signal jammers and activate the anti-eavesdropping and anti-surveillance devices."

Xiang Qian issued his orders methodically, finally saying to Red Star, "Lao Hong, you guard the door. Without my permission, no one enters—not even the President of the United States!"

Two pre-prepared drones rose from the hotel rooftop and flew toward Alcatraz Island.

Xiang Qian leisurely assembled a finely crafted and clearly modified P226 pistol. As he assembled it, he watched the footage transmitted back by the drones on his tablet screen.

Between Alcatraz Island and the city coast, on the previously empty sea, a bridge now lay across the blue waves, turning a natural chasm into a thoroughfare.

The numerous mutants who had gathered on the coast, incited by radical groups, surged onto the bridge in droves. The blockades set up by the police and the National Guard were like paper; they collapsed at the first touch in the face of the mutants' bizarre superpowers.

The sporadic gunfire not only failed to stop the mutant procession but completely ignited their emotions. Police cars and armored vehicles were overturned one after another; police and soldiers scattered like birds and beasts, and the few brave souls who dared to stand before the crowd were quickly overwhelmed.

A rolling tide of people surged toward Alcatraz Island in the middle of the bay.

A palm-sized Spider-Bot crawled rapidly through the gaps in the building's internal pipes, stopping above the door frame outside General Ross's command center without anyone noticing.

The voices inside the command center were transmitted, without a single detail missed, to the presidential suite at the Hilton.

"Order the frontline troops: the moment the mutants step onto Alcatraz Island, fire tear gas immediately. Request support from the nearby airbase; I want them to flood the entire bridge with tear gas."

"Tell the soldiers: in every combat squad, two riflemen will use rubber bullets, and the rest will use live ammunition. Prioritize rubber bullets when the mutants land, but once they cross the warning line, use live ammunition."

"Magneto is on the bridge. Metal warheads are useless against him. Distribute all the special ammunition we brought in and ensure every soldier has enough. Tell the boys that Magneto is the greatest terrorist in American history; once he appears, he is our primary target."

"Whoever can take down that terrorist leader can go to the White House to receive a medal from the President!"

General Ross spoke with great vigor, issuing every military order with a high-spirited posture and constantly encouraging his men.

Xiang Qian meticulously attached the slide over the barrel, quickly completing the assembly of the firearm. The moment it was finished, a series of mysterious, finely carved patterns running from the sides of the grip to the slide's front sight glowed with a faint, fleeting red light.

A communication request came through—the channel Xiang Qian had reserved for allies.

"James, we've arrived in San Francisco," came the voice of Beast.

Xiang Qian was surprised. "Weren't you wounded by gunfire?"

"Flesh wound, I'm fine. I think this is more important."

Xiang Qian realized; true to being a "Beast," he was indeed thick-skinned.

"I suggest you head to Alcatraz Island immediately. Magneto is making quite a scene over there. I have real-time drone footage here that I can share with you." Xiang Qian transmitted the drone signal to Hank.

Before long, he heard Beast's exclamation over the comms: "Erik did this? This is insane!"

"I suggest you find a way to destroy the bridge deck as soon as possible to prevent more mutants from landing. There are too many of them; even a swarm of ants could pick Alcatraz Island clean."

Beast asked urgently, "The soldiers on the island won't mistake us for Erik's accomplices and take us out too, will they?"

"They won't. I've already communicated with General Ross, the commander on the island; he welcomes your help. You can contact him directly through the battlefield communication channel now."

"Then what are you doing?" Hank asked, puzzled.

Xiang Qian was attaching accessories to the pistol's rail; he said casually, "Me? I can cheer you on from the hotel—if you need me to."

"Fuck!" The voice that came through the channel was quiet, sounding like Wolverine Logan.

Xiang Qian smiled dismissively and focused his full attention on fine-tuning the P226 in his hand. After installing the electronic device on the rail, Xiang Qian placed a monocle over his left eye.

Everything was ready. Xiang Qian turned on the monocle's power.

A tiny red dot appeared on the lens, moving in sync with the muzzle of the P226 in Xiang Qian's hand.

Xiang Qian smiled, satisfied with the performance of the targeting aid. He channeled a bit of magic into his hand, and the fine patterns on the gun glowed red once more. Unlike before, this light was more striking and vivid, lingering on the weapon without fading.

Only when Xiang Qian dispersed the magic in his palm did the light on the gun recede and dim.

This was the world's first, and currently only, gun that did not require special warheads to injure Magneto—it only needed to fire metal bullets.

Perhaps, aside from the surprise shot fired by Mystique Raven on the White House lawn years ago, this was the only gun that had successfully left a wound on Magneto.

One wondered what expression Magneto would have if he ever had the chance to see this gun again.

Xiang Qian turned his attention back to the computer screen, where the fierce battle on Alcatraz Island was in full swing.

The massive roar did not need to come through the screen; it traveled across the miles of sea, through the thick floor-to-ceiling glass, and poured directly into Xiang Qian's ears.