Magneto knew Xiang Qian well, and he truly did "value" him. That unexpected shot beneath the Statue of Liberty had left a lasting impression on Magneto.
As he watched Xiang Qian chatting with him so casually, Magneto felt a faint ache starting up again in his left shoulder.
"I already said this just now." Xiang Qian pointed toward the adjoining area. "Since that little boy isn't here anymore, there's no need for you to waste any more time. I suggest that after you leave, you go to the X-Mansion and have a good talk with the Professor."
Magneto frowned. "What did Charles tell you? And what harebrained idea has he come up with this time?"
"Harebrained? Maybe a little. But it wasn't his idea. It was mine." Whenever he was dealing with Magneto, Xiang Qian always felt like he had a whole bellyful of complaints and didn't know where to start.
"Your idea? You're a mere human, and you want to come up with ideas for us Mutants?"
"Do you know, I once studied the history of you and the Professor over the past few decades in great detail. Do you know how I felt after reading all that material?" Xiang Qian wore a mocking expression. "I thought you two were just playing house. Haven't you gotten tired of this childish game yet?"
Magneto snapped, "You're not only insulting us, you're insulting the cause we've devoted our lives to. Don't forget, this is Charles's cause too."
"Right, right, your cause. Let me make sure I've got this straight: by 'cause,' you mean securing a future for Mutants?" Xiang Qian glanced at the control console. The copying program had just reached sixty percent, so he figured there was time for a little more conversation.
Magneto corrected him without hesitation. "Not securing a future. We are the future. Mutants are the future of humanity. We represent the next stage of human evolution."
"Ha, ha, ha..." Xiang Qian openly mocked him. "The German Nazis killed your parents and family in the name of purging inferior races. And now you're treating all ordinary people as inferior beings who deserve to be eliminated. You sure learned a lot in those Nazi concentration camps!"
"The things that didn't kill you not only made you stronger, they turned you into one of them."
Magneto said nothing, but Pyro John, standing beside him, couldn't hold back. "Have you finished running your mouth?"
Before the words were out of his mouth, a searing flame rose from his palm. It twisted like a fire dragon and lunged straight at Xiang Qian.
Pyro had barely opened his mouth when Xiang Qian was already on guard. Facing the fire dragon rushing at him, he sneered and raised his hand, tilting the muzzle of the P226 slightly.
"Bang!"
At the sound of the gunshot, the fire dragon instantly scattered. Pyro John clutched his right hand, dropped to the ground, and screamed. The shot had come too fast for him to react: first it precisely shattered the lighter hidden in the sleeve at his right wrist, then the bullet pierced his forearm, blood spurting from the wounds on both sides.
Magneto ignored Pyro's screams. He glanced at his henchman, then fixed his eyes on the P226 in Xiang Qian's hand. It looked painfully familiar, and the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.
Xiang Qian had moved quickly. As soon as the gunshot rang out, he swung the muzzle back toward Magneto, leaving him afraid to seize the opportunity to act.
"Mr. Magneto, what can I say? Look at your followers. Apart from violence, is there anything at all in their heads? They'd be better off with their skulls stuffed full of tofu pudding. How did you raise these kids?"
Before Magneto could reply, Xiang Qian turned his sharp tongue on Pyro John, who was still howling. "Kid, take my advice. If you can, go back to school. Look at you now. You're as childish as a kindergartener who got hold of a lighter and treats it like a toy, running around showing off while setting everything on fire."
Xiang Qian kept needling the hapless kid who could only play with fire, spewing venom at a rapid clip and paying no heed to the murderous glare fixed on him.
"Do you know, in my country, there's a Mutant with a similar ability to control fire? He was about your age when his powers manifested. And do you know what he did afterward? He went to college."
"To make better use of his fire-controlling ability, he specifically chose to study metallurgy. After graduating, he joined the metal materials lab under my name. In just two years, he was promoted to deputy chief engineer. His Mutant ability saves the lab tens of millions in testing costs every year, and I pay him a seven-figure salary."
"Oh, and last year, he married his girlfriend. Just last month, they welcomed an adorable baby girl into their family. In your American terms, he's a respectable, upstanding citizen."
"And what about you, John? Since you left school and started following Magneto, how have people described you?"
"Thug? Arsonist? Terrorist?" Xiang Qian freely mocked the young man who could no longer fight back. "Do you think those titles are cool? Are they what you want to spend your whole life striving for?"
The more Pyro John listened, the angrier he grew, his face turning redder by the second. Magneto's face, meanwhile, darkened with every word.
"That's enough, James." Magneto barked. "You've won this round, but one day the Mutants will prevail. If you insist on standing against us, I swear you'll regret it someday."
"I'll be happy to wait for that day. Just make it quick, please. Even if I'm willing to wait, you might not live long enough to see it."
Just as the two seemed ready to keep arguing, someone else suddenly burst in.
"Hey, guys!" The newcomer was a Mutant with an utterly ordinary face. "Time's short. This isn't the time to argue."
"Get out!" Magneto snapped, turning his head and barking at him in irritation.
The newcomer sighed helplessly. "Erik, when are you going to do something about that foul temper of yours?"
As he spoke, his appearance and clothing changed. Even his voice shifted, from deep and low to soft and gentle. By the time he finished, a blue-skinned elf stood in the doorway.
"Raven!"
"Raven..."
Xiang Qian and Magneto spoke at the same time, one with delight, the other with a world-weary ache.
"I just came from the coast. The Marine Corps has gathered in force in the city. They've driven away the Mutants who were still on the opposite shore, and they'll be landing on the island before long." Mystique brought Magneto some unwelcome news.
Magneto sighed in dejection. "I'm destined to leave empty-handed today, aren't I?"
"Stop, Erik. There's no need to kill anyone else. It's pointless—the child isn't here anymore," Raven urged.
Magneto said nothing more and walked reluctantly toward the door.
Xiang Qian suddenly called out, "Hey, I still think you should find a chance to talk to the Professor."
Magneto looked back at Xiang Qian coldly. But when he saw Raven's hopeful gaze, he gave a reluctant nod and left through the door.
Once Magneto was gone, Pyro John didn't dare put on a show of bravado either. Enduring the pain, he limped after Magneto and hurried away.
Pyro could control fire, but he couldn't create it. Without the lighter from his wrist, he might not even be able to handle an ordinary police officer right now.
Magneto's departure also meant that the fighting on Alcatraz Island would eventually die down. After a violent uprising, the Mutants would have to face the consequences.