The Creator

Coulson submitted the latest analysis materials. This was a report compiled from the comprehensive analyses of every S.H.I.E.L.D. department.

It was a report made specifically for Donnie.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had never relaxed its surveillance of Donnie. For an organization with enormous authority and authorization from The Council, monitoring someone living in a modern city was simply too easy.

"How is he doing now?"

The question came from S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, who held the highest authority within S.H.I.E.L.D. Dressed entirely in black, he was tall and cold, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression. One of his eyes appeared to be blind, concealed beneath an eyepatch.

Nick Fury had been paying close attention to Donnie's situation.

"According to the surveillance footage, Red Devil took him away. They should have gone to the Brotherhood headquarters," Coulson said, opening the file in his hands and handing it to Fury.

Fury frowned, somewhat displeased. This was one of the outcomes he least wanted to see.

The best outcome, naturally, would have been to recruit Donnie into S.H.I.E.L.D., make him an official member, and have him accept Fury's assignments and command while serving S.H.I.E.L.D.

If Donnie ultimately joined the Brotherhood, that would be a major problem. Given Magneto's temperament, there was no way he would refrain from stirring up trouble.

"We never should have protected him just to return Professor X a favor. We should never have let him live."

Fury flipped through the documents. They recorded every detail related to Donnie with a thoroughness that would have shocked anyone, even down to what Donnie ate each day.

Professor X had been unable to step forward personally at the time, so he contacted S.H.I.E.L.D. telepathically and hoped S.H.I.E.L.D. would protect Donnie. Fury had also been deeply tempted by a Level 4 Mutant like him. He had long wanted a trump card capable of restraining both extremes of Mutants, and this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so he agreed.

The result was that Donnie had become impossible to control.

Coulson looked serious. That was rare for a man who always presented a gentle face; whenever he looked like this, it meant something major had happened.

"According to the psychological model built specifically for him, the chances of him sincerely joining the Brotherhood are low," Coulson said. "He has a strong sense of self and is not easily swayed by others, especially after the deaths of his parents. At times, he can even be stubborn. It is nearly impossible for someone like him to be persuaded with a few words. Professor X might have had a chance through gradual influence with telepathy, but Magneto has no chance at all. In some ways, Donnie going to the Brotherhood may actually be a good thing."

Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. had not given up on recruiting Donnie. A Mutant who awakened directly as a Level 4 Mutant was comparable to a humanoid, mobile nuclear arsenal—a trump card capable of suppressing all opposition. A global organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. badly needed a superpowered enforcer.

Over the years, S.H.I.E.L.D. had clashed with Magneto more than once. Without Magneto, the odds were barely even. With Magneto involved, even being completely defeated was considered a light loss. At their worst, they had lost everything and been wiped out to the last man.

The other side was practically a bug. There was no solution.

Fury listened quietly as he leafed through the documents in his hand.

Coulson continued, "Donnie is someone we can sit down and speak with seriously. Once things are talked through, everything becomes negotiable. That is why we have never concealed our intention to recruit him during our contact with him. At the very least, he does not resent us for it."

"What's done is done. Fine. Keep a close watch on him and look for an opportunity to recruit him." Fury paused and studied a certain page carefully. It was an analysis of Donnie's abilities.

The contents of that page were alarming, enough to make one shudder upon reflection. Even Fury, who had weathered countless storms, could not help feeling his scalp tingle.

The report concluded that Donnie's ability was "creation." True creation!

"That is remarkable," Coulson said. He had led people through every piece of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s past data on Mutant abilities and discovered in astonishment that this Creation Ability was utterly unprecedented. It even carried the implications of a miracle.

"He can turn objects such as cars and phones into robots, assembling them at will and completely altering their atomic structures. Therefore, we believe he can also transform things such as computers, tanks, and aircraft carriers. In the information age, he is, in a sense, a god. He can modify the vast majority of humanity's technological products. We once gave him a motorcycle, and he successfully transformed it. This transformation seems to require time, but we must also consider the rate at which his power is advancing. A Level 4 Mutant is simply too terrifying."

"Theoretically, if his ability becomes powerful enough, he could raise a massive army anytime, anywhere. One person would be an entire war group army! Even his robots all possess eyes, ears, limbs... It is practically like..."

"The Creator." Fury's expression was grave.

According to the report, during the two days Donnie had been unconscious, they had conducted a thorough examination of the small truck. The vehicle possessed a unique frequency fluctuation that matched Donnie's body, as well as traces of an energy that S.H.I.E.L.D. still could not decipher. They had installed a tracker on it, but the signal had now disappeared. Donnie's ability had most likely erased it.

Afterward, S.H.I.E.L.D. investigated the company that manufactured the small truck, leaving no stone unturned. They then began tracking the vehicles sold in the United States by this Eastern company over the past few years, but found nothing unusual.

"Terminate the investigation into that company. It is meaningless," Fury said, light flashing in his lone eye.

Creator was merely a description. Donnie could not yet create actual lifeforms. But when one day he successfully granted a soul, then his title as Creator would truly be deserved. By himself, he would have created an entire race of Silicon-based life.

Fury felt increasingly uneasy. He believed that research into the cubes needed to accelerate further. The world was becoming more and more troublesome, stranger and stranger.

Not long ago, S.H.I.E.L.D. had also been tracking a mysterious woman, but they lost her trail. She seemed to be an expert hacker as well and had erased some traces of herself. According to their investigation, this young and beautiful woman appeared to have lived for more than a hundred years and had once appeared on the battlefields of World War I...

The Brotherhood headquarters was located on an island at sea.

The island had been transformed beyond recognition. Magneto had transported vast quantities of metal there and, with supreme power, rebuilt it into an enormous Steel City!

The entire large island was a Steel City in every sense of the word!

Although Donnie had prepared himself mentally, when he truly saw the island, he was still left dizzy and dazzled. Magneto used his godlike power to brazenly proclaim himself to the world, making it tremble.

Worst of all, this Steel City was legal... legal... legal...

During World War II, Magneto had looted a large quantity of gold from the Nazis and used it after the war to purchase ownership of the island from the United Nations...

The various countries had no solution at all. They were practically furious to death as they watched Magneto openly work on infrastructure like it was nothing, making them feel as sick as if they had eaten shit.

They wanted to nuke the place flat, but they did not dare act. Even if they did, it would be useless. All they could do was glare at it in helpless rage.