Gamblers Enter the Game and the Genetic Blueprint

In the world of X-Men: First Class, 1962, the Cold War hung under dark clouds.

Li Wei appeared in Miami on the eve of the Cuban Missile Crisis, dressed in a tasteful retro suit from the sixties that allowed him to blend perfectly into the era. He did not rush to intervene. Instead, he first had the Crimson Empress silently connect to this relatively primitive global network and gather all intelligence regarding mutants, Sebastian Shaw's Hellfire Club, and the CIA's newly formed X-Men team.

"Objectives confirmed:"

"1. Primary objective: Acquire the genetic samples of all significant mutants (X-Gene), then optimize and merge them."

"2. Secondary objective: Recruit Raven Darkholme (Mystique), Jean Grey (child form, location required), and Ororo Munroe (Storm, location required)."

"3. Additional objective: Obtain Sebastian Shaw's preliminary research results on the Tesseract."

Li Wei's strategy was clear: as a third-party force, he would forcefully insert himself into the game between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr against Sebastian Shaw, becoming the player who controlled the board.

His first point of entry was the CIA's secret base. When Charles first attempted to search the globe for mutants with Cerebro, Li Wei did not shield himself. Instead, he deliberately released a trace of unique, powerful energy mixed with magic and telekinesis.

Inside Cerebro, Charles suddenly jolted. In his psychic vision, an energy source as dazzling as a blue star, surrounded by magical runes, abruptly appeared near the base!

"Moira! Outside the base! There's a... very powerful mutant! His energy... I've never seen anything like it!" Charles cried in shock.

When Charles, Erik, and CIA agent Moira rushed out of the base, they saw Li Wei leaning leisurely against a luxury car by the roadside, as if he had been waiting for them all along.

"Dr. Xavier, Mr. Lehnsherr." Li Wei greeted them with a smile, his gaze lingering on Erik for a moment. "You're looking for people with special abilities? I believe I fit the requirements."

"Who are you?" Erik asked warily, as a metal road sign trembled slightly.

"Li Wei. An observer who is rather dissatisfied with the current... 'direction of the world.'" Li Wei spoke calmly. "I know Sebastian Shaw's plans, and I know what he relies on behind the scenes—the Tesseract. More importantly, I know how to truly... unleash mutants' potential, rather than lead it toward destruction like Shaw, or pursue integration with overly idealistic notions like you, Dr. Xavier."

His words immediately captured Erik's attention and made Charles frown.

To demonstrate his sincerity and strength, Li Wei raised a hand. The Startrail armguard appeared, and a projectile shot forth, instantly splitting into dozens of azure arcs in midair. They precisely sheared the leaves from a distant patch of woods without harming a single branch! No single ability could explain that!

"That isn't a mutant ability..." Charles murmured as he sensed the complex composition of the energy.

"Power does not care where it comes from, only who controls it." Li Wei looked at Erik. "Want revenge on Shaw? Want to truly change the situation of mutants? We can cooperate. But I have one condition—I need to study your X-Gene. In return, I will help you fight Shaw and offer you... a broader future."

Erik was moved by the power Li Wei displayed and his words, while Charles worried about Li Wei's motives. Yet under the imminent threat posed by Shaw, they temporarily accepted this mysterious ally.

With Li Wei's help, the search for other mutant team members went exceptionally smoothly. He even happened to discover the young Jean Grey, whose powers had yet to awaken, through the Crimson Empress's historical data comparisons and energy scans, as well as Ororo Munroe—Storm—who wandered the streets of Cairo and had only recently awakened powers capable of causing small-scale weather anomalies.

At the temporary base provided by the CIA, Li Wei used the excuse of ability optimization and health examinations to easily obtain blood and genetic samples from every member of the Original X-Men, including Charles, Erik, Raven, Beast Hank, and the others, using the advanced biological collection equipment he had brought with him, far beyond the era's technology.

[Ding! Successfully acquired X-Gene samples: Charles Xavier (Omega-level telepathy), Erik Lehnsherr (Omega-level magnetism control), Raven Darkholme (morphological mimicry), Hank McCoy (super intelligence/beast form)... Alex Summers (energy blasts), and others. Beginning analysis and optimization...]

Throughout the process, Li Wei behaved like a rigorous and friendly scientist, winning the favor of most people, including Raven. Raven especially identified deeply with Li Wei's confident demeanor—untroubled by outward appearances and focused on the power of one's essence.