In the Xavier Institute study, not long after Matt's call, an encrypted call from Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.., was transferred in.
Charles Xavier answered the phone without looking at the caller ID, because he knew who it was.
At this point in time, there are no more than five people in the entire America who can make calls using this Encrypted Channel.
"Fury." His voice was calm, like a still lake.
There was a second of silence on the other end of the phone, then Nick Fury's voice rang out, carrying that extreme calm that only comes when someone is cornered.
"Professor, you should know why I'm looking for you, right?"
Charles leaned back in his wheelchair, his gaze passing through the window and continuing to fall on the children running on the lawn.
"For the sake of that boy Russell."
"Yes, it was the President approached me. I'm sure you're not surprised at all," Nick Fury said bluntly, which was also a probe.
Charles's lips curled into a slight smile.
He understood the underlying meaning in Fury's words—you really did know.
The Cyclops was testing him, trying to find out just how far the most powerful Telepathy on Earth could "see".
"You don't need to test me, Fury." Charles's voice was soft, but every word was clear.
"I didn't deliberately spy on your base, but I did know the President would contact you; he always does. I'm just stating the facts."
Unsurprisingly, the president called you, likely threatening to cut S.H.I.E.L.D..'s budget. Meanwhile, Iron Man is holed up in seclusion, Hawkeye is blind, and Captain America has resigned from the Avengers.
"You have no one else to rely on, so you come to me wanting me to resolve Russell's matter."
Fury fell silent, not because he had nothing to say, but because he was forced to reassess his opponent after his cards had been laid bare.
"You are truly terrifying, Professor." He finally spoke, a hint of fear in his voice that he himself was unaware of.
"I'm not scary," Charles said gently. "I just see things, things that ordinary people don't know, and sometimes that's painful too."
Professor X was not lying. His powerful Telepathy allowed him to know almost everything, but it also allowed him to experience the suffering of many more people.
"Can you see Russell's future? I've heard plenty that you have the ability to foresee the future of Mutants."
Charles tapped his fingers lightly twice on the armrest of his wheelchair. He had asked himself this question many times, and each time the answer was different.
It wasn't because he couldn't see clearly, but because Russell's future was constantly changing, like a river that changed course every second; you never knew where it would flow next.
"I can't see him," he said honestly. "His mental barrier is too strong. I can't get into his brain, I can't see his thoughts, and I can't see his future. He's the most difficult person I've ever met to understand."
"However—" Charles's tone shifted, his smile growing even more benevolent, "I'm quite certain he is the future and hope of Mutants."
"The future and hope?" Nick Fury disagreed.
If this is the future and hope, America is truly doomed.
"Do you know what he did at the hotel entrance? What he said to Steve? He brought Jim back to life and then went to Wall Street and killed four people—those words, those events, are going viral online."
The term "God's Whip" has become a trending topic worldwide. Mutants see him as Savior, while ordinary people see him as a monster; both sides are watching him, waiting to see what he will do next.
Fury's voice grew increasingly somber. "If Russell continues to cause trouble, if those Mutants gathered at the hotel entrance start to join him, this isn't just a street fight, it's not a gang brawl, it's the spark that ignites World War III."
Human hatred towards Mutants will be completely ignited, Mutants anger towards humans will explode. Add Magneto to the mix, and it might even lead to a nuclear age. So the situation will be very serious, do you understand?
Charles certainly understood, even better than Fury. He had stood on both sides of this issue, as both a protector of humanity and a leader of Mutants.
He had witnessed humanity's fear of Mutants, and Mutants' anger towards humans. He knew what would happen when these two forces collided.
"I'm sorry." There was something in Charles's voice that Fury rarely heard—not guilt, but weariness.
"I am also responsible for Russell becoming what he is today. When he was locked in the Laboratory, I did not go to find him; when he was used as an experimental subject, I did not rescue him; when he escaped from the base, I did not pick him up."
I waited until he killed someone, got into trouble, and became a wanted criminal before I went to find him; that was my mistake.
On the surface, it was Charles who was apologizing, but Nick Fury heard a different meaning in the series of apologies.
If we were to pinpoint the culprit behind Russell's hatred of humanity, it certainly wouldn't be Professor X, but rather the nation he was protecting.
"Now is not the time to admit mistakes."
"I know." Charles took a deep breath. "I will do everything I can to guide that child back to the right path. I can't guarantee success, but I can guarantee that I will try my best."
I hope so.
Fury didn't say anything more, and then hung up the phone.
Charles put the receiver back on the landline and closed his eyes. In that instant, his consciousness spread out, across the lawn, through the school building, through the streets and skyscrapers of New York, and landed on the top floor of the Four Seasons Hotel, tens of kilometers away.
He found Russell exercising with the Rogue.
"Child." His voice was soft, like the wind, like a sigh, like someone calling another person's name from a great distance.
"Professor, you're trying to persuade me again. Are you a lazy bum? Even if I agree to your request, there's no need to rush things with the Rogue."
"I'm not trying to persuade you, I'm inviting you and Mary to come together." Charles's voice held a hint of amusement.
"I built a Training Ground for you at Xavier Institute of the Arts. It's not an ordinary Training Room; it was specially designed for you. Hank spent three months building it, and he said it's the best equipment he could make."
"You spent three months building it? And I've only been here for a few days. You really did build it for me."
"When I built this, I didn't even know who you were," Charles said without hiding anything. "This Training Ground was originally intended for future X-Men. But now I think you might need it more than any X-Men."
Russell waved to signal the Rogue to end his training. "So, you want me to go to Xavier Institute?"
"I want you to come see someone."
"Who?"
"Jean Grey, an Omega Mutants just like you, you two should have a lot in common."
Russell raised an eyebrow; he was still somewhat interested in the Phoenix Force. Charles could sense that Russell was thinking, weighing the options, and calculating whether it was worth doing.
He wasn't in a hurry and patiently waited for the other party's reply.
"When?" Russell asked.
"Anytime is fine. The doors of Xavier Institute are always open for you, but I'm aiming for it to get better and better."
"Okay, I'll go," Russell said, "But not because of you. I want to see your Training Room, and I also want to know, between me and Jean, who's stronger?"
Charles's smile was meaningful. "You wouldn't want to know."
"I will."
Silence fell on the other side of the mental barrier; Charles knew that Russell had severed the connection.
He opened his eyes and looked at the lawn outside the window. The sun was still shining, the children were still running, the laughter was still there, everything was peaceful, as if nothing had happened.
But he knew that the future development between humans and Mutants would depend on the changes Russell would make after arriving at Xavier Institute.
On the hotel's top floor, Russell wasn't lying in the bathroom; the effects of Aqua Regia and Sulfuric Acid were now negligible.
The Mental Defense number on the panel in front of me was just a tiny bit away from level four, just a tiny bit.
"Mary, continue."
[Mental Defense Experience +1]
[Mental Defense Experience +1]
[Mental Defense Experience +1]
The Rogue sat on the sofa, holding his arm with both hands, his full power unleashed, his rosy cheeks glowing with energy, as if he had taken Tenfold Tonic.
After spending more than a day with Russell, Mary finally found the switch to unlock her abilities through continuous training, and no longer had to worry about her abilities going out of control and hurting those around her.
It's also somewhat regrettable that she didn't achieve the absorption and permanent preservation capabilities that Mr. Russell mentioned.
A fleeting hint of regret crossed the Rogue's eyes, replaced by even greater determination. Now that the curse could be resolved, she believed that everything would be alright in the future.
Felicity stood at the bathroom door, her hands pressed against her temples. Telepathy like an invisible knife, slashing at Russell's mental barrier again and again.
Her abilities have improved significantly since she first arrived, partly because Russell helped her edit the X-Factor, and partly because she uses it every day, practices every day, and pushes herself to the limit every day.
"Push harder, don't stop." Russell sat cross-legged, applying force to himself, suspending himself three feet above the floor.
About half an hour later, Felicity closed her eyes, the veins on her forehead bulging. She wasn't Russell, nor was she Rogue. Using her abilities for so long without replenishing them was truly taking its toll.
Laura stood by the window, not attacking, the image of Wolverine Logan through her mind.
The old man called Professor X told her that Wolverine was her father.
When Russell opened his eyes, his suspended body gently landed on the blanket, a rare hint of relaxation in his expression.
[Mental Defense: 5000/5000 Level 3 → Level 4]
The number on the panel finally reached the five thousand mark, meaning that the wall blocking his consciousness and protecting his brain from any intrusion had become even thicker.
If a level three wall is a brick wall, a level four wall is a fortress made of steel, without any gaps, so that not even sound can pass through.
Moreover, the enhancement of Mental Defense, just like the previous Telekinesis manipulation and super self-healing, has greatly increased Russell's endurance when unleashing his full power.
Russell looked at the numbers on the panel, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"You've reached level four."
After finishing her training, Felicity let out a long breath, leaned against the wall, slid down, and sat on the ground, while Rogue's eyes shone brightly, still wanting more.
Russell stood with his hands behind his back in front of the Floor-to-Ceiling Window, looking out at Manhattan.
The sun was shining brightly, the sky was blue, and every building, street, and corner of the city was as clear as a three-dimensional map in his Atomic Vision.
His Mental Defense is now at level four, his Superhuman Healing is at level four, Psychic Telekinesis is at level four—three levels four.
His weaknesses have finally been addressed.
Then... the precision level of Telekinesis should also be improved at the same time.
In front of Qin, atomic-level mental manipulation is not enough; Subatomic manipulation is required.
"System, again! Give me a lot more points!"
The moment my attention focused on the "Subatomic-level control" section, my Emotion Points began to plummet at a visible rate.
1002467...803421... Six hundred thousand... Five hundred thousand... The numbers fell like a punctured balloon.
At the same time, an unlocking progress bar slowly and steadily moved to the right on the panel.
47%...63%...78%...
The moment the Emotion Points reached around 300,000, the progress bar stopped at 100%.
[Precision: Subatomic-level control (unlocked), electrons, protons, and neutrons]
[Next-order precision: Subatomic-level (to be unlocked) Note: Subatomic-level includes quarks, gluons, photons, etc.]
"Pack your things, we're leaving."
Felicity got up from the ground and dusted off her pants. "Where are we going?"
"If you and Laura aren't going, Mary and I will go to Xavier Institute."
The Rogue's eyes lit up. "Mutants school?"
"Hmm." Russell nodded.
"Oh." Felicity's tone betrayed a hint of disappointment, but it quickly faded.
"By the way, if Laura and I aren't going, could you please arrange for the compatriots gathered near the hotel to stay inside?"
"Whatever." Russell waved his hand, then floated out of the room.
Don't be fooled by Russell's seemingly half-foot-off-the-ground stance; it's not just for show, but a form of spiritual practice. Even while walking, he doesn't let himself go, applying Telekinesis to himself to create a gravitational field.
They followed him, walking down the corridor, into the elevator, out of the hotel lobby, and into the Manhattan sunshine.
Across the street, Mutants who had come from all over stood by the roadside; most of them were Mutants with physical deformities.
As he walked out, some people knelt down in excitement, some raised their hands, and some whispered something.
They didn't approach him, they didn't speak, they just looked at him as if he were a god descending from heaven.
Russell did not look at them.
He got into the Chrysler that the hotel had prepared for him, closed the door, and started the engine.
In the rearview mirror, the kneeling figures grew smaller and smaller, farther and farther away, until they finally disappeared into the traffic of Manhattan.
Russell gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, the numbers on the dashboard still flashing.
[Faith +1]
[Faith +1]
[Faith +1]
As the car crossed the Manhattan Bridge, sunlight streamed through the windows, casting golden patches on the dashboard.
The Rogue sat in the back seat, his head resting against the car window, looking at the scenery outside, his eyes holding a light that hadn't appeared in a long time.
That wasn't fear, that wasn't confusion, that was anticipation.
Russell looked at the road ahead, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Xavier Institute, he's here.
From this moment on, I can truly say I am free... cough cough, free.