"Skye?"
Hearing the little girl's name, Xia Zuo froze for a moment. He was very familiar with that name. More people would probably recognize her by another name, because she was the future renowned Quake, Daisy Johnson.
Of course, Quake still went by Skye now, a name she had been given at the orphanage as a child. Could Mary Orphanage be the orphanage where Skye had lived when she was little?
But that shouldn't have been right. Some things didn't add up.
Xia Zuo frowned slightly as he considered this. He remembered that Skye had been placed in an orphanage shortly after birth, not when she was two or three years old.
"Little Skye, tell me, where did you live before?" Xia Zuo asked Skye, hoping to learn a few things from her.
"I was at Mary Joa Orphanage, but a couple of days ago, the director told us the orphanage had gone bankrupt and couldn't keep supporting us, so she sent me and the other children to other orphanages." Skye was a little timid and didn't dare look Xia Zuo in the eye, but she still answered his question honestly.
Understanding flickered through Xia Zuo's mind. Skye's previous orphanage had gone bankrupt and could no longer support the children, so it had no choice but to send them to different orphanages. That explained why Skye had appeared here.
"Are you going to make me leave?"
Skye spoke fearfully, tears already welling in her large eyes. Although she was still young, children in orphanages tended to mature early, so she thought Xia Zuo disliked her and wanted to send her away.
"Ah, I'm not trying to send you away. You can stay, but it isn't very safe here. Don't go outside whenever you please, all right?" Xia Zuo's expression shifted back and forth before he slowly spoke.
To be honest, he didn't dislike Skye. In fact, he rather liked Quake as she appeared on-screen. It was just that he might still have some trouble on his hands now.
Xia Zuo knew that the earlier robbery might not end just like that. It could very well lead to unpredictable consequences.
Garrett's earlier visit had already shown that this place wasn't very safe. After all, if Garrett could deduce that he was connected to the incident, others might be able to do the same. A thorough investigation would also bring trouble, so he couldn't guarantee that this place was safe.
But seeing how pitiful little Skye looked, Xia Zuo couldn't bear it. He knew how pitiful the little girl before him was. After all, her family had been torn apart because of Whitehall, leaving her waiting miserably alone in an orphanage from childhood. This stirred some memories in Xia Zuo, and he couldn't help softening.
"Really? That's great! Thank you, big brother."
Hearing Xia Zuo agree, Skye immediately smiled through her tears, her face blossoming into a lovely smile. Xia Zuo gave a helpless smile as well, but this meant he would have to be even more discreet about studying his abilities.
Afterward, Xia Zuo took Skye around to familiarize her with the orphanage. This was also a task Director Mary had given him. Although Xia Zuo appeared to be only a five- or six-year-old child, he himself was already close to adulthood, so he sometimes unconsciously acted more mature. This was also why Director Mary felt comfortable leaving little Skye in his care.
After night fell, little Skye went to sleep in the small bed beside him. Having just moved here, she was exhausted both physically and mentally and soon drifted off to sleep. Xia Zuo, however, remained seated in his chair, considering his future path.
"How can I grow up safely in the time ahead? And what direction should I take in the future?"
Xia Zuo gazed at the moonlight outside the window as he considered this. This world was dangerous, something he had understood ever since learning that he was in the Marvel Universe. He therefore had to think about how to get through his childhood, which was also the period when he was weakest.
"There are roughly three options. The first is S.H.I.E.L.D. It offers professional agent training, which would undoubtedly help me grow."
Xia Zuo murmured to himself. One idea he had was to join S.H.I.E.L.D. If he could get in, he could receive professional training in combat and various other skills. Moreover, his public identity was that of an orphan, which also met S.H.I.E.L.D.'s selection criteria.
However, S.H.I.E.L.D. had quite a few Hydra infiltrators, and they might very well discover his existence. If he were brainwashed, he would be in trouble, so Xia Zuo immediately ruled out S.H.I.E.L.D.
"The second is to join Professor X's Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. That's a good choice too. After all, with Professor X and other powerful mutants there, I wouldn't need to worry about all kinds of sudden dangers."
Xia Zuo voiced another approach he had thought of. Although the X-Mansion would suffer many disasters in the future, according to his memories, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was still relatively safe during this period. If he could study there, he could grow quickly as well.
But likewise, every advantage came with a disadvantage, and Xia Zuo had some concerns. First was his identity. His abilities came from the Ultimate Eye, and he wasn't actually a mutant, so it would be difficult to attract Professor X's attention. Moreover, Professor X's ability allowed him to peer into other people's minds, and Xia Zuo also worried that Professor X might look into his memories.
"The third is to find Kamar-Taj and have the Ancient One teach me magic." Xia Zuo voiced his third plan: becoming a sorcerer.
Of these three plans, the third was undoubtedly the one Xia Zuo favored most. After all, Kamar-Taj's magic was quite special, particularly the technique that allowed one to teleport at will, which he coveted even more. But he didn't know whether he had any talent for magic.
Xia Zuo looked serious as he considered this. Each idea had its own advantages and disadvantages, so he hesitated for a while, weighing what each could do for him.
"Forget it. I don't need to decide anytime soon. I'll see how things stand first."
Xia Zuo sighed and set the matter aside for now. After all, his most important task at present was to study his own abilities and become stronger.
On the other hand, the earlier robbery had left quite a few eyes watching this area. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't completely withdrawn its attention, so Xia Zuo felt he should lie low for now and patiently wait for the turmoil to pass.
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