In the villa's swimming pool, Xia Zuo calmed himself a little, narrowed his eyes, and considered Professor X's sudden visit.
"Awakened a special power? Professor X probably didn't mean my Geass ability. After all, he said it happened today, while I already had my Geass ability before that. In other words, he meant the change brought on by that long howl at the Hydra Base!"
Xia Zuo murmured to himself, analyzing what Professor X had just said. By the end, his thoughts had become clear: it was the change that had occurred at the Hydra Base.
After finishing off Hydra earlier, Xia Zuo had felt a force within him break through the shackles on his mind. Connecting that with Professor X's words, he understood at once.
"To think I'm actually a mutant. Talk about an unexpected turn for the better." Xia Zuo did not know whether to laugh or cry.
When he had first arrived in this world, he had prayed for power, even if it was a mutant's superpower. After all, only power would let him survive in this world, something the recent events involving Hydra had already proven. Without his abilities, he would long since have become one of Hydra's test subjects.
Later, after obtaining the Ultimate Eye, Xia Zuo had begun to possess power of his own, and his desire to awaken his X-Gene had gradually faded. He had never expected to awaken his X-Gene's superpower through a twist of fate, leaving him unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"I don't know what my superpower is, but there's no rush. The most important thing now is to leave." Xia Zuo looked up into the distance. Rather than rushing to study his ability, he prepared to withdraw.
He knew he had to leave now.
Since Professor X could find him, his location was bound to be exposed. Given Professor X's personality, he certainly would not leave Xia Zuo alone, whether for good or ill, so the X-Men would probably come looking for him. But Xia Zuo had no intention of meeting Professor X just yet.
There was no other reason: Professor X's ability was too terrifying!
Although Professor X was only an Alpha-level mutant, his ability could have an enormous impact. Mental powers were always the hardest to guard against, something Xia Zuo had experienced firsthand. After all, the Geass Eye's ability fell into that very category.
On the other hand, although he had already placed a Geass command on himself to prevent others from invading his mind, as he had said before, his Geass Eye's current level was too low to withstand Professor X's mental power.
His Geass ability could still withstand Professor X's mental power now because they were so far apart. If he got too close to Professor X, he truly had no confidence that he could resist his mental intrusion, so Xia Zuo intended to leave.
Of course, if Xia Zuo became confident that he could prevent Professor X's mental intrusion in the future, he would probably visit the X-School. After all, there were quite a few interesting things there.
With that thought, Xia Zuo left the pool. After quickly cleaning himself up, he left the villa without looking back.
The X-School
"Professor, how did it go?"
When Professor X emerged from the secret chamber, Jean Grey and Cyclops hurried over to ask him about it.
This was the first time Jean Grey had ever shown such concern for a new member of their kind, because she truly wanted to know what Xia Zuo's ability was and why it had even stirred "her."
If she could find the reason, perhaps she could find a way to suppress "her" through Xia Zuo. If that really happened, it would undoubtedly be the best possible thing for her.
"This fellow mutant of ours isn't particularly friendly toward us, but I already know his location. Scott Summers, take a few people and bring him here. You may use force if necessary."
Professor X spoke to Cyclops. During his conversation with Xia Zuo, he had sensed his resistance. But in Professor X's view, Xia Zuo was simply too dangerous. If left outside, he would very likely cause serious trouble. He felt it was necessary to bring Xia Zuo here, even if it meant using coercive measures.
Professor X dispatched Cyclops to lead a team in search of Xia Zuo. In this respect, his thinking was indeed much as Xia Zuo had anticipated! Unfortunately, their efforts were destined to yield no results, because Xia Zuo had already left, and Professor X's consciousness had been driven out of his mind. It would be difficult for Professor X to find Xia Zuo again, so they were destined to come away empty-handed.
Inside a car, Xia Zuo sat casually in the back seat, while an ordinary-looking man drove dutifully from the driver's seat. Deep within his eyes, where no one could see, a red ring glowed faintly. After leaving the villa, Xia Zuo had casually taken control of a car.
"Where would you like to go?" the car's owner asked Xia Zuo respectfully.
"117A Bleecker Street!" After a moment's thought, Xia Zuo slowly named a location.
Of course, he had not chosen this location at random. It had another name: the New York Sanctum. It was one of the three great sorcerer sanctums, and if Xia Zuo remembered correctly, sorcerers from Kamar-Taj should be stationed there!
Previously, Xia Zuo had considered what path he should take in the future, and he had thought of three options. One was S.H.I.E.L.D., and the other two were Professor X's Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and the Ancient One's Kamar-Taj.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had been the first option Xia Zuo ruled out. After all, his current relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. could hardly be called close, and once his existence had been exposed, joining S.H.I.E.L.D. had already become impossible.
The second was Professor X's X-Mansion. Originally, Xia Zuo had still held a trace of hope for the X-School, but after experiencing Professor X's mental intrusion just now, he ruled it out without hesitation.
It was too dangerous. He could not stake his safety on his trust in Professor X. That would undoubtedly mean handing his life over to someone else's control, and Xia Zuo had no such inclination. That left him with only one choice: magic.
Magic was a power that interested Xia Zuo quite a bit. It offered many convenient abilities, which met his requirements, and he also had an idea.
This world contained many systems: science, superpowers, gods and demons, and more. Magic was one branch among them. Xia Zuo wondered whether, in this entirely new field, he could trigger the conditions for unlocking a new Eye Ring.
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