A female mutant immediately objected, "That's not true! They never said they would wipe us out. Taking the drug is voluntary."
As the gathering threatened to descend into chaos, the middle-aged man hastily raised a hand. "Wait! I never mentioned extermination-"
Before he could finish, an aged voice struck like a hammer, utterly decisive:
"No. Their goal is to make us disappear from this world."
The room abruptly fell deathly silent. Everyone turned in unison toward the back row.
Several people sat there, as quiet as shadows. The elderly man in their midst wore black, a scarlet cape draped over his shoulders, his silver hair white as frost. His presence was so oppressive that no one dared breathe too loudly.
He slowly rose and walked to the podium at an unhurried pace.
His gaze swept over the startled, uncertain faces below as Magneto spoke calmly:
"While you are still hesitating, they have already made their move."
"Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps the day after, someone will kick down your door and force that bottle of medicine down your throat without a word."
"No, you're fearmongering..."
The middle-aged man who had been forcibly silenced had barely opened his mouth when Pyro John, following close behind, seized him by the throat. His words caught there, and he could not utter another syllable.
Magneto cast a cold glance at the middle-aged man who had tried to fish in troubled waters and seize control of the discussion. Then he turned, his steady gaze sweeping across the restless crowd of mutants.
"Whether what I say is true or false, you know in your own hearts."
"Right now, I ask only this: will you be lambs awaiting slaughter, or stand beside me against the authorities?"
"Will you stand with humanity, or with mutants?"
His voice was low but carried with extraordinary force, every word striking their hearts. An immediate stir swept through the audience. Expressions shifted, eyes flickered, and even their breathing faltered.
With that, Magneto stepped down from the platform and led Pyro John and the others straight toward the side door, his imposing presence commanding respect without a show of anger.
In stark contrast to Professor X, who advocated coexistence and shared prosperity between humans and mutants and believed dialogue could bring peace,
Magneto believed in a logic of survival founded on complete separation.
He was convinced that the two races could never coexist;
if mutants were to live openly on this planet, without fear or restraint, they had to eliminate humanity, the fundamental threat.
To that end, he had painstakingly built his power for decades. In his early years, he had personally defeated Black King Shaw and, for a time, led the Hellfire Club;
rumor had it that he had attempted to assassinate America's current president. He had confronted the X-Men repeatedly and, several years earlier, thwarted Stryker's "mutant elimination plan."
Those achievements had long since made him an acknowledged leader of the resistance.
Although he had not identified himself today, many had silently guessed who he was.
And so, as he left, some quietly followed him.
Most of these followers had unremarkable abilities, however. Only a handful truly stood out. Among them was a woman named Callisto, nicknamed "Nightcrawler." Not only could she teleport short distances and move with a hunting leopard's agility, she could also precisely sense the presence, number, and power levels of mutants within a surrounding area-an exceedingly rare ability.
Another mutant, whose appearance made her gender difficult to distinguish, went by the codename "Arclight." Her hands could release high-frequency shockwaves with astonishing force.
There were also several formidable new faces, such as the recently awakened Psylocke, who could manifest her psychic power as sharp blades and control them at will.
This unexpected haul pleased Magneto considerably. Having only just returned to the battlefield and being short of core members, he immediately settled on the direction of their next operation.
The next day was Monday.
But with news of the "mutant cure" exploding overnight, hardly anyone had slept, and naturally, no one was in the mood for classes that morning.
Understanding the circumstances, the school simply canceled classes for the entire day.
That morning at the mutant school, students gathered in twos and threes on the playing field, lawns, and in the corridors. Every conversation revolved around the cure.
By comparison, Chen Xiao looked so relaxed that he almost seemed out of place.
Having just finished breakfast, he strolled leisurely down the classroom building's corridor, intending to find a sunny corner and continue basking.
"Vitas."
Shadowcat's clear voice came from behind him. A moment later, her petite figure caught up, and she walked beside him.
"Vitas, where are you going?"
He answered with a smile, "A rare day off. To find somewhere to sunbathe, of course."
"...Sigh, I knew it." Kitty paused, then spread her hands helplessly.
Faced with his unshakable sunbathing habit, she had nothing to offer beyond a shrug.
Just then, Rogue Anna approached from nearby, with Iceman Bobby close behind. The two were clearly arguing about something.
"Anna, listen to me. There may be more to this cure than they're letting on. Don't rush into a decision!" Bobby sounded anxious.
Anna remained unmoved. "I don't care what they're after. If it can get rid of this damned ability, I'll take it."
"I've had enough. It won't even let me touch the person I love most, yet anyone dares to touch me."
"Anna, wait! Let me explain... Anna!"
As they passed, Bobby casually greeted Chen Xiao and Kitty. "Morning, Vitas, Kitty."
Chen Xiao nodded with a smile. "Morning, Bobby."
After watching the pair disappear at the end of the corridor, he continued toward the exit.
As he passed the lobby, breaking news was playing on the television. A female reporter was broadcasting live from a helicopter:
"Last night, the announcement of the 'mutant cure' immediately triggered multiple incidents of mass resistance."
"At dawn this morning, a convoy transporting mutant suspects came under attack."
"Footage from the scene shows that the attackers possessed terrifying power. The entire convoy was crushed by an unidentified, tremendous force. Casualty figures have yet to be confirmed..."
The camera looked down from above. Within the cordon, mangled vehicles lay scattered across the ground amid wreckage, while large numbers of officials busied themselves with the aftermath.
Chen Xiao glanced at the screen without the slightest change in expression. He remained leisurely and composed, utterly at odds with the tense, oppressive atmosphere around him.
Kitty could not help asking, "Vitas, aren't you worried?"
"What should I be worried about?" he asked in return.
She blinked. "If this cure really works as advertised... would you take the shot or not?"
His answer was immediate. "Of course not. Do you want to lose your ability?"
"No," she blurted out, then frowned slightly. "But I'm afraid... quite a few people really will choose to take it. When that happens, people like us will become isolated islands."
"What if, one day, they use the whole world to force us to bow?"
Faced with her worries, Chen Xiao neither revealed the truth nor said that this would soon all blow over. He merely smiled lightly, utterly unruffled:
"If that day really comes, they'll be the ones who regret it."
"Huh?"
Kitty froze, unable to understand where his confidence came from. Was he really unafraid of one day facing the entire world?
Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet shook violently!
Boom!
In an instant, the entire campus shuddered as though an invisible giant hand had violently shaken it. Immediately afterward, the distant court where the boys were playing basketball burst apart with a thunderous crash. Dirt and shattered stone exploded like cannonballs, flying in every direction.
The shockwave from the explosion carried billowing dust straight into the sky with a deafening roar.
The sudden upheaval left everyone rigid with shock. Several mutant students closest to the court were thrown to the ground by the blast, screaming.
Chen Xiao and Shadowcat, who had just stepped out of the classroom building, saw a figure suddenly shoot into the air through the swirling dust. She moved so fast that only an afterimage remained, tearing across the sky and vanishing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Terrifying waves of telekinetic power surged around her-violent, vast, and so oppressive that they made it difficult to breathe.
Watching that receding figure, Chen Xiao's pupils contracted slightly.
"So that's it... She's fully awakened at this critical moment. It seems that even though I've stirred things up, some events are unavoidable after all."
Before his words had faded, a steady, expansive psychic power quietly spread out, brushing every frightened student's mind gently yet irresistibly. Professor X's voice sounded deep within their consciousness:
"Don't panic. That wasn't an enemy. It was Jean."
"She didn't truly die back then. Her injuries were simply too severe, and she has been asleep, recovering."
"She only awakened today and has yet to tame the power within her. She left immediately to avoid accidentally hurting anyone."
The professor's words were a dose of reassurance, and the agitated students breathed sighs of relief.
Surprise and delight soon appeared on many faces. No one had imagined that their teacher Jean was still alive!
But the X-Men who knew the truth looked grave and all hurried toward the underground base.
Inside the devastated underground base, Professor X sat solemnly in his wheelchair. Not far away, Wolverine's eyes showed shock, with a trace of guilt between his brows that he could scarcely conceal.
That was the scene Chen Xiao and the others found when they arrived.
Iceman's voice was slightly strained. "Professor, just now..."
Professor X exhaled softly, his tone gentle yet carrying unquestionable weight. "Don't worry. Jean has only just awakened. The sudden awakening of her power overwhelmed her consciousness, and she temporarily lost control."
Shadowcat could not help exclaiming softly, "That was incredible! The power coming from her was just... indescribable!"
Colossus nodded in agreement. "I felt it too. I never imagined she would become this powerful after awakening."
Compared with the original story, Storm was particularly composed this time because Scott had survived. "Professor, what should we do next?"
"Should we go looking for her, or wait for her to calm down and return on her own?"
Professor X did not answer immediately. He merely narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly extending his telepathy at full strength to search.
After a long while, his expression abruptly darkened, and he slowly shook his head. "She's blocking me."
He looked around at them, his voice low and measured but carrying great weight. "Jean's power is extremely dangerous. If it breaks free completely, it could bring about a catastrophe none of us could bear."
"We must find her and help her steady her mind and control her power."
As soon as he finished, Wolverine spoke in a low voice. "But Charles... no one wants to be restrained. The harder you suppress it, the harder it pushes back."
Those words silenced Professor X.
Standing silently to one side, Chen Xiao's gaze flickered.
He understood what Logan meant. He was urging the professor to stop, to stop trying to confine Jean with his will.