Before he had finished speaking, his blood was already quietly surging, his muscles tightening to gather strength like a fully drawn bow, ready to launch at any moment.
Had the other party been an ordinary child, he would not have bothered taking him seriously.
But since he was a mutant with special powers, this was a perfect chance to test just how much his strength had grown after several days of soaking up sunlight.
That swelling, eager feeling throughout his body was like holding a well-balanced hammer, just waiting for a few nails to stick out.
The air instantly grew taut, thick with the smell of gunpowder.
Behind him, Clarice went deathly pale and hurried between them. "No! You can't fight!"
To her, Bernard and his three companions had attended the school for a long time and were experienced with their abilities. Chen Xiao, however, was a newcomer on his own. If they really fought, he would definitely be the one to suffer.
"All of us at once? You think I, Bernard, aren't good enough to fight you one-on-one?"
He sneered and turned to Clarice. "Move aside. This is between men. Don't worry, I'll only fight him one-on-one."
Clarice bit her lip. Despite her trembling hands, she shook her head. "I won't. Bernard, I've already turned you down twice."
"If you don't leave, I'll find a teacher and tell them you're pressuring me and bullying me."
She did not believe him. Not one bit.
"You!" Bernard's chest heaved, anger and frustration rising together in his throat.
Finally, he fixed Chen Xiao with a fierce stare and forced a few words through gritted teeth. "Fine, Vitas. You're lucky today. Just wait. Sooner or later, I'll teach you what regret means."
Clearly, the authority of the school's teachers still held considerable sway over these middle schoolers. After delivering a stiff warning, Bernard and his three companions turned and left, seething.
What a shame.
Watching their angry figures retreat, Chen Xiao shook his head lightly.
They were children, after all. One threat to call a teacher, and they lost their nerve.
Meanwhile, behind the floor-to-ceiling windows on the fifth floor of the teaching building, Storm, Ororo, and Cyclops, Scott, stood quietly, having witnessed the entire scene.
Thanks to hearing and perception far beyond those of ordinary people, the two mutants had even caught every word of the exchange clearly.
Ororo's brows drew together slightly. "Bernard's abilities have stagnated these past two years, but his mutant powers have dragged his temperament toward greater extremes."
Scott was silent for a moment and offered no response.
She paused, then turned to face Scott directly. "And he's been privately rallying his classmates to ostracize Clarice. Are you planning to stand by and watch?"
Scott's voice was low. "I only heard about it today myself. I originally planned to set him straight in class tomorrow."
"Now, it seems that won't be necessary."
Seeing his gloomy expression, Storm opened her mouth, then stopped short.
Finally, as though a thought had occurred to her, she sighed silently and gently changed the subject. "By the way, what did you think of Vitas's reaction just now?"
Scott considered briefly. "He dared to stand up for a companion. Fire in his eyes, responsibility in his heart. That's rare."
The corners of Ororo's lips lifted slightly. "I thought so too."
To Chen Xiao, this minor clash had been nothing more than youthful hotheadedness, and he did not take it to heart at all.
Afterward, however, Clarice was noticeably more willing to approach him.
Just as Chen Xiao sat back down on the bench, the girl removed one earbud, pinched its cord between her fingertips, and tentatively offered it to him. "Vitas, want to listen together?"
Her green eyes were full of anticipation. Chen Xiao paused briefly, then accepted it with a smile.
As he put the earbud in, an unfamiliar piece of light music slowly flowed into his ear. The melody was clear and expansive, as though rain had stopped and clouds had dispersed, leaving him standing at the mouth of an empty mountain valley as wind brushed the treetops.
She looked at him with sparkling eyes. "Vitas, is it good?"
Chen Xiao nodded in praise. "It's very distinctive. What's this piece called?"
"'The Girl Far Away.' It was composed by Stinkley, a famous pianist from Britain..."
No one disturbed them after that. Chen Xiao lazily basked in the sun until noon, when he rose and went to the cafeteria with Clarice.
After lunch and a brief rest, he went to the library alone.
Clarice seemed to have other plans that afternoon and did not come along.
In the library, Chen Xiao used the catalog to select several specialized books on genetics and biology from the shelves, then found a sunlit corner and sat down.
The more he read, the more interesting he found it. This world's theories of biology and heredity held quite a few possibilities that overturned common sense. If certain ideas could truly be put into practice, humanity reaching the summit in a single step would not be a fool's dream.
No, more precisely, precedents already existed.
Mutants, for instance.
If beings like Professor X and Magneto had lived in ancient times, it would have been entirely unsurprising for them to be worshipped as gods, given their earth-shaking powers.
The Hulk, with his strength to uproot mountains, and the Fantastic Four, each with their own extraordinary abilities, would likewise have been worshipped by the people in bygone times.
The difference was that mutants were the experimental legacy left behind by the Ancient Celestial group, while the Hulk and the Fantastic Four were sparks accidentally struck by modern science.
So Chen Xiao wondered: if he could guide the evolutionary path of his Kryptonian cells and greatly improve their efficiency in capturing and converting solar energy, would his strength advance much faster?
Moreover, Bronze Age Superman did indeed have a weakness in magic resistance.
The so-called "low magic defense" meant being unable to withstand top-tier magical attacks. Ordinary spells could not even get close, but it was a flaw nonetheless.
Then, was it possible to activate or integrate certain talents within the X-Gene, such as an absolute defensive barrier, psychic isolation, or an energy absorption mechanism? Once that gap was filled, he would truly be without weakness.
Unfortunately, genetics was far too profound and involved too many fields. Expecting results after just a few days of cramming was clearly unrealistic.
After three hours of engrossed study, Chen Xiao closed the book. His forehead ached slightly, and he raised a hand to rub his temples.
He had previously been only an ordinary university student with a science background, majoring in computer software engineering. Forcing his way into biology now was indeed difficult.
"I hadn't expected you to take an interest in biology, Vitas."
A gentle voice rang out. A wheelchair moved softly, and a white-haired elderly man quietly came to a stop opposite him, his smile kindly and his gaze as calm as a deep pool, gleaming with unmistakable wisdom.
"Professor." Chen Xiao was somewhat surprised.
Naturally, he had long heard of this wise man whose presence ran throughout the X-Men's story.
He had met Professor X once on the day he enrolled.
What made him inwardly wary was the faint psychic fluctuation emanating from the man, vast as an ocean and unfathomably deep.
He instinctively emptied his mind, not daring to think too much.
After all, this was a psychic master who could read minds, alter memories, control thoughts, and create dreams.
At that moment, Professor X smiled gently, his gaze clear. "Vitas, you needn't guard yourself against me."
"Although my ability is unusual, I have always respected boundaries. Unless someone is an enemy threatening the school's safety, I will never probe their mind without permission."
Chen Xiao looked slightly embarrassed. "You've misunderstood, Professor. I've always respected you. How could I be on guard against you?"
That was half true and half false. He was indeed wary, but he would never be foolish enough to say so outright.
Besides, however powerful Professor X's telepathy might be, if he truly tried to force his way through Chen Xiao's memories, he would probably encounter an invisible barrier.
After all, the system was hidden deep within his consciousness.
Professor X did not press further, his tone remaining calm. "As headmaster, my duty is to answer questions, impart knowledge, pass on understanding, and inspire thought."
"Unfortunately, most students devote all their attention to developing their abilities. Very few are willing to settle down and read."
"Those like you, who remain focused on reading even in their free time, are rarer still."
"I see that all the books you selected concern genetics and biology. As it happens, my field of research is genetic mutation. If there is anything you don't understand, you're welcome to come to me at any time."
"Of course, even if your troubles aren't academic, you're always welcome to find me."
Although he felt awe toward Professor X's power, the man's standing in biology was indeed considerable, and Chen Xiao himself intended to explore biology and genetics in depth.
After a brief pause, he spoke openly and began asking for guidance.
These were all questions that had occurred to him while reading materials over the past two days. They fell within introductory genetics, and although they were not particularly difficult, the professor listened attentively throughout and answered in detail.
As they exchanged questions and answers, Chen Xiao's understanding of the subject gradually grew clearer.
Once he had asked all the questions he could currently think of, Professor X looked at him with a smile and spoke gently. "Vitas, I notice there's still some hesitation in your eyes. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?"
"Professor, do you know about what's happening between Bernard's group and Clarice?" Chen Xiao brought up that morning's confrontation.
As the head of the mutant school and a top-tier telepath, nearly the entire campus lay within his range of perception.
Chen Xiao did not believe anything could truly be hidden from him.
"I do."
Faced with the question, Professor X nodded frankly.
That candor instead left Chen Xiao slightly taken aback. Before he could react, the professor continued, "You're wondering why I didn't intervene?"
Chen Xiao nodded lightly.
The professor turned his head and looked out the window, his voice measured yet firm. "Vitas, have you ever considered that the differences between mutants and ordinary people aren't merely physical, but also lie deep within the mind?"
"Perhaps it has something to do with the X-Gene. I've found that most people experience fluctuations in their psychological state after their abilities awaken."
"Some become extremely conceited, obsessed with power, extreme in their actions, and even hungry for destruction."
"Others become especially withdrawn, afraid to interact with the outside world. They loathe their own abilities and reject their identities as mutants. In severe cases, they even hurt themselves."
"Clarice, for instance, is now overly cautious and lacks a mind of her own."
"Bernard, meanwhile, has been swept along by his abilities. The weaknesses already present in his character have been continually magnified by his power: he grows increasingly arrogant and quick-tempered, without even realizing it himself."
"As headmaster, my duty is not to suppress abilities, but to help students understand them, master them, and mend the fractures within their hearts."
"So that, ultimately, they become masters of their power rather than its slaves."
"This time, I wanted to use Bernard's behavior to awaken Clarice's willingness to resist, to help her understand that yielding and enduring will not earn respect, much less solve problems."
"But Professor, haven't you always advocated peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans?" Chen Xiao asked, slightly puzzled.