A long-lost yet familiar voice immediately came through the receiver:
"Good afternoon, Ororo."
Storm jumped to her feet, her voice trembling slightly. "Professor? You... you're really back!"
"The word 'resurrection,' Vitas told you about it, didn't he?"
On the other end of the phone, Professor X's tone remained gentle. "You've all worked hard these past few days. I've seen the news and have a general idea of what's been happening recently."
"By the way, is Scott awake?"
Storm suppressed her surging emotions and nodded vigorously. "He's been awake for two days. We've been... especially worried about you."
"Professor, where are you? I'm on my way to pick you up!"
"I'm in Canada..."
Before he could finish speaking, Professor X had already given the exact location.
Not long after, Storm and Cyclops found Wolverine, quickly exchanged a few words, and then turned and hurried away.
The new Blackbird were not yet completed, so they had to rush to Canada on a civilian flight.
The two's sudden departure from the school naturally caught Chen Xiao's attention. He slightly turned his head, his gaze sweeping towards the school gate.
"It's the professor..." A hint of understanding flickered in his eyes.
Right now, the only thing that could alarm both Storm and Cyclops at the same time, besides Professor X's return, is something else he really can't think of.
Thinking of this, Chen Xiao's lips curled up slightly.
He didn't delve into how the professor managed to transfer his consciousness in that Extremis. As long as a person is alive, nothing else matters.
With Magneto and Jean Grey diverting attention from all sides, and Professor X overseeing the situation on campus, he could finally unload all his burdens and devote himself entirely to his research.
Once the thought was made up, Chen Xiao stood up, causing Clarice across from him to look up.
He smiled and gently ruffled her hair. "You continue reading. I need to go to the logistics department to see Professor Silt about something."
"Mmm." The girl obediently responded, lowering her eyes to continue reading the question.
Upon arriving at the logistics department, Chen Xiao immediately spotted Silt, who was taking inventory of supplies.
He greeted him with a smile, "Good afternoon, Mr. Silt."
Silt was a middle-aged white man with a stocky build. He was also Mutants, and his ability was to have a body full of thick, solid fat that made him both durable and cushioned.
Although his combat strength was mediocre, he had been in charge of the school's logistics for many years because his appearance was completely normal: purchasing food, adding stationery, distributing school uniforms, dispatching vehicles... everything was under his management.
Upon seeing Chen Xiao, Silt immediately put on a broad smile and said cheerfully, " Vitas, what do you need to buy this time?"
He was the one who handled that drawing board and paintbrush set from before.
After several tough battles in a row, Chen Xiao has already made a name for himself at Xavier Institute.
Ordinary students respect him as X-Men and the author of Dragon Ball; the management is even more aware that he possesses a special value that even professors repeatedly emphasize.
Chen Xiao nodded and said, "Yes, my old laptop broke, and I want to get a new one."
"No problem! I'll bring it back on my way to the city tomorrow. Which brand do you prefer?" The manager readily agreed.
"Thank you, Mr. Silt. We'll choose the top-of-the-line Alienware X Series available on the market; the price doesn't need to be high."
"Also, please provide me with a professional-grade digital drawing tablet."
"Okay."
The upcoming X-Gene analysis project will rely heavily on high-performance computers. He plans to develop a customized analysis software program to assist in modeling, comparison, and deduction throughout the process.
So he went back to the library and picked out more than a dozen books on introductory programming and algorithm basics. The rustling sound of turning the pages quickly attracted the attention of several Mutants students around him.
" Vitas is at it again."
The group exchanged glances, then looked away, as if it were nothing new.
They were used to this scene; they knew this gifted student loved to devour books, often reading stacks at a time.
The new laptop arrived the next day at noon.
Chen Xiao didn't go to the library. Instead, he carried his laptop out of the dormitory building and walked straight to a lush old oak tree by the lawn.
He sat down with his back against the thick tree trunk, sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling warmly on his shoulders.
Power on and quickly complete basic system cleanup;
Immediately afterwards, his ten fingers flew across the keyboard, typing Speed so fast that only afterimages remained, the clattering sound as dense as rain.
Chen Xiao plans to develop an intelligent program that integrates functions such as log recording, information archiving, real-time scanning, data comparison, massive information inference, and autonomous judgment.
It will be specifically designed to track subtle daily changes in one's X-Gene, compare data differences across days, and provide analytical support for a series of subsequent gene experiments.
Just as he was setting up the main program structure, a car drove into Westchester City and headed straight for the college.
Storm, with her bright smile, sat in the driver's seat, Scott was in the passenger seat, and Professor X, with a calm expression, sat in the back.
It's done.
Under the big tree, Chen Xiao, who had been busy for half an hour, lightly pressed the enter key, a relaxed smile appearing on his lips.
Of course, the analysis tool is only in its basic form at present and does not yet have full functionality. He will need to continue to invest time to gradually add modules and optimize the logic.
After the program took initial shape, Chen Xiao immediately connected the electronic drawing board to his laptop. After a moment's thought, his hand holding the pen quickly began to sketch on the board.
Meanwhile, on the laptop screen, an elliptical outline was taking shape at a clearly visible speed in the drawing software, its interior colorful and layered.
That was a cross-sectional view of a type of X-Gene cell attached to the muscle tissue of his arm.
One minute later, the first image was finished, and he clicked save; then, the second image...
Based on observations over several days, there are more than 170 types of X-Gene cells in his body, distributed throughout his entire body.
Although they are all X-Gene -derived cells, they have different functions and roles. Therefore, he decided to first map all types one by one, and then systematically compare their morphological and activity changes at different stages.
Only after the image database is completed can we officially enter the human testing phase.
The more Chen Xiao explored the subject, the more he felt the magnificence of life itself. The intricately interwoven cellular structures, the spirally coiled chromosomes, the double-stranded DNA, and the genetic code hidden within them all fascinated him.
Ten minutes later, more than a dozen cross-sectional diagrams appeared on the screen.
Just then, Chen Xiao slightly raised his eyes and saw the figure of Kitty Pryde suddenly appear, running over with undisguised excitement.
Vitas!
"What's wrong, Kitty?" Seeing her excited expression, Chen Xiao already had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
Kitty spoke a little too quickly, "Professor Ororo just called to tell everyone to go to the school gate immediately, the professor is back!"
Chen Xiao's brows relaxed. "As expected. I guessed it was about Ms. Ororo and Scott suddenly leaving yesterday."
Let's go.
Before he finished speaking, he had already closed his notebook, packed away his drawing board, and stood up briskly.
As soon as he and Kitty set off, the entire academy erupted in excitement, with all the Mutants students unable to contain their excitement and rushing towards the school gate.
Halfway there, Chen Xiao ran into Clarice, who was running all the way from the library.
When the three arrived at the school gate, it was already crowded with people: not only students, but also faculty, staff and support personnel were crowding at the gate, craning their necks to look.
"Really? The professor is still alive?" one student asked, still not convinced.
"Absolutely true! It was Ms. Ororo who made the call herself!"
"I knew it! A professor wouldn't fall down so easily."
"He's the world's most powerful Telepathy!"
Amidst the clamor of the crowd, Chen Xiao stood quietly on the steps behind, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
In his field of vision, a black sedan was steadily approaching on the highway more than a kilometer away. In the front seat were Ororo and Scott, and in the back seat sat that all-too-familiar figure.
The moment Chen Xiao's gaze settled on Professor X, the old man smiled gently, and then a warm voice resounded deep within his consciousness. " Vitas, long time no see."
Chen Xiao smiled slightly and responded with a mental fluctuation, "Professor, welcome back."
As everyone held their breath in suspense, the car slowly came to a stop. The door opened, and Cyclops and Storm were the first to step out.
Then, Scott carefully pushed the wheelchair out of the car door, then steadily lifted Professor X and helped him into the wheelchair.
In an instant, cheers erupted like a tidal wave as students rushed forward.
"Professor!"
"Oh... Professor, you're really back!"
"Professor! Professor! I've missed you so much!"
In an instant, Professor X was surrounded by layers upon layers of Mutants students, with sobs, laughter, and heartfelt confessions rising and falling, all expressing long-suppressed longing and joy.
Meanwhile, the X-Men members, including Shadowcat, Colossus, and Hank, stood smiling on the periphery of the crowd, quietly waiting.
Only Chen Xiao's expression seemed slightly unusual.
Looking at Professor X, still seated in his wheelchair, a hint of doubt arose in his mind: Wasn't it said that his consciousness had been transferred to a new body? Why was he still using a wheelchair?
More than an hour later, the students, whose emotions had gradually calmed down, entered the meeting room one after another.
Professor X, as usual, took the head seat, his gaze slowly sweeping across the room, a warm smile on his face, "I know you all have many questions in your minds, and you want to hear them from me personally."
"Yes, Professor."
Chen Xiao was the first to speak, his tone filled with frank curiosity. "Back on Alcatraz, I witnessed you burning through all your Mind Stone power... and then what happened...?"
He paused briefly at this point.
"You're asking how, having exhausted all your Mind Stone strength, you could still survive, and how your consciousness successfully transferred to your new body, right?"
"Hehe..." Chen Xiao scratched his head and laughed sheepishly. He had indeed been pondering this question for a long time.
Not only him, but Colossus and the others present also pricked up their ears.
It's actually not complicated.
Professor X nodded slightly, his expression composed. " Mind Stone power is Mind Stone power, and consciousness is consciousness. Many years ago, I already achieved the separation of consciousness and spiritual energy."
"...??" The group looked at each other, their faces full of confusion.
Chen Xiao was taken aback. He had just casually asked a question, but he hadn't expected that the answer would actually be correct.
Professor X patiently explained, "You can think of consciousness as the 'soul,' while Mind Stone power is simply a special kind of spiritual energy generated by the soul."