After turning the last page, Chen Xiao closed his eyes and sat quietly for a long time before slowly exhaling a long breath.
In just over two days, he devoured over a thousand professional books. The sheer volume of information was so vast that even he needed a moment to process it all.
The moment he closed the book, his understanding of materials science, mechanical engineering, and metal chemistry had firmly reached the level of a top scholar.
They are not beginners just starting out, nor are they casual enthusiasts; rather, they are front-line experts capable of independently teaching and guiding research and development.
After all, he had only read it through once and had not yet fully digested and integrated it. He still needed to calm down and repeatedly study it in order to truly improve his strength.
Just then, the old butler appeared at the library entrance. He walked steadily upstairs, went straight to Chen Xiao, and said in a low voice, "Young Master, we have guests."
"Guests?" Chen Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly.
The fact that the butler had personally come upstairs to inform him meant this person was clearly extraordinary. He turned to the ladies beside him and smiled apologetically, " Euphemia, thank you for your care these past two days."
I had planned to host a luncheon for everyone as a token of my gratitude.
The silver-haired woman gently brushed a stray hair behind her ear, her smile warm and gentle, "It's alright, Vitas, you should go and attend to your business."
"Alright, everyone, please have a seat."
Under the watchful eyes of several smiling figures, Chen Xiao calmly walked out of the library.
Outside the gate, a stretched Rolls-Royce was parked quietly, attracting many students to stop and look. Such a top-of-the-line luxury car is truly rare on campus.
The old butler stepped forward, opened the car door, and waited for Chen Xiao to sit down before gently closing the door and turning to leave.
Upstairs by the window, several women watched the departing car, their eyes flickering slightly.
"Young Master, three Mutants claiming to be your friends just came to visit."
Inside the carriage, the old butler turned to report.
" Mutants? My friend?" Chen Xiao was slightly surprised.
The old butler nodded. "Exactly."
Chen Xiao thought for a moment, but couldn't recall when he had met Mutants friends. It was strange that they hadn't contacted each other beforehand and that they would suddenly visit at this time.
What do they look like?
"A woman in her early twenties of mixed European and American descent, with a tattoo on the left side of her cheek; and a silver-haired white young man, also in his twenties or thirties."
"There was also a green-haired girl, who looked even younger than Yidileisi."
A woman of mixed European and American descent, with half her face tattooed... Nightcrawler? Chen Xiao's eyes narrowed, and he already knew what was going on.
But what exactly is Magneto's intention in sending someone to his door at this time?
After a moment's thought, he stopped investigating and sank his mind into the depths of his consciousness. In the vast void, he touched a separate space of about two Cosmic Cube. This Storage Space had been almost never used since he acquired it.
"System, can the Storage Space be expanded?" he asked in his mind.
After destroying the Sentry Laboratory, those sophisticated devices had to be taken away. How to transport them? That was his first thought.
The system's voice then sounded in my mind:
"The host can consume Origin to strengthen the Storage Space; each point of Origin expands it by one thousand Cosmic Cube."
"Will it deplete my Origin again?" Chen Xiao's heart tightened.
All my hard work has accumulated to this point, but I only have 8 points of Origin, all reserved for my goal of becoming Silver- level speedster. Who would have thought that I would have to give up 1 point right at the beginning?
"This guy, he must be richer than a country, right?"
In another grand living room of the villa, Quicksilver looked up at a medieval master's original work on the wall, then glanced at the antique artworks scattered on the display shelves, and couldn't help but click his tongue.
Don't let his frequent stay-at-home lifestyle fool you; he's actually quite knowledgeable.
His thinking speed far surpasses that of ordinary people, allowing him to spend all day online studying materials, has broadened his horizons to a level far beyond that of ordinary people.
He recognized at a glance that any single piece of furniture in the room would be worth at least tens or hundreds of thousands of US dollars on the market; the total value of the art collection in the entire room easily exceeded ten million.
He couldn't help but gasp. Magneto, now the head of state, lived a simple and low-key life; yet this legendary X-Men was so extravagant.
Both Nightcrawler and Lorna, who also came from humble backgrounds, were somewhat uneasy at this moment. The two sat upright on the leather sofa, not daring to casually place their hands on the armrests, for fear of breaking something.
At that moment, the maid pushed open the living room door.
Buzz,
The moment Chen Xiao and the old butler stepped across the threshold, Quicksilver's figure suddenly blurred, like a silver line tearing through the air, and instantly appeared in front of Chen Xiao.
In that instant, it was as if the surroundings had been paused:
The old butler's right foot was halfway raised and suspended in mid-air; the Nightcrawler had just opened her mouth when her greeting got stuck in her throat; in the distance, in the fish tank, the bubbles exhaled by the goldfish were also stuck in the water, just half an inch away from floating to the surface.
Quicksilver harbors no ill intentions.
He just wanted to test him. Magneto himself had said that this X-Men's speed was comparable to his own. He wanted to see just how fast the other guy really was.
But what he saw before him made him pause slightly:
He was already within arm's reach, yet Chen Xiao remained calm and unresponsive.
Indeed, speed is the ultimate in the world, and I reign supreme.
A smug smile had barely formed on his lips when he brushed past Chen Xiao.
But the smile that had just begun to rise suddenly froze.
In that fleeting moment as they passed each other, he clearly saw Chen Xiao's neck turn slightly, his gaze following his every move; deep within those indifferent eyes, a fiery red flame quietly ignited, scorching and sharp, carrying a sense of oppressive tension that made one's heart tighten.
What?!
Quicksilver was jolted, nearly losing control and crashing into the wall.
Whoosh!
At the critical moment, he swiftly returned to his original position, his smile unchanged, as if that fleeting glimpse had never happened.
Apart from him and Chen Xiao, even the Nightcrawler, who also possessed explosive speed and had a similar temperament to Yidileisi, was completely unaware.
The Nightcrawler rose and nodded politely. "Mr. Vitas, it's been a long time."
Chen Xiao nodded calmly. "You've come here on business?"
Before he finished speaking, his gaze had already fallen on Quicksilver, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
That flash of silver light was too fast; it was so fast that the physical body couldn't react in time, and only the consciousness could barely catch it.
It's worth noting that his current normal movement speed is already 400 meters per second; the maximum burst speed marked on his attribute panel is even closer to 900 meters per second, which is nearly three times the speed of sound.
The speed Quicksilver just displayed, enhanced by his ability to subtly distort spacetime and slow down the flow of time in certain areas, was a staggering ten times the speed of sound.
He truly deserves the title of "King of Speed" among Mutants.
Chen Xiao's eyes darkened slightly, as if he were deep in thought.
Of course, while the body may not be able to keep up, the mind remains constantly engaged.
If Quicksilver truly intended to kill, a scorching Heat Vision would have pierced through his brow the moment he passed by.
The Nightcrawler, unaware of Chen Xiao's inner thoughts, smiled slightly and said in a gentle tone, "Mr. Vitas, allow me to introduce you. This is Mr. Pietro, codenamed ' Quicksilver,' who also served in the X-Men in his early years."
Chen Xiao nodded slightly.
"This is Miss Lorna, the daughter of Councilor Erik."
Chen Xiao was genuinely surprised this time. " Magneto's daughter? She's so young."
But another identity quickly surfaced in her mind: the green-haired girl was not only the heir to a powerful family, but also the most prominent leader of the Mutants resistance, Polaris.
The barely perceptible surprise in his tone made the strong-willed Lorna frown slightly. "I heard your name is ' Superman '? But you don't seem like it right now."
" Superman?" Chen Xiao's gaze sharpened, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes.
The Nightcrawler was taken aback by the sudden retort and quickly tried to ease the tension, "Mr. Vitas, please don't take offense. Miss Lorna has always been straightforward."
He added, "' Superman ' is a nickname given to you by several international intelligence agencies based on your recent demonstrated abilities, such as high-speed movement, superhuman strength, and resilience."
"Interesting." Chen Xiao chuckled lightly, his smile faint yet genuine.
He had been engrossed in reviewing documents these past two days, completely unaware of the rumors circulating outside, and was genuinely unaware that he had been given this title.
Indeed, there are no fools in the world. Fortunately, the X-Gene's disguise was thorough enough to conceal his true Superman abilities.
Since that's the case... he might as well go with the flow, add a few more " Superman " elements, mix the real with the fake, making it difficult to distinguish between them, and thus harder to see through. In an instant, countless thoughts intertwined in his mind.
"We are here on behalf of the Speaker of the Council to cordially invite you to attend the founding ceremony of the New Mutants Republic, to be held one week from now on May 3rd."
Chen Xiao had never bothered to argue with a young girl, and upon hearing this, he raised an eyebrow. "The founding ceremony?"
The Nightcrawler nodded in acknowledgment. "Indeed. Most of the world's top Mutants will be present, and Mr. Charles will also be attending."
The former hostile stance has been quietly reversed as Magneto transformed from an underground fighter into a head of state.
Today, he sits on equal footing with heads of state from various countries and is a true leader in his own right.
"We'll see then. If I'm free, I'll definitely be there," Chen Xiao said calmly, leaving room for negotiation.
Quicksilver and his team arrived quickly and left just as quickly.
After confirming that Chen Xiao was likely to agree, they hurriedly went to the airport to catch the next flight and leave.
After watching the group leave, Chen Xiao turned and went into his office, took out his electronic whiteboard, connected it to his computer, and began designing his own combat equipment.
The first thing that came to mind was the Saint Cloth. The golden, sharp-lined armor of that era left a deep impression on his childhood memories, especially the Sagittarius with its wings spread out on its back.
Of course, all he wanted to do was achieve a superficial resemblance: paying homage to the appearance without seeking divine power; unable to automatically possess the body, and without the blessing of Cosmic Energy. He also made adjustments to the details, incorporating modern industrial aesthetics.
With a smooth gliding of fingertips across the canvas, a suit of armor, composed of dozens of precisely interlocking components and possessing both power and streamlined beauty, gradually takes shape on the screen.
With the external shape finalized, the next step is the internal structure: microchip layout, circuit routing, encrypted communication module...
In the following days, Chen Xiao practically immersed himself in the acquired metal smelting plant and high-precision machining plant, staying indoors without venturing out. No one knew what he was busy with inside.
Until a phone call brought him back.
Back at the villa, he immediately saw several people waiting in the living room.
The old butler's expression tightened slightly, and he introduced in a low voice, "Young master, this is Governor Mont of León State."