Chapter 41: Sneak Attack on Magneto
Arthur thought that with Mystique's ability, he could transform into Mystique.
Then, he would use her own methods against her, ambushing Magneto at the Statue of Liberty.
He currently possesses seventeen abilities.
Physical: Healing Factor, Bone Claws, Wild Burst, Laser, Clone, Mimic
Mental: Telepathy, Mastermind
Field Energy: Absolute Zero, Bioelectricity, Weather Control
Elemental: Body of Steel, Fire Body, Water Body
Space-Time: Quantum Shuttle, Ghost, Different Dimension
He used Mimic to transform into Mystique's appearance, then used Ghost to flash to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
He saw Magneto and Anna.
"Erik, that Arthur has been dealt with by me."
Magneto looked surprised.
"You killed him? I still wanted him to join the Brotherhood!"
"How could I have that ability? I only made him temporarily unconscious; he wasn't injured or killed."
Magneto breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this and pulled Rogue over.
"Since Wolverine and Arthur have both been subdued, I will activate the machine now."
Arthur then saw Logan, who was trapped in the Statue of Liberty's arm by steel.
Oh, Logan, you brute, I told you to wait for me.
At this moment, Magneto was speaking to Rogue.
"Anna, I need you to absorb my ability, then enter this machine to transform everyone in the world into a Mutant."
"This way, no one will discriminate against you or see you as an anomaly."
Magneto spoke nicely, but the machine would also drain the user's stamina and life.
If Anna went in, she would never come out.
Arthur quietly walked behind Magneto, then kicked him, sending Magneto tumbling down the Statue of Liberty.
Anna screamed in fright, and he changed back to his original appearance.
"Anna, don't be afraid. If you enter the machine, you will lose your life. You and Logan, leave first."
He took Anna and ran to Logan, then pulled Logan out.
"Logan, take Rogue and leave. Don't let Magneto catch up."
No sooner had he finished arranging than Magneto's angry voice came over.
"None of you are leaving!"
Then the Statue of Liberty's arm began to bend downwards, and the three fell downwards.
Arthur used Body of Steel, embedding his hand into the Statue of Liberty, while Logan used Bone Claws to stabilize his body, simultaneously holding onto Rogue.
Magneto, as expected of a man of the hour, manipulated another arm to strike the three.
Arthur quickly used Different Dimension to open a huge portal, teleporting the Statue of Liberty's arm towards Magneto.
Magneto narrowly escaped, laughing as he shouted.
"The ability to replicate is indeed powerful. You used various abilities to neutralize my attacks in a short time."
"Arthur, join the Brotherhood to complete this glorious cause. Then you will be able to lead your compatriots to a better life."
"I refuse! Your plan is too crude; it's complete human extinction!"
After Arthur shouted, he and Wolverineuncontrollably flew into the air.
Rogue, meanwhile, was caught by a piece of metal and sent to the machine.
"Since you don't agree with my idea, then watch with your own eyes what the world will be like after the plan is completed."
"This is my forgiveness to my compatriots. Before that, you two need to behave yourselves."
Arthur and Wolverine simultaneously fell downwards, while the Statue of Liberty's arm, severed by the portal, spread open.
It pressed down, trapping the two firmly.
Arthur glanced at Wolverine, who was still struggling beside him, then looked at the steel framework behind the copper skin.
Only then did he understand why Old Man could control the copper statue, which was not a magnetic metal.
"I was always on guard against Magneto's abilities, but in the end, I still fell for it."
He retracted the steel armor on his arm, then used Ghost to escape the copper statue's restraint.
"Logan, close your eyes!"
He used Different Dimension again, using a portal to sever the copper statue around Logan.
Then Logan burst out with his steel claws.
"Yan, what should we do now?"
"It's what I should do. You're too easily manipulated by Magneto. Wait down there and don't let other Brotherhood members get close."
Arthur opened a portal, stepped through, and arrived at the top of the Statue of Liberty.
He saw Magneto lying weakly beside the machine, and Rogue was already inside the machine.
A colorful light curtain emanated from the machine, rapidly extending outwards.
Magneto laughed loudly, struggling to stand and said.
"Yan, do you see? This world is about to undergo an Earth-shattering change!"
"In the future, there will be no distinction between humans and Mutants, and every special Mutant will be able to live freely on Earth!"
Arthur was utterly speechless. He tried to open a portal to get Rogue out, but found that the machine's energy was blocking his abilities.
It was an electric field, just like the Magnetic Fieldsuppressor he had encountered before, which would suppress Mutant abilities.
Space-type abilities were out. He then tried to use Body of Steel to tear the machine apart.
But as soon as he used the steel armor, Magnetointerfered, and he couldn't move his entire body.
"Haha, even if your abilities are diverse, it's impossible to destroy my plan!"
"I've taken many protective measures against you; most of your abilities are ineffective!"
Arthur cursed inwardly, realizing Magneto had been thinking about him all along, even countering his moves.
"Magneto, take off your helmet, and let's have a good fight!"
"You must have copied Charles's ability. I won't give you that chance."
Arthur reluctantly used Absolute Zero, freezing both the machine and Rogue.
"I didn't want to use this move initially, just in case I accidentally hurt Anna when I was dealing with you."
Magneto, seeing his hard work destroyed in an instant, shouted angrily.
"Everything I do is for my compatriots! Why are you stopping me?"
Arthur shed his steel armor, breaking free from Magneto's control.
Then his entire body transformed into ice, emitting cold air as he replied.
"Magneto, Mutants are merely a branch of humanity, yet you treat them as adversaries.
"If only Mutants remained in the world, wouldn't the weaker Mutants become slaves oppressed by the strong?"
"Even Mutants who have merely undergone mutation without obvious abilities would be slaughtered as anomalies."
"I don't particularly like the Professor's ideas, but they have their uses, whereas your ideology is just a pile of dung."
After speaking, he instantly transformed into ice crystals and lunged towards Magneto.
Magneto, manipulating the Magnetic Field, instantly escaped.
Then he manipulated the steel framework within the copper statue, scattering it in the air to block Arthur's sneak attack.
Arthur then used Clone and Mastermind, with dozens of copies surrounding Magneto.
Then they simultaneously released Laser, causing Magnetoto quickly block with the steel framework.
Then he spread out the surrounding rebar, breaking up Arthur's clone formation.
Arthur's clones fought independently, easily dodging Magneto's attacks.
Then the main body opened a huge portal, simultaneously stirring up a massive storm.
Chapter 42 Furnace Upgrade, Capacity Increased
Arthur's clones simultaneously shot Lasers at the Teleportation Gate.
Lasers shot out from the Teleportation Gate's exit at various angles, even melting Magneto's spherical Steel shield in an instant, scaring Magneto into shouting urgently.
"Stop! Stop! We can give you a condition not to kill me, just stop first."
Arthur withdrew his clones and slowly approached Magneto.
"Old Khan, do you want to surrender now? But it's too late, you are my captive now."
"Oh, Yan, we are all compatriots, why should we kill each other?"
"You were the one who started killing each other first. Machines deplete the user's life. Isn't that why you captured Rogue?"
Magneto was speechless, his mouth tightly shut as he landed on the Statue of Liberty.
Arthur landed beside the machine and used the Fire Body to dispel the frost on it.
Rogue gradually regained her vitality, sitting weakly on the ground. Upon seeing the disheveled Magneto, she immediately understood what had just happened.
"Yan, thank you for saving me. I thought I wouldn't see you all again."
"Wait a moment, I'll open this machine first."
Arthur condensed an Adamantium Steel knife.
He cut open the machine's glass casing, allowing Rogue to walk out on her own.
Magneto looked regretful, still not giving up on trying to keep Rogue.
"Yan, this is the best chance for Mutant freedom. As long as the machine is restarted, my plan can still be saved."
"Don't you know, at the hearing, the the US politicians decided to reveal the identities of all Mutants. Next, they are going to implement racial segregation!"
"Given the the US' history, Mutants' survival will be even worse than that of Black people. You came out of the Institute, you should understand this point!"
Arthur had just sent his clone to escort Rogue away, so he hadn't paid much attention to Magneto's words.
Turning back, he saw Magneto's exasperated look and just gave a cold chuckle.
He pointed at the rapidly approaching the militaryhelicopters and the surrounding police.
"Old Khan, what's most important now isn't the so-called bill, but the restarted Sentinel robotss. The the militaryhas already fully manufactured them."
"The trouble you caused today will only accelerate the implementation of the Sentinel Project, not to mention this machine has major flaws."
"And don't change the subject. Where's the reason you said for not killing you? I'm not soft-hearted like the Professor; if you don't have one, I'll chop you."
Magneto, with a troubled expression, took off his glove and extended his hand towards him.
Arthur immediately understood that Magneto meant for him to copy his ability.
What kind of reason for not killing him was this? He could still melt the ability even if he killed Magneto.
But considering Magneto was still useful, at least he could unite those more extreme Mutants.
So he reached out and plucked a handful of Magneto's White hair, directly melting it.
"Successfully melted Magneto's ability, generated new ability—Magnetic Field."
Magneto's ability was to control Magnetic Fields, but Magneto thought the ability only worked on magnetic metals like iron.
In reality, as long as the Magnetic Field is properly applied, everything in the world can be controlled. Magnetowouldn't have been trapped in a glass case.
For example, Jean also has control abilities, which in fact is controlling a wider range of Magnetic Fields. Magneto was still somewhat illiterate.
After his hair was pulled out, Magneto winced in pain.
"Why? Don't you just need to touch someone to copy them? Why pull my hair?"
"You deserve to have it pulled. Go find the Professor. The Sentinel matter concerns the survival of Mutants, you two should be together."
Arthur saw the X-Men's plane in the distance, likely the Professor and the X-Men coming to support, so he urged Magneto to go.
Magneto looked at the surrounding armed helicopters and asked in confusion.
"It's so dangerous here, aren't you coming with me?"
"I'll stay to clean up your mess and have a good talk with the Professor to understand the current situation first."
Arthur used Body of Steel to equip himself with Adamantium armor.
After Magneto left, he placed his hand on the machine and activated the Superpower Furnace.
"Successfully melted the Gene Inducement Machine, Superpower Furnace upgraded, upgrading melting method, please wait."
"Superpower Furnace upgrade complete, any life or object within five meters of the host can be melted by the host at will."
"Host ability limit increased, upgraded from a maximum of Omega-level to a maximum of Universe-level."
It wasn't the arbitrary gene induction he had expected, but only a change in the melting method, and an increased limit was also quite good.
The melting method needs no further explanation; it's just easier than before.
But this upper limit is interesting. Omega-level abilities are sufficient on Earth.
Iceman can send the Earth back to the Ice Age, Wanda can make Mutants disappear, and Jean can destroy the entire world.
But they are all confined to the planet, while his upper limit has been raised to the Universe-level, giving him the capital to transcend the multiverse.
Omega, Stellar-level, Universe-level.
There's still a lot of room for improvement, as the upgrade for all five types to Omega-level abilities hasn't been achieved yet.
Just as he was happy, the surrounding helicopters broadcasted.
"Silver Star Khan! You have damaged the the US' property, surrender quickly, or we will open fire!"
Arthur looked at the five helicopters surrounding him, and the countless police on the ground.
He sighed helplessly; why was it that only bad reputations were spread about him? The prejudice of the the US people was truly deep.
But he didn't want to leave yet, firstly to test his newly melted ability, and secondly to cover for the Professor and the others.
He thought about abilities that could buy him time in his mind.
Physical: Healing Factor, Bone Claws, Wild Burst, Laser, Clone, Mimic.
Mental: Telepathy, Mastermind.
Field Energy: Absolute Zero, Bioelectricity, Weather Control, Magnetic Field.
Elemental: Body of Steel, Fire Body, Water Body.
Space-Time: Quantum Shuttle, Ghost, Different Dimension.
Eighteen abilities, any one of them would be enough to deal with these cannon fodder.
But before he could act, a cannonball shot from a helicopter, hitting him.
The explosion's flames engulfed him, but before the flames receded, a barrage of bullets poured onto him.
He felt puzzled; he hadn't done anything just now, so why did these soldiers dare to move against him?
He used Telepathy to invade a soldier's consciousness.
Only then did he realize it was Colonel Stryker's order, which was why the soldiers opened fire.
"Haunting. So Stryker is here too. Then I don't need to be polite."
He used Magnetic Field to control five helicopters simultaneously, then opened a huge Teleportation Gate.
He threw all the helicopters into the Teleportation Gate, making them exit from where Stryker sent the signal.
Seeing a building in the distance continuously exploding, he then uprooted the Statue of Liberty and flew it into the Teleportation Gate as well.
After exiting the Teleportation Gate, he saw politicians scattering and fleeing; it seemed the President was among them.
He then used the Magnetic Field to control the Statue of Liberty to block the escape path of the politicians.
Then he landed beside the President and patted his shoulder.
"Donald, where's Stryker?"
Chapter 43 Death of the President
Donald was almost paralyzed with fear, his voice trembling as he shouted, his legs shaking.
"I don't know where he is; I only saw him once this morning at the White House."
"Donald, I'll tell you something. I can read minds, so don't lie to me. I don't want to read your disgusting memories."
"If Stryker didn't come with you, why did he order the helicopters surrounding me to open fire just now?"
Donald looked bewildered, shaking his golden hair anxiously as he yelled, "No, I didn't know Stryker was here. I only came to New York for a meeting about the public revelation of Mutant identities."
Arthur stared into President Donald's eyes, using Telepathy to read his memories.
He found that Donald truly didn't know Stryker had also arrived in New York.
It was just that this old fellow was publicly courting the X-Men Academy while secretly supporting the Sentinel Project.
His goal, however, was to imprison Mutants and form a Mutant army to replace the U.S. military's global hegemony.
He had some good ideas, but he hadn't considered the possibility of being backstabbed by a traitor.
Stryker had just ordered the helicopters to fire bombs, probably to provoke him and make him kill Donald.
Then, the Sentinel Project could be promoted without hindrance.
He smiled, released the President's clothes, and then helped the President tidy his attire.
"Donald, you truly are the the US' most pathetic President, to be played by a colonel."
"Stryker must have used a Mutant's ability to control the helicopter soldiers to attack me just now."
"You almost died because of this. I saved you, so how will you repay me?"
Donald gasped in surprise, then immediately told his secretary to confirm Stryker's location.
A moment later, the secretary reported with a troubled expression.
"Mr. President, the White House said Stryker disappeared after you left, and they haven't been able to contact him."
"Fuck! Stryker, that parasite, I'm going to put that bastard on trial!"
"Come on! Catch him first. He now has a Sentinel unit, which cannot be defeated by an ordinary army."
Arthur had just used Telepathy to search a hundred-mile radius.
However, he didn't find any trace of Stryker; that bastard must also have a psychic-type Mutant nearby.
Or there was some device blocking his senses.
"Donald, tell me where Stryker's Institute is now. He might not just be an enemy of Mutants anymore."
Donald hesitated for a moment, his face growing darker, but looking at the surrounding mess.
And Arthur's constantly revealed weapons, he still fearfully gave the location.
Arthur immediately used a teleportation gate to leave for the Research base.
...
Stryker hid in the Shadow, only sighing in relief after seeing Arthur leave.
After he received the Mutant gene bank data today, he had just sent it to the Institute.
The Institute then informed him that the Sentinel detected a large gathering of Mutants in New York.
He secretly came to New York and saw members of the Brotherhood fighting Arthur.
Although he didn't know why the Mutants were fighting among themselves, he quickly thought of a plan.
It just so happened that President Donald was nearby. As long as the Mutants attacked, preferably killing Donald.
Then the conflict between the government and Mutants would become irreconcilable, and the government would surely activate the Sentinel immediately.
So he, in the President's name, ordered the frontline soldiers to open Fire.
However, to his surprise, Arthur was able to immediately pinpoint his location and counterattack.
If it weren't for the suppression collar he carried with him, which could hinder Mutant abilities, Arthur would have found him by now.
"Arthur actually has psychic abilities now, and he's even won over the President. This is all too bad."
"No, Donald must die, otherwise the Sentinel Project will be shelved forever, and I will be severely punished."
He pulled out his phone and called the Institute.
"Arthur already knows the Institute's location. Retreat as quickly as possible, and leave him a big gift before you go."
"Also, send Mutant assassins to New York! I have a great use for them!"
Stryker hung up the phone and let out a long breath.
He muttered, staring at Donald, who was angrily giving orders to his subordinates.
"You've reached the end of your presidency, Mr. Donald."
Donald angrily shouted at his secretary, Peter.
"Quickly find Stryker, quick! I want that bastard to know what cruelty is!"
Peter shrunk his head and pointed to the nearby Statue of Liberty.
"Mr. President, what about this mess Silver Star Khancreated? How should we explain it?"
"Peter, why have you become so stupid now? At this time, we must seize the opportunity and say that Stryker is a Democrat.
"It was the Democrats who incited Stryker to try and take my life, to stir up national anger. Remember to put the Mutants in an innocent position."
Donald had been terrified by Silver Star Khan just now. He used to think Mutants were just superhumans with special abilities.
And that they couldn't withstand an army's siege. Under artillery fire, no Mutant could survive; the advantage was with ordinary people.
But the abilities Silver Star Khan displayed were simply not something an army could stop, unless nuclear bombs were used.
However, based on the purple space Silver Star Khanopened when he left, he could conclude that even a nuclear bomb might not harm Silver Star Khan.
Fortunately, Khan did not show too much hostility and clearly asked for Stryker's location.
He walked to the Statue of Liberty, looking up at its ruined body.
"The power of God! Mutants must be a blessing from God. Maybe I can also gain the power of God."
He told the guards to stand back, then affectionately touched the goddess's toes, a look of ecstasy on his face.
The U.S. President is basically the most powerful position in the world, but this position only lasts eight years, or four if things go poorly.
This kind of power was not as strong as Silver Star Khan's power.
"It's better to use the Sentinel Project's funds for Mutantgene research. If the secret of eternal life is discovered, I will exist forever!"
"No, Donald, you won't exist forever."
Donald turned sharply and saw Stryker and a White-skinned man.
He quickly called for help from the guards, but no one responded to him.
"Don't bother, those guards have been killed by my clones. You are now isolated and helpless."
"Stryker! What do you want to do?"
As Donald angrily reprimanded Stryker, his hand quietly reached into his pocket, where there was a button that could trigger an alarm.
But before he could press it, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his arm.
It turned out his arm had been severed by the pale man.
"Ah! You dare to harm the President! Aren't you afraid of a military court?"
"Tsk tsk tsk! What time is it, and you're still thinking about those foolish institutions, you blonde fool, today is your death day!"
Stryker waved his hand, and the pale man immediately flicked his finger, decapitating Donald.
Chapter 44 Stryker's Second Poisonous Plan
Stryker kicked Donald's head, then disgustedly wiped his shoes with Donald's clothes.
"The charming thing is always the high chair, not an imbecile like you."
He looked at the White man and coldly instructed,
"Dispose of his body, then transform into him and declare to the whole country that you were attacked by a Mutant, immediately activating the Sentinel Project!"
"Remember to make the appearance realistic, add some injuries to your body. I recall Donald's wife is quite beautiful; it's a good deal for a clone like you."
Stryker left, laughing loudly.
The White man pulled a button from Donald's pocket.
He then spat several times at Donald's corpse, and the body immediately dissolved.
He transformed into Donald, with identical height, appearance, and weight.
After cutting off his right hand, he lay on the ground and pressed the button.
...
Arthur arrived on the sea surface through a portal. According to Donald's information, the Institute was beneath the Water.
He first used Telepathy to scan the vicinity, only sensing a large number of fish and other life forms beneath the sea.
"The underwater steel structure naturally resists my Telepathy. Without the Academy's super-brain, it's difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the Institute."
He immediately used Mastermind and Doppelganger, releasing dozens of duplicates.
Then, they all jumped into the ocean, using Water Body to transform into Water currents and wander through the sea.
After some searching, he finally found the Institute deeply hidden among the rocks.
He recalled his duplicates and pulled open the main door in his Adamantium armor form.
As soon as he stepped inside, the door closed again, and a pump sucked away the surrounding Water. Then, the door leading to the interior of the Institute automatically opened.
"You even know how to welcome guests. I wonder how many welcoming gifts you've prepared for me?"
He swaggered in, seeing a vast space. The control room was at the highest point.
The bottom floor housed an automated production line, with ten Sentinels standing beside it, presumably the Sentinel production facility.
The middle level contained some cabins, which appeared to hold Mutants.
"There are no researchers at all. It seems I've come up empty-handed again. You're quite cunning, Stryker."
Suddenly, a row of machine guns popped out from the side wall, and alarms blared throughout the Institute. The indicator lights on the Sentinels on the bottom floor also lit up.
Stryker's large face appeared on the suspended giant display screen.
"Heh heh, we meet again, T-34!"
"Do you, you ugly freak, have some kind of weird obsession? You always like to put your stinky face on the display screen. Is it an exhibitionist thing?!"
While Arthur mocked, he studied Stryker's background and discovered that the bastard was in New York.
"Oh! Stryker, you're in New York! Stand still right there, let's meet offline!"
He immediately opened a portal. Just as he was about to step in, he suddenly felt his body weaken.
Stryker laughed on the screen.
"My dear T-34, ever since I arrived at this Institute, I've made thorough preparations. Haven't you noticed it's a giant cage?"
"The inhibiting Magnetic Field here is enough to turn you back into an ordinary person! And I have my newly perfected Sentinel robots!"
"If conditions allowed, I would even consider dropping a nuclear bomb. Of course, the bomb yield here is enough to destroy a quarter of a city!"
Arthur couldn't stand Stryker's smug face. While his abilities hadn't been completely blocked, he pulled out a nearby power cable.
Then, using Bioelectricity, he controlled the Institute's electrical system, turning off a portion of the inhibiting Magnetic Field.
The remaining Magnetic Field was independent, and he couldn't find a way to turn it off, so he only recovered a portion of his abilities.
"Stryker, you're truly cunning, but in the face of power, your little schemes are useless!"
He opened the portal again. Although his weakened Different Dimension couldn't reach New York.
But as long as he got out, Stryker would have no chance of escaping.
Stryker's face showed urgency, and he quickly said,
"T-34, if you leave now, after the Institute explodes, your former companions will be destroyed along with the Institute."
"Can you bear to watch them die without a complete corpse?"
Arthur glanced at the Mutants in the transparent prison on the middle level.
He saw hope and a desire for survival written all over their pale, weak faces.
"Stryker, when have I ever shown a compassionate side?"
"They've been in the Institute since childhood; they no longer possess the ability to survive in this world. I'll kill you, and that will count as revenge for them!"
Stryker was greatly alarmed and shouted hastily,
"Stop! You're even more ruthless than I am, how terrifying!"
The machine guns in the Institute spat out scorching Fire, striking his steel armor.
And the ten Sentinels simultaneously fired Lasers, completely blocking his path to the portal.
He then realized that the Sentinels' attack power was more than ten times stronger than before, actually making him feel pressure.
Although he had half his strength suppressed by the inhibiting Magnetic Field, his Adamantium armor was solid.
Under the Sentinels' Lasers, the Adamantium armor even showed signs of melting.
He immediately used Phantom to flash into the middle of the Sentinels, striking the nearest Sentinel's thigh with his Adamantium alloy blade.
However, it only left an indentation, causing little damage.
"Haha, these ten Sentinels are specially made. They inherited the learning ability from your genes."
"Their steel armor is no less than Adamantium. Your old tricks are useless now!"
Stryker's annoying voice made Arthur particularly irritated.
He used Quantum Shuttle to ignore the Sentinels' attacks on him, then froze the large screen with ice, and then kicked it to shatter it completely.
After the world became quiet, he stood on the upper level, carefully watching the pursuing Sentinels.
As these Sentinels passed by the Mutants, they ignored them, focusing solely on rushing towards him.
He moved his body, strengthened the hardness of the alloy blade in his hand, and then leaped fiercely towards the Sentinel closest to him.
He severed the Sentinel's head with one strike, simultaneously using a portal to deflect a sneak attack from a Sentinel behind him, then quickly closed the portal, cutting off the Sentinel.
Phantom flashed to the bottom level, temporarily freezing the three Sentinels below with frost.
Magnetic Field controlled the surrounding steel to crush these three Sentinels, then he severed their heads simultaneously with one strike.
Then he used Mimic to transform into a Sentinel, Bioelectricity to disrupt their communication, and then systematically eliminated all the remaining Sentinels with one strike after another.
"Woohoo! These specialized Sentinels are quite interesting; it's rare for me to break a sweat."
He jumped to the control panel on the upper level and found that the Institute would self-destruct in one minute.
That old man Stryker had probably already escaped; pursuing him now would be a waste of energy.
He simply opened a portal, then threw all the cages in the middle into it, rescuing the imprisoned Mutants.
Then he carried a Sentinel wreckage into the portal.
He emerged in a farm. After confirming his current location, he then determined the Academy's direction.
Then he teleported back to the Academy.
Chapter 45 The Mutant Disaster
When Arthur returned to the Institute with the children he had rescued from the Institute, ProfessorCharles had not yet returned.
He then had the students from the Institute lead the numb Mutants to their rooms to rest.
Then he retracted his Adamantium Armor and sat by the television to watch how the news reported on today's events.
Only then did he realize that President Donald had been assassinated, and the assassin was actually him.
"Hmm? Donald is also missing a hand? It seems someone impersonated me to assassinate Donald."
"The only person willing to throw dirt on my name is Stryker, and it also provides him with the conditions to push for the Sentinel Project."
In Stryker's eyes, he should be in an unknown state of life or death, after all, he had turned off all the cameras in the underwater Institute.
Then he could make a move while Stryker was still suspicious, to give Stryker a shock.
Just then, Kitty and Clarice ran over, their faces filled with panic and anxiety.
"Yan, everyone in the Institute is saying you assassinated the President, oh my God! Is this true?"
"If it's true, Yan, you need to run quickly, the army will come after you in a while!"
"Don't worry, I had a cordial and friendly conversation with the President, but I didn't kill him."
Arthur embraced the two women, pinching their tender cheeks.
"The one who killed the President is Stryker; I'm currently thinking about what to do next to completely end the Sentinel Project."
Kitty puffed out her cheeks and said anxiously.
"Leave this kind of thing to Professor Charles! You must be targeted now, you need to find a safe place to hide."
"Kitty is right, you've been framed for assassinating the President, if you don't escape now, you won't have a chance."
Arthur felt a headache listening to the two women's dissuasion.
He simply didn't believe that Stryker's Sentinels or the the US army could pose much of a threat to him.
He had seen it before at the military base and this time at the underwater Institute; even if he was restrained by a Magnetic Field inhibitor, he could still clear out enemies.
Outside the window, there was a roar of airplane engines; it seemed Professor Charles and the X-Men had returned.
He directly opened a portal and teleported to the underground hangar.
He saw Jean pushing Professor Charles, Wolverinebringing Rogue, beast and Cyclops following behind Magneto.
Ororo brought Mystique Raven out.
Raven saw Arthur and said with a smile but a cold voice.
"Your Institute is really good at rescuing people; you can rescue a Mutant with replication ability with one rescue, was it accidental or intentional?"
Arthur heard that Raven was mocking ProfessorCharles for saving him with a purpose.
Mystique's mouth was still so unforgiving, ProfessorCharles rarely even frowned.
"Raven, don't be silly, we don't have time to bicker now."
...
After Professor Charles finished speaking to Raven, he looked at Arthur in shock.
When he was in Washington, he had been worried about whether Arthur could protect the Institute?
Could he timely delay Magneto's actions so that the X-Mencould provide timely support and rescue Anna?
But he didn't expect Arthur to successfully resolve the crisis brought by Magneto before they arrived.
Even after rescuing Anna, Arthur even threatened the President on the way to find Stryker's Institute.
The most terrifying thing was that Arthur returned even faster than them!
"Yan, when did you come back? Have Stryker's Sentinels been dealt with?"
"I just came back less than ten minutes ago, Stryker ran away early, I estimate he still has a larger production line, and the Sentinels are already basically complete."
"We can't stop the development of the Sentinels, we can only return to the negotiating table, or act now to trouble the the US government."
Professor Charles fell into deep thought after listening to Arthur's description of the situation.
And the surrounding X-Men also had worried expressions; although they had not seen the Sentinels.
But hearing Arthur say that the Sentinels were very difficult to deal with, they knew that the gap between them and the Sentinels was very large.
Afterward, Magneto and Mystique looked bewildered.
"Charles, what are Sentinels? Why did your faces change when you talked about them?"
"Sentinels are weapons specifically designed for Mutants, capable of adapting and mimicking our abilities, and we Mutants will perish because of them."
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"You wear that broken helmet all day, how could I tell you something like this?"
Professor Charles and Erik cursed at each other for a while, feeling relieved.
But as soon as he thought about the news of the President's assassination spreading outside, his head started hurting again.
"The situation is very unfavorable for us now; after the President was assassinated, he changed his tune and supported the bill for public Mutant identities."
"I'm worried that he will become extreme enough to support the Sentinels later, and then we will have no hope of turning things around."
"Professor Charles, don't be so anxious yet, the Presidentwill definitely support Stryker, I suspect the current President is not real at all."
Arthur's few words greatly surprised everyone present.
Logically speaking, the President is well-guarded, so no one should dare to lay a hand on him.
But what Arthur said made some sense; ProfessorCharles had, after all, interacted with the President many times.
He knew that although President Donald was careless and loved grandiosity, he never easily expressed his own opinions.
Now, after being assassinated, he said he would support a bill unfavorable to Mutants, which was indeed somewhat abnormal.
"Yan, you think the current President is fake, do you have any evidence?"
...
"Because I really didn't attack the President!"
Arthur felt that Professor Charles didn't understand human speech; the news said Silver Star Khan was the one who did it.
And he was Silver Star Khan, he already said he didn't kill Donald, what was so hard to understand?
A flicker of apology crossed Professor Charles's face; he was too worried about the future of Mutants, so he spoke without thinking.
"The most important thing now is to find where Strykerproduces the Sentinels; without the Sentinels, whatever Stryker does will be useless."
"Secondly, we need to expose the fake President and clear my name, so that Congress won't pass the bill."
Arthur stated his ideas, leaving the task of finding the production base to the X-Men.
And the matters of dealing with the President and public opinion would be handled by him, Professor Charles, and Magneto.
As long as the X-Men found the production base, he could immediately provide support and completely destroy Stryker's dream.
"Oh, right, Professor Charles, I rescued some Mutants from the underwater Institute, could you help take care of them?"
"Certainly, I'll have Jean and Ororo take them to eat, and then find them rooms to rest."
After Arthur and Professor Charles finished discussing the next plan, they bid farewell to each other.
He returned to his room, only to find the younger generation of Mutants gathered at the door, seemingly all waiting for him.
Bobbi squeezed out from the crowd and said excitedly.
"Yan, they all heard about your deeds and want to fight with you."
Arthur scanned the unusually excited peers and said indifferently.
"Do you want to be cannon fodder by following me? I'm not a Boy Scout instructor, I can't protect you on the battlefield."
He directly shooed them away, driving all the unfamiliar faces out of the room.
Chapter 46: Magnetic Steel Knife, Stronger Than Adamant
When the room quieted down, Arthur comfortably lay on the sofa.
Bobbi looked troubled, his voice low and heavy.
"Yan, you were a bit harsh just now."
"It's better to be harsh, so they don't bother me later. I'm not interested in forming a Mutant organization."
He would leave the Institute after dealing with Stryker and continue to search for new abilities. He indeed had no interest in establishing an organization to burden himself.
His abilities were suited for a lone wolf, not for companionship.
"But don't you people from Dragon Country advocate for strength in numbers and many hands make light work?"
Arthur looked at Bobbi in surprise. This guy was spouting slogans like a pro! Was he trying to form a political party in the the US?
"Bobbi, have you been reading some enlightenment books?"
"Of course, to keep up with you, I specifically went to the library and found a few books. I feel like the world of my life has broadened."
Bobbi proudly lifted his head, seemingly waiting for Arthur's praise.
But Arthur rubbed his forehead helplessly, thinking that Bobbi was going down the wrong path.
He only regarded the the US as a raw material factory for abilities, never thinking of changing anything there.
Bobbi probably thought that all Chinese people should be good at ruthless things, and his ideas were completely off the mark.
"Bobbi, I told you, Stryker is my personal matter. If you want to do something, do it yourself."
"Just a reminder, be careful not to get picked up by the FBI. I need to rest."
After sending Bobbi away, he stayed in the room alone, using his Body of Steel ability to research new materials.
Adamantium was indeed good, but it was still not quite enough against Stryker's reinforced Sentinel shell.
The super-hard Adamantium blade he made before would break after a few slashes.
The material had to be strengthened, but Adamantiumwas already the best material humanity could develop, leaving very little room for improvement.
He thought for a long time and suddenly realized that if the material couldn't be broken through, it could be changed on a physical level.
He applied a Magnetic Field to the atomic layer of the Adamantium blade, gradually compressing the distance between the atoms.
The original one-meter-long alloy blade was compressed to two-thirds of its original size.
Its surface was as smooth as a mirror and gleamed with a cold light.
He poured some Water on the blade, and the Water flowed as if cutting through the air, falling to the ground without any obstruction.
He then used Fire to heat the blade, burning it for half an hour without any change to the blade.
"This is still the force of the Magnetic Field, not the strong and weak interactive forces. The material still has a lot of room for improvement."
He made another Adamantium blade and then used the magnetically enhanced blade to cut it.
It cut the Adamantium blade in half without any resistance.
"At least it's enough to deal with those enhanced Sentinels. Very good, let's see what other tricks Strykercan pull this time."
He retrieved all the Adamantium, then made a set of steel armor, replicated a room full of clones, and applied a Magnetic Field to his steel armor.
Until the steel armor became a thin, mirror-smooth layer.
Adamantium is an alloy after all, and the different atomic sizes lead to many drawbacks when a Magnetic Field is applied.
However, for pure metal, applying a Magnetic Field to reduce the distance between atoms truly has no drawbacks, achieving genuine invulnerability.
This set of steel armor had already transcended the realm of material science.
"It's good to have many abilities; you can always make good things."
...
Under an endless desert.
Stryker leisurely crossed his legs, his mood currently excellent.
Although he had lost another Institute, the Sentinel was already nearly perfected and didn't require extensive research.
Moreover, one Institute in exchange for T-34's life was a very worthwhile trade.
Now, his Sentinel grand plan had no obstacles. He just needed to wait for the Mutant Extinction Act to pass.
Then he could use the pretext of eradicating Mutants to seize control of the the US.
President Donald's call came in, and he still maintained his leisurely demeanor.
After all, the current Donald was merely a Mutant clone, just a dog of his.
"How are things going?"
"Given today's attack, the Mutant Public Act will be discussed again tomorrow, but the frightened congressmen will ensure the bill passes."
"As for the Mutant Extinction Act, a result will be out within three days, and then I will hand over the execution power to Master."
Stryker nodded with satisfaction. Three days was enough. Sentinel production was now being ramped up.
In three days, they could be put into large-scale use, and by then, all Mutants in the the US would be apprehended simultaneously.
"Good, do that. My plan is about to succeed."
"Master, Professor Charles of the Institute and MagnetoErik, have requested to go to Congress tomorrow as well. Should they be allowed to attend?"
Stryker pondered for a long time, then finally nodded.
As long as Silver Star Khan was not present, these two old men were no match for him and couldn't stir up any trouble.
It would be a good opportunity to humiliate them in Congress and pin the blame for today's attack on the Statue of Liberty and the President on them.
The angrier the public became, the smoother his plan would proceed.
But just in case.
After hanging up the fake President's call, he immediately instructed the production staff to build more enhanced Sentinels.
Coupled with the combat data of Arthur collected by the underwater Institute.
He was very confident in easily taking down the Professorand Magneto.
...
The next day.
After breakfast, Arthur followed the Professor and Magneto onto the Institute's plane.
After the plane landed near Congress, Arthursolemnly gave instructions.
"Professor, you and Erik go in first and talk with the people from Congress."
"If there's any danger or if I need to step in, just notify me directly using Telepathy."
This was the trio's plan: to create the illusion that Silver Star Khan was dead.
This would make Stryker drop his guard, and then he would play all his cards.
This way, the three of them could make a move later and completely crush Stryker.
"Yan, be careful. There are many guards here. If they discover you, we'll be exposed!"
"It's fine, you two go ahead."
After seeing them off, Arthur opened a newspaper.
On it was the news he had deliberately spread yesterday: that the the military laboratory was detaining a large number of young Mutants.
This news was a continuation of the live experiments from the previous Institute and could further incite the anger of the the US public.
As for the presidential assassination, it would be fine as long as Mr. President himself stated that it wasn't done by Mutants.
"Which hospital is the President staying in again? I'll go to the White House first and find someone who knows to search for information."
He opened a portal and stepped into the White House, first using a Magnetic Field to interfere with the surrounding surveillance cameras.
Then, using Telepathy, he shielded everyone's senses and swaggered into the Oval Office.
He only saw a man in a suit tidying up documents in the office.
He stepped forward and slapped the desk hard, scaring the man into jumping onto the table.
"Who are you? How did you get into the White House!"
Chapter 47: Hunting the President to Mar-a-Lago
Arthur stared into the man's eyes, instantly reading all his memories.
He knew Donald was currently at Mar-a-Lago, being cared for by a private medical team.
He immediately opened a Teleportation Gate, and just as he was about to step in, he noticed the man about to press the alarm.
"Oh, Peter, you'd best not do anything unnecessary. I sincerely advise you, otherwise you'll only see your colleagues at their funeral."
The man was Peter, the President's private secretary, and at this moment, he was too terrified to move after hearing Arthur's words.
"A Teleportation Gate? You are Silver Star Khan! My God! Are you still going to hunt down President Donald?"
Arthur used his Magnetic Field to pull Peter close and placed his hand on his neck.
"I really hate it when people give me nicknames, Peter. I don't think you're a fool."
"Think with your little brain, if I wanted to kill the President, would I do it in two separate attempts? Your President would have been killed long ago."
"What?!"
Peter's face was filled with shock, mixed with some doubt.
Arthur saw that Peter still seemed like a decent person, just a diligent office worker.
He thought of having Peter do a bit more for him, to clarify that the current Donald was merely a Mutant.
"Don't doubt it, I'm also helpless about being framed. Think about whether Donald has been acting very abnormally."
"Because he is a clone Mutant transformed by Stryker. The heavy responsibility of saving the the US rests in your hands."
As he spoke, he subtly changed Peter's thoughts using Telepathy.
Peter's expression immediately became excited, and he cried out loudly.
"Yes, President Donald seems like a different person. He never used to expose his intentions, even if his ideas were foolish."
"I will expose him and save the fate of the the US."
"You are teachable. Do your best to save the the US."
Arthur smiled, released Peter, and then stepped into the Teleportation Gate.
At this moment, Peter asked in a daze,
"How can I save the the US?"
"Do what you're supposed to do!"
Arthur cursed 'idiot' in his heart, then erased his own appearance from Peter's memory.
He walked into the Teleportation Gate without looking back, arriving at Mar-a-Lago.
"What a beautiful place, the scenery is exquisite. This is the view belonging to the upper class of the the US."
He took a deep breath of the fresh air, then put on his Magnetically Charged Steel Armor, summoning a storm and thunder.
"Donald, I'm here to kill you a second time!"
The estate's guards immediately sprang into action, finding cover and continuously firing at him as he stood in the air.
Watching their movements, he praised them internally for their professionalism, clearly Agents who had undergone frequent training.
"But why, knowing you can't harm me in the slightest, do you still spray me with a few squirt guns?"
He used his Magnetic Field to pull all the guns from the Agents' hands into the air, crushing them into a ball of scrap metal.
Because he needed to appear before Congress this time, he had to be mindful of appearances, so he did not kill these Agents.
"Get out of here, I'm not killing anyone today."
He landed on the ground and coldly ordered the Agents blocking his way to leave.
But these Agents, fearless of death, surrounded him, intending to form a human wall to stop him.
He had no choice but to use Shadow to continuously flash through the estate, searching for Donald's whereabouts.
Finally, he saw Donald's fleeing back in a medical room.
Next to him was a startled noblewoman, the Presidents wife, who often appeared on television.
"President's wife, I'm just here to expose your husband's true face. Control those mad dog-like Agents."
The Presidents wife rolled her eyes and fainted directly to the ground.
"What a pity, I still wanted to ask for your daughter's phone number. Maybe next time."
Arthur looked in the direction Donald had fled, silently using Telepathy to confirm his location.
Then his figure flashed, appearing in front of Donald.
"Stryker has so many tricks! He can even create multi-ability Mutant clones now."
The moment he saw Donald, he immediately understood the clone's abilities.
In addition to Mystique's shapeshifting, he also had supersonic speed and enhanced physical strength.
Donald smirked, his body leaving only an afterimage in place.
But Arthur had already laid down a Magnetic Fieldaround them, and Donald's burst of speed was only momentary.
After that, he ran slower than a snail within the Magnetic Field.
Arthur extracted the steel structure from the ceiling beam, firmly binding Donald, and threw him to the ground.
"You still try to escape right under my nose, who gave you that confidence?"
"My Master will find you. The Sentinel army is almost complete. No Mutant can escape my Master's control!"
"Is Stryker really that chuunibyou? Does he usually teach you this stuff?"
Arthur bent down, intending to take Donald away.
Suddenly, a steel spike shot out from underground, hitting his chest, and the immense force sent him flying into the air.
Then a Sentinel emerged from the earth, grabbing Donaldand about to fly away.
Arthur, protected by his Magnetically Charged Steel Armor, was naturally unharmed. He immediately forged a Magnetically Charged Steel Blade.
Then he used Shadow to instantly appear beside the Sentinel, splitting the Sentinel vertically into two halves from top to bottom.
Before he could even grab Donald, dozens more Sentinels descended from the sky, surrounding him.
Donald fell to the ground, screaming loudly.
"When you arrived, I already asked my Master for support, hehe! You'll die here today!"
No sooner had Donald finished speaking than a nearby Sentinel stepped on his head, squeezing out a mess of ketchup and mayonnaise.
Then Stryker's voice came through.
"T-34! You weren't blown to death! I will definitely kill you today, no matter the cost!"
"Tsk tsk, Stryker, you're too cruel, too cruel. You kill such loyal subordinates without hesitation."
"Hmph, it has served its final purpose. Now the whole world will think you killed Donald, and I sent the Sentinels to hunt you down for justice!"
Arthur looked around, but still couldn't find Stryker's location.
Stryker's arrogant laughter was everywhere, making him feel sick.
Stryker on this timeline has truly been buffed to an epic level; he has brains and the power of Sentinels.
He had no choice but to take down the camera above his head and then loop the last words Donald shouted before he died.
[When you arrived, I already asked my Master for support, hehe! You'll die here today!]
"Stryker, do you really think others are fools? With your humanity, I can guess what you'd do with my toes."
"Damn it! There are forty enhanced Sentinels around you now. You won't get out of here alive!"
Arthur looked at the surrounding Sentinels, from the air to the ground, standing like battleships, emitting emotionless roars.
Then the Sentinels moved together, simultaneously spewing scorching Fire at him, covering the estate below as well.
When the Sentinels retracted their Fire, the entire estate had become a charred ruin.
Only Arthur and the Agents, the President's wife, and other staff members below him were safe and sound.
He had just used Absolute Zero to form a low-temperature isolation zone, and incidentally saved all the people in the estate with his Magnetic Field.
Chapter 48: Storming Congress, why aren't you crying?
Arthur used his Magnetic Field to churn up the soil, creating a large circular room to cover the people in the manor.
He then transformed the room into steel and created a duplicate to guard it.
These people could serve as witnesses to prove Stryker's crimes to Congress.
He looked at the surrounding Sentinels and twirled the magnetically-charged steel knife in his hand.
"Stryker, your performance art should be over. These forty Sentinels must be your last remaining strength, right?"
"Endless! I'll be frank, after killing Donald, I have dozens of production lines at my disposal."
Bullshit. Given the state of the the US' factories, Strykerwould be lucky to even scrape together two production lines.
Unless the current Sentinels already possess autonomous production capabilities.
Arthur opened a massive portal in the air; this was the exit, and he placed the entrance in the asteroid belt of outer space.
A house-sized meteorite flew out of the portal at extreme speed, striking dozens of Sentinels.
It then hit the ground, causing an earthquake-like tremor and kicking up countless flying stones and dust.
"Cough, cough! Fuck! This move makes it easy to get pneumoconiosis. I should use it less often in the future."
Arthur looked at the remaining twenty-odd Sentinels, which were using Lasers to shrink the portal, accompanied by Stryker's furious curses.
Seizing the opportunity, he rushed forward with his steel knife and, in a very short time, decapitated three Sentinels.
He then used his Magnetic Field to entangle five surrounding Sentinels and used a portal to slice them into pieces.
At this point, Stryker panicked. The remaining dozen Sentinels all ascended into the sky and fled into deep space, just like that.
Arthur had just warmed up and was about to give chase when an explosion suddenly erupted behind him.
He turned to look and saw that the Sentinel wreckage was continuously exploding.
It seemed Stryker had modified the Sentinels into suicide weapons to kill him.
He used a storm to blow away the Sentinel wreckage, then released the people from the manor from the steel room.
He walked over to the distraught Presidents wife and said calmly,
"Madam, as you can see, I am here to save you all. Your husband, President Donald, was killed long ago."
"I hope you can testify for us Mutants in Congress and expose Stryker's crimes."
The Presidents wife was sobbing uncontrollably, covering her face and crouching on the ground, weeping bitterly.
Arthur was very patient. While the Presidents wifewas crying, he directed the manor staff to line up.
"Form lines of two, no pushing. I'll take you to Congress for a visit later. Pay attention to your personal conduct."
The Presidents wife stood up, trembling, and looked at him timidly.
"You won't do anything bad to us, will you? People outside are saying you're a murderous demon."
Indeed, the infamous reputation of Silver Star Khan had spread throughout every household in the the US, even though he had only killed some soldiers.
"Madam, I am a kind person. If I wanted to kill you, it would only take a flick of my finger; I wouldn't need to deceive you."
"Everything I do is in a way that you ordinary people can accept. Don't test my patience."
The more he spoke, the colder his tone became, causing the Presidents wife to shiver and obediently go to line up.
He opened the portal and let the people from the manor walk through one by one.
...
Congress.
The Congressional meeting room had been temporarily converted into a hearing room.
Professor X and Magneto Erik stood in the center of the hall, stared at by the watchful Congressmen.
"Professor X, is the man beside you the Magneto who has repeatedly threatened humanity?"
"Gentlemen, please set aside past history for now. I am here today for something important..."
"You only need to answer: Is he the Magneto who has committed multiple murders and illegal imprisonment?"
Charles's smile froze. He was about to explain for Magneto, but Magneto stopped him with a hand.
Magneto tilted his head back and coldly scanned the surrounding Congressmen.
Wherever his gaze fell, the Congressmen were so frightened that they shrank their heads.
"I am Magneto, you foolish people."
As soon as he spoke, the meeting room erupted. Voices clamored like boiling Water, demanding that the guards apprehend Magneto.
The Professor shouted helplessly,
"Sir, gentlemen! You need not panic. We are currently in a Magnetic Field suppressor, unable to perform normal activities, let alone attack you."
"Today, we guarantee with our lives that we are only here to inform you of a crisis that threatens human survival."
The surrounding Congressmen reluctantly quieted down after repeatedly confirming that the Magnetic Fieldsuppressor was indeed effective.
They then had the guards put plastic cages on both the Professor and Magneto.
Then a Congressman stood up and asked,
"Professor, is the human survival crisis you mentioned referring to Silver Star Khan, who killed the President?"
"If you know his whereabouts, or if you lead the Mutants to capture him, we will consider pardoning the Mutants."
Magneto raised an eyebrow and cast a cold glance at the speaking Congressman.
It sounded like humanity had already decided they could completely restrain Mutants, which greatly displeased him.
And the Professor's expression also turned cold.
"Mr. Congressman, the President was not killed by Silver Star Khan, but by Colonel Stryker. His Sentinel Project will threaten humanity."
"Colonel Stryker? Who is he?"
The Congressmen huddled together, asking each other who Stryker was, yet not a single person knew.
He sounded like just an ordinary military officer.
"Professor, how can a nobody have the ability to do something that threatens humanity? Don't joke around, we are discussing serious matters."
"Sir, identity and status have never had a necessary relationship with the cause one pursues. A nest of ants can also bore through a dam, causing a disaster that kills tens of thousands of people!"
The Professor explained helplessly, while Magneto added coldly,
"You, with your high status, aren't you all just good-for-nothings doing imbecilic work?"
The atmosphere in the meeting room became tense again. The insulted Congressmen wished they could order Magneto's immediate disposal.
Just then, a portal appeared in the open space of the meeting room.
One by one, disheveled people emerged from the purple light, looking at the people with fright.
The Congressmen also froze in their seats, unsure of what to do, while the guards drew their weapons and surrounded them.
"Mutant attack! Requesting backup! Requesting backup!"
"No! We are not Mutants, we are the President's staff."
The manor staff skillfully raised their hands, covered their heads, and squatted on the ground.
Then the Presidents wife emerged from the purple light, and with a forced calm, said,
"Put down your guns, gentlemen Congressmen, PresidentDonald has been killed!"
The Congressmen all stood up in shock. Before they could speak, a large block of iron flew out of the purple light and crashed to the ground.
Inside the iron block was a headless corpse, emitting a strong smell of blood.
Arthur leisurely walked out last, surveying the crowded Congressional hall.
"Oh, how lively. What are you still waiting for? The President is dead, why aren't you crying?"
Chapter 49: Agreeing with Fists
Arthur waved his hand, removing the plastic cage that had trapped the Professor and Magneto.
He then flew to the last seat in the hall, looking coldly at the congressmen who dared not move.
"Now, you'd best cover your ears and listen carefully, let the Presidents wife tell you what happened."
The Presidents wife walked to the center of the crowd and recounted what had happened at Sea Lake Park.
Arthur played the previously recorded video at an opportune moment, letting all the congressmen see the Sentinel robotss that descended from the sky.
And Stryker's plot for the world directly scared several old congressmen into fainting.
The Congress hall was abuzz with discussion, the congressmen astonished that a colonel could rise from the the military and control power capable of destroying the world.
"God! The entire country actually turned a blind eye to a colonel's misdeeds, we are finished!"
"The root of everything is the Mutant, if there were no Mutant superpowers, we would not face this crisis."
"Send the army! Even if it means using nuclear bombs, we must send these Robots and Mutants into their graves!"
The Professor and Magneto came to Arthur's side, listening together to the congressmen's reactions.
Magneto pointed at several congressmen who wanted to eliminate both the Sentinel and the Mutant, scoffing.
"Charles, this is the humanity you believe in. No matter how you help them, they will still stab you in the back."
"They would even choose to collude with Stryker, rather than cooperate with us according to your ideas."
"For us Mutants to survive, we still have to rely on our own abilities."
As if to confirm Magneto's view, several congressmen stood on the tables.
They shouted to those around them that the the US' top priority now was to cooperate with Stryker.
Help Stryker exterminate the Mutants, incorporate the Sentinel into the the US' the military, and expand its hegemony throughout the world.
Immediately, many congressmen expressed agreement.
Arthur watched the congressmen's performance leisurely, as if watching a play.
If nothing unexpected happened next, the the US would hold a new election, or simply put forward a pro-StrykerPresident.
Then the media and propaganda agencies would uniformly promote the Mutant threat theory.
After exterminating the Mutants, Stryker could also truly become the dictator of the the US by relying on the Sentinel.
Those who announced their allegiance to Stryker would either become Stryker's lackeys, or be slaughter because they knew of Stryker's disgusting nature.
Human history is always interconnected.
At this moment, the Professor shook his head, disagreeing with Magneto's point of view.
"We still have hope, not everyone is foolish."
"Yes, Professor, not everyone is foolish, but they need some pressure from death to think clearly."
Arthur stretched out his hand, using a Magnetic Fieldto crush the ceiling of the Congress hall into a pile of stones and throw them on the ground.
The congressmen immediately stopped arguing, frightened.
"Before you kill Mutants, first look at your own situation."
He flew onto the pile of stones, his Magnetic Field-activated steel armor reflecting dazzling silver light in the sunlight.
"I am not here today to ask for your opinion, but to order you to stop all aid to Stryker and help me find his whereabouts."
"With your abilities, you can only do this much. I am not forcing you, but if you truly make small moves."
"I am not as gentle as the Professor, and I can make the bad reputation you spread about me a reality at any time."
He also knew that to deal with Stryker, he needed to first cut off logistics and compress Stryker's living space.
As for letting these people find Stryker's location, that was entirely an extra task, like an optional question on a Dragon Country exam paper.
Knowing you can't do it, it's just to let you know about it.
After listening to his words, the congressmen shrank their heads and looked at each other.
The Professor spoke at the right moment, advising them in a gentle tone.
"Gentlemen, please remember that Mutants are also people. We will stand on a unified front with you, together resisting Stryker's ambition."
"Of course, the premise of everything is to stand on equal footing between Mutants and ordinary people."
Arthur heard that the Professor was also an old hand; after he threatened the congressmen, the Professor then opened his mouth to propose conditions.
Then a congressman timidly stood out.
"Gentlemen, we will fight against the Sentinel robotss with the Mutants, and terminate all research related to Mutants."
"Those who agree, please raise your hands. Please seriously consider the fate of the the US."
With a rustle, all the congressmen raised their hands, even those few who had just proposed cooperation with Stryker.
Indeed, those with harder fists always have more reason.
Seeing that the government was settled, Arthur let the Professor and Magneto stay to draft the terms of cooperation and the future treatment of Mutants.
He himself flew out of Congress to find the media and release Stryker's video.
After everything that could be done was taken care of, he returned to the Academy alone.
At the Academy, the students were all crowded in the war room training, Logan teaching them combat skills.
He sat beside Rogue, who was watching.
"Why are you still sitting by yourself? Aren't you training with them?"
"My ability is useless for combat training. Anyone I touch will suffer. Have your matters been resolved?"
Rogue looked dejected, likely still not recovered from Magneto's kidnapping.
Arthur recalled that a company had developed a serum that could temporarily deprive Mutants of their abilities.
After Anna injected the serum, she lived a normal life.
He could, however, imitate the principle of the serum to inhibit the expression of Anna's X-Gene.
"They are all minor matters, nothing to resolve. Give me your hand."
Anna extended her gloved hand, her face full of confusion.
"No, take off the glove."
"No, after I touched you last time, we both nearly died."
Anna refused in a panic, unwilling to expose her skin.
Arthur only knew Anna as a Mutant who could briefly incapacitate him, so he definitely had to suppress her ability.
He patiently explained.
"I've come up with a way that can temporarily allow you to touch others without absorbing their life."
"You can try it. Maybe you can live the life you want in the future."
Anna half-believingly took off her glove.
Then Lin Feng used a Magnetic Field on Anna, inhibiting every one of Anna's cells.
At the same time, he used Telepathy to enter Anna's memory, imposing psychological suggestions in her mind.
After a series of actions, he slowly extended his finger towards Anna. When their hands touched, there was no discomfort like last time.
"It worked. It might not be permanent, but when it fails, you will know it yourself and it won't suddenly cause harm."
Anna joyfully clasped his hand, feeling it all over, and after finally confirming that she had lost her absorption ability, she jumped up in delight.
"It's true, I can touch others! Thank you, you finally helped me get rid of this annoying ability."
She smiled and then cried, for most Mutants.
Superpowers are not a blessing, but a curse.
Chapter 50 Space Melting, Monitoring the World
Anna pounced on Lin Feng, hugging him tightly.
"I don't even know how to thank you, Arthur, you are truly my savior."
Arthur was also very grateful that he had come up with a way to resolve Anna's powers.
If Stryker were to obtain Anna's genes, he would have to constantly guard against contact with Sentinel robotss in the future.
He released Anna's slender body and asked with interest.
"Anna, what are your plans for the future?"
"I'll stay at the Academy to study for a while and then think about the future after you all deal with the Sentinels."
That would take a long time. Arthur's biggest difficulty now was finding Stryker's location.
That bastard had taken many measures to avoid his and the Professor's Telepathy.
At this time, the students finished their combat training, and Logan strode over.
"Arthur, how are things going outside? I really want to kick Stryker's ass right now."
Wolverine, under the Professor's ability, recovered some of his past memories, and since then, he had always wanted to seek revenge on Stryker.
Arthur thought about today's results and said calmly.
"Under my peaceful suggestion, those congressmen agreed to cooperate with us to find Stryker; we should be able to dig him out very soon."
"Peaceful? We all saw on TV that you threatened the media to release the video of Stryker attacking Mar-a-Lago."
Wolverine looked disbelieving, pointing at the television that was currently playing.
It showed a clip of Arthur, dressed in silver armor and holding a silver knife, threatening the television station staff.
"I was peaceful enough, really. If it weren't for my Mutantidentity, I wouldn't be so polite."
Seeing the Academy's plane return, Arthur quickly changed the subject by claiming he needed to see the Professor.
Then he went with Logan to the Professor's room. After a short wait, the Professor and a group of X-Men walked into the room, their faces filled with worry.
"Oh, Arthur, thanks to you today, the Academy's children weren't captured by those idiotic congressmen."
"I've truly had enough of the air in Congress today; it reeks of selfishness."
The Professor untied his tie and gulped down an entire glass of Water.
Magneto, on the other hand, sat opposite Arthur and said, as if to provoke him.
"I told you long ago that we should treat humans as rudely as Arthur does; only then will they see their own insignificance and weakness."
"We always have to show them our benevolent side. Those Mutant children are weak and have no one to rely on."
Arthur watched the Professor and Magneto bicker with great interest; it was much more entertaining than watching movies or comics.
Ororo sat beside him and asked in a low voice.
"Arthur, are you confident you can defeat those Sentinels? I only saw your video, and I already felt their power."
"If I couldn't handle them, how could I have brought those ordinary people to Congress?"
"I just need to find Stryker's coordinates, and I can destroy him, but I need to be quick; the Sentinel's abilities are constantly evolving."
Arthur was very clear about his own strength; he could suppress the Sentinel now and for some time in the future.
But over time, the Sentinel's self-iterating ability could reach a height capable of destroying Earth.
He was unwilling to wait for his enemies to grow stronger; only by personally sending them to hell could he feel at ease.
When he spoke, a look of anxiety appeared on Ororo's face.
"We flew all over the the US and didn't detect any abnormal signals or energy; we can't find any trace of Stryker in a short time."
The Professor pointed to his bald head.
"Even with my super brain, I couldn't sense Stryker; he's hiding very deeply now."
Arthur wondered if his Telepathy could also be strengthened and used to find Stryker.
Although the Professor had almost pushed Telepathy to its limit, Arthur had the aid of other abilities.
He could even fly into space and use satellites to detect global movements.
"You all continue searching; I'm going to try a trip into space."
"What? Space is a forbidden zone for life. Are you planning to go up without any protection?"
The Professor exclaimed, and the other X-Men and Magneto also cast shocked glances at him.
"I can guarantee my safety, and as for whether it will be useful, I can only try."
Arthur stopped discussing the matter, flew directly out the window, and put on his Magnetic Field steel armor.
Then a ball of Fire erupted from his body, and he flew rapidly towards the sky.
…
The Academy students only saw a fireball rushing towards the sky.
The Professor and the X-Men, however, stared dumbfounded at the rapidly moving Arthur.
"God! Arthur's speed is much faster than a rocket; this is truly a miracle!"
"A Mutant's ability can actually reach this height; it's terrifying."
Even though Arthur had disappeared into the blue sky, the Professor remained in a daze for a long time.
A human body flying into cold space sounded astounding enough, regardless of whether Arthur was a Mutant.
Magneto's eyes glowed as he exclaimed with emotion.
"Charles, you truly have God-given luck; you actually saved Arthur. He is precisely the Mutant spokesman I've been looking for."
"Oh, come on. Arthur isn't interested in either your ideas or mine. Don't bother with your slogans anymore."
The Professor thought to himself, not only did he save Arthur, but he also found Jean, who possessed world-destroying power. How could an old man like you compare to me?
He turned his wheelchair to the center of the group and said loudly.
"Arthur has his own ideas, and we cannot stop our efforts. Everyone, take a short rest, then quickly cooperate with the army to find Stryker."
…
Arthur flew straight into outer space.
Isolated by the Magnetic Field, he could breathe the air carried from Earth normally.
He was not affected by the cold of space, and his body temperature and other vital signs were normal.
He split into three clones, sending them to three positions, forming a triangle to detect anomalies on Earth.
Under the influence of Mastermind, he could instantly interpret the anomalies reported by the three clones.
There were no anomalies in the the US at the moment, but he figured since he was already here.
He flew to the sunny side of Earth, allowing himself to be bathed in the Radiation of the sun.
He realized he had seemingly never considered smelting sunlight, overlooking the easiest thing to obtain.
So he immediately began to smelt the sunlight that shone on him.
Smelting sunlight successful, new ability generated—Photon.
Smelting sunlight successful, new ability generated—Energy Absorption.
The upgraded Superpower Furnace generated two abilities at once.
Photon was a physical ability that allowed the body to decompose into light.
Not only could the speed reach the speed of light, but it could also exist as an energy body, though it had little offensive power.
Energy Absorption was also a physical ability that allowed him to recover stamina by relying on sunlight or other light.
After some thought, he directly transformed his body into Photon form and flew towards the distant sun.
Then he frequently opened Teleportation Gates, shortening the distance to the sun.
Two hours later, he finally reached the extreme distance he could get to near the sun.
Any closer, and he would be disrupted by the sun's powerful energy fluctuations.