Jason's existence made all of this possible. This student, once praised by Professor Charles as the most talented, had become the core of Stryker's revenge plan.
Great Master Jason, the Psychic Amplifier, and Professor Charles—this was the core of Stryker's plan. When these core elements came together, even a powerful Mutant like Magneto had to lower his head and ask for help from the opponent who defeated him. This lineup was simply too luxurious, so luxurious that even Magneto felt despair.
Zhou Yi also understood the terror of this lineup, but he was more worried about the consequences of it all. For him, the consequences were too severe. Whether it was Ororo and Jean, or Charisse, he could not bear the thought of losing them.
"Do you know where they are now?"
"We've found their location in Wagner's memory, in Canada, a place called Alkali," Jean quickly said. She felt extremely uncomfortable with the indifference Zhou Yi showed. So, she eagerly answered, hoping to ease the atmosphere between them a little.
Zhou Yi nodded but didn't reply. He knew he shouldn't blame Jean and Ororo for this, but he couldn't stop his anger. Understanding was one thing, but accepting was another. In this matter, he felt betrayed.
Without any prior contact, the two women he loved appeared at his home with his greatest enemy. Allowing him to threaten the people around him was almost unforgivable for him. Imagine if Magneto had been brought here by them while he was away, or near Zhou Lan and Charisse. What would have happened then? Who could say!
The unknown was enough to make anyone afraid, because they would always think of the worst-case scenario. This was true even for Zhou Yi. If his mother and sister were harmed because of this, he truly wouldn't forgive them, nor would he forgive himself.
Seeing Zhou Yi's unresponsive face, Jean began to get scared. She might have realized how much their actions hurt Zhou Yi, and quickly spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Yi. We just hoped to find a better way to communicate and solve this problem..."
Zhou Yi raised his hand to stop her apology.
"You did very well; there's nothing to apologize to me for." After saying this, he no longer paid attention to Jean, but instead spoke to Magneto. "I promise to help you resolve this matter, but after this, we will have a reckoning."
With that, he turned and left the blackbird's aft cabin. Throughout this process, he never once looked at Ororo or Jean. The rift born of betrayal had already appeared in his heart; no matter what reason he used to cover it up, he couldn't hide its existence. This was the first time he felt he was wrong.
As for Zhou Yi's departure, like a stranger, Jean and Ororo had similar yet completely different feelings.
The moment Zhou Yi left indifferently, Ororo felt as if something was lodged in her chest. A heavy, sad feeling that made it hard to breathe almost filled her entire soul. She couldn't understand why Zhou Yi had such an attitude. Were her actions wrong? Was it not permissible to make such a decision for the future of Mutants?
This feeling of being misunderstood, this frustration and resentment, almost made her want to cry loudly. But she endured it, forcing herself to hold back. Because at this moment, she was the backbone of the Mutant school, and everything she bore prevented her from being so weak. Similarly, her personality would not allow such a thing to happen.
Crying was for weak women, and she would always endure the pain and move forward silently.
Just as Zhou Yi wouldn't explain himself, she also wasn't willing to admit she was wrong. Because for her, the so-called betrayal had never existed.
Everything she did, in her perception, was the correct decision, even if this decision brought her the most unbearable consequences.
Like Ororo, Jean's heart was not at ease. This was partly due to Zhou Yi's indifferent attitude hurting her, but more so it was a feeling of grievance and fear.
For her, she played only an innocent role in all of this. All decisions were made by Ororo, and she merely acted as a sharer. So, it was impossible for her to say she had no resentment about everything that happened.
But compared to resentment, she felt more fear. Unlike Ororo, Ororo still had a firm belief supporting her. But she could no longer adapt to a life without Zhou Yi.
This conclusion might seem incredible to her, but it was the most genuine conclusion she reached in her heart. And it was a conclusion reached by both her selves.
Not only her, but even the Dark Phoenix in her heart had adapted to Zhou Yi's existence, and an inseparable emotion had already entwined itself around him. So, the moment he left mercilessly, her entire soul echoed with the angry and sorrowful wails of the Dark Phoenix.
The anger was directed at her, the main body, for making a foolish decision. In the eyes of the Dark Phoenix, controlled by instinct, the decisions made by Jean Grey, the main body, were utterly foolish. And the sadness was due to Zhou Yi's departure; as a psychic entity, she instinctively felt the distance between them gradually widening. And in this regard, she was powerless. She could only scream wildly in the cage of her mind, venting her pain.
Jean and the Dark Phoenix, as two sides of the same coin, could share their emotions, and this became increasingly apparent after the Dark Phoenix's power grew. And precisely because of this, Jean deeply empathized with her emotions. With double the emotion pouring into one individual, she would bear far more than double, but even more.
Both women's hearts had undergone tremendous changes because of Zhou Yi. But neither of them was the kind of woman who would ignore everything for personal feelings. Such foolish women might exist, but they would certainly not be them.
As things stood, they would only focus all their energy on saving Professor Charles. Romantic entanglements were not appropriate at this time. In the future, they might ask Zhou Yi for forgiveness, or they might not, but that would be later, not now.
Everyone began to get busy, both the Academy and Magneto's group. They were all working to rescue Professor Charles, as it concerned the survival of their species. This alone was enough to make them abandon all their former prejudices.
And Zhou Yi, at this moment, had vanished without a trace. No one went to look for him, partly because they trusted his character. A Superhero who would even fight with his life for the safety of humanity—his promise was enough to convince anyone. And on the other hand, it was because they dared not and were unwilling.
Jean dared not see him; she was afraid her complex emotions would lead her to unbearable consequences, especially at this critical moment. Ororo was unwilling; she stubbornly held onto her own ideas and naturally refused to show any weakness to Zhou Yi. As for the others, they were completely uninvolved.
Only the woman named Wanda, with a woman's inherent curiosity, came to Zhou Yi, who was sitting alone on the rooftop, lost in thought.
"The famous Dawn Knight, does he also get troubled by emotions?"
Wanda sat directly beside him, speaking without reservation. For her, everything she saw today was interesting and novel. Especially after she, with a woman's insight, saw the complex emotional entanglements between them.
"Are we close? If not, please stay away from me. I'm not used to confiding in my enemies."
Zhou Yi responded coldly. Just from his indifferent attitude towards this beautiful woman, one could see how complicated and irritable his heart truly was.
Betrayal, this was a difficult word to define, especially in relationships. Zhou Yi could tolerate a woman hurting him personally, but he could not tolerate the slightest harm to his relatives, even if it was just a possibility.
For him, his mother and sister were the most important presences in his life, and this would never change. So, only he himself knew how much everything Ororo and Jean did hurt him.
"A man refusing comfort from others because of emotional problems is not something to be admired," Wanda said indifferently, not even glancing at Zhou Yi. She kept staring at her pretty nails, showing the same disdain as her words.
"Needing others' comfort is the most pathetic thing," Zhou Yi's reply was cold and stiff. "You're just here to have some fun, so why should I cooperate with you?"
"Just assume I'm here for fun," Wanda shrugged indifferently. "I just don't like seeing a hero act like the protagonist of a tragic story."
"Tragic protagonist?" Zhou Yi raised his voice a few octaves. "Are you talking about me?"
"Of course!" Wanda nodded affirmingly. "Decisively leaving your loved ones, licking your wounds inflicted by those you love alone in a corner. Plus your hero status, you're truly the best tragic protagonist."
"You're using that World's strange perspective to see me licking my wounds." With her interference, the depression in Zhou Yi's heart dissipated considerably. He began to retort. No one had ever gotten the better of him verbally, never.
"I thought Magneto's subordinates were all brainwashed lunatics, but it seems there are still some relatively normal people. However, I still have to advise you, don't watch those TV dramas from South Korea, they can easily ruin your Worldview."
"I've watched South Korean TV dramas, though I watched them as comedies. By the way, I'm not Magneto's subordinate; I work for another organization. Helping him now is for other reasons." Wanda naturally started chatting with Zhou Yi. This was her original intention, to learn more to satisfy her curiosity.
"Will he pay you for prying into my emotional life?"
"No, but for me, it satisfies my curiosity, and that's enough," Wanda said frankly. This reason was nothing to hide.
Of course, Zhou Yi would definitely be unhappy. No one likes to be part of someone else's amusement.
"So, are you satisfied now?"
"In fact, far from it. I'm becoming more and more curious about you. Dawn Knight, the story behind a Superhero, isn't that a topic worth following for a long time?" Wanda chuckled softly. A chaotic mist enveloped her body, and a moment later, her presence vanished from Zhou Yi's side.
Zhou Yi didn't know how she disappeared, nor did he care. He was very open-minded, but not entirely so. Sometimes it's easy to pick something up, but letting go is truly too difficult. Emotions are always a question without a clear answer.
Clear your head, change your appetite. After dealing with Mutants, go to Raccoon City. Also, some people say the protagonist's abilities are unclear, but there's no way around it. Ability development progresses with the plot.
To contend with Late Stage bosses, it can only be done slowly like this. Abilities will gradually strengthen, physical abilities will upgrade, and divine powers will gradually Awaken. It needs time; if everything is exposed at the beginning, how will he play with Thanos and the Sentinels later?