Marvel: Killing Makes You Stronger

Chapter 32: It’s better to go to Asgard

Crossing a floating passageway, Jean pushes the wheelchair-bound Professor to the central platform, where he picks up a metal helmet from the instrument in front of him. After activating the device, a vast psychic power suddenly expands.

It precisely locates an area near Lake Alkali in Alberta, Canada.

Accurately pinpointing the location mentioned in the email, he "sees" a group of anxious mutants huddled in a small, abandoned house, each one clinging to the others, including a few young children.

Professor Charles breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing that the children do not appear to be injured or have suffered any harm.

Suddenly, he speaks up.

"Children, I am Charles. I am here to help you."

His voice, carried by psychic power, reaches across the vast distance into the minds of all the mutants in that house by Lake Alkali in Canada.

The previously quiet group is startled by the sound.

Everyone looks around bewildered, trying to identify the source of the voice.

Finally, an older Caucasian young man tentatively speaks, "Hello, Mr. Charles, are you talking to us?"

"Yes, my child."

"Thank you, Mr. Charles. Are you here to help us?"

"Yes, I am also a mutant. I have started a school for mutants, where many others like you live. I would like to invite you to join our school. Here, you need not hide or be afraid; it is a safe place."

"Your words are similar to those of that gentleman; I think we would like to join, but what do you need us to do?"

Charles's eyes flicker before he replies, "Wait. I will send my students to pick you up now. You just need to wait. I will keep an eye on you, and it should only be a few hours before we can reach you."

"Where is your school?"

"In New York."

"That seems far."

"Do not worry, child, we have an airplane."

"Thank you, sir. We will wait here for you."

After the psychic conversation ends, Professor Charles turns his wheelchair towards Jean: "Those children have faced terrible things. I think you all should go to pick them up now. Also, there is a base belonging to Stryker there, check it out."

"Professor, are you saying?"

"Yes, someone we know has broken into Stryker's base, which is hidden inside the Alkali Lake dam and also has a psychic shielding device. We overlooked that place."

The Professor sighs.

They had also tried to find Stryker before, knowing from past experiences, including Logan's, that Stryker has always been aggressively capturing mutants for experimentation, but he had always managed to remain hidden.

Now, it seems, he was saved by that boy he once thought might be extremely dangerous.

The Professor is curious how the boy knew the location of Stryker's base, but now is not the time to ponder such things. The main goal now is to bring those children who have suffered back to the school.

Jean nods, turns, and leaves to gather the other X-Men members.

Watching Jean's departing figure, the Professor maintains a gentle expression, his thoughts unknown.

"Was he adding psychic direction on our first meeting? Such a cautious and rational person, yet lacking a sense of security."

What he didn't tell Jean was that under the amplification of the psychic enhancer, while searching in Alberta, he had already sensed the presence of Bi Xiao, but he had not rashly contacted him, partly because the other party held a deep prejudice against him, and partly because he sensed many thick barriers on Bi Xiao's psychic level.

He could not make contact unless Bi Xiao opened a sliver of his mind for communication; otherwise, it would only be an aggressive invasion, which would undoubtedly lead to complete opposition between them.

This was not the outcome Charles wanted to see.

However, at least from this situation, Charles believed that the boy was not bad, certainly discerning between good and evil.

Perhaps he could try to build a friendship.

However, that seemed difficult.

Charles thought of their first meeting in Chinatown, the cold, disdainful look in the other's eyes, and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

...

Unaware of the strange thoughts of the bald old man, Bi Xiao returned to New York.

After coming back, he had taken over the adamantium, truly a matter of conscience, though the mental suggestions he set for the other party were also significant.

Bi Xiao stood in his room, looking at the large piece of adamantium metal in front of him, pondering.

He had tested it in Alberta; the metal could withstand part of his compressed magical energy, though it was a whole piece, making it into a weapon might just meet his needs, although he estimated it would be scrapped after a few uses—did he need to make several?

Moreover, as his strength grew, this weapon would probably be quickly obsolete.

It was a type that was tasteless to use yet a pity to discard.

It seemed that only vibranium could meet his standards.

Would he have to make a trip to Wakanda for that?

"Forget it, better to do it right later on," he thought briefly and then gave up on the idea of going to Wakanda for vibranium, mainly because his strength was increasing, and he couldn't beat the stronger version of himself using weapons, nor could the weaker version kill indiscriminately without them.

For now, at most, Magneto was a bit tricky to deal with.

Until later, when he could go to Asgard through Thor to see if he could get some Uru metal for weapon crafting.

For now, the main task was to clean up the vampires in New York, though Bi Xiao found it strange that he couldn't find any trace of werewolves in New York—had they all hidden in the sewers, barely surviving?

Suppressed by the vampire clan to the point of dwindling numbers?

Then his experience babies would be significantly fewer. Bi Xiao thought it necessary to investigate.