Zhou Yi's sudden, quiet ultimatum—the promise of destruction—did not cause Professor Xavier to flinch. The silence that followed was not one of awkwardness, but of mutual, profound calculation. It was a negotiation between a man who commanded the earth's most powerful mental army and a boy who secretly wielded the energy of the cosmos.
"A fair point, Mr. Zhou," Xavier responded, his voice as smooth and steady as the man-made lake on his property. "Sanctuary for your sister requires transparency from you. It is the nature of this unique society. Tell me, then, before you ask for our price: your abilities are extraordinary—even in the context of advanced mutation. Would you be willing to submit to a complete, systematic analysis here at the Institute?"
Zhou Yi's composure was a carefully constructed facade, and the word 'test' nearly shattered it.
"With all due respect, Professor, what exactly do you mean by 'test'?" Zhou Yi pressed, his tone deliberately skeptical. "And I must reiterate: my powers are not, to my knowledge, sourced from your X-Gene, whatever form that may take. I know my own body; I know the source is far more… singular."
Zhou Yi knew the full, terrifying truth: his powers were not a mutation but an inheritance, a cosmic echo from his past life that had been forcefully fused with the biology of this second body. He was a singularity, a fundamental force disguised in human flesh, and the idea of letting any researcher—even a benevolent one—probe the chaos at his core was anathema. The secret of his reincarnation was the ultimate vulnerability.
"Whether your origin is a chromosomal oddity, a divine inheritance, or, as you say, something singular, is largely irrelevant to the threat you face," Xavier countered, the depth of his conviction ringing in his voice.
He shifted his weight, and the silent glide of the wheelchair was like the movement of a chess piece being repositioned for a decisive strike. He pointed a finger at his own temple, then extended it toward Zhou Yi. "You, me, Jean, Scott, and your sister—we are all on the same side now. The side that has been designated the enemy by the rest of the world."
Zhou Yi had no honest rebuttal. In the eyes of humanity, a creature with the power to crush diamonds with a thought or incinerate cities with a whisper was a threat, not a person. He had crossed the Rubicon the moment Sharice's ears sharpened.
"If my origins are irrelevant, Professor, then what is the goal of this test?" Zhou Yi finally conceded, his voice heavy with caution.
A gentle smile touched Xavier's lips, and he subtly ceded the floor. "I believe Jean is in a better position to explain the scientific imperative."
Zhou Yi finally allowed himself a deeper look at the red-haired beauty standing rigid behind the Professor. Jean Grey. The name itself hummed with latent, world-breaking power.
She was indeed arresting. Her vibrant, shoulder-length crimson hair framed a countenance of serene, almost intimidating intelligence. Her features were delicate, yet there was a deep-seated command in her light eyes that belied her youth.
She wore a tailored suit beneath a white lab coat, an ensemble that spoke of both clinical precision and effortless elegance, emphasizing her swan-like neck and striking figure. She was a powerhouse cloaked in professionalism.
Jean Grey returned his appraisal with a cold, professional indifference that immediately rankled the cynical, flirtatious man buried beneath Zhou Yi's teen facade. To her, he was merely a new, volatile subject.
"Mr. Zhou Yi," she began, her tone measured and devoid of emotion, "The Xavier School was founded on the principle of helping mutants, but its survival depends on understanding them. Mutants are incredibly unique. Even the Professor, despite his immense psychic power, requires advanced technology to globally locate newly awakened X-Genes. For those who are latent—whose powers have not yet manifested, like the Professor initially suspected you to be—we are entirely blind."
She adjusted her stance, the movement small but authoritative. "We can't protect those we can't find. And by the time a latent mutant does manifest, the psychological trauma or the collateral damage has often led to an irreversible tragedy. For years, we have been working tirelessly with Dr. Henry McCoy—'Beast'—to research the X-Gene's awakening patterns."
She paused, allowing her logic to build an indisputable foundation. "We need baseline data. The X-Gene is chaotic and internal. But your power, whatever its source, is clearly external, established, and vastly different. We believe using the unique energy signature of an individual like yourself—a non-mutant-origined meta-human—as a comparative control sample would significantly advance our research. It would help us to refine our detection methods and perhaps even predict future activations."
"We would not force you into anything," she concluded, her voice crisp. "Participation is strictly voluntary, but the benefits would be mutual."
Mutual benefit? Zhou Yi mused, an acid taste of cynicism filling his mouth. On the surface, the proposal was intriguing. Despite the incredible, world-beating power he possessed—the ability to summon solar fire, manipulate gravity, and manifest nigh-impenetrable force fields—his powers were a mess.
They had no instruction manual. He was a living nuclear reactor with a faulty control panel. The X-Men had years of experience studying meta-human biology and powers. If they could give him a name for what he was doing, or even just a numerical measurement, it was worth a risk.
But the price… the price was trust. Trust he couldn't afford to give.
I have to do this, he realized with a sharp internal sigh. Sharice was enrolled here, in a school that was a constant target for everyone from shadowy government agencies like SHIELD and Hydra to Magneto's violent Brotherhood.
If he wasn't here, if he didn't have leverage, if he didn't have an excuse to be on campus, he couldn't guarantee her survival. His mission was simple: Protect the only family he had managed to regain. He needed information, and he needed proximity.
"Very well, Miss Grey," Zhou Yi acquiesced, forcing a weary sigh. "I agree to your test. I am willing to be your… control sample."
Professor Xavier's smile returned, broad and genuinely pleased. "My dear Mr. Zhou, I am delighted. You have made the right choice, for both our communities. While I would be thrilled to personally oversee the beginning of your assessment, my duties here require my attention."
He continued, "However, I believe having Jean accompany you will prove far more enjoyable than the company of an old man in a wheelchair." He nodded toward Zhou Lan, still peacefully sleeping. "And do not worry about Ms. Zhou's safety. She has nothing but time until you return."
Jean Grey gave a curt nod. "Mr. Zhou Yi, this way."
Zhou Yi rose, giving Xavier a final, probing look. "I truly hope, Professor, that you are worthy of my trust."
Xavier's gaze held his, deep and calm as a subterranean spring. ****.
Zhou Yi followed Jean out, traversing the immaculate main halls of the mansion. As they walked, Zhou Yi couldn't help but be impressed by the sheer scale of the operation. The Xavier Institute was more than a prep school; it was a self-contained, high-tech academy.
The research depth, fueled by some of the most intelligent scientific minds on the planet (Beast among them), rivaled that of any major research university he knew of in his previous life. For a moment, the weight of the situation lifted, and the cynical charmer emerged.
"The campus is truly superb, Miss Grey," Zhou Yi noted, catching up to her pace. He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I wonder if I might have the distinct honor of inviting this most capable teacher out for dinner after this tiresome assessment?"
Jean Grey stopped dead in the middle of a sunlit hallway, turning to face him. Her expression was a perfectly sculpted mask of disdain, amplified by her superior height.
"I am sorry, Mr. Zhou, but I have absolutely no interest in socializing," she delivered, her voice chillingly devoid of warmth. "Especially not with someone whose emotional and physical development is clearly still catching up to his enormous ego."
Zhou Yi raised his hands in mock surrender. "A fair assessment, considering my age. But be warned, Miss Grey: the Sun God matures quickly. I think I will be at your level sooner than you anticipate."
That was the wrong thing to say. The use of the word level was a gauntlet thrown. Jean Grey's eyes narrowed, and the air around her suddenly grew taut. Her psychic energy surged, not in a visible blast, but in a pressurized wave that caused the intricate wooden inlay of the floor to subtly creak. Outside, two decorative stone urns flanking the hallway entrance lifted six inches off their pedestals.
"Are you trying to be funny, Yi Zhou?" she hissed, her teeth barely clenched. "You have no idea how stupid that kind of arrogance makes you look. Now stop your insipid flirting, or I will escort you to the lab with a telekinetic chokehold."
Zhou Yi smiled, a dangerous, reckless expression. He didn't stop, instead quickening his pace until he was barely an inch away from her, invading her personal space.
"Seriously, can we go to a movie first, and then dinner?" he murmured, his voice low, his body radiating a hidden, immense power.
Jean Grey's heightened mental field—the telekinetic sheath she kept constantly wrapped around herself—met Zhou Yi's counter-force. Her power was a scalpel, precise and focused; his was a sledgehammer forged from stellar fire. Her pressure met his Solar Kinetic Field, and instantly, her sophisticated telekinetic control collapsed inward.
The stone urns crashed back onto their pedestals with a dull thud, and Jean felt a paralyzing, invisible heat against her own mind, leaving her breathless and momentarily frozen. He hadn't fought her; he had simply occupied the space with an energy she couldn't penetrate or match.
Her beautiful, furious face turned pale. She was utterly suppressed, her vast abilities rendered inert by a teenager with a reckless grin.
"The lab is this way, Miss Grey," Zhou Yi said smoothly, stepping back and gesturing with a casual grace.
Jean Grey, visibly shaken, could only maintain a serious, rigid composure as she quickly turned and practically marched toward the research wing. The childish jokes were over. The confrontation had been a critical data point, confirming for both of them that Zhou Yi was operating on a scale entirely different from known mutant abilities.
The tension, however, was quickly replaced by an alarming sense of security as they approached the lower levels. Jean led him through a discrete, unmarked steel door.
She authenticated her identity with an iris scan, input a complex password on a keypad using a subtle, telekinetic flutter of her fingers, and finally, opened a communicator.
"Ororo, it's Jean. The Professor needs me to bring a subject down for a specialized assessment. We're proceeding to Sub-Level Gamma."
A metallic voice confirmed the access, and the steel door hissed open in an X-shape, revealing a deep, heavily reinforced corridor that led downward.
"I'll tell you this, Miss Grey," Zhou Yi commented, unable to hide his involuntary respect for the sheer expense and overkill. "Your security protocols here are probably more sophisticated than the President of the United States."
Jean Grey frowned slightly. "There are many forces aligned against us, Mr. Zhou. Not only governments and their agencies, but also the rogue elements among our own—the Ultra-Mutants. We must maintain this level of secrecy to protect the children and the research."
Zhou Yi nodded, his expression serious. He knew the threats: Mister Sinister, Magneto, the Shi'ar, the list was endless. For a group of unready children, this fortress was indeed necessary.
As they moved deeper into the highly classified research wing, Zhou Yi's casual curiosity faded, replaced by a sudden, intense focus. He felt a distinct, almost palpable energy field humming around him.
He could clearly sense the sophisticated radiation detection devices lining the corridor, scanning for residual power signatures. To demonstrate his compliance and ease Jean's professional paranoia, he consciously lowered his telekinetic defenses, letting the ambient energy flood his senses.
The effect was instantaneous, profound, and deeply alarming.
He felt an invisible, surging tide—not of mere psychic power, but of some raw, untamed force. It was as though he had swallowed a shot of pure, distilled sunlight. The chaotic, surging power core he usually locked down suddenly stabilized, its efficacy and potency increasing by a noticeable, undeniable margin.
What in the hell is this place?
The problem had been discovered before the test even began. This ultra-secure lab wasn't just a place to study power; it was a place that somehow amplified it. Zhou Yi didn't know if this was a scientific accident or a deliberate design feature, but the ramifications were explosive.
He had come here to gain knowledge about his power, but instead, he had found a volatile catalyst. It was a terrifying realization, and he followed Jean Grey into the stark, fluorescent light of the laboratory, the silent, golden fire of his true self burning hotter than ever before.