"And who is this?" A mature beauty with an alluring chocolate complexion and striking silver-white hair walked toward them, her gaze sharp.
"Allow me to introduce you," Jean Grey said to the dark-skinned beauty, a hint of complaint in her tone that signaled a close, familiar friendship. "This is Yi Zhou, a guest invited by the Professor."
Ororo Munroe—known to the world as Storm—was clearly intrigued. She circled Zhou Yi once, scrutinizing him with a peculiar intensity. As she completed her turn, she remarked, "Is such a young man truly worth the Professor's high regard?"
"Based on the abilities he's displayed so far, he is exceptionally powerful. However, whether he is a Mutant or not still requires confirmation," Jean replied while adjusting the complex instrumentation.
"Not necessarily a Mutant? Could he be one of the other types of mutated super-powered individuals?" Ororo asked, her curiosity piqued.
It was a crucial distinction. While many mistakenly lump all enhanced people together, the Mutant race, defined by the stable genetic change of the X-Gene, had developed a distinct group identity.
This mature, cohesive group identity was precisely why governments globally implemented harsh, oppressive policies against them. In contrast, super-powered individuals—those rare cases arising from accidents or singular biological events—were so few that their threat was considered more manageable.
Professor Charles's keen interest in Zhou Yi was partly for research, but primarily because he wanted to prevent such a powerful, potential asset from falling into enemy hands. The most effective strategy was to secure an ally.
While Ororo was observing Zhou Yi, he was equally captivated by her. Unlike some common representations, Ororo possessed exquisitely refined features: a high nose bridge and full, captivating lips. Her alluring chocolate complexion combined with her mesmerizing face easily matched the most beautiful high-fashion models.
Moreover, her stunning physique, accentuated by a form-fitting leather suit, radiated a tantalizing allure. To top it off, her silver-white hair added an almost mythical, mysterious charm.
Zhou Yi couldn't help but humorously concede that the Mutant claim of superior biology might hold water—not just in terms of power, but in physical aesthetics, they were often a clear cut above average humanity.
Ororo, noticing Zhou Yi's unabashed scrutiny, didn't appear offended. She walked forward, extending her hand with a captivating smile. "Hello, Mr. Zhou. I am Ororo, a teacher here at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."
Taking her soft, boneless hand, Zhou Yi responded earnestly, "It's truly a pleasure to meet you, Young Miss Ororo. Honestly, you are one of the most charming women I have ever encountered."
Ororo smiled smoothly. "Is that so? Then I am certainly flattered. Even if the compliment comes from a big boy!"
Zhou Yi noted their slight height difference, sighing internally. Conquering an experienced, older woman while still in this half-grown stage was proving challenging. At least for the immediate future, success seemed unlikely.
Nevertheless, Zhou Yi didn't let his spirits flag, immediately using his full charm to engage Ororo in banter. Progress was minimal—just light, casual chat. Given Ororo's rugged past, including a period as a gang leader, deflecting the subtle advances of a pampered young man like Zhou Yi was utterly trivial.
The two were enjoying their quick repartee, but Jean Grey had finished adjusting the equipment. She cut straight through their conversation.
"Alright, you two, if you want to chat, schedule a coffee date later. Now, Yi Zhou, please remove your shirt. We're beginning the assessment."
"Of course!" Zhou Yi, having covertly attempted to secure Ororo's contact information, immediately stopped pestering her. He quickly pulled off his shirt and turned to face Jean Grey.
Though only sixteen, Zhou Yi's physique, typical of many East Asians, was developing rapidly. His musculature was lean yet strong, his frame perfectly proportioned—certainly not thin by any standard.
But the focal point was the fiery red, elaborate three-legged Crow mark centered squarely on his spine. This was no simple tattoo. The mark depicted a majestic creature: a pair of golden eyes flickered with inner fire, radiating an invincible aura.
Giant wings stretched out from his shoulder blades, wreathed in countless swirls of wind and divine fire. The three sharp talons rested upon a great Sun, positioned over his lower back, with intense divine flames and a vivid corona depicted throughout the design. The visual impact was simply breathtaking.
Jean Grey and Ororo, seasoned Mutant mentors, were momentarily dazzled. Their eyes filled with admiration for the sheer artistic power of the image. Zhou Yi, unfazed, simply let the two beautiful women look.
They quickly recovered. Jean spoke, her voice laced with disbelief. "What is this? I can sense an incredible power radiating from this marking."
"This is the Three-legged Golden Crow, a powerful symbol of the Sun in ancient Chinese mythology," Zhou Yi explained, shrugging as he turned around. "It's a birthmark. My mother tried everything to get rid of it, but thankfully, she failed. That's genuinely all I know about it."
"Are you suggesting your power is innate, a form of divine blessing?" Ororo stepped forward, her curiosity overriding her reserve. She lightly touched the marking on his back. "Then this is truly extraordinary!"
"I honestly can't say for certain. If I had the answers, I wouldn't have agreed to come here for your tests."
"You will get answers, and so will we," Ororo whispered softly into Zhou Yi's ear. Her fingers lightly traced his spine, the soft touch sending a brief, electric stimulation through him.
The feeling was intense, but Zhou Yi disliked the sudden invasive probing into his secrets. Ororo's behavior was that of a curious predator closing in. He quickly redirected his focus back to Jean Grey.
"Can we start now?" he asked pointedly.
"Of course!" Jean nodded, a slight relief washing over her. She was concerned about Ororo's aggressive curiosity potentially leading to conflict. She quickly set up the instruments. "Ororo, could you do me a favor? I've got classes scheduled today, and I'm short on time. Could you cover two of my sessions?"
Ororo shrugged nonchalantly. "As long as you're willing to swap shifts with me later, I have no objection. Well then, big boy, we'll see each other again." With a captivating sway of her hips, Ororo waved and exited the lab.
"She's genuinely charming!" Zhou Yi exclaimed, before immediately turning to Jean with a changed tone. "Of course, you are, too."
Jean Grey gave him an exhausted eye-roll and a forced, stiff smile. "Thank you. Now, let's begin the experiment."
She directed Zhou Yi to a hexagonal platform. While operating the controls, she explained, "This is an assessment rig designed for physically enhanced Mutants. It creates a stable, controllable gravity field and features sensitive light detection systems. Using these, we can calculate your basic physical data: strength, resistance, neural response, and speed. I'm going to start increasing the gravity now. Release your force field defense—use only your basic physical resilience. Tell me when you're ready, and if you feel any discomfort, alert me immediately."
Zhou Yi nodded, confirming his understanding, and signaled he was ready to proceed.
Jean Grey activated the instrument. Her clear voice, amplified by a microphone, reached his ears. "Experiment starting. Currently 1.2 times gravity, lasting one minute... Everything normal. No adverse conditions observed in the target. Gravity increased to 1.5 times... Normal. Target gravity increased to 5 times. Mr. Zhou, how do you feel right now?"
As the test progressed, Jean grew visibly astonished. Five times gravity wasn't a simple addition of weight; it meant every muscle, bone, and cell bore five times its original mass. A creature capable of merely surviving under such immense pressure could effortlessly shatter a bus with a burst of strength under normal gravity.
Crucially, no Mutant at the school—aside from those actively boosting their strength like Hank McCoy (Beast) or Colossus—had ever tolerated this level of stress without assistance. Yet, Zhou Yi appeared perfectly composed, with clear reserve strength.
Zhou Yi performed a few casual warm-up stretches, feeling the continuous emergence of power under the strain. He gave Jean a loud thumbs-up. "I feel fantastic. Keep going!"
Jean quickly resumed her work. "Test continues. Gravity increased to 6 times. Monitoring target's cardiopulmonary function—everything normal. Experiment continuing..."
Under Jean's increasingly shocked gaze, the gravity ramped up, step by step, until it hit 9 times, the maximum current limit of the instrument. Only then did Zhou Yi show the slightest external reaction, observed through his accelerated cardiopulmonary function, which was still equivalent to an average person completing a short, intense sprint. Jean estimated that he could handle at least another one to two times the gravity, but the equipment could not go higher.
"Yi Zhou, can you perform normal exercises? Can you run? If so, try a slow jog in there."
Zhou Yi nodded, easily initiating a slow jog. After a few laps, he smoothly increased his speed, stabilizing at a pace akin to a hundred-meter sprint. He maintained this high speed for roughly ten minutes before stopping, looking toward Jean Grey for the results.
The current environment felt perfect for his training; he could feel his body strengthening rapidly, a small but consistent surge of power he hadn't experienced in years. He was eager to see how this preliminary physical test would quantify his strength.
Jean Grey, understanding his impatience, skipped the formalities and went straight to the data.
"Due to the equipment's limits, we can only provide a preliminary estimation of your physical metrics. The calculated result suggests the value of your pure physical strength—not including explosive power, only normal exertion—is between 50,000 pounds (approximately 22 metric tons) and 60,000 pounds (approximately 27 metric tons)."
"In terms of pressure resistance: the conservative estimate is that your body can withstand at least 50,000 pounds of pressure. Examining conventional weaponry, this means that only high-tech or extremely large-caliber sniper rifles might cause you harm, and only then due to a concentrated point of impact. If you use muscle control to cushion the blow, even that type of attack should be manageable."
"Your speed: Calculations show your sustained high-speed movement broke the sound barrier. Without environmental limits, your regular top speed is estimated to be around Mach 4. Given the restrictions of the testing environment, we'll conservatively place your consistent speed at Mach 3."
"Finally, your neural reaction speed: This is an estimate, but it appears your neural response time is approximately seven ten-thousandths of a second (0.0007 \s}). This value already places you at the absolute peak of known living organisms in nature. Do you ever experience visual anomalies, like the world moving too slow?"
Zhou Yi thought for a moment. "Normally, it's fine. But when I concentrate intensely, looking at something stationary can be quite disorienting."
Jean Grey shook her head in sheer awe. "I've seen many Mutant students suffer unimaginable psychological and physical pain because they couldn't control their superhuman sensory input. For you, I can only say you are like a Child Favored by Heaven. If I had to describe it, your physical body is simply too perfect. Your basic physical power alone already qualifies you as an Alpha-level Mutant. And that's before we even assess your other superpowers."
Zhou Yi merely chuckled at the high praise. "Divine Child? I'd prefer to think of myself as a human destined to become a deity."