Only Charles remained in the top of the church in the lakeside town. Zhou Yi hadn't stayed to continue the pointless argument; he'd left early with the unconscious Jean Grey. Of course, before leaving, he'd contacted the academy, informing them of Charles's location.
The mutants had suffered heavy losses because of Professor Charles. If they didn't get news of Charles soon, those with psychological issues might do something dangerous, especially with the president about to issue a decree.
Fortunately, Charles was finally safe. This was something to be happy about for both humans and mutants. His presence alone was enough to avert a war about to erupt. No one doubted Charles's persuasive power, not even Zhou Yi. As long as he was there, the president wouldn't sign the order.
While Charles was still pondering what Zhou Yi had said earlier, the sound of running came from the stairs. Sensing familiar mental signatures, Charles smiled and looked towards the stairwell exit.
Soon, two familiar figures appeared before him. His oldest friend, his old assistant Hank, and the rebellious, yet sincere, Logan.
The moment they saw Professor Charles, both of them rushed forward. Hank tightly embraced his old friend; for him, nothing made him happier than seeing his old friend safe. Even the rebellious Logan barely suppressed the excitement within. He couldn't hug Charles like Hank did, but that didn't stop the joy from welling up inside him.
Charles had always treated others with the utmost kindness, and naturally, he received the same in return from his comrades. In terms of how he treated people, he hadn't done anything wrong, but from the perspective of a leader, it was far from enough.
"Old friend, how did you get out safely? Oh my god, we all thought you had..." Hank embraced Charles, his bestial face filled with surprise and relief. He didn't finish the sentence, but Charles understood his meaning.
They'd prepared for the worst, thankfully it hadn't come to pass.
"We have our friend to thank for this, we're lucky to have his help!" Charles didn't say who he meant, but they all understood he was referring to the Dawn Knight. He was the only one capable of rescuing him in that situation.
Logan, as one of the insiders who'd entered the final battlefield, naturally knew how dangerous the situation had been. He was still apprehensive about it now. So when he heard Charles's response, he immediately followed up with a question.
"Professor, what about that guy, and Jean? Why aren't they here?"
"Mr. Zhou Yi seems to have something else to take care of, he's already left ahead of us." Charles's smile remained unchanged, but he had to start weaving a lie. "As for Jean, I'm sorry. She seems to have left on her own, and she has refused my telepathic communication."
As an experienced person and a master of the mind, he naturally understood Logan and Scott's feelings for Jean. But at this moment, this emotion had become a ticking time bomb. He had clearly felt Jean's ardent feelings for Zhou Yi, so he also understood that these two would only become losers.
But they might not have that intuition. Especially Scott, he knew his star pupil too well. Obsession was his biggest weakness, especially obsession with emotions. When he knew about Jean Grey's current situation, he might do some things that Charles didn't want to see.
The mutants were already in a precarious situation at this time, and it was really impossible to add another terrifying figure to the enemy's list. Especially when the reason was a relationship that was doomed to have no outcome. So, even if Charles was unwilling, he chose to use lies to gloss over this question. Because, this was already his best choice.
Logan sensed there was definitely something hidden, but he wisely didn't delve further. Since their safety wasn't an issue, he relaxed. As for anything else, he no longer asked for anything. In this regard, Charles only needed to worry about Scott.
"Logan, the Professor needs to rest now. Let's go back and talk about Jean," Hank didn't want to dwell on Jean Grey any longer. He had a natural fear of the Jean Grey who had awakened the Dark Phoenix persona.
He could feel the terrifying nature of Dark Phoenix, and he had a very ominous premonition about this Dark Phoenix with its terrifying power. This premonition came from her madness and brutality, as well as his own inner guesses and fears. In any case, he didn't want this person to return.
Charles sensed his fear, so he quietly connected with Hank's mind as Hank pushed him forward.
"You seem very uneasy, Hank? Is it because of Jean?"
"Professor, you should already know. That persona in her heart has awakened. To be honest, that persona makes me very uneasy. She is too powerful, so powerful that she herself can't control herself. And I can see that that persona doesn't even think about controlling it!"
"Could you be overthinking this, Hank? After all, she is one of us."
"Jean is one of us, that's true, but is that persona really with us? I don't feel any affection between her and us."
Hank heard the professor's soft sigh in his mind, and then there were no other words. Hank didn't say anything more either; for him, the current situation was the best it could be. The terrifying Dark Phoenix was gone, so she wouldn't harm the people in the academy. As for the rest, he didn't care.
The mutants began to lick their wounds in silence. For them, they had suffered a huge loss in this war. But at the same time, they also gained a huge reward. The most important point was that a large number of mutants who had been captured by Stryker joined Magneto and Charles after gaining their freedom.
For the powerful Magneto, this might not be anything. But for Charles, this was very important. Because the addition of these compatriots not only made his strength stronger. It also meant that his moderate views were increasingly accepted by his compatriots. In any case, this was a good start.
On the other side, Zhou Yi also tried everything to take care of Jean. Jean, who had suffered serious mental trauma, fell into a long coma. Zhou Yi didn't even know when she would wake up. Because this was not an ordinary trauma, but the annihilation of her personality and will. If it weren't for the fact that Jean had two personalities, she would have almost been declared dead.
Even so, her current situation was also very critical. Moreover, Zhou Yi was helpless about how to treat her. The spirit was a magical thing, and it was difficult for ordinary people to fathom its depth, let alone treat it. So, what Zhou Yi did was actually just waiting.
He placed Jean in the life support capsule of a secret laboratory, relying on the most advanced technology to maintain her physical health, and at the same time, began to spend more time with her. He hoped this would help her wake up, and that was all he could do.
As for the rest, it could only depend on her own efforts.
As times changed, the Dawn Knight and the mutants had already ceased their activities. But for some people, their work had just begun.
The events surrounding the Lake Erica flood hadn't yet been reported in the media when S.H.I.E.L.D. agents appeared around the lakeside town. They were there to clean up the mess.
Agent Coulson was still leading the team. He was Director Fury's most capable subordinate, so it was natural that he handled the most difficult problems, just like Stryker's crazy revenge plan.
As the largest intelligence organization, how could they not know about Stryker's plan? Especially since they had provided information to Zhou Yi. Even if they hadn't known, his plan would have been completely exposed to a group of outstanding intelligence analysts.
However, they hadn't intervened in the incident. The reason was simple: they didn't like mutants either. If Stryker's plan succeeded, it would be a win-win situation. Mutants would be wiped from the world, and then the mad general would be taken out by the Dawn Knight. If they were quick enough, they could even inherit Stryker's legacy. This was the best-case scenario they had predicted.
If the plan failed, they would still be the beneficiaries. Because not only the Dawn Knight, but also the mutant side had received their benefits. They had not only provided information but even deployed personnel. Even if Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's actions weren't by order. And, similarly, they could still inherit the legacy.
But there's a saying that reality is often unexpected. Stryker's failure was within their expectations, but everything that followed was beyond their expectations.
The overwhelming flood not only turned everything Stryker left behind into an underwater mystery but also left them with a huge mess. They had to explain the flood's appearance.
Why did the Lake Erica dam suddenly collapse? Why were there no warning signs beforehand? The extraordinary spectacle of the mutant battle seen by a few people, etc., all information had to be blocked and a unified explanation given.
The Security Council's order was that Stryker's research, including his goddamn base, must not be exposed. This had become Coulson's biggest headache. He had to figure out how to plug every leak and tell every lie. By today, he had met with many Canadian government officials and many annoying reporters and free speech advocates. This made him rub his temples even now.
To be honest, this kind of work was really exhausting, but fortunately, it was almost done.
"Sir, we have unified the information with all departments and the media. The public is now being told that the Lake Erica dam collapsed due to a terrorist attack by remnants of a Nazi organization, and the Dawn Knight's appearance was just a coincidence. I believe this explanation will be accepted by the public soon."
Taking a sip of bitter coffee to refresh his tired spirit, Coulson took the relevant report from his subordinate and glanced at it, casually asking,
"Has the analysis data on the valley come out? What useful information have you gotten about that person?"
"Sorry, sir!" A wry smile appeared on the subordinate's face. "The data from that valley is really too terrifying; we've obtained very limited information."
"It was just some people's wishful thinking anyway." Patting his subordinate's shoulder, Coulson advised, "Not many people had any hope for this mission, relax. That's a real Superman, if it could be restrained by just establishing a few models. Wouldn't so many people be missing Captain America?"
"Uh, sir? Who is Captain America?" The subordinate looked very confused, while Coulson felt strange.
"You don't even know Captain America? Where did you even come from?"
"I was just transferred from the Indian branch, sir!"
Coulson turned away, silent for a minute. He left behind an order that left his subordinate baffled.
"You have three days. Memorize this person's file. Otherwise, you can go to the personnel department and request a reassignment."
-----------------------
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