"This has nothing to do with me. S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't an agency of the USA, but a global organization directly under the U.N. Security Council," Nick Fury countered, shifting the blame in response to Shin's sarcasm.
"The military also has many factions. The 'weapons' programs you're talking about belong to a different branch entirely," added General Ross, remaining quiet until now as he began shifting the blame.
Shin chuckled. He believed that what the two said was partially true neither of them had directly attacked mutants.
But in terms of intelligence sharing and providing logistical support, they were almost certainly involved. If any official department achieved results, these two would not hesitate to take advantage of them.
Mutant abilities were among the most universal and long-studied powers in existence. It would be strange if these organizations didn't covet them.
The current suffering of mutants was at least partially their responsibility. Nick Fury might have preferred using softer means to bring mutants under his command, while General Ross, tough and authoritarian, probably wasn't much different from William Stryker in his outlook.
He was even willing to send his own son-in-law to the lab table. Was there really hope that he'd show goodwill to mutants?
Of course, none of that mattered now. Shin thought for a moment and said, "Fine. I'll talk to the X-Men and see if we can come to an agreement."
Hearing this, General Ross only nodded stiffly and said nothing. Nick Fury added, "Want my men to go with you? Maybe—"
"No. Let Wolverine come with us," Shin cut him off.
"Wanda, take Wolverine with you. Let's go."
As he spoke, Shin gave Wanda a glance and transferred the location of Xavier's School through Genjutsu. Wanda nodded slightly, a red light flashing across her body. The four of them... Shin, Wanda, Pietro, and Wolverine disappeared together.
"Huh? Where is this?" Wolverine looked around, spotting the gate of Xavier's School in the distance.
Shin replied, "Good. No one else is here yet. Let's use this chance to talk things over. Professor X is a kind and gentle man, I don't want him or the X-Men working for free."
"This is a good opportunity. In the middle of this crisis, let the X-Men demand more terms."
"Shouldn't we be uniting instead of bargaining at a time like this?" Wolverine frowned, eyeing Shin with suspicion.
Shin smoothly changed the topic. "I saw in the news that a dam was destroyed. That was you, wasn't it?"
"The Captain and I did it together," Wolverine admitted. "That was Stryker's base where he experimented on mutants. We rescued everyone inside."
"I'll bet you didn't catch William Stryker," Shin said with a grin. "Let me guess. He escaped by helicopter and triggered a self-destruct sequence on the entire base?"
Wolverine clenched his jaw, his expression darkening. "Are you mocking me?"
"Not quite. I'm trying to teach you how to get things done," Shin snapped.
"When the time comes, we speak with one voice. Demand the military shut down the Sentinel Program, hand over all related intel, and prosecute the officers who experimented on mutants. Make them face military court. You think General Ross will agree?"
"With things the way they are now, I doubt America's in any position to say no."
"Ah—" Wolverine's mouth opened in disbelief. The scheme was so ruthless this was blatant exploitation! Just like dirty politicians!
"...But it does make sense. For the sake of unity, anyone disrupting that unity should go to hell."
In a total turnaround, Wolverine immediately agreed with Shin's suggestion, even nodding thoughtfully as if taking notes.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Seeing that everyone was now aligned, Shin turned and headed toward the gates of Xavier's School.
Wanda and Pietro had no objections to the plan. They were mutants too, and had no sympathy for anyone experimenting on their kind.
As for so-called unity and the bigger picture those held no meaning for the two siblings. They had no attachments, no loyalties, and always had a way out.
At this point, they hadn't joined the Brotherhood, hadn't built ties with the X-Men or Avengers, and didn't even know that Magneto might be their father. In a way, they were truly unburdened acting entirely according to their own preferences.
A moment later, Shin knocked on the door of Xavier's School. The large front doors creaked open, revealing two Jean Greys standing before him.
Because merging into one would risk unleashing the full force of the Phoenix, Jean had been appearing as a split twin form to help manage it.
Wolverine's gaze landed on the two Jeans. He'd seen the Phoenix's terrifying power firsthand. His view of the girl he once adored had been irreversibly changed.
He had dared to flirt before, but now? The man visibly shrank in place.
"Kevin? Logan... it's you!" Jean Grey greeted them and then noticed Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver following close behind. Suddenly, a fire-like gleam lit up in her eyes.
Scarlet Witch stood her ground, her own eyes flickering red. In some Marvel lore, Chaos Magic and the Phoenix Force are mutually generative and destructive like yin and yang. Naturally, their hosts would feel some tension.
It wasn't open hostility, but a strange, instinctive opposition.
That tension wasn't just philosophical. The similarities between them were uncanny: both were powerful mutants, striking red-haired beauties, and chosen by forces beyond the multiverse.
Seeing each other was like staring into a mirror.
Given that, neither had any intention of making friends. In fact, their rivalry had already begun when they first clashed during the Apocalypse incident. Jean Grey's current hostility was only natural, and Wanda, proud as she was, refused to back down.
Though both Chaos Magic and the Phoenix Force were similarly powerful, the two Jean Greys, combined, had far more control than Wanda currently had over her own abilities.
Soon, the Scarlet Witch sensed something amiss. Just as she was about to push harder with Chaos Magic, Shin quickly raised a hand, interrupting the confrontation.