Wolverine, who was browsing his phone, saw the news and immediately revealed a ferocious grin.
Although he didn't know William Stryker's current situation, Wolverine believed that someone as cunning as Stryker definitely had contingency plans. Just because the military expelled him didn't mean his influence would disappear overnight. But this was, without a doubt, a serious blow.
Without military and national backing, no matter how many cards William Stryker had up his sleeve, he'd only be able to control a handful of mutants at best. And when it came to mutants, could his remaining forces possibly take on both the X-Men and the Brotherhood?
Even if the X-Men wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble and refrained from acting, Wolverine and the Brotherhood would never let him walk free.
Seeing Wolverine's expression, Professor X understood the situation without needing to ask. Although his face remained calm, he was quite pleased internally.
The old professor was known for his gentleness and understood the consequences of his actions. The reason he had tolerated so many scumbags in the past was to preserve the X-Men's image not because he was a pure saint.
Now, it was time for Professor X to get involved as well.
The Silver Surfer was still imprisoned within the experimental facility. Currently, the scientists studying him are Dr. Hank Pym and Doctor Doom.
Although the Silver Surfer had been severely beaten by the Hulk, he only lost due to brute force. He wasn't gravely injured, and his skin was extraordinarily resilient.
A team of scientists had tried numerous methods, yet none could pierce his silver metallic skin. Even adamantium, the so-called indestructible alloy, had no effect.
This made the research extremely difficult. However, with Doctor Doom's mastery of both science and magic, and Hank Pym's ability to use Pym Particles to shrink and explore the interior of the Silver Surfer's body, the two had managed to make some progress.
When Phoenix, Scarlet Witch, Shin, and Professor X entered the lab, they found Dr. Pym immersed in his work.
As for Doom, he stood off to the side wearing his iron mask, arms crossed in his usual fashion, deep in thought.
The Silver Surfer was tightly restrained by adamantium bindings. Even without his board, his ability to manipulate cosmic energy was only weakened, not nullified. He was still on par with top-tier heroes, capable of battling Thor.
In fact, his skin was far tougher than Thor's. Earth's weapons had no effect on him. If the Hulk hadn't used blunt-force trauma to induce internal bleeding, capturing him would've been impossible.
"Any results?" Shin nudged the bald professor and asked the two scientists.
"A remarkable cosmic species," Hank Pym replied seriously. "If he still had his board, he could probably destroy the Earth single-handedly."
"The silver skin coating his body is a kind of metal that coexists with his biology," Doctor Doom added. "It's incredibly strong, immune to extreme temperatures, pressures, acids, energy, lasers, lightning—you name it."
"Fortunately, this metal only coats his skin. Otherwise, I can't imagine any human or Earth-based weapon being able to do anything to him," Hank Pym exhaled deeply.
No matter how indestructible his skin was, his internal organs, muscles, and bones were still vulnerable. That's why the Hulk's blows still made him cough up blood.
"Don't waste your time. Your fate is already sealed," the Silver Surfer said calmly.
"Whoa, he's still conscious?" Shin asked in surprise. The Silver Surfer had been so motionless he'd seemed unconscious.
"He's been awake the whole time," Hank Pym said with a troubled expression. "Most Earth-based sedatives don't affect him."
"Fortunately, he's fairly cooperative. He'll answer any question as long as it doesn't involve specific information about Galactus," Doctor Doom said coldly. "For instance, the metal coating his body is called Galaxy Glaze. It was developed to withstand the extreme environments of space."
[T/N: I did not find any reference to this metal coating called Galaxy Glaze. Take this info with a grain of salt.]
The conditions in space were beyond Earth's comprehension. To move through space without harm, Galaxy Glaze had to withstand stellar temperatures, neutron star pressures, black hole gravity, and the impact of light-speed debris. Its defensive power was unimaginable.
Shin had once thought adamantium was the hardest metal in the Marvel Universe. He had never even heard of Galaxy Glaze before.
Looking at that silvery shell, he couldn't help feeling tempted.
Despite its metallic traits, Galaxy Glaze wasn't true metal, it wasn't susceptible to magnetism. And since the Silver Surfer was an alien detainee without legal rights, and his goal had been to destroy Earth, Shin had no moral qualms about taking the Galaxy Glaze for himself.
Of course, there was no rush. The Silver Surfer wasn't going anywhere.
"Let me try. Maybe I can extract something from his mind," said Professor X. Neither Doom nor Hank Pym objected.
At that moment, a group of superheroes, General Ross, and Nick Fury also entered the lab.
The information the Silver Surfer held on Galactus was of paramount importance. With the Earth in a dire position, uncovering the enemy's weaknesses was critical.
Professor Charles closed his eyes and raised a hand to his temple. This familiar gesture served more as a psychological trigger than a functional necessity, it helped him focus. But in truth, he could control others with just a thought, even without the theatrics.
Still, the Silver Surfer's brain was protected by immense cosmic energy and the outer shell of Galaxy Glaze. Even for someone with Charles's top-tier telepathic abilities, penetrating that mind wasn't easy.
After a while, the Silver Surfer's face began to contort, while sweat trickled down Professor X's forehead. Clearly, the mental battle had begun.
Seeing this, the two Phoenix girls standing behind Professor Charles had a red glow ignite in their eyes. With the Phoenix Force awakened, their mental powers now rivaled his.
Mental abilities require control. If it were just raw power, even Jean Grey with half the Phoenix Force would surpass Professor X's capabilities in destructive psychic force.
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