"Okay, Jean. Wanda and Pietro were just being controlled at that time. They've recovered now and aren't your enemies anymore."
After hearing Shin's words, the two Phoenix hosts nodded simultaneously and withdrew the Phoenix Force. Seeing this, Scarlet Witch also dispersed the Chaos Magic surrounding her body.
Wolverine, who had been nearly crushed by the opposing forces, finally let out a long breath and lit a cigarette to steady himself.
"This world is insane. Why are all the strongest mutants women?" he muttered under his breath. Shin, whose hearing was exceptional, smiled and thought, When you meet Mr. Fantastic's son in the future, you'll realize the strongest aren't women... they're children.
"Logan, Kevin, the professor will be thrilled to know you're here. Rogue still talks about you," Jean Grey said to them, then turned and led the way.
"By the way, Logan, have you recovered your memory?"
Logan took a long drag on his cigar and replied in a gravelly voice, "Yeah... though it's not a memory worth keeping."
Jean Grey, understanding the weight behind those words, tactfully didn't ask further. Just then, everyone noticed Storm approaching, pushing a wheelchair with Professor X seated in it.
"Welcome. Truly, welcome," Professor X said warmly, his gaze settling especially on Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.
These two mutants were extraordinarily powerful.
Scarlet Witch, in particular, was an undisputed Omega-level mutant or perhaps even beyond that. Like the Phoenix, if she were to unleash her full potential, she could be revered as a goddess among mutants.
Although Quicksilver's power wasn't at his sister's level, he was still a high-tier Alpha mutant. His super-speed placed him far above most.
If these two could be brought into the fold... the bald telepath was already envisioning the benefits.
But Shin promptly interrupted Professor X's optimistic thoughts. His eyes briefly shimmered with a faint glow as he exchanged a glance with the professor.
Feeling the Genjutsu coming from Shin and sensing no hostility, only the transfer of urgent information, Professor X closed his eyes to process it.
Moments later, his expression changed drastically.
"Is this true?" Professor X asked with a bitter smile, opening his eyes again.
"It is. Otherwise, we wouldn't have come to you," Shin replied. "You know how stubborn the military and intelligence agencies are. If they're reaching out to the X-Men, it means they have no cards left to play."
"What's going on?" Phoenix asked, her brows knitting. Storm wore a similarly puzzled look.
"Jean, gather all the X-Men, including the reserves," Professor X instructed. Jean nodded and quickly left to carry out the order.
In just a short while, the entire X-Men team, including the reserve members from the last battle with Apocalypse, had assembled.
Those reserves had only handled crowd control on the periphery during that event. The truly dangerous combat had taken place near the pyramid, where Apocalypse's elite fought. The rest were little more than disposable fodder. Still, it was a live combat experience.
After that baptism, the reserves had grown stronger and now, they looked far more capable.
The original X-Men team consisted of Phoenix, Beast, Professor X, Cyclops, Storm, and Wolverine.
Beast now handled mostly internal and technical matters, and Professor X, confined to a wheelchair, rarely entered combat. Wolverine hadn't officially rejoined the X-Men yet, so in terms of combat-ready first-gen members, only Cyclops, Storm, and Phoenix were available.
The second generation of X-Men wasn't large either, including Colossus, Shadowcat, Iceman, Pyro, Blink, Rogue, and a few whose names Shin couldn't even recall.
However, most of them were of limited use in this crisis. Among the lot, only Phoenix and Professor X could truly make a difference.
Professor X may have realized this, but being wise with age, he also knew that numbers meant influence.
Shin had already shared his entire plan with the professor including the military's conditions. Professor X wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. Having more people involved would bolster morale and political standing.
Once the entire group had assembled, Shin cleared his throat and addressed them. He began recounting the entire situation. The response from the crowd was predictable.
"What? The end of the world? Already?"
"You've got to be kidding. Apocalypse only wanted to rule the world, and now some cosmic freak wants to eat the whole planet like it's a jellybean?"
"Seriously though... aliens invading Earth? Doesn't even feel that strange anymore."
Once the buzz died down, Professor X spoke up. "This disaster threatens not only humans, but mutants as well. If Earth falls, neither species survives..."
"But those U.S. bureaucrats won't die. They're already planning to evacuate the solar system on a spaceship," Wolverine muttered.
Professor X ignored the jab and continued, "This might be our best chance to bridge the gap between mutants and humans. If we can weather this together, I believe mutual understanding can be achieved."
Shin rolled his eyes. He had to admit it, Professor X's political idealism was far too naive. If it were up to him, he'd play a friendlier game. Volunteer as a neighborhood hero once in a while, sure. But to really clean up the mutants' image, he'd rather bribe senators.
Controlling U.S. officials with powers would cause panic. Doing it with money, though? No one bats an eye.
If the X-Men ever truly expanded, their future would be incredibly bright. With the unique abilities mutants possessed, and the X-men's access to advanced technology. It wouldn't be hard to turn it into a tech giant.
The problem was, that entrenched powers kept suppressing them. Since those technologies were developed by mutants, they were never shared with the outside world and remained within the X-Men's inner circle.
But if they were more flexible with strategy and ideology, transforming into a second Stark Industries wouldn't be out of reach.
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