Charles knew Fang Yuan would ask this, so he handed him a list and instructed, "You need to destroy this after you've read it here."
Fang Yuan nodded, "Don't worry, I understand."
He naturally understood the importance of protecting their privacy.
"Hank McCoy, Sean Cassidy, Alex Summers, Salvador."
"I think we could give them codenames, just like Warren's Angel. It would make them more recognizable and help conceal their identities," Fang Yuan suggested, looking at the list.
"I said we should come up with Superhero codenames!" Raven was very excited. She pointed at Charles and Eric and said, "I've already thought of them for you."
"I'm Mystique!"
"Charles, you're Professor X!"
"Eric, you're Magneto!"
Fang Yuan chuckled, "I think that's great."
Charles and Eric exchanged glances, shook their heads, and could only accept it.
"What about Fang?" Eric asked.
Raven shook her head, "I haven't thought of one yet."
They weren't even clear about what abilities Fang Yuan possessed.
At this moment, Fang Yuan had finished reading the list. He pointed at the last person on it and asked, "Armando Muñoz, the list says 'not yet recruited.' Did he refuse?"
"No," Eric explained, "He's in New York. Charles and I are planning to go find him later."
"Hmm…"
Fang Yuan pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's not go find him for now."
"Why?" Charles was puzzled. He then looked at Armando's photo and asked, "Are you bothered by his skin color?"
Armando was the only Black person on the list.
The status of Black people in the 60s, well, those who know, know.
"Of course not," Fang Yuan waved his hand.
Are you kidding? He was an East Asian. When it came to experiencing discrimination, Black people were still his juniors.
"I just think it would be better for him to come to my side," Fang Yuan said.
The name Armando Muñoz sounded unfamiliar, but his codename was very famous.
Darwin.
His Mutant ability was survivor, allowing him to change his body to automatically adapt to the external environment.
He could turn into ice in fire.
He could evolve gills in Water.
He could also change if he felt small in a big hole… *cough, cough* that's not confirmed.
Darwin would only change when his body felt threatened, but strictly speaking, if someone made him uncomfortable, that could also be a threat, right?
In any case, Fang Yuan felt that survivor was a very powerful ability, perfect for staying alive, and its growth potential was enormous.
As for Darwin's minor role in the movie…
He attacked Sebastian Shaw before his abilities had fully developed, which was like a level 1 character trying to solo the big boss. If he didn't die, who would?
The Darwin in the movie had a certain aesthetic of 'This is offense, this is defense, this is Isshin Ashina.'
So, instead of letting Darwin go give Sebastian Shaw a kill, it would be better to use him to earn rewards for Fang Yuan.
"You want to turn him into a Superhero too?" Eric asked with interest.
He had also seen the hot news about Angel in all the major newspapers today.
Eric was very happy that one of their kind was so popular, and he even felt a little — envy.
Fang Yuan clearly perceived this emotion. Sure enough, Magneto liked the feeling of being adored by thousands.
"You will all be Superheroes!"
Having grasped Eric's subtle thoughts, Fang Yuan immediately played to his preferences and began his persuasion mode.
"The only difference is just a matter of time."
Charles was also stirred by these words, but then he shook his head with a wry smile, "Right now, the most important thing is still to deal with Sebastian Shaw's threat."
"I always feel like Shaw is brewing some bigger conspiracy."
Regarding that Black King, Fang Yuan intended to keep his distance.
What abilities did he even have?
He couldn't be like Darwin, level 1 trying to take on a big boss.
With Fang Yuan basically not altering the plot, Charles and his group should have no major problem resolving Shaw's threat.
But for Fang Yuan, the biggest challenge was how the World would view Mutants after Charles and his group killed Shaw, and Mutants were exposed to the World.
In the original plot, the World viewed Mutants as a threat, and didn't even treat them as human beings.
Fang Yuan wanted to use Mutants to gain fame and obtain extraordinary rewards, so he certainly couldn't let the plot unfold that way.
And for the World to hear the voice of Mutants, it was time for Fang Yuan to introduce some black technology.
His eyes darted around. He motioned for Charles and Eric to lean closer and told them his idea.
Eric's eyes lit up as he listened, as if a new World had opened up to him.
Charles, however, was a little hesitant.
Raven?
Raven was staring blankly at Fang Yuan's face.
"Wouldn't doing this be a bit bad? It would interfere with human free will," Charles whispered.
But Fang Yuan briefly explained the crisis Mutants were currently facing to Charles, then spread his hands.
"Charles, do you choose to lack channels to speak for Mutants, leading to Mutants being hostilely viewed by the World, with countless compatriots displaced and their lives threatened?"
"Or do you choose to interfere with a tiny bit of free will now, to secure a better future for Mutants?"
"Besides, there are no disadvantages for those people either."
Charles was deeply affected. He often fantasized about the beautiful future Fang Yuan had spoken of, so he finally made up his mind.
"You're the company boss, you decide," he told Fang Yuan.
That's right, although Vought Corporation's initial funding came from Charles, the company's owner was still Fang Yuan.
As for the money Charles provided, it was essentially an interest-free loan; he didn't ask for any shares.
No choice, Professor X was just that generous.
"Then it's settled. For the next few days, Charles will spend an hour with me daily, and Eric will join us after seven days," Fang Yuan said.
The reason for seven days was that Fang Yuan knew hot news had a cycle. In his previous life, when online media was developed, an event's popularity typically lasted about three to five days. After short videos became prevalent, hot news couldn't even last three days.
Of course, it was the 1960s now, and hot news could be remembered for a long time, but Fang Yuan didn't have much time, so it was better to increase the frequency and bombard the public with information.
"What about me?"
At this moment, Raven raised her hand. She hadn't heard Fang Yuan's arrangements for her, and she was immediately a little displeased, thinking Fang Yuan underestimated her.
After all, most of the time, she was the one who lasted longer than Fang Yuan…
"Of course not, you have a more important mission."
Fang Yuan said.
He then revealed his plan, drawing frequent side glances from Charles and Eric.
"Fortunately, Sebastian Shaw didn't recruit you into the Hellfire Club," Charles said sincerely.
After arranging his three helpers, Fang Yuan turned around and bought another newspaper.
The two newspapers he currently owned had already gained a bit of fame.
Because they continuously reported positive news about the Superhero Angel, and always had some unique intelligence, after Angel's explosion in popularity, "The Observer Daily" now had a circulation of 200,000 copies.
"The Collector Daily," on the other hand, operated entirely as an opposition voice. Even when all of New York was scrambling to report on Angel saving hostages, "The Collector Daily" was still finding fault and nitpicking.
But this clear opposition indeed attracted some readers, and its circulation stabilized at 150,000 copies.
However, Fang Yuan knew that these two newspapers had one position too far left and one too far right. There would always be more rational people who were not easily swayed by emotions, and they were not being catered to.
So, his real trump card in the newspaper field arrived.
Fang Yuan quickly bought a third newspaper and renamed it "The Neutralist Daily."
Fang Yuan's positioning for this newspaper was to report news in a completely neutral and objective manner.
And this was also the type of newspaper most likely to win over readers' favor.
Play is play, but don't treat news as a joke.
Whether the audience was pro-Mutant, anti-Mutant, or neutral, he wouldn't let any of them go!
Two days later, "The Neutralist Daily" became a hit.
Because its front-page headline article was titled — "Understanding Mutants Correctly, Starting with Angel".
You will get 90 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
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