"Is Charles there?" After a long silence, Zhou Yi was the first to break the deadlock. At this point, saying something was much better than saying nothing at all.
Silence stretched on the other end of the phone, before Ororo's heavily congested voice came through.
"Professor isn't here; he went out with an old friend."
"Then when will he be back? I'll contact him again then!"
"Are you really that heartless, not even wanting to say a single word to me?" With a soft sigh, Ororo revealed her true feelings to him. Even now, she still felt like she was in a nightmare; she couldn't understand why things had come to this.
It had all been developing in a good direction at first, so why did it turn out like this simply because of a small matter? She had tossed and turned for many nights, unable to figure out this problem. Until today, she finally couldn't bear it and asked him directly.
"I'm sorry, Ororo!" She waited for a long time, but only received these words. "We aren't suitable for each other. The longer it goes on, the greater the harm will be. I don't want to regret it after making a big mistake, so I have to cut all of this off now."
"Why, why?"
Ororo was somewhat choked with sobs. Listening to her whimpering voice, Zhou Yi's heart also became irritable and heavy. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to maintain composure as he spoke.
"Ororo, the most important thing in your heart will always be your Mutant compatriots. But in my heart, the most important thing is my family. If one day, you had to make a choice between these two, what would you do?"
"That's impossible; you can't treat me like this because of something impossible. That's not fair to me! Yi! That's not fair to me."
Ororo cried, each sound like a sharp blade cutting through Zhou Yi's heart. He desperately tried to filter this sound from his mind, but he couldn't. He was not emotionally strong, never had been.
"No, Ororo. That's not impossible. Mutants are too chaotic; I've seen how you all are. Most of you, when fanatical, are no different from lunatics. Magneto, when he goes crazy, doesn't even spare his own compatriots, even abandoning his own children. What difference would his subordinates have? Before it was Rogue and those poor people; if next time it's Charisse, what should I do?"
"And you, Ororo. Charles's beliefs have influenced you too deeply. I know what you would choose between me and your compatriots. Last time you chose your compatriots, and next time you will still do the same. I can endure your harm to me, but I cannot endure you harming my family."
"Ororo, I love you. I have never denied that. But I love my family more. I must make a choice in advance, and I have already made my choice. I'm sorry, Ororo. If hating me makes you feel better, then hate me."
After saying this, Zhou Yi fell silent. Even if what came next was a storm, thunder, and lightning, he would endure it. Family was the most important thing in his heart; for them, he could endure anything.
But after a long wait, all he received was a sigh, and that sigh did not come from Ororo, but from Charles.
"Ororo is asleep; she hasn't been doing well these past few days!"
Charles's voice held both accusation and regret, but Zhou Yi did not want to delve into this issue with him. This was their problem, and it had nothing to do with Charles. So, when Professor Charles took Ororo's place in the conversation, he had already transformed into the man with only his plan in mind.
"Professor, you've come at a good time. I need to tell you that my plan has already begun."
The Professor on the other end of the phone sighed again. This time, he wasn't sighing for his student's difficult emotions, but for the future of Mutants. He frowned deeply, his aged wrinkles filled with his hesitation and worry.
"Zhou Yi, I think you should be more cautious. This might not be the best time to implement your plan!"
"Waiting, waiting, you're always waiting. Charles, so many years have passed; you've waited through most of your life, but you still haven't waited for what you consider the best time. Charles, it's not that the time doesn't exist; it's that you don't have the courage to seize it."
"But you know that sometimes what you consider an opportunity can bring an even more terrifying crisis, Zhou Yi. I don't know if your plan is truly suitable; perhaps the World isn't ready to accept us!"
Charles was still subtly expressing his refusal. What he had adhered to for decades was not something Zhou Yi could change overnight.
"Charles, you can only dominate yourself; you cannot dominate the thoughts of others. I don't want my sister to live outside of this World like you. I told myself I would do whatever it takes to create a beautiful future for her. I have worked so hard, and I will not stop because of your refusal."
Professor Charles closed his eyes. After a long while, he asked.
"Since that's the case, why are you telling me?"
"Some things you must know; this is their decision. I'm just informing you, Charles. The choice is not in your hands!"
At this point, Zhou Yi had already hung up the phone. Listening to the dial tone, Charles was stunned for a long time before lowering his stiff arm. He knew that Mutants were about to be drawn into another unpredictable storm, and this time he would no longer be the one steering the ship.
This situation inevitably caused him many worries. He didn't know how Mutants should conduct themselves this time, nor did he know what kind of decision he should make.
Pushing his wheelchair to the window, he looked at the rebuilt manor and fell into a long period of contemplation. He was step-by-step deducing Zhou Yi's actions, hoping to catch a glimpse of his plan from his behavior. But even with his astonishing wisdom, he couldn't discern what he didn't know.
Zhou Yi's caution showed its benefits at this moment, preventing many people from secretly interfering.
Charles was still deep in thought when suddenly someone knocked on the office door.
"Come in?" Charles looked up in confusion. It was then that he realized a group of students had entered. A group of his oldest students. He suddenly had a bad premonition. "Children, what are you doing here?"
Leading this group of students was Rogue. This student, who had joined halfway, had never had a strong sense of belonging to the academy. So, compared to the other students who stammered and couldn't explain themselves, she was the most open.
"Professor, we want to leave school and work in the city!"
"Why do you have this idea? Is there something the school can't provide for you?" Charles stared intently at these students. He, who had never pried into his students' thoughts, almost lost control at this moment. He desperately wanted to know why, why these Children chose to leave at this time.
"Professor, school is great, everyone is very happy!" Rogue glanced at the surrounding students, and seeing the hope in their eyes, she said with suppressed guilt. "But we are no longer Children, Professor. We are adults; we need to live an adult life, not be protected in a cradle like a Child."
"I lived outside for a long time, and honestly, those were tough years, incomparable to life at the academy. But there was one thing the academy never had, and that was freedom. Outside, I could live each day freely, but here I can only be confined in a cage."
"Child, that's just your illusion. You should know how dangerous the outside World is for us. We just want to protect you as much as possible; we never intended to take away your freedom." Charles was still patiently trying to persuade them, hoping that these Children were just acting on impulse and would soon forget about it.
But he was disappointed; this was not an impulsive choice. It was a long-planned scheme.
"Professor, being overprotected is no different from being deprived of freedom. Moreover, this World is no longer as dangerous as you think." Rogue said, placing two documents in front of Professor Charles.
"What is this?" Charles took them but didn't open them. He had already guessed that this was part of Zhou Yi's plan. So, before looking at them, he wanted to hear his students' thoughts first.
"Here is an employment agreement from the New York Police Department. The New York Police Department Director will hire us to join the Police and fire departments, becoming part of them. We will enjoy the same treatment as normal people, and the Police department will also help us establish a positive image!"
"The other is a recruitment contract from the Corona Group in Huiyao City. They need some people with special talents to clear out existing Bio-monsters. In return, they will offer generous rewards and require the local Government to grant these people the title of honorary citizen."
While Rogue was saying all this, Charles had already finished reading the documents in his hand. The content of the documents was not much different from what Rogue had said, and this was what Charles feared most.
At this moment, how he wished this was a contract full of loopholes, desperately exploiting the value of these Children. Because then he could openly point it out, thereby making these Children stay.
But these documents were not. Zhou Yi offered the most favorable conditions, conditions that would attract countless followers even in normal Human Race society. Not to mention the Mutant community, which had always been discriminated against. He thought and thought, and in the end, could only pin his hopes on his own authority and his students' blind obedience to him.
"You should know that these are very dangerous things. At any time, you could suffer irreparable harm due to a small accident. Instead of taking such risks, why don't you choose to stay in school? You could happily spend many years until you finish your studies. At that time, if you still want to work, you could completely become a teacher at the academy! Even now, you could try starting as a teaching assistant."
"Professor!" Rogue interrupted him. "We are already adults, unlike those Children. They can enjoy carefree times with peace of mind, but we hope to earn our rightful benefits with our own hands. You might not care about spending money on us, but we do care about being constantly treated as freeloaders. I'm sorry, Professor. I won't stay; I've already made my decision."