Charles ultimately failed to keep Rogue; she left the School very resolutely. Many other students also left with her. Except for a couple of timid ones, most did not heed the Professor's advice.
Facing their future, these individuals still chose a path that seemed brighter. Charles's approach was simply too suppressive for these young people. They preferred to take a chance in the wider World rather than hide in a cage for a lifetime because of a little hardship. Young people always like to strive, and no one can change that.
Watching these young Children board the shuttle to the city in batches, Charles's hands, which had been tightly gripping the handrail, slowly relaxed. He ultimately did not use his ability to change these Children's will. So he could only watch them leave.
He is an upright, principled man. And precisely because of these qualities, he has always been taken advantage of. It's not that his wisdom is lacking, but that he adheres too strictly to his principles. He has suffered enough from this, and it seems he will continue to do so.
Rogue and her group split into two. One group boarded a train to Huiyao City, where special personnel arranged by Zhou Yi would meet them, so there was no need to worry about encountering any trouble on the way.
The other group came together to the New York City Police Department Headquarters. Holding an order signed by Director George Stacy, they arrived at the Police station's reception desk under the strange gaze of a group of Police.
At this moment, Stacy was in a state of utter disarray.
With the rise to fame of a Superhero, more and more individuals in New York, the most chaotic place for public order, have emerged, taking on the role of Superhero. Among these are ordinary people full of fantasies, and also some with genuine superpowers.
However, Stacy was not particularly fond of these individuals. Because these people were taking jobs away from the Police. They did not have Police status yet performed their functions, and in the most violent way.
This was the method Stacy despised the most. Even Dawn Knight, when he wanted to uphold justice and peace, only began after consulting with him. In every respect, Dawn Knight gave the Police enough Face. And who did these people think they were?
Each one acted recklessly, running around the World under the guise of upholding justice, not only interfering with normal Police operations but sometimes causing many unnecessary losses. Sometimes Stacy had an urge to concentrate Police forces and arrest one or two extremists.
However, he also knew this was unlikely. Police are, after all, ordinary people, and dealing with these extraordinary, non-human individuals was simply beyond their capabilities. Moreover, even if successful, it would likely result in many casualties. Stacy, who always cared for his subordinates, could not bring himself to act on a whim and disregard their lives.
But some things, what needs to be done, must be done. Stacy thought for a moment and signed a warrant. The name on the warrant clearly read "Spider-Man."
"Brad, issue this warrant. Be quick; I want everyone in New York to know this bastard is wanted." Stacy called a young Police officer over and directly handed him the warrant.
The Police officer named Brad glanced at the warrant in his hand, looked at his Superior with some surprise, and asked,
"Head, isn't this a bit much? Spider-Man has helped us quite a bit!"
"I didn't ask him to help us!" Stacy waved his hand in annoyance, interrupting the young Police officer's next words.
"This Little fellow is useless except for swinging around. Because of him, several of our large operations were exposed prematurely. This caused me to be severely scolded, and I had to endure it. Listen carefully, do not sympathize with this guy. Because of this Little fellow, people now look at us Police like idiots. If you don't want to lose your job, just listen to me honestly."
"Alright, you're the Director, I'll listen to you." Concerned about his job, Brad no longer had the leisure to sympathize with Spider-Man. He took the warrant and walked towards the communications room. Stacy watched him leave, then once again pondered how to deal with the other individuals who had emerged.
Spider-Man was a soft target; he dealt with ordinary minor characters, and his methods were very gentle; knocking them out was already considered his most aggressive tactic. So, although Stacy disliked him, he wouldn't go to great lengths to deal with him.
However, some other characters could not be treated this way, such as The Punisher. This ruthless individual usually beats criminals to death once he catches them; surviving is considered lucky. When the Police arrive to clean up, they mostly find a group of dead people.
If infringing on Police functions made Stacy feel disgusted, then The Punisher's act of directly depriving others of their lives without trial only made him hate. He had wanted to arrest this madman more than once, but each time, he managed to escape from the dragnet. The Punisher's professionalism in anti-tracking and counter-reconnaissance left this old Police officer feeling helpless.
He was still agonizing over this matter when the phone on his desk suddenly rang.
"It's me, what's up?" Because it was an internal call, Stacy didn't care much about his tone. After being a Police for so many years, if nothing else, at least these young men under him were absolutely convinced and wouldn't cause any trouble.
"Head, a group of Children came to see you. They have the agreement you signed!"
"Children, what Children?" Hearing this, Stacy was immediately confused. He really didn't remember signing any agreement about Children.
"They are students from Xaviers School for Gifted Youngsters. They said it's about the agreement for the press conference you arranged two days from now."
Hearing this, Stacy remembered the origin of these students. He quickly perked up and instructed,
"Let them in, and also... don't let those reporters find them."
"Understood, Head." The Police station's receptionist hung up the phone and said to the somewhat restrained students in front of him, "You can go in now. Turn right up the stairs; it's the last room on the second floor. Also, the Director hasn't been in a very good mood lately, so you'd best be careful."
"Thank you, Sir!" Rogue smiled and led her classmates inside. Because of her performance in front of Charles, Rogue had surprisingly become the leader among these students going out to make a living, which was something she hadn't expected at first. However, she didn't mind it.
With Stacy having been informed beforehand, Rogue and her group were quickly led to Stacy's office by the Police, and at the first sight of these students, Stacy's eyebrows furrowed.
"You are the students Mr. Zhou Yi sent?"
His question was very blunt, as he didn't care at all if his suspicion of them was discovered by these students. He was very suspicious of these Little fellows, and he was not at all optimistic about their ability to undertake the task agreed upon between him and Zhou Yi.
"You are absolutely right, we are the people designated by Mr. Zhou Yi." Rogue replied to Stacy neither obsequiously nor arrogantly. As a Mutant, she had long been prepared for discrimination, so Stacy's harsh tone did not bother her at all.
"Honestly, Little fellows. I don't think highly of you, not at all. You are too young, probably about the same age as my Child who is still in high school. These things are too dangerous for you. So, I hope you go back and send a group of older, more mature, and more capable people. Understand?"
Stacy tapped on the table and casually picked up a freshly brewed cup of coffee. As soon as he poured the coffee into his mouth, he immediately spat it out in a mess. The coffee was simply too hot, so hot that his tongue blistered.
He quickly put the coffee back on the table and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away the stains on his body.
When people are in a state of disarray, they are always impatient with everything. He looked at the students who were still standing in place and waved his hand.
"You may leave. I will convey my message to Mr. Zhou Yi. Don't worry, he won't blame you."
"Director Sir, I think you might not understand what our abilities are for. Isn't it a bit too hasty to let us leave like this?" Rogue pressed her hand on the table, looking directly into Stacy's eyes. "We won't disappoint you and Zhou Yi, if you just give us a chance, Director Sir."
Looking at the earnest eyes of Rogue and her group, Stacy sighed.
"Alright, I'll give you five minutes. Show me your abilities right here. If your abilities can satisfy me, I'll consider the agreement."
"Thank you, Sir. We promise we won't disappoint you."
Rogue bowed deeply, then directly pulled Bobby from behind her. At the same time, she gestured to him, telling him to do something.
The honest and dull Bobby scratched his head, thought for a moment, then lightly touched Stacy's coffee with his fingertip. Instantly, a layer of White frost appeared on the surface of the hot coffee, and then a thin layer of ice condensed on it.
At this point, he quickly withdrew his hand, rubbing his head, and said, "It shouldn't be hot now, Sir!"
Stacy reached out and touched the cup. At this moment, apart from the biting cold, he felt nothing else. He looked at the dull young man and said,
"Young man, the coffee is too cold. But that's a very impressive trick. Does it have any other uses besides this?"
"I can create ice out of thin air anywhere, at any time. Like this! Of course, if you want a bigger one, that's also not a problem."
Bobby clenched his five fingers and rubbed them together, and immediately an ice coffee cup appeared in front of Stacy. He shyly fiddled with the cup and said,
"Under normal circumstances, it won't melt."
"'Under normal circumstances' means?" Stacy lifted the cup. He found that apart from being a bit cold, this carved ice cup showed no signs of melting in his hand; not even Water marks were produced. This made him curious and he couldn't help but press for more information.