In this era, most people understood little of genetic modification; it remained a niche topic.
But Hank, a super-scientist on par with Tony, was naturally familiar with the concept of genetically modified food. He also understood with perfect precision how to use this technology to turn grain into a poison specifically targeting Mutants.
The principle behind it wasn't even particularly complex. After all, all Mutants carried the X-Gene in their bodies. By employing certain genetic modification techniques, one could make food react to the X-Gene.
*Hiss!*
The thought sent a chill down Hank's spine.
*How malicious.*
*This is truly despicable.*
If Charles hadn't pointed it out, who would have thought that food could become a weapon against humanity?
*Thank goodness for that mutant friend who can see the future.*
"Any findings?" Hank's face turned grave as he stared intently at Charles.
Charles shook his head. "Stay calm. Everything's normal for now."
The diary had clearly stated that this was all the work of Stryker's son.
Judging by Stryker's age, even if he had a son, he'd still be a little kid.
Hank, standing beside him, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Next, Charles began screening all the Mutants, hoping to find Apocalypse.
But unfortunately, there was no success.
After sifting through every Mutant, he couldn't find any "suspects" matching the diary's description.
This was entirely expected.
After all, Apocalypse was still "hibernating" and buried underground, so Charles naturally wouldn't be able to detect him.
"So it's really like that, huh?"
Charles wasn't particularly surprised.
Apocalypse's status and aura were simply too grand, and his power was overwhelmingly formidable.
His mental strength surpassed even his own when amplified by Cerebro.
Such a formidable figure wouldn't be so easy to deal with.
Fortunately, Charles had his "cheat"—the Interdimensional Netizens.
Even if he couldn't find anything here, there were still the Netizens, weren't there?
Although Clark knew nothing about his universe, even Apocalypse from other parallel universes would serve as a valuable reference, wouldn't he?
At the very least, he could find out Apocalypse's original name, couldn't he?
*So, couldn't he just follow the clues directly?*
Charles wasn't worried at all.
Since there was nothing to be gained from dwelling on the matter, he didn't linger.
After a moment's thought, he turned his attention to the next step of his plan.
*What plan?*
Finding Erik and Raven!
These two people closest to him had been gone for two or three months, each busy with their own affairs.
But that was before. Now, Charles had a completely new vision for the future of Mutants—one he believed was their best path forward.
Yet establishing a nation was an impossibly grand undertaking for one man to achieve alone.
He needed every bit of help he could get.
So his first thought went to his two most trusted comrades.
*Whoosh!*
Charles first sought out Raven. At his mental command, Hank's vision instantly shifted.
Raven's figure materialized before Hank's eyes—not her true form, but an projection transmitted through electrical signals. Only Charles could see her actual state.
At that moment, Raven appeared on an unremarkable street corner.
At the intersection ahead, a crowd had gathered.
Several police cars were parked there, and officers had surrounded a store, guns drawn and on high alert.
*Whoosh!*
After discreetly assessing the situation, Raven immediately activated her powers, transforming into someone in a uniform.
She swaggered toward the store with an air of authority.
"Get back! It's dangerous here!" one of the officers shouted, spotting Raven.
But Raven produced an ID and flashed it at the two officers. "FBI! I'm Agent Donald. Thanks for your work, but I'm taking over from here."
The ID, of course, wasn't a product of her powers; she'd prepared it in advance.
"Come on, the FBI wouldn't handle this kind of thing," one of the officers scoffed, then quickly realized something. "Wait a minute... could there actually be a Mutant inside?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny that."
"Now, gentlemen, I've got work to do."
Raven strolled casually toward the store.
"Hold on, Agent Donald?"
The police officers weren't fools. One of them immediately called out to Raven. "I haven't received any notification about the FBI being here. Mind if I make a call?"
"Not at all!" Raven replied readily.
But her muscles tensed, ready to take down the two officers and rescue the Mutant trapped inside.
*Whoosh!*
Before she could make a move, Raven was stunned to see the two officers suddenly freeze in place, as if struck by a paralysis spell.
*What's this?*
Her surprise quickly turned to realization. "Charles?"
"Raven!"
In the next moment, a familiar figure materialized in Raven's mind, and a voice she knew well echoed in her ears.
*It had to be Charles.*
"Looks like I arrived just in time," Charles's voice chuckled in her mind.
"You didn't think I couldn't handle this, did you?" Raven ignored the frozen officers and strode into the store. "Trust me, this is just a minor incident."
"Of course I believe you. I'm just offering a little extra help to make things go smoothly."
"Good to know."
As Raven chatted with Charles, she discreetly freed the mutants who had been restrained by the crowd.
The poor child had done nothing wrong, only accidentally exposed his abilities and been branded a freak.
The shop owner and staff had teamed up to capture him and even called the police.
He was treated like a monster, an outsider.
He faced hostility, rejection, and oppression.
This was the reality for most mutants today.
"Alright, Charles, now you can tell me what this is really about."
Only after everything was resolved and Raven had left alone did she ask Charles about the real matter at hand.
She knew that if it weren't urgent, Charles would never have contacted her.
"Raven, I've figured it out."
"And I need your help."
Charles formally extended his invitation to Raven.
A flicker of excitement crossed Raven's face.
When she had left, Charles had been lost in thought, uncertain about the future and the path forward for mutants.
But it seemed Charles had already found his answer.
"Really?" Raven asked, her voice brimming with anticipation. "I'm prepared to be utterly astonished. You won't let me down, will you?"
"I wouldn't dare promise that," Charles replied with a smile. "You're not that little girl you once were, are you?"
Without further ado, they ended the call. Charles immediately sought out Erik.
It's worth noting that although Erik had regained his helmet, he only wore it when causing trouble. This was clearly demonstrated in the films.
Thus, Charles and Erik engaged in a pleasant conversation. Erik, learning that Charles had finally arrived at an answer, was intensely curious and expectant. He truly wanted to know how this enlightened Charles, who had supposedly seen the error of his ways, would lead the Mutants and what path he would forge for them.
Erik still hoped to fight alongside Charles again, working together for the Mutant cause.
And so, everything proceeded without incident.
Erik and Raven immediately rushed to Xavier's Mansion upon receiving Charles' invitation.
"Clark!"
The next day, as soon as Charles' word count reset, he eagerly contacted Clark.
He asked the question that had been weighing on his mind: "I'd like to know, what was Apocalypse's true identity?"
"Apocalypse?"
Having read all the X-Men comics, Clark's powerful mind immediately provided the answer.
"He was born in the First Dynasty of Egypt, around 3000 BC, and was adopted by a group of desert nomads."
"No one knows his true identity for sure, but the nomads' leader gave him the name En Sabah Nur."
En Sabah Nur!
Charles' spirits lifted as he immediately memorized the name.
This was a clear investigative lead, and very useful to him.
"Thanks, Clark," Charles said simply. He then began asking Clark about other individuals. "Besides him, there are a few others I'd like to ask you about."
"Go ahead," Clark replied readily.
"First, the Phoenix."
Charles was most concerned about the Phoenix, as she was his trump card against Apocalypse.
"Her name is Jean Grey..."
Clark provided Charles with information about the Phoenix's identity, as well as details about other X-Men.
With these questions, Charles quickly exhausted his query allowance.
However, he was relieved to have obtained many useful answers.
After ending his communication with Clark, Charles eagerly returned to Cerebro and put on the Cerebro again.
He began investigating the Mutant En Sabah Nur.
Unfortunately, he found nothing.
Despite searching through all the Mutants worldwide, he couldn't locate him.
Finally, Charles changed his approach and began searching for followers of En Sabah Nur among the general population.
Through investigating these followers, Charles quickly narrowed down the search to Cairo.
Apocalypse was very likely slumbering in Cairo!
He'd found it!
Although he didn't have concrete proof yet, this was a massive breakthrough for Charles.
***
While Charles's situation was progressing brilliantly, something momentous occurred next door.
Or rather, something momentous happened in Asgard.
Loki had been released!
Of course, the "momentous" part wasn't that Loki was released, but the reason behind his release!
"If I recall correctly, I'm still a prisoner," Loki said, looking at the Asgardian soldiers who were about to turn and leave. "Are you sure about this? Uncuffing me and not even assigning guards to follow me?"
A sly smile spread across his face again.
"Loki!"
Hammer Bro's figure appeared.
Loki instinctively turned to look and immediately felt a strange sensation.
*What the hell is this?*
*Why does Thor look... somewhat sad?*
"Why the long face? Did something happen? Tell me, it might cheer me up?" Loki maintained his flippant demeanor.
"Let's go, Loki. Father King is waiting for us," Thor said, without elaborating.
Though his mind buzzed with questions, Loki wasn't foolish. He knew something was amiss and followed Thor into the hall.
There, he saw his mother and Father King.
Hand in hand, like an ordinary elderly couple, they were chatting and laughing.
Though the scene was beautiful, it filled Loki with an inexplicable unease.
"Loki, come sit here," Odin said casually, beckoning him to sit beside him.
This attitude caught Loki completely off guard.
He was currently a criminal, yet his Father King seemed to have completely forgotten about it.
But Loki kept this question to himself, sitting beside Odin as instructed.
Thor did the same.
The family of four reunited, casually chatting about everyday matters as if nothing had happened.
It was a picture of domestic harmony.
"Thor, Loki, my sons."
As they talked, Odin suddenly turned serious, his single eye sweeping over his sons. "Do not grieve. I will forever be with Asgard."
???
What's going on?
What is Father King talking about?!
Loki's heart skipped a beat. Even if he was foolish, he vaguely sensed something was wrong.
Indeed.
The next moment.
Odin withdrew his gaze, tightly embracing his wife Frigga. His figure instantly dissolved into shimmering light and vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he was gone without a trace.
"No, no!"
Loki reacted even more violently than Thor, instinctively reaching out to grasp the fading light, but his hands closed on empty air.
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
New Addition
" Marvel: Awakening Abstract Abilities at the Beginning "
" Marvel: Fused with Broly at the Start "
" Marvel: Starting as the God of Destruction "
" Superman in Marvel—Will I Get a Copyright Warning? "
" Marvel: Starting by Loading the Homelander Template "
" Marvel: Becoming an Emperor Through Lottery Draws "
" Marvel: Awakening the Power of a Million Stars at the Start "
" Marvel: I Am the Leader of the Mutant Race "
many more are available 140+
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)