During these eight years, Fang Yuan hadn't only been stockpiling magical knowledge; his technological research hadn't fallen behind either.
Something unique to this World—sentinel robots—was naturally something he wouldn't miss.
The instant he returned to the X-Men World, he upgraded his Telepathy and used it to completely brainwash Trask.
Afterward, Athena joined the research effort, and Fang Yuan would occasionally equip the [Scientific Research Template] to lend a hand, so the sentinel robot project now progressed far faster than in the original plot.
After all, Fang Yuan had no shortage of Mystique's genes.
If necessary, he could even equip the [Mystique Template] and give himself a cut.
Fang Yuan didn't head straight back to New York; instead, he teleported from the Snowy Manor to the inside of another nearby snow-capped mountain.
From the outside, the mountain looked unremarkable, but its interior had been hollowed out.
Multiple production lines were laid out, and countless robots moved about inside the mountain in perfect order.
At least half of these lines were dedicated to processing potions—mostly Awakening Serum, with a smaller portion of Life Serum.
Small spatial gates sat at both ends of each line, ensuring raw materials and finished products flowed smoothly, saving time, labor, and hassle.
Raw-material processing → production → dilution → packaging → shipping.
That's right—dilution was an important step.
And if you looked closely, the same production line split its potions into two different packages.
One was clearly labeled Vought International.
The other bore a smiley Fox mask etched onto the bottle—naturally destined for the Dark Council.
Same product, different logo—classic capitalist craft.
Fang Yuan went straight to the upper level of the production lines; here, everything was obviously higher-end, packed with cutting-edge tech equipment.
Production lines for Vibranium, Iron Man Suits, nano-tech—even Pym Particles—were all present.
Since Fang Yuan had already stolen Hank Pym's particles, he might as well swipe the formula too.
"Ahem—what do you mean 'steal'? I'm helping Hank Pym carry his research forward!"
"Pym should even thank me," Fang Yuan declared with perfect righteousness.
Fang Yuan walked to the innermost lab; opening the door, he found Trask inside debugging a machine.
In front of him stood a black-painted robot about three meters tall—the current-generation Sentinel.
"Lord Black King, Sentinel 2.0 has passed testing. It can accurately identify a Mutant's power type, then autonomously deploy a countering ability and take countermeasures," Trask reported hurriedly.
In the original plot, the Sentinel at this stage was just a robot that could identify Mutants and attack with onboard firepower—no copying or countering of abilities whatsoever.
"However, although we've removed metallic substances, material limitations mean the copied Mutant ability may only reach thirty percent of the original owner's power. We're still far from the ultimate version you proposed," Trask added.
By 2023, the Sentinel's dermal tech ranked at the pinnacle of black-tech even in this World.
Using Sunspot's power to incinerate Iceman, then Iceman's power to eliminate Pyro—such huge contrasts without any backlash on itself.
Trask still had a long road ahead.
"No matter—it's good enough."
Fang Yuan was satisfied; his big show only needed two key characters: the Sentinels and Trask.
"Take six Sentinel 2.0s and head to Augustus Company," Fang Yuan ordered. "Metis will tell you what to do."
Metis was the codename he'd given AI Athena inside the Dark Council to distinguish it.
"Understood."
Trask was perfectly obedient.
Only then did Fang Yuan teleport back to Vought Tower in New York to meet the Wolverine who had travelled here from fifty years in the original timeline.
Wolverine looked at him curiously; according to everything he'd learned, all the good in this World had been brought about by Fang Yuan.
In front of Fang Yuan, Wolverine repeated the whole story.
"I don't know what to do—your timeline is totally different from ours. Trask was stopped ten years ago," Logan said in frustration.
They all knew Trask had been keen on researching the Awakened, but never imagined he could accomplish something this big.
He researched sentinel robots to exterminate the Awakened, but the machines went rogue, killing not only Awakened but also anyone carrying the X-gene. As everyone knows, nearly everyone in the X-Men World harbors Mutant genes—so humanity was wiped out.
It fit the public's stereotype of the mad scientist and the super-robot.
That was exactly why Fang Yuan had insisted on stripping Athena of self-awareness, even at the cost of reducing Bruce Wayne's performance.
But for humanity to create sentinel robots—now that was truly impressive.
"No—Trask was only captured; he isn't dead!" Fang Yuan's face turned grim. "Whether those terrifying sentinel robots are still being researched is a huge question!"
Charles nodded; that very thought had made him rush Wolverine over.
If research on the sentinel robots had begun in this World, it had to be strangled in the lab.
Charles and Erik were in complete agreement on that point.
A prison sentence isn't the end—especially in this country. As long as you're alive, there's always fallout.
Arkham Asylum seconded that.
"Azazel, I'm counting on you."
Fang Yuan said to Red Devil, who knew the stakes and nodded.
A rapid series of pops followed as every key Superhero who could come from Vought Corporation was brought here.
Magneto, Angel, Darwin, Impact, Beast, Banshee, Riptide—plus White Queen and Mystique, already present—filled the room.
Among them stood a boy of about twelve.
Quicksilver, Erik's son, had naturally joined Vought and was about to debut.
Fang Yuan gave a quick recap, drawing gasps from everyone; the apocalyptic scenes Logan described stunned them all.
"Trask really is scum—he used to study the Awakened, but who knew he had something even viler planned!"
Alex cursed.
"Luckily our World has Fang—or who knows what would have happened?" Banshee Sean Cassidy exclaimed, winning unanimous agreement.
Fang Yuan: Keep the compliments coming—don't stop!
"I'll find out where Trask is now," Erik said, ever the man of action.
After twenty lonely years, he now treasured life with his son; hearing of a planned massacre of the Awakened, he couldn't sit still.
Of course, "investigation" no longer meant going in person—he was vice-chairman of the Brotherhood of Mutants.
The Brotherhood, the official body governing the Awakened, had grown into a colossus: part Police, part court, feared among the Awakened and ever more influential as they integrated into society.
With Chairman Fang Yuan hands-off, Erik was the Brotherhood's true head.
He quickly learned Trask's whereabouts.
"Damn—the records say Trask's still in prison, but the man's not in his cell!" His words tensed the room.
Trask had vanished.
Any relief evaporated; with Logan's file on Trask's past, no one believed he'd simply escaped for a holiday.
Fang Yuan ordered at once: "Investigate immediately. All schedules suspended until the threat is neutralized!"
No one objected; though they'd enjoyed years of peace, none had forgotten their purpose.
Besides, they still performed everyday heroics.
Logan was stunned: "What? I thought your X-Men were just movies?"
Hank patted his arm, grinning mysteriously: "You're in for a shock."
They took a private elevator in Vought Tower to a special floor.
"You built a hangar inside the skyscraper?" Logan marveled.
More surprises followed: the X-Jet was something else entirely.
"You're serious? I never saw an X-Jet like this when I joined the X-Men thirty years later," Logan blurted.
The jet not only looked dazzling but was armed with energy weapons.
Logan felt like he was in a movie—none of this tech belonged in the seventies.
"It's tech Fang brought from another World. I fitted some Chitauri energy weapons onto a Quinjet frame," Hank McCoy explained.
Hank McCoy explained.
Logan didn't know Quinjets or Chitauri, but he caught the key phrase.
"Another World?"
"Oh, you don't know—Fang's amazing..." Hank's voice trailed off as he and Charles walked away.
Erik quickly found Fang Yuan while the rest of the X-Men weren't required for the trip.
Gathering intel only needed Professor X; the rest were just backup.
With Telepathy, what information couldn't be retrieved?
Only if the target hid somewhere shielded from Telepathy would Hank and the others storm in and drag them out.
Yep—Mafia-boss Professor X confirmed.
Mafia-boss Professor X confirmed.
"Trask hates the Awakened; whoever helps him must be an opponent of ours too," Erik analyzed. "Fang, do you think it could be..."
"Augustus?"
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