"You can't change this fact. Little man, Erik won't let you do this; he will definitely stop your plan."
Raven's face tightened as she warned Mr. Zhou. At this point, she had to admit that Mr. Zhou's plan was indeed more feasible than theirs. However, she knew that Magneto would definitely not stand by and watch this happen. Once Mr. Zhou's plan matured, Magneto's lifelong pursuit would be completely over.
He pursued the independence of Mutants, to become a new species replacing humans, not to see Mutants become part of humanity.
Mr. Zhou moved past Raven, whispering in her ear.
"So I need you to tell Mr. Lehnsherr that if he dares to make any small moves against these young people, I will not let him off again. Even if Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch stand with him, I will make him pay the price."
"You don't understand Erik. He doesn't care about his life or death. He only cares about his ideals!"
"Then I will destroy his utopia. The city he created can hide its tracks from others, but it cannot hide from me."
"I understand!" Raven nodded, her face grim. She already knew Mr. Zhou's resolve.
"Very good, then goodbye, Young Miss Raven. Also, thank you for today; I owe you one!"
Mr. Zhou smiled and walked away from her. Raven remained silent, looking at him with great apprehension. This man, who once let her tease him, had now become an existence she had to look up to. His power had reached the pinnacle of her understanding, firmly dominating all other existences. Magneto was no longer a god; he was the god-like existence.
This realization made her tremble. She suddenly found that there was no longer any need for her to persist. The Brotherhood of Mutants was no longer the behemoth that could dominate half of the Mutant world. A new organization had risen among the Mutants, gradually eroding the two existing major powers. And the most terrifying thing was that they could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything.
Mystique left; she had to relay all of Mr. Zhou's words to Magneto. Mr. Zhou silently returned to the venue, waiting for the press conference to end.
At this point, there was nothing more to say at the press conference. The reporters got the explosive information they wanted, and Stacy and Mr. Zhou successfully presented these young Mutants to the public as they wished. As for these young people, what they got was pressure.
Many people were watching them; they had to proceed step by step, without making any mistakes. This was pressure, but also motivation. Unlike their previous carefree student lives, they were now shouldering the future of Mutants. The status Mutants could achieve in human society in the future depended on their efforts.
This was a visible future, so these young people began to devote all their energy. As soon as the press conference ended, they eagerly threw themselves into their new work, not even having time to say hello to Mr. Zhou.
Mr. Zhou wasn't too concerned about such superficial things. Compared to superficial gestures, he appreciated practical actions more, because only the latter could bring him actual benefits.
He let these young people do their own thing and politely declined Stacy's dinner invitation, stating that he had just returned and needed to spend a couple of days with his family. Stacy expressed understanding, as he still remembered the story Mr. Zhou had fabricated—a story about a husband and a father.
So he only pulled Mr. Zhou aside to discuss other issues of the plan in detail before letting him leave.
And as Mr. Zhou walked out of the Police station accompanied by Ada, a young man suddenly rushed up to him. Mr. Zhou stopped Ada, who was about to act, because he recognized this young man. Peter Parker, the lucky young reporter. Of course, Mr. Zhou clearly knew that this young reporter's identity was far from as simple as he appeared on the surface.
Looking at Mr. Zhou, who was staring at him, Peter Parker walked up with his head down, asking somewhat awkwardly.
"Hello, Mr. Zhou. I'm Peter Parker. I don't know if you still remember me."
"Of course I remember you, Mr. Parker. The lucky reporter!"
"No, I don't mean that. Mr. Zhou, what I want to ask is if you still remember the old man you saved that night in Queens. His name is Ben Parker, and he's my uncle!"
Peter's voice was a bit eager. For him, the exclusive interview rights were far less important than his uncle's issue.
Mr. Zhou thought back. Fortunately, Peter was a very memorable guy, so he quickly recalled the serious and principled old man.
"You mean Mr. Parker? Is he feeling better?"
"Thank you very much for your concern. My uncle is much better now. He often says that he's as strong as an ox." Perhaps because he had spoken his mind, Peter Parker completely relaxed. He continued, "My uncle and Aunt May have always wanted to find an opportunity to thank you for your help, but every time he tried to contact you, your assistant Young Miss said you weren't in New York. We only recently found out you went to Huiyao City!"
"I originally thought you would need some time to return to New York, but I didn't expect to meet you here. If I may be so bold, may I invite you to a dinner at my home? My uncle has always wanted to thank you, but he hasn't had the chance. So I thought..."
"No problem, Mr. Parker." Looking at Peter, who was becoming a bit hesitant, Mr. Zhou smiled and patted his shoulder. "I really like your uncle's integrity. How about this weekend?"
"Of course, sir!" Peter beamed. He quickly wrote down an address and handed it to Mr. Zhou, saying, "My uncle will be very happy, and you'll definitely love Aunt May's cooking."
"I look forward to it, Mr. Parker. I'll bring my two daughters to visit your uncle then." Taking the note, Mr. Zhou said with a smile.
"Then I won't bother you anymore. Goodbye, sir!" Peter, having achieved his goal, waved his hand, bidding farewell to Mr. Zhou.
After watching Peter leave, Mr. Zhou got into the car with Ada.
As soon as they were in the car, Ada placed a holographic projector in front of him, pointing at the data on it and saying,
"Boss, this is the data you asked me to monitor. As of now, everything is developing as you expected. Regarding these young people, although many people remain skeptical, there aren't many who are explicitly vocalizing opposition."
"And the people we arranged are indeed working hard; they have created a very good first impression for these young people."
"I'm not too worried about New York. After all, with the influence of Dawn Knight, New Yorkers still trust Dawn Knight. What are the outside media saying?"
Mr. Zhou leaned down and covered the two sleeping girls with his coat. Two or three hours of waiting was too dull for them, especially for Shirley, who had just flown. So, the two Children quickly fell asleep under Yuriko's care.
Looking at Mr. Zhou, who was in a fatherly pose at the moment, Ada didn't answer his question but said with emotion,
"Boss, since you like Children so much, why don't you have one of your own? I imagine with your status, you shouldn't have trouble finding a marriage partner!"
"You said 'with my status,' so naturally I need to find a suitable partner to marry. What, are you interested?"
Ada had practically offered herself; it wouldn't be Mr. Zhou's style not to tease her. As for Mr. Zhou's teasing, Ada just smiled indifferently.
"As long as you don't mind me, Boss, I'd naturally be willing."
"Then let's find a time to have a good chat. For now, let's talk about business. What are they saying outside?"
"Our people have largely controlled the public opinion here in the U.S. I've also spoken to some major newspapers, and they know what to do. As of now, not many people in the country are willing to directly offend you, so the situation is still good."
"But Europe is a bit troublesome. The French are very stubborn. Our people are basically ineffective, especially with some recent changes in the narrative surrounding Dawn Knight. So, I suggest we just observe Europe for now."
"As for Asia, Boss, you can't imagine." At this point, Ada, with a peculiar expression, pulled up a cartoon avatar from the projector.
A cute, delicate, and serious little face, brown-yellow hair with a golden streak styled in a bun, and a very neat-looking Police uniform. It was clearly a cartoon version of Rogue.
"This Young Miss's popularity has soared in just a few hours, especially in Japan and Korea, where she already has nearly a million fans. You wouldn't believe it, they've already started spontaneously forming fan clubs! And the cartoon images they've produced could make a whole set!"
"That's the national character, I suppose!" Thinking of Japan's otaku culture, Mr. Zhou could only say helplessly. However, it was a good thing overall, so he didn't need to worry too much. It was just a pity for Rogue; she would probably have to interact with her fans a lot more in the future.
"I'll have someone specifically guide Young Miss Mary. This is a great opportunity; there's no reason not to take advantage of it."
"You can decide on these minor matters, Ada. With you, I'm very relieved." Mr. Zhou waved his hand, no longer in the mood to continue.
He had been away from home for two months and was eager to see the people he cared about most: his sister and mother, the charming Vampire girl, and Jean, who had been in a deep sleep. These had become the people he worried about. Perhaps only these people were worth him planning so meticulously.
For them, he had to do these things, and do them to the best of his ability. They were the source of all his motivation.