Chapter 400: Gamora and Star-Lord (Part 2)

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"Coulson, what's the matter? Don't worry about the island—it's fine. I built this floating island myself. From now on, our school will be relocated here. There's no danger. Just let them know it's all under control."

On the school playground, George ended the call with a smile.

The island was protected with a comprehensive invisibility spell, a Muggle-repelling charm, and a Fidelius Charm.

If he wanted, he could easily make the island float silently above the city without anyone ever noticing a thing.

But he didn't do that. He intentionally made the floating island visible.

It wasn't for fun—it was a deliberate move to scare the authorities and the citizens a little, to remind them of the fear that Kuhr had once brought, and help them better understand the importance of the Academy of Superpowers.

Politicians are all the same, no matter how often they're replaced.

They always try to find ways to control the Academy of Superpowers—a force powerful enough to reshape the world order.

That's why, from time to time, they need a wake-up call—to remind them exactly who they're dealing with.

And the same goes for the general public.

Don't be fooled by how friendly most citizens seem toward the academy now, or how many rabid fans it has.

The masses are always foolish.

That's not to say "everyone is drunk while I alone am sober," as if he were the only smart one. But unless someone is directly involved or pulling the strings behind the scenes, it's nearly impossible not to be influenced.

There's a theory in communication studies called the "Spiral of Silence."

It basically describes this phenomenon: when people express their ideas and see that others share their views, they'll become more enthusiastic and vocal. Those popular opinions spread and gain momentum.

On the other hand, when someone realizes their view is ignored—or worse, attacked—even if they agree with it, they'll stay silent.

The silence of one side leads to the growth of the other. This cycle continues, causing one voice to grow stronger while the other fades into silence—a spiral effect.

The theory assumes that most individuals will try to avoid isolation that comes from holding unpopular beliefs.

So don't be fooled by how the public is now praising the academy and the heroes within it for saving the world.

If a strong enough force manipulates public opinion from the shadows, and if that opinion spreads fast enough, the tide can turn just as quickly.

Even if a few people remain clear-headed and unaffected, most will flip from admiration to slander and condemnation in an instant.

Take Superman, for example. No one saved the world more times than he did. Yet, because of one wrong narrative, he went from hero to criminal.

And George was no Superman. He didn't have that kind of patience or moral high ground.

To avoid that kind of downfall, he believed it was necessary to regularly make the higher-ups and the public feel fear—remember fear.

Only then would they understand the consequences of standing against the Academy of Superpowers.

Only then would they remain clear-headed and immune to manipulation.

Because when something threatens their own interests—or their lives—no amount of propaganda can truly sway them.

"You totally did that on purpose."

Wolverine looked at George as he ended the call, cigar in hand, wearing the same knowing smile.

To be honest, he really enjoyed this new life—and George's way of doing things.

The old mutant school had been good too. Everyone loved each other like family. But sometimes it felt suffocating—constantly targeted and harassed by the human government and military.

Charles had always endured for the sake of harmony between humans and mutants—even to the extent that many mutant students were captured, experimented on, and dissected.

It wasn't that George believed Charles was wrong. Without Charles, he wouldn't have become part of the mutant school's family or resolved the knots in his heart. Many other mutants had come together precisely because of Charles's tolerance and compassion.

But clearly, being too kind wasn't a good thing. It was that very kindness that nearly led to the extinction of mutants today.

If someone said this was simply because George was more powerful, that wouldn't be entirely accurate either.

At his peak, Charles—with the help of the Cerebro amplifier—could have instantly killed every human on the planet. Isn't that powerful enough?

The truth was, compared to Charles, George was simply a better fit for leadership. Even though he often secluded himself in isolation, leaving most school affairs to Charles, every decision George made was absolutely critical.

"If we don't scare them from time to time, they'll never behave."

With a wave of his hand, George summoned a stone door-shaped Portkey and turned to address all the teachers and students gathered on the playground.

"Line up, everyone. From now on, our school will be on the floating island!"

Once the excited students and staff had passed through the Portkey to the airborne island, George turned toward the rest of the school—down to the very foundations, including the basement—and cast the Mountain-Moving Spell once again.

This school had been developed over a long time. It was infused with cutting-edge black technology and George's own magic. Naturally, it couldn't be left behind.

He simply relocated it to the center of the floating island and embedded it there.

While George was busy managing the school's relocation, a cloaked spaceship quietly landed in an uninhabited forest somewhere in Florida.

The hatch opened, and out stepped a green-skinned alien woman in a leather outfit.

"Planet C-53. Primitive civilization. Zero native threat level. Still, if even Thanos is wary of this place, I'd better stay cautious."

Her name was Gamora Zen Whoberi Ben Titan, a Zehoberei. When she was just a child, her parents were killed by Thanos, who then adopted her and trained her to become the galaxy's most formidable spy and assassin.

This time, her mission was to infiltrate Planet C-53 and secretly retrieve the Tesseract to bring back to Thanos.

However, that wasn't what she intended to do.

Her real plan was to find the Tesseract and sell it to the Collector for a staggering four billion credits—then use the money to escape Thanos's control once and for all.

"Disguise!"

She took out a small metal patch and pressed it against her skin. Instantly, her green complexion turned pale white.

As the universe's most elite spy, she had, of course, researched this planet's language, culture, and systems in advance and made the necessary preparations.

"It's in this direction."

Now disguised as a human, she pulled out a specialized device and began scanning.

It was a Tesseract energy detector—personally designed and manufactured by Thanos—but it had a limited range and couldn't scan across planets.

Meanwhile, at the closest spatial jump point to Earth, a massive spaceship bearing the Ravagers' emblem suddenly emerged from a hyperspace jump and began heading directly toward Earth.

...

(End of Chapter)