Chapter 48

Alex shook his head, dispelling the regret and annoyance in his mind, then turned to Charles. "So, what do you want to talk about? Why do you insist that everyone leave?"

"Alex, do you know? This world is far bigger than you think!" Charles didn't immediately answer Alex's question but instead said something completely unrelated.

"!"

Alex nodded without speaking. This world not only had superheroes, supervillains, mutants, and superhumans, but even supernatural beings like vampires, which only existed in legends. For this reason, Alex had to agree with Charles. This world was indeed vast, far beyond human imagination!

Seeing Alex nod, Charles smiled gently. "When I was not much older than you, I realized that I was different from other humans. Don't laugh, but when I first acquired my powers, I used them to cheat and became the top student in every exam at school, making quite a stir."

Upon hearing this, Alex chuckled knowingly. As long as one possessed powers that others didn't, everyone would want to flaunt them, whether or not it attracted attention. Charles's actions were entirely understandable to Alex. In fact, when he had first gained his X-ray vision, he had fantasized about what he could do if he returned to his past school days…

Of course, those were just idle daydreams during his free time!

"After graduating from school, I traveled around the world and met many mutants and humans with special abilities. At the same time, I also realized a very serious problem!" Charles's expression became very serious. "The powers of superhumans not only arouse jealousy and even hatred in humans, but they also attract the attention of those with ambitions, which can lead to unimaginable harm to the world!"

"Realizing this, I started to think about how to make the lives of mutants better, how to free them from the control of these ambitious people... Eventually, after failing to convince human politicians and after many innocent mutants were harmed, I realized that to protect mutants, I must possess a power that others fear. So, I started working on this years ago."

"Political power comes from the barrel of a gun! The words of great men are indeed the truth!" Alex felt this deeply in his heart, gradually becoming interested in what Charles was saying. "And then?"

"I invented a special tool to find mutants worldwide, and when humans started consciously resisting mutants, I reached an agreement with federal government agents. I would shelter the mutants, protect them, and train them. This is also the reason the school received government support."

"But politicians are driven by interests and have no credibility! I cannot guarantee when they will give up or whether they will use other excuses to harm these children. I can't guarantee when they might turn their guns on them! So, I need to have the strength to protect these children! Alex, will you help me?"

"Will you help me?"

This question truly took Alex by surprise and shocked him deeply!

Charles wanted him to join him and help protect the mutants!?

"I..."

"Don't rush to refuse, let me finish." Charles preemptively interrupted whatever Alex was going to say. "Just like how humans have both good and bad, there are also ambitious mutants. Some dream of using violence to establish a mutant nation that rules over humanity, while others simply want to destroy the world and make everyone perish!"

"To protect ourselves and to make it easier for people to accept mutants, I plan to train a few mutants with comparable abilities, to control their powers, live in society without harming others, and fight against various threats to both mutants and humans. By combating crime, I hope to change the image of mutants in people's minds. So, I need your help!"

Alex responded noncommittally with an "oh" and continued listening to Charles's explanation.

"Although I can design all kinds of traps and continually train the team members, I can't make up for their deficiencies in actual combat. So, I want you, who are skilled in battle, to teach them. Of course, you don't need to train them to your level; just enough for them to handle typical hand-to-hand combat situations."

Charles said this, looking Alex seriously in the eyes. "Alex, you have exceptional combat skills, and I hope you can help me."

Unexpectedly, Alex agreed without a second thought, "Of course, I'd be happy to help them become qualified fighters!"

"Really?"

Charles looked at Alex with surprise. On the island, he had once used his abilities to observe Alex's battle skills. Although he didn't approve of Alex's brutal killings, he couldn't help but admire the combat techniques and fighting awareness Alex displayed in battle. He was more than capable of training these students.

Charles had also been quite fond of Wolverine. As a mutant, he would fit in well with this family, but unfortunately, Wolverine and his lover Laura had chosen to go into hiding, which made Charles feel a bit regretful.

"Where do I start training them?" Alex asked eagerly.

Since awakening his "Ghost Eye" technique, he hadn't been able to fight freely even once. Since he couldn't fight to his heart's content, it wouldn't hurt to take it out on the students he was about to train!

For this reason, Alex had high expectations for the students he would train.

"Not yet." Charles shook his head, giving Alex a somewhat unsatisfactory answer. "I've only selected two members for now. I plan to wait until we have three before starting their training. You should know that my main focus is on cultivating their awareness of unity and their ability to work together in combat."

"Coordinated combat? That sounds troublesome!"

Alex sighed. Having always been a lone wolf, being asked to teach them teamwork was a challenge. It seemed he was firmly locked in the "enemy" position.

"How could it be troublesome if we didn't need you to do it?" Charles smiled softly.

"I like your frankness!"

Alex, with his thick skin, accepted Charles' compliment without a hint of embarrassment. "Once you gather three students, just call me. I'm ready anytime."

"Do you need me to prepare a teacher's dormitory for you?" Charles asked, shaking his head before adding.

"…Well, fine. Just prepare one for me. It'll save me the time and money of buying a house here." Alex pondered for a moment before responding.

"Then, will you be staying here tonight?" Charles asked Alex, "I think you should see the school's teaching situation with your own eyes."

Alex smiled and declined, "No, I have some things to take care of back in New York. Once I finish with those, we'll talk again."

"Alright." Charles nodded.

As Alex was preparing to leave, he suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "By the way, I haven't asked you yet. Since you want the students to present themselves as a team of warriors, shouldn't they have a cool code name?"

"I've already thought of one. 'X-Men.' What do you think of that name?" Charles smiled with pride, clearly fond of the name.

"'X-Men'? Hmm, that's a pretty cool name!"

Alex nodded in approval. The name "X-Men" was not only cool, but it subtly pointed out the mutants' unique "X" gene, highlighting their true identity as mutants—two birds with one stone.

To come up with such a cool and meaningful name, Alex was sure Charles had spent a lot of time brainstorming!

"Since there's nothing else here, I'll say goodbye to Vanessa and leave on my own." Alex prepared to leave. After all, he still had a large group of vampires to slaughter in New York!

"Alright." Charles nodded in agreement.

"See you!"

Alex gave a brief nod and left the room.

He found Vanessa, who was trying to interact with a group of mutant children, and after explaining his situation, he made arrangements to return quickly before leaving.

"Vroom!!"

The engine of the sports car roared to life, and Alex sped off, heading straight for New York.

"Vampires, here I come!"

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