Chapter 39: The World Out of Control

Ian didn't immediately retrieve the colorful crystal from the Elemental Furnace. Instead, he first sought out Aisha:

"Aisha, sense this for me—has this guy truly died yet?"

Aisha approached the furnace, focusing her senses. "The crystal does carry a consciousness, but it's slowly dissipating!"

"Seems like this guy isn't a true immortal!" Ian finally relaxed.

Consciousness must rely on a physical body to exist. Apocalypse was still human, not immortal, even if he exhibited certain traits of a immortal!

As long as Apocalypse wasn't a true immortal, then no matter what tricks he had left, the Elemental Furnace would render them ineffective.

All Ian needed to do next was wait. Once Apocalypse's consciousness completely vanished, he could collect the final spoils.

Though Ian didn't obtain Apocalypse's X-gene sample, the seven-colored crystal was clearly far more valuable!

"Let's go. We're leaving here!" Ian said, leading Aisha away.

Ian didn't bother to clean up the battle's traces or address the impact it had caused.

As for the aftermath, Ian wasn't concerned. Once the worlds merged back into the main one, everything in this world would cease to matter!

For Ian, the priority was waiting for Apocalypse's consciousness to dissipate, assessing the spoils, and then returning.

Though the seven-colored crystal's value was undoubtedly significant, Ian needed to determine its exact worth after Apocalypse's consciousness fully disappeared and a thorough analysis was conducted.

As they walked the streets of New York, Ian initially planned to take Aisha on a leisurely stroll. However, before they even finished a single block, they encountered three separate armed robberies.

Aisha's interest in the outing was completely ruined. "Is New York's public order really this bad?"

"While New York's crime rate has always been high, even Hell's Kitchen wouldn't have this level of lawlessness in broad daylight!" Ian frowned.

"This situation is unusual—something must have gone wrong somewhere."

Losing the mood to continue wandering, Ian took Aisha to the New York Police Department. It was the quickest way to get an overview of the city's overall security situation.

The NYPD was in chaos, with police cars constantly speeding in and out, transporting criminals into custody before racing off again.

Handing Aisha a hypnosis ring, Ian instructed, "Aisha, find out the specifics of New York's current situation. I'll check out the detention area!"

"Got it!" Aisha took the ring and went her separate way.

Half an hour later, the two regrouped at a nearby café outside the station.

"It's not just New York; the crime rate is skyrocketing across the entire United States, with the majority of crimes committed by mutants," Aisha shared the information she had gathered.

"It's likely not just the U.S.; the whole world is probably experiencing the same. Something is fundamentally wrong with this world," Ian speculated, then shared his findings with Aisha:

"Most of the criminals brought back to the station today are newly awakened mutants. And their mental states are clearly unstable!"

It was evident: starting from last night, mutants worldwide had begun awakening en masse.

Moreover, the X-genes of these newly awakened mutants appeared to have significant flaws, causing them to display extreme violent tendencies.

"Could it be the aftermath of last night's battle?" Aisha immediately made a plausible guess.

Ian nodded. "The timing is too coincidental. What better explanation could there be?"

A worldwide X-gene awakening in a single night wasn't something that could happen under normal circumstances.

But was this caused by Apocalypse's death, or was it a side effect of the battle's intensity?

"Can you sense how much longer Apocalypse's consciousness will take to completely dissipate?" Ian placed the Elemental Furnace in front of Aisha.

From every angle, the current situation was unfavorable.

Ian felt that the world was gradually spiraling out of control.

How far could this out-of-control world go?

Though Ian could predict the eventual outcome, it certainly wouldn't be good!

More importantly, Ian worried whether this world's instability would interfere with his plan to return.

Temporal traversals were delicate matters, where even the smallest variables could lead to unpredictable consequences.

Especially with the entire world descending into chaos, it would undoubtedly disrupt temporal stability.

Ian didn't want to take any unnecessary risks with Aisha. They needed to return to the main world while the current instability was still manageable.

"The consciousness within the crystal is dissipating faster than last night. The weaker it becomes, the faster it vanishes. At this rate, it'll take two days at the fastest, three at most," Aisha quickly concluded.

Ian let out a small breath of relief. "Good. We'll leave in two days."

Given the world's scale, a complete descent into chaos couldn't happen overnight. A few days wouldn't make a noticeable difference.

Weighing the pros and cons, Ian decided to wait two more days.

He needed to ensure Apocalypse was completely eradicated before returning.

If any trace of Apocalypse's consciousness followed them back to the main world, who could predict what complications might arise?

Ian was always cautious about avoiding uncontrollable changes whenever possible.

For the next two days, Ian and Aisha refrained from wandering the streets to avoid getting entangled in trouble, which might accelerate the world's decline.

Meanwhile, Professor X and Magneto, having just succeeded in reversing the future, found themselves facing a new crisis.

The mutants' situation had once again become precarious!

Realizing the gravity of the issue, Professor X specifically sought out Magneto. In critical moments, he still had to rely on his old friend.

This time, Magneto surprisingly agreed with Professor X. He, too, had noticed the serious problems with these newly awakened mutants—not the outcome he had hoped for.

"Charles, what do you think caused this mutation? Was it because we changed the future?" Magneto inquired.

"No, the timing doesn't match," Professor X dismissed Magneto's hypothesis, pulling out a stack of photographs. "The root cause should lie here!"

The photographs depicted an enormous crater, spanning tens of kilometers in diameter.

"And where is this?" Magneto asked.

"Cairo," Professor X replied.

"The Cairo in Egypt?" Magneto asked, incredulous.

"Yes. This crater is where Cairo once stood. Hank took these photos himself," Professor X explained.

"So the commotion in Africa last night really was a battle between two powerful mutants? And the changes in Cairo days ago were one side clearing the field in advance?" Magneto quickly pieced together the situation.

The relocation of Cairo had been a significant event, though they hadn't paid it much attention while focusing on reversing the future.

"So, to resolve our current predicament, I must find the source of this chaos!" Professor X declared resolutely.

He and Magneto stood outside the Cerebro chamber.

"And once you find it? Regardless of who won or lost last night, neither is someone we can handle, right?" Magneto asked gravely.

"Even so, we must find them. Only by locating the source can we hope to resolve this crisis!" Professor X stated firmly as he entered the chamber.

With Aisha's mental shields in place, Professor X naturally couldn't find Ian and Aisha.

But he didn't give up. He delved deeper and deeper…

For the first time, he pushed his abilities to their absolute limit. Still, it wasn't enough. So, he began tapping into his mind latent potential.

Until finally, his consciousness entered an entirely new place—the collective consciousness of humanity!

"Erik…" Professor X suddenly opened his eyes, looking calmly at Magneto.

(End of Chapter)

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