Chapter 2664: Mayfly World (29)

Magneto soon discovered that Shiller was right, because in his morning's work, he found that he might not necessarily be human, but Clark was definitely a dog.

Having dominated the world for many years, Magneto's imposing reputation preceded him wherever he went, with many seeking to leverage his fame for their own gain. Among them were those greed-driven tabloid journalists, comparable to hyenas.

There were times when some foolhardy individuals tried to pester Magneto using the same tactics they would with ordinary people. Needless to say, their fates were not worth mentioning. Magneto never showed mercy to those who annoyed him.

Latterly, as his notoriety spread further, many dared not provoke him anymore. After many years, Magneto once again experienced the irritation of being hounded by journalists.

"Mr. Erik Lensherr, some say that's a pseudonym you use, and that you've had over ten aliases in your lifetime. So what is your real name? Why do you conceal it?"

"Sir, I've seen on the news that you and Professor X have never gotten along, but I've also heard that you two are actually on good terms privately. What exactly is your relationship?"

"What is your opinion on the terror attacks perpetrated by the Mutant Brotherhood around the world? Professor Xavier once said in an interview that this is not what he wanted to see. What do you think about his comments?"

Magneto took a deep breath, squeezed the seed floating in front of him into a ball, and hurled it at Clark.

Clark, also hovering in mid-air, dodged nimbly and then, with a cheeky grin, moved closer and asked, "I heard you always wear a helmet to avoid Professor X's mind-reading. Is there something in your thoughts you're afraid he might hear? Why aren't you wearing it now? Have you two made up?"

A Magnetic Knife, invisible but incredibly fierce, pointed straight at Clark's forehead. Magneto said coldly, "Shut up and work."

Clark seemed to understand the principle of easing off when necessary. He closed his mouth and began demonstrating how to sow seeds to Magneto. Using superpower to work was indeed fast. After receiving the detailed data on the timing and density of sowing, Magneto completed seeding countless fields in an instant.

No matter how swift this stage was, the seeds still needed time to grow. Magneto continued upstairs to rest; after all, he genuinely felt unwell. Clark, however, did not intend to give up. He persisted in investigating the matters related to Magneto and Professor X.

Clark could tell that Magneto was tempted by the idea of taking action in Mexico, but Professor X might not be on board.

Clark didn't know Professor X all that well, but he understood that often the more amiable a person appears, the more conservative they might be. Professor X might not agree with Magneto's views.

Whether they were friends or enemies, they were sure to significantly influence each other. It would be troublesome if Professor X suddenly stood in the way at the last moment.

So Clark urgently wanted to resolve the issue between them; their unity could also aid the ongoing developments in Mexico in this world and would assist Oliver and their Mexico in the cosmos as well.

Clark searched for a long time; there was too much information about the two, as both were elders who had lived for many years, accumulating an enormous amount of news.

Most of the recent news was about the Andromeda Galaxy, after all, this could be considered a grand event for mutants. Looking further back, there was a lot of information about Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters' enrollment and the Mutant Brotherhood's activities.

But Clark, worthy of his journalist title, had his own method of researching. He believed the internet had a memory; events from however long ago could always be unearthed.

Soon he found a lead on that incident from years ago, sparked by a report about Professor X discussing his relationship with another most powerful mutant; they had had some misunderstandings, and the incident took place in Maryland State.

At that moment, Clark decisively shifted his focus from the two individuals to search for the mutant incidents that had happened in Maryland State.

Another advantage of the developed America is that almost all of the world's most advanced electronic devices become popular in American homes almost immediately, with cameras, video cameras, televisions, computers, and other electronic devices very common in middle-class households of the last century.

Americans also have a tradition of regular family gatherings and video recordings. So even without many cameras, it's quite easy for home videos to capture strange sights, with many rampant rumors of aliens and UFOs originating from these recordings.

Most mutant incidents were the same. Many surviving video recordings existed. Clark flipped through these videos for a whole afternoon and finally found a useful photograph.

According to news reports at the time, a group of mutants clashed with local law enforcement, causing such a commotion that it alarmed the local military, among them a particularly powerful mutant.

Of course, it was too early for Magneto to be famous, so this case couldn't be found under entries related to Magneto or Erik Lehnsherr.

It was reported that the police and military suffered heavy casualties – at least 20 had perished and more than 100 were injured. No civilians were hurt, but other mutants were also attacked.

The photo Clark found showed doctors and nurses carrying injured and deceased personnel on stretchers. As a journalist, he knew these were hastily shot by local reporters at the periphery.

The photo was blurry, but Clark still spotted the person who stood out among the crowd. A young man lay behind a few doctors and nurses, carefully being moved onto a stretcher.

Clark recognized him as a young Charles Xavier, his face contorted in pain, his waist soaked in blood.

Clark took a screenshot of the photo, saved it to his phone, but he didn't go looking for Magneto. He knew there was another key protagonist in this incident – none other than Professor X in the photo.

Clark concentrated his thoughts; he still remembered how Professor X had contacted him through brainwaves the last time. His super brain was different from that of humans, with every brainwave change traceable and under his own control.

He found that historical record and chose to reconnect the telepathic communication. A hint of surprise came from the other end, but soon, that calm voice spoke again, "What's up? Clark, how did you reach me?"

"Through brainwaves, Professor, of course I can do it."

"You're stronger than I thought, Clark. How is Erik? Is he all right? He has refused my telepathic communication and hasn't been answering my calls."

"He seems fine; we've just planted the seeds."

"Did you want to talk about Mexico? Maybe if you're free, you could come visit..."

"No, Professor, I wanted to talk to you about your relationship with Erik. Are things between you two alright?"

"Of course, we've always been like this."

Clark sighed softly and said, "I know I must respect the relationship between you two. If both of you agree that it's all in the past, then I have no reason to bring it up again."

"But if it really were in the past, your relationship with each other shouldn't be like this. This kind of relationship isn't healthy at all."

"There's nothing unhealthy about it, Clark," came Professor X's voice with a hint of a smile. "Or perhaps no close relationship in this world is truly healthy; the healthiest relationship is to be strangers to one another."

Clark clearly disagreed with this theory, his face crinkling, and then he heard Professor X continue.

"I know you're thinking of the mutants, and so are the other mutants. They hope we can be more united."

"Although it may appear that there are no conflicts between us any more, what happened back then has indeed not been completely forgotten, and we don't need it to be."

"I don't understand."

"We haven't let it go completely, not because we can't get over it, nor because there isn't someone like you to mediate."

"If you think that human connections can be maintained entirely by positive things, then you must be very fortunate. But the fact is that in this world, hate lasts longer than love; only with regrets do we have a future, and it's the mutual debts that never end."

Clark's features tightened even more, and the image of many madmen flashed through his mind.

Isn't the cosmos supposed to be cheery? Why is it like this? Could the world be one massive psyche?

Then Clark was struck by a massive emotional blow as Professor X said to him, "You've found the photos from back then. Maybe you can ask a professional about it."

After the communication ended, Clark stared at the photo in his hand, not quite understanding what Professor X meant. What professional? In what area? But after thinking it over, Clark could only think of one profession that made sense, which was doctors, because after all, with so many injured lying around and Charles looking severely wounded, who else could he turn to if not a doctor?

"Doctor Schiller! Doctor Schiller!!" Clark began to shout at the top of his lungs.

Just then, Doctor Schiller came in through the back door, placing the things he'd bought on the table and approached, showing surprise upon seeing the image on the computer screen. "What kind of antique from ages past have you dug up? Let me see... The Professor looked quite handsome in his younger days."

"That's not what I wanted you to look at," said Clark. "Professor Xavier told me to show the photo to a professional. You're the only one I know with a medical background."

"But I'm a psychiatrist."

"I've heard you're also skilled at surgery, and psychiatrists graduate from medical school too, don't they?"

"The one skilled at surgery isn't me. Alright, stand back, and I'll have him take a look."

Clark shifted his seat further down the couch but continued to watch Schiller with curiosity. Schiller's eyes suddenly glazed over, his expression changing in an instant, and Clark moved further away.

Schiller scrutinized the photo for a long time, zooming in and out, even magnifying the injury to a patch of bloody red.

"Process the image," he said. "Turn it black and white and increase the contrast."

Clark did as he was told, and Schiller stared at the photo for a long time, so long that Clark felt a chill down his spine.

Then, in those unfocused grey eyes, Clark saw a flicker of rare puzzlement.

"What's wrong? Is there something the matter with the photo?"

Schiller slightly lifted his head and began to speak slowly, "Theoretically, the location and severity of the injury are not enough to cause paralysis in the victim."

"What???"