Chapter 54: The Kidnapped Stephen Strange

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"What did you say your name is?"

The next day on the rooftop, George looked at the tall man in a suit before him, his expression filled with surprise.

The man, somewhat arrogantly, straightened his clothes and replied, "Stephen Strange. I warn you, this is kidnapping! What you're doing is illegal, and I will sue you with my lawyer!"

"Could this guy be the future Doctor Strange?"

George turned to Leon, asking, "What's going on?"

"All the other doctors were willing to come for a little extra pay, but this guy wouldn't agree to anything, no matter how much we offered. Yet, he's currently recognized as the best neurosurgeon in New York.

So, we had no choice but to forcibly bring him here."

Leon pulled out a gun and pressed it against Stephen's forehead. "Listen, kid, I suggest you watch your tone. I know you have a girlfriend named Christine Palmer, and you wouldn't want her to accidentally get hit by a car one day, would you?"

"You… okay… I'll be careful. Just don't hurt her!"

Stephen's face showed anger at first, but he held back for the sake of his girlfriend's safety.

"He really is Doctor Strange," George noted, raising an eyebrow. With the same name, the same profession, and even the same girlfriend, there was no doubt about it.

He remembered that Doctor Strange had once been a famous physician, though he hadn't realized he was a neurosurgeon.

However, that was not a significant concern. It would still be six or seven years before he became Doctor Strange; for now, he was just an ordinary person. George didn't intend to kill him; he just needed his help with a medical issue.

He doubted it would attract the attention of that old fish, the Ancient One.

"Leon, put the gun down. Don't be rude to Mr. Strange."

Waving Leon back, George stepped forward and smiled at Stephen and the group of doctors. "Don't worry. As long as you help me with this, I promise your compensation will be more than fair, possibly even more than you expect.

And I assure you, you and your families will be safe. You won't suffer any harm."

The group of doctors looked at George, who wore a grim reaper mask, and almost simultaneously swallowed hard. Some were already regretting taking this job for the money.

However, since Stephen had just set an example, they didn't dare voice any objections. They could only nod along with forced smiles.

"Good, since everyone is in agreement, let's get moving."

Not wanting to waste any more time, George cast a floating spell on each of them. Then, using fine steel cables, he bound them together and lifted them into the air.

As Stephen and the doctors felt themselves being pulled up as if they weighed nothing, their eyes widened in shock, and they nearly screamed.

These materialists could hardly comprehend the miraculous phenomenon happening to them.

Just as they were about to faint from the height, they suddenly found themselves inside a fighter jet.

It turned out that to pick up these doctors, Isha had been piloting the X-Jet, hidden in the clouds above the rooftop.

"Who exactly are you?"

Inside the X-Jet, Stephen looked at George with suspicion.

Before, he had assumed George was a gangster asking him to help treat someone important in the gang. However, the miraculous experience he had just gone through completely contradicted that assumption.

He felt like he might have become embroiled in something significant, and one wrong move could result in him being silenced for good.

"Don't worry; you'll find out who I am shortly. Regardless of the outcome, I won't harm any of you," George said with a smile, not elaborating further.

He certainly had no intention of hurting Stephen or the doctors. However, once he healed Professor X and Wolverine, he would need to erase their memories.

The X-Jet was fast, and before long, they arrived at the mutant school.

George led Stephen and the group of doctors to the medical room in the underground base, pointing to Professor X and Wolverine, who had already been waiting there. "This is Professor X and Wolverine. You've probably heard of them?"

Even if they had never seen the real people, the X-Men comics were still bestsellers worldwide, so they should have at least heard of them.

"I always thought mutants were just fictional creations!"

As Stephen watched Wolverine slowly extend his adamantium claws, expressions of astonishment filled the faces of him and the other doctors.

Stephen and these doctors were ordinary people. Many things, if not witnessed firsthand, could easily lead them to doubt rumors, especially with the government and media's deliberate guidance.

It was like how, as a modern person, you may have heard various legends—stories about dragon encounters, the hell gate in Kunlun Mountain, and all sorts of supernatural events recounted by the older generation.

But apart from a few who might believe, most normal people don't truly consider those things real.

Even if someone was seen performing a thunder tribulation in the city sky, unless you witnessed it yourself, you'd instinctively think that even video evidence was just a product of computer graphics.

Sometimes, even when you see something with your own eyes, you might still not believe it. You might think it's just a hallucination from eating something bad or a mirage.

When the government sincerely wants to cover something up, ordinary people may never learn the truth in their lifetime.

These doctors were highly educated and staunch materialists; unless they witnessed Professor X and Wolverine themselves, they wouldn't believe that mutants with superpowers actually existed.

"I'll explain their conditions, and then you can discuss the treatment plan," George said, summarizing the ailments of Professor X and Wolverine. He also brought over the virus samples that suppressed mutant genes, which he had obtained from the genetic modification research facility.

After getting a general understanding of the situation, Stephen and the other doctors first used the medical equipment in the basement to examine Professor X and Wolverine. They then analyzed the virus samples before starting to devise a treatment plan.

At that moment, Stephen and the other doctors were motivated not only by money and their own safety, but also by a genuine curiosity about the existence of mutants and their conditions—after all, opportunities like this were rare.

Seeing this, George decided not to interrupt them and returned to his room to continue learning and researching magic with his clones.

Later that evening, Stephen approached George on behalf of the doctors with a request.

"First, while the equipment here is quite good, some of it is outdated. Here's a list of new equipment we need you to procure as soon as possible.

"Secondly, after the examinations, we concluded that Mr. Logan's symptoms are not primarily due to toxins from the adamantium. Instead, it's those viruses that suppress mutant genes that are inhibiting his healing abilities.

"As long as we can develop an antidote based on those virus samples to restore his healing abilities, he should be able to easily detoxify the adamantium toxins thanks to his strong regenerative powers.

"Regarding the issue you mentioned about Mr. Charles losing control of his abilities, that too is influenced by the virus; it's not solely due to his epilepsy.

"Finally, while Mr. Logan's issue is relatively straightforward to resolve, Mr. Charles's problem is more complicated.

"I can tell you with certainty that even if we eliminate the toxins from his body, the long-term damage to his brain means that his epilepsy won't completely resolve. He will require a lengthy period of rest and recuperation.

"Furthermore, it's best not to use his powers again. Unlike Mr. Logan, his body is merely that of an ordinary elderly man and can't withstand the backlash from using his abilities."

(End of Chapter)