Chapter 26: The Day Someone Wanted to Become Light

...

"Warren, let me introduce you to a new friend." Stern often introduced new friends to Warren, and Warren remembered most of them. Once he upgraded his brainwashing to a gold card, he would control them one by one. He could bet that 99% of them would join Hydra!

Senator Stern was having a remote chat with Warren, and the projection of a third person joined them.

It was an old man lying on a sickbed. He had many age spots and didn't look like he had much time left.

"Mr. Worthington, it's finally nice to meet you."

"Thank you for your gift. I'm satisfied."

The person on the sickbed was Yashida, someone who had witnessed Wolverine's abilities during World War II and had been fascinated by them.

"That's good."

In fact, Warren had guessed Yashida's intention, but he said, "Let's talk about the agency rights of the hair growth and hair dye products in the Asian market."

"What? No, I didn't come here to talk about that." Yashida became slightly agitated.

Stern interrupted, "Indeed, we can discuss that matter. Yashida has significant influence in Asia and can become the agent of Worthington Pharmaceuticals in the Asian region."

"Yes, that's not a problem at all. I can offer an agent fee that no one else can provide." Yashida quickly agreed because he wanted to end this topic.

"Actually, what I want is the information left by William Stryker." Warren decided to be direct.

"That thing is useless. There are too many missing parts. I've checked it. The complete version of William Stryker's information should be in a dam base, but that base has already been destroyed. What's left is incomplete and useless."

"Nothing is complete from the beginning. I will improve it as long as you give it to me."

"Alright, if you insist—next, let's talk about the agency fee."

The smile of a cunning merchant.

...

Taking advantage of having what Yashida wanted, Warren set high prices for the agency fee and profit sharing. After some bargaining, Yashida reluctantly agreed. Even though the two products were selling well in Europe and America, offering them at sky-high prices for the agency fee and profit sharing still left room for profit, albeit less.

In any case, all Warren wanted was to obtain William Stryker's mutant ability transplantation technology.

By a stroke of luck, Warren also solved a difficult problem for the marketing department and sold the agency rights in Asia at an impossible price.

"Just a streak?"

"Just a streak."

"I thought as the boss, you would dye all your hair blue."

Neveah applied the solution to the scalp of that streak of hair. She waited for the solution to penetrate and take effect. Warren's hair on the right side of his forehead visibly turned blue at a rapid pace.

Deep Starry Blue.

It was priced ten times higher than regular Sky Blue. Although as the boss, Warren knew that the cost of this thing was not much different from Sky Blue, his subordinates had categorized these colors with similar costs into different grades.

Sky Blue, Gem Blue, Fruit Blue, Starry Blue... Each had a different price, and Deep Starry Blue was the most expensive, but also the least sold. So, they boldly suggested that Warren, the boss, dye his hair Starry Blue and then advertise it.

"After all, boss, you're so handsome and still unmarried. You're already the dream lover of thousands of girls. As long as you dye your hair Starry Blue, there will definitely be many men who want to pick up girls like you, wanting to learn your charm. This will effectively boost sales."

A group of talented individuals. Warren truly struck gold with them.

So, Warren dyed a streak of blue hair, combed his hair backward, leaving that streak of Starry Blue to cascade in front of his forehead.

"It matches your eyes very well."

"Thank you."

After a period of silence, Warren made a comeback, and the topic of the hair growth and hair dye products had been adequately highlighted.

...

"The hair dye products have been incredibly popular recently, and I have prepared some 'sharp' questions to attract attention!"

Christine, the beautiful journalist, also dyed a streak of blue hair, Starry Blue.

"I hope you won't make it too difficult for me, and you forgot about the hair growth product," Warren reminded her.

"But only bald people would use that stuff."

"You're going to hurt the feelings of the bald guys by saying that."

"But after using your product, they won't be bald anymore."

"Well, that makes sense."

This journalist was quick-witted.

"Warren, are you also a mutant?"

Christine was relatively familiar with Warren, so she was the first one to schedule an interview with him.

"That's correct."

"What is your ability? Can you walk through walls? See through things? Or transform into someone else?"

She was very interested.

"Is this the beginning?" Warren asked.

"Yes, I even have my recorder ready."

"Want to witness it? You might need to put on sunglasses." Warren stood up.

"Why? Are you going to emit light?" She was curious and put on the sunglasses as instructed.

Warren also needed a platform to showcase his abilities and make statements, so this not-so-serious magazine interview was perfect.

"Don't blink."

As he spoke, Warren's shadow suddenly lengthened, and then, with the soaring and graceful ascent of pure white wings, slowly retracted back beneath his feet.

Three pairs of wings: the soaring wings on top, the extended wings in the middle, and the elegantly drooping wings at the bottom.

The white light filled the space of the meeting room, giving a warm feeling.

"Wow..."

Almost instinctively, Christine pulled out a camera.

Professional habit.

"Got it!"

She pressed the shutter, capturing a miraculous photo.

Compared to Nick Fury and Senator Stern, who remained calm, this young girl was stunned. They didn't pay much attention to it.

"Are those real wings?"

"Actually, they are made of energy."

"Energy? They're made of energy? That's incredible!" Christine couldn't resist the urge to touch.

"Some people can even shoot heat vision like Superman; this is nothing."

"Well, that's true. Magneto can lift the Golden Gate Bridge... Can I touch them?" She suddenly asked.

"You can."

With a gentle flap of his wings, Christine felt their texture and power, expressing her amazement.

"So smooth... soft... a bit warm..."

"By the way, can you fly?" She asked abruptly.

"Of course."

With a gentle flap of his wings, Warren levitated in place.

Christine was completely stunned, but out of professional habit, she pulled out her camera again.

"Suddenly, I feel that being a mutant isn't such a bad thing."

If everyone could have such a good-looking and useful ability, everyone would want to be a mutant.

"That's not entirely true."

Warren folded his wings and sat back down.

"In fact, most mutants' abilities are not what they want or can accept. Some mutants undergo physical changes, while others cause harm to others, even if they don't want to."

"What about you?" Christine asked.

"I'm the same. When I was young, because of the wings on my back, I had to wear a specially designed harness to keep them restrained on my back. So, to some extent, I also hated my own abilities because I couldn't go out, make friends, and even my family had a disdainful attitude towards mutant abilities."

Of course, this was all made up since Warren had only been here for two months, but he drew inspiration from the original Angel's experiences.

"But your wings are made of energy, right?"

"They didn't used to be. They couldn't be retracted before, and when I strapped them to my back, it created a big bulge."

"Can abilities evolve?"

"Of course, they can. Even Magneto couldn't move a coin when he first discovered his powers."

"It seems like there's a big difference."

"Indeed."

Warren sighed, "Because he couldn't move the coin, his mother was killed."

"..."

The sudden change in the story caught Christine off guard.

"Why does Magneto hate ordinary people so much? It's because when his powers first appeared, someone used his mother's life to trigger the development of his abilities!"

"And when he finally decided to let go of his hatred for humanity, someone betrayed his fellow mutants and subjected them to inhumane experiments!"

"And when he became tired of the mutant cause and settled down to marry and have children, his friends, fearing his mutant identity, exposed him, resulting in his wife and child being shot by the police!"

Damn, the way Warren described it, Magneto seemed really tragic.

Slap!

Warren threw a stack of documents, all filled with the heartbreaking experiences of the original Magneto.

"Take a look."

Silently, Christine read through all the documents and remained speechless for a long time.

The notorious Magneto actually had so many tragic events in his life.

"No persecution, no resistance. If mutants could live in the sunlight, free from the evil desires and rejection of others, how could so many things have happened?"

"But the current situation is what it is."

Christine certainly understood this, knowing that if mutants were treated as ordinary people, many of the terrible incidents involving mutants wouldn't have occurred.

"That's why I want to change the situation." Warren confidently declared.

"What?!"

Change the situation? That seemed impossible, especially considering the recent near-destruction caused by mutants.

"Mutants will live in the sunlight, and I..." Warren's angelic wings unfurled.

"I will guide them."

...

It sounded crazy, didn't it?

Perhaps, but Warren was not alone in this endeavor. He had the support of the Xavier Institute and the X-Men. He had the support of the allies in the Nine Men's Council. Countless unidentified S.H.I.E.L.D. agents would support him. The influential figures who needed the self-healing serum to prolong their lives would support him. Thousands upon thousands of mutants would support him.

Talent.

Glory.

Conviction.

He wanted to change the social status of mutants, and what he said, not even Thanos could stop.