Chapter 3173 "Romantic" Wedding Season (57)

"What should we do next?" Gray Mist asked.

Shiller sighed softly and said, "It seems we can't get any more clues, let's prepare to wrap this up."

After saying this, he took out his phone and called Ultron, then asked, "How are things in the Andromeda Galaxy?"

"Mister Sinister has already spread his virus," Ultron answered. "He's currently staying at the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy; it seems like he is observing the spread of the virus."

"What about his accomplices?"

"You mean Apocalypse? My monitors haven't caught sight of him. Should we wait, or just inform the mutants?"

"Don't notify them. Create some technical malfunction and let them come to check it out themselves."

"Understood, sir. Additionally, Magneto and his daughter have caused quite a commotion in Shi'ar Empire territory. Professor X might be aiming to incite a coup with this."

"They're controlling the Queen, not the nobles. A coup to become who?" Shiller said. "Taking this opportunity to rally people might be more likely."

"Shouldn't they use this opportunity to ease the relationship between mutants and the Shi'ar Empire?"

"Mutants can't ease relations with any of the Great Empires because their very existence is a threat. But if they publicly fall out with the Shi'ar Empire, or even become arch-enemies, then nobody would suspect that the Shi'ar Empire might help them in secret. Professor X probably wants to make a move against the other two Great Empires."

"I see," Ultron said. "A deceptive strategy."

"Exactly. Watch, it won't be long before the chaos that mutants cause in Shi'ar territory is exaggerated tenfold on the cosmic internet. Everyone will know that the Shi'ar Empire and the mutants have become sworn enemies."

"The Professor will surely take this chance to have the Queen send her personal guard to hunt the mutants. Mutants being chased across the cosmos in a frenzy, and those driven to desperation unleashing their full power can be understood. In the end, the other two Empires will surely be the ones injured."

"I feel this plan sounds somewhat familiar."

"You're mistaken."

"They're here, sir," Ultron said. "Two unknown common mutants and one common person who looks Chinese. They've come to check the malfunction."

"Keep an eye on them; don't let them get into trouble. Can you lead them near Mister Sinister?"

"I think so, I'll try."

Inside the laboratory on the Capital Star's Sky Island, Dr. Beast was adjusting the sleep pod where Reynolds resides, while Professor X chatted with him offhandedly, mainly searching for potential hidden dangers in his mind and trying to root out the nothingness.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. "Come in, Logan, what's wrong?" Professor X said.

Wolverine Logan walked in with a deep frown, saying, "Blink just told me that two from the technical department and a Chinese engineer have gone missing."

Professor X wasn't very tense upon hearing the first half, but as the latter half was spoken, he quickly said, "Have Blink and Rakshasa Woman start searching for them at once. The biological outbreak threat isn't completely cleared; it would be troubling if something actually happened!"

"Blink has already rushed to their last known locations, but didn't find any trace of them. I came to ask Hank to check the surveillance."

"Continue with the brainwave search," Professor X said. "Go on."

Dr. Beast stopped what he was doing and took Wolverine Logan to the monitoring room. Wolverine Logan gave him the coordinates, and Dr. Beast quickly brought up the nearby surveillance footage.

The footage only captured the technicians heading in this direction but also a figure that was both unfamiliar and familiar.

Dr. Beast's eyes widened as he said, "Nathaniel?! Isn't that Mister Sinister?! How could he be in the Andromeda Galaxy??!!"

"Professor... Professor!!" Dr. Beast immediately rushed out of the monitoring room and said to Professor X, "Mister Sinister Nathaniel has come to the Andromeda Galaxy. Can you locate him?!"

Professor X was also shocked upon hearing this. He paused briefly, then said, "No, his brainwaves aren't present. This guy must have come prepared. Quickly gather the students."

"Why would he come here?" Wolverine Logan frowned deeply and said, "This guy has always been a pain for us on Earth. Wait, isn't he a chemist? Or a biologist? Could this biological outbreak be his doing?!"

Professor X hadn't told everyone what he saw in Laira's mind; most mutants didn't even know what was happening and thought the perpetrator hadn't been caught yet.

But Professor X knew that Mister Sinister could not possibly be the behind-the-scenes manipulator of this biological outbreak. If that were the case, he might very well be the "disaster" mentioned by the Supreme Evolution.

Professor X suddenly understood everything.

What requires antibodies for defense? Physical attacks? Magic attacks? Of course not.

The target of antibodies is viruses.

And Mister Sinister Nathaniel Essex is a very well-known chemist and biologist, an expert in poisons, and has always been a thorn in the side of the X-Men.

Professor X hadn't expected Mister Sinister to follow them to the Andromeda Galaxy. Alright, despite causing trouble for the mutants with his bio-modification weapons and viruses, thanks to his outstanding scientific talent, his own superpower is not strong and is limited to great strength, flight, and such—hardly enough to cover the vast distance to another star system.

He must have had assistance.

Thinking this, Professor X urgently said to Wolverine Logan, "Take a ship and equipment to find Blink and Rakshasa Woman. Do not let them leave the Andromeda Galaxy. Not even a little bit further."

Wolverine nodded and left the room. Lying in the sleep pod, Reynolds said, "It seems you've run into some trouble. It's a shame I can't go out, or I might have been able to help you."

"That won't be necessary," Professor X said. "You're not fit for any battle right now. Just stay here. Once we take care of this little problem, we will continue with your treatment."

Reynolds said nothing more but Dr. Beast suddenly spoke up, "The fact that Mister Sinister showed up here is no accident. Do you know? Professor, when I went back to Earth to research the samples from the biological riot, Doctor Schiller recommended a biological and chemical expert to me, Nathaniel."

Professor X was slightly startled. He said, "Schiller must know something."

"If I had agreed at that time, would Schiller have helped us deal with him?" Dr. Beast suddenly realized and said, "He might have been hinting at me, but I didn't understand."

"Don't worry about it, Hank, it's not really a hint. No ordinary person would understand," Professor X reassured, then added, "He might have just been testing whether you knew what Nathaniel was doing. After confirming that you knew nothing, he could proceed with his next plan."

"What does he want to do?" Dr. Beast asked.

At that moment, Professor X suddenly had an understanding. He said, "Mister Sinister is not important. The virus he brought probably can no longer hurt us. The key is the person behind him."

"Behind him?"

"Yes, when we were on Earth, he caused us no small amount of trouble. He wouldn't change lanes easily. The Andromeda Galaxy has been developed for so long. If it was really his own idea to come, he would have come long ago."

"Are you saying someone is instructing him?"

"Yes, and helped him come here, even blocking my detection, which means the person behind him is not so simple."

"Who do you think it could be, Professor?"

A name revolved in Professor X's mind, and after a long pause, he slowly said, "Apocalypse."

"Hello, Professor X," a deep voice echoed in Professor X's mind.

"It is really you," Professor X frowned deeply and said, "What do you want to do, Apocalypse?"

"Your path won't succeed," Apocalypse said. "I'm merely teaching you a lesson in knowing when to give up."

"I don't want to talk about that. Why are you looking for me?"

"I believe we can make a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"My subordinate, Mister Sinister, has now spread a deadly virus in your star system, which only infects people with the X-gene, causing them to die within about three days. Without the antidote, your students are doomed."

Professor X's heart clenched, but he immediately calmed down. Although he didn't know why Supreme Evolution helped him, this upgraded powerful existence should be much stronger than old Apocalypse. The antibodies he sent should be effective.

Still, he asked without betraying any emotion, "What do you want to do?"

"We should join forces to conquer this cosmos."

"You mean the Mutants have worked hard to establish themselves in the Andromeda Galaxy, and now that they've achieved some results, you plan to simply take those results away?"

"Don't make it sound so ugly. Don't you want to deal a fatal blow to the high and mighty Three Great Empires?"

Professor X immediately caught the crux and said, "A fatal blow? With you? Nur, I don't mean to look down on you, but you just don't have that ability."

"Hmph," Apocalypse snorted coldly and said, "I won't be acting personally. Have you heard of the Life Fusion Plan?"

The real show was starting, Professor X thought, and said, "I've heard a little, what about it?"

"Heard a little? You're still as arrogant as ever," Apocalypse sneered and said, "This was a top-secret plan of the Old Skrull Empire. You couldn't possibly know, but I do. The final product of this plan once caused the most serious experimental disaster in the universe, wiping out an entire star system."

"What do you want to do?"

"As long as we get our hands on this experimental product and let it explode in any empire's capital star system, we can instantly destroy all their leadership. Even if we can't completely annihilate them, we can at least bite off a large piece of their flesh amid the chaos."

Professor X understood, but he still said, "If the weapon is so powerful, why don't you get it yourself? Why come to us?"

"I'm not negotiating with you!" Apocalypse's voice turned ice cold as he said: "You only have one choice, to help me get it, then I will give you the antidote! Otherwise, you can just wait for your beloved students to die in pain!"

After speaking, Apocalypse fell silent again, as if the connection had been cut off. Professor X sat in silence, pondering.

Something was amiss. They had been away from the Milky Way for so long and had not heard of any Life Fusion Plan. How did Apocalypse know about it? He even knew that the plan had succeeded and that the experimental product was the main culprit behind the major explosion? Especially the last point—in interstellar history, there is no clear record of the origin of that explosion. Most believe it to be an unsolved mystery. How could Apocalypse, who had always stayed on Earth, possibly know such secret information?

On the contrary, who could have known this information and told Apocalypse? That must be the big fish standing behind Apocalypse and Mister Sinister.

Professor X had an answer in his mind.

"New Skrull Empire..."