Chapter 362: Long Live Helada (Part 1) _1

In the Dreamland Base of the Luminous Alliance, Charles sat in his wheelchair, peering out of the floor-to-ceiling window at the cityscape of the tech-city built by Stark. At night, the city was incredibly beautiful, much like a Neon City.

However, Charles facial expression exuded neither rest nor relaxation; he seemed deeply concerned. Shiller approached, handing him a glass of wine, and asked "What's wrong, Professor? You've looked distressed ever since I got here."

Charles sighed, "Do you remember what happened in Wakanda?"

"Of course, T'Challa was assassinated. He was taken to a special dimension by the Panther God Bast whom he worshipped. Time stands still there, so he hasn't succumbed to death yet. Stark is earnestly trying to develop an antidote, but progress is slow."

"T'Challa was attacked, and his assailant, Erik, was captured by you all. Wakanda is leaderless, and Ororo has gone to Wakanda, but the situation there is far from optimistic."

"What's the issue? Isn't she T'Challa's lover?"

"But she's a mutant," Charles responded gravely. "As you know, Wakanda is a tribal confederation. T'Challa's tribe is the largest and is quite progressive, hence they don't discriminate against anyone."

"But the other major tribes aren't as open-minded—especially Erik's tribe, the second largest in Wakanda. They are completely repugnant towards mutants and drive out anyone with the X-gene, including children."

Shiller took a sip of his wine, "We've discussed this before. The public opinion about mutants can't be changed overnight. It's a long-term project."

"But the situation now is that it could get even worse." Charles looked into Shiller's eyes, "Erik attacked T'Challa, and neither of them can lead Wakanda now. Storm Ororo is T'Challa's lover, not his wife. She can't assume the role of the queen."

"We can't let anyone from the second largest tribe become the king of Wakanda either. If Wakanda, with its high international standing, openly opposes mutants, their situation will worsen."

Charles turned his wheelchair away from the floor-to-ceiling window, "Ororo's position is tenuous and many Wakandans intensely dislike her. With the second largest tribe fanning the flames, a majority of Wakandans are turning against mutants."

"Just yesterday, a Wakandan blogger with two million followers publicly claimed that mutants are invading their nation. Ororo was vilified as an evil witch from Kenya trying to usurp Wakanda…"

"All the comments are demanding us to scram, claiming that we can never establish a nation of our own, let alone steal theirs…"

Shiller noted the look on Charles's face. He knew the online comments directed at them must be even harsher. In reality, mutants had a notoriously bad reputation, and it was much worse online, where extreme emotions were magnified.

Shiller was beginning to admire Charles. Even when confronted with such malicious comments, Charles never lost his convictions. Charles must have felt very angry when he saw these comments, but even then, he did not use his abilities to harm ordinary people.

"Moreover…" Charles sighed again, "I'm sure I wasn't the only one who saw those comments. Polaris heard the blogger's statement from Iceman, and was ready to rush over and kill him."

"The mutants in the Mutant Brotherhood are not very patient, Erik especially. I managed to persuade Polaris not to tell his father, Erik, about the situation, but things are taking a downturn…"

"Professor, I know you are reluctant to use your abilities recklessly, but this should only apply to ordinary people. In the face of such malevolence, it might be acceptable to bend the rules…"

"Are you suggesting that I use my abilities to stop the blogger?"

"No, I mean, if only we could save T'Challa, the situation would improve considerably. Moreover, T'Challa and Ororo seem to share a strong bond. If they could marry, then Wakanda's queen would be a mutant, which might spur greater global acceptance and benefits for mutants."

Charles still looked troubled, "I've thought about this too, but the toxin that even Stark can't figure out, we don't have much of a solution either. Beast has sent a sample of the toxin to the lab; but after days of research, we are still at square one. It seems to derive from some mystical power..."

Charles shook his head, obviously feeling this path was a dead-end. But Shiller suggested, "Regardless of the underlying principle, if we can trace the source, there might be a way forward. You could use your abilities to see if there are any clues in Erik's memories."

"He's already confessed that he's a member of Hydra and that he nearly killed T'Challa. Reviewing his memories wouldn't be an overreach. If it leads us to other Hydra members, we might be able to prevent similar tragedies…"