Ruling the New World

Cairo, Egypt ~

After more than a week of recovery, Apocalypse finally unleashed an earthquake and returned to the world of the living.

He looked around, bewildered by the modern world.

Where was he? The quality of clothing people wore was so high—similar to what only nobles once wore.

Yet, these people looked gaunt, their faces sallow, their bodies frail—clearly, they were poor.

And those moving metal boxes with people inside—what on earth were those things?

As he passed a narrow alley, three men wielding pistols suddenly surrounded him.

"Old man, hand over all your money."

"Maybe we'll spare your life."

"Otherwise, we'll send you to meet the Sun God."

Apocalypse was dressed in a tattered gray cloak, and his skin was dark and weathered, so they assumed he was an elderly man.

And a weak, defenseless elder was an easy target for people like this.

Just as Apocalypse prepared to act, a young woman with long green hair stepped forward.

"Hey, you three! What do you think you're doing to this old man?"

She was striking, with a high-bridged nose and green eyes, but the heavy smoky makeup on her face ruined some of her natural beauty.

Dressed in oversized clothes in a hip-hop style and ripped pants, it was hard to tell her physique.

Apocalypse's eyes showed a hint of interest when he saw her. He sensed the presence of the X-gene within her—she was a mutant.

"Hey, girl, this is none of your business. Get lost."

"Wait, boss, this chick seems pretty decent."

"Yeah, boss, I think we can have some fun here."

As the three leered at her, the woman shook her head and raised her hand.

A green glow shimmered in her hand, and immediately, the pistols in their hands flew out of their grip, hovering mid-air and pointing back at them.

"What? What's happening?"

"She's a mutant!"

"Fuck! Why is she still roaming free after the mutant registration act?"

As the three men backed away in fear, the woman waved her hand impatiently.

"Get lost!"

Hearing this, the three men ran away in a hurry.

But then, Apocalypse acted.

With a slight lift of his hand, the ground beneath the fleeing men softened, and they sank into quicksand, disappearing without a trace.

"Ah!"

With a scream, they vanished, leaving no sign behind.

The woman, alarmed, looked warily at Apocalypse.

"You're a mutant too? Why did you kill them?"

Apocalypse didn't answer. With a lofty, detached expression, he asked, "As one of the Children of the Gods, why are you living like this?"

In Apocalypse's time, mutants were known as the Children of the Gods—the highest-ranking group.

He was baffled by how things had fallen to this state.

The woman gave a bitter smile.

"Children of the Gods? More like the God's curse. They're about to pass a mutant registration act soon, and then we mutants will only be able to hide in poor, remote places like this."

This was why she'd fled to Egypt instead of staying in America.

Recently, the House of Representatives in America had preliminarily passed the mutant registration act. Now, they just awaited the Senate's approval and the president's signature for it to become law.

Not just her, many mutants in America had started fleeing.

Hearing this, Apocalypse merely nodded thoughtfully.

He hadn't expected the Children of the Gods to fall to such a state. It seemed he would need to establish a new order in this new world.

"Do you know where I can learn the knowledge of this era?"

"Knowledge?"

The woman looked him up and down, puzzled.

What a strange request. But after a moment's thought, she nodded.

"Come with me."

Apocalypse followed her.

"Woman, what's your name?"

"I'm Lorna Dane. And you?"

For some reason, as she looked at the old man before her, Lorna felt as though she were facing her father or even a leader.

Her tone involuntarily became more respectful.

"My name… It's been a long time since anyone dared to speak it. Let me think.

"Ah, yes, En Sabah Nur."

After a while, the two arrived at a run-down building, and Lorna turned on the TV.

"Here, watch TV. This is all I have."

Apocalypse gazed calmly at the television in front of him, though intrigued.

After all, on his way here, he'd already encountered many new wonders.

A moment later, he placed his hand on the TV and instantly understood its workings.

Then, using his telepathic powers, he extended his reach through the television's signals to nearby stations, eventually linking to satellites across the globe.

Several minutes later, he opened his eyes again.

"Nuclear bombs, airplanes, tanks, battleships… Humanity now wields powers beyond their right."

"Lorna, would you become my knight and stand by my side?"

Lorna, who was nibbling on bread, rolled her eyes at him.

"A knight? You think this is a TV show?"

"You'll understand. Receive the gift of the Gods."

With that, Apocalypse placed his hand on Lorna's head, unleashing a surge of potent energy.

"Ahhhh!"

The immense energy caused Lorna to scream in pain and collapse, curling up on the floor.

After a few minutes, the energy coursing through her body activated her X-gene, lengthening her hair, turning it a deeper green.

"I feel… such power."

She waved her hand, and with a flash of light, every metal object around her floated.

Staring in disbelief at her own hands, she was amazed.

To control metal so effortlessly was something only her father had ever been able to do.

She hadn't expected to become this strong.

Apocalypse, pleased with Lorna's transformation, nodded in satisfaction.

"My knight, do you know other Children of the Gods?"

He intended to recreate the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse and establish a new order in this world—an order ruled by him.

.......

In the American Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, there stood the most secure prison in all of America.

And Magneto, Erik, was imprisoned ten floors beneath its depths.

Since Erik's capture, all metal had been removed from the area, and everyone could only use plastic items. Erik himself wore an X-gene suppression device.

Additional isolation measures ensured that, even without the suppression device, Erik would have no way of escaping.

Unless something unexpected occurred, Erik would be confined here for life.

At that moment, Erik sat in his cell, reading a book out of boredom.

After a few minutes, he seemed to sense something, lifting his head to gaze into the distant horizon.

"It seems… something has changed."

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