Chapter 345

"If you ask me, why do we even have to come? Just pick any two teachers from middle school—wait, no, you'd have to go to elementary school, since some of them can't even solve a simple linear equation…"

"This is wasting my life, wasting my brain. Humanity is at a critical stage of rapid development; wouldn't it be better if I used this time to contribute to humanity's journey into the cosmos? Why waste it teaching a bunch of idiots?"

Stark spoke loudly, but most of the students knew they were in the wrong and had no rebuttal—after all, their grades in the Dream School had been truly abysmal; everyone having a prenatal education wasn't a joke.

"Don't be like that, Tony. They still have great potential. After all, they possess abilities ordinary people don't have, and they learn quickly—didn't they absorb a lot in just a few days at Dream School?"

"Those are all basic common sense! My God! We're actually going to start teaching them from the eight planets?!" Stark rolled his eyes and made a gesture of utter disbelief.

"In my opinion, mutants are beyond saving. They should just use their innate abilities to scrape by on Earth—don't even think about entering the cosmos. They might not even know how to dodge a black hole if one showed up."

As Stark was speaking, he felt a cool breeze pass over his forehead. He turned his eyeballs back and saw a ballpoint pen pressed against the center of his brow.

Iceman quickly glanced at Polaris and whispered to her, "Don't do that. We can't just use our powers freely at school, let alone threaten a teacher!"

Polaris also turned her head and said, "I didn't do it."

At that moment, a faint thud sounded at the classroom door. Everyone turned—and there stood a figure clad in black armor, his cloak billowing behind him. His deep, aged voice echoed through the room:

"Shut your mouth."

Instantly, the ballpoint pen before Stark disintegrated at a speed invisible to the naked eye, leaving nothing behind.

Stark turned to look at Magneto. He didn't summon his armor—he knew that using armor before Magneto was like handing a knife to an enemy.

Banner, however, looked annoyed. "How can you threaten us? Even if Stark's tone was harsh, what he said is true—mutants' educational foundation is terrible, and we're just as frustrated."

"Enough, Banner. This is Erik's fault—don't take it personally." Charles rolled his wheelchair in and said to Banner and Stark, "I heard you were teaching the basics of cosmology, so I brought Erik here—he can demonstrate cosmic states far more intuitively."

Stark let out a nasal huff. "Don't tell me we're supposed to give you two a lesson too…"

As he spoke, he saw Magneto slowly raise one hand. On it appeared a spherical ripple—about the size of a fish tank—created by magnetic fluctuations.

"What are you planning? More cheap iron trinkets to threaten me? That's all you've got…"

Polaris slammed her hand on the desk and was about to explode— Iceman and Wave threw themselves at her, pinning her down with frantic hands.

At that moment, a blindingly bright point erupted from the center of Magneto's magnetic sphere. Immediately, a tiny flame ignited at its core.

Stark's expression changed instantly. He widened his eyes, staring at the flame. Within seconds, the fire grew larger, then condensed into a sphere the size of a palm.

Though tiny, it was too bright to look at directly. The flames intensified, and particles began swirling around the sphere, gathering in greater numbers. Stark whispered, "Fusion fire…"

The sphere began compressing further, shrinking to half its original size—but glowing even brighter.

Everyone froze, staring at the glowing orb in Magneto's hand. Iceman, who had observed Mercury up close, was the first to speak: "... s that the Sun???"

No one answered. Then, tiny particles began orbiting the glowing sphere—more and more, faster and faster, colliding, merging, interweaving.

As if billions of years passed in a single blink, when the motion slowed, only nine small spheres remained.

Then, rapid changes resumed. Everyone leaned forward, eyes locked on the magnetic field, asking, "What is that?"

"Saturn! Look! There's the rings!"

"That big one must be Mercury—didn't we just learn Mercury's a gas giant too?"

"That must be Earth—and the one close by is Mars?... My God, is this the Solar System?!"

Finally, Magneto slowly opened his hand. As he did, the magnetic field floated upward, settling at the center of the classroom ceiling, expanding until the entire Solar System hovered above the students.

All were spellbound, staring upward in awe as countless celestial bodies rotated above them. When the light shone down, their eyes gleamed with wonder.

The mystery and beauty of the universe were undeniable. The stars had always been humanity's eternal dream—and when all cosmic evolution was condensed into a single instant, the sheer power of its spectacle drowned everyone in awe.

Stark was the first to look away, noticing Magneto had formed another, smaller magnetic field.

Again, fusion fire ignited into a star—but this time, no planets formed. Instead, the star grew larger. Banner seized the moment: "Watch closely—this is stellar aging. After its youth, a star gradually becomes a red giant…"

"Who can guess how many times larger a red giant becomes compared to an ordinary star?"

"Ten times?... No, I'd say a hundred!"

"No, far more. A red giant will be a billion times larger than an ordinary star."

The students gasped, whispering among themselves about the incomprehensible scale of a billion.

As Banner explained, Magneto's red giant continued evolving—then became a white dwarf, then a neutron star.

Then, the process reversed. At a certain moment, everything collapsed inward. After a brilliant explosion, the entire magnetic field turned pitch black.

The students stared, stunned. Polaris squinted and said, "The light's gone?"

"Of course—we all saw it. It turned black…"

"I mean—something absorbed the light."

"Exactly." Banner pointed at Polaris. "That's a black hole. It swallows all light—so you see nothing."

Stark stared at the magnetic field in Magneto's hand. Magneto remained silent, saying nothing—but what he had done made Stark and Banner, two scientists, realize with profound clarity just how powerful mutants could be.

Mutants were always said to be strong—but to scientists like Stark and Banner, technology might eventually surpass them. Now, Magneto showed them: it wasn't Earth that limited him—it was the universe that needed mutants.

In the space of a thought, entire galaxies evolved—all within his grasp.

This power exceeded any imagination. It was too overwhelming—even these mutant students could only stare, dumbfounded, at the cosmos above them.

The class ended quickly. Once all the teachers had left, the room fell silent for one second—then erupted into chaos.

No matter their beliefs, backgrounds, or knowledge levels, every student pointed at the star system above them, talking over each other.

Magneto vanished the moment he stepped out of the classroom. Stark glanced back—but Charles seemed unfazed. Charles sighed. "Let's go. Find the director of this performance."

Soon, they appeared inside Arkham Sanatorium. Shi Le was Ditou writing patient records. Seeing them enter, he looked up. "How was it? Smooth? Are the students fired up, ready to dive into the ocean of knowledge?"

Stark shook his head. "Why did I have to play the villain? I think they hate me already. If that girl, Polaris, were as strong as her father, I might wake up one day to a black hole in my bedroom…"

"Don't worry—I'll keep an eye on them. And Polaris still has a long way to go before she reaches her father's level." Charles shook his head.

"Seriously…" Stark crossed his arms and frowned at Charles. "Isn't Magneto just too strong? He can hand-craft nuclear fusion, create a Solar System—why is he even staying on Earth?"

"He's likely reached the point of directly controlling subatomic particles," Banner speculated. "He can create a sun without even needing molecular clouds—and ignite fusion out of thin air. It's… beyond imagination."

"Erik is indeed powerful. He once told me that before he dies, he could create an entire, complete universe."

Charles looked at Shi Le. "But as I've said before—we don't just represent ourselves now. We represent everyone who stands with us."

At that moment, Stark realized something. He turned to Charles. "You and Magneto are called the two great leaders of mutants. So… you're just as strong as him?"

Charles was about to downplay it—but Shi Le cut in: "If Professor Charles wishes, he can alter the thoughts of every human being in an instant. No—not just humans. All intelligent life, as long as they think, cannot resist his mental power."

"Then why are we going through all this trouble to—"

Shi Le shook his head. "Same as before: we cannot place the entire civilization's future in the hands of one or two individuals who've become too powerful through mutation. That's no path forward."

Stark relaxed his shoulders and sighed. "I have to admit—mutants do have a natural advantage. If only they weren't illiterate, it'd be perfect."

"I'm even more frustrated than you—that's why I'm willing to lead mutants to help you at this critical juncture. I just hope knowledge will let mutants catch up to the next era—after all…"

Charles looked up at the sky—as if piercing through walls and the atmosphere, directly seeing the cosmos.

"The starships are already here. How far away can the interstellar age be?"