Chapter 3897

Jean looked at that paragraph for a long time without speaking. Peter even started to worry a little that she would suddenly erupt. Fortunately, she finally just put the paper away, neither commenting nor breaking down.

"Perhaps I should have realized it sooner," Jean said. "Ever since I felt the Phoenix Force within me, I thought I would never have a peaceful day in my life. But now, thinking back carefully, there were many times I felt true peace. But it wasn't when I was alone, doing nothing, or seeking comfort from someone, but when I helped those lost little mutants, soothed their emotions, or saved them from discrimination, or even just taught them to spell words..."

"Scott is a good person; he's a bit too good," Jean said. "He always guards silently, solves problems alone, tolerates others, and helps others. When I received his help, I felt warm and secure, which was the simplest way for me. Because to comfort children, I have to have enough patience and carefully observe their emotions; to fight discrimination, I need to rack my brains to refute those people's words; even to teach spelling, I have to look at a grammar book first. Once I had a simple method, I gave up all of this."

"But this not only became a burden for Scott, but also made it impossible for me to obtain true peace. I couldn't even believe the promises and guarantees Scott gave me myself. Because I knew very clearly in my heart that he couldn't possibly defeat the Phoenix; he couldn't pull me back when I lost control. So even if he guaranteed it very earnestly, and I tried hard to lie to myself to believe it, I couldn't deceive myself."

"I should have figured it out sooner: the only one who can suppress and control the Phoenix is myself. I should become a strong person who perfectly controls the Phoenix Force and then uses this power to save others. Only when I transform my former flaws into advantages and truly help others with this so-called power of destruction can I possibly obtain final peace."

"No, Jean, don't put so much pressure on yourself," Professor X said. "You have no obligation to save anyone."

"This is not just saving others, it's also saving myself," Jean said, looking at Professor X. "If I can't do it, I will never be able to relax, I will always have to live in fear, and I will always implicate good people like Scott who are willing to tolerate me, including you, Professor."

Professor X shook his head and said, "Please believe that the goal I have fought for all my life is to be able to say 'there is no need' righteously to you when you say 'I want to be strong,' and then smile and tell you: those so-called 'burdens,' that rainstorm that fell in your life, were merely inconspicuous water droplets among the countless towering waves I have experienced in my life."

At the moment of hearing these words from Professor X, Peter found it hard to describe the shock in his heart. He even began to gradually understand why some people believe in God—in the short hundred years of human life, the moments when the heart beats due to emotion added together might all be used to find such a "Father." It could be God, it could be Charles Xavier; there is no difference.

Professor X has fought with Magneto for more than half a century and perhaps still hasn't completely changed the situation of mutants, but now when mutants all over the world are wronged, they will all remember: at least we still have two Gods.

"Regardless of what is said, I have already figured it out," Jean took a deep breath and said. "This can't go on; I must change."

"Alright, Miss, I completely agree with your idea," Peter nodded and said. "However, let's put our focus back on this case first. I heard from Kitty that you argued before about working; can you tell me the details of this?"

Jean paused, but she didn't look dejected. She said, "I might not have been able to figure it out before, but now I have completely understood. Scott might just not want me to leave—because of that paragraph the electronic lifeform said; it said 'I will understand sooner or later'."

"You mean... this is Scott's selfishness?"

"Perhaps. Because the job I was looking for at the time was as a helper at a welfare home; although the pay wasn't much, there were some subsidies. I was aiming for the money at the time, but Scott might have felt, because of that paragraph from the electronic lifeform, that this job might make me realize: only by helping and saving others can I obtain true peace. He might have felt that I would give up obtaining comfort from him, so he didn't quite agree and tried to persuade me to change jobs. It's just that at the time, I shallowly understood it as: he thought I would lose control and hurt those children at the welfare home."

Jean lowered her head and said somewhat sadly, "When I angrily pointed this out, his expression was indeed a bit strange, looking very hurt. This might also be one of the reasons for his subsequent loss of control, because I completely misunderstood him. He was just trying to keep me and wanted to continue to tolerate me, but I felt he was discriminating against me."

"Alright, I understand. It seems the root cause and the trigger for the loss of control have both been found," Peter said, stroking his chin. "But I still don't quite understand this guy's motivation. It was quite right in what it said, and in a way, it did wake you up, but why would it do this?"

"I know it might not be right to say this, but... this really made me figure it out," Jean said, biting her lip. "You might not believe it, but from the moment I realized this, the Phoenix has been surprisingly calm."

After finishing, she stretched out a hand, and a cluster of flames ignited at her fingertips. Professor X immediately became nervous, and Peter also felt a dangerous aura; although there was no spider-sense, the aura of destruction inherent in the Phoenix Force was almost visible to the naked eye, and one didn't need any superpowers to feel it.

The next second, with a "bang," the door was kicked open. Logan rushed in and was a bit stunned to see the three people standing perfectly fine in the room.

"Uh, sorry, I might have been a bit dizzy. I seemed to feel the power of the Phoenix... didn't the Phoenix lose control?"

Jean was speechless, turned her head to look at the door that had been clawed and smashed directly, and sighed deeply.

Logan was also a good person, just a bit simple and reckless. Just as she thought of this, Logan rushed up to look her over carefully, then let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders dropping as he said, "It's good that you're okay. Now that Magneto isn't here, I was really worried that something would happen to you."

"Alright, it's not your fault that you couldn't figure it out all along, Miss," Peter walked over and looked at Jean, saying, "The people around you are always good at tolerating you and have given you too much care and love—kind, brave, and unhesitating. You are like a spoiled child; relying on yourself, it's really hard to wake up."

These words were actually a bit harsh. Peter saw Logan glaring at him, with an expression on his face as if to say, "Although it is indeed like this, you can't just say it out loud."

Jean shook her head helplessly and said, "If you guys really catch that unlucky guy, you must leave an opportunity for me to thank it in person. If it weren't for it, I really wouldn't have had the chance to figure it out."

"Wait," Peter had another flash of inspiration, and he said, "Could it be... that this is the electronic lifeform's purpose?"

"What?"

"It just wanted to wake you up."

"Ah?"

Not only Jean, but the other two also couldn't figure it out. Professor X looked at Peter and said, "You mean, it instigated the relationship between Jean and Scott to let Jean awaken and become a super strong person who perfectly controls the Phoenix Force, with strength even exceeding an Omega-level mutant? It wouldn't be a mutant who can control the network, would it?"

Once this guess came out, Professor X himself was scared into a cold sweat. If it were really like this, and Magneto had already caught the other party, then trouble would have occurred, because if it turned out that it was a mutant's trick after all, then they would have lost both their wife and their army.

Peter shook his head and said, "That wouldn't go that far. If it were really a mutant and so hoped for mutants to be well, it could have reversed the earth's public opinion overnight; after all, modern people are so dependent on the internet and are easily brainwashed by those things on the internet. It could even do something like instigating others to commit terrorist attacks, which proves it has no morals; why wouldn't it use a simpler method?"

"But if it wasn't for the sake of mutants, but to satisfy selfish desires, that doesn't make sense either," Logan shook his head and said. "It can monitor us through the network, so it could understand what kind of person Jean is. Even if it helped Jean, the methods it took were too extreme; Jean wouldn't turn around and help it because of this—then wouldn't this be completely wasted effort?"

"Perhaps it doesn't need Jean to help it," Peter thought and said. "What if it just wanted to pursue Jean?"

Jean pointed at herself with her finger: "Pursue whom? Me?"

"Yeah, don't make this matter so complicated. If you guys fell in love with a girl, and the other party had a boyfriend, and you happened to have no morals, then you would definitely think of ways to break them up, so you could win the beauty."

"No, it's still not right," Professor X pointed out. "There are many ways to break them up; there's no need to use this one. Because this will make Jean have no time to talk about feelings for a period of time. The Phoenix is not so easy to control; even if it is related to emotions, it is more about exercising mental strength. To completely suppress the Phoenix in the mental world, I'm afraid one would have to stay in one's own mental world for a few months; if it doesn't go well, it might be a few years. No matter how powerful that electronic lifeform is, it can't invade a mental world with the Phoenix in it, let alone pursue her. Isn't this lifting a rock to drop it on one's own feet?"

"This is indeed a bit suspicious," Peter frowned and said. "Logically speaking, people with 'love-brains' all hope that the person they pursue is also a 'love-brain,' so it's easier to pursue. How can a 'love-brain' force the person they admire into an independent and self-reliant strong woman?"

Peter was thinking to himself there, but the gazes of Jean and Logan drifted to Professor X involuntarily.

"Indeed, the one who can do this must be crazy," Jean said pointedly.

"Definitely a violent maniac," Logan nodded and said, "the kind who can paralyze others just by blocking a bullet."

"Alright, stop guessing blindly," Professor X interrupted them and said. "Once Erik catches it, it will naturally be able to be asked. Everyone go out."

Jean and Logan each rolled their eyes and walked out one after the other. Peter originally didn't understand what riddle they were playing, but when he looked back and saw Professor X's blue eyes, he suddenly understood, and also shrugged his shoulders and went out the door.

As soon as they went out, they heard the sound of fighting coming from the west building. Peter rushed to the window and looked, and it was the building where Cyclops was being held. And Jean and Logan, who were more familiar with the base's terrain, had already rushed downstairs.

"Magneto has made a move! Let's hurry over!"

Peter also stepped and ran downstairs, but just like that day, a gust of airflow knocked him over. By the time he climbed up from the stairs, he heard Professor X's voice echoing in his ears:

"Caught it. Assemble in the conference hall."

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