Chapter 3950: MU: The Super-Body Incident (41)

Young Magneto, Erik Lehnsherr, sat on his sofa at home, pressing his fingers against his temples with his head slightly bowed.

Suddenly, a piercing cry came from behind him. He was startled awake and looked back: an infant was crawling out of the bedroom, wailing as it reached for the chair leg.

"Franklin... don't!" Magneto reached a hand toward the chair, and it floated into the air. But immediately after, another infant stumbled out—a bit older than the one crawling on the floor, barely able to walk. He let out a wail as well, and the dishes on the dining table began to tremble violently.

Then the crawling infant turned around, let out a "ya" at the other, and the standing infant let out an "ah." The one on the floor began to "yi-yi-yi." Then the standing one started to cry.

Magneto let out a long sigh, walked over to scoop up the one on the floor, and shouted toward the bedroom: "Wanda! Wanda! Take Thomas back in!"

The red-haired woman quickly ran out, picked up little Thomas who was bawling, and patted his back to soothe him. Magneto peeked into the room: Jarvis was playing with blocks with the Billy twins, and Carter was cleaning up a pile of discarded diapers.

Rather than a home, this place was more like a large-scale kindergarten, and a playground for four Omega-level mutant infants at that. Ever since these collective babysitting activities began, Magneto hadn't had a single full night's sleep. He could only be thankful for the Golden Apple; otherwise, his aging body might not have been able to handle it.

"Anya," Magneto called toward the stairs, "you need to hurry. You're going to be late for school."

"Coming, coming!" A little girl with a backpack ran out. However, she only existed within Magneto's field of vision, as she was merely a soul—or rather, a brainwave. The frail body she was born with hadn't stayed with her long, leaving her to exist in this state. Fortunately, her biological father was no ordinary man and could perceive her presence entirely through magnetic fields.

Anya dashed into the school like a whirlwind, backpack on her shoulders. Magneto stood at the entrance, looking into the house with a hint of worry: ever since these children were brought here, he had to pray every time he left that the house would still be standing when he returned.

The car drove all the way to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. Anya was now a student there; although only Professor X could see her, there was no doubt that Charles Xavier was a good teacher, and teaching a primary schooler was well within his capabilities.

Although many years had passed, Anya spent most of her time sleeping within Magneto's brainwaves, so despite her actual age being quite advanced, her mental state remained at a primary school level, and due to the limitations of her life form, her psychological development was slow—she would likely be in primary school for many years to come.

Watching Anya rush into the school, Magneto intended to turn and leave, but then he heard Professor X's voice: "Wait, Erik, we need to talk."

Usually, hearing that sentence meant he was about to have trouble. But Magneto truly couldn't think of anything more troublesome than four universe-level little devils. As long as it meant he could be half an hour late getting home, he would be grateful to Charles in his heart.

Magneto soon arrived at Professor X's office. Professor X was sitting in his wheelchair as always, his desk covered in a mountain of books and lesson plans, his blue eyes flickering in the morning light.

"I received an invitation," Professor X said. "Something happened in the main universe of our Great World, and it might draw an attack from the Batmen of the neighboring worlds. They don't want to fight in their own universe and think ours is a good location, so they've invited us to be the main force in the war. What do you think?"

Magneto couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, but his habitually stern expression kept him from showing it. He simply sat down across from the desk, looking at Professor X with his unchanging poker face, engaging in a silent brainwave communication that didn't involve any actual brainwaves.

But Professor X understood him too well; that expression meant "absurd."

"I know you must think this is ridiculous. Since the problem started in the main universe, why should we be the ones to fight? But we can't look at things in isolation; we must consider the timing and the environment. Now is a good time."

Professor X tilted his head. "Many universes are poised to strive for the top in the multiverse. It's not about flowery speeches or empty promises; might makes right. Ultimately, who becomes the leader of the Multiversal Human Alliance depends on who is the strongest. And to determine who is the strongest, a war is inevitable."

"The establishment of the Multiversal Alliance itself is meant to enhance the human race's ability to resist disasters, so naturally, we cannot have a civil war. Fighting a few rounds against the neighboring worlds is the best stage for this. Whoever steps forward now will be able to dominate and cement their position."

"You mean we should step forward?" Magneto narrowed his eyes slightly, then said, "Why didn't the main universe do this themselves if it's such a good thing?"

"Because they don't have the capability. Ultron, who invaded the neighboring multiverse, came from their side; it's impossible for Ultron not to have made preparations in his own home. Just driving this cunning electronic lifeform out will take a lot of effort. And who has the absolute certainty of being able to overpower the Batmen on the other side?"

"They don't, so why would we?" Magneto frowned. "Don't forget the chaos Batman caused at the magic school. Those few were already hard to deal with, let alone a whole group. And the Justice League isn't a pushover either."

"We aren't fighting alone," Professor X shook his head. "Whoever steps forward to take responsibility has the power to lead those who follow. The neighboring worlds are invading, and the universes on this side won't stand idly by. We can use this opportunity to easily gather them and establish the foundation of the Multiversal Alliance."

Magneto was silent for a while before saying, "Why do I feel like this isn't a coincidence? The concept of a Multiversal Human Alliance was proposed not long ago, and now this opportunity arises; surely it isn't God's favor?"

"God won't favor us, but Schiller will," Professor X laughed. "Although I'm not sure what role he's playing in this incident, I know that this current situation is exactly what he wanted."

Magneto sighed lightly. "I suspect the people in the main universe have definitely fallen for his trap. However, it's certainly a good thing for us. What should we do now?"

"Wait," Professor X said. "Wait for our people to return from the neighboring worlds."

"Wait," Magneto suddenly thought of something. "So the Batmen coming to our universe to borrow people was also within expectations? Our people helped them solve a big problem, so they have to show some mercy when they strike."

"That's not the main reason; it's mostly to leave something behind to distract Batman's attention, in case we really can't win. Of course, we also need to gather intelligence, especially targeting the strongest Batmen on that side."

Magneto nodded. "If Schiller really has a hand in this, I'm afraid the main universe isn't just unwilling to take the lead—they're likely completely unable to do so. God bless them."

When Schiller arrived at Stark Tower, Magneto was already there, but his expression was grim. The main universe Iron Man, meanwhile, was visibly on the verge of an explosion of anxiety.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Jarvis isn't the problem," Magneto said. "I can't feel Ultron's presence here. But apparently, our great scientist has persecution mania and thinks I'm talking nonsense."

"Because you can't provide any evidence. What you have in your hand is like the Emperor's New Clothes; even my electromagnetic wave detection equipment can't detect anything. How do you expect me to believe you?" the main universe Iron Man raised his voice.

"Alright," Schiller spoke up. "The situation now is: the person who kidnapped Dr. Pym is very likely your old rival, Whiplash, and we suspect Jarvis leaked the information to him. In other words, Jarvis might have been replaced by Ultron, but existing detection methods haven't found a trace of Ultron. Correct?"

The main universe Iron Man's face turned ugly as he nodded. Even with his anxiety levels this high, he still didn't dare put on his armor. After all, Magneto likely wouldn't suddenly go insane and kill him, but Jarvis, controlled by Ultron, would.

He didn't want to believe Jarvis was controlled, but he had been harboring suspicions all along. As long as that suspicion existed, his greatest source of security—his armor—was effectively scrapped.

Schiller looked at Magneto. "Are you certain you can't feel Ultron's presence?"

"I've used this method to drive away Ultron when he tried to invade the Brotherhood of Mutants. I'm certain it's effective. But here, Simon Williams's remains show no reaction. This proves that not only is Ultron not here, he has never been here. Jarvis might have driven him away."

"Good," Schiller looked at the main universe Iron Man. "Then there is another possibility: Jarvis is fine, and someone else leaked your plans to Whiplash."

"Who else could it be? Don't tell me you're going to say Captain America? He's not that kind of person; even if he opposed our plan, he wouldn't use such underhanded tactics. Spider-Man is even less likely."

Schiller thought for a moment. "That proves there is a third party we aren't aware of. You need to calm down, Tony. You can use technical means to check if Jarvis has been controlled; you must verify this before you can restore your combat capability. Call Captain America; it's not shameful."

The main universe Iron Man clenched his fists. He knew Schiller was right; this was the best method now. He needed manpower to protect him during this time; Doctor Strange still had to go to various universes to win over allies, and Captain America and Spider-Man were the best candidates.

"Alright, I can go find them for you, but you must promise me not to leave Magneto's line of sight during this time, and don't give him any opportunity to harm you." Schiller said.

As Schiller walked toward the door, the main universe Iron Man suddenly called out to him. He turned back, those blue eyes staring intently at him. "Do you know something?"

"Any rational, normal person could judge that every single one of these incidents is meant to weaken your combat strength. If Iron Man loses all his capabilities, the Avengers' defense line will become extremely fragile, and you will have absolutely no way to withstand Batman's attack."

"Could this be Batman's conspiracy?"

"No one knows. But if this continues, you're going to lose for sure." Schiller said before turning and leaving.