Chapter 4728: House of X: Rebirth (Part 9)

The arrival of the S. W. O. R. D. supplies sent the entire island of Krakoa into a frenzy. This was not just because it meant a better life, but because it meant they had finally received recognition. The first step toward entering the international community had finally been taken.

However, along with the improvements came even greater challenges. Zheng Xian stared at the pier under construction and shook his head, saying, "This is sufficient as a trade pier. But if it is to serve as a nation's only port, handling both military and civilian trade, it is far from enough."

Charles was well aware of this. He said, "At this stage, we have no intention of building an army. The scale and level of our trade shouldn't provoke an attack, so we can only take it one step at a time."

Zheng Xian didn't say much more and followed the mutants to the Central Court. Along the way, however, the beautiful scenery of Krakoa still moved him. This place truly felt like a utopia.

"I really like your slogan," Storm said. "Never abandon any mutant. It sounds very good."

Her English carried a slight Eastern accent, and she spoke slowly, which gave her voice a unique charm. Charles smiled and said, "It was Erik's idea. He is an idealist. Now, he is not far from realizing his dream."

"I hope so," Storm said. "If you succeed, the mutants in other countries who suffer from oppression will also have a home."

Upon arriving at the Central Court, they talked at length. Beyond future cooperation, they discussed Krakoa itself. However, Shiler and his group did not participate in this conversation. On one hand, they were outsiders; on the other, the mutants faced a major problem: they had no cooks.

There were indeed cooks among the mutants, but certainly no professional chefs capable of preparing a state banquet. Previously, there had been no supplies for them to work with anyway. Everyone just gnawed on frozen food. Being suddenly tasked with preparing a meal to entertain guests, they were truly caught off guard.

Fortunately, Erik was experienced in such matters and immediately organized personnel to handle the hosting duties. Some went to prepare the ceremonial band, others to prepare accommodations, and the rest were busy with the food. Because they often dealt with China, they knew that the Chinese valued food above all else.

Erik had to seek out Shiler again—not because Shiler was a professional chef, but because only he understood the tastes of the Chinese. Shiler quickly listed a menu for him. They were all foolproof home-style dishes: stir-fried fish fillets, sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, smashed cucumber, and so on.

Even so, no one knew how to make them, so Shiler had to act as the head chef. Other mutants with cooking experience acted as his sous-chefs.

"Why do I feel like I'm cooking everywhere I go?" Shiler said while chopping pork ribs.

"It's not your imagination," Steve said while washing bok choy. "People who know how to cook have to cook wherever they go."

Matt was checking the fish in the tank. After pulling one out, he was nearly slapped by its tail and sighed, "This is too fresh; it's a pity to make it into fillets. How about steamed sea bass?"

"You actually know this dish?" Shiler said, a bit surprised. "However, state banquets try to avoid food with bones. It would be bad if someone choked. Actually, I didn't want to make pork ribs either, but Peter wanted to eat them."

"That's right!" Peter said while rummaging through a box of seasonings. "It's been too long since I've had the Doctor's pork ribs. Just thinking about it makes me drool."

"What is all this?" Strange was also looking at the seasonings. He pulled about twenty similar-looking jars out of a box, struggling to identify the Chinese characters on them. In reality, they were just spices.

As for Stark, he was peeling garlic; in fact, he couldn't do anything else. He was completely clueless in the kitchen, and giving him garlic to peel was just to keep him from wandering around the kitchen and causing trouble for others.

The other mutants were busy washing vegetables or cutting meat. Shiler was only responsible for the wok. Before long, the home-style dishes, full of color, aroma, and flavor, were served. As soon as they were placed on the table, Zheng Xian and Storm both raised their eyebrows.

This wasn't the stereotypical Chinese food found in the West, but authentic home-style Chinese cooking. Although it couldn't compare to some state banquet dishes, it was quite genuine. Zheng Xian glanced at Charles again; no wonder he felt Charles understood China so well—it turned out Krakoa had a China expert.

Because it wasn't a state banquet, the atmosphere wasn't overly formal. Most of the acquaintances had come. Seeing the familiar members of the Avengers, Zheng Xian clearly discovered something, but he said nothing. The meal was enjoyed by both host and guests.

Zheng Xian and Storm still had to inspect the island, accompanied by Charles and Erik; there was no need for the others to go. They all returned to their lodgings. However, they didn't stay idle after returning. Stark set up a drone and began observing the movements along the Jupiter line.

One had to know that the Shi'ar Empire's massive army was still in the solar system. Now, the mutants and the two teams of Avengers were taking turns, barely managing to hold them at the Jupiter line. Somewhat unexpectedly, the Shi'ar Empire had not sent more troops. It looked as though they were overwhelmed by their own problems.

In reality, that was indeed the case. Although Vulcan Gabriel had completed the decapitation strike quite decisively, the Shi'ar Empire itself was a loose collection of sand. He wanted to take the throne, and others wanted to kill him to take it for themselves, and now was the best opportunity. Thus, the entire empire was in constant internal chaos.

If Professor X had truly been persuaded by them to help suppress the internal chaos, it might have stabilized by now, but the problem was that Professor X adamantly refused. So, this internal chaos had left Gabriel frantic. The issue now wasn't whether he could take Earth, but whether he could save his own life.

Gabriel was in his office, reviewing the rebellion situation around the Mangyu Star. A laser suddenly shattered his office window, and Cyclops immediately stormed in, fuming with rage.

"Gabriel!!!"

Gabriel turned his head to look at him. Cyclops stared daggers at him and said, "How dare you... how dare you lay a hand on the Professor?!"

"Calm down," Gabriel said. "Why would I lay a hand on him? I was counting on you to convince him to come help me deal with this mess."

Red light flickered in Cyclops's eyes. He was deeply conflicted, unsure whether he should believe Gabriel. Gabriel said, "I'll say it again: I did not manipulate you. I don't even particularly want to see you. It was you who insisted on compensating me and helping me bring in mutant support, which is why I allowed you to wander around the palace."

"... It wasn't you who attacked the Professor?"

"I'm not that crazy," Gabriel said. "Attacking him brings me nothing but harm. First, he might be an ally. Second, he is extremely powerful, and provoking him is unwise. Finally, how could I not know that attacking him might provoke you? I can't beat you. In short, it wasn't me."

Cyclops was already leaning toward believing him, as what Gabriel said did make sense. He frowned deeply and said, "But that was your Royal Guard..."

"Good heavens, if I could truly control the Royal Guard completely, would I still be having a headache over the rebellion? Who doesn't know the Royal Guard is the strongest!"

Cyclops gritted his teeth. "No matter who it is, no one can hurt the Professor!"

"Have you finally decided to get involved?" Gabriel thought for a moment and said, "I think this might all be the plan of your good Professor."

Cyclops looked up at him, and Gabriel continued, "He knew you could no longer be stopped from participating in the war, so it's better for him to be here than for my sake."

Cyclops did not respond. Gabriel pressed, "Where did you hide him? Don't misunderstand, the place you found might not be safe. If all else fails, send him back to Earth as soon as possible."

"Why don't you withdraw your forces from the solar system?"

"Because I can't control them," Gabriel said. "Although I am their General, they were sent to the solar system under imperial orders. Now that I've usurped the throne, if I call them back, they might not listen to me and could even cause more trouble."

"I'll go send the Professor back," Cyclops said, "and then I'll come back to help you deal with those guys. If we can't control the entire empire, then what if it splits? This isn't our home."

Cyclops turned to leave, but Gabriel suddenly called out to him.

"What is Krakoa like?" he asked.

"It's a very beautiful place," Cyclops turned his head to look at him. "If you went, you would definitely like it. We will eventually return there, back to our own home."

After saying this, he strode out of the conference hall. Gabriel stood where he was, whispering softly, "Home... is it?"

When Professor X, who was seriously injured, was sent back, almost no one knew. It was Erik who secretly went to pick him up. To prevent causing panic, only a very limited number of people knew he had returned.

Professor X's injuries were indeed severe. It was just that Cyclops had been quick-witted enough to put him into a Shi'ar Empire life-support pod. This equipment could keep his physical state from changing. However, because it wasn't fully compatible with mutants, he couldn't stay in it for long. Surgery had to be performed immediately.

"Doctor!! Doctor!!!" Cyclops shouted. The doctors, of course, went immediately. But as luck would have it, this was a very difficult, perhaps even hopeless, surgery.

Professor X's chest had been pierced by a laser. The damaged parts were his heart and lungs. And because of the laser's special properties, the condition of the wound was very poor. The doctors looked at each other, and no one dared to perform the surgery.

"How about we get Doctor Strange from the front line..."

The Doctor Strange of the Central Universe and the Main Universe had already swapped back. The Main Universe's Doctor Strange had gone to the front line after returning from the Shi'ar Empire. He was currently slaughtering his way through the front line. Calling him back might affect the situation there.

Just as they were saying this, Strange, fully equipped, had already arrived. He waved at the others and walked straight into the operating room. The other doctors and nurses looked at each other and had no choice but to follow him in.

The surgical lights suddenly flared. Strange's brow ridge was sharper than a scalpel. He gently parted the wound on Professor X's chest but felt something unusual. Professor X's brain waves were not calm. He seemed to be experiencing something within his own mental realm.

Strange picked up a scalpel and said, "Go invite Dr. Rodriguez. Perhaps there is still a battle to be fought in his mental realm."