Chapter 149: Subsequent Troubles

What Henry didn't say was that if one or two people died, filling the Phoenix Girl with guilt, the matter would be settled. Her return would then be only a matter of time.

So he shouldn't have saved this female mutant who could still chatter on and on. It was as if, in the movie, this guy really did die.

Mystique said angrily, "Then why don't you go up and take the beating yourself? You had to push us out!"

"Oh, the key is making that little girl feel guilty. Without that emotion, sending in any number of heads is useless. So tell me, what role can I, a stranger, play? I'm not as good as you." Henry said with glee.

Cyclops, who had been agitated on the side, finally seized the opportunity and darted forward. He grabbed Henry's collar and demanded in a harsh voice, "What exactly do you know?"

"Be good, close your eyes." As soon as Henry said this, he snatched Cyclops's visor off with lightning speed.

Terrified, the young man quickly closed his eyes and covered his face, cursing loudly, "You damned bastard, doing this trick again."

Cyclops actually wanted to let his powers run wild and teach this alien a severe lesson.

But he was on his own turf, in the infirmary, surrounded by his own people. Without the visor, he found it difficult even to control his optic blasts. To avoid injuring his own people, he could only keep his eyes closed!

Seeing he had succeeded once again, Henry said proudly, "Hehe, it works, doesn't it?" Then he immediately threw the visor into the hands of Storm, who was also showing signs of moving, blocking any possibility of her acting.

Storm hurriedly returned the visor to Cyclops and even helped him put it back on.

Fortunately, Cyclops retained some sanity and did not start a fight with the alien inside the infirmary; he merely glared at him furiously. Although others couldn't see his eyes, the heaving of his chest showed that this guy was indeed furious.

Only then did Henry say, "I don't know the full cause and effect of everything, so I can only speak about what I have seen. First, your teammate who broke away from the group right now looks like a terrified little girl.

"You came to me for help; at best, I can back you up to avoid major casualties. Have any of you ever seen a method to comfort your own daughter that involves calling the next-door neighbor to beat him up so he stops crying?

"So I didn't act to avoid escalating the conflict and making the situation even harder to handle. —" Absolutely not because I'm afraid of the Phoenix Force, absolutely not! "— You can only figure out how to persuade him yourselves.

"Second, I don't know if you noticed. It's because I haven't met that little girl many times that I feel her demeanor is somewhat different from our last meeting.

"I originally thought her mutant abilities were not outwardly manifest and wouldn't change her appearance. But during this meeting, I observed more than once that light seemed to flow beneath her skin.

"This phenomenon accompanies her emotions; the more agitated she is, the more obvious the flowing light becomes. Moreover, it appears this ability only brings her pain. I have observed her frowning in pain more than once.

"So the best course of action for her now is to find a quiet place for her to stay, free from outside stimulation. Time can heal most sorrows, and even physical discomfort requires time to adapt to.

"However, it seems you can't do even one thing. There is no trace of that little girl, and after she overturned two police cars, I don't think the government will give you much time to react."

The reason mutants appear to be accepted in this world is that they do not operate outside the government's jurisdiction. There are not only equipped law enforcement units capable of dealing with various mutants, but also special prisons specifically for detaining those with strange abilities.

Even Omega-level mutants like Magneto and Professor X, if the right method is found, can be dealt with by the current power of the US government when they become criminals.

But when encountering an existence beyond specifications, assigning the X-Men to handle it is the best choice to reduce casualties. Therefore, in Professor X's study, there is a hotline directly connecting to the US President.

Then, unfortunately, Henry just used his super-hearing to eavesdrop on a White House notification unilaterally shutting down that hotline. Professor X was raging impotently in his own office.

Such behavior is completely different from the image of the wise sage with a chessboard in hand that Professor X has always projected.

The reason why the Professor X of this world is deeply linked with the US government is still unclear. However, Henry has no desire to investigate this point at all.

"What do you think happened to Jean?" The one asking was Mystique, lying on the hospital bed. Although it was difficult, she still asked about the person she cared about.

Henry just shrugged and said, "I don't know her recent condition; how could I know what happened? The only thing I can guess is that the cause of the incident must have happened recently.

"Her current behavior is more like someone who has eaten too much and needs time to digest. It's just that external events keep coming one after another, preventing her from peacefully dealing with the physical problem."

Cyclops shouted excitedly from the side, "Solar flare! It must be the influence from the solar flare Jean absorbed during the mission to save the Enterprise. If we can find a way to release it, maybe the problem will be solved."

He didn't want to crush this optimistic young man at all. If that thing is treated as a solar flare, it is destined to lead to a dead end. But Henry had no obligation to inform him; besides, he had no evidence or solution himself, and saying more would only lead to more mistakes.

So Henry went along with Cyclops's line of thought and said, "Great, then the only problem you have left now is dealing with the US government."

"Deal with... the US government?" Beast Hank hadn't yet realized the severity of the problem and said blankly.

Henry then said, "Smashing two police cars; although the police didn't die, they were definitely injured. Plus, you destroyed public property. If this were an ordinary person, and their identity was known, they would have been arrested and thrown into the police station long ago.

"You can't possibly expect the government to ignore such criminal behavior just because she is one of you. Oh, I must say first, the ditch I opened in town was also caused by that little girl's power.

"So you have to help me figure out how to resolve it, or pretend you know nothing. Anyway, if they try to find me for compensation or hold me responsible, I will deny everything. I am currently in Switzerland and haven't entered the US."

Recalling that although he hadn't crashed into houses, he had indeed smashed quite a few walls and fences. Not to mention the damage caused to other people's yards and the destruction of asphalt roads.

Anyway, if asked, just one sentence: I am in Switzerland. What happens in the US has nothing to do with me.

Cutting off the topic first, Henry tossed out another sentence, saying, "Do you have any other questions? If not, I'm leaving. It would be best if you didn't come looking for me in the future either."

(End of Chapter)