Chapter 204: Back to Los Angeles

The journey back to Los Angeles was uneventful.

Phoenix Girl Jean Grey left before even entering the airport. If her abilities were properly developed, she would be truly omnipotent, so there was no need to worry about her.

Only the Scarlet Witch with her Chaos Magic fully unleashed could compare; neither was constrained by rules in their power. By contrast, even Superman needed to reach a certain stage of development before he could possibly contend.

However, the mutants of this world were not only tolerated by the US government but also protected far too well by Professor X and Magneto.

When external pressure increases, internal resilience grows accordingly. The reverse is also true. When those two protective umbrellas, as massive as mountains, shielded the mutants from the vast majority of storms, the result was a weakened entire group, not an awakening.

Setting other things aside, even the abilities of the X-Men members in this world fell far short of the barest skin of the comic book X-Men. Everyone seemed to rely on instinct to wield their powers, never having undergone any development.

But from another perspective, this was also a good thing. At least the relationship between mutants and the government had not reached a point of direct confrontation. The world was consequently much more peaceful...

Who knows how long this statement could last; Henry had no confidence in having any confidence about it.

Unloading the luggage brought back from Switzerland from the taxi, Old Gary, who loved to sunbathe on the streets daily, wore the same flamboyant attire; today's lipstick was still a flashy purple. He spotted Henry returning at a glance.

Stepping with a swaying, graceful gait, Old Gary approached Henry and sized him up: "Yo, planning to move back in? I thought you intended to keep renting my place to raise mosquitoes, leaving me wondering whether I should discuss raising the rent with those few mosquitoes."

"Hey, you old fart, giving me a scare the moment I return. Looks like I need to buy a few jin of Mexican devil peppers and make a pot of spicy chicken to clear your gut. Do you still have constipation? I guarantee I'll pull your intestines out for you."

"Whoa, kid, ease up. Old Gary is a good landlord; the fact that he didn't break your lock and rent the place to someone else is the best proof." The flamboyant old expatriate boasted about himself.

Immediately, both laughed heartily and exchanged a manly embrace. No one's hand foolishly moved toward anyone's butt.

After the greetings, Old Gary picked up the lighter items and helped Henry carry the luggage upstairs. He asked along the way: "Does your return to live here mean there's news regarding Lady He Ben?"

Henry said in surprise: "There's no news here yet?"

"No, aside from the news at the beginning of the month about Mother Teresa calling on everyone to pray, there have been no other reports."

"Then reports will probably come out in a few days." Henry didn't think there was anything to hide about this matter, since it had already been reported in Europe. The US was just half a step slower, so he said:

"Lady He Ben passed away on the twentieth, the funeral was held on the twenty-fourth, and she was buried in the Trochenaz Cemetery in the small town of Trochenaz, Switzerland."

"Wow, wasn't that just two days ago? And you've been kicked back already?" Old Gary made an exaggerated expression of surprise.

Henry said: "Come on, I'm just Lady He Ben's assistant, not their family's butler. Since I don't plan to follow the lady to heaven and continue serving her, what does their family's business and the lady's two children have to do with me?"

"True, you haven't even served Lady He Ben for two years yet. You probably aren't very close to her family either." Old Gary said with emotion: "But you did pick the best time to temporarily leave Los Angeles."

"What do you mean?" Henry asked, confused.

"What happened last year caused quite a stir in the US. Didn't you notice?"

"You wouldn't be talking about that group... hmm, the big incident that erupted. The one that made smoke fill the air across the entire country, right?" Henry recalled the news content he had occasionally noticed while in New York.

Old Gary complained discontentedly: "That's the one. Just one damn paroled black man, because he resisted arrest and assaulted police officers, was turned into a victim image by a group of maliciously edited media reporters, giving that group of blacks a reason to erupt.

"At first it was just marches and protests, but it quickly escalated into riots, with the marching crowds clashing with the police. Then people started destroying white owners' shops and looting the goods inside.

"Then the whole thing went out of control, with the black group seeming to vent long-accumulated dissatisfaction. Not only did they aim their spears at those white lords, but they also conveniently looted many Asian-owned stores.

"Do you know how crazy those days were? It wasn't just blacks causing trouble; even the Mexicans down south were secretly joining in. Robbery, rape, murder, arson—I almost thought I had arrived in early-century Chicago.

"Fortunately, our side was close to the Brazilian district, and we didn't get along with the Mexicans or blacks, so we held them off. But the fiercest counterattack came from Koreatown. I heard they even formed their own militia for defense, killing and injuring quite a few people.

"In the end, it was only through the deployment of the army and support from law enforcement officers across the country that the situation was suppressed. But although there were no major riots, sporadic small-scale disturbances have continued until now.

"So returning now, while you dodged the peak of the trouble last year, the streets aren't exactly peaceful either; it's not as good as before you became Lady He Ben's assistant. You must be careful with your safety."

"I accept your advice. Thanks." Henry opened the door. The two carried the items inside and placed them on the empty space in the room.

Although he was carrying the lightest piece of Henry's luggage, Old Gary was still panting. Yet he still didn't give up on voicing his complaints, as if he had been holding them in for a long time.

He said: "I've heard people say blacks are stupid all my life, and this time I finally got to see it. Even though the news has clarified it, they are like they are blind, still clinging to old news."

"Hehe," Henry said. "The truth has never been important; they just want to find a justification for their own actions. Besides, for many people, once something is done, it's done; once things are looted, they are looted.

"If they realize later that it was wrong, apologize, return the items, can the mistakes they committed be wiped clean? It's better to double down on the mistake, making everyone have the illusion that they are right.

"As long as enough people make mistakes, and they aren't the most severe ones, don't they have a chance to escape legal punishment? So you say blacks are stupid? I think they are too smart."

(End of this chapter)