Chapter 101: Divine Prophecy

"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet."

"Oh, Ju-alien, why is your profile so prominent, as if hiding a retractable mouthpart? Why is your hair tied in thin braids, like a Predator come to Earth for training? Why is your skin so dark..."

"Ah, Romeo, shouldst thou not swear by the holy moon that tips these fruit-tree tops with silver?"

"Oh, Ju-alien, the moon is inconstant, ever changing in its phases; I fear your heart may change as well. This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath, may prove a beauteous flower yet, or a cruel trial of this meeting."

"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, I am glad to see tomorrow's sun. Does Heaven not pity me, to see through my fear?"

"Ah! Here I will set up my everlasting rest, and shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world-wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last! Arms, take your last embrace!"

"Even if you say you love me, I would rather be discovered by my kin and perish by their hate than die on the spot for having gained your love."

After the X-Jet took off, Joker-Sup tried to strike up a conversation with the others. But since no one wanted to pay him any mind, he simply played multiple roles himself, performing a play.

If no one understood what he was singing, that would have been fine. But the unremarkable, flat-haired woman with the three-part haircut, Selene, actually understood. Although she was dressed as simply as everyone else on Genosha, her temperament clearly wasn't that of a small fry.

Just from the indescribable, elegant air in her every gesture, one could tell there were too many contradictions in this person. At the very least, she understood Joker-Sup's magically modified opera and said:

"A classic duet from 'Romeo and Juliet' is a very romantic scene. Can it even be watched after being changed by you like this?"

"No, no, no, this isn't me changing it. This is a script performed in a proper opera house," Joker-Sup argued.

"Which theater would be stupid enough to stage this kind of play?" Selene said with a look of disgust.

"Wait, let me calculate. Hmm, as long as you can live another thirty-two years, you'll be able to see this masterpiece in a London theater. This is absolutely a divine prophecy, no cheating. If it's not accurate, come find me and I'll pay you a watermelon. Hahaha."

Selene looked like she wanted to continue arguing with Joker-Sup, but was glared at by her boss, Magneto. "Shut up!"

Selene, who was subordinate to others, obediently closed her mouth.

Having lost his conversation partner, Joker-Sup didn't feel the slightest bit discouraged; he began singing a classic opera aria alone:

"I dreamed a dream in time gone by, when hope was high and life worth living. I dreamed that love would never die, I dreamed that God would be forgiving. Then I was young and unafraid, and dreams were made and used and wasted..."

Unable to stand it, Magneto used his power to rip a piece of sheet metal from the interior of the X-Jet and covered half of Joker-Sup's face, making him unable to open his mouth or speak.

The act of damaging the jet made Hank shout in dissatisfaction. But seeing that Joker-Sup could only make "woo-woo-woo" sounds and couldn't say a single word, Hank endured it and didn't ask Erik to put the sheet metal back.

Finally, a moment of silence returned to the cabin.

Before long, Joker-Sup was frantically gesturing at the others, but no one could understand him. He had no choice but to unbuckle his seatbelt and walk over to Hank, who was piloting, and make a mess of gestures again.

Fortunately, Hank had long served as a teacher at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Unlike Professor X, Charles, he couldn't use telepathy. Facing children who couldn't speak, he couldn't just push them all to Professor X, so he had learned sign language.

He quickly understood Joker-Sup's meaning and said in surprise: "What! You talked too much and got thirsty, so you want water? Asking me where the water is?"

Joker-Sup nodded; this action was recognized by everyone.

Hank didn't think much of it and pointed to a cabinet at the back of the cabin marked with a medical symbol: "There's emergency rations under the medical cabinet, and bottled water inside."

Joker-Sup swayed as he walked to the back of the cabin and took the bottled water from under the medical cabinet.

At this moment, the others, feeling something was wrong, remembered: wasn't this guy's mouth sealed? How was he going to drink water?

They saw Joker-Sup twist off the bottle cap, but when he went to put it to his mouth, he was blocked by the sheet metal sealing his mouth.

Everyone thought he would turn back to beg Magneto, but to their surprise, Joker-Sup used only one finger to pry open the sheet metal. He gulped down a bottle of water and then covered his mouth with the sheet metal again...

By the time he returned to his seat and buckled his seatbelt, he continued to "woo-woo-woo," wanting to speak but unable to, looking extremely stifled.

Magneto, having witnessed everything, had only one thought: "Are you serious?"

Hank, who had set the X-Jet to autopilot and also watched the whole process, was more panicked than anyone else at this moment.

He just wanted to rush back to the school and tell Raven, who was still healing in the infirmary, can we not have this helper? Seeing this guy's performance now made him this panicked; there was no telling what he would do during a fight.

When the X-Jet landed in the open space of a park in Queens, it was already night in New York. But for this brightly lit metropolis, life had just begun.

Hank was performing the standard landing and shutdown procedure, while the others got off the X-Jet as if fleeing for their lives. There was no helping it; there was someone on board who was just too good at causing trouble, and everyone was about to burst from wanting to beat him up.

Joker-Sup, however, unbuckled his seatbelt at a leisurely pace, ripped off the metal mask on his mouth, and took a deep breath of the not-so-fresh air of New York City. He even used both hands to comb back his slicked-back hair before turning to prepare to get off the plane.

The series of actions left even Beast, in his blue, muscular form, feeling unconfident, wanting to find a mirror to comb his own stiff, messy hair.

But the two who were a beat slow couldn't get off the plane, because Magneto and the others, who had run off first, were blocking the cabin door.

Joker-Sup looked forward through the gaps in the crowd and was shocked to see a group of American soldiers, fully armed and protected, half-surrounding the cabin door.

"What's this, are they here to distribute equipment? One bullet per person, delivered straight to the forehead—how thoughtful, how embarrassing. If you ask me, just lay them on the ground and let us take them ourselves; why be so enthusiastic?"

No one paid attention to Joker-Sup's crazy talk. The officer leading the soldiers shouted: "Magneto, the U.S. government's arrest warrant for you has not been canceled. If you dare to step off the plane and onto American soil, I will execute the arrest order. Leave immediately."