Hard to Look Back Upon

Watching Emma suddenly calm down, Tessa felt no joy at all. Instead, she grew even more worried. Just as she was about to offer a few words of comfort, Emma spoke first. "Tell me, what exactly happened?" Her tone was calm, as though she were merely asking about work as usual.

Tessa stared blankly for a moment, gazing at Emma for a long while before sighing inwardly. "Earlier, I happened to hear someone say that Alex seemed to have been enveloped in seven-colored rainbow light, then turned into a streak of light that shot into the sky and vanished beyond the horizon."

"Seven-colored rainbow light? Vanished beyond the horizon?" Emma repeated Tessa’s words in confusion, but inwardly, she became increasingly certain of her own guess. Yet the more certain she became, the more her heart hurt. Tears welled in her eyes, ready to spill over at any moment.

Seeing Emma like this, Tessa became even more anxious and quickly explained, "I checked their memories. I think Alex was probably swept up by that seven-colored rainbow light and transported somewhere else." Sneaking a glance at Emma, Tessa spoke with conviction. "That’s why I said Alex has gone missing. But don’t worry, we’ll definitely find him."

Emma had not wanted to listen to Tessa’s fabricated lies anymore, but as she listened, she realized something was off. She raised her head and looked at Tessa in astonishment. "Tessa, is everything you said true? You didn’t make it up to deceive me?"

"A lot of people saw it. If you don’t believe me, you can search their memories yourself." Seeing Emma’s expression finally return to normal, Tessa secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though her face remained indignant.

Emma suddenly perked up and grabbed Tessa, dragging her away. "Come on, take me there! Take me there now!" After someone had suffered despair so deep that their heart had gone numb, even the faintest glimmer of hope could rekindle their faith. That was exactly how Emma felt now.

After getting confirmation from more than a dozen people in succession, Emma finally believed Tessa’s words and was finally certain that Alex had not died—he had merely gone missing!

Seeing the unconscious smile curling at Emma’s lips, Tessa suddenly felt terribly sad. It was only an uncertain piece of news. After all, no one could confirm whether the seven-colored rainbow light had truly transported Alex away. Yet even so, it had turned Emma’s sorrow into joy. Emma’s wish was so small! If Alex suddenly appeared, would Emma be so happy that she fainted?

Even as she felt sorry for Emma, Tessa began to envy Alex. If Emma was like this, then Vivien Leigh and the other two women would probably be no different. To have four women care for him so deeply, he could probably have no regrets in this life.

Before they knew it, a month had passed. With everyone working together, the Floating Giant Island’s expansion and reconstruction had been completed.

Compared to the original Floating Giant Island, the island now floating on the sea had more than doubled in size, and all kinds of buildings had sprung up across it like bamboo shoots after rain.

The replanned island had become more compact without losing its beauty. At its center still stood the Floating Temple, soaring into the clouds. The holographic control console that had once monitored the entire Savage Land had been repaired again and now served to guard the waters surrounding the island.

To the left of the Floating Temple stood the rebuilt and expanded Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. During its reconstruction, Emma had specifically increased investment in laboratories. The various labs occupied nearly a third of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. To the right of the Floating Temple was the X-Men headquarters. Not only was it where the X-Men rested in their daily lives, but it was also equipped with many advanced training and enhancement devices to help them improve their strength.

Besides these three most important buildings, Emma had also specifically opened up a forest on the island’s southwest side for most of the savages and ferocious beasts to inhabit. Beyond the forest, she had reclaimed a vast stretch of farmland. With so many people on the island, they had to eat and drink. Back in the Savage Land, they had never lacked food or clothing, but now they no longer had such favorable conditions. Everything had to be self-sufficient.

Aside from the necessary living facilities, Emma devoted more of her energy to the island’s defenses. Besides the Floating Temple’s holographic control console, countless guard posts had been set up along the island’s perimeter, with X-Men patrolling every day.

Ever since the island had fallen into the sea, countries around the world had noticed the anomaly here. Warships had continued arriving to investigate over the past month. Although Emma had brainwashed these people and sent them back in the end, that was not a long-term solution. The island’s existence and the mutants living on it would sooner or later be discovered, so they could not neglect their own defenses.

After a month of adjustment, the island’s residents finally entered a period of peace, and their lives gradually settled down. Those who needed to farm farmed, and those who needed to patrol patrolled. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

On the fortieth day, Vivien Leigh and the other two women, whom Emma had turned away several times, finally arrived.

"Why did you keep hiding it from us every time?" The moment Vivien Leigh and the other two women appeared on the island, they rushed before Emma and tearfully demanded an answer.

Emma froze at their words, then turned to Howard beside them and demanded through Mind Telepathy, "What did you tell them?" Emma had not revealed the news of Alex’s disappearance to Vivien Leigh and the other two women, and had even ordered others to keep it from them. Now that the three of them knew, the only one who could have let it slip was the loose-lipped Howard.

Howard awkwardly scratched the back of his head and mumbled, "I only muttered one sentence. I didn’t expect them to overhear it."

Hearing Howard’s explanation, Emma rolled her eyes speechlessly. Turning to Vivien Leigh and the other two women, she explained, "I wasn’t deliberately hiding it from you. I just wanted to wait until we found Alex, so everything would be fine and you wouldn’t have to worry for nothing!" To make herself more convincing, Emma turned and pointed at Crystal nearby. "Look, I didn’t even let Crystal notify Alex’s father!"

Vivien Leigh and the other two women froze. With tears still in their eyes, they turned to Crystal. Only after Crystal nodded did they slowly stop crying, though they still complained stubbornly, "No matter what, we’re Alex’s women. If something happened to him, we should know too!"

After spending quite some time comforting the three women, Emma finally explained Alex’s situation in detail. "…Right now, we’ve sent people to search everywhere, and S.H.I.E.L.D. is helping as well…" As she spoke, Emma’s expression dimmed slightly. She slowly drew a breath before continuing, "But there’s still no news for now. We may have to wait a while longer."

"Then we’ll wait. We already waited ten years!" Monroe curled her lips, raised a hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, and revealed a resentful smile. With a determined expression, she said, "Once we find Alex, I’ll tie him to my waist!"

Her words drew agreement from all the women. In an instant, the somewhat heavy atmosphere became lively, and each of them let her imagination run wild, thinking of how they would punish Alex once he returned. Crystal, who had been standing in the corner, unconsciously moved closer and joined in the "punishment" of Alex with a soft laugh.

While the women unanimously condemned Alex, where exactly was Alex?