Jealousy

Wang Bert shrugged and replied, "Not a big problem. You never had much luck to begin with."

Wade was speechless. "BOSS, I think you could stand to be a little less honest."

"Go on. Oh, and Wade, step up the Security Company’s training. The quieter those Evil Believers are now, the bigger the trouble they’ll cause later."

Wang Bert said, "What happened half a month ago must never happen again."

"Don’t worry, BOSS. I’ll do my best to train those recruits and get them ready for duty as soon as possible."

After hearing Wang Bert’s words, Wade first patted his chest in assurance, then suggested, "BOSS, I recommend recruiting some mercenaries. They can complement the mutants."

"That works, but screen them strictly. Don’t let anyone from the military slip in."

Wang Bert said, "Also, you need to guide the atmosphere so mutants and ordinary people don’t come into conflict. My goal has never been for mutants to rule the world, but for mutants and ordinary people to coexist peacefully."

Wade said confidently, "Leave it to me. I’m amazing at setting the mood. Everyone calls me the Atmosphere Little Prince."

"Why does that sound so familiar?"

Wang Bert grumbled inwardly and gestured for Wade to leave with Domino. Just then, his phone rang. It was Translucent.

"BOSS, when can we kill that bastard Francis? He’s not human."

Translucent cursed through gritted teeth. To force the test subjects to awaken their Mutant Genes, Francis had been torturing them with inhuman cruelty. Honestly, even demons from Hell would have struggled to match him.

What was even worse was that he not only created mutants, but also sold them as slaves to warlords and gangs. He was utterly devoid of conscience.

If Wang Bert had not forbidden Translucent from acting, Translucent would have torn that bastard to pieces long ago.

"I know what kind of scum he is, but killing him alone won’t solve anything. We need to dismantle the entire organization."

Wang Bert said, "Translucent, stay by his side and find out everything about him and the organization. Also, identify the general behind him and secure the evidence. When the time comes, I’m going to make a big splash and expose every last one of them."

"Like that church?"

Translucent asked. Some time ago, Psylocke had exposed the church where Fire Fist was held. Those disgusting people had not only been disgraced, but also thrown into prison.

Because of that, Fire Fist no longer tried to escape from prison. Still, he bickered and roughhoused with Wade every day. How should one put it? It was a very harmonious father-son relationship.

"Much bigger than that."

Wang Bert said, "The military will definitely make a move against us next. We need ammunition to bring them down completely."

Translucent said, "I know what to do. Not one of those scumbags can be spared."

"Of course they can’t. Their reckoning will come."

Wang Bert said, "Translucent, be careful. Don’t alert them. And watch your own safety."

Translucent replied, "Yes, BOSS."

After the call ended, Wang Bert set down the phone and sensed, with his consciousness, a unique drop of blood in his heart that glowed with seven-colored light.

Within that drop of blood stood a giant tree with tens of thousands of branches. The branches were brilliantly multicolored, but only a small portion of the trunk was solid. The rest was merely a phantom.

Wang Bert focused his thoughts on one branch. A large amount of green poisonous gas emerged from it. This was the highly toxic Mutant Gene belonging to Viper.

That was right. Every branch on that tree was a Mutant Gene, numbering in the tens of thousands. The trunk was the Mutant Gene Source Wang Bert had been researching all along—he was using Mutant Genes to reverse-engineer the Mutant Source.

"It took more than a month to analyze only a few hundred Mutant Genes. Looks like I’ll have to use Money Power to speed things up. It’s not like I’m short on money."

Wang Bert thought to himself. Though he had only finished analyzing a few hundred Mutant Genes, his gains were enormous—he had already unlocked five percent of the Mutant Source.

Five percent might not sound like much, but that five percent of the Mutant Source had multiplied the power of Wang Bert’s mutant abilities several times over. At the same time, he had gained two special abilities, two extraordinary special abilities.

Some might wonder why Wang Bert suddenly possessed such formidable research abilities. The answer was simple: he was the Creator God, with a commanding perspective. If Wang Bert’s main body were here, he could crack the Mutant Source in a few hours.

Wang Bert murmured, "Once I crack the entire Mutant Source, I’ll be the god of mutants."

At the Mutant Brotherhood, Magneto, wearing reading glasses as he studied blueprints, suddenly received a "video" request from Professor X. He snorted coldly and closed his eyes.

When Magneto opened his eyes again, his surroundings had become a small garden. Professor X held a steaming cup of tea and smiled. "Erik, it’s been a long time. Would you like some tea?"

Magneto snorted. "I don’t want to see you, you old stubborn fool. And this is the world of consciousness. Is there any point in drinking tea here?"

"It’s called a sense of ritual."

Professor X smiled, set down his teacup, and said, "Erik, I want to have a proper talk with you."

"About what? About how I traded Yukio for Azazel?"

Magneto asked. Ten days earlier, the Mutant Brotherhood had traded Yukio to get Azazel back. To ensure Yukio’s safety, Professor X and the others had done nothing. Though Azazel was special, in their hearts, he was nowhere near as important as an X-Man.

Nightcrawler felt the same way. He fully agreed with trading Azazel to bring Yukio back.

"That matter is over. Yukio has already returned to the Island Nation."

Professor X said, "Erik, thanks to Bert’s efforts, countries around the world have begun establishing Mutant Affairs Management Departments. The situation for mutants is improving rapidly, better than ever before."

Magneto snorted. "It’s only getting better on the surface. Humans are an exceptionally vile species. Before long, they’ll turn on us. Wolves and sheep can never live together."

"We are not wolves, and they are not sheep."

Professor X said, "Bert has given us an excellent start. From here on, as long as we work hard, humans and mutants will fully integrate, without distinction."

"Charles, after all these years, you’re still this naive."

Magneto sneered. "Human leaders are only using us. I’d bet they’re researching something that can destroy us right now."

"That is only a portion of humanity’s leaders."

Professor X said, "Most humans hope to coexist peacefully with mutants. Erik, come back. Let’s fight for mutants together, just like we did before."

Magneto’s expression shifted slightly, but it immediately turned cold again. He said, "Charles, I’ll say it again: your path and Bert Wang’s path are wrong. Humans and mutants can never coexist peacefully. There is only one way to protect mutants: eliminate humanity."

"Erik, you are the truly stubborn one."

Professor X could not help shaking his head. He said, "Erik, I won’t force you if you disagree, but I hope you won’t cause trouble during this period. The situation Bert worked so hard to secure cannot be ruined.

"Also, this is a sensitive time. If you cause trouble, the government will definitely make Bert wipe you out. I don’t want to see mutants killing each other."

Magneto sneered. "It seems you’ve made that boy your successor."

"He is not my successor. He is better than me. He accomplished what I failed to accomplish for decades."

Professor X sighed. "To be honest, sometimes I truly feel that he was sent by God to save us mutants."

"God? If God really existed, humanity would have been cleansed by God long ago."

Magneto snorted and said, "Charles, I won’t promise you anything. The Mutant Brotherhood will always fight for mutants."

With that, Magneto’s body vanished from the consciousness space. Professor X smiled. Though Magneto had not agreed to anything, he could sense that Magneto intended to keep a low profile for a while.

Magneto indeed planned to keep a low profile for a time, but not because he accepted Wang Bert’s path. It was because he wanted to focus on researching the Mutant Transformation Device.

Once that device was successfully developed, Magneto would let everyone know that he was the one who was right.

Magneto summoned Azazel and handed him a stack of documents. "Azazel, notify all branches. The Brotherhood is entering a dormant period. Try not to cause trouble."

"Why? Magneto, the X-Men are being held back by the Evil Believers. We should take this opportunity to weaken the academy as much as possible."

Azazel asked with some dissatisfaction. Clearly, he still could not let go of Nightcrawler.

Magneto sneered. "Are you teaching me how to do things? Or did all that Bible-reading from Nightcrawler turn your brain to mush?"

"I’m sorry. I overstepped."

Azazel’s heart jolted. Lowering his head, he said, "I’ll send the documents to the other branches immediately."

With that, Azazel transformed into red smoke and vanished. Magneto snorted, then called Mystique Raven. "Raven, I want you to disguise yourself as a senator and infiltrate the upper ranks of humanity to gather intelligence."

Mystique asked, "A senator? Not Senator Kelly, surely? His reputation is ruined, and he’s been missing for months. If he suddenly returns, it will definitely arouse suspicion."

Magneto said, "No, another senator. I’ll send you her information. She hates mutants to the bone and has personally caused mutants to die."

Mystique said hatefully, "I love dealing with people like that. Don’t worry, leave it to me."

"Good."

Magneto nodded. He had great confidence in Mystique. Then, he took out the blueprints again and resumed his arduous research.

"What? Entering a dormant period?"

At the New York branch, Human Torch John heard Astra’s order and shouted in dissatisfaction, "Why should we lie low? We should charge out there, burn Iron Man to death, and burn those despicable humans to death."

"You think you can burn Iron Man to death? One casual wave of his hand, and you’d turn into paste."

Quicksilver sneered beside him. "Didn’t you watch the video of Iron Man dealing with the Evil Believers?"

"As long as I have enough fire, I can burn even Iron Man to death."

Human Torch shouted, "I didn’t join the Brotherhood to become a coward hiding with his head tucked in. I want Iron Man and those humans to pay the price."

Human Torch shouted loudly, but few supported him. On one hand, no one believed he could defeat Iron Man. On the other, everyone respected Iron Man—though their paths differed, they were well aware of everything Iron Man had done for mutants.

Besides, the Mutant Brotherhood was not a terrorist organization. They would not burn down a street for no reason. Their past operations had mainly been about rescuing other mutants.

Of course, Human Torch was not completely without supporters. Several mutants who hated humans to the bone spoke up for him and opposed the order to lie low.

"Enough. This is Magneto’s order, and you must obey it."

Astra shouted, "Human Torch, from now on, you are not allowed to leave the branch. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being harsh."

Human Torch was furious upon hearing this. Being unable to leave the branch was no different from being imprisoned. He wanted to resist, but too few people supported him, so he could only return to his room unwillingly.

"Damn it. I never thought the so-called Magneto would turn out to be such a coward. If this keeps up, when will I ever get my revenge?"

Human Torch cursed loudly. Irritably, he turned on the television and discovered that the news was reporting on the second Firefighter Hero—Iceman! "After Human Torch was arrested, the city’s firefighting system faced serious problems because all firefighters had been dismissed."

The reporter said, "At the critical moment, Iceman stepped forward and took Human Torch’s place in fighting fires. Unlike the arrogant Human Torch, he is humble and approachable. More importantly, he has earned Iron Man’s approval. Iron Man stated that Iceman has the potential to become a Super Hero…"

Bang! Human Torch smashed the television with the remote control. His face was twisted with rage. Iceman had actually betrayed him!

"Bobby, I won’t let you off. And Iron Man, why do you approve of him but not me? In what way am I inferior to Iceman?"

Human Torch roared endlessly. Then, he suddenly remembered what Greed had said before. After hesitating for a moment, he closed his eyes and contacted Greed. "Greed, I won’t join you, but I can cooperate with you to deal with Iron Man."

"Cooperate? What makes you qualified to cooperate with our Doomsday Church?"

Greed was somewhat disdainful. He was about to say something when Original Sin’s consciousness descended and spoke to Human Torch. "Your heart is full of hatred. Why are you unwilling to believe in me?"

Feeling the evil consciousness emanating from Original Sin, Human Torch trembled all over. He did not dare hide anything and answered honestly, "I can’t bear to leave this colorful world behind."

"Foolish. This is merely a false world, not worth your attachment. Human Torch John, believe in me. I will help you transcend it and enter the real world."

Original Sin smiled disdainfully and used Black Qi to erode Human Torch’s soul. Human Torch instinctively sensed that something was wrong and resisted with all his strength.

"John, with your strength, you cannot defeat Iron Man. In fact, you cannot even defeat Iceman."

Original Sin said slowly, "If you want revenge, you can only believe in me. I will give you power and make you my messenger. Then, you will obtain everything you desire."

"I want revenge! I want to burn Iron Man to death! I want to burn Iceman to death! I want to burn those bastards who abandoned me to death!"

Human Torch’s consciousness was quickly consumed by rage. After a while, he shouted, "Doomsday Master, I am willing to believe in you."

"Very good. From now on, you are my third messenger, Jealousy."

Original Sin nodded in satisfaction and sent a large amount of Black Qi into Human Torch’s body. Human Torch gradually ignited, becoming a true Human Torch. However, the flames on his body were black, filled with an aura of death and ill omen.