Joining

Alex felt awkward. Turning around felt wrong, but not turning around felt wrong too. After struggling for a few seconds, he finally turned around with a calm expression, looked at Charles and the others, and said with a light laugh, "Look at me, being so muddleheaded. I nearly forgot why I came!"

Charles looked at Alex with a strange expression. With a dry laugh, he led Alex toward the CIA. "Let’s talk inside. This isn’t the place for a conversation."

Just like in the movie, because they cooperated with the government, Charles and his team had their own independent work area, a separate space that included laboratories, training rooms, recreation areas, and other facilities.

Of course, outside this independent area, agents patrolled back and forth. Every one of them held a gun, their expressionless faces making them look like cold-blooded killers.

Seeing Alex’s attention shift to those agents, Charles, who knew some things about him, flushed and explained nervously, "Government departments, you know how they are. Complicated!"

Alex shook his head almost imperceptibly, a faint smile on his face. He did not care about Charles’s explanation.

The group crossed a long corridor before entering Charles’s team’s recreation area.

It had to be said that the CIA had shown tremendous sincerity toward Charles. It was obvious from this exquisitely decorated recreation area. Two rows of leather sofas stood across the center. Behind the sofa on the left was a separate bar, and behind it was an entire wall of wine cabinets filled with fine wines from around the world. It was exceedingly luxurious.

"They treat you quite well," Alex said with a mocking smile as he looked around. His gaze swept over Charles and the others, carrying a hint of ridicule.

Charles and the others unconsciously lowered their heads, feeling uncomfortable all over.

Alex raised his head several times, wanting to argue, but after hesitating repeatedly, he gave up helplessly because he did not know what to say.

Alex did not intend to say anything more. He turned to Charles and asked with a puzzled expression, "As far as I know, there are other people on your team, aren’t there?"

Charles was slightly startled, then nodded. "There are indeed two more. They should be training right now." Although he did not know how Alex had learned this, Charles answered truthfully.

As soon as he finished speaking, two people entered from outside one after the other, chatting and laughing, completely failing to notice Charles and the others.

After taking a few steps, the two finally sensed something. They turned around, froze for a moment, then shouted in pleasant surprise, "Charles? You’re back?" One of them scratched his head in confusion and muttered, "Didn’t they say there were still three days left? How did you come back so soon?"

Seeing that he was about to keep talking, Charles quickly interrupted him and pointed at Alex. "Let me introduce an important figure. Alex, the leader of X-Mansion!"

The man who had been talking nonstop since entering paused slightly. He looked at Charles in surprise, and only after receiving confirmation did he size Alex up from head to toe. After a long while, he finally said, "You’re a mutant too?"

Alex looked at the man before him with bewilderment. It was hard for him to connect this man with the Banshee from the movie, who could unleash sonic attacks. At the very least, the movie’s sonic attacker would not ask such a ridiculous question.

The girl behind Banshee could no longer stand it. She reached out, pushed Banshee aside, and said with a smile, "Hello, I’m Angel, codenamed Angel Salvadore." Compared to Angel Salvadore from the movie, Alex felt that the Angel Salvadore before him was even prettier.

"Fine, let me introduce myself. I’m Sean Cassidy, codenamed Banshee." As soon as Angel finished speaking, Banshee squeezed forward and looked at Alex with a solemn expression.

Charles stepped over at the right moment, interrupting Banshee before he could speak. Turning to Alex, he asked, "May I ask why Mr. Alex has come to see us?"

"Do you know about X-Mansion?" The moment the words left Alex’s mouth, he knew he had asked a pointless question. Without waiting for Charles and the others to answer, he introduced it himself. "X-Mansion, as its name suggests, is the home of mutants, a warm and harmonious big family…"

"How is it different from the Brotherhood of Mutants?" Before Alex could finish, Alex impatiently spoke up. His gaze toward Alex was extremely fierce.

The Brotherhood of Mutants also claimed that mutants were one big family, but their methods were exceptionally cruel and vicious. Alex had once been taught a lesson by the Brotherhood of Mutants, so he had always harbored hostility toward Alex.

Alex frowned slightly, took a light breath, and explained slowly, "The Brotherhood of Mutants and us are mortal enemies!" After pausing briefly, he continued, "In fact, our hatred for the Brotherhood of Mutants’ leader, Sebastian Shaw, can be traced back to World War II!"

"At the time, he was still struggling to join the Hellfire Club…" Alex seemed to sink into his memories as he casually recounted the hatred between himself and Sebastian Shaw. He only briefly mentioned the ten years he had spent asleep. "Now, I’m back, and I’m ready to collect the debt!"

"Then our goals are the same!" Banshee interjected, his face full of smug delight.

Charles was not as simple-minded as Banshee. From Alex’s words, he saw another layer of meaning. After pondering for a long time, Charles raised his head and looked at Alex, asking solemnly, "Is X-Mansion truly as good as you say?"

Charles knew full well the miserable circumstances mutants faced in the modern world. He had it somewhat better; his good family background and ordinary appearance spared him from all kinds of discrimination and harassment.

But most of the time, mutants suffered oppression and abuse from all humanity. That was why Charles wanted to gather mutants and intervene in US-Soviet Hegemony: to fight for living space for mutants.

Alex knew what Charles was thinking. Unfortunately, ideals were beautiful, but reality was always cruel. In the movie, Charles ultimately gained nothing from this and even lost the use of both his legs. Of course, now that Alex had appeared, he would never allow such a tragedy to happen.

Thinking this, Alex wore a faint smile and said slowly, "Seeing is believing, hearing is not. I’ll take you there now!"

Before anyone could react, Alex once again wrapped everyone in Psionic Power and activated Teleportation, taking them back to the Floating Temple.

"Where is this?" Looking at the ultramodern buildings around them, everyone could not help exclaiming in amazement. Hank, in particular, excitedly rushed straight toward the control console. As a scientist, Hank recognized the console’s extraordinary nature at first glance.

Alex and the others’ appearance inevitably drew a great deal of attention. Especially when they saw unfamiliar people like Charles and the others, some were even preparing to attack. Fortunately, Alex spoke in time, preventing an unnecessary battle.

"This is X-Mansion?" After marveling for a long while, Charles finally withdrew his gaze and turned to Alex, his eyes full of admiration.

Alex smiled and shook his head. He motioned for Charles to follow him to the control console, then pointed at the holographic image above it and said proudly, "All of this is X-Mansion!" Alex swept his hand wide, encompassing the entire Savage Land within his gesture.

In Alex’s view, the entire Savage Land was his territory. Whether AIM or the Brotherhood of Mutants, they were all invaders. Now that he had returned, he naturally intended to drive every one of those invaders out.

Charles and the others did not know that. They truly thought this area, no smaller than the United States itself, belonged to mutants. Their faces flushed with excitement, and their eyes shone frighteningly bright.

Was that not why they had joined the CIA? They hoped to find a place where mutants could live in peace. Was this not exactly what they wanted?

As they were thinking about it, several bell-like laughs rang out beside Charles and the others.

Turning around, they saw four stunning women with distinct temperaments walking in hand in hand from outside, bright smiles on their faces. Yet what puzzled Charles and the others was why these women looked so familiar.

"Vivien Leigh, Audrey, Monroe, why are you still here?" Seeing the four women, Alex and Emma nodded in greeting. Then his gaze fell on Vivien Leigh and the other two women, his face full of surprise.

Hepburn pouted at his words, looking displeased. "What, you don’t want us to stay?" As she spoke, Hepburn grabbed Vivien Leigh and Monroe by the arms and pretended to leave. "Since we’re not welcome, we’ll just go!"

Alex stared blankly at Hepburn, hardly believing his eyes. Was this still the intelligent and elegant angel he knew? She was practically a little girl unrivaled at acting spoiled!

Alex was not the only one shocked. Charles and the others were completely dumbfounded. They stared blankly at Vivien Leigh and the other women for a long time before asking in bewilderment, "Excuse me, are the three of them mutants too?" By this point, if Charles still could not recognize the three women, he would truly have been an idiot.

Vivien Leigh and the other two were Hollywood’s hottest actresses. Charles could never have imagined that they were mutants too!

The moment the question was asked, the entire place fell silent. Then laughter erupted one after another, leaving Charles and the others utterly confused.

After laughing, Alex finally introduced them. "Although they are not mutants, they are the eternal friends of us mutants!" Alex’s words won the approval of everyone present. Everyone looked happily at the three women, and not a single person objected.

Charles paused slightly, then suddenly nodded. "If that is the case, then we are willing to join…" After a brief pause, Charles turned to the people beside him. Only after receiving their agreement did he continue, "X-Mansion!"