Legion

"Was this really me?"

John looked at himself in the mirror. The black fabric was expertly tailored and fit him perfectly, cinched at the waist to emphasize his chest and shoulders, giving him a solid, powerful appearance. His shoulders, collar, and cuffs were embroidered with exquisite silver patterns. A vivid armband bearing crimson flames wrapped around his right arm, while a metal badge marked with a red-and-white umbrella emblem rested on his chest.

The uniform’s style closely resembled that of the German SS, carrying an austere, chilling air. Yet more important than its ornate design was the new material cultivated from symbiotes and developed by Umbrella. It was lightweight, bulletproof, capable of optical camouflage, and possessed a range of combat functions. It had not yet been formally adopted by the military.

As the Mutant Registration Act was gradually implemented, most of the young people at the academy chose to reveal their identities and become officially registered Mutants. The government departments and Mr. Sipes had not gone back on their word either. In accordance with the act’s provisions, they were granted legal status and social welfare protections, enjoying all the civil rights of this country.

Unlike the hesitant Iceman Bobby, John and many of his friends joined Umbrella. Mutants with outstanding combat abilities, such as himself and Colossus Peter, were assigned security positions at the new company. They received generous monthly salaries, and exceptional performance could even earn them military commissions.

The sudden change did not leave the hotheaded young fire wielder confused. On the contrary, he was brimming with fighting spirit. John was not as reserved and obedient as his friend Bobby, nor was he as mild-tempered as Colossus Peter. He had his own ideas and ambitions.

In the original timeline, John ultimately chose to follow Magneto rather than return to the professor’s academy and continue being an obedient good boy. That alone was enough to show that he was different from the other students.

Because of Sean’s influence and interference, aside from Magneto’s rampage in Manhattan, Mutants had not stirred up much trouble in this world. John’s former desire to follow the strong had also changed as a result.

The former fire wielder had believed in the supremacy of strength. But when he heard that veteran powerhouses among the Mutants had fallen at Sean’s feet, he began to question his previous beliefs. Stryker, known as the Mutant Butcher, had died at Mr. Sipes’s hands. The professor had also shown faith in him, while Magneto was rumored to have been exiled, leading the Brotherhood’s members away to distant Africa. That string of achievements left John deeply shaken.

Only after entering Umbrella did John truly witness what important figures were like. Even someone like Mr. Blonsky, a formidable warrior capable of transforming into Abomination, treated Sean with respect. Those exceptionally learned scientists, dazzling Superheroes, and high-ranking government officials showed not the slightest contempt toward that seemingly ordinary young man.

No one was willing to remain ordinary. What young person lacked passion and ideals? They were simply worn away by the passing years.

John did not care about moral positions or the ideals of peace between humans and Mutants. In his view, the professor’s way of thinking had long since become outdated. He identified more with Magneto’s philosophy: Mutants at the forefront of evolution were inherently superior beings, above ordinary humans.

Unfortunately, the old veteran Magneto had suffered setbacks and defeat at Sean’s hands. That made John abandon his former beliefs. During his brief time at Umbrella, he had seen the allure of power and influence.

Those lofty military officials and arrogant senior government figures treated Mr. Sipes completely differently from everyone else. Such a change could not be achieved through strength alone.

A powerhouse like Magneto could make humans fearful, but he could not truly make everyone submit and kneel. The combination of wealth and power, however, could accomplish that with ease.

It hit John hard. In every young person’s heart, there had to be a figure leading them forward. In the past, that figure had been vague—perhaps the professor, perhaps Magneto. But after Sean appeared and unveiled the true world that stood at the top of the pyramid, the figure in John’s mind suddenly became clear.

I want to become an important figure like him too. John stared at his sharply uniformed reflection and silently thought.

He strode out the door. Figures clad in identical black uniforms stood lined up in the hall. This was the new company located in the northern outskirts of Long Island, and they were all members of the Umbrella Security Squad. Their training instructor was Emile Blonsky, a former retired special forces soldier.

At first, some of the Mutants had looked down on the short man radiating a hardened, capable air. But they quickly abandoned that ridiculous notion—after one unlucky provocateur was brutally beaten by Blonsky in his Abomination form, these young people selected from among numerous Mutants realized that their gifted powers were simply not enough in the face of a veteran soldier with such extensive combat experience.

"Rookies, forget who you used to be. You are now Umbrella’s private legion, serving our shared boss, Mr. Sipes!" Blonsky swept his gaze over them, his overwhelming presence making everyone instinctively avert their eyes. "You young rookies think that having superpowers makes you far superior to ordinary people. Remember your last defeat forever! It was a disgrace! A scar branded onto your bodies!"

A week earlier, these newly recruited young Mutants had conducted a live combat exercise against General Ross’s Thunderbolts. Super Soldiers injected with Human Enhancement Serum, combined with sophisticated equipment and plentiful ammunition, had suppressed them from beginning to end and won with ease.

This had been Sean’s intention. He was not surprised by the crushing defeat in the slightest. Mutant abilities were certainly powerful, but without knowing how to coordinate, cooperate, and fight side by side, it was perfectly normal for them to be beaten so badly that they could not raise their heads against elite soldiers with rich tactical knowledge and extensive experience.

The young boss sitting behind the scenes wanted these Mutants to understand that their abilities were not enough to deal with everything. First, he would ruthlessly crush their arrogance and pride, then hand them over to Blonsky for strict training. In the end, he would obtain an invincible Mutant legion.

"The average annual salary of an ordinary soldier is around thirty thousand dollars, while an officer earns seventy thousand! You rookies! Trash! You’re collecting nearly double the pay, yet you can’t even beat a bunch of United States grunts!"

Blonsky roared. As a veteran who had spent the first half of his life struggling on battlefields and in the military, he was intimately familiar with the process of training recruits.

Within a collective, these young Mutants would soon forget their former identities. They would gradually be assimilated, like chunks of iron in a massive furnace enduring hammering and smelting until they became true soldiers, absolutely obedient to orders.

In the foreseeable future, these people would become Umbrella’s sword and shield abroad. Blonsky could not help sighing inwardly. What grand objective did that young boss truly possess? Judging by the power and influence Sean commanded, he was already an important figure at the very top of this country’s pyramid.

According to Blonsky’s observations, despite reaching such heights at such a young age, being hailed as a brilliant talent with a boundless future, and possessing power and wealth, Sean had never shown satisfaction or slackened in the slightest. It was as though something were desperately chasing him from behind, forcing him to keep sprinting forward, as if the road ahead had no end.

"Could the end of the world be coming?" Blonsky paused, then tossed the cold joke out of his mind.