Revealing the Truth

Senator Kelly was somewhat annoyed by Wang Bert’s mockery. Just as he was about to speak, he caught sight of a large man entering the hall out of the corner of his eye. He immediately abandoned Wang Bert and went over with a broad smile. "Senator Cabo, I’ve been waiting for you."

Yuriko turned to glance at the senator and whispered to Wang Bert, "Senator Cabo is a senator from Montana. He’s extremely influential and hates mutants to the bone. He even proposed in the state legislature that all mutants be arrested and thrown into prison."

"I know about him."

Wang Bert looked at Senator Cabo, who was embracing Senator Kelly, and smiled. At that moment, Senator Cabo released Senator Kelly and said to Wang Bert with a look of disgust, "Disgusting mutant, why are you here?"

Wang Bert asked, "I heard your son disappeared more than ten years ago?"

"What did you say?"

Senator Cabo flew into a rage. This was the deepest pain in his heart, and also why he hated mutants so much—he believed his son’s disappearance was connected to mutants.

"Senator Cabo, Mr. Wang, today’s topic is debate. Let’s go inside and talk."

Senator Kelly hurriedly stopped Senator Cabo. At the same time, he shot Wang Bert a contemptuous look. Just like the rumors said, this young mutant tycoon was impulsive and brainless.

"I won’t let you damned mutants off."

Senator Cabo glared hatefully at Wang Bert before leaving with Senator Kelly. Wang Bert snorted and entered the venue with Yuriko.

In the shadows, a silver-haired old man in a long coat nodded in satisfaction. This impulsive young man was well suited for their Mutant Brotherhood. Once the debate was over, he could make contact with him.

"Starting companies can’t save mutants. To save mutants, humanity must be defeated."

The old man sneered inwardly. He was none other than Erik, the leader of the Mutant Brotherhood.

The Mutant Brotherhood was a massive organization made up of mutants, with branches all over the world. This was completely different from the movies.

In the movies, Magneto had only a handful of pathetic subordinates. In this world, however, the Mutant Brotherhood was enormous, with several Alpha-Level Mutants—just like in the comics.

Magneto then headed toward the glass corridor overhead, preparing to listen to the debate.

Besides Magneto, Professor X and Jean Grey had also come. In fact, Jean would soon be taking the stage to give a speech and debate.

Wang Bert and Yuriko took seats in the front row. Senator Cabo’s seat was not far from theirs. When he saw them sit down, he snorted in disgust, as if the air had been polluted.

Wang Bert acted as though Senator Cabo did not exist and chatted cheerfully with Yuriko. Senator Cabo ground his teeth in anger. Sure enough, all mutants should be locked in prison.

"Our little friend is here too."

Professor X smiled. He was quite surprised by what Wang Bert had done recently. The other man’s talent for business far exceeded his expectations. Unfortunately, mutants starting companies was a political matter. No matter how talented he was in business, he could not succeed.

"One failure is nothing. Failure is the mother of success."

Professor X said this. If Wang Bert had been nearby, he would definitely have asked, "Professor, then why have you never succeeded?"

At that moment, Professor X sensed something unusual from his student. He turned to Jean and said gently, "Jean, don’t be nervous. You’ve rehearsed many times. Nothing will go wrong."

"Professor, I’m not nervous. It’s just… can we really stop the bill from passing? The current situation is extremely unfavorable to us. If this bill passes, mutants will suffer even more."

Jean smiled bitterly. Just as Bert Wang had said, the situation for mutants was getting worse and worse.

Professor X smiled. "Don’t lose faith in humanity. Humans are full of kindness. Even when they occasionally make mistakes, they will soon correct them."

Jean fell silent. She was not a child. She did not believe such naive words.

Professor X said nothing more and merely patted Jean’s hand. This kind-hearted old man always saw the best in people.

Before long, the debate officially began. It was worth mentioning that the debate was broadcast live across all of America, since the public cared greatly about the matter.

"Humanity is facing another stage of evolution. Mutants generally awaken during adolescence due to emotional fluctuations…"

Jean stepped onto the stage and began her speech under everyone’s gaze—a dry, tedious speech.

Wang Bert shook his head. Jean did not know how to give a speech at all. She was simply delivering an academic report, but academic reports could not resonate with people.

Senator Kelly wore a smile. His opponent was a complete amateur. This time, victory was assured. He rudely called out, "Miss Grey, thank you for your educational report, but you seem to have strayed from the topic of this meeting."

After a pause, Senator Kelly continued, "There is only one topic for this debate: are mutants dangerous?"

Jean frowned. "Senator Kelly, that isn’t an appropriate question. Some people are also dangerous when driving."

Senator Kelly said, "That’s why we need driver’s licenses."

"Yes, but there is no license for living."

Jean said, "Senator, mutants cannot reveal their identities, or they will face hostility and even violence. To prevent mutants from being harmed, I propose abolishing mutant registration."

As Jean spoke, Henry, Mystique’s transformed assistant, handed Senator Kelly a document. Senator Kelly was overjoyed. Holding the file, he stood and shouted, "I have here a list of mutants within America. Let’s see what abilities they possess.

"Oh, a little girl can walk through walls. That means she can easily sneak into banks, the White House, or our homes.

"By the way, that reminds me of the more than fifty million dollars in cash that vanished from a bank out of thin air over half a month ago.

"Furthermore, according to this information, some mutants can control other people’s minds. In other words, mutants can deprive us of our freedom at any time and even turn us into slaves.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have the right to know whether our children’s teachers and classmates are mutants. Only then can we protect them."

Clap clap clap…

Led by Senator Cabo, everyone broke into loud applause. Jean helplessly removed her glasses. She knew she had lost.

Senator Kelly continued shouting at the audience, "Mutants are real, and they are right beside us. We must know who they are, study them thoroughly, and understand their abilities. Only then can we be safe."

Senator Kelly was answered by thunderous applause. The audience had been completely won over by him.

In fact, not only were the people at the venue applauding, countless viewers in front of their televisions were applauding as well.

Yuriko looked at Wang Bert coldly. "He reminds me of Stryker. He deserves to die."

Wang Bert smiled. "If nothing unexpected happens, he won’t live much longer."

"Humanity has never changed."

Magneto snorted coldly and prepared to leave. At that moment, Senator Kelly suddenly said, "We happen to have a mutant here. Let’s hear what he thinks.

"Mr. Wang, what is your opinion of the Mutant Registration Act?"

Everyone turned to look at Wang Bert. Magneto also stopped in his tracks. He wanted to know what Wang Bert would do. Would he rush up and beat Senator Kelly? Facing the disgusted gazes of the crowd, Wang Bert stood and asked, "Senator Kelly, you previously told me that the Mutant Registration Act was meant to protect public safety, correct?"

Senator Kelly said as if it were obvious, "Of course. Everything is for the public."

Wang Bert smiled and asked again, "Do you know William Stryker?"

Senator Kelly did not understand why Wang Bert was asking, but he still answered, "I do. He is the head of the government’s mutant department. He has always fought evil mutants and protected the public."

"Interesting."

Wang Bert laughed, took out his phone, and tapped it. The screen behind Senator Kelly changed to a photograph of Stryker. "This is William Stryker, correct?"

Senator Kelly frowned slightly. "It is indeed Colonel Stryker. Mr. Wang, what are you trying to do? Hacking electronic equipment is illegal."

"You’ll know what I’m trying to do soon enough."

Wang Bert tapped his phone again, and the screen began playing a recording.

Stryker sat blankly in a chair. Then a voice rang out, "Stryker, how many mutants have you killed? Tell us in detail."

"That voice… the president’s voice? How is that possible?"

Senator Kelly was so shocked that he forgot to stop Wang Bert. At the same time, Stryker in the video slowly said, "I have killed many mutants. Some were killed directly, while others died during experiments…"

"Experiments?"

The audience was stunned. Reporters rushed forward and snapped photographs frantically. A headline had arrived.

"This isn’t real! Bert Wang, what are you trying to do?"

Senator Kelly came to his senses. He shouted as he walked over, intending to pull the Power Supply. Magneto flicked a finger, and the microphone cable beneath Senator Kelly’s feet rose into the air, tripping him to the ground so hard that his teeth nearly fell out.

"I have killed several hundred mutants in total. They had committed no crimes, but their very existence was a crime because they were mutants. I would use their bodies to create the most powerful War Machine."

Stryker continued, "As long as they are mutants, I will capture them for experiments. Even mutant children are no exception…"

"How can this be?"

Many audience members covered their mouths in disbelief. That military colonel had actually used innocent mutants for experiments? He had not even spared children? In most countries, children were the bottom line. Crimes against children were unforgivable.

The audience was enraged and shouted, "Devil!"

Not only were the people at the venue cursing, many viewers before their televisions were doing the same. What Stryker had done had completely crossed the boundaries of humanity.

"Stryker."

Even Professor X could not help clenching his fists. He had actually known that Stryker experimented on mutants. Silver Fox’s younger sister, the White Queen, and Cyclops had both been rescued from Stryker by him.

However, Professor X had not expected Stryker to be so utterly deranged that he would not even spare mutant children—why had Professor X not dealt with Stryker? Naturally, because of the so-called bigger picture.

"All humans deserve to die."

Magneto’s eyes brimmed with killing intent. He had destroyed many mutant research facilities like this one. He knew very well that humanity had never intended to coexist with mutants.

If mutants were to live with dignity, humanity had to be completely defeated and turned entirely into slaves.

At that moment, the "president’s" voice sounded again. "Stryker, have you deliberately incited the public to hate mutants?"

Stryker said, "Of course. The more the public hates mutants, the easier it is for us to deal with them. Not only do we often frame mutants, we also use the media to stir up hatred toward them. Those foolish ordinary people know nothing and stupidly become our tools."

"We were deceived and used?"

The audience was initially stunned, then erupted in fury. Some hot-tempered viewers even hurled their remotes at their televisions, only to stare regretfully at the smoking screens—they still wanted to keep watching the live broadcast.

"It’s over. Completely over."

Senator Kelly was overwhelmed by despair. With something this serious happening, not even the president could save him. In fact, the president could barely save himself.

"Senator Kelly, is this how you protect the public? Deceive them, use them, then capture mutants for experiments?"

Wang Bert sneered. "Do you want mutants to register so you can send them into laboratories one by one?"

"I… I didn’t."

Senator Kelly denied it with a pale face, but no one believed him. Even Senator Cabo frowned deeply. Though he hated mutants, experimenting on children was far too much. Even he had only wanted to lock up all mutants.

Seeing Senator Kelly rendered speechless, Jean felt immensely satisfied. You were so arrogant earlier, weren’t you? "Senator Cabo."

Wang Bert ignored Senator Kelly. A document appeared out of thin air in his hand, and he asked Senator Cabo, "More than ten years ago, you saw a mutant child using superpowers to play basketball on a basketball court. You were furious, so you called the police and demanded that they arrest the mutant child, correct?"

Senator Cabo said coldly, "So what if I did? I don’t think I was wrong. Stryker was the one at fault."

Wang Bert asked again, "Afterward, your son disappeared. You believed it was connected to mutants, so you came to hate mutants to the bone, correct?"

Senator Cabo shouted, "My son’s disappearance must have been connected to mutants. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found nothing at all."

"You were wrong. Stryker did this."

Wang Bert said, "Because of your call to the police, he sent people to capture that child. Your son happened to be playing basketball with that child, so they took both children away."

Senator Cabo’s face went white. He rose to his feet and roared, "That’s impossible."

Wang Bert threw the file at Senator Cabo and said coldly, "After that, your son was used as a test subject for transplant experiments and died on the operating table."

"No, that’s impossible. That’s impossible."

Senator Cabo caught the documents and opened them with trembling hands. The first page left him completely stunned—it contained a photograph of his son’s corpse, which was not even intact.

"No, no…"

The documents slipped weakly from Senator Cabo’s hands. He dropped to his knees with a thud and wailed on the floor, his face covered in tears, regret, and despair.

It turned out that he had killed his own son. It turned out that his son had died so horribly.

Both the audience at the venue and those watching before their televisions fell into deathly silence. Their hearts were filled with sorrow, sympathy, and boundless fury.