Pietro followed closely behind his sister, a worried expression on his face, his gaze occasionally falling on Wanda's swollen belly.
Shiller calculated the time and realized that Wanda's due date was approaching. Why had she come at this time?
"Where's Erik?" Wanda asked.
"He's sleeping upstairs. Did Professor tell you as well? He really shouldn't have made you come over now. What help could you possibly be?" Polaris complained. "You're about to give birth, you should be resting in the hospital, not here."
"It wasn't him who told me." Wanda wasn't angered by her remarks. Since becoming pregnant, her temperament had become much gentler. She said, "Pietro let it slip. Could I really not come to have a look?"
"What exactly is going on with Doctor Schiller? How could Erik fall ill? We mutants aren't supposed to get sick."
"Psychological issues."
This answer rendered everyone speechless. Their formidable abilities meant they rarely fell ill due to environmental factors, but psychological issues were a different story.
"The disruption of the life routine he had been following for most of his life could lead to somatic reactions. Schiller is an expert in this area," she said. "Although Erik is far from autistic, he does show some signs of Asperger's Syndrome."
"The pathological principle is virtually the same as autism; the symptoms are milder, but the basis is the same. A sudden change in routine can reduce mental stability, and it could also lead to neurofunctional issues. Charles probably had this in mind when he asked you to come."
"Is it serious?" Polaris asked anxiously.
Wanda and Pietro both looked at Shiller, who was also somewhat surprised. He knew that Magneto had a very strained relationship with his children, almost to the point of enmity. But now it seemed it was not as severe; his two daughters and son were still very concerned about him.
"What about the Andromeda Galaxy with him sick?" Wanda said with concern. "The development has already stalled, and the first batch of mutants who went there are always protesting. I said from the start that this plan..."
"Keep your voice down. If word gets out, mutants on Earth will surely start to have problems too, and more importantly, the US Government will definitely start watching us."
"Professor X has sealed off any leaks. No one will know," Pietro said. "His reason for having us come probably includes this. In case someone finds out that Magneto is weak and tries to make a move, we can protect him."
"He can't have any trouble," Polaris shook her head. "He is the backbone of mutants now. If anything were to happen, it would be a complete disaster."
As they spoke, Shiller began to understand that their familial relationship was not extremely well-repaired; it was more that Magneto was getting older, and his three children were also no longer young. Over the years, most of them had established stable emotional lives and successful careers.
They realized that even if they were reluctant to admit it, they and their race were bound to a common interest with Magneto. He was their support and the mutants' support. Even if they only saw him as a group leader, they needed to be concerned about his condition.
Because if Magneto were to fall, the damage would be evident. The stable life they had just begun to enjoy might become turbulent again, and the hopeful days they were having could vanish.
And besides, although Magneto had been involved in all sorts of affairs in the past, he hadn't really built anything substantial. In the end, he was just an Earthly drifter and mercenary; nobody expected much from him.
But now, as the leader of the development of the Andromeda Galaxy, Magneto was the one who contributed the most. Regardless of whether Utopia could be built, the Andromeda Galaxy was an important fallback for mutants.
Without Magneto taking the lead in forging a new path for mutants, they would still be living in constant worry on Earth. So even though many disliked his character, they also had to acknowledge his significant contribution to the race's progress and independence.
The fact that Magneto's three children could now speak with him calmly was primarily because of this. After all, they hadn't made any notable contributions to mutants and were still essentially in the worker phase. So even when Magneto was harsh, they had to endure it.
However, Magneto wasn't an entirely evil person. He was just very irritable and had no EQ. With Professor X present, apart from being too silent, not giving face, and not engaging in conversations, he didn't have any particularly hateful qualities. Over the years, everyone had gotten used to it.
The members of the Mutant Brotherhood arrived swiftly. When Mystique entered, Shiller thought a villager had come – she had transformed into a typical Mexican woman, dark and plump, covered with a local's sun-shading scarf. However, she soon revealed her blue skin.
Following her, Rakshasa Woman also entered, then came Iceman and Wolverine. Worry was written on everyone's faces; Shiller almost thought that Magneto was at death's door.
"I've already said it's nothing serious. Professor X might have just read the brain waves and wasn't aware of what happened. He wasn't stimulated; it's just a somatic reaction caused by the sudden change in routine."
Shiller started to repeat himself relentlessly, trying to convince this group of mutants who were most prone to letting their emotions get the better of them.
When noise came from upstairs and they all wanted to rush up, Shiller could no longer restrain himself and shouted, "Clark, stop them all."
Superman's intervention was immediately effective. Even Wolverine, the most stubborn, was blocked at the bottom of the stairs, leaving only Shiller to go up.
Magneto had awakened, looking much better, the fever clearly receded. Before he could say anything, insistent Shiller said, "Your daughter and son have come. Upon hearing from Pietro that you were ill, Wanda left the hospital, pregnant as she is. Raven is here as well, and so are Bobby and Logan..."
The expression on Magneto's face froze, and after a while, he muttered softly, "This is why I wear the helmet. Charles likes to make a big deal out of nothing..."
"But you did have a bit of a problem," Shiller said. "Although I said earlier if you weren't suffering, there was no need for treatment, this somatic reaction has actually affected you."
Magneto wasn't as normal as he appeared; he furrowed his brow slightly and said, "I feel somewhat dizzy, and my judgment on magnetic fields isn't clear. What's going on?"
"Did you feel this way when you moved from Earth to the Andromeda Galaxy?"
"I caught a cold for a while," said Magneto. "But that was mainly because the magnetic field in the Andromeda Galaxy is different from Earth's, and it took me some time to adapt."
"It's the same now, but it's not a problem with the magnetic field. You've been fighting all along and have grown used to that way of life. Now that you've suddenly started construction, you need to use a whole new way of thinking, of course you're going to feel unaccustomed."
"I'm not that fragile."
"Of course, so you only have a fever."
Magneto was about to say something but stopped abruptly. After a long pause, he moved his lips and said, "What medicine should I take?"
"No, you don't need medicine. You need to rest for a bit and then make an effort to adapt to this dizziness because it might accompany you for a week to half a month."
Magneto looked at Shiller with surprise. Shiller said, "Sorry, you've told me I'm an Asperger's patient, haven't you? Our race is like this; don't worry too much, you'll recover soon."
Vance's expression twisted with conflict and hesitation. He said, "Charles is making too much of a fuss. Go tell the people downstairs I'm fine and to hurry on their way."
Just as he said this, extreme chaos erupted downstairs. It seemed someone was determined to rush up, but Clark was adamantly blocking them, the noise growing louder and the floor beginning to shake.
Shiller put on a look of shock and concern and said, "What are they doing?! There are pregnant women down there! I'll go check, you rest well..."
Shiller had already known that Magneto would be reluctant to come down. He was a man who never wanted to show weakness, who, even when deeply touched, would never respond to anyone's concern. Even if his body turned to ash, his words would still be tough.
So he made a point to have Clark make some noise to give Magneto an excuse to step down.
Indeed, before Shiller even reached the stairwell, a dark shadow flashed by his side, and a deep voice resounded downstairs.
"What is all this fuss about?! Silence!!"
The whole place went quiet.
When Magneto wasn't present, everyone's concern was clearly evident, but once he appeared, all their expressions became hesitant and complicated.
Compared to Batman's complete silence, Shiller found it harder to bear those who were half-hearted with their words. Couldn't someone take the lead and show some concern for Magneto's health?
After ten seconds of silence, it was the cheerful Rakshasa Woman who finally spoke up, "Um... the Professor asked us to come and see how you were doing, are you okay?"
Magneto didn't respond at all, not even a glance in her direction, his gaze fixed on Wanda's belly.
Just as his lips parted, Shiller knew no ivory would come from the dog's mouth; he didn't even need to hear it to know Magneto was surely about to say something like "You're not a child anymore, why so irresponsible, you're almost due and still running so far."
As the Scarlet Witch, Wanda had strong control over her own body, so unless she wanted to, she wouldn't suddenly go into labor—but after Magneto said that, it might not be so certain anymore.
Although Shiller understood that this was Magneto's way of expressing his concern, he obviously couldn't let Magneto speak like that, despite the difficulty of changing the topic, given that he had used this excuse to get Magneto to come down.
Before he could speak, Clark took the lead.
"What do you mean the Professor sent you to check on him? Weren't you just saying how worried you were about him? What does that have to do with anyone else?"
"Lorna, didn't you just say if he fell, the mutants would be doomed? And you, sir, with the large sideburns..."
"My name's Logan."
"Mr. Logan, didn't you say just now that if I didn't let you through, you'd give me a beating? You were so eager to see him; your relationship must be good, right?"
"Oh, Miss Wanda, long time no see. I forgot to say hello to you earlier. I know you're worried about your dad; otherwise, you wouldn't have come so far with such a big belly, but that's too dangerous. He must be really worried about you; you should go to him."
After finishing, he courteously helped Wanda through the crowd, clearing all the obstacles between her and Magneto.
Seeing Clark's crystal clear eyes, everyone unanimously cursed in their minds, "Damn those blue eyes!"