"If you really can't stop worrying about it, then let's both pay it a visit."
"What?!" Rocket Raccoon looked at Laira in shock and said, "Please, you just tried to poison someone, do you really want to walk right into a trap?"
"I said it wasn't poisoning," Laira shook her head and said, "Do you think I took on the job without getting the lowdown on the Andromeda Galaxy? Or do you think I wouldn't recognize Professor X?"
Rocket Raccoon paused, he certainly didn't think Laira would be reckless. In fact, the reason she, a mere otter, had done so well for herself in the cosmos was her caution and careful preparation before taking any action.
If that were the case, she must have known about the mutant in the Andromeda Galaxy who could read minds, which meant that if things were as she said, she wouldn't be afraid of being discovered by the mutant because they could just read her mind to see she was not lying.
And she certainly knew that Professor X was not the kind to wrongly kill a thousand to catch one. He was relatively mild-mannered, not prone to kill the innocent, even if they were aliens, as long as they had some value.
Perhaps Laira intentionally remained in the Andromeda Galaxy. After all, with her abilities, even if she had to enter the core area of the Andromeda Galaxy to poison it, she would have managed to escape. Why would she need to fake her death on some planet and wait to be rescued? She would be found sooner or later.
"I would have been discovered there, and then they would have known the secrets in my head," Laira said. "But now that you've brought me to Earth, the plan has been interrupted. I have to go back."
"I don't understand what you get out of this, the Supreme Evolution isn't going to pay you extra for this, are they?"
"Of course not. In fact, I did it to avoid revealing information about my employer," Laira finally revealed her true purpose. "It's one thing for me to tell you voluntarily, but it's another if a mutant captures me and reads my mind, and unfortunately leaks the information."
"But what's the point of..." Rocket Raccoon began, but then he got it. Of course, it made sense for Laira to do this.
She had said before that she wanted to destroy the political achievements of the enemies that had ruined the Half-World Insane Asylum, and now, all the results of the Life Fusion Project were in the hands of the Shi'ar Empire.
She couldn't possibly take on such a huge empire by herself, so of course, she would have to think of another way, and the best method would obviously be to use someone else's hand to do the dirty work.
Once the mutants knew about the plan, they wouldn't let it go easily; their destructive power was much greater than that of a little otter like Laira.
"When I took on this job, I informed the Supreme Evolution that the mutants are not to be trifled with, and among them might be the strongest mind reader in the universe. I wasn't sure I could get away unscathed, which means he is well aware of what might happen if I'm captured," Laira continued.
"I get it now, so he really didn't mean to poison the mutants," Rocket Raccoon nodded.
"That's right," Laira said. "He's not afraid of the mutants coming after him because he has a clear conscience. That virus is not lethal to mutants. A simple lab test in one of the Three Great Empires would show that the virus has undergone specialized modifications to produce antibodies, not poison."
"So what's his real purpose for creating this thing? I doubt it's to owe the mutants a favor."
"That might be part of the reason, but on the other hand..."
Laira dragged out the sentence, and Rocket Raccoon grew anxious, scratching his ears. But then Laira suddenly looked to the other side and said, "Professor, how long do you plan to listen?"
After a moment of silence, a gentle voice sounded in Rocket's ear, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation intentionally, but I need to talk to Miss Laira, if that's okay?"
Rocket Raccoon's fur stood on end.
Professor X!!!
That was the deterrent of the strongest mind reader in the universe; you never knew when and in what way he would invade your mind without you noticing, without any defense.
"Don't worry, little guy, my children and the Guardians of the Galaxy members are good friends. Polaris has always wanted to visit you guys, but she's been too busy with work to make it. I mean you no harm; we've already discovered the truth about the virus."
After the initial shock, Rocket Raccoon gradually calmed down. He had dealt with such people before, and the Guardians of the Galaxy had taken on jobs within the Andromeda Galaxy, knowing that mutants were not all fuse-ready bombs.
He thought about what Reed had said, about having results that night, and with Professor X's mind reading, he must have known then. Judging by his demeanor, what Laira said was most likely true.
But what was the real reason for the Supreme Evolution doing this?
Laira stood up and said, "It's not convenient to talk here. Let's head to the Andromeda Galaxy. Can you open a teleportation portal for us?"
"Gladly, lady."
Seconds later, a pitch-black wormhole appeared behind them, startling Rocket Raccoon again.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't any ordinary teleportation portal; it was a damn black hole!
Who in their right mind uses a black hole as a portal?
Magneto could.
But clearly the miniature black hole was under control, otherwise, they wouldn't dare open it on Earth. It might not be their homeland, but it certainly was the mutants' homeland, and no one would want to blow up their own home.
"Let's go," Laira said. "I heard you've been hanging out with someone called Star Lord; I'd like to meet them, too..."
Rocket Raccoon's tail hairs stiffened immediately; if Star Lord were here now, he would surely see that the little raccoon was embarrassed.
As they passed through the wormhole, Rocket Raccoon and Laira entered a spacious and bright office where a bald older man in a wheelchair watched them with a smile.
Thankfully, the one who opened the wormhole wasn't present. Rocket Raccoon breathed a sigh of relief. In the cosmos, no one didn't know Magneto was not to be crossed.
"Good morning, lady, and sir."
Rocket Raccoon shivered and said, "Don't be so polite, I'd rather you call me 'little bastard' just like your daughter does..."
Professor X's eyebrows knitted slightly, and he spoke apologetically, "Polaris can be a bit short-tempered sometimes, don't take it personally. And she isn't my daughter; she's Erik's."
"Alright, enough with the pleasantries, let's get to the point." Rocket Raccoon also had a bunch of questions on his mind and said, "You must have seen what's in Lylla's mind, what do you think?"
"I wish I had a chance to explain. I don't casually look into others' minds," Professor X remained gentle.
"Well, please take a look now," Lylla interjected. "This story is too long, and I really don't want to go through it again."
"Whether it's true or not, looking at it now, but anyway." Professor X paused and then said, "I see, I did not expect such a history, I regret what you and your friends have been through."
"There's no need." Lylla waived her hand and said, "What are your thoughts on that Life Fusion Project?"
"We will try to investigate it," Professor X answered. "However, the situation in the Andromeda Galaxy is quite troubling to us at the moment, I think we need to resolve that first."
"Let's not beat around the bush, then. You handle the Life Fusion Project, and I'll tell you how to find Supreme Evolution."
"Lady, I'm afraid we may not need your help to..."
"If you could have found Supreme Evolution without me, you would have done so already," Lylla said. "Though he's also from Earth, he's obviously not on the same level of existence as you anymore, not so easy to find. Right now, I might be the only one who knows how to find him."
Professor X stopped to reflect.
"Actually, we might not need to find him," Professor X said. "According to our investigation, the virus he released hasn't done much harm. Aside from causing some chaos, there haven't been any casualties. We could choose to let it go."
"You might, but some people can't, right?" Lylla said.
Professor X was silent again. Soon, he smiled and said, "It seems you know a lot about mutants, lady. I indeed have a friend with a quick temper, but I am curious, if you betray Supreme Evolution, leading to a confrontation with Magneto, how do you plan to protect yourself?"
"That's none of your concern," Lylla shook her head and said. "I'm not one to force a deal on anyone. Maybe you can stall for time and see if you can find him on your own. If not, come to me."
Professor X thought for a while before saying, "Every decision I make influences the future of mutants, so I have to be cautious. I hope you can understand that, lady."
"I can, Professor. We still have the freedom to think and act, which proves you are truly a good person."
Lylla's tone had been rather direct from the start, but her last statement sounded genuinely heartfelt.
Professor X smiled and said, "The scenery on Capital Star is quite nice. You two can go have a look around. Once we have news, we will inform you immediately."
Lylla didn't say much and walked out pulling Rocket Raccoon along. As they reached the door, she suddenly turned back and said, "You better be quick, you don't have much time left."
Watching the two small animals disappear, Professor X slowly furrowed his brow. A dagger vibrated in mid-air, and Professor X turned towards it saying, "Alright, Erik, the otter skin isn't that soft, and I don't need a new scarf."
Magneto's dark figure appeared in the room while Professor X continued, "I believe you understand the terms of the deal. Lady Otter wants us to put an end to the Life Fusion Project, and she will lead us to Supreme Evolution to figure out what this is all about, especially the imminent disaster she mentioned."
"But what she doesn't know is, even without Supreme Evolution's involvement, we'd still need to find out what the Life Fusion Project is all about, since, after all, it's in the hands of the Shi'ar Empire nobles. The Queen has tolerated them for a long time."
"Will you agree to her terms?" Magneto asked.
Professor X pondered for a moment and said, "Shiller called the other day about this. He had an agenda, I think I should ask his advice... What time is it now in America?"
"Middle of the night."
"This can't wait, I'll visit him in his dreams."
Professor X slowly closed his eyes. Magneto didn't disturb him, simply twirling the exquisite dagger in mid-air.
Suddenly, Professor X's eyes snapped open, and in them, Magneto saw a look of shock.
"What is it?" he asked.
Professor X muttered to himself.
"No, it's nothing... It seems they've run into big trouble."
"Big trouble? What kind of trouble?"
"I'm not sure, but I saw Goddess of Glory, Iron Demon God, and Scarlet Witch, along with several mysterious and powerful Spider-Men, all fighting a common foe."
Professor X sharply looked up at Magneto and said.
"More importantly, Shiller is on the battlefield too!"
Magneto's expression immediately turned grave.