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"An aircraft too?"
George stared at the X-Jet in front of him, completely stunned.
He hadn't expected the X-Jet to still be in the school's basement; he had thought it had been taken away by Wolverine and Professor X during their escape.
Wolverine, having shed his suit and shirt in favor of his favorite jacket and smoking a cigar, explained to George:
"It's a pity I can't fly a plane; otherwise, the escape with the professor wouldn't have been so chaotic."
Back then, when Professor X's mind went out of control and killed all the mutants at the school, Wolverine drove the professor straight to the hospital. Although the professor's condition stabilized afterward, they were soon being hunted by a large number of FBI agents.
If he had been able to fly a plane, he could have escaped the U.S. with the professor and sought treatment in another country, avoiding the government's pursuit.
"Well, it's good to have it; it will come in handy in the future," George remarked.
At that moment, George remembered that Wolverine not only couldn't fly but also had a fear of heights and suffered from motion sickness.
In the movies, the X-Jet was usually piloted by Beast, Mystique, Storm, Cyclops, or Phoenix.
But it wasn't all bad news. Although this X-Jet was over twenty years old, its modifications by Beast, the high-IQ scientist, made it comparable to the latest Quinjet models used by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Not only was it fast, but it also featured stealth technology to evade satellite detection.
In the future, if any of them learned to pilot, they could use the X-Jet to evacuate everyone quickly in times of danger.
For example, during the Chitauri invasion of New York, they had been unable to mount an effective defense.
"By the way, for scouting information in the city, you can use this motorcycle. It was Scott's favorite, and after special modifications, it's three times faster than the fastest motorcycle in the world."
After touring the X-Jet, Wolverine led George to a seemingly ordinary motorcycle in the basement.
Wolverine, Professor X, and Caliban were too conspicuous to frequently appear in the city; otherwise, they would inevitably be discovered by the government. They could only assist at critical moments.
Thus, George would need to complete the mission of gathering information on Tony Stark at the Stark Group in Manhattan on his own.
"It seems Scott had good taste," George said, testing the motorcycle and showing a satisfied expression.
Since everything had gone smoothly and the mutant academy was better than he had expected, George no longer planned to approach Tony Stark too soon and risk exposure to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra.
Thus, there was no need to go to Manhattan to gather intelligence or kidnap Obadiah to interrogate Tony Stark's location in the Middle East.
However, he still needed to use this motorcycle to scout the Bronx for information on local gangs and shady businessmen.
He planned to make a big move in the Bronx before Tony Stark made his escape.
His current plan was to spend the first three months diligently studying magic.
After three months, he intended to sweep through all the wealthy and influential gangs in the Bronx, amassing a large sum of money. He would then buy Stark Group stocks while they were at their lowest, and sell them once the stock price rose with Tony Stark's return.
When Tony Stark announced the closure of Stark Industries' weapons division and stopped selling weapons, he would again buy stocks heavily. This strategy would grant him substantial wealth, ensuring he and the school's students wouldn't have to worry about money.
Of course, this kind of operation could only be done once. Repeatedly targeting gangs would surely attract the attention of the underground world's rulers and other forces.
When walking by the river, one is bound to get wet. The more often this happens, the more likely it is that he and the mutant school could be exposed.
But if he carried out only one operation, did it well, and then vanished without showing his face again, it would be nearly impossible for even Sherlock Holmes to find him in the camera-sparse Bronx.
Therefore, this operation had to be significant, with thorough reconnaissance and intelligence gathering beforehand.
"Wolverine looked at the motorcycle, lost in thought. 'He had good taste, especially when it came to women. I used to really dislike that guy, but now I kind of miss him,' he muttered."
George immediately understood. He knew both Cyclops and Wolverine had feelings for Jean Grey, but in the end, she chose Cyclops.
"By the way, using these facilities in the basement will require electricity. Won't that draw the government's attention? Maybe we should buy some generators instead. The power output won't be as strong, but it would be much safer," George suggested.
It had been twenty-five years, and the government had probably long forgotten about this castle, much less monitored its power consumption. Still, George felt it was better to be cautious. After all, finding such a perfect hideout was rare, and exposing it would mean they'd have to relocate.
Once he mastered the Muggle-Repelling Charm, they wouldn't need to be so careful anymore, and even reopening the school wouldn't attract government attention.
"You don't need to worry about that," Wolverine waved his hand dismissively. "The power for the two levels of the basement was specially modified after a certain incident. Beast installed a unique power system that's separate from the one above ground. He also upgraded the defenses, so even with everything running at full capacity, no one will detect it."
"That's a relief," George replied.
A certain incident? Was it Apocalypse's invasion or William Stryker's assault on the school? George didn't ask for details, as it didn't matter much. What was important was knowing this place was secure enough for him to study magic in peace.
"I'll be out gathering information for a while. In the meantime, it might be helpful if you and the professor could teach these kids how to better control their powers for combat," George suggested to Wolverine.
Since the basement's Danger Room was operational, it could be used to train the students in using their abilities.
Unlike the crude and violent training they'd face in experimental facilities, real experts like Professor X and Wolverine would be able to help them tap into their true potential.
George wasn't expecting the kids to become combat-ready in a short time, but at the very least, they needed to be able to defend themselves and not become liabilities in battle.
He was certain Alkali Genetics wouldn't let them go so easily. It was only a matter of time before they tracked them down.
And when that time came, they might not only face Wolverine's clone, but also replicas of Professor X, Magneto, Cyclops, and others.
Of course, George believed those clones would never be as strong as the originals.
Many mutants, aside from those with special types of abilities, needed years of development and understanding to fully unlock their powers.
Take Magneto, for example. He wasn't nearly as powerful when he first appeared, but with Professor X's guidance, he became one of the most formidable mutants.
The clones created by Zander Rice were essentially on the intellectual level of children, controlled remotely. There was no way they could fully develop their abilities.
In the movie, even Major William Stryker's experiment, using Wade as a base and combining the abilities of several mutants, resulted in failure. Wolverine and Sabretooth ended up decapitating him with ease.
The truth is, unless they were freed from mental control, clones could never surpass their originals—they would remain disposable foot soldiers.
Still, even dealing with a large number of disposable foot soldiers could become a headache.
(End of Chapter)