New York, Xavier Manor
All the X-Men stood in front of the X-Enhancement Room.
Even Raven had left the White House to return to Xavier Manor.
An X-scanning beam projected from the center of the door to the X-Enhancement Room, shining in front of Professor X's eyes.
"Verification passed. Welcome, Professor X."
The metal door of the X-Enhancement Room opened with a low hum.
Professor X took a deep breath before stepping in first. Brian and the others followed closely behind him.
Once at the control console of the brainwave enhancer, Professor X turned back to look at Brian.
Brian nodded with an encouraging smile, raising the video recorder in his hand.
Professor X offered a bitter smile, then composed himself, standing tall and dignified before facing the camera directly.
"Hello, people of the world.
I am Professor X, the leader of the X-Men.
At this critical moment for humanity, at the brink of life and death, as a leader, I must stand up.
I will use all my strength to save the world and resolve this nuclear explosion crisis.
Justice will prevail. The X-Men will prevail."
Professor X's tone was righteous and firm, his expression gentle yet determined—just like the wise and resolute Professor X of the future.
His voice was full of unwavering belief.
At that moment, Professor X's eyes reflected confidence, as if he was the one destined to save the world.
Click.
"Good work, Charles." Brian turned off the camera.
Professor X immediately relaxed his expression, glancing at Brian with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.
"Brian, why are you so keen on the superhero image?"
After a brief pause, Professor X voiced his lingering doubts.
"Because this is a world where heroes matter," Brian replied casually with a shrug.
X-Men: "???"
Everyone looked at Brian, perplexed, clearly not understanding what he meant by "a world where heroes matter."
Brian smiled faintly and continued, his tone shifting to sincerity.
"Well, I just want to make sure that Mutants are no longer treated like vermin, forced to hide in the shadows.
I want to prove through action that Mutants can also be heroes.
That they can openly use their abilities, earn respect, and bask in the admiration of humanity.
I want to send a message to all the Mutants suffering in silence: they too can live openly in the light, as heroes celebrated in applause and praised by humanity."
Brian's words carried deep conviction and struck a chord with the X-Men, stirring a sense of purpose and shared determination among them.
As X-Men, they had experienced the life of superheroes firsthand.
That's why they understood that what Brian said was true.
As superheroes, they enjoyed the applause and admiration of humans.
They were no longer seen as just Mutants—they were celebrated as superheroes, idols, and symbols of hope for humanity.
"Let Mutants live in the sunlight, embraced by applause and praise?"
Professor X was deeply moved by Brian's words.
Initially, he had only wanted to use his ability to protect Mutants in the name of justice.
But Brian was thinking even bigger—redefining the entire Mutant community as superheroes.
Professor X gave Brian a smile filled with admiration.
Brian accepted Professor X's expression calmly, without revealing the complexity of his own thoughts.
He definitely wasn't motivated by such noble dreams alone after all.
In truth, Brian's enthusiasm for the superhero image was part of his preparation for launching the Vought Company.
By establishing the superhero label now, Brian ensured that when the Vought Company introduced their superhero program in the future, they would be warmly received by humans instead of being met with skepticism or disgust.
Moreover, this branding would naturally attract countless Mutants to join Vought Company voluntarily, forming Brian's backup Ability library.
"Okay, there are still 7 hours before the nuclear explosion. We have to hurry up," Professor X said as he raised his hand to glance at the Rolex on his left wrist.
He walked to the control console and gently picked up the helmet of the brainwave enhancement machine.
Brian handed the camera to Raven.
Raven began filming the entire process.
This was first-hand footage of saving the world—a golden opportunity for the X-Men to ascend to the status of saviors.
To become true superhero icons!
Brian had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by.
Moreover, having Raven film the moment ensured her involvement wouldn't be exposed publicly.
"I'm going to start," Professor X said, his expression serious, as he lifted the brainwave amplification helmet and slowly placed it on his head.
Buzz.
With Professor X's action, the brainwave enhancement machine activated instantly.
The lights in the entire X-enhancement room dimmed suddenly.
Professor X's mind moved, and dense mental projections appeared in the X-enhancement room.
As Professor X's mental consciousness connected with humans across the globe, countless noisy voices rang in everyone's ears.
"God, please save humanity."
"Pete Griffin, why are you naked in a bed with another woman?"
"The world is about to end; I must do what I want to do."
"I'm gonna marry my sister! We're gonna die after all."
"The lunatic Sabastian Shaw wants to destroy all mankind."
"M-Mom.. sob will we all die? I don't wanna die.. sob"
For a moment, prayers, curses, and sounds of mental collapse swept in like a tsunami.
The voices of billions of people around the world, mixed with their thoughts, flooded Professor X's mind.
Professor X frowned instantly.
This was the first time he had so intensely connected with the consciousness of the entire world's population.
The overwhelming noise filled his brain like a tsunami, causing him a splitting headache.
Meanwhile, humans around the world, unintentionally affected by Professor X's mental focus, began to feel dizzy and experienced severe headaches.
Ding ding ding!
In the X-enhancement room, the brainwave enhancement machine issued a series of red alarms.
Obviously, the mental alarm mechanism set by Hank was activated.
If Professor X continued to project his mental consciousness to all of humanity, the entire human race might die instantly—without The Black King's nuclear explosion.
"Uh ah..."
Professor X could no longer endure the overwhelming impact of the collective voices on his consciousness.
He roughly removed the helmet from his head.
The brainwave enhancement machine was quickly turned off, and the lights in the X-enhancement room came back on.
Professor X gasped heavily.
"No, I can't do it. Haah. Haah.."
"B-Brian, I can't do it. I can't save the world," Professor X said, grabbing his hair with both hands in frustration.
At that moment, he was deeply affected by the despair and fear emanating from the collective consciousness of humanity.
Looking at Professor X trembling uncontrollably, the X-Men members exchanged worried glances.
Brian then stepped forward, placing his right hand gently on Professor X's shoulder.
Activating his Persuasion Ability, Brian's voice became calm yet deeply convincing.
"Charles, calm down. Don't let the collective emotions of humanity overwhelm you."
Following Brian's soothing words, Professor X, who had been trapped in despair and fear, gradually began to calm down.
"You are right, Brian, I should not be affected by the collective emotions of mankind."
Professor X nodded in agreement.
He used his mental power to erase all the fear and despair clouding his mind.
Then, he placed the helmet on his head once more.
Boom.
The voices of the collective human consciousness around the world once again surged like a tsunami, crashing into Professor X's brain.
Professor X's expression contorted in pain.
"Charles, relax. Relax. Just focus on what you need to do."
Brian stood beside him, his voice low and steady.
Under the influence of Brian's Persuasion Ability, Professor X began to relax. The pained expression on his face gradually softened.
Now calmer, Professor X could still sense the panic and despair radiating from humanity, but he managed to block these emotions from invading his consciousness.
As Professor X's mental power adapted to filtering out the overwhelming noise of billions of minds, the chaos in his head began to subside.
The once deafening spiritual voices became more coherent, and the turmoil eased.
Professor X slowly closed his eyes.
As a Level 4 Mind Mutant, he had always wielded immense spiritual power.
But now, under the combined pressure of the global human consciousness and Brian's guidance, his mental strength began to grow significantly.
A faint smile of confidence began to spread across Professor X's face.
_________
Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: LiveLifeLove