USA
New York Harbor
Statue of Liberty
Above the statue's torch, Magneto's device had already been activated, and pure white radiation spread like flowing water.
As the plan was about to succeed, Magneto's face showed no sign of triumph. Instead, a trace of pain flickered in his eyes.
Just a few hundred meters away, hidden within the clouds, an invisible disc-shaped aircraft hovered. The interior of the aircraft was luxuriously decorated, with a massive screen displaying the scene unfolding atop the Statue of Liberty.
"It's about time, Master Ian!"
(Also spelled as Iain)
Butler Anderson opened the cabin door and reminded Ian.
"Got it, Uncle Anderson!" Ian put down his wine glass and stepped out of the open cabin door.
Exiting the aircraft, Ian locked onto the Statue of Liberty's location and instantly accelerated, flying directly in front of Magneto.
Magneto was undoubtedly a formidable figure. Faced with Ian's sudden appearance, he showed no panic and instead calmly asked, "Who are you?"
"Ian Carnegie!" Ian replied.
As he answered, he gently waved his hand, and the rapidly spinning device disintegrated into its most basic atoms.
The radiant glow disappeared instantly.
Magneto's expression changed dramatically, fury surging within him. Unfortunately, Ian was too fast—Magneto had no time to stop him.
"You…"
After planning for so long and coming so close to success, only to have Ian ruin everything at the last moment—Magneto was livid!
In that instant, Magneto made up his mind. Even if Ian was a mutant, he absolutely could not let him go!
Ian was wearing a black combat suit that night, equipped with plenty of metallic gear, especially his fully metal belt and boots.
To Magneto, wasn't this just a gift-wrapped target?
However, when he attempted to take action, he discovered that his powers couldn't manipulate the magnetic fields of Ian's metallic equipment.
This unexpected turn made Magneto quickly regain his composure. "You're a mutant too, aren't you? Why stop me?"
"I'm only here for Anna[Rogue]—she's very important to us!" Ian answered.
As he spoke, Ian walked over and picked up the collapsed Rogue from the ground.
"Besides, even if I hadn't stopped you, your plan would never have succeeded!" Ian added.
The moment Ian finished speaking, Sabretooth was suddenly sent flying out of the Statue of Liberty.
Magneto immediately understood what this meant—the X-Men had broken free, and there was no one left to stop them.
"Magneto, you should check on Senator Kelly's fate. I believe the Professor will have an answer that satisfies you!" Ian reminded Magneto before leaving.
Ian said this because he didn't want Magneto to blame his failure entirely on him—he had no intention of making an enemy out of Magneto.
Magneto was a true idealist. He genuinely regarded every mutant as a brother or sister, and this charismatic leadership had earned him a large number of like-minded followers.
As a mutant, Ian didn't agree with Magneto's ideology, but he had to acknowledge the man's charisma.
At the same time, Magneto was a true overlord—his power and methods were formidable.
Becoming an enemy of such a figure would be troublesome, and Ian hated trouble the most!
Watching Ian fly away, Magneto ignored the approaching X-Men.
Instead, he first located the severely injured Mystique and swiftly led the Brotherhood in retreat.
After Magneto's departure, the X-Men also quickly withdrew.
All that remained was the battered Statue of Liberty, standing as proof of the fierce battle that had taken place there.
…
Just as Ian returned to the aircraft, Rogue slowly regained consciousness.
Since Ian had saved her right after the device activated, Rogue hadn't lost much vitality. Other than being physically weak, she was unharmed.
"Who are you?" Rogue asked weakly.
"You can call me Ian," Ian said gently, stroking her forehead to comfort her.
"You saved me?" Rogue asked again.
"That's right." Ian nodded.
As they spoke, Rogue noticed that Ian wasn't wearing gloves. Her expression changed instantly, and she struggled to move away from Ian's touch.
Ian understood that Rogue was afraid of hurting him, but he continued to petting her head, confidently reassuring her:
"Don't worry, you won't harm me!"
Ian, of course, knew about Rogue's abilities.
Before coming to take her away, they had analyzed her powers and confirmed that she couldn't harm him. He had further confirmed this when he touched her forehead earlier.
Ian had indeed felt Rogue's absorbing force, but the brilliant rune in his mental sea only stirred slightly before dissolving the energy effortlessly.
"Really?" Rogue was still skeptical.
"Of course!" Ian encouraged her.
Rogue, who had always been tormented by her own abilities, longed for physical closeness with others.
She gently rubbed against Ian's hand and, realizing that he was truly unaffected, broke into a blissful smile!
Enjoying this moment of intimate contact, Rogue forgot all her worries and, with a satisfied expression, drifted into a deep sleep.
Ian's aircraft was incredibly fast. By the time they reached Cumberland Island, it was still early morning, and Rogue had yet to wake up.
Ian had to abandon his previous plans and instead carried her directly to her bedroom.
"Should I call Nina, Master Ian?" Butler Anderson asked.
"No need, I'll handle it myself," Ian replied. "Uncle Anderson, go get some rest. Tell the others not to wait up—everything else can wait until tomorrow."
"Understood, Master!" Anderson didn't ask further questions.
In Ian's heart, he didn't see Anderson as just a butler, but Anderson never forgot his role.
Ian could do nothing about it—he wasn't used to it, but he had no choice but to accept it.
As someone who grew up in a normal environment, Ian wasn't accustomed to this decadent aristocratic lifestyle.
Even after more than a 10 years in this world, he still hadn't fully adjusted.
That's right—Ian was a transmigrator. He had crossed into the renowned Carnegie family, becoming a twelve-year-old child and the next heir of the Carnegie lineage.
At first, Ian thought the Carnegie family had declined.
But after some time, he realized that while the family name wasn't as well-known anymore, their assets and influence were still among the most powerful in the United States.
A simple example:
As the descendants of the former Steel King, the Carnegie family no longer held shares in any publicly traded steel companies. However, at least half of the world's steel-related enterprises still had to pay them patent fees.
In short—one word: wealth!
If this were a normal world, Ian's life would be an easy "heaven mode" start.
Unfortunately, Ian soon discovered the existence of mutants. Then he met a young Tony Stark.
That's when Ian panicked.
The Marvel Universe was a place full of disasters. Even if it were just the cinematic universe, Ian still felt no sense of security!
Thankfully, not only had Ian awakened the X-gene, but as a transmigrator, he also had a standard cheat ability— a learning system that let him improve just by studying.
Wealth, superpowers, and a cheat system—as a "three-have" youth, Ian decided to keep a low profile!
"For survival, let's study quietly!"
[Please add the novel to your library, and add your free power stone]
(End of Chapter)