The "death" of Professor X did not make Magneto back down; instead, it only strengthened his resolve.
So far, this conflict has not escalated and remains confined to the Mutant Brotherhood and the forces behind the Worthing Laboratory. However, there has been a trend toward escalation. The conflict between the two sides is becoming increasingly heated, beginning to affect the general public.
As for the U.S. government, only a few politicians have been openly supporting the Worthing Laboratory. There have been no other substantial actions. But as riots and conflicts spread, the situation has worsened, and the U.S. government has begun applying increasing pressure on both sides.
Whether it is Magneto or the Worthing Laboratory, neither can afford to delay any longer. The final showdown is fast approaching!
Naturally, Ian would not miss this spectacle.
Before setting off, Ian specifically invited Raven. "The show is about to begin! Raven, would you like to come along and watch?"
"Thank you!" Raven did not refuse Ian's invitation.
After a period of rest and recovery, Raven's X ability had fully returned. She had no intention of leaving the Mutant Academy; in fact, she had grown increasingly supportive of the school and had begun studying its courses. Selina had played a significant role in this.
This time, there were many people involved. Ian used a large flying vehicle, flying directly near Devil's Island and activating the multi-layered cloaking system, hovering in midair.
The disc-shaped flying vehicle was spacious, with an internal space of several hundred square meters.
Once the vehicle stabilized, the central control desk sank into the floor, transforming into a five-meter radius sand table. Ian and his group sat around it.
"Samir! Leona! Mary! Are you all ready?" Ian asked.
Mary and the others immediately stood and replied, "Ready, boss!"
"Then let's begin!"
Upon receiving the command, Mary stepped forward, using her phasing ability to create projections of light and shadow on the sand table. The projection displayed the scene of the Mutant Brotherhood gathering in a forest.
Samir, using his shared vision, transmitted what he saw via a psychic link from Leona to Mary, who then projected it onto the sand table.
Through the coordination of three X abilities, it was much more discreet than surveillance equipment, and neither Magneto nor Jean noticed.
"There are quite a few of them!" Ian commented.
At a glance, there were at least a hundred people in the camp.
"The numbers were even higher before, but recently, many have left to take the antidote. The remaining ones all have certain combat abilities, and they are not exactly well-behaved!" Elsa explained.
When the projection first appeared, Raven's expression tightened. However, after a quick glance, she visibly relaxed.
Ian noticed her change in expression but said nothing. After all, the Mutant Brotherhood was something she and Erik had built together, so it was only natural for her to be concerned.
What was more surprising was that when Raven saw Magneto, she showed no hesitation, as if she had completely let go of the abandonment by Magneto.
Ian couldn't quite understand Raven's thoughts.
Was it because of understanding, that she could accept it?
There were many mutants in the camp, but they were all recent recruits by Magneto, none of them being core members of the Mutant Brotherhood.
The oldest member, Fireman John, had only been with Magneto for a little over a year, so he could only be considered a half-core member.
In other words, aside from Magneto himself, the other mutants here were nothing more than disposable cannon fodder.
It was clear that Magneto knew this as well. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, these people would not fare well, so he had not brought along any key members of the Brotherhood.
As for Magneto himself?
As the flagbearer, he had no choice but to show up!
He was confident that he could make a safe escape.
Mary reduced the projection by half, freeing up space on the sand table and projecting the scene on Devil's Island.
At this moment, in the mercenary camp on Devil's Island, five large helicopters had already started, with mercenaries loading special equipment onboard.
Almost simultaneously, Magneto was gathering the mutants in the camp, preparing for action.
At this time, the Shapeshifter played an important role, splitting off over a hundred clones to remain in the camp as decoys, covering Magneto and his group's departure.
By the time the mercenaries from the Worthing Laboratory arrived, Magneto and his group had already disappeared. They had worked so hard only to catch one of the clones.
Seeing that the Shapeshifter had been caught, Ian ordered, "Elsa, I want that Shapeshifter. Find a way to get him!"
Ian had already set aside a spot for the Shapeshifter in his lab. After all, this person wasn't a good guy, and Ian had no qualms about using him for experiments.
With Little Mischief now available, Ian could study the secrets of cloning abilities without needing the Shapeshifter's cooperation.
Just as the Shapeshifter was being captured, Magneto and his group arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge!
Magneto's iconic scene had arrived!
Watching the Golden Gate Bridge slowly rise from the ground, even the most well-traveled among them were left in shock.
"That's incredible! Is this Magneto?" Selina marveled.
"This is Magneto!" Raven, most familiar with Magneto's abilities, said.
Seeing the astonished reactions from the others, Ian suddenly felt a faint sense of discomfort—Magneto had stolen all the spotlight!
In fact, the people on the flying vehicle were all fine; they had witnessed many X abilities. For ordinary people, however, Magneto's act seemed nothing short of miraculous!
"With Magneto's abilities, getting to Devil's Island would be easy. Yet he chose the most difficult way, clearly as a demonstration!"
Magneto's intent wasn't hard to guess.
"Demonstration is understandable, but destroying the Golden Gate Bridge is bad for public relations. The economic loss will be immense, and the Brotherhood likely can't afford it!"
After the initial shock, Elsa began thinking about other things, especially the aftermath. If not handled properly, the entire mutant community could be affected.
"I'll take care of it. The spotlight can't just belong to Magneto!" Ian said grandly.
He personally didn't care about the reputation, but as a fellow mutant leader, he couldn't afford to let his power be seen as inferior to Magneto's!
After Magneto's grand entrance, the ensuing battle between his men and the mercenaries could only be described as amateurish.
Even when Storm arrived with the X-Men, the battle remained lackluster—poor usage of their powers made the fight quite messy.
"It's painful to watch!" Ian couldn't bear to look directly at it.
Considering that these were Professor X's students, it was somewhat understandable; after all, the Professor's teachings had focused only on control.
Noticing that Red Tank had charged into the laboratory, Ian instructed, "Door, Tigress, Selina, get ready to save them. I want Jimmy and Red Tank!"
Door's X ability was to open space portals, requiring some preparation, but she didn't need to have been to a location or see it—coordinates or markers were enough.
Tigress had animal-like X abilities, allowing her to partially transform into a beast, granting her strength and some tiger-like features—perfect for carrying Red Tank.
Selina had a strong persuasive ability that could make people trust her wholeheartedly. She could convince Jimmy to leave with her.
(End of chapter)