“New York Morning News brings you a quick report.
Last night, the Flushing district was struck by a meteorite from the sky, completely destroying the former landmark known as the Unisphere….”
Citizens across America stared at the television footage in surprise.
Meteorites falling from the sky weren’t exactly a common sight these days.
Usually, they burned up completely before ever reaching the ground, disappearing in a brief flash.
But one that smashed directly into the ground and left behind a crater more than twenty meters in diameter, nearly destroying an entire street in the process?
That was something else entirely.
No wonder the people of New York had felt their beds shake in the middle of the night.
So that’s what had happened.
The only question was…
Had anyone died?
Many people couldn’t help but feel concerned.
Nobody wanted to see a tragedy occur during peacetime.
The news anchor on the television continued speaking with a gentle smile.
“According to reports, because the meteorite incident occurred late at night, there were fortunately no fatalities.
At present, only one Chinese-American teenager was injured and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.”
That was certainly a blessing in disguise.
The citizens of New York breathed a sigh of relief.
Another beautiful day had begun, and everyone could go about their usual business.
Meanwhile, at New York University Medical Center.
Inside the intensive care unit of one of the world’s top hospitals, Wade lay on a hospital bed with a completely bewildered expression.
“What happened to me?”
Soft lighting illuminated the room.
The walls had been painted in soothing colors designed to keep patients comfortable and relaxed.
“A hospital?”
Wade frowned slightly.
Apart from the bed beneath him, the room was practically empty.
His entire body was wrapped in bandages.
His neck and ankles had even been secured with splints, and waves of pain continued to radiate through his body.
Emmmmmm.
He felt like some kind of particularly stupid mummy.
The memories of last night rapidly replayed in his mind.
“I think…
I got hit by a meteorite?”
“I believe that’s correct, Mr.
Silent.”
Wade: QAQ
Silent?
If his Chinese name were interpreted as meaning “quiet,” then perhaps Silent wasn’t completely unreasonable.
A deep, mellow voice suddenly sounded directly inside Wade’s head.
“Who?”
Wade really didn’t like this feeling.
At that moment, the door to the hospital room opened with a faint click, and a figure appeared in the doorway.
The moment Wade saw the man’s appearance, his eyes widened.
He remained silent for several seconds before finally managing to squeeze out a few words.
“B-Bald…
head?”
“I feel that particular form of address is somewhat impolite.”
The man sitting in the wheelchair reached up and rubbed his completely bald head.
“Of course, if you’re interested in the story behind my baldness, I’m afraid we’d have to go back many years.
Would you like to hear it?”
The bald, middle-aged white man had a remarkably kind appearance.
Although he was confined to a wheelchair, he was dressed in a well-tailored suit, his clothes immaculate and refined.
But the most striking feature was his pair of deep blue eyes.
They were like the ocean beneath the sunlight—calm and profound, yet possessing an almost magical ability to see straight through a person’s heart.
There was no mistaking him.
As one of the two most famous bald men in the Marvel Universe—Nick Fury: ???—Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X, was practically a household name.
“Sorry, but I think we can skip that story.”
Charles’s extraordinary telepathic abilities were practically the nightmare of anyone without mental resistance.
If he weren’t a man devoted to peace, the entire world would probably have tried to find a way to eliminate him.
However, with Wade’s neck suspended in bandages and his body barely able to move, he appeared remarkably calm.
Charles smiled.
“Alright.
I think we’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk in the future.”
Talk.
Why did that word sound so strange coming from you?
Please don’t start talking to me inside my head.
Wade silently thought to himself.
“First, let me introduce myself.
My name is Charles.”
“Wade.”
Charles looked at Wade and spoke slowly.
“You don’t seem particularly surprised to see me.”
“It’s nothing.
There are too many unexpected things in life.”
Wade shook his head before tentatively asking,
“But I do have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why am I here?
With my circumstances, there’s no way I could afford to stay in a hospital this clean.”
Don’t assume America was some kind of paradise.
All those benefits and welfare programs weren’t necessarily available to everyone.
Even a middle-class family could see their quality of life drastically reduced by the medical expenses from a serious illness.
“Oh, I brought you here.”
Charles said,
“I’ve already paid all your medical expenses.
This hospital will take care of you until you’ve fully recovered, so you don’t need to worry about the cost of treatment.”
Wade fell silent.
About half a minute later, he finally spoke.
“Thank you very much.
But…
why?”
A faint light flashed through Charles’s eyes as he spoke softly.
“Have you ever heard of mutants?”
Wade’s expression froze.
After several seconds, he nodded.
“I know.
Biologically speaking, they’re people whose genes have mutated, resulting in traits that ordinary humans don’t possess.”
Charles nodded.
“Very good.
You’re quite intelligent.”
He continued,
“As you said, mutants often possess abilities that ordinary humans don’t.
These traits themselves have no fixed nature, but they can potentially spiral out of control.”
“And my life’s work is to help young mutants learn to control their abilities.”
“For example…
you, Mr.
Silent.”
“Me?”
Although Wade had already guessed why Charles had come to see him, hearing him say it aloud still felt bizarre.
Wade struggled to speak.
“I’d like to believe you, but…
that sounds a little absurd.”
Charles spoke calmly.
“Do you think what happened last night was merely an accident?”
“W-Wasn’t it?”
Just thinking about what happened last night made Wade feel ridiculous.
He had merely made a casual gesture toward the sky.
Who could have known that an actual meteorite would come crashing down?
But Charles’s expression became extremely serious.
“Mr.
Silent, I can accurately sense the presence of mutants and identify their abilities.”
“The truth is, last night’s meteorite impact wasn’t an accident.”
Wade: “???”
Charles continued,
“Last night, did you do anything strange while looking up at the sky?”
Wade stared blankly at him.
Did making a wish toward the sky count as strange?
“No.
I just made a wish and asked the sky to send me a—”
Every hair on Charles’s body stood on end.
An inexplicable force of causality suddenly seemed to envelop the entire hospital.
Without the slightest hesitation, Charles used his telepathic powers.
Wade suddenly discovered that he couldn’t speak.
Charles’s eyes widened.
“Mr.
Silent, please don’t casually have thoughts like that!”
“Something terrible could happen!”