Afterward, Jean Grey led Wade through the estate, walking along one of the paths that wound through the grounds.
Charles’s Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters had been built by expanding and renovating the Xavier family’s estate into a prestigious academy.
The school’s purpose was the same as Charles’s own goal: to help mutants.
The mutant population was actually in a rather awkward position.
Their existence was caused by mutations in the X-gene, which meant mutants could appear in perfectly ordinary families.
When met with misunderstanding and rejection, it wasn’t uncommon for mutants to lose control of their abilities and turn against the world.
They possessed overwhelming power, yet they were also a vulnerable minority.
That was precisely why the mutant community had formed.
Jean asked softly,
“Mr.
Silent, what do you think of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters?”
A vein twitched on Wade’s forehead.
Please, don’t call me that anymore.
After holding it in for several seconds, he replied,
“The environment is pretty good.”
“It’s not just the environment.
The teachers here are excellent too.”
Jean clearly loved this place.
She had a deep emotional attachment to the school.
“You should actually stay here.
The teachers can help you learn to control your powers.”
Her gaze stretched into the distance, as though she were carrying some complicated thoughts of her own.
Control?
Wade wasn’t entirely convinced by that idea.
It was true that the school had helped many mutants, allowing them to grow rapidly.
But when it came to mutants with truly overwhelming powers, there wasn’t always a perfect solution.
Take Jean herself, for example.
Her immense Phoenix Force had been forcibly sealed away.
Even Charles and the other teachers didn’t know how to properly guide such tremendous power, so they chose to suppress it instead.
And that ultimately contributed to the birth of another personality—the Dark Phoenix.
In the end, learning to control one’s own abilities depended primarily on oneself.
The guidance and assistance of others would always have its limits.
Of course, Wade wasn’t about to say any of that.
Instead, he grinned at Jean.
“Are you hoping I’ll stay here and then, once I grow up, something wonderful might happen between us?”
Jean’s expression stiffened.
Then she became slightly annoyed.
“Wade, what exactly is going on inside that head of yours?”
She decided to teach him a little lesson.
Her enormous psychic power transformed into an invisible prison, intending to give Wade a taste of what it felt like to be restrained.
But when that mental force landed on Wade, all it caused was a faint tingling sensation.
It wasn’t because Wade’s physique had suddenly undergone some qualitative transformation.
Rather, Jean’s psychic power wasn’t sharp enough to directly penetrate him.
It could only create pressure.
And that pressure instead stimulated the potential already hidden within Wade’s body.
“What are you doing?”
Jean’s expression changed slightly in surprise.
She increased the pressure.
The psychic force now pressing down on Wade reached a full three tons, evenly distributed across every inch of his body.
Wade’s entire body sank slightly.
His bare feet were driven deep into the soil beneath him by the tremendous psychic pressure.
And yet…
His body remained completely unharmed.
Jean bit her lip.
She refused to believe it.
She switched to telepathic control, only to discover that Wade’s mind seemed to be protected by some mysterious force.
She couldn’t penetrate his consciousness at all.
And her psychic pressure was completely ineffective against him.
“How strong is this little guy?”
Most of Jean’s power was sealed away, so there was nothing she could do.
In the end, she could only speak coldly.
“Fine.
Keep moving.”
This time, Jean quickened her pace considerably, seemingly trying to leave Wade behind.
But Wade followed at his own leisurely pace, completely unaffected.
After avoiding several students around the school, Jean opened a hidden door.
The two quickly arrived at the academy’s underground core laboratory.
The thick security door reminded Wade of the kind of extreme security system found in a high-level bank vault.
Jean’s expression remained cold as she went through every security procedure.
Iris scan.
Fingerprint.
Password.
Not a single step was skipped.
The massive door, marked with something resembling an X-shaped security seal, slowly opened, revealing a long corridor beyond it.
Jean gave Wade a subtle signal, telling him to hurry up.
She continued leading the way.
The only sound echoing through the corridor was the crisp tapping of her high heels against the metal floor.
Eventually, they stopped in front of another door.
A light beside it was illuminated, indicating that someone was already inside.
Jean pressed the switch beside the door.
A woman’s voice came from within.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Jean seemed to know the woman inside quite well.
The moment the woman heard her voice, the door opened.
A white-haired woman with an alluring brown complexion and delicate features stepped out.
She wore a tight black leather suit that accentuated her figure.
It was Ororo.
She looked at Wade with her beautiful eyes.
“Hmm?
Isn’t this the boy Professor went to see at the hospital this morning?”
“Did he agree to join our school?”
“You’re thinking too much.”
A strange smile appeared on Jean’s face.
“The Professor snatched him away from S.H.I.E.L.D., so for now, you could say he’s a refugee.”
“Pfft—”
Ororo’s eyes widened, and she almost burst out laughing.
“Are kids this strong these days?”
“(⊙o⊙)?”
Wade protested,
“The word ‘kid’ is pretty far from describing me, okay?”
And what did she mean by refugee?
Did he really look that miserable?
Jean turned toward Wade.
“Stop fooling around.
Come inside.
This is Ororo.”
Ororo was clearly much more welcoming than Jean.
She extended her hand with a smile.
“Hello.”
“Hello.
I’m Wade.”
Ororo gently shook his hand.
Jean asked,
“What are you doing here?”
“I was just about to run a test on my own abilities.”
“That can wait for a little while.”
Jean spoke softly.
“Could you help me prepare some equipment?
The Professor asked me to test this guy’s physical parameters.”
As she spoke, Jean picked up a white doctor’s coat from the side and went over to adjust the equipment.
With the red women’s suit underneath, her entire appearance exuded an indescribable charm, giving her a somewhat striking medical-uniform look.
Wade’s eyes drifted for a moment.
Ororo lightly tapped him on the head.
“Wade, right?”
“Y-Yeah.
Wade.”
Wade rubbed his head where she’d hit him.
“W-What?”
Ororo glared at him.
“You’re pretty young, but your eyes certainly aren’t very well-behaved.
Be careful, or I’ll beat you up.”
What am I supposed to do?
Wade felt completely wronged.
“Beautiful things naturally attract people’s attention.”
Ororo rolled her eyes.
“Now hurry up and lie down on that bed.”
“Okay.”
Wade quietly obeyed.
Since his shirt had been completely destroyed during his encounter with Riot, he didn’t even need to bother taking it off.