“Storm, could you hand me the clothes over there?” Ethan, who was tidying up the room, called out without turning his head.
“If you called me older sister, I’d be more willing to help you,” Storm muttered, pouting.
“I’m not even married yet, and this brat is calling me ‘auntie.’ He’s asking for a beating.” “Let’s not, I remember you and Uncle Scott were pretending to be adoptive parents at first.” “You really aren’t a very likable little fellow,” Storm sighed, but still began to help Ethan pack his things.
Because Ethan’s last request was simply too difficult to refuse, everything had to proceed according to regulations.
And whether it was handling the procedures for leaving the orphanage or printing an academy admission letter, it all took time (heaven knows how long it had been since the academy had issued an admission letter).
In any case, these matters wasted a full two days.
Professor X couldn’t stay there indefinitely, but he obviously didn’t feel comfortable leaving Ethan alone at the orphanage.
So, the long-suffering Storm was arranged by the Professor to guard him near the orphanage for two days.
Now, Storm just wanted to complete her mission, bring this kid back to the academy, and couldn’t be bothered with anything else.
“Morpheus, are your things almost packed?” Ms.
Emma walked in, her face beaming, and handed the paperwork and admission letter to Ethan.
She was truly happy for Ethan.
“You must be Ororo, the teacher from Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters,” Ms.
Emma said, gripping Storm’s hand tightly.
“I’ve seen the admission letter.
Thank you for your Pay attention to of Morpheus.” She looked as if she were meeting Storm for the first time, and in fact, for Ms.
Emma, it was indeed the first time she had met Storm, because her previous memories had been modified by the Professor.
“Ms.
Emma, you’re too kind,” Storm said with a smile, looking very much like an admissions officer.
“We value Ethan simply because he is truly talented.
We need excellent students like him.” “Tuition is completely waived, room and board are included, and there’s even an annual scholarship.
I can’t believe you found such a good school,” Katie said, staring at the admission letter.
She had entered the room at some point.
“How about it?
Envious, jealous, hateful, right?” Ethan said, showing off.
“A little, yes,” Katie didn’t deny it.
She casually helped out as if nothing was wrong, then leaned closer to Ethan and said in a voice only he could hear, “That must be an X-Men School, right?” “You’re joking,” Ethan’s expression froze, his eyes staring at Katie in disbelief.
“Don’t deny it.
You know I don’t usually jump to conclusions without reason,” Katie continued nonchalantly, not waiting for Ethan to deny it.
“How did you know?” Ethan was puzzled, but he didn’t want Storm or Ms.
Emma to notice, so he leaned in and whispered the question.
“Don’t forget, I’m a hacker,” Katie said, pushing her long brown hair behind her ear and giving Ethan a confident smile.
“So you hacked Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters’s website?” Ethan looked at Katie in disbelief.
“I tried several times, but I didn’t succeed,” Katie shook her head.
“That website looks full of loopholes, just like a normal website, and it’s easy to break into.
But if you try to use it to infiltrate the academy’s core database and find some key data, you’ll find that everything is deeply encrypted.
And through my online research, I only know that this academy’s rhetoric is very pro-Mutant, and it has very close ties with several publicly known Mutants.” “Based on this information, it’s not enough to conclude that this is an X-Men School,” Ethan said, shaking his head.
“Plus, you’re a Mutant.
Isn’t that enough?” Ethan fell silent, and his gaze towards Katie became complicated.
“How did you know?” “You’ve been acting all mysterious these past few days, so I accessed the orphanage’s surveillance cameras and took a look.
There just happened to be a camera in that corner where you were practicing your abilities,” Katie explained, not becoming distant because of Ethan’s identity as a Mutant.
“That’s impossible.
I know about that camera, but wasn’t it broken a long time ago?” Ethan wasn’t stupid; how could he not notice even that?
“It was just repaired a while ago, during the time you were sick.” Ethan: “…” I have a certain expletive that I don’t know whether to utter or not.
“Don’t worry, that footage has already been deleted by me, and it definitely won’t leak out.
As for the only backup, it’s here.” Katie said, taking out a USB drive, and then, under Ethan’s gaze, slipped it into his luggage.
“I think these recordings of you exploring your abilities should be of some help to you.” “Thank you!” Ethan’s lips moved, and in the end, he only managed to utter this dry sentence.
“You’re welcome.
We’re friends,” Katie said with a smile.
“Ethan, the car we called has arrived.
Are your bags packed?” Storm’s voice came at this moment.
“They’re packed,” Morpheus said, then began to pick up his luggage.
Katie also helped by picking up a piece of luggage.
Amidst Ms.
Emma’s continuous admonitions, the four walked to the orphanage entrance.
“I’m leaving, my dear Ms.
Emma.” Ethan gave Ms.
Emma, the orphanage Dean who had taken such good care of him, a sincere hug.
“Good luck, my good child,” Ms.
Emma kissed Ethan’s forehead and said reluctantly.
After a long while, Ethan finally released Ms.
Emma and looked at Katie.
“Here,” Katie handed the luggage to Ethan.
“Will you come back to see me?” Katie asked, her bright eyes fixed on Ethan.
“If I have time, I will.” Katie’s face immediately fell.
This was clearly not the answer she wanted to hear.
“Those people used to say the same thing.” “Those people, huh?” Ethan murmured.
He naturally knew who Katie was referring to.
Katie was a somewhat reclusive girl, but she wasn’t without friends.
Seven years ago, when she first entered the orphanage, she did make a few friends who were roughly her age.
But as time passed, most of these children were adopted, leaving the orphanage to start new lives, and then they were like stones sinking into the sea, never heard from again.
And now, it was Ethan’s turn.
“Don’t worry, I keep my word,” Ethan said with a smile.
“Then I’ll be waiting,” Katie said, her lips curving into a smile as she watched Ethan get into the car.
She turned and walked into the orphanage with her hands behind her back.
And the car started at that moment.
…
After more than an hour’s drive, the surrounding high-rise buildings were noticeably fewer.
Professor X’s academy was clearly built outside the Fifth Ring Road of New York.
An old European-style building covered in ivy appeared in Ethan’s line of sight.
It looked somewhat like a church, and its Gothic architectural style was very distinct.
The academy looked very large, but there weren’t many people inside, giving it a desolate feeling.
Storm helped Ethan with some of his luggage, then took him to a bedroom before leaving on her own.
It seemed the X-Men School’s check-in process was quite simple.
Ethan was very satisfied as he surveyed the room.
Although the floor and furniture were made of wood, unlike the rustic exterior of the academy, these furnishings were brand new, and the bed was a Simmons.
The room was indeed as Professor X had said: it had air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and was very spacious.
The only slight drawback was probably the two identical large beds next to his.
Damn it, why hadn’t he thought to ask Professor X for a single room before?
It seemed his cultivation was still insufficient; he had already fallen just by hearing about air conditioning and Wi-Fi.
Creak!
As Ethan was sighing, the door suddenly opened, and two teenagers walked in.
They looked to be around sixteen or seventeen years old.
One had a buzz cut and gave off a calm and reserved impression, while the other had yellow hair, and his expressions and movements clearly showed his flamboyant personality.
“We have a new roommate,” the buzz-cut guy said, clearly stunneding for a moment as he looked at Ethan.
The quicker-reacting yellow-haired guy had already enthusiastically approached Ethan.
“Newbie, nice to meet you.
My name is John, codename Pyro.” As the yellow-haired guy spoke, he suddenly pulled a lighter from his pocket.
With a gesture of his other hand, the lighter’s flame was drawn to his hand, transforming into a Fireball.
After demonstrating all this, the yellow-haired guy provocatively glanced at the buzz-cut guy behind him and casually threw the Fireball at him.
The buzz-cut guy frowned at this, but his movements were not at all slow.
He raised his hand, and a White mist of ice suddenly surged from it.
Before the Fireball could touch him, it had already been frozen into an ice ball.
Holding the ice ball, the buzz-cut guy looked at Ethan.
“Hello, my name is Bobby.
As you can see, my ability is ice.
You can also call me Iceman.”