"I should have noticed sooner that Hogan was replaced," Black Widow reported to her superiors, reflecting on the situation. She had suspected it, though it was only for a brief moment, but she hadn't confirmed or ruled out her suspicion.
"This is not your fault. I suspect the reactor was stolen by a mutant," Director Fury said.
"Are you saying Mystique?" Black Widow immediately thought of the mutant who could transform into anyone.
"I'm just speculating. I'll send someone to investigate," Fury responded.
"Understood. This concludes my report. The Arc Reactor is still missing."
Fury nodded. "Keep observing Stark. I need to know if he can handle the responsibility of protecting the world."
"Yes!"
After the call ended, Director Fury furrowed his brow. Hawkeye was guarding the Tesseract, Phil Coulson was in New Mexico waiting for Thor's girlfriend to return, Captain America was on a mission out of town, and Black Widow was watching over Tony. The only one left with free time was Spider-Man.
He immediately contacted Spider-Man, telling him to find Professor X and track down Mystique to confirm if she had stolen the reactor. Spider-Man was thrilled. Having a mission meant he was being taken seriously, and as a sixteen-year-old high schooler, he craved recognition. He confidently promised to get to the bottom of it, and if it was Mystique, he would bring back the reactor.
"The promotional effect is great. At least there haven't been any petitions or calls to boycott the movie. Everything is going smoothly," Liu A'dou thought to himself. He was already seeing a large sum of money coming his way. His revenue-sharing agreement with Professor X was 40-60, with Liu A'dou getting 40% and the professor getting 60%.
Liu A'dou had only contributed three months of time and some borrowed ideas. "Before the Christmas release, we have to push the promotion even harder, especially during the last half-month."
Before he realized it, another year had passed. Liu A'dou couldn't help but admit one of his past mistakes: he thought he could grow older. It was a delusion. In reality, after his time travel, his body remained stuck at the age of seventeen. His strength had grown, and his cellular density had changed, but his physiological age hadn't. Even though he had transferred some of his life force to Ada, it remained the same.
Forever seventeen, he thought, was enough. Thankfully, before his age was fixed in time, he had trained properly. At least now he was 1.78 meters tall, or else he would have felt embarrassed marrying Ada.
Today, he went to the X-Mansion to watch the director's cut of Frozen, which had passed the review. Of course, the editing work had been done by a professional director, and Liu A'dou hadn't been involved at all—he wasn't really a filmmaker, just a producer. He was curious to see how the mutants and students would react to it.
"Liu, your imagination is truly astonishing," Professor X said. Though he hadn't been part of the filming, his students had returned and told him many anecdotes from the shoot.
"It's nothing special. When people first hear about mutants, they often think of illegal activities or destruction. We should change that perception. For example, with your telepathy, Professor, you could assist the police in solving crimes, using your powers for good. And Cyclops, he could work on projects that require demolition," Liu A'dou explained.
The professor nodded, considering the idea. "That's true. Mutants need to show their talents and distance themselves from destruction and fighting."
The old professor still had good insights.
Knock, knock.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the glass window. Liu A'dou turned to see Spider-Man in his tight suit, hanging upside down outside the window, knocking on the glass.
"Spider-Man, come in!" Professor X said.
Spider-Man climbed in through the window. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"No, not at all. What's going on?"
Although Spider-Man's expression was hidden, he glanced at Liu A'dou, clearly sensing that Liu A'dou had something he didn't want to say.
Professor X understood. "Mr. Liu, why don't you go ahead and arrange for the movie screening? I'll be back shortly."
"Alright." However, without either of them noticing, Liu A'dou tossed a button-sized listening device. He was curious about what Spider-Man and Professor X would discuss.
After the door closed, Spider-Man explained his purpose. "Iron Man has lost something very important, and we suspect it was stolen by Mystique."
When Liu A'dou heard this, he thought to himself, isn't this just about me? Mystique? The one who stole Iron Man's Arc Reactor was none other than Kaitou Kid. Of course, Liu A'dou wasn't going to tell anyone, because stealing the reactor would stir up public outrage. After all, the Arc Reactor was a strategic weapon, and only two people could create it. Even the U.S. government couldn't make one. If another country got their hands on it, the U.S. would be in serious trouble. Liu A'dou wasn't ready to make an enemy out of the entire U.S. government.
After listening to Spider-Man, Professor X said, "I'll help you find Mystique, but I don't think she would steal Iron Man's property. With Magneto's abilities, Iron Man wouldn't be a match for him."
Liu A'dou thought: The professor's wrong here. Once Iron Man upgrades his suit, he'll be able to defeat Magneto.
"Hurry up, the kids can't wait," Cyclops said seriously, not showing any kindness toward Liu A'dou. Liu A'dou knew that Cyclops, being the core of the current X-Men, had to maintain a calm and collected demeanor as the team leader.
"I'm coming!" Since Spider-Man and the professor were off to search for Mystique, Liu A'dou took the opportunity to set up the movie screening. "Lights off!"
Storm turned off the lights, leaving only the glow of the projector.
Everyone sat down. It was the first time they were watching the movie they had filmed, and they were all a little excited.
The room fell silent, with only the sound of the movie filling the space.
It was clear that the director had not only edited the film but also added post-production. Although Liu A'dou had wanted the X-Men movie to be as true to the mutants as possible, sound effects and special effects were still necessary. So, the opening scenes were warm and inviting.
The kids watched intently, while the adults thought it was just another fairy tale. Even though they already knew the plot, the opening still amazed them.
But as the plot unfolded, everyone's hearts resonated with Elsa, the princess in the film. They were all mutants, and they too had to hide their abilities carefully, avoiding the strange looks from others. So, when Elsa refused her sister Anna, the mutants understood her emotions even more deeply. Shared experiences always bring people closer together, and in just a few minutes, the film had already captured the hearts of the mutants.
Liu A'dou thought to himself, the practical filming really paid off—the grandeur of the palace, the magnificence of the snow-capped mountains, and the deep blue of the sea were all beautifully showcased. The king's personal guards as extras were also excellent, bringing so much depth to the scenes. The cameo by the king and queen, Elsa's parents, was fantastic, almost entirely in their natural roles. It was clear that the film's effect far exceeded expectations.
The movie was bound to be a huge success. Just looking at Elsa's stunning beauty alone was worth the ticket price. Add in the fact that a mutant was starring, along with the beautiful scenery, and Liu A'dou could already see the money flowing into his account.
What was even more important was that Liu A'dou was gaining respect among the mutants, and that was something he truly needed. Right now, his goal was to make as many friends as possible, gather information, and prepare for future heists.