Returning to New York, everyone was in low spirits, but at least the outcome was satisfactory. Nightcrawler entered the academy, while the Death Goddess, due to severe poisoning, had a difficult time regaining consciousness and was taken over by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Director Nick was very pleased with Ada Wong's performance this time. A good agent should stick to the right course of action. It was just like Nick himself—although his superior had disagreed with the "Superhero Squad" plan, he had still gone ahead with it. Even though Acting Director Maria didn't approve of Ada, she had still acted with Nick's style.
Nick had been discharged from the hospital, and Phil Coulson's injuries had stabilized. S.H.I.E.L.D. had restored order, and Ada went back to work.
After returning home, Liu A'dou rented a few buses, and together with Wolverine and Cyclops, they took the children and injured back to the X Academy. After the plane had left, the Craftsman cleaned up the bodies, tidied the academy, and made repairs to restore its peace. As a craftsman, his job was to manufacture, maintain, and repair machines.
So, when the students returned to the school, they could continue living there in peace.
The school became lively again, and the Craftsman knew that his proud creation, the X-Jet, had been wrecked by Liu A'dou. But there was nothing to be done; surviving under a ground-to-air missile attack was already a miracle.
"Liu, we really owe you this time," said Professor X, aware that without Liu A'dou and his wife's daring help, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. It was rare for an ordinary person to risk their life to help mutants. Liu A'dou had been making films for money in the past, but his actions had really changed ordinary people's views of mutants. Now, Liu A'dou's actions had truly earned the professor's trust.
Before, the media's reports on mutants had always been biased, and neutral reporting was considered a blessing. But today, the media's coverage of mutants had undergone a radical change. The media was now starting to report on the unjust treatment of mutants and their views of the world. This was a change that Professor X couldn't even imagine, but it had been achieved by Liu A'dou's film. So, even though he didn't make billions of dollars, the professor had to thank Liu A'dou.
This time, Liu A'dou had thrown himself into the fight, shoulder to shoulder with the X-Men: "Liu, I really don't know how to thank you. How about I help you make another movie?"
Liu A'dou thought to himself, "This old man is enjoying himself." "Professor, there will be opportunities in the future, but not right now. Although Stryker is dead, there are still many people who treat mutants as outcasts and believe that the X-Gene is a disease. They may not be as extreme as Stryker, but they will still do whatever it takes to eradicate the X-Gene."
The professor nodded. "I know this. I understand that humans fear our abilities."
"Jealousy and fear of the unknown are human nature," Liu A'dou said. "But seriously, Professor, have you ever thought about how your abilities could help in everyday life, other than just in combat?"
The professor was momentarily stunned and then gave a wry smile. "Most abilities are useless in everyday life. Some abilities even change the mutant's appearance, which just causes inconveniences in their work. Human daily tasks are designed around the needs of ordinary people, so mutants' abilities are not needed."
Liu A'dou thought to himself that the professor had seen through it. Most mutants' abilities were destructive in nature, and in daily life, these dangerous abilities were not needed. That was why many mutants were reluctant to return to human society; they believed their inherent abilities were something they should use freely, just like breathing.
There were many issues, and so many differences between mutants and ordinary people still needed to be solved.
Professor X hadn't had such a deep conversation about the future of mutants in a long time, because there had been no one to discuss it with. He used to have these discussions with Magneto and Mystique, but unfortunately, both had left him. Liu A'dou was young but had a unique perspective, almost like an elderly, wise person. Of course, Liu A'dou was actually in his late fifties, having crossed over when he was in his early twenties, growing to seventeen, and then living nearly twenty years as a master thief. Time had carved lines into his face, giving him the look of someone much older.
The professor felt that Liu A'dou was mature and composed, with extraordinary insight, which made perfect sense.
As they were talking, a shadow suddenly appeared above the X Academy.
The children looked up and saw that it wasn't a storm cloud, nor a large bird, and certainly not Superman. It was their X-Jet.
But why was the damaged X-Jet appearing here?
"Professor!" Wolverine rushed over and said, "Look outside."
The professor and Liu A'dou looked outside, and the professor muttered to himself immediately, "Erik." He knew that Magneto must have used this method to return a favor.
Liu A'dou guessed the same, but it seemed that Magneto was truly seeking peace of mind. To return two lives' worth of favors, dragging back an airplane seemed too cheap. But the professor didn't care about these things.
The unmanned X-Jet slowly landed on the basketball court, causing the children to cheer. They knew the school had an airplane, but they were never allowed to get close to it.
Magneto's ability was truly impressive; moving an entire airplane was no problem. And it was delivered after traveling almost halfway across America. If he worked in transportation, he'd make a fortune. Unfortunately, Magneto was a fool, bent on waging war with humanity and eradicating humans.
Magneto, floating far away from the academy, watched the plane land. He called out his friend's name: "Charles."
Although they didn't meet, it was as if they could sense each other's presence.
Liu A'dou had come to the academy to inform Elsa that she would be starting professional singing and dancing training in preparation for her concert in the summer. Professor X had specially allowed Elsa to return late, and he also arranged for Wolverine to be her bodyguard. Wolverine, having regained some of his memory, had decided to stay at the school as a history teacher, so being a bodyguard was no problem for him. Despite Wolverine's rugged exterior, he was very patient, which made him suitable for the job. The professor trusted this aspect of him and felt comfortable with him staying with the children.
Wolverine reluctantly accepted the job of bodyguard. However, when it was time to leave, he realized Elsa was wearing a long dress. "This won't work," he said. He only had a motorcycle that he'd borrowed from Cyclops, though Cyclops had now given the motorcycle to Wolverine and bought himself a new car.
A long dress was not suitable for riding a motorcycle.
But Elsa stubbornly refused to change into pants, and the two of them stood there staring at each other in the garage.
"I can wear a dress to ride a horse, so I can sit on this bike," Elsa said defiantly.
"This is different. The dress will get caught in the wheels. Go find someone to borrow some pants," Wolverine said. He had thought Elsa was very efficient, but he didn't expect her to be so stubborn over such a small issue. It was really tough to handle.
"Why not just drive the car?" Elsa pointed to a blue car nearby. That was Cyclops' new car.
"I don't have the keys," Wolverine replied. If he had the keys, he would have driven the car.
"I'm not wearing pants."
"Then we'll just stay here and waste time." Wolverine's temper flared.
Fortunately, the Craftsman came by and understood the issue. "Heh, why didn't you come to me earlier? It's just this problem. You guys have been wasting half an hour here. Are you idiots? It's simple. Watch me, and you'll see. Wait here."
The Craftsman went to work, and before long, a sidecar appeared next to the motorcycle. The badass bike was now a tricycle.
"My craftsmanship is pretty good, right?" the Craftsman said proudly, clearly feeling a little smarter than the others.
Wolverine and Elsa exchanged a glance and finally moved. Wolverine got on the bike, and Elsa climbed into the sidecar. The bike rumbled to life, and they drove off without even saying thank you, leaving the Craftsman feeling very down and frustrated. Why was he always ignored?