Hawking thought of Universe 838 because he remembered that in the Multiverse of Madness, the Universe 838 that Wanda went to, Captain America Steve became Captain Carter.
And coincidentally, that Universe also had Mutants.
That Mutants existed was something Oleg and Elena had already told him when they adopted him.
Wanda could make things float with her mind, Pietro ran much faster than a normal child, and then there were Hawking's previously displayed abilities and his current tail.
In the eyes of the Oleg couple, they were undoubtedly Mutants.
However, most ordinary people currently greatly feared and discriminated against the existence of Mutants.
Sokovia was somewhat better because their energy was spent on internal wars, and people's animosity towards Mutants wasn't as strong.
It was said that in New York, the locals' animosity towards Mutants was much more severe; if the Police encountered a Mutant and anything seemed slightly off, they would likely open fire directly, especially if it was a Black Mutant, in which case they might immediately empty their clip.
Some officials even constantly proposed re-passing the previously abolished Mutant Registration Act, to record all Mutants for easier management and prevention.
Worried that the three children's Mutant identities being exposed would be dangerous, the couple always warned them not to use their abilities in front of outsiders.
Especially Hawking, who had to hide his tail when going out; if it accidentally showed, he was to say it was a decoration to fool people.
"If this is Universe 838, then little Wanda might be in some danger."
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but rub his head.
If this truly was Universe 838, it meant that not long after Thanos's invasion, the main Universe's Wanda would use the Dreamwalking method to possess this Universe's Wanda's body, and then wipe out the entire Illuminati.
"Forget it, it's hard to say if it's Universe 838 or not anyway, and it's still early. When soldiers come, block them; when Water comes, cover it with earth. There's always a way."
Thinking so much now was useless; with his current strength, he couldn't stop it. He would wait until he unlocked more protagonist templates in the future before trying to solve it.
Shaking his head to shake off his worries, Hawking prepared to take a shower and make noodles.
Three weeks later, Hawking woke up at five as usual.
After a ten-kilometer run outside, 300 push-ups, 500 squats, and 1000 sit-ups in the Underground Room, he began preparing a lavish breakfast.
Sandwiches, milk, noodles, grilled sausages, fried eggs—a huge table full.
Since Wanda and Pietro wouldn't finish it, he could eat all the leftovers, ensuring absolutely no waste.
Oleg and Elena woke up to see a table full of breakfast, on one hand once again marveling at how Hawking, at such a young age, was so sensible and skilled in cooking, destined to become an excellent chef in the future.
On the other hand, they silently resolved to earn more money, otherwise, even eating would be a bit stressful.
In the eyes of the couple, the sensible, obedient, and precocious Hawking, who was like a little adult, must have had a very unfortunate childhood.
Poor children learn to be self-reliant early; this is true in any Country in the World.
They were already living in poverty, but their two children, Wanda and Pietro, were still relatively happy; at least they weren't made to learn cooking and housework at this age, and they tried their best to give them a happy childhood.
However, they could also understand.
Because both children were Mutants, they often paid attention to news reports related to Mutants.
Many Mutants, after awakening, couldn't control their abilities and would harm their family members, and some would experience extreme changes in appearance, looking very frightening.
So, when they discovered their child was a Mutant, not all parents could accept it; they might even intensely dislike and fear their own children, viewing them as monsters.
Perhaps Hawking's previous family was like this, which was why he was so precocious.
Thinking about it, they felt even more sorry for little Hawking.
"Wanda, Pietro, it's time to get up for breakfast!"
With Elena's call, Wanda and Pietro, the siblings, ran down from the second floor, playing and squabbling.
Today was Sunday; after the family finished breakfast and sat on the living room sofa, Oleg started putting in a disc and playing the twenty-third episode of the second season of "The Dick Van Dyke Show."
When Sokovia was in chaos, Oleg, who had lost his job, relied on selling discs to support his family.
Although he now had a formal job, he still had a large number of discs at home.
Hawking also sat among the family; he wasn't particularly interested in these discs, but he loved and cherished the current atmosphere, because he had never had such an experience in his previous life.
"Ding-dong!"
Just as the family was laughing heartily at the sitcom, the doorbell suddenly rang.
"I'll get it."
Hawking stood up voluntarily.
Opening the door, a bald old man in a wheelchair and a young man wearing strange sunglasses appeared before his eyes.
"Good morning, child!"
The bald old man greeted Hawking with a gentle expression.
But as soon as he finished his greeting, a surprised look appeared on his face.
"Strange, this is the first time something like this has happened."
As a top-tier Level 4 telepath and mental control Mutant, apart from his old friend Magneto, who wore a helmet, and the White Queen, who was once by the Black King's side, truly few people could block his telepathy.
Two days ago, using a cerebro-enhancer, he discovered an age-appropriate Mutant here in Sokovia, and he had come this time to recruit him into his Mutant School.
He just hadn't expected that as soon as he opened the door, he would encounter a Mutant who could block his telepathy. It seemed this family didn't have just one Mutant, but two.
This second one hadn't been discovered by him because of his ability to block telepathy.
"External psychic energy invading host's brain. To ensure system's existence is not discovered, automatic shielding activated."
Looking at the text prompt on the suddenly popped-up panel, and then at the appearance of the two people in front of him, Hawking immediately knew that it was the famous Professor X and Cyclops who had come calling.
But it was a good thing the panel automatically intercepted Professor X's telepathic energy, otherwise, all his secrets would have been exposed.
"Good morning, gentlemen, is there something I can help you with?"
Hawking smiled slightly, no special expression on his face.
Since the other party couldn't telepathically sense him, there was nothing to fear.
From what he understood, Professor X was a Mutant who was close to humans, belonging to the more righteous, benevolent camp, and should pose no threat to their family.
What he was currently thinking about was the purpose of Professor X's sudden visit.
It probably had nothing to do with him; he wasn't a Mutant after all.
Was it because of Wanda and Quicksilver?
But he remembered that Wanda was not a Mutant in the main Universe; her power came from Chthon's Chaos Magic, and Quicksilver's superpowers seemed to be obtained through his reality-altering ability, later further developed by the Mind Stone.
However, this was Universe 838, so many settings might be different.
Therefore, he decided to observe silently first before making any moves.