At that moment, countless people across the country had just witnessed something unbelievable. A single man had openly challenged the authority of the entire world, threatening powerful institutions and even the United States government itself. More shockingly, he had calmly admitted that the devastating tsunami outside New York Harbor had been his own doing.
The boldness of the broadcast spread through cities and homes like wildfire. People gathered in living rooms, bars, offices, and streets, discussing the mysterious figure who had just appeared on every screen in the nation.
"Oh my God, this guy is an absolute genius!"
"No, he's a monster," another person argued immediately. "The wave he created killed hundreds of people. No mutant has ever been this dangerous—not even Magneto."
Elsewhere, some mutants reacted with a completely different attitude.
"Wow… look at that," one mutant said with excitement. "So we mutants actually have someone with that kind of backbone. Who is he? I'm going to find him. I want to follow him. If anyone can help mutants build our own nation, it has to be someone like that."
Across the country and even around the world, discussions exploded everywhere.
Some people were terrified. Some admired the audacity. Others felt hatred toward the mysterious Phoenix who had caused so much destruction. The reactions varied wildly depending on who was speaking.
Yet among all the voices filling the public sphere, there was one group that remained unusually silent.
Those people were the highest-ranking officials of the United States government.
The President. Senators. Senior intelligence officials. Military leaders. Anyone who knew the deeper background of what had happened that day remained eerily quiet.
In their eyes, Leon was without question a massive threat and a source of extreme instability. But after witnessing the tidal wave that had flooded the harbor earlier that day, every one of them understood the same undeniable truth.
Leon was not someone they could casually provoke.
He was a man who acted entirely according to his own will. The laws of the country meant nothing to him. Political pressure meant nothing to him. In his eyes, those things probably carried less value than a simple glass of red wine.
For politicians who were used to manipulating situations through influence and negotiation, such a person was both infuriating and deeply troublesome.
At this moment, no one dared to provoke him again.
What confused them even more was how Leon had discovered the covert measures they had been planning against him. The fact that he had detected those secret actions was enough to make every official involved feel uneasy.
Because of that single detail, they had already begun reconsidering their approach.
Inside a large government conference room, several officials sat around a long table with serious expressions. The room itself was dominated by a massive wall-sized monitor divided into multiple screens.
Some of the displays showed footage of the tsunami disaster earlier that day. Others showed live surveillance feeds from various cities. On one screen, a mysterious individual could be seen chasing down and killing a violent criminal in the street. Another smaller screen replayed the blurred broadcast image that had appeared on televisions across the nation.
Most of the people sitting around the table were elderly men with gray hair and weathered faces. However, their calm posture and imposing presence made it clear they were far from ordinary individuals.
These were people who stood near the very top of the American power structure.
"Let's discuss this," said the blond-haired man sitting at the head of the table, frowning deeply. "How should we deal with someone like him?"
Immediately, one man slammed his hand onto the table.
"No matter what happens, we cannot allow a threat like that to remain unchecked," he said angrily. "If necessary, we should deploy the military."
Several others quickly agreed.
"That's right. He has hundreds of billions in assets. We could freeze those funds immediately," another official suggested. "If he threatens the financial system again, we need leverage."
"Yes. No matter how powerful he is, he cannot fight the entire army. We have dealt with dangerous mutants before."
The discussion quickly grew heated.
However, the man at the head of the table did not immediately respond. Instead, he picked up the remote control and pressed a button.
The screen showing street surveillance footage from Atlanta suddenly zoomed in.
He pointed toward the image.
"This recording comes from Atlanta. It was captured two days ago," he explained calmly. "The individual in the footage is a mutant."
The video clearly showed a powerful figure swiftly eliminating a violent criminal on the street.
"Do you know what ordinary citizens call him?" the blond man asked.
No one answered.
"They call him a hero."
His tone carried a trace of irony.
"And according to our analysis, this person's ability level is at least comparable to Storm."
He paused briefly, letting the weight of that statement settle over the room.
"Now here is the important part."
"There are sixty-four individuals like him."
The room instantly fell silent.
"They are scattered across major cities throughout the country," the man continued. "Their abilities differ, but their combat capabilities are similar. Based on military estimates, any one of them could easily eliminate a fully equipped squad of one hundred special forces soldiers."
He tapped the table once for emphasis.
"And we now have confirmation that all of them are under Leon's control."
No one spoke.
Some of the officials present already knew this information. Those individuals simply remained quiet. Others were hearing it for the first time, and the shock on their faces was impossible to hide.
"Damn it!" one man cursed angrily. "How does he even control people like that? What method did he use?"
Another official answered reluctantly.
"We still haven't fully confirmed the mechanism. However, S.H.I.E.L.D. has proposed a possible explanation."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"They believe Leon may possess some form of technology that allows him to transplant mutant abilities."
"Every one of those sixty-four individuals shares one specific trait," he added. "They all possess regenerative abilities similar to Wolverine or Sabretooth."
The room erupted in quiet exclamations.
"Damn."
"Jesus…"
The realization made several people visibly uneasy.
Leon's hidden forces operating in the shadows were far more terrifying than anyone had imagined. At this point, it was becoming increasingly clear that confronting him directly would be extremely dangerous.
They had no clear understanding of Leon's true capabilities.
But even the information already revealed was enough to make the situation feel nearly impossible to handle.
"So now tell me," the blond man at the head of the table said calmly. "What exactly should we do about him?"
The officials who had previously demanded sanctions and military action suddenly became silent.
Not a single person spoke for several long seconds.
Seeing this reaction, the man at the head of the table shook his head helplessly.
"Let's end today's meeting here," he said. "Inform all intelligence departments of one thing."
He paused briefly before delivering the final instruction.
"Do not provoke Leon again."
.....
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