PFC Chapter 3908 The Nameless Bat (78)
Chapter 3908 The Nameless Bat (78)
Chapter 3908 The Nameless Bat (Seventy-Eight)
Jean stared at the words in silence for a long time. Peter was starting to worry that she might suddenly explode. Fortunately, she ultimately just put the paper away, offering neither comment nor a breakdown.
“Perhaps I should have realized it sooner,” Jean said. “Ever since I felt the Phoenix Force within me, I thought I would never have a peaceful day in my life. But now, thinking back, I’ve had many moments of true peace. Not when I was alone, doing nothing, or seeking comfort from someone, but when I helped those lost little mutants, soothed their emotions, or rescued them from discrimination, or even just taught them to spell words…”
“Scott is a good man, almost too good,” Jean said. “He always quietly supports others, solves problems on his own, is tolerant of others, and helps others. When I receive his help, I feel warm and safe, which is the easiest way for me. Because to comfort children, I need to have enough patience and be careful to understand their emotions; to fight discrimination, I need to rack my brains to refute those people's words; even to teach spelling words, I have to look at a grammar book first. With an easy way, I gave up all of that.”
"But this not only became a burden for Scott, but also prevented me from ever finding true peace. I couldn't believe the promises and guarantees Scott made to me. Because I knew very well in my heart that he couldn't defeat the Phoenix, and he couldn't pull me back when I lost control. So even though he made his promises very seriously, and I tried to convince myself to believe them, I couldn't deceive myself."
“I should have realized this sooner: only I can suppress and control the Phoenix. I should become a powerful being who can perfectly control the Phoenix’s power and then use this power to save others. Only when I turn my past flaws into advantages and truly help others with this so-called destructive power can I possibly achieve ultimate peace.”
“No, Jean, don’t put so much pressure on yourself,” Professor X said. “You have no obligation to save anyone.”
“This is not only about saving others, but also about saving myself,” Jean said, looking at Professor X. “If I can’t do this, I will never be able to relax, I will always live in fear, and I will always drag down good people like Scott who are willing to forgive me, including you, Professor.”
Professor X shook his head and said, "Please believe me, the goal I have strived for all my life is to be able to confidently tell you 'there is no need' when you say 'I need to be strong,' and then tell you with a smile: those so-called 'burdens,' that storm that has fallen in your lives, are just insignificant drops of water in the countless towering waves I have experienced in my life."
Upon hearing Professor X's words, Peter was overwhelmed with a profound sense of shock. He even began to understand why some people believe in God—perhaps all the moments in humanity's short history, the moments when our hearts beat with emotion, have been spent searching for such a "Father." It could be God, it could be Charles Xavier, it didn't matter.
Professor X has been fighting Magneto for half a century, and may not have completely changed the situation of mutants, but now when mutants all over the world are wronged, they will remember: at least we still have two gods.
“No matter what, I’ve figured it out,” Qin said, taking a deep breath. “This can’t go on. I have to change.”
“Okay, ma’am, I completely agree with your idea,” Peter nodded and said, “but let’s turn our attention back to the case. I heard from Katie that you two had an argument about your jobs before. Could you tell me the details?”
Jean paused, but didn't seem frustrated. She said, "I might have been a little confused before, but now I completely understand. Scott probably just didn't want me to leave—because of what that cybernetic life form said, 'I'll understand sooner or later.'"
"You mean... this is Scott's personal motive?"
"Maybe so. Because the job I was looking for at the time was a helper at an orphanage. Although the salary wasn't much, there were some subsidies. I was after the money, but Scott probably felt that this job might make me realize that only by helping and saving others could I find true peace. He probably thought I would give up getting comfort from him, so he didn't quite agree and tried to persuade me to change jobs. But at the time, I naively understood it as: he thought I would lose control and hurt the children at the orphanage."
Qin lowered her head and said with a hint of sadness, "When I angrily pointed this out, his expression was indeed a bit strange, and he looked very hurt. This may also be one of the reasons why he lost control later, because I completely misunderstood him. He was just trying to keep me and wanted to continue to tolerate me, but I felt that he was discriminating against me."
“Okay, I understand. It seems we’ve found the root cause and the trigger for the loss of control,” Peter said, stroking his chin. “But I still don’t quite understand this guy’s motives. What he said was quite right, and in a way it enlightened you, but why did he do it?”
“I know it might not be right to say this, but… it really made me realize something,” Qin said, biting her lip. “You might not believe it, but ever since I realized this, Phoenix has been unusually calm.”
After speaking, she stretched out a hand, and a flame ignited at her fingertips. Professor X immediately tensed up, and Peter also sensed a dangerous aura. Although he didn't have Spider-Sense, the destructive aura inherent in the Phoenix Force was almost visible to the naked eye, something that could be sensed without any superpowers.
The next second, with a "bang," the door was kicked open. Logan rushed in and was somewhat stunned to see the three people standing in the room, all perfectly fine.
"Uh, sorry, I might be a little confused. I think I sensed the power of the phoenix... Has the phoenix gone out of control?"
Qin was speechless. She turned to look at the door, which had been scratched and smashed open, and sighed deeply.
Logan was a good person, just a bit naive and impulsive. Just as she thought this, Logan rushed over, looked her over carefully, then sighed in relief, slumped his shoulders, and said, "Thank goodness you're alright. I was really worried something might have happened to you since Magneto isn't here."
“Well, it’s not your fault that you haven’t figured it out yet, ma’am,” Peter said, walking over to Jean. “The people around you have always been so accommodating, giving you so much care and love—kind, brave, and selfless. You’re like a spoiled child, and it’s really hard for you to wake up on your own.”
That was actually a bit harsh. Peter saw Logan glaring at him, his expression saying, "That's true, but you can't just say it like that."
Qin shook her head helplessly and said, "If you really catch that unlucky guy, you must give me a chance to thank him in person. If it weren't for him, I really wouldn't have had a chance to figure things out."
“Wait a minute,” Peter had another flash of inspiration, “Could it be… that this is the purpose of electronic life?”
"what?"
"It's trying to wake you up."
"what?"
Not only Jean, but the other two were also puzzled. Professor X looked at Peter and said, "You mean, it stirred up trouble between Jean and Scott to awaken Jean and make her a super-powerful mutant who perfectly controls the Phoenix Force and whose strength even surpasses that of an Omega-level mutant? It can't be a mutant who can control the network, can it?"
Upon hearing this conjecture, Professor X himself broke out in a cold sweat. If this were true, and Magneto had captured the other party, then things would be in serious trouble. Because if, in the end, it turned out to be the mutants' doing, then they would have lost everything.
Peter shook his head and said, "It's not that bad. If it were really a mutant, and so eager for mutants to prosper, it could reverse public opinion on Earth overnight. After all, modern people rely so much on the internet and are easily brainwashed by what's online. The fact that it could instigate terrorist attacks proves it has no morals. Why not use an easier method?"
“But if it’s not for the mutants, but for personal gain, that doesn’t make sense either,” Logan shook his head. “It can monitor us through the network, so it can find out what kind of person Jean is. Even if it helps Jean, if the methods it uses are too extreme, Jean won’t turn around and help it—wouldn’t that be a complete waste of time?”
“Perhaps it doesn’t need the piano to help it,” Peter thought to himself. “What if it just wants the piano?”
Qin pointed to herself: "Who am I pursuing? Me?"
"Yeah, don't overcomplicate things. If you like a girl who has a boyfriend, and you happen to be immoral, you'll definitely try to break them up so you can win her heart."
"No, that's still not right," Professor X pointed out. "There are many ways to break them up; there's no need to use this one. Because this will leave Jean with no time for romance for a while. Phoenix isn't so easy to control. Even if it's related to emotions, it's more about training mental strength. Completely suppressing Phoenix in the mental world would probably require staying in one's own mental world for several months, or even years if things don't go smoothly. No matter how powerful the electronic life form is, it can't invade a mental world where Phoenix is present, let alone pursue it. Isn't that just shooting yourself in the foot?"
“That does seem a bit suspicious,” Peter said, frowning. “Logically, people who are obsessed with love would want the person they're pursuing to be the same way, making the pursuit easier. Why would someone obsessed with love force their crush into becoming an independent, strong woman?”
Peter was lost in thought, while Jean and Logan's gazes unconsciously drifted toward Professor X.
“Indeed, anyone who could do that must be insane,” Qin said pointedly.
“He’s an absolute violent maniac,” Logan nodded and said, “the kind of person who could paralyze someone by blocking a bullet.”
"Alright, stop guessing," Professor X interrupted them. "Once Eric catches it, he'll be able to get the answer. Now, get out of here."
Jean and Logan each rolled their eyes and walked out one after the other. Peter hadn't understood their riddle at first, but when he turned around and saw Professor X's blue eyes, he suddenly understood, shrugged, and went out too.
As soon as they stepped outside, they heard the sounds of fighting coming from the west building. Peter rushed to the window and saw that it was the building where Cyclops was being held. Meanwhile, Jean and Logan, who were more familiar with the base's layout, had already run downstairs.
"Magneto has made his move! We need to get there quickly!"
Peter also started running downstairs, but just like that day, a gust of wind knocked him over. When he got up from the stairs, he heard Professor X's voice echoing in his ears:
"Got it. Assemble in the conference hall."
I'm coming