The next day, Clyde invited Charles and Erik to his office and introduced them to the large device outside the window, which he believed would be their trump card for turning the tide.
"Hank has modified the radar into a large receiver. The design is meant to amplify brainwaves. If your power is strong enough, theoretically, you can locate mutants hiding in every corner of the world."
"What if they don't want to be found?" Erik asked. Not to mention Hank and Raven were already hiding their identities, even in the Sanctuary there were quite a few mutants who didn't like living in the outside world. Some, like Hank and Raven, had undergone major physical changes, making it obvious they weren't normal humans—and thus were often discriminated against or persecuted.
"I highly doubt that when the bureaucrats discover a new species, they'll greet them with joy instead of tearing them apart to study them."
Clyde was momentarily speechless—because that was exactly what he planned to do: gain control over more mutants, some to serve him, and others to use for research in order to strengthen military power and boost his own status.
But he still said, "First of all, that's my equipment. Secondly, and more importantly, it's Charles' decision—he agreed to let us intervene."
"Really? You agreed?" Erik asked, raising an amused eyebrow at Charles.
"…No. Sorry, I support Erik." After a moment of internal struggle, Charles made his decision. "We'll find them ourselves."
Erik smiled—this was his final test for Charles. The rest, he'd leave to Meiln and the others.
…
…
"What if I say no?" Clyde asked furiously.
Charles and Erik exchanged a knowing smile and said in unison, "Then good luck."
The next moment, Clyde was mentally restrained. To him, it seemed like only an instant had passed, and Charles and Erik were no longer in front of him. Yet somehow, it all felt natural. He also felt like something had been added to his mind—and something lost.
...
Charles and Erik had already regrouped with Raven, and under Hank's lead, they entered the brainwave amplifier chamber.
"I call it Cerebro," Hank said.
"You… hahaha, Spanish for 'brain', right?" Charles laughed.
"Yes." Hank nodded, inwardly admiring how Charles understood him so well.
"Alright. The electrodes will link Charles to the receiver on the roof. When he detects a mutant signal, the system will relay it through a satellite and print out their coordinates," Hank explained.
"You designed this?" Raven asked.
"Yes." Hank was visibly proud.
Charles stepped beneath the electrodes, placed them on his head, and got ready.
"You're quite the lab rat, Charles," Erik joked, though he was inwardly wondering—could Charles really find the Sanctuary with this device? After all, it was protected by a barrier, albeit not as strong as the one surrounding the Twelve Temples.
If Charles really could pierce the outer barrier with this amplifier, Hank would definitely be someone worth recruiting.
As for whether Charles would be in danger—Erik wasn't worried. He had secretly manipulated the magnetic field inside the machine. If Charles showed even the slightest anomaly, he'd destroy the device immediately.
"Don't mess with me, Erik," Charles snapped. Despite his calm tone and confidence in Hank, he was inwardly terrified. No matter how much he trusted someone, it was still nerve-wracking to let them experiment on his brain.
"Trust me, I know exactly how it feels to be a lab rat," Erik replied.
"Suuure…" Charles muttered, his anxiety growing.
Hank came over to adjust the settings, casually asking, "Are you sure you don't want to shave your head?"
"Don't even think about it! Don't touch my hair!"
"Alright." Hank shrugged, then began powering up the machine.
As the "beep beep" sounds rang out, the brainwave amplifier activated. Charles's expression twisted in pain, as if thousands of needles were stabbing into his brain. But gradually, he adapted—and suddenly, his vision expanded to an unprecedented scope. He could see everyone in the world.
"Phew… Hahaha, I did it! I can see them!" Charles exclaimed joyfully. In his mind, countless figures flickered past. Normal people appeared in gray, while mutants were in color—easy to distinguish.
Erik, Raven, and Hank all smiled knowingly.
Among the vast number of mutants, Charles began selecting suitable teammates. But when his brainwaves reached a particular area, they hit a strange resistance—a thin membrane blocked his view.
This unusual occurrence intrigued him. His curiosity growing, he intensified the brainwave output, turning it into a drill to pierce through the resistance. And he succeeded—but was instantly shocked.
Because inside that area were thousands of mutants, densely packed together like a mutant metropolis. They lived harmoniously, even among humans. The humans showed no discrimination or fear toward even the most grotesque or strange-looking mutants. Everything was peaceful and welcoming.
As his brainwaves pushed deeper, he suddenly hit a wall. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through—not even climb over it.
"Everyone, I've found a large group of mutants gathered together, but I can't access their inner area. Hank, can you increase the frequency of the amplifier?" Charles asked.
"Are you sure? This is its first activation—I haven't tested the safety limit. If the frequency gets too high, it might cause irreversible damage to your brain," Hank warned.
"Forget it, Charles. We can go there ourselves. Don't take the risk," Raven advised. Though her ambiguous feelings toward Charles had lessened, he was still her brother—she didn't want anything to happen to him.
"No. I feel there's a big secret in there. I want to know what it is. Hank, increase the frequency—I can handle it!" Charles insisted.
"I don't recommend it, Charles. Even if you raise the frequency, I doubt you'll see inside," Erik interjected.
"Huh?"
The trio froze, turning to look at Erik. This wasn't just a typical warning—judging from his tone, it sounded like he knew about the place.
At Charles's gesture, Hank shut down the amplifier and asked Erik, "You… used to live there, didn't you?"
"Yes," Erik admitted. Since the outer barrier had already been breached, there was no point hiding it anymore.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"You never asked." Erik shrugged.
"Can you tell me what's going on?" Charles asked sincerely. All these years, he'd been trying to find more of his kind—but it was rare. Most of the ones he found were children whose powers hadn't even awakened yet.
Now that he knew there was a whole community of mutants, he couldn't wait to see it.
"That's my home."
"Can you take us there?"
"Sure. But I'm warning you now—once we get there, everything goes by my rules," Erik said.
"Your turf, your call. As long as there's food and water, I'm good," Charles grinned.
"So… where is it?"
"Athens. Greece."
Charles looked to Hank, who nodded with the coordinates Charles had just retrieved.
...
"You're… kidding me, right?" Charles asked, staring at the towering mountains before him.
"Of course not," Erik replied, eyes full of nostalgia. It hadn't been long since he'd left, but it already felt like a lifetime.
"…So you guys live in the mountains?"
"Yep."
"Listen, I've got some savings, and professor pay isn't bad. I could—"
"What are you thinking?" Erik chuckled. This guy really thought they were living like wild mountain hermits.
You? A professor? Sponsor the Sanctuary? The Sanctuary's biggest backer is the one and only Howard Stark. Compared to him, you're nothing.
"Isn't that the case?" Charles asked, face confused.
"Forget it. Come with me." Erik shook his head, half-laughing, and led the three up the mountain. He hoped they wouldn't pee their pants when they saw the Sanctuary.
Charles and the others were completely in the dark, but could only follow. Hopefully, once they got there, everything would make sense.
Though they had some mountaineering gear, they still felt exhausted. Charles, being a professor, spent most of his time reading or flirting. Raven followed him around all day. And Hank was a tech nerd. None of them exercised much.
Just halfway up, a sudden mist rolled in.
"Is someone coming to greet us?" Charles frowned and touched his temple, but the moment his brainwaves touched the mist—they vanished without a trace.
"It's just a barrier, to keep outsiders out. Hold on to my clothes, don't get separated," Erik said.
"Alright."
Under Erik's lead, the four quickly passed through the mist.
And the moment they stepped out, Charles, Raven, and Hank were stunned.
"This! This!"
"Amazing!"
"A beautiful, bustling city in the mountains?!"
Skyscrapers rose between the peaks, streets were filled with laughter and people. Pure white marble glowed warmly in the sun. There were shops, schools, restaurants—everything a modern city had.
The only difference? The streets were filled with people of all shapes and appearances—living freely.
"You did that on purpose?" Charles, flushed, pointed at the city and asked Erik.
"Of course. Your expression right now is priceless." Erik nodded with a smile.
Just then, three figures walked over, recognized Erik, and shouted, "Erik? You're back!"