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Chapter 887: A Galaxy of Twinkling Stars - Rotten (32)

If senators and military personnel had a modest understanding of Eastern culture, they should deeply grasp the meaning of a saying: "Fortune never comes alone, misfortune never travels alone."

And if they delved even deeper into Eastern culture, they would understand what it means for a good person not to live long and for calamity to linger for a thousand years.

Of course, English also has similar idiomatic expressions, but as the wind blew through the corridors outside one meeting room after another, and as the lights blinked on and off, these phrases and words, like the rapid beat of a drum, had almost become a harbinger of the imminent arrival of life and death.

"Report, General!" A message came from Washington Airport. Schiller Rodriguez has boarded the plane, and our agent reports that due to the tight schedule, they didn't have time to tamper with the plane!"

In the meeting room, General Ross turned his head to look at the young officer who had just entered. He said, "Who ordered the agents to tamper with the plane on which Rodriguez is traveling? Doesn't he know that Rodriguez is no ordinary person?"

"It was my order, General Ross," said the officer sitting opposite Ross, who was slightly younger and more robust. He continued, "Our objective is to delay as much time as possible. After all, news of Captain America and Tony Stark's deaths is still under wraps, and Schiller Rodriguez is unaware of the deaths of his two friends."

"This time, he returned from Washington, probably because of Spider-Man's death. According to the intelligence we obtained at S.H.I.E.L.D., he had a close relationship with Peter Parker, and they were teacher-student with a strong bond."

"After receiving this news, he still chose to return by plane, which indicates that although he is grieving, he has not lost control. But if he arrives in New York and finds out that his other two dear friends have also died, it is difficult to guarantee that he won't go berserk."

General Ross had barely spoken a few words before he was interrupted, and his face naturally darkened. However, he also knew that his previous plans had failed several times, causing him to plummet in status within this small group. Even younger newcomers dared to step on his head.

But he still spoke up, saying, "I don't believe that our elite agents didn't have the time to tamper with the plane. If we want to buy time, bribing the crew members and the pilot should have been possible. Did you not even attempt it?"

The officer snorted and replied, "Our agent did board the plane, but he found out that he couldn't even get in line."

"Within a short ten minutes, all passengers were replaced by various agents, indicating that we underestimated the possibility of him going berserk."

"As for the crew members and the pilot, they were replaced much earlier. However, if the flight route is not followed, it would be detected immediately."

"Furthermore, General Ross, don't forget that he possesses telepathic abilities similar to Professor X. This means that our plan to bribe the crew members and change the course of the plane couldn't be realized. He can control the pilot at any time and correct the route."

"Enough arguing!" A general sitting in the main seat spoke sternly. "Now, we must come up with a plan to deal with the impending crisis."

"We all know that Schiller Rodriguez is a Soviet Union relic with mind-control abilities, and he is extremely fanatic."

"He can tolerate the current situation partly because, on the surface, humans have united in their journey to space, and also because he has a good relationship with U.S. figures like Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man."

"Now the problem is, Nick Fury's death will make him realize that someone is conspiring in the shadows, and the deaths of other superheroes will leave him with no attachments. If he really wants to realize his crazy ideals, what should we do?"

The meeting room fell silent for several minutes, and then Ross spoke, "Members of the Avengers were not just his attachments; they were also a check on his power, especially Iron Man, our only hope to resist Schiller in terms of strength, and he's gone."

"Iron Man's death is very suspicious," Ross narrowed his eyes and continued, "It couldn't have been our own people. I suspect that there might be external forces involved, or perhaps it's a conspiracy from those left-wing groups..."

As he said this, the atmosphere in the meeting room became even heavier. The general's fingers tapped lightly on the table, creating a rhythm faster than a metronome. He continued, "I suspect that from beginning to end, this is all a conspiracy against us, and Schiller is their weapon."

"Nick Fury's death itself is suspicious, and at this point, I can tell you that I have never ordered anyone to take action. I believe you haven't either, which means someone is intentionally trying to provoke conflict between the military and S.H.I.E.L.D., framing us for Nick Fury's death."

"Then, they let Spider-Man take over, diverting everyone's attention to him, and using another conspiracy to kill him, shifting the blame onto the inactive government and prison."

"After Spider-Man's death, Captain America will be filled with righteous indignation, lower his guard, and expose vulnerabilities, making him easier to assassinate. And after his death, Iron Man is likely to be impacted by the consecutive loss of friends."

"Once Iron Man is gone, there will be no one left to restrain Schiller."

The younger officer broke into a cold sweat, his voice trembling as he said, "Damn it... we've all been played!! They're using Schiller to settle scores with all of us!"

"There's no time to analyze who the mastermind is now!" Ross raised his voice, emphasizing, "Even if the plane flies at its slowest speed, it won't last more than three hours, and considering the time it will take for him to realize Iron Man and Captain America are missing, it won't last more than five hours!"

"Who can impersonate Captain America?" The young officer clenched his fist and continued, "I remember Captain America had several reserve soldiers, and a few of our Captains have been receiving training..."

"No, General," he immediately responded. "Facing a telepath, there's no way to hide unless you can completely clone Captain America's memories and thought processes."

"And those substitutes we have prepared, not only do they fall far short in terms of physique and abilities compared to Steve Rogers, but they also lack his memories. These substitutes taking over are from the new generation and have no experience in war; their vulnerabilities are too evident."

"What if we create certain events that would make them disappear in a reasonable way? For instance, Captain America being ordered to transfer..."

"But we can't handle Iron Man," General Ross interjected. "Even if Tony Stark is dead, we still can't gain control of Stark Tower."

"We've already contacted Miss Potts," he continued, "but she mentioned that Stark Tower is under the complete control of JARVIS, who has locked down all advanced permissions. We can't even access visual materials from Iron Man's lifetime."

"Moreover, everyone knows that Tony Stark is the chief overseer of the Solar System development project. He has been closely monitoring the progress on Earth recently. There's no reason for him to leave immediately, and even if he did, he wouldn't completely disappear. So many laboratories are waiting to submit their findings to him; he wouldn't go off the grid for no reason."

Ross took a deep breath and said, "It seems that outsmarting him is unlikely. Now, we're left with one choice, and that's a direct confrontation."

"The problem is, what do we confront him with?" The young officer spread his hands on the desktop and said, "Our weaponry and firepower can only be aimed at power-based superheroes. Even if we request an airstrike, who can guarantee that the person controlling the weapons won't be under his influence? If missiles fall on our own people, we won't be able to explain it to anyone!"

"To stop a berserk Schiller, we need someone with the same level of psychic power," General Ross said, narrowing his eyes. "Do you remember what he said when introducing his abilities?"

"He said he had abilities nearly identical to a certain person..." General trailed off, and the people in the meeting room all thought of a name simultaneously.

"Professor X!"

"Professor X..." In a secret meeting room, the Vice President spoke. "Now, we can only hope for Professor X. Someone has to stop the berserk Schiller Rodriguez, and aside from Professor X, we have no choice."

"But..." The aide in a suit opposite him furrowed his brows. "We should avoid dealing with mutants as much as possible, and we certainly shouldn't seek their help. Otherwise, in future negotiations with them, we may have to make more concessions, which would be detrimental to our interests."

"Furthermore, our policy towards mutants has always been one of oppression and exploitation. Once we take a step back, it will be difficult to apply pressure on them again."

The Vice President, holding a cigar in his hand, said, "Don't forget, our purpose has always been to oppress mutants. We've never treated them kindly, always exploiting and squeezing them. So, as long as we give them a little sweetness, they'll be like dogs chasing a bone, willing to do our bidding."

"We've had many successful experiences before. Professor X has made many compromises to ensure the continued operation of his school. He has also been influencing Magneto to prevent him from causing too much trouble."

"It's the same this time. Tell them that we're extremely sincere, willing to open up enrollment for Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters in five states, including New Jersey. Their enrollment teachers can operate openly there. Isn't that a generous offer?"

The Vice President clicked his tongue and said, "After all, we don't want them to kill Schiller Rodriguez. We just want someone to stand in his way. For Professor X, this should be a simple task, so we don't need to offer such a high price."

"But do we really want to open enrollment in five states? Mr. President holds New Jersey in high regard, and anti-mutant sentiments are running high there. Once we announce..."

"Why do we need to announce it?" the President interrupted. "Just like before, we can just keep stalling. We won't interfere when they operate in those states. After all, the public will only see it as mutants running rampant without official authorization, as long as there's no clear official involvement."

The aide nodded and said, "Understood, Mr. President. I'll go talk to Professor X, and I think he should agree."

After speaking, he left the room. However, after a while, he returned with a puzzled look on his face. The Vice President noticed his expression and asked, "What's wrong? They didn't agree?"

The aide shook his head and said, "I couldn't reach Professor X on the phone. Jean Grey answered, and the background noise on their end was quite loud. She only said, 'Professor X is busy,' and then hung up."

"Professor X is busy?" The Vice President was quite surprised. "Were you using a secure phone specifically for contacting them? They should have our number, right?"

"Yes, this number is specifically for contacting the X-Men, and it can directly connect to the office at Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. He shouldn't be intentionally avoiding the call."

Two minutes later, the aide made another phone call. This time, when he returned, his expression was less than favorable. He said, "This time, Wolverine answered the phone, that damn fool. He was quite agitated and said that mutants don't have time right now. He even mentioned something about following some 'Your Majesty' being more interesting than being on Earth..."

"'Your Majesty'?" The Vice President frowned. "Is there some 'Your Majesty' on Earth? It can't be the leaders of those small countries, can it?"

He pondered for a moment and then said, "Tell them later that I want to personally call them. Make sure Professor X can pick up the phone."

"Emphasize that it's an official call. I don't believe Professor X would dare not answer the phone!"

Standing in a specialized communication room, the Vice President picked up the phone and after two rings, a female voice echoed through the telephone.

"Hello? I'm Lorna Dane, what can I do for you?"