Reborn with Steve Stand-Chapter 858: wtf is happening (3)
Fang Mo had always been someone who kept his word.
Though the process wasn’t exactly pleasant—he even sent Logan’s blood pressure skyrocketing at one point—Fang Mo did finally agree to the request, raising high that Holy Grail brimming with nonsense, and releasing everyone’s original memories.
In the blink of an eye, an invisible ripple spread across the entire globe.
Those wandering memories began seeking their former owners.
All the surviving X-Men members—Charles, Erik, Raven, Storm, Kitty, Iceman, Colossus…
As well as that mutant squad led by Bishop—Sunspot, Blink, Warpath, etc.
Everyone from the future who’d interacted with Fang Mo had their memories sealed away.
With the Wish Machine activated, these memories traversed the boundless timestream, reuniting with their rightful owners.
Among them, the first affected were naturally those in the Xavier School.
Not far away in a study, Charles had been drafting his next day’s speech when suddenly his head throbbed, and a familiar-yet-strange set of memories surged into his mind.
“Ugh… argh…”
Charles clutched his head, slumping over his desk with a pained moan.
Instantly, countless scenes from the past—or rather, the future—flashed through his mind. Everything he’d done in another timeline starting from 1973 replayed over and over in his memory.
That was a world where Fang Mo hadn’t shown up in 1973.
Stricken by paralysis and the burden of watching his students go to war, Charles sank into despair, numbing himself with the serum and alcohol. His inaction indirectly caused Raven to fire the first shot of her life at the war conference.
Having killed Bolivar, she also inflamed government officials’ fear and hatred of mutants, fueling the Sentinel Program’s covert development.
Then Erik broke out of the Pentagon prison, vowing to eradicate humanity. Only then did Charles truly awaken from his haze, returning to run the Xavier Institute for Gifted Mutants.
And after decades of conflict with Erik, Fang Mo finally arrived, late as always, eventually restoring Charles’s legs far in the future—and gifting him a golden toilet for some reason.
One had to admit, though Fang Mo’s antics were absolutely head-throbbing…
His appearance did bring hope.
Erik’s schemes, Stryker’s conspiracy, even the awakened Dark Phoenix—he handled them all in passing, then vanished again, just as suddenly as he’d come…no warning, no reason, disappearing some random peaceful morning without a trace.
Shortly thereafter…
The future fell into unfathomable darkness.
With Mystique’s genes fully studied, the advanced Sentinels were born, dooming mutants and humans both—the entire world plunged into an eternal hell.
And after that…
Fang Mo returned once more.
This time, he brought Armageddon.
Charles’s mind trembled as he glimpsed that divine-like power: igniting stars, snuffing out life, strangling all hope and despair in one go…
“W-what is that guy?”
Compared to seeing Logan’s memories, Charles found his own recollections even more staggering.
Naturally, he wasn’t alone in this.
The same phenomenon was happening in many different places.
In a certain power plant, Erik—who’d been stuck dealing with migraines—suddenly received the surge of memories. Countless future fragments flooded in, and his expression shifted rapidly.
“…He really did wipe out Earth?”
At the sight of that scene in his head, Erik’s heart lurched. After the initial shock, Erik unconsciously lowered his gaze to the turbine design on his desk. At that moment, being a power-plant manager suddenly seemed…rather good, actually.
Yes, he’d understood now.
He and Charles had spent their whole lives fighting, losing countless comrades on both sides. In the end, all their efforts came to nothing. It was all meaningless.
First, Sentinels had exterminated the mutants.
Then the “god” Fang Mo had arrived, brandishing his demonic sword to burn everything to ash.
Resistance was pointless. With these new memories from another lifetime, Erik—who’d lived a lifetime himself—finally got it. This was the wisdom of an old man who’d seen it all:
Living simply is best…
Of course, aside from the people at Xavier’s, the future X-Men also more or less recovered their memories.
In a San Francisco church, a young Bishop abruptly lifted his head, face full of confusion and shock.
In some small Egyptian town, a child version of Storm likewise looked dumbfounded as a tidal wave of memories invaded her mind—basically a lifetime’s worth of recollections. In an instant, she went from a kid to an adult in terms of consciousness; her entire temperament changed. Staring at the TV set across the room, she saw a younger Charles giving a televised speech. Realizing “Days of Future Past” had succeeded, she decided to leave her chaotic city life behind: only that Institute was truly her home.
Meanwhile, out in rural America…
Peter Rasputin—AKA Colossus—was out running in a pasture when he, too, felt something. Actually younger than even Storm at this point, he’d only just learned to speak and walk, yet his expression kept shifting.
Those future memories were taking root.
Memories of the X-Institute, their battles against Sentinel robots, and most importantly…uh, rocks.
They say American kids, shaped by frequent gun violence, mature quickly. So Colossus had just now completed his first hazy awakening. He turned to regard the scattered stones lying in the farmland. The farm was huge, stocked with sheep and cows, so Dad never had time to clear all the stones away.
And in that instant, Colossus was struck by how beautiful and enticing the stones were.
His heartbeat accelerated; his breathing got heavier.
With that surging rush, even his X-Gene started awakening on reflex.
He felt his body surging uncontrollably—growing bigger, shinier, and harder. The swelling sensation nearly made him explode, as if boundless heat and power demanded release!
Yes! This was his mutant power—strength like iron!
“O-oh, my sweet lil’ stones…”
(Cough, cough.)
Aside from the above-mentioned mutants, there were also a few not yet born in 1973. Thanks to multiple tweaks, Fang Mo’s Wish Machine had grown highly advanced, so it could adapt to that scenario. The memories followed the bloodlines in reverse, nesting in those unborn mutants’ parents. Once those parents conceived, and the child was born, the memories would automatically be returned. Essentially, those individuals would be “reborn” with intact recollections.
“All right, it’s done.”
When everyone’s memories had finally been restored, Fang Mo slowly set down the golden Holy Grail.
“Have they got their memories back?”
Next to him, Logan—face still dark—asked in a low voice.
“Yup.”
Fang Mo nodded. “It’s already late. I figure they’ll need a bit to digest, but by tomorrow morning, you can ask them, see if they remember everything.”
“Fine.”
Seeing Fang Mo truly finished the job, Logan exhaled. “Now that’s more like it.”
“Hey hey, what’s with the tone?”
Fang Mo teased. “Whenever you guys messed up, wasn’t I the one who cleaned up?”
“Right! ‘Cleaned up’!”
Shizhenxiang repeated enthusiastically, as if the term “cleaned up” gave her some weird excitement.
“Mainly you make messes too big,”
Logan sighed wearily. The final objective of ‘Days of Future Past’ had now concluded, and he could at last relax. “Who else just randomly destroys the planet if an argument breaks out? Or transforms someone’s cigar into a woman…?”
“So you are stuck on that last bit, huh?”
Fang Mo facepalmed.
“I told you: I’m stuck on all of it!”
Logan barked, though he realized his tone was harsh, so he inhaled deeply and forced himself to calm. “Anyway, thanks for your help again.”
“Hey, no worries, buddy.”
Fang Mo laughed.
“Oh, right—”
Logan recalled something: “One more thing.”
“What is it?”
Fang Mo looked curious.
“Now that ‘Days of Future Past’ is done, right?”
Logan cut to the chase, “It looks like this world is safe. So…when do we leave?”
“…So eager?
Fang Mo was clearly surprised. Logan might have a foul temper but he was a softie at heart, deeply caring for his friends. So it was odd for him to want out so suddenly. “Doesn’t that seem off?”
“Yes, I can’t wait any longer.”
Logan nodded, but his eyes flickered evasively.
“Hmm…”
Fang Mo noticed Logan’s reluctance to meet his gaze. Obviously something was up. So he narrowed his eyes.
“I planned to stay a while,”
Fang Mo mused. “Wanted you to meet your brother again— you’re not interested in seeing him?”
“Victor, yeah?”
Logan’s expression twitched, but he shook his head. “Nah, we’ve nothing to talk about. Either he’s raising hell somewhere, or some organization has him locked up. I’ll ask Charles to help me find him once you’re gone.”
“Is that so?”
Fang Mo grinned knowingly. “You’re worried I’ll stir more trouble if I hang around, aren’t you?”
“…”
Logan remained silent, face going taut.
“Knew it!”
Fang Mo couldn’t resist cursing. “You’ve lived nearly two centuries. No way you’re in such a rush.”
“I’m not,”
Logan tried to weasel out: “I am curious what your world’s like…”
“Wanna swear on it?”
Fang Mo conjured a bright white glow. “It’s my brand-new ‘genderbender lie detector.’ If you lie, you turn into a woman. Since you have canine traits, how about I make you pedal a bicycle to Abydos High School. (?)”
“…I…”
Logan hesitated a moment, then dropped the act: “All right, yes, you’re right. I want to get you, the troublemaker, out of here!”
“You’ve got issues, man.”
Fang Mo scolded.
“Who’s got the real issues here?”
Logan snapped back. “You think I wanted to leave so soon? You’re always making trouble. Reflect on your actions: what haven’t you messed up?”
“Well, I…”
“You tricked me into watching a nuclear bomb test, had Hank cut gold blocks with a saw, made Banshee puke before battle, gave Charles a phobia of wooden rods so severe he can’t handle a mop or broom, forced Darwin to evolve an ‘answering-jokes and telling hellish gags’ ability, sealed Scott’s beloved girlfriend inside Charles’s toilet, and then burned the entire world in the end!”
Logan blackly listed Fang Mo’s misdeeds.
“That’s super messed up!”
Fang Mo couldn’t help laughing. “We got ourselves a real troll here, also known as ‘Lil’ Fang Mo…’”
“You—All right, enough jokes.”
Sensing Logan’s imminent explosion, Fang Mo changed tactics. “Relax, once I’m done with my business, I’ll leave. I probably won’t raise any more chaos.”
“Business?”
Logan asked, slowly calming.
“An X-Gene Research company,”
This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.
Fang Mo explained. “It’s the key to saving mutants—only if everyone is willing to become one can we solve discrimination at the root. But even if you’re in a hurry, I have to get that sorted first.”
“All right.”
Logan nodded. This definitely needed serious planning. “How long do you figure it’ll take?”
“Not sure,”
Fang Mo admitted, frowning. “I’ve been cramming science textbooks—genetics, biology—these past few days, wearing them down to tatters. At least I’ve gained something, though. Wanna hear my epiphany?”
“What epiphany?”
Logan asked warily.
“From the books.”
Fang Mo showed that typical “Eldritch Being” grin, holding up one finger. “A piece of forbidden trivia: ‘kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.’”
“Goddamn it, you get out of this world right now!!!”
