In a corner of the city,Ye Hai resumed his original appearance. He took out his phone and, after turning it on, saw numerous missed calls—all from Gwen. It seemed she was quite worried.
Ye Ha called her back, and his call was quickly answered.
"Is this Ye Hai?" Gwen asked urgently.
"Yes, it's me, Gwen," Ye Hai replied with a smile.
"Thank goodness you picked up! I thought something happened to you when you didn't answer my calls," she sighed with relief before asking, "What happened, Ye? Why didn't you pick up my calls?"
"Well, there was a big lizard on the Williamsburg Bridge causing chaos, so I gave it a beating."
"Come on, Ye! I saw the news; it was Spider-Man and some muscular guy who dealt with the lizard, not you! You didn't appear at all in the news. Were you hiding in the corner, scared out of your wits? Ha ha..."
"Okay, that wasn't me, but I certainly wasn't scared and hiding. I'm a very brave man."
"Alright, brave man, you're not going to stand me up today, are you?"
"Of course not!"
...
They continued chatting and arranged to meet at a cafe.
Before long, Ye Hai arrived at the cafe. It was bustling with people—men and women, many clearly couples, all dressed smartly and speaking softly in an educated manner.
A doorman guided Ye Hai to a table. Just as he settled in, a beautiful waitress approached him.
With long golden hair and a serene smile, her presence exuded purity. However, her sapphire-like eyes seemed to tell tales of hardship and experience, which was unusual for someone so young.
As Ye Hai pondered this oddity, the cafe suddenly fell silent. Everyone's movements became frozen, as if captured in a photograph, and not a sound could be heard—only the sound of the waitress's high heels clicking against the floor.
"Hello, my brother!" the waitress said politely.
Her voice was sweet and melodious, yet slow, as if she were a puppet being controlled by someone.
A name flashed through Ye Hai's mind; only one person in the city had the power to find him so easily and refer to him as brother.
Looking at the waitress, he asked, "Are you Professor X?"
Taken aback, she replied, "Yes, I am Professor X. It seems you know a bit about us mutants."
"Professor X is quite renowned among mutants; of course I've heard of you." Ye Hai looked her over, impressed. "Your mind control abilities are incredible! You managed to control so many people from a distance."
"Each has their strengths, Doctor. Your powers are formidable as well, and my mental abilities have no effect on you. It seems you have a talent for the mental arts as well," Professor X observed curiously, as if she had discovered a jewel.
Ye Hai relaxed his shoulders. "I have many abilities; these are just a part of them. So, Professor, why did you seek me out today? I don't like beating around the bush. I have a date with my girlfriend, and I don't want her to find out I'm a mutant."
Professor X smiled gently. "Alright, I found out about a new Class 4 mutant today. I was excited, so I took the liberty of inviting you to come visit my academy."
"Of course! I've wanted to meet you and the others for a while now." Ye Hai readily agreed, then asked curiously, "Professor, you mentioned I'm a Class 4 mutant. How are mutant classifications determined?"
Happy with his agreement, Professor X smiled brightly and explained, "Doctor, you should know that our powers come from the X gene and the mental strength of our brains. The X gene grants superpowers, while mental strength provides the energy for them. To put it simply, if we compare mutants to cars, the X gene is the engine, and mental strength is the fuel—more fuel means the engine runs faster, which is how we categorize cars. Similarly, mutant levels depend on the amount of mental strength one has."
This confirmed what Ye Hai had suspected. He nodded and, glancing out the window, just spotted Gwen arriving. He said, "Professor, my girlfriend is here, so let's wrap up our talk for today."
"Alright." Professor X took out a piece of paper and wrote down the academy's address. "I look forward to our official meeting next time, Scientist!"
In an instant, the mental presence dissipated, and the cafe came back to life. People resumed their conversations, completely unaware that they had just been manipulated.
"Sir, what would you like to drink?" the waitress asked politely, her big eyes sparkling.
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