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Straightening up, Magneto spoke with an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"If nothing unexpected happens, the second step will be the construction of mutant communities across the country, gathering mutants into designated areas.
"On the surface, it might resemble Genosha, but it's fundamentally different. Genosha is its own kind of flawed experiment. What they're proposing is simply to separate mutants from ordinary humans.
"The third step would be stripping mutants of their rights—employment, positions, opportunities—until living within normal human society becomes impossible.
"Then they'd redefine the relationship between humans and mutants, including marriage and family ties. Even sympathizers would be punished until their sympathy faded away. The goal would be to completely sever the connection between the two groups.
"The fourth step would be further centralized control over mutants. Exploiting their abilities, squeezing every bit of value out of them while providing only the bare minimum needed to survive—perhaps even conducting cruel human experimentation.
"After all the research already conducted, do you think ordinary people would object to studying mutants even further once mutants had already lost their human rights and ceased to be considered part of humanity?
"At that point, we'd be treated like livestock.
"After hearing all this, you can't still fail to understand where humanity is heading.
"The fifth step—and the final one—would be large-scale extermination.
"Fifty years ago, the cost was six million lives. In this era, how many sacrifices would it take before people finally woke up? Or perhaps eliminating mutants is simply the collective will of humanity."
No wonder Magneto said he was familiar with this pattern.
He was practically describing the treatment of Jews under Nazi rule during World War II.
And Magneto himself had grown up in a concentration camp. The identification number was still tattooed on his arm.
People liked to claim that modern society could never reach that final stage.
But if nobody resisted and nobody slammed on the brakes, then it became a classic slow-boiling-frog scenario.
That was why Magneto had stepped forward.
And why he felt he had no choice but to step forward.
Professor X's approach simply wasn't enough in a situation like this.
Magneto pressed further.
"Don't think you can remain detached simply because you're technically an alien.
"What do you think would happen if you told government officials that you weren't a mutant but an extraterrestrial?
"Would your treatment improve—or become even worse?"
Black Superman immediately tossed the question elsewhere.
"Would Professor X really sit back and let something like that happen? Surely he has some kind of plan."
Magneto answered frankly.
"Charles. Hank. Both of them place far too much faith in those in power.
"I can't.
"I've seen what those people look like once they tear away the mask.
"So what about you?
"Do you share the same illusions?
"Or are you willing to take a gamble on me?
"I know you have no interest in being a foot soldier. I already have enough soldiers.
"Combat has never been my first choice—only one of several options.
"But when violence must be opposed, I'm not the sort to waste time trying to persuade my enemies.
"What I need is someone who can contribute outside the battlefield.
"Someone intelligent.
"Perhaps even a genius.
"You said it yourself: the people outside aren't much help. I agree.
"So what about you?
"Can you help me?"
Did Magneto need Black Superman's combat power?
Not against humanity.
What he truly needed was the mind behind Stark Studios' cutting-edge digital visual effects technology—a mind years ahead of its era.
Black Superman sighed helplessly.
"What exactly do you want to do? Let me make one thing clear first: I won't help with everything."
Magneto pulled out a notebook and spread it across the table.
"Simple.
"We return to the first step I mentioned.
"Eliminating humanity—by turning everyone into mutants."
He tapped the notebook.
"It has already been confirmed in medicine that the human body possesses a magnetic field.
"By chance, I discovered that my mutant abilities can affect this weak biomagnetic field and permanently alter another person's physiology.
"My goal is to use this property to transform ordinary humans into mutants.
"These notes contain all my research so far.
"According to my observations, the greatest difference between ordinary humans and mutants lies in the level of activity within the magnetic fields of the brain.
"So my theory is to identify the reason for that difference and then enhance a normal human brain until it reaches the same level as a mutant's.
"I've already built several models and found that the primary point of influence should be the frontal lobe."
He continued:
"I've recruited volunteers among our fellow mutants and performed magnetic-field enhancement procedures on their brains, stopping before the pain became unbearable.
"Some individuals even underwent multiple sessions.
"The duration each person can tolerate varies, but every one of them experienced a measurable increase in power.
"They do need to retrain their control afterward, but that suggests my direction isn't wrong.
"At the very least, it works on mutants.
"Unfortunately, the enhancement only works for the first few treatments, and the benefits diminish each time.
"Eventually, no matter how much they endure, they stop getting stronger.
"And it doesn't allow someone to break through into a higher classification.
"It's more like digging out their latent potential all at once.
"It's different from Apocalypse's enhancements."
He paused.
"Hmm... you probably don't know who Apocalypse is.
"Never mind. He's a very unusual mutant.
"Though he's dead now, so you don't need to worry about him."
So he'd already conducted human experiments.
Granted, they'd been on willing mutants.
Even so, Black Superman had to admire the old concentration-camp survivor's audacity.
This wasn't merely bold.
It bordered on reckless.
As he flipped through the notebook, he found the records surprisingly detailed.
In modern medicine, biomagnetics was still an extremely young field.
Any scholar researching it would probably treat Magneto's notes like priceless treasure.
At the same time, the entire thing felt absurd.
It was like measuring temperatures around the world and then claiming you understood the entire climate system.
Then deciding you could control the weather by manipulating temperature alone.
The most ridiculous part?
Magneto eventually succeeded.
The method had flaws, but absent other explanations, the only conclusion was that his powers were so overwhelming that he had brute-forced the problem into submission.
No wonder Marvel officially recognized him—alongside Professor X—as one of the fourteen Omega-level mutants.
Should he help?
Absolutely.
Magneto had brought this up voluntarily, which meant the resources of the Brotherhood of Mutants would effectively be opened to him.
As long as he avoided destructive procedures like dissection, Magneto would likely grant considerable freedom.
The old man had practically invited a wolf into his house.
If Henry failed to take advantage of the opportunity, it would be a waste.
As long as he ultimately delivered the results Magneto wanted, everything else discovered along the way would effectively become his own bonus.
Closing the notebook, Black Superman looked up.
"I can help.
"But I won't do it for free.
"I expect compensation."
"As long as it's reasonable, I can accept that," Magneto agreed immediately.
"I do have some things that could help.
"But I'll need time to prepare.
"And there are some pieces of equipment I'll need you to manufacture."
"As long as you provide the schematics, I can make them."
Without hesitation, Black Superman grabbed a stack of blank paper and began sketching rapidly.
A multifunction electron microscope.
His current nearsightedness made it a necessary tool.
After finishing, he handed over the drawings.
"There.
"That's your first task.
"Build this.
"I'm heading out."
He rose to leave.
Magneto frowned.
"Where are you going?"
"I have an elderly gentleman to look after during the day.
"And I have some preparations of my own to make.
"I'll come back tomorrow night."
"You—"
"I'm getting paid over there, you know.
"What exactly are you offering besides empty promises?"
"I..."
"So until tomorrow, Mr. Magneto."
Black Superman flew straight through the same window Mystique had been using to look at the moon earlier, disappearing into the night sky.
Magneto remained behind, deep in thought.
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