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The 'exposure' of the Alkali conspiracy was only the beginning.
Kevin had already planned everything; after this, he would find those 'victims' and livestream their tracking.
And without a doubt, the most easily accessible victim near Kevin was 'Laura'.
That's right, Kevin would later find an opportunity to observe Laura and inform the public of her plight.
As Kevin organized his subsequent plans, Paul, who was beside him, looked ashen, slumped on the ground, muttering:
"It's over… it's all over… Alkali-Transigen will definitely kill me…"
Thirteen gunshots to the back, suicide, look it up.
Kevin smiled and patted his shoulder:
"Don't be so pessimistic, friend. If this succeeds, you'll be a hero to mutants. Show some heroic spirit."
Kevin looked at Paul, growing more and more satisfied.
He suddenly admired himself for leaving a Black person alive when he decided to leave a survivor. Given Paul's race, his 'heroic' actions would naturally attract a large portion of Black people to support him.
And Kevin's current identity as a White person could also gain the support of many 'rednecks'.
Of course, Kevin was also well aware that his video was not flawless; it would certainly have loopholes if scrutinized.
But the problem was that the American people fell for this kind of thing, and even if there were loopholes, what then? The evidence was real, and that was enough.
Finally, there was the inherent conflict between mutants and humans in the X-Men world.
Kevin could guarantee that this issue was not a problem in the current era.
If the current era was 2004, twenty-five years ago, Kevin releasing a similar video to guide public opinion would certainly not have achieved the desired effect.
At that time, Magneto was active, and under his relentless 'terrorist destruction', most people had an extreme aversion to mutants.
Kevin doing so would instead create a rebellious psychology, and many people would think Alkali-Transigen did a good job.
But now it was 2029, a full 25 years after no new mutants had been born.
Over 25 years, the number of mutants had become increasingly scarce; they were either dead or in hiding, and now you couldn't find a single mutant on the streets.
Most of those who once hated mutants were now old and frail. Many young and middle-aged people now did not know the horror of mutants.
America was also an extremely 'free' country.
In a place where even when a mouse died, people would shout 'mice also have the right to live', committing genocide against an entire race was something they absolutely could not accept.
Kevin was sure that people would definitely target Alkali-Transigen over this matter.
In fact, it wouldn't be long before America would spontaneously establish a 'Mutant Rights Protection Department' to protect the life safety of mutants to the greatest extent possible.
Kevin happily thought about the subsequent operations.
Paul's expression, however, was as if he had lost a loved one.
He regretted it now, deeply regretted it. If he had known it would turn out like this, he would rather have been trampled to death by Kevin back then; at least he would have died quickly.
Now…
He was famous, but at the same time, he was certainly on Alkali-Transigen's blacklist. God knew what kind of torment he would suffer if Alkali-Transigen ever caught him.
It was precisely because he worked for Alkali-Transigen that Paul knew what methods they used against traitors.
"I'm dead… I'm definitely dead…"
Paul squatted on the ground, holding his head.
Kevin patiently comforted him, whispering in his ear like an ancient god:
"Don't worry, as long as you still have fame, if you die, it will only prove that Alkali-Transigen has a guilty conscience. They won't kill you now, or rather, they won't kill you until you lose your popularity, do you understand?"
"What… what do you mean…?"
"My meaning is clear: as long as you continue to help me, you can live and become a hero in the hearts of many, a warrior who dares to oppose tyranny. But conversely, if you choose to give up… you understand what you will experience."
"Help you… and I can live…"
Paul muttered to himself.
What Kevin said was easy to understand, and Paul seemed to grasp what he needed to do next.
A glimmer of light appeared in his originally dim eyes, and these glimmers turned into determination a few seconds later.
He gritted his teeth and said, "I know what I need to do."
At this point, Paul had no turning back. He could only choose to go all the way with Kevin.
And he had to make himself increasingly famous, publicizing his every move to the public to the greatest extent possible to prevent Alkali-Transigen from 'assassinating' him.
Perhaps this way, he could keep himself alive.
Seeing that Paul had been fooled… persuaded by himself, Kevin nodded in satisfaction.
He took a transparent mask from his pocket and handed it to Paul, saying:
"Today's operation ends here. I will continue to contact you later. Before I contact you, take this mask and hide. When it's your turn to appear, I'll call you."
"This mask is…"
"Something that can change your appearance. Don't worry, I won't harm you."
At least not now.
On the contrary, Kevin wanted Paul to live. A Black fighter, playing the race discrimination card, was the most convenient.
If Alkali-Transigen's attempt to exterminate mutants was defined as clear racial discrimination, then regardless of whether they were Black, White, or other races, people would join the ranks of those condemning Alkali-Transigen.
Especially with political correctness becoming increasingly prevalent now.
Paul, who was already on Kevin's rogue ship, had no other choice. He took the mask from Kevin's hand and put it on his face. The surface of the transparent mask flickered for a moment, and then Paul transformed into another unfamiliar appearance.
After confirming that Paul had changed his appearance, Kevin then left a special rune on him in a proper manner and said:
"I've left a mark on you. I can sense you at any time, so don't even think about escaping, and certainly don't think about reporting us, or you understand what the consequences will be."
Even at this point, Kevin did not fully trust him.
Although normal people knew that Paul had no choice but to trust Kevin now, who knew if Paul would suddenly act foolishly and report them to the government for a chance to live.
Better safe than sorry, Kevin still decided to leave an insurance on Paul to prevent this guy from suddenly acting foolishly and reporting them.
After letting Paul go, Kevin returned to the farmer's house before dawn.
Because Kevin had resolved the crisis in advance, the farmer's family had a peaceful night.
In the early morning, the farmer was preparing firewood with Logan. Seeing Kevin return, Farmer Will greeted Kevin:
"Good morning."
"Morning, Mr. Monson, morning, Uncle Logan."
Kevin also greeted them in return.
Kevin called Logan 'Uncle' because, according to Logan's introduction, Kevin was not part of their family, but they brought him along on their travels due to close blood ties.
So Kevin had to call Logan 'Uncle' in front of outsiders.
Although Logan's age could already make him Kevin's great-great-great-grandfather…
Seeing Kevin return, Logan's expression was somewhat complex. He put down his work, said something to the farmer, and then took Kevin to a secluded corner and asked:
"Where did you go last night?"
"I went to cause trouble for Alkali-Transigen."
Kevin did not hide anything. He took out his phone, went to the video website, showed Logan the video he had posted, and explained:
"Simply fleeing is useless. If we don't expose what Alkali-Transigen is doing, even if we escape to sea, they will eventually come for us.
"To completely deal with them, we need to bring them down through public opinion. Coincidentally, I'm quite good at that."
"…So, you revealed your appearance?"
After listening, Logan was not as happy as Kevin had imagined. Instead, his cheek twitched, and he questioned Kevin.
Kevin knew what he was worried about. He took out a pair of black-rimmed glasses, put them on his face, and dabbed some stubble on his chin.
In the blink of an eye, Kevin's image transformed from a somewhat delicate young man to a mature 'uncle' nearing thirty.
Logan said nothing more after seeing this. He threw the phone back to Kevin and said:
"What you're doing is useless. The video will be deleted very soon."
"What if I said I could guarantee the video wouldn't be deleted?"
"Even then, you can't bring down Alkali-Transigen this way. Do you think such a large corporation would be so easily brought down by the 'rumors' you posted?"
"I certainly know that a single video cannot severely damage Alkali-Transigen, but I have other methods."
Although the remaining methods couldn't be used immediately, Kevin did have them.
Now there was only one question left: to what extent could the American government support Alkali-Transigen in eliminating mutants?
If all governments fully supported Alkali-Transigen in eliminating mutants, then Kevin's actions might not be able to shake Alkali's core.
But conversely, as long as there were some congressmen who disliked Alkali, Kevin could guarantee to solve the problems Logan and his group were currently facing.
Logan looked at Kevin in surprise.
He didn't understand where Kevin's confidence came from, and it was only now that Logan realized he had never understood this mutant who suddenly appeared and chose to help them.
After a long silence, Logan suddenly asked:
"…I heard Caliban say you're looking for Phoenix?"
"Yes, but I know she's very important to you. If I said I wanted to visit Phoenix's grave, you probably wouldn't agree, so I chose to help you first."
Kevin did not hide his purpose. Facing Logan, he felt it was better to be sincere.
"You just want to see her?"
Logan continued to ask.
Kevin nodded:
"Yes, I just want to see her."
The Phoenix Force resided within Jean Grey's body. Even if she died, if there was no new host, it should remain near Jean Grey.
Kevin didn't know how the skill tree would allow him to contact the Phoenix Force, but he figured that as long as he went to Jean Grey's side, the skill tree would find a way for the Phoenix Force to appear and make contact with Kevin.
Kevin's expression was serious and sincere. Logan took out a cigarette, smoked it, and after a long thought, said to Kevin:
"After we drop off Laura, I'll take you to see her."
"Thanks, but aren't you curious why I'm looking for Phoenix?"
When he confirmed that Logan had no intention of digging deeper, Kevin asked with a touch of curiosity.
Jean was someone Logan once loved. It should be strange for Logan that a stranger like Kevin wanted to see her.
But he didn't ask.
Logan explained:
"If you want to say something, you will; if you don't, it's useless for me to ask."
Logan finished his cigarette in one puff, threw the butt on the ground, and stomped it out, then said to Kevin again:
"Alright, pack up, we should get going."
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