Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
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"Professor, you can't blame yourself for this. You didn't mean to do it.
Just like the principle you once taught us, it also applies to yourself."
Wolverine sighed and offered comfort.
Back then, the reason mutants were feared by humans was partly due to a small number of mutants using their abilities for crime.
But mostly, it was because when mutants began to manifest their powers, due to their inner fear, they couldn't control their abilities, leading to their family, friends, and innocent people around them being affected.
Every time these mutant children were brought to the school, the Professor would provide psychological counseling, helping them to find the courage to live again.
In truth, the Professor was just like those children; the tragedy occurred because his brain lost control due to seizures, and he himself felt more pain than anyone.
"I'm not a child. Since I made a mistake, I must bear the responsibility.
I cannot compensate the dead, I can only find a way for the living to live better."
The Professor looked at the children before him, a smile returning to his face.
If he hadn't seen these children and found hope again, he might never have been able to face his painful memories, drifting aimlessly until death.
"But Professor, so many years have passed. The school might have been taken by the government long ago, right?"
At this point, George spoke.
The location of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was indeed excellent. It was in the outskirts of the Bronx in New York, not too remote, but also a certain distance from Manhattan, a high-incident area.
Even a Chitauri invasion wouldn't reach there.
Most importantly, as far as he knew, the Bronx was in the northernmost part of New York and was the most chaotic borough in the entire city, primarily populated by residents of African and Latin American descent.
If Hell's Kitchen was the most chaotic place in the wealthy district of Manhattan, then the Bronx was the most chaotic place in all of New York.
Various gangs proliferated, and its crime rate was among the highest in the entire United States.
Such a place was perfect for him to fish in troubled waters and make money. Even if someone died, it wouldn't attract the government's attention.
However, after so many years, how could such a large mansion still be empty?
Professor X wiped away his tears and explained:
"Although I'm wanted, it's not an overt warrant. The government doesn't want to blow things up, and they don't have enough evidence to arrest me.
So, publicly, my identity is still intact, and most of my assets, including the mansion, are still mine.
It's just that I cannot show myself or use any assets, otherwise the government could follow those clues to find and apprehend me..."
"I see."
George wasn't clear on this aspect, but after Professor X's explanation, he generally understood a thing or two.
Professor X's secret identity was the headmaster of a mutant school, but publicly, he was the heir of the famous Xavier family, a true big capitalist.
In some ways, the Xavier family was even more influential than Stark Industries.
Stark Industries' rise was mainly due to Tony's father, Howard; before that, it wasn't considered a very large conglomerate.
But the Xavier family was a long-established noble family, with a deep and ancient heritage.
Without concrete evidence, publicly arresting the heir of the Xavier family and confiscating all their property would cause a sense of crisis among all the old capitalists.
Because if they could seize the Xavier family without evidence today, they could find a reason to seize others tomorrow, leading to widespread fear.
And could the government provide concrete evidence of the Professor's killings?
Of course not. The Professor had an epileptic seizure and lost control of his brain, directly killing the surrounding people with his psychic powers. Even in surveillance footage, everyone simply collapsed and died as if their brains had short-circuited. It was impossible to prove the Professor had killed them.
On the other hand, there were also negative repercussions to consider. If it were confirmed that the Professor, who had previously helped the government resolve crises multiple times and had been received and awarded by the President, suddenly killed so many people, the government would also bear responsibility. Their influence would decline, and even the President would be greatly affected.
So, at the time, they could only conduct arrests and detentions in secret, not openly. The entire incident was even deliberately downplayed.
"If that's the case, it's indeed a good choice."
George pondered carefully and approved Professor X's suggestion.
The Westchester incident occurred twenty-five years ago, in 1984. At that time, Tony Stark was only fifteen years old and had just entered the undergraduate program in Electrical Engineering at MIT.
Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, hadn't even become a pilot yet. Nick Fury was just an ordinary S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Star-Lord, Peter Quill, was only six years old, and his mother was still alive.
So, the mutant school might genuinely have been left empty and unmanaged.
He guessed that the police sent to search at the time probably couldn't even find the basement beneath the school.
"I have no objections, as long as the children are safe."
Gabriela also raised her hand in agreement. She felt that if both the Professor and George thought it was feasible, then it should be fine.
She was just an inexperienced Mexican nurse; her job was to take care of the children, not to offer uninformed opinions. She knew her place very well.
Seeing that everyone agreed, Wolverine no longer objected.
In truth, he longed to see the school again himself; it had once been his sanctuary.
As for Caliban, wherever the Professor and Wolverine went, he would follow, regardless of the specific location.
So, the large truck changed direction and headed straight for New York.
Since there were so many children and none of them had identification, they didn't enter any cities along the way. They simply purchased supplies in small towns and, when tired, drove to remote areas to rest.
After two days, they finally arrived in the Bronx, in northern New York.
Perhaps because he had confronted himself, the Professor's condition had improved slightly. Although he still couldn't use his abilities as before, occasionally influencing the thoughts of ordinary people was no problem.
This made their journey much smoother.
During this time, to prevent being tracked, they also changed trucks multiple times.
They would sell a truck at a used car market, then buy a different model used truck at another, constantly switching.
After arriving in the Bronx, they didn't go directly to the school that the Professor had converted from a four-garden castle. Instead, George and Wolverine went disguised to scout out the situation first.
The situation was indeed as the Professor had expected: it was still empty and unoccupied, though it looked much more dilapidated due to the castle having been uninhabited for a long time.
After confirming the school's safety, they waited until nightfall, then quietly climbed into the school with the children and settled into the castle's basement.
The castle basement had two floors. Besides the Professor's Cerebro chamber and the former X-Men training room, there were over a dozen empty rooms. They could all fit comfortably by making do.
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