"I know the adamantium in your body is poisoning you—slowly killing you."
Logan was already aware of this. It was his body, after all, and he could feel the toll the metal had taken on him.
In the past, adamantium hadn't affected him because he was young, full of vitality. Any toxins it released were immediately neutralized by his healing factor, making them harmless.
But as he aged and his regenerative abilities weakened, the "minor toxin" he had once ignored became a deadly poison, eating away at him every second of every day.
His physical strength was deteriorating, his healing factor failing him, his senses dulled to the point that he couldn't even read the labels on his medication. He had accepted it as the natural consequence of old age, believing that the adamantium had simply accelerated the inevitable.
That was what he had thought—until today.
"Actually, it's not the adamantium that's killing you." Ethan patted Logan's shoulder, feeling firsthand just how weak his body had become. "It's the food and water you consume every day."
"What?"
Logan stared at him, momentarily stunned. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Exactly what I said."
Ethan had already scanned the area and found where Professor X was being kept.
It looked like… a giant water tank?
Without elaborating further, he turned and headed in that direction.
"Hey, you'd better explain yourself!"
Ethan didn't look back. He simply waved his hand, gesturing for Logan to follow. "It's too much of a hassle to explain everything twice. Let's talk together."
At the same time, he called out to Caliban, who had stepped outside, alerted by the commotion.
"You too."
Caliban frowned in confusion, ignoring Ethan and instead looking to Logan. "Who is this guy?"
Logan didn't answer. His attention was on Ethan, who was walking straight toward Charles' hiding place.
"Stop. This is private property, you can't just barge in."
"I know it's private property," Ethan replied casually. "But technically, it's not yours."
Whether it had been acquired through some obscure connections or a shell company, Logan wasn't the legal owner. Ethan wasn't worried about stepping on any toes.
Logan quickly moved to stop him, but before he could reach him, Ethan simply waved his hand. From a distance, the locked metal gate ahead swung open on its own.
Logan's eyes twitched at the sight.
The way the gate creaked open instantly reminded him of a whole host of unpleasant memories.
"Mutant?"
Caliban, still trying to insert himself into the situation, finally voiced his thoughts. Ethan's actions reminded him of someone he had encountered before.
But before either of them could react further, Ethan was already standing at the entrance, waiting patiently.
"Aren't you coming? I'm only explaining this once."
"Son of a bitch."
Logan was thoroughly irritated, but he had no choice. He gritted his teeth and limped after Ethan, still wary of what this stranger might do—even though he had shown no malice so far.
"Let's see what he has to say."
Once inside, Logan shut the door behind them.
At least now, whatever was discussed wouldn't be overheard.
As soon as he entered, he instinctively positioned himself in front of Charles, shielding the frail, aging professor behind him, especially with Ethan standing there, surveying the room with an unreadable expression.
"Looks like I came at a bad time."
"What?"
"He's in no condition to have a conversation right now."
Professor X looked terrible. His body was frail, his mind deteriorating. Once the most powerful telepath in the world, his abilities had weakened drastically. And beyond that, his cognitive functions were on the brink of collapse.
Had he been anyone else, he would have died long ago. The fact that Charles Xavier could still maintain lucidity at all spoke to just how powerful he had once been.
Seeing him like this, Ethan couldn't help but wonder—was it because these older mutants were too powerful that they had been targeted? Was it possible that the ones responsible for wiping out mutants had intentionally used Charles' abilities to eliminate the new generation?
Otherwise, poisoning their food supply would have been pointless. If not for their age and declining health, the older generation of mutants might have survived to die of natural causes instead of being systematically wiped out.
Logan had no idea what Ethan was thinking, but seeing the shift in his expression, he felt an odd sense of relief. It didn't seem like Ethan was here with any ill intent after all.
"As I said, there's no professor here. There won't be anymore."
"Wait, Logan. Let me speak with this young man."
The moment Charles spoke, his words were clear and logical—completely unlike the ramblings he had been uttering moments ago.
Logan turned sharply.
For the first time in a long while, Charles' eyes were bright with clarity. His expression… it reminded Logan of years past, back when the professor had been himself.
Ethan noticed it even before Logan did.
The moment Charles had regained his awareness, a wave of psychic energy brushed against Ethan's mind—light, fleeting, and immediately withdrawn. It had been a mere touch, but it was enough to put him on guard.
There was no malice in it. It had simply been an unconscious reaction, an automatic probing of his mind.
But had Charles already been returning to normal before that? Or had Ethan's presence, his own mental energy, triggered something in Charles?
Whatever the reason, at least now, Professor X was in a state where they could talk.
"It's not easy to meet you," Ethan said calmly.
Previously, Logan had refused to believe him. And when he had finally reached Charles, the man had been too incoherent to hold a conversation. Only now, at last, was he meeting Professor X, leader of the X-Men, one of the most powerful mutants to have ever lived.
"I didn't choose any of this either," Charles admitted. Then, surprisingly, he smiled faintly. "But I must thank you. Your mind is strong—pure. And your vitality is… remarkably pure as well. It seems that allowed me to recover… though I don't know how long it will last."
Charles didn't hide the truth.
When he was in a confused state, his telepathic powers would unconsciously lash out, harming ordinary people. That was the reason Logan had locked him away in the first place.
At first, Logan hadn't allowed Ethan to see Professor X, and in a way, he had been protecting him.
Just look at Caliban—every time he brought food and medicine to the professor, he was risking his life. He had even voiced his frustration with Logan over it before.
Of course, Ethan had thought of this. He gave Logan a meaningful glance, but whether Logan had actually considered it that way or not, he certainly wasn't going to admit it.
Right now, though, Ethan was more focused on something else.
"You said that once I met the professor, you'd tell me everything I wanted to know. So now, I want to know, what exactly are you planning to do?"
"I already told you," Ethan replied. "Let's talk about your future."
Logan was about to scoff, but Charles stopped him.
"Do you think we have a future?"
"You're still alive, aren't you? As long as you're alive, you have a future."
Ethan could have added that even if they died, their souls wouldn't simply vanish, meaning there would still be a future but explaining that would have been too much of a hassle.
Logan didn't buy into that kind of sentimental optimism, but Charles seemed to appreciate it.
"You're right," Charles mused. "As long as we're alive, there's still a future."
That said, liking the sentiment didn't change the harsh reality of their situation.
"But tell me—what kind of future do you think we'll have?"
Ethan needed to answer this carefully. How he responded now would determine whether they'd be willing to follow his lead.
He wanted to change their fates, not just for them, but for his own satisfaction. However, that didn't mean he was going to let them dictate his actions or play the role of a caretaker.
There were many ways to solve problems, and he preferred doing things his way.
"As things stand now," Ethan said bluntly, "death will be your inevitable fate… and it's not far off."
There was no need to sugarcoat it. Everyone here was smart enough to understand what he was implying.
"You think we can avoid that ending?"
"Of course."
"How?"
Ethan stroked his chin, then gave them an answer they weren't expecting.
"Let's set everything else aside for now. The first thing you need to do is get rid of all your food and water."
Logan's expression darkened.
"You mentioned food and water before. Twice now."
"That's right."
"Why?"
"Have you ever wondered why no new mutants have been born for so long?"
The original events of this world had made it clear—the "drug" used to suppress mutant genes had been secretly introduced into common food and drinking water. It wasn't just preventing new mutants from being born; existing mutants were also gradually deteriorating from prolonged exposure. Their genetic structures were breaking down, leading to the degradation of their abilities.
Logan's body had been destroyed by these genetic suppressants.
With his self-healing factor weakened, his body had lost the ability to expel the natural toxins from his adamantium skeleton, accelerating his decline.
So, even without any complex treatments, simply stopping the consumption of these contaminated foods and undergoing some basic detoxification would be enough to restore Logan to his former, unstoppable self.
(To be continued.)