Chapter 169: I Am George, Headmaster of the Superhuman Academy
"Alright, be careful. As long as I'm here, nothing will go wrong at the school."
Professor X didn't say much about George's decision.
He had confidence in George's abilities. Although George was still far weaker than him in terms of psychic power, his combination of various other abilities made his overall strength far superior.
Even if trouble arose, no one could stop him from leaving if he wanted to.
"Thank you for your efforts!"
"It won't take long."
George stood up, chanted the Apparition Spell, and disappeared from sight after a brief two-second pause.
Professor X assumed that George was going to find Bruce Banner mainly to recruit him as a teacher and lighten his own teaching burden.
In reality, George was primarily after the Hulk's hair.
The Hulk grew stronger the angrier he got. If he were in the Harry Potter universe, he would undoubtedly be classified as a humanoid magical creature—capable of utterly crushing real giants and possibly even overpowering dragons.
From this perspective, the Hulk's hair might make for an excellent wand core material.
Currently, George had three clones. Interestingly, each of these clones was stronger than his original body.
They all shared the same physical attributes and magical power, but his original body's wand had the weakest amplification effect. It only allowed for normal spell-casting speed but provided almost no boost in magical power.
At present, his best wand came from the Fairy Tail world, with a magic amplification effect exceeding twenty times.
Next was the magic ring from The Sorcerer's Apprentice world, with an amplification effect of about three times.
Lastly, there was the wand from the Harry Potter world, which only doubled the magic's effectiveness.
Thus, aside from diligently studying magic to enhance his own strength, crafting a superior wand had become one of his top priorities.
"Another New Ability… Or Perhaps a New Kind of Magic?"
Watching George vanish from sight, Professor X muttered to himself.
In truth, he had long suspected that not all of George's abilities were mutant-based—especially after checking the school's computer and finding folders labeled as "study materials."
However, he chose not to bring it up. Some things didn't need to be explicitly stated. If George claimed his abilities were those of a mutant, then he would let it be.
He wasn't Wolverine—he wasn't that easy to deceive. Even though his psychic power had weakened significantly, his ability to judge people had not.
After spending so much time with George, he realized that George wasn't as kindhearted as he seemed on the surface.
But so what?
At the very least, George wasn't truly evil. Otherwise, he would have long abandoned them and pursued his own life of freedom.
Ever since his consciousness was transferred into this new body, Professor X had constantly reflected on his past decisions.
If he hadn't trusted humans so much… If he had been more ruthless toward those who were anti-mutant… Would things have turned out differently? Would mutants have avoided near extinction and the suffering of countless experiments?
But even if he had taken a harder stance, would things have really been better for mutants?
Even now, he had no answer.
Hypotheticals were just that—hypotheticals. No one could predict what the outcome would have been.
Perhaps, no matter which path one chose, regret would always follow.
So now, he had decided to stop making decisions himself. He would entrust his fate—and the fate of the children—to Headmaster George.
As long as George's orders didn't violate his bottom line or his conscience, he would follow them.
After all, without George's efforts, they might all already be dead. The children, if they had survived at all, would have either been turned into tools for killing or subjected to inhumane experiments.
Now, he saw things more clearly.
He was just a teacher who safeguarded the school. His responsibility was to educate the children, nothing more.
Manhattan – Near Stark Tower
George's figure suddenly appeared.
Previously, he had been in the Bronx and was unfamiliar with Manhattan. The only place he was somewhat familiar with was Stark Tower, which he had visited once with Pepper Potts.
So, he used Apparition to teleport near Stark Tower first.
"Invisibility Cloak!"
He cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, spreading his wings and swiftly flying toward Grayburn College.
"It seems General Ross hasn't made a move yet."
Circling above the school and finding no military presence, George waved his hand and cast a Tracking Spell.
"Footsteps Reveal—Bruce Banner!"
Dispelling his invisibility, he landed and followed the magical trail left by Banner's footprints, which led him to a research building.
Ascending the stairs to the third floor, he raised his hand and knocked.
"Hello, is anyone there?"
About two minutes later, a short, middle-aged man in a blue long-sleeve shirt opened the door.
"Student, I'm quite busy right now. If you have questions, come see me after class tomorrow."
The man assumed George was a student looking for academic help.
After all, George appeared to be in his early twenties—just about the same age as the university students.
"Sorry, I'm not looking for you, Dr. Sterns. I'm here for Dr. Bruce Banner."
Dr. Sterns visibly flinched upon hearing George's words. He immediately stepped back and tried to shut the door.
However, George placed a hand against it, effortlessly pushing his way inside and forcing Sterns aside.
"Dr. Banner, no need to hide behind the curtain. I mean no harm—I'm neither with the government nor the military."
George walked into the living room, sat down, and addressed the window where someone was concealed behind the curtains.
Realizing there was no longer any point in hiding, Banner and his girlfriend, Betty, stepped out.
They cautiously eyed George.
"Who are you? How do you know I'm here?"
"My name is George. I'm the headmaster of the Superhuman Academy."
"As for how I found you?"
"If I want to find someone, I'll find them. That's my ability."
George spoke casually as he sat comfortably on the sofa.
Banner frowned.
"Superhuman Academy? Never heard of it."
Betty and Dr. Sterns looked equally confused.
"That's fine. Sit down, and I'll explain everything."
George snapped his fingers.
The water dispenser in the living room suddenly turned on by itself. Four cups automatically filled with water and floated over to the coffee table in front of George.
"Tea, coffee, or something stronger?"
"Are you performing a magic trick?"
Seeing George's casual snap of his fingers resulting in cups floating midair, the three highly educated scientists were left completely dumbfounded.
Magic tricks could fool children, but not them.
What they had just witnessed was no ordinary sleight of hand.
Could it be some kind of advanced technology?
(End of Chapter)