Russell didn't care.
Pyro's ability allows him to control Fire, but not create it. His strength is average, only capable of restraining superhumans who rely on Fire, like Human Torch.
Frankly speaking, based on what he had seen so far, apart from Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, everyone under Magneto was just a bunch of useless trash.
"Avalanche's ability seems strong, but the seismic waves he emits have limited damage to organic matter. Blob's strength is decent, but his head isn't very bright."
Magneto introduced his subordinates to Russell, intending to show Russell not to underestimate the Brotherhood he controlled, but Russell's opinion didn't change much.
However, putting others aside, having one Scarlet Witch was enough.
...
Late at night, the moon was full and the stars were sparse.
Insects chirped, birds sang, and the mountain wind rustled.
People in the camp still occasionally looked up in surprise at the top of the hillside. Next to the tent that originally belonged to Magneto and his daughter Scarlet Witch, a new, simple-style wooden Villa had been erected.
Bright lights shone through the curtains and floor-to-ceiling windows, faintly illuminating the area below the hillside.
In the deep mountains and old forests, a modern Villa looked conspicuous no matter how you looked at it; it was hard not to notice.
By the campfire, everyone was chattering about what they had seen during the day, discussing what Russell's ability was, certain that it wasn't as simple as he claimed.
"Quicksilver, didn't My Lord Magneto say we were going to launch a nuclear bomb and start a World War? Why did he bring someone back halfway?
You... you came back with Infinitoid, you must have seen how My Lord Magneto recruited him. Did you see his ability?"
Toad nudged Quicksilver's shoulder and asked him with a lisp.
"He? Didn't see, don't know."
Recalling the military Base that looked like it had been flattened by the aftermath of a battle, and My Lord Magneto's own admission that he had lost, Quicksilver's eyes darted around, and he waved his hand.
"But you'd better not provoke him.
The old man, recently, has been very fond of him."
He threw out a sentence and ducked back into his tent to prepare for sleep.
Although he was Magneto's son, Quicksilver had never received any affection and could only live on the hillside like everyone else.
Under the lights in the Villa.
Two steel pellets, like obedient spirits, spun in Russell's palm. His feet were casually resting on the coffee table, but his consciousness had delved deep into the earth, with even the smallest iron molecules under his control.
The electromagnetic field he emitted could easily cover a thousand miles, creating force fields, controlling metal, distorting light, generating magnetic rays, electromagnetic pulses... Russell had a feeling he had never had before.
He had never felt so close to being a god.
Sitting motionless, he could remotely destroy a city or even a country thousands of miles away.
"Even by connecting and disturbing the Earth's magnetic field, causing the steel on entire continental plates to become agitated, destroying all modern civilization on a continent!"
No wonder Magneto always liked to fly in mid-air, towering over everyone, proud like an unquestionable King, creating grand scenes with a wave of his hand.
Compared to what Magneto could achieve at his limit, he was actually very restrained.
Russell closed his eyes.
By reading the electromagnetic waves from broadcast channels and television signals in the air, he quickly learned about the current situation of this World.
"In terms of technology... no tablets, no smartphones, but there are laser guns, laser tanks, and spaceships?
Technological development is somewhat lopsided."
"In terms of Superheroes—no Spider-Man, no Avengers, no Hulk..."
"But there is Captain Marvel?... However, Captain Marvel was also a flash in the pan and has disappeared from people's sight for a long time."
"People don't even have much concept of the term Superheroes."
Perhaps because the timeline was too early, still in the 1980s, Superheroes had barely appeared. For people with strange abilities, the first reaction was Mutant.
"Since the 1940s, friction between ordinary people and the Mutant population has become increasingly severe."
Russell opened his eyes, deep in thought.
Superheroes were not the theme of this Universe; Mutants were the protagonists on the stage.
He was misunderstood as a Mutant by Magneto and Professor X, but he didn't explain, because it would be too troublesome and would make people wonder where his abilities came from.
"Mutant, or human..."
This question was actually not difficult to choose. Although Russell was not a Mutant, he was not an ordinary human either.
The word Mutant itself didn't carry original sin. Humans feared, discriminated against, and persecuted Mutants mainly because Mutants were different with special abilities, superior and stronger than them, and had greater potential.
Humans subconsciously feared being replaced by evolution, just as ancient apes were once replaced by humans.
Such worries were not unfounded; Mutants indeed seemed like the next stage of human evolution.
"Of course, it's also because humans are still the main body of the World to this day, and Mutants are being driven out, discriminated against, and persecuted everywhere."
Adding icing to the cake is never as appreciated as providing help in times of need.
The gratitude of a powerful Mutant is worth more than that of a hundred ordinary people.
Russell tapped his fingers on the armrest of the sofa, his eyes shining.
Establishing an unprecedented Mutant nation, his name would spread among the Mutant community and all humans, becoming universally known.
And he didn't mind doing a little good deed along the way.
For example, facilitating a peaceful evolution between humans and the Mutant community. Humans were once part of the ancient apes.
Knock knock!
The Villa door was suddenly knocked.
"The door isn't locked."
Scarlet Witch pushed the door open, first looking around the spacious and bright Villa, then looking at Russell on the sofa with a slight embarrassment.
"Is there something, uh..."
Russell seemed unsure how to address Scarlet Witch. Scarlet Witch, who had something to ask for, immediately reported her name.
"Wanda Maximoff, just call me Wanda."
"Likewise, just call me Russell."
"How... how did you do it?" Like a young girl entering a boy's room late at night, a little shy, Wanda put her hands behind her back, her eyes gesturing towards the Villa.
"Controlling molecules, transforming earth into steel, ceramic..."
"Could you make one for me too?
It doesn't need to be this big, just a place where I can easily wash my hair and take a bath."
Wanda requested with a smile.
Living in the mountains might be easy for men to adapt to, but it wasn't so comfortable for girls.
"Of course, it's no trouble at all."
Russell chuckled and spread his hands.
Seeing him agree, Wanda was delighted. Then, remembering something, she said,
"Oh, right, Father is looking for You."
"What for?"
Russell got up, and they talked as they walked out.
"Mystique is back. Oh, right, You might not know her. She is a Mutant with the ability to shapeshift."
"A natural spy? A master at gathering intelligence."
"Exactly. Father seems to have been sending her to a certain place to gather information during this time. The news she brought back today made Father furious."
Under the moonlight, they walked side by side. Wanda said with a slight click of her tongue,
"I rarely see Father so angry, like a volcano about to erupt.
Father asked me to find You and said he wanted to discuss our next move with You. Something is pressing and must be done."
After Wanda and her brother Quicksilver found Magneto, they had been staying with the members of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Except for her brother Quicksilver, who had no patience for anything, she had hardly met anyone her age.
Now meeting Russell, Wanda really enjoyed having someone her age she could talk to quietly.
"Something pressing? What is it?"
Russell raised an eyebrow.