135. The Original X-Men: Wolverine Joins the Team

Aldrich Killian and his associates had no way of knowing why their plans were being manipulated or if a ghost had appeared in the machine. However, since the actor playing the Mandarin was dead and Killian had already exposed himself to the public, there was no choice but to commit to their course of action and proceed with the next steps.

In Pakistan, within a cluster of low-rise buildings that resembled a refugee camp, War Machine descended from the sky. With the massive cannons on his shoulders swiveling, he unleashed a barrage of fire upon the surroundings. To his disappointment, he soon realized he had been played; this was no signal source, but a genuine refugee camp filled with nothing but civilians. Just as he prepared to leave in frustration, Extremis soldiers hiding within the camp struck, capturing him along with his armor. This was part of Killian’s plan: to secure the War Machine armor, which was vital for executing Project Trojan—the abduction of the President from Air Force One. Due to various unforeseen events, Killian had been exposed, and he was forced to accelerate his timeline.

Su Ye, however, paid no mind to these developments. After using the Cerebro-like amplifier to manipulate Killian’s film crew, expose the Mandarin hoax, and have the actor killed, he turned his attention away from Killian. Keeping the helmet on, he began searching for mutants, much like in the X-Men films. Since he had already loaded the abilities of both Professor X and Magneto, it stood to reason that mutants were now spawning across the globe, waiting to be gathered. Once properly trained, they would be a massive asset to the Guardians, significantly expanding the roster of heroes.

It was a pity, he mused, that since he possessed both sets of powers himself, he couldn't recreate the iconic scene of two grown men lying on a large red bed while waiting for a single waitress's service. The internet seemed to love that kind of bromance, he chuckled. It was no great loss, though; he didn't have Magneto, but he had Raven. Taking her along to do the work, and perhaps enjoying her company when there was no work to be done, was far more satisfying than going out with another man.

As Su Ye scanned the world, the information of several mutants appeared in his perception: a stripper with a wing-shaped tattoo on her back; a seemingly ordinary taxi driver with a bright, white smile; a handsome high school student who had locked himself in prison to avoid contact with others; a curly-haired youth who liked to hit on girls but was treated as a lunatic; and finally, a dashing middle-aged man drinking hard liquor and smoking cigars in a bar.

The others were easy to find and recruit, as they were the original members of the X-Men from *First Class*. The stripper, codenamed Angel, had wings that allowed her to fly and spit acidic fire and venom. The taxi driver, Darwin, possessed the ability to adapt and evolve for self-preservation. The boy in solitary confinement was Havok, capable of firing high-energy plasma blasts. (He also had a younger brother, currently an ordinary person, who would later awaken his powers as Cyclops—the very man who would eventually be obliterated by the Phoenix). The curly-haired youth, Banshee, could emit sonic waves for flight and combat.

The man in the bar, however, required special attention. He was none other than Logan, the Wolverine. According to the timeline, he was not yet the Logan implanted with Adamantium; his name was James Howlett—a veteran of over a hundred years who had seen countless wars and now simply wanted to enjoy his life. He was an incomplete version of Wolverine, possessing regenerative abilities but still bearing bone claws rather than metal ones. He looked dashing, though his power level was slightly diminished.

When Su Ye and Raven arrived, Logan was at the bar, looking cool while smoking and drinking, though his expression was predictably arrogant—the look of a man who feared no one and was ready to pick a fight.

"I am Su Ye."
"I am Su Raven."
"We represent the Great Wall Guardians and invite you to join us."

The two stood before him, their tone indifferent. Logan took a drag of his cigar and replied expressionlessly, "Get lost..."

Raven cut him off immediately, "I suggest you take that back, or you will regret it. You wouldn't want to experience the horrific fate of those aliens in New York."

"The New York aliens? Is that what you call the Great Wall Guardians?" Logan looked back at them. "Are you those superheroes who fought the aliens?"

After the Battle of New York, while the military took the blame for the city's destruction, the credit for closing the portal and securing humanity's victory was attributed to the superheroes. Pirate comic publishers had flooded the market with stories of the battle. The Avengers were deliberately overlooked, but the name "Great Wall Guardians" became widely known through these comics. Iron Man and Electro were particularly popular, as their flight capabilities made for more exciting reading. Su Ye’s persona, "Wu Sheng" (The Martial Saint), had been sculpted into the absolute powerhouse and strategist of the battle due to his role in crushing the Abomination in Harlem and his solo duel with Thor. It was his planning and leadership that had contained the alien destruction to New York, preventing it from spreading across the country and the world. Consequently, Wu Sheng’s reputation was the highest among all superheroes; his red Guan Gong mask had long since sold out in Chinatowns everywhere. Even wholesalers had realized the business opportunity and were importing the masks in bulk from Yiwu, China. If his father were still just a small-scale workshop owner, Su Ye might have asked him to ship a batch over for an easy profit. But now, it seemed his father looked down on such small change, so he decided to leave the opportunity to those who needed it more.

After Logan finished his question, Su Ye remained silent, but Raven proudly nodded. "That’s right. He is the leader of the Battle of New York, the Martial Saint."

Upon hearing that name, the disdain and coldness on Logan’s face vanished. He was arrogant and liked to posture, but he maintained a baseline respect for the strong—especially those who had appeared during the New York invasion. Furthermore, he had once been a soldier himself, carrying a gun to protect his country. Had he not been older and seeking a quiet life, he might have gone to New York to join the fray himself.

"Nice to meet you, Martial Saint!" Logan extended his hand, partly as a greeting and partly as a test. He wouldn't believe just anyone who claimed to be the Martial Saint; he had to verify it for himself.

Su Ye smiled and gripped Logan’s hand. Logan’s strength was considerable—on par with Spider-Man, ranging from 800 pounds to 25 tons. He was confident he could crush an ordinary man’s hand with ease; if this young man was a fraud, he would have to pay the price. However, the moment they shook hands, Logan knew he had lost. The man in front of him, who looked sophisticated and tall, possessed strength far greater than his own. Just as Logan tried to exert more pressure to avoid losing face, a voice echoed in his mind:

"Mr. James Howlett, perhaps we could talk somewhere else, don't you think?"

Logan’s eyes widened. "You, you are..."

Su Ye nodded. "As you can see, I am also a mutant."

Hero, Martial Saint, mutant—aside from his youth, Su Ye displayed every trait that made it impossible for Logan to refuse.

"If I may ask, what is your name?" Logan asked, his voice low.

"Su Ye, from China." Su Ye replied, suddenly feeling a bad premonition. Was he about to be overshadowed by someone else? Sure enough, Logan’s tone grew slightly agitated. "Surname Su? Is your father..."

"Su Mutian, just a nameless, small-time landowner in China." Su Ye shrugged. That was his first impression of his father, and the one he accepted most.

Logan didn't hesitate this time; he stood up immediately. "Didn't you say you wanted to talk somewhere else? Let's go!"

Raven rolled her eyes, pointed at the drinks on the table, and said, "Package this to go, please!"

The bartender was stunned; in all his years, he had never seen someone skip the tip and demand a to-go bag for their drinks. Raven pulled out a plastic bag herself. "Hurry up, I’m in a hurry."

***

The Red House.

Not far from the Guardians' base, a three-story Chinese-style timber building had just been completed. Standing over twenty meters tall with about three hundred square meters of floor space per level, it served as the temporary school for the Red Genius School. Because of its red paint and supporting pillars, it was dubbed the "Red House." This was only a transition; once the full complex was built, classrooms and dormitories would be separated.

Inside, the mutant children Su Ye had located via the Cerebro-amplifier were already gathered. With the help of the Guardians and S.H.I.E.L.D., finding them had been a trivial matter. They were currently getting to know one another, introducing their abilities, and choosing codenames, following the tradition of the Guardians' superheroes. Their names were largely the same as in the films, and the powers they displayed astonished the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents monitoring the site.

"Sir, I think this situation demands our absolute attention," Phil Coulson said, approaching Nick Fury with his concerns. "That Su Shuji (Secretary Su) effortlessly gathered so many children with super-powers. Once they are armed and formed into a unit, the Great Wall Guardians will become powerful beyond our imagination. By then..."

"Is that a bad thing?" Nick Fury asked. "Our initial goal was to assemble a superhero team capable of resisting foreign invasions and protecting the Earth. The Great Wall Guardians have done that. Shouldn't we be happy the stronger they are?"

Coulson shook his head. "But the Council and Congress probably don't see it that way. They won't allow a super-powered team they don't control to exist in this country. I’m worried that once they see the Guardians becoming too large, they might do something irrational."

Fury shook his head. "That is not our concern. Let the Guardians and Su Shuji worry about that. We have our own matters to manage. Coulson, do you remember why you joined S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Of course," Coulson nodded, "to maintain world peace!"

Fury shook his head. "Many have forgotten that. Some even include our colleagues and superiors. No, perhaps they were never on our side to begin with. S.H.I.E.L.D. is no longer the S.H.I.E.L.D. we once knew."

Coulson fell silent, stunned by the revelation.

"Prepare yourself. This is going to be a hard battle."

Before Coulson arrived, Fury had received a file that Su Ye’s clone had investigated—a file on a bespectacled, bald agent named Sitwell. Agent Sitwell, a Level 6 S.H.I.E.L.D. operative, was a computer expert who had tracked Loki, a key planner alongside Coulson in blocking the Abomination from joining S.H.I.E.L.D., and, in reality, a veteran Hydra agent. It was the same man who had been thrown off a building by Captain America and retrieved by the Falcon in *The Winter Soldier*. That such a senior agent was an enemy, a mole, was difficult for Coulson to accept. Was the entire organization becoming "Hydra-S.H.I.E.L.D."? If even the Council ministers and senators were Hydra, then as Fury said, this would indeed be a difficult battle.

However, this battle had nothing to do with Su Ye. He was only concerned with whether the mutant children he had brought back could adapt to the Guardians' environment and integrate well. And, of course, where the villain of *First Class*, Sebastian Shaw, was hiding now.