Chapter 126: Empathy

After Zhang Wei displayed his ticket code, the man in sunglasses opposite him nodded.

He spoke: "Let me introduce myself. I am Scott Summers, code name Cyclops. You can call me Old Lei."

Hearing him speak in fluent, standard Chinese felt somewhat incongruous to Zhang Wei.

The woman with Western features smiled and asked in English, "Scott, can you speak English?"

Cyclops remained expressionless and said coolly, "There are rules in the park."

The lingua franca here was Chinese. Due to past experiences, the mutants did not hold much affection for these "fellow countrymen."

The woman's expression stiffened, and she shut her mouth in embarrassment.

"Since there are no other questions, let's go," Cyclops said.

As he walked, he introduced the grounds to the group.

"This is the teaching building. If you manage to acquire mutant abilities, you can apply to study here," he explained.

"This is the administrative building; currently, only faculty members are allowed inside."

"There is a laboratory here that has not yet been officially opened. According to the Professor's plans, it should serve a more important purpose in the future."

The others nodded silently.

"This is the infirmary, currently open only to faculty and students," Cyclops said, a hint of excitement appearing on his face. "It can heal all wounds and illnesses."

Zhang Wei subconsciously glanced at his injured leg.

After walking another dozen steps, he couldn't help but ask, "If we possess mutant abilities, can we come here too?"

Cyclops looked back at him and nodded. "Of course."

Zhang Wei couldn't help but clench his fists.

The group continued to tour the academy under the guidance of Cyclops. Occasionally, they would see students passing by. Seeing the superpowers those students displayed inadvertently, all five people from Earth wore expressions of envy.

A moment later, they reached the entrance of the library.

As they approached, a group of five people happened to be coming out. They all wore dejected expressions, clearly having walked away empty-handed.

The person guarding the door was a man in a suit, his exposed skin covered in long blue fur, with a face like a lion.

Beast, Hank.

"Hello everyone, I am Hank. Welcome to the X-Academy library." Beast extended a hand toward the group.

Cyclops walked silently to the side and sat down on a bench. He leaned his head to look over at the side. Iceman was happily playing a game on his phone.

Zhang Wei and the others shook hands with Beast one by one and, under his guidance, entered the library.

Once inside, Zhang Wei looked around with curiosity. In the vast space, two rows of bookshelves were arranged. On those shelves were rows of thick, hardcover books.

Many people stood before the shelves. They held books in both hands, standing perfectly still as if they had been completely absorbed into the pages. Occasionally, someone would open their eyes, shake their heads in disappointment, put down the book they were holding, and look toward the next one.

The newcomers whispered among themselves.

"What is going on with them?"

"Is the content of the books that captivating?"

Zhang Wei said nothing. He had already received insider information and knew the reason.

"Everyone has only half an hour. Please hurry," Beast reminded them from the entrance.

The group hurriedly began to act. They started looking at the nearest bookshelf. Zhang Wei only glanced at the words on the cover of a book before walking away silently. He already had a target in mind, so he did not waste time.

It wasn't until he reached the thirty-second book that he found what he was looking for.

Wolverine.

Looking at the figure on the cover—muscles bulging, kneeling on the ground with steel claws protruding from his fists—a burning sensation ignited in Zhang Wei's heart.

This was the first target he had set for himself.

Someone had just put the book down. Zhang Wei took it into his hands, let out a soft breath, and opened it.

He lowered his head to read. Scenes flashed before him like a fast-forwarded slideshow.

An instant later, he felt his consciousness descend into chaos, and light appeared before him once more.

An ancient castle stood before him. He heard laughter in front of him. A boy and a girl, both young. The boy, Dog, was the gardener's son, and Rose, with her red hair, was a playmate brought specifically for him. His own identity was the son of the manor owner.

He opened his mouth, but the words that came out were completely different from what he had expected. Like a soul sealed within this body, he passively accepted "himself" playing happily with his two little friends, and being brutally cursed and beaten by his grandfather whenever he occasionally made a mistake.

Day after day, he grew taller, transitioning from a child to a teenager.

By chance, he caught Dog peeking at Rose while she was bathing. He reported this to his father, causing Dog to be brutally beaten by his gardener father. Harboring resentment, Dog tortured and killed his puppy. Upon learning this, his father angrily ordered the gardener to take his son and get out of the manor.

At midnight, he lay in bed, feeling lost and bewildered, not understanding why his childhood friend had turned into such a person.

Until a gunshot startled him awake. Following the sound, he saw his father lying in a pool of blood, and the gardener, Thomas, holding a shotgun, his other hand dragging his mother along.

Dog stood to the side, stepping on his father's head, smiling triumphantly at him.

In that moment, anger and pain flooded his brain. He felt as if something had snapped inside him, and then, a pair of bone claws pierced out from his fists...

He suddenly opened his eyes.

The book in front of him had returned to stillness. There was no reaction from his body.

Zhang Wei sighed inwardly.

Failure!

He had tried to immerse himself in that life, but whenever he faced the "grandfather's" curses and beatings, he found it difficult to adapt. His own grandfather had never hit or scolded him.

Putting the book down, Zhang Wei checked the time. Ten minutes had passed.

He looked toward his next target.

Colossus.

There was no one else reading this one either. He took the book and quickly sank into it.

He appeared on a farm, helping a young boy organize the stables. Their relationship was excellent. It was his older brother. He grew up happily until, after not seeing his brother for several days, he accidentally overheard others talking about his brother's death...

The grief caused his whole body to sting.

Shortly after, he woke up again. He failed to achieve "empathy" here as well.

Zhang Wei sighed with regret. He had originally wanted to substitute his own grandfather for the other boy's brother, but the constant sense of incongruity made it impossible for him to truly sink into the experience.

Only ten minutes left!

He took a deep breath and searched for his final target.

Magneto!

Clutching the book, Zhang Wei hesitated for a moment. But soon, his expression firmed.

He silently recalled those dark years he had experienced. His parents missing, being mocked as a "wild child" by village kids, his grandmother insisting on going home to save a newly bought piglet during a flash flood and being swept away, being locked in a room alone and huddled in a corner crying silently, being bullied by classmates in middle school for being studious and introverted, eating the dry, hard biscuits his grandfather brought him by soaking them in water, bit by bit, while huddled in a corner at lunch...

The negative emotions in his heart accumulated more and more, and then, he abruptly opened the book.