Marvel: Umbrella Corporation

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., inside the U.S. Capitol building, a public meeting was underway.

A woman dressed in a red blazer and glasses stood before the gathered congressmen, senators, and ordinary citizens who had come to witness the proceedings.

"Gentlemen, ladies, and everyone in between, we are witnessing the next stage of evolution. Mutations in mutants tend to manifest during adolescence, often triggered by emotional stress."

At this point, a man in his sixties, his hair already turned white, couldn't hold back from interrupting.

"Thank you for the biology lesson, Miss Grey, but you're straying from the topic at hand. The real question is: Are mutants dangerous?"

"That's an unfair question, Senator Kelly. Some people have car accidents; does that mean we should ban cars?"

"And that's why we require people to have a driver's license, isn't it?"

"But no one needs a license to survive. The truth is, if mutants reveal themselves, it will incite fear, hostility, and even violence. To prevent mutants from facing such unjust treatment, I implore you to reject the Mutant Registration Act. Do not force them to disclose their identities."

Just then, a man in a suit approached Senator Robert Kelly, handing him a document.

"Senator, here's the file."

Glancing at the papers in his hand, Robert interrupted Grey once again.

"Why should they hide, Miss Grey? Why live in the shadows?"

"They're not hiding."

"Aren't they? Now I know where they are hiding. I have here a list of mutants living in the U.S."

With that, Robert stood up, waving the papers excitedly.

"What if a girl has the power to walk through walls, and she's your neighbor, but you don't know it? Then things go missing from your house, and you have no choice but to shrug it off. I've also heard there's a mutant who can sense and control other people's thoughts, stripping us of our free will."

"If he were to control us—or even all of humanity—what would become of us? I think we have the right to decide whether our children should have mutants as teachers or classmates, or if they should stay far away from them."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding congressmen and senators began to applaud.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is, mutants do exist, and they are among us. We must know who they are, what powers they possess, study them, and be prepared."

Now even the onlookers from the public joined in with applause and vocal support.

"That's right, Senator!"

"We have a right to know!"

"We support you!"

Seeing this, Jean Grey could only respond, "But mutants will not commit atrocities, Senator Kelly. As far as I know, Gomira discovered the Pit of Malice. Compared to mutants, certain humans are far more terrifying."

At these words, the room fell silent. Unlike the unseen threat of mutants, the Gomira massacre was a tangible horror that had happened before everyone's eyes.

Even Robert Kelly had no immediate retort to this, so he sat back down in his seat.

Among the spectators, an elderly man observed Senator Robert Kelly, who seemed still unsatisfied. His expression darkened, and his resolve hardened.

He quickly left the Capitol building and started walking outside. As he reached the hallway, someone called out to him.

"Eric, why did you attend this meeting?"

Hearing the voice, Eric immediately recognized who was speaking.

"Charles, isn't that a rhetorical question?"

Turning around, he saw an elderly bald man seated in a wheelchair.

"Don't resent humanity; they simply haven't figured things out yet."

"Save your breath, Charles. My mind is made up."

"Eric, let go of your prejudice. Humanity didn't know in the past, but they've evolved now."

"Yes, they've evolved into mutants."

With those words, the two men fell silent for a moment.

After a few seconds, Eric raised a finger to his temple.

"You're using telepathy to probe my mind. What are you searching for?"

"I'm looking for hope."

"I'll give you hope, my old friend. But I have one request: Don't stand in my way." With that, Eric turned and left.

"We are the future rulers. Humanity will be subjugated by us mutants!"

.............

A few hours later, Eric arrived at an unnamed island in Lake Ontario. The island's interior housed a massive cavern, hollowed out and modernized. The facility had electricity, water, rooms, and other mutants living there.

When these mutants saw Eric, they nodded and bowed in respect.

"Mr. Magneto, hello."

"Good afternoon, esteemed Magneto."

"Leader Magneto, welcome back."

Eric's full name was Eric Lansherr, and he was the leader of the Brotherhood. This was their secret base.

Eric's abilities were well known by his alias, Magneto, a mutant with the power to control magnetic fields.

At this moment, he walked into a large cavern where he saw a strange four-meter-tall metal contraption that looked like advanced technology. A man wearing goggles was busy making adjustments to the metallic sphere.

"How's the conversion device coming along?"

The goggled man responded without turning around, "It's ready. I'm just putting on the finishing touches."

Hearing this good news, Eric smiled with satisfaction.

"Good. I'll test it out. Go bring me an ordinary human."

"Yes, sir."

A few minutes later, a terrified ordinary man was brought in.

"No, please, don't kill me… I don't want to die…"

Eric glanced at the man and then used his magnetic powers to levitate himself up to the device, standing in the center.

He then grabbed onto two energy-absorbing handles, and immediately felt a wave of weakness wash over him.

As his energy was absorbed, the device began to rotate, and a white light slowly expanded around the room.

"No! No, please!"

The ordinary man screamed in terror as the white light enveloped him, then retracted its energy.

On the device, Eric appeared visibly weakened and exhausted, breathing heavily.

"Huff, huff… Can't fight old age…"

He looked up at the ordinary man, his eyes filled with anticipation.

The goggled mutant quickly approached and extracted a blood sample and tissue from the man.

"I'll go analyze this. The results will be ready in about an hour."

Eric nodded and went to his office to rest. An hour later, the results came in.

The ordinary man had become a mutant. Upon receiving this news, Eric broke into a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha…good!"

"Bring Sabretooth to me. I have a mission for him!"

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