Looking at Fang Senyan’s booming laughter, Professor Charles and Jean beside him were somewhat stunned as they watched him, though both maintained polite composure and did not interrupt his guffaws. After a good while, Fang Senyan wiped away a tear. “My apologies, I lost my composure, but if the only issue with the airship design is this minor point, solving it won’t be difficult, and Professor X, you can be of great help! I am truly delighted.”

Professor Charles gave a wry smile. “I’m sorry, Sailor. Although I am involved in scientific research, my focus has always been on the human mind and brain structure. I can’t assist at all with these three matters.”

Fang Senyan smiled. “Esteemed Professor, even if you cannot directly help with the technical details, you remain an undeniably crucial figure. Without you, it would be extremely difficult to persuade someone capable of solving the majority of the problems to come out of hiding. And as far as I know, you are seemingly the only person in this world who can move that powerful and eccentric individual.”

Professor Charles, undeniably a highly intelligent man, paused in astonishment. “Are you referring to… Magneto?”

Fang Senyan nodded. “Precisely! Him—the Magneto with the immense magnetic force! Given his arrogance, only you might persuade him. With his ability to manipulate nearly any metal through magnetism, he is certain to help us select the toughest alloy for the airship’s frame. Furthermore, the issue of insufficient thrust for takeoff might see a breakthrough via his precise study of magnetic fields.”

Professor Charles fell into thought. “If your speculation is accurate, then Magneto certainly fits the criteria. However, I cannot be certain I can convince him to cooperate.”

Fang Senyan shrugged casually. “The crux of the matter is convincing Mr. Magneto that the apocalypse is truly inevitable. I might possess the ability to convey this, but he would surely nail me to the wall with metal spikes before I finished speaking. The only person in this world the arrogant Magneto would listen to is you, Professor Charles. Once Mr. Magneto confirms the reality of the end times, he will definitely cooperate with us, because his will to survive will be stronger than all of ours combined.”

Hearing Fang Senyan, a faint smile touched Professor Charles’s lips. “You truly understand him. Yes, Magneto is precisely such a person: energetic, ambitious, and intensely controlling. He certainly won't sit idly by waiting for death.”

Jean suddenly interjected, “But our project still lacks initial funding and someone to lead the endeavor.”

“Funding is not an issue. Among our allies is an ancient, vegetarian vampire clan; their leader, Mr. Carlisle Cullen, is a reasonable man. A single call from me, and sufficient funds will arrive—he has an entire family that needs to survive.” Fang Senyan sounded very confident. “As for the project lead… I already have a candidate. This person is insane, audacious, notorious, and unscrupulous in achieving his goals! More importantly, he is the foremost authority in nuclear power, absolutely capable of solving the ship’s energy problem. He might be quite villainous normally, but at such a critical juncture, we precisely need such a tyrannical, ruthless, yet talented individual to pull off a miracle in such a short time!”

After hearing Fang Senyan’s description, Professor Charles frowned suddenly. “The person you speak of sounds disturbingly like a scoundrel I know.”

Fang Senyan chuckled. “Well then, I am likely talking about that scoundrel. Professor, no one can deny that Dr. Otto Günther Octavius is a genius scientist. More importantly, he has a beloved wife. Regardless of his personality or moral conduct, he will strive with all his might for his own safety or that of his family! That is enough. We are not looking for moral paragons right now; we are looking for the person who can oversee the fastest construction of this damned airship!”

“Are you suggesting Doctor Octopus? But!” Jean’s expression turned very grim. “This will ruin our reputation!”

Fang Senyan said blandly, “One airship can save at least five thousand lives! Miss! If we waste another minute arguing here, we might be deciding the fate of thousands! Do you think that after I paid such a heavy price to appear before you and show you the way, I am here to debate mere notions of justice? In my eyes, the method that saves the most people is the most just method!”

“You are right.” Professor Charles spoke first. “Jean, you owe Mr. Sailor an apology—I will take on the task of convincing Magneto to join us. However, Mr. Sailor, if I appear before Dr. Otto Günther Octavius, the effect will be counterproductive. His mechanical tentacles won't give me a chance to sit down for a discussion, so you will have to handle that alone.”

Fang Senyan smiled. “Certainly, I believe I can persuade him. If that fails, our backup candidate could be Iron Man. The reason Iron Man is a secondary choice is that while he is excellent—so excellent it’s astonishing—his weaknesses are equally obvious. Iron Man’s research primarily leans toward warfare and defeating opponents, whereas Doctor Octopus’s everything, including his crimes, is for the sake of his scientific research—he robs to fund his studies, and he built his tentacles because he grew tired of those clumsy assistants…”

Everyone who heard Fang Senyan, including Jean, fell silent, unable to refute his points. At this moment, both parties shared a common interest: getting the airship built as quickly as possible. Having Fang Senyan oversee the process, placing construction progress above all else, was actually a good thing.

Fang Senyan continued, “I need some video evidence that can convince Doctor Octopus, preferably from Professor Charles’s own files. Furthermore, in three days—or precisely, two days from now—the location where we are building the airship is likely to be attacked with unprecedented intensity. Therefore, I ask everyone to mobilize every armed force available.”

Professor Charles looked puzzled. “With our group gathered here, does someone dare cause trouble? What is their objective?”

Fang Senyan looked seriously at Jean and Professor Charles before him. “If my companions and I had not appeared in this world, all of you should have perished in the 2012 apocalypse. But because I arrived, you gained a chance to live, correct?”

Professor Charles’s pupils contracted sharply. “Are you saying history will attempt to proceed by inertia, to correct the error?”

Fang Senyan shook his head. “Certainly not inertia, but… violence! My previous work and that of my companions were meant to be instruments maintaining this historical balance. In about forty-eight hours, people like us will appear. The difference is that we are here to help you, but they are here to correct the historical mistake.”

Jean exclaimed in disbelief, “How will they correct it?”

Fang Senyan said coldly, “How does the United States of America correct the mistakes of first-degree murderers?”

Jean’s face immediately turned pale. Fang Senyan took a deep breath, turned, and walked toward the adjacent street. “In history, you were all destined to die. Therefore, if you all die now, the error will naturally be corrected.”

As he spoke these words, a crisp crack sounded beneath Fang Senyan’s foot, like crushing a cockroach.

New York’s underground trade market bustled, operating twenty-four hours a day without closing. On the surface, it was a massive used car lot, but the second and third floors housed the entire area for trading stolen goods in New York.

Here, there was nothing anyone dared not sell, and nothing anyone dared not buy.

In a place where even narcotics could be sold freely, stolen goods were naturally included. Because they were contraband, the selling price was often insultingly low, frequently only a tenth or even a twentieth of the original cost.

A complete industrial chain had formed around this activity. Once the stolen goods were laundered, the profit margin easily exceeded a thousand percent—a super-profit. Countless individuals profited by buying and selling through this chain, which was the main reason this underground market could persist staunchly in New York.

Usually, the loot Doctor Octopus stole would be brought here to be liquidated for substantial funds to support his research. Because they were regular customers, he received generous discounts.

Doctor Octopus was a research fanatic; his joy lay in scaling the peaks of science. He was completely clueless about worldly affairs, which was the primary reason his projects were slashed. Thus, he relied on robbery to finance them.

After completing a transaction, Doctor Octopus hastily ordered a hamburger and shoved it into his mouth while getting into his car. He then jumped into his vehicle, only to find a person blocking his path.

A young man with a placid expression.

Doctor Octopus was not a gentle character; he was irritable and crude. “Get out of front of my car immediately, unless you want to be run over and killed.”

Fang Senyan’s reply was to press his hand onto the hood of the car. Doctor Octopus’s eyes flared, and he immediately slammed down the accelerator! Unfortunately, the car’s engine roared terrifyingly, spewing black smoke, but the hand of the person before him seemed welded to the hood, unmoving! The car’s rear tires spun furiously on the pavement, leaving clear rubber streaks!

Doctor Octopus was instantly enraged. He got out of the car, and the gray trench coat on his back suddenly surged, then violently tore open, revealing the four immensely powerful mechanical tentacles that shot out from his back, whipping savagely toward Fang Senyan!