24. 1407 Graymalkin Lane.
"How much longer until we reach New York?" Pietro asked, looking out at the rapidly retreating scenery. His previously tense heart was beginning to relax.
"A few more hours. Honestly, I thought you would remain unconscious for a lot longer. I even planned to use some physical methods to wake you up if you weren't awake by the time we arrived," Alex said.
"Hehe, I can imagine what your 'physical methods' would be," Pietro chuckled, knowing it wouldn't be a gentle wake-up call. Thankfully, he woke up in time.
Seeing that Pietro had calmed down, Alex continued, "We should have reached New York by this morning, but somehow news of President X's death got out. Now the whole country is in turmoil. I had to avoid the war zones and take back roads to get to New York."
"War?!" Pietro was stunned.
"Yes, war. Initially, it was just gangs taking over cities and carving out territories. Then it escalated into a nationwide conflict, with even state governments and the military getting involved. I heard a gang attacked a military research base and discovered a project called 'Hulk.'"
"Hulk? What's that?"
Alex sighed. "If you ask me, I'll tell you: In my memory, the Hulk in other worlds is an 'anti-hero' with unparalleled destructive power after being exposed to gamma radiation. Initially a villain, he later joined the Avengers. But here, the terrifying gamma radiation turned him into a monstrous creature, causing his body to undergo grotesque mutations. He was eventually contained by the military and remained in a lab until those gang members released him."
"How could it come to this?" Pietro murmured in disbelief.
"Who knows. From the moment I saw the X-Men girls become barmaids and the Avengers turn into a group led by a spoiled rich kid, I knew this world was heading for ruin," Alex said, glancing at a stack of files beside his leg.
Perhaps those files contained the origins of everything, marking the beginning of this desperate world. The Fantastic Four were instrumental in the birth of the superhero era in this world. Though they weren't Marvel's first superheroes, they were the first real superhero team, opening the curtain for the superhero genre. In this world, they might be a crucial part of its tragic fate.
The files included an old newspaper and interview materials featuring former astronaut Ben Grimm. He detailed unknown aspects of a space disaster.
Years ago, he participated in a manned space mission where he met the genius scientist Reed Richards, along with Susan and Jonathan Storm.
Reed was obsessed with space exploration and eager to unveil its mysteries. For him, Earth was too small, and everything in the universe was new and unknown to humans.
He wanted to embark on a grand adventure—to observe cosmic energy fluctuations. Although everything was ready, the spacecraft at that time was not stable enough for such a dangerous mission. But Reed couldn't wait.
One night, Reed came to Ben's door, hoping Ben would support his dream and join him as a pilot for this great experiment. But Ben knew the spacecraft was too unstable. As an expert in space technology and satellites, he was aware of the dangers. If the machine failed, he couldn't guarantee anyone's survival.
Ben decisively refused Reed's request, knowing it was too dangerous. However, what happened next filled Ben with regret. Reed didn't give up and went ahead with the plan, taking Susan, Jonathan, and another guy named Doom into space. They were soon engulfed by a cosmic radiation storm while observing energy fluctuations.
The news of the disaster reached the engineering team, which spent massive resources searching for their whereabouts. Near the wreckage of their spacecraft, they found Susan and Jonathan. One was burned to a crisp, the other's cells were altered by cosmic energy.
Susan's body could reflect light, making her invisible at any time, but this uncontrolled reflection rendered her blind. Shortly after recovering their bodies, Doom's remains were found. His body was in a constant state of change, fluctuating between minerals and living tissue due to severe radiation.
Reed was the last to be found. His body had stretched like rubber and lay twisted on the icy ground. When discovered, he had become a grotesquely elongated skeleton. Ben felt deep guilt over the space disaster. If only he had convinced Reed to wait, or if he had piloted the mission, perhaps they would have become the real Fantastic Four.
Alex sighed silently. This world might not have turned out this way, but he knew everything was a fact of the past. There was no turning back.
Time passed, and Alex and Pietro finally reached their destination.
1407 Graymalkin Lane, a private estate. In the distance, an ancient castle came into view. Fortunately, this was in the outskirts of New York, a private estate with no one around. Otherwise, this building might have been destroyed by gangs.
"No wonder this address sounded familiar. This is Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters," Alex said, stopping the car and looking up at the European castle.
"You know this place?" Pietro asked, sitting in President X's wheelchair.
"Sort of. This should be the school founded by Professor X for mutant children to receive a better education. The teachers here were the first generation of X-Men," Alex explained, but soon sneered. "Originally, this was a place where Professor X dreamed of building a bridge between humans and mutants. Now it's become a treasure trove of his spoils. How ironic."
They walked to the front door, where a six-digit code lock lit up.
"Leave it to me," Pietro said, wheeling over. "I can test all the combinations."
"Okay," Alex nodded, knowing he wasn't good at such tasks.
Pietro's fingers moved at a speed invisible to the naked eye, tapping the screen lightly to avoid breaking it with his speed.
"Don't worry, It'll only take a few seconds."
.....
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25. As You Wish.
26. New World.
27. Another Universe.
28. Twins.
29. The Sword Hanging Overhead.