Eric still hadn't given up on recruiting Wolverine.
Logan Howlett met his gaze for a moment, furrowing his brow before he voluntarily looked away. He wasn't unfamiliar with the look in Eric's eyes.
Over his long life, Logan had encountered many people unwilling to remain ordinary. They all shared that same bright, determined glimmer in their eyes, including William Stryker.
He didn't want to get involved in such troublesome matters, but he had to admit that Eric Lensherr's words were starting to get to him. There was no denying that someone like Eric, born with an extraordinary leadership quality, naturally stood out among thousands. Even without any mutant abilities, Eric would still likely achieve remarkable success.
After a long silence, Logan still didn't give an answer, which left Eric somewhat deflated and impatient. He couldn't help but think that if it were Charles doing the recruiting, it would probably be easier. Dealing with a stubborn, hard-headed person like Logan was really tough, but he decided to take it slow.
Eric shifted his attention back to the video on the screen. While recruiting new members, he and Charles also discussed their future. Charles was in high spirits. He was thrilled to have connected with so many fellow mutants through the Cerebro device and was filled with hope for the future.
However, compared to Charles's optimism, Eric was more pessimistic—or rather, he was a realist. He believed that, in the end, they mutants would still be hunted down, captured, and experimented on by humans. Charles comforted him, saying that at least this time there wouldn't be any problems since there were even more formidable enemies out there.
While Charles and Eric were having their heart-to-heart, their enemy Sebastian Shaw wasn't idle either. The blonde beauty, Emma, who also possessed telepathic abilities, quickly noticed when Charles began his global search for mutants and informed Sebastian Shaw that they were already recruiting.
Sebastian Shaw, calm and composed, immediately made some arrangements. This guy was undoubtedly a seasoned strategist, ambitious and a true mastermind, who understood that even when dealing with weaker enemies, one should still give their all. He didn't underestimate his relatively weak adversaries.
On the other side, the young mutants recruited by Eric and Charles met and quickly bonded, laughing and chatting endlessly. Most of them were of the same age, not much older than teenagers, and far less mature than Charles or Eric. They had always felt lonely, but now that they had met so many like-minded friends, they naturally had a lot to talk about.
At this moment, the video paused, and a new question popped up:
[Who among the following created the code names for Eric Lensherr (Magneto) and Charles Xavier (Professor X)?]
[A: Mystique (Raven)
B: Professor X (Charles Xavier)
C: Banshee (Sean Cassidy)
D: Magneto (Eric Lensherr).]
Eric raised an eyebrow and said, "First of all, you can rule out me, which is option D." He shrugged his shoulders as he continued, "I have no interest in coming up with nicknames. Option B seems the most likely."
In the video, Charles also exhibited the qualities of a leader among mutants. He had used his telepathic abilities to find these mutant companions and recruited them into the organization. It seemed logical that he would also be the one to give everyone a nickname.
Logan, however, sneered and said, "If Charles were doing something as childish as that, your organization wouldn't have much of a future. The enemy is constantly watching you, and you're already far behind. At a time like this, instead of worrying about what silly code names to come up with, you should be thinking about how to deal with the enemy! Otherwise, you'll definitely lose in the end!"
Eric was slightly taken aback by Logan Howlett's long-winded response, especially since the lone wolf had been mostly silent during previous rounds of questioning, saying as little as possible. It seemed that his earlier words had struck a chord with Logan.
Eric chuckled, "Very well, you make a good point. Giving code names can help everyone get to know each other better and integrate faster, but it has to be done at the right time. In the video, what they should be focusing on is dealing with the enemy and deciding on their future... Neither Charles nor I would be that childish. Only those young and inexperienced might do something like that."
With that analysis, they could eliminate two options, leaving the correct answer likely between A and C. Eric eventually chose A because, in the video, Raven's lively personality had been evident. She was also close to Charles and one of the organization's founding members, so it made sense for her to come up with the code names. The newer members would probably still be too reservedto suggest such things.
When the countdown began, Eric Lensherr was quick to hit the buzzer. Unfortunately, the first to successfully claim the chance to answer was not him but Team A's Spider-Man.
After discussing with Wanda, Peter chose option B. Naturally, Eric stuck with his choice of A. As the countdown concluded, the correct answer was revealed:
[Congratulations to Team B for answering correctly. Players Eric Lensherr and Logan Howlett each gain 1 point. Team A, who buzzed in first, answered incorrectly, so players Peter Parker and Wanda Maximoff each lose 4 points!]
Peter opened his mouth in surprise, smacking his forehead. "Oh man, I messed up. I was actually debating between A and B just now."
Wanda chuckled, "Don't worry, getting it wrong is no big deal. After all, we're not very familiar with this part of the video."
With the question resolved, the video resumed playing. The young mutants continued to chat and joke around, with Raven being the first to suggest a code name for herself—Mystique. This idea caught on quickly, and soon the others were eagerly coming up with their own code names: Sean Cassidy became Banshee, Armando Muñoz took the name Darwin, Angel Salvadore chose Angel, and Alex Summers went by Havok.
The group of young people enjoyed the lively atmosphere, though Hank McCoy seemed less interested. Alex jokingly suggested they give him the nickname "Bigfoot," which made Hank a bit upset since he was very self-conscious about his appearance. Raven quickly stepped in to defuse the situation, showing the subtle romantic tension between the two.
They didn't just assign themselves code names; they also began demonstrating their abilities to one another. Among them, the most formidable power belonged to Alex Summers, whose energy beams—resembling glowing hula hoops—could slice through a bronze statue as easily as a hot knife through butter, clearly showcasing the deadly potential of his abilities.
As the young mutants grew more excited, their gathering naturally turned into a full-blown party. Even the usually reserved Hank found himself joining in, singing and dancing along with the rest. Just as the party was in full swing, Eric Lensherr and Charles Xavier arrived, accompanied by the government agent Moira MacTaggert.
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