Why were they being controlled? Was it a ghost? Aldrich Killian and his team had no idea.
But at this point, the actor playing the Mandarin was dead, and Killian himself had appeared. They could only roll with it and proceed to the next steps.
In Pakistan, amidst a low-lying structure resembling a refugee camp, War Machine descended from the sky, swinging the massive cannon on his shoulder and firing wildly around him.
However, he soon realized he'd been tricked; this was no signal source, just a refugee camp filled with actual refugees.
Just as War Machine was preparing to leave in disappointment, an Extremis soldier hidden in the camp suddenly attacked, capturing both him and his suit.
This was part of Aldrich Killian's plan: to acquire the War Machine suit, which was crucial for executing the Trojan Plan to abduct the president from Air Force One.
Due to various unexpected events, Aldrich Killian had already been exposed and was forced to accelerate his plans.
As for these matters, Su Ye didn't bother to intervene.
After using a Cerebro-like amplifier to control Killian's film crew, expose the Mandarin hoax, and directly kill the actor, Su Ye left Killian's affairs alone.
With his helmet still on, Su Ye, like in the X-Men movies, began searching for mutants.
Since he had already loaded the abilities of Professor X and Magneto, mutants had surely appeared, scattered across the world, waiting for him to gather them.
Once these individuals were handled, they would become a significant boost to the Guardians, greatly expanding the hero roster.
Unfortunately, since Su Ye had combined the powers of Professor X and Magneto, he couldn't recreate the iconic movie scene where the two men lay on a red bed, summoning a single waitress.
Such a bromance-filled plot seemed to have quite a few fans, ahem.
That wasn't much of a loss though; Su Ye didn't have Magneto, but he did have Raven.
Taking Raven along for missions was great, and when there was no work, he could have some "fun" with Raven—far better than two men teaming up.
As Su Ye continued his search, information on several mutants quickly appeared in his mind.
A stripper with a wing-shaped tattoo on her back...
A seemingly ordinary cab driver named Little Mo, with a mouth full of white teeth.
A handsome high school student who requested to be imprisoned, avoiding contact with anyone.
A curly-haired guy who loved chatting up girls but was often mistaken for a lunatic.
And another—a dashing older man smoking cigars and drinking hard liquor in a bar.
The first few were easy to locate and recruit, as they had originally appeared in X-Men: First Class as part of the original X-Men team.
The stripper, code-named Angel, had wing tattoos that were actual wings. Not only could she fly, but she could also spew flames and venom as attacks.
The cab driver, Little Mo, was code-named Darwin. His body could adapt and evolve for self-protection based on his environment.
The self-imprisoned guy was codenamed Havok, capable of emitting high-energy beams to unleash powerful "plasma explosions."
Incidentally, he had a younger brother who appeared ordinary now but would later awaken his powers to become Cyclops, a cornerstone of the X-Men in later stages.
Yes, the same Cyclops who was obliterated by Phoenix.
The curly-haired guy who loved flirting, codenamed Banshee, could emit sonic waves for attacks or flight, and his hearing was highly acute.
Finally, a special mention for the older man drinking in the bar.
This guy was, of course, Wolverine.
However, according to the timeline, this Wolverine was not yet the Adamantium-infused Logan. He was still James Howlett, a century-old veteran of countless wars, now just wanting to enjoy a peaceful life.
Simply put, this was a Wolverine who could heal but still had bone claws instead of metal ones—a non-complete version.
He was, of course, quite dashing, but his abilities were somewhat lacking.
When Su Ye and Raven found him, Wolverine was at the bar, drinking and smoking a cigar. His moves were stylish, but his face wore a defiant expression, as if daring anyone to mess with him.
"I'm Su Ye."
"I'm Su Raven."
"We're here on behalf of the Great Wall Guardians to invite you to join us."
The two didn't sit after entering, merely standing on either side and speaking calmly.
Wolverine took a puff of his cigar and said expressionlessly, "Go **** yourself..."
Raven interrupted Wolverine, "I suggest you take that back. Otherwise, you'll regret it. You wouldn't want to experience the horrors those aliens in New York faced."
"Aliens in New York? You're talking about the Great Wall Guardians?" Wolverine turned to glance at Raven and Su Ye.
"You're the superheroes who fought the aliens back then?"
After the Battle of New York, the destruction of the city was blamed on military incompetence. However, the credit for closing the portal and securing humanity's victory went to the superheroes.
Many underground comic publishers even released countless unauthorized comics about the Battle of New York.
The Avengers were deliberately overlooked, while the name of the Great Wall Guardians became widely recognized thanks to these comics.
Among them, Iron Man and Electro-Man were particularly popular; their ability to fly gave readers a greater thrill.
Su Ye, as "Martial Saint," was portrayed as both a mastermind and an absolute powerhouse in the Battle of New York, thanks to his previous feats of defeating Abomination in Harlem and later going head-to-head with Thor.
It was thanks to his strategic planning and frontline leadership that the battle ended in victory, confining the aliens' destruction to New York without spreading across the U.S. or the world.
This made Martial Saint the most renowned superhero of the time. His red-faced Guan Yu mask had long since sold out in Chinatowns everywhere.
Many wholesalers saw the opportunity and began mass-importing Guan Yu masks from Yiwu, China.
If Old Su were merely a small-time workshop owner, Su Ye might have asked him to send over a batch in advance. It would've been easy money.
But seeing as Old Su likely wouldn't care for such small profits, Su Ye decided to leave the opportunity for someone who needed it more.
After Wolverine asked his question, Su Ye hadn't yet responded when Raven proudly nodded, "That's right, he was the leader during the Battle of New York—Martial Saint."
Upon hearing that name, the disdain and coldness on Wolverine's face finally faded.
Wolverine was cocky, liked to show off, and respected no one. However, he maintained basic respect for the strong, especially the superheroes from the Battle of New York.
Besides, he had once been a soldier, wielding a gun to defend his country.
If not for his age and his desire for a simple life, Wolverine might have already gone to New York to join the action.
"Nice to meet you, Martial Saint!"
Saying this, Wolverine extended his hand toward Su Ye, both as a greeting and a test.
Wolverine wasn't going to believe just anyone who claimed to be Martial Saint—he had to test it out first.
Su Ye smiled without saying a word and shook Wolverine's hand.
Wolverine's strength was considerable, on par with Spider-Man, capable of lifting between 800 pounds and 25 tons.
Although the range was wide, his strength performance wasn't far from Spider-Man's.
Wolverine believed he could easily crush an ordinary person's hand. If this young man was a fraud, it would be his bad luck.
However, as soon as their hands met, Wolverine realized he had lost.
The seemingly refined, tall man across from him, whose muscles weren't as visibly defined, was actually stronger.
Not only that, but as Wolverine tried to increase his strength to avoid losing too badly, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Mr. James Howlett, perhaps we could continue this conversation elsewhere, don't you think?"
Wolverine's eyes widened instantly. "You, you're…"
Su Ye nodded. "As you can see, I'm a mutant too."
A hero, Martial Saint, and a mutant—aside from being young, Su Ye embodied every quality that Wolverine couldn't turn down.
"May I ask your name?" Wolverine asked, putting away his disdain and speaking seriously.
"Su Ye, from Long Country (China)," Su Ye replied, suddenly feeling a bad premonition—was someone about to show off again?
Sure enough, Wolverine's tone turned slightly unsettled, "Your surname is Su? Who's your father?"
"Su Mutian, just an insignificant small-time boss in Long Country," Su Ye shrugged. This was the first impression Old Su had given him and the one he still accepted.
This time, Wolverine didn't hesitate and stood up immediately.
"Didn't you say we should talk elsewhere? Let's go!"
Raven rolled her eyes dramatically, then pointed at the drink on the table.
"Pack this up, please!"
The bartender behind the counter was stunned; it was the first time he'd seen someone not leave a tip and even ask to pack up their drink.
Raven pulled out a plastic bag herself. "Hurry up, I'm on a tight schedule."
Red Mansion.
Near the Guardians' base stood a newly constructed high-rise in traditional Chinese wooden architecture. It had three floors, each over 300 square meters, and temporarily served as the Red Genius Youth Academy's campus.
It was called the Red Mansion because its exterior was painted red, and red columns supported each floor.
This setup was temporary; once the entire complex was completed, classrooms and dormitories would be separated.
At this moment, all the mutant children Su Ye had located using the mind amplifier had been gathered in the Red Mansion.
With the help of the Guardians and S.H.I.E.L.D., locating people was a trivial matter.
The children were gathered in a room, introducing themselves and their abilities, and, following the Guardians' superhero tradition, choosing their hero names.
Their names were mostly the same as in the movies, and their displayed abilities greatly surprised the S.H.I.E.L.D. members monitoring the scene.
"Sir, I think this matter requires our utmost attention!"
Phil Coulson approached Nick Fury and voiced his concerns.
"That Su Ye effortlessly gathered so many kids with superpowers. Once they're trained and formed into a team, the Great Wall Guardians will become unimaginably powerful. When that happens..."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Nick Fury asked.
"Our goal was to create a team of superheroes capable of resisting alien invasions and protecting Earth. The Great Wall Guardians achieved that. The stronger they are, the happier we should be, right?"
Phil Coulson shook his head. "But the Council and Congress might not see it that way. They won't allow an uncontrollable superteam to exist in this country. I'm worried they might act irrationally once they see how powerful the Guardians become."
Nick Fury shook his head. "That's not our concern. Let the Great Wall Guardians and Su Ye deal with that. What we need to do is focus on our own tasks!"
"Coulson, do you remember why you joined S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Of course, to earn a paycheck, Phil Coulson nodded, "Of course I do! To maintain world peace!"
Nick Fury shook his head. "But many people have forgotten, including some of our colleagues and superiors. No, perhaps they never shared our vision from the start."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't the S.H.I.E.L.D. we once knew!"
After Fury said this, Phil Coulson fell silent, stunned speechless for a long time.
"Get ready. This is going to be a tough fight!"
Before Phil Coulson arrived, Nick Fury had just received a file, which Su Ye's clone had obtained from a bespectacled, bald-headed agent named Sitwell.
Agent Sitwell, a Level 6 agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., used facial recognition to find Loki's computer expert. He collaborated with Coulson to thwart Abomination from joining S.H.I.E.L.D. as a decorated agent, but in reality, he was a veteran member of Hydra.
He's the one from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, who was thrown off a building by Captain America and then picked up by Falcon.
The fact that such a senior agent turned out to be an enemy, a spy, was already hard for Coulson to accept. Could it be that the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. had become "Snake Shield"?
Even higher-up council ministers and senators are Hydra?
So, as Nick Fury said, this truly is a tough battle.
However, this tough battle has nothing to do with Su Ye. He is only concerned about whether the mutant children he rescued can adapt to the environment of the Great Wall Guardians and integrate well.
And also, where is the first battle's villain, Black King Sebastian Shaw, now?