"Yeah!"
Trask almost blurted it out.
He had absolute confidence in the gene identification system he had developed.
Since the Sentinel Robots had locked onto these people and initiated an attack, there was only one explanation: the X-Gene had indeed been detected in their bodies.
But as the words reached his lips, Trask forced himself to swallow them back down.
Just moments ago, he had been loudly proclaiming on stage that Mutants were a threat to humanity.
If he were to admit now that these big shots were all Mutants, wouldn't that be the same as saying they were threats too?
The logic was simple, much like how those high-and-mighty White lords might normally act arrogantly in front of Black people.
But if they encountered a Black official with high status and power, they would still have to honestly bow their heads and shine his shoes.
This is the differential treatment brought about by status and power.
Even though Trask was a staunch anti-Mutant fanatic, he didn't dare say a single word against these big shots who were suspected of being Mutants.
He stood on the stage, his face turning red and white in turns, his mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word.
The Deputy Minister stared at him, his gaze growing colder and colder.
"What? At a loss for words?"
Trask wiped away some sweat, his voice trembling slightly: "Mr. Deputy Minister, there must be a misunderstanding here. It's possible the Sentinel Robots' system had a minor glitch."
"A minor glitch?"
The Deputy Minister cut him off directly with a cold sneer: "If these things having a 'minor glitch' almost sent us all to see God, what would happen if they had a major one?"
He glanced at the Sentinel Robots on the ground, feeling more afraid the more he thought about it.
If those few Mutants hadn't suddenly stepped in, it wouldn't be this scrap metal lying on the ground right now, but the corpses of their entire group. Thinking of this, his expression toward Trask soured even further.
"This... that is..."
Trask stammered, completely unsure of how to respond.
The people below had already begun to whisper among themselves.
"Didn't they say these robots only target Mutants? Why would they actively attack humans?"
"If these things are really mass-produced, what if they go out of control one day? Wouldn't we be in great danger too?"
"I don't think it was necessarily a glitch. Maybe those big shots really are Mutants; otherwise, why would the robots specifically target them?"
"That makes sense. But if that's the case, and these Sentinel Robots are approved and put into use, won't those big shots become targets for the Sentinel Robots in the future?"
Trask's face went dark.
Who the hell was setting the narrative like this!?
This kind of talk was practically driving him into a dead end!
The big shots below naturally heard these discussions as well. Especially at that last sentence, their expressions changed drastically.
Indeed, regardless of whether these robots had glitched or not, it wasn't good news.
If it was a glitch, it meant the Sentinel Robots were fundamentally uncontrollable and could turn on humans at any time.
If it wasn't a glitch, it was even worse.
That would only prove that they did indeed carry the X-Gene. Once the Sentinel Robots were mass-produced and put into use, the first people they would purge would be their group.
Several big shots exchanged glances, their faces looking more grim than the last.
One of the big shots pointed directly at Trask and questioned him sternly: "Trask, you must give us a reasonable explanation right now! What exactly is going on!?"
Facing such questioning, Trask broke into a cold sweat.
Whether the Sentinel Robots had glitched or not, it was a dead end for him.
At this critical juncture, Charles suddenly spoke up.
"Perhaps I can offer an explanation."
As soon as he spoke, everyone's gaze turned toward Charles.
It couldn't be helped; the Marvel Industries host happened to be standing right next to Charles, and the microphone in his hand happened to be left on, clearly transmitting Charles's voice through the speakers to everyone's ears.
Additionally, several spotlights happened to hit Charles, making him the brightest person in the room instantly; it was hard not to look.
The news media also caught the scent of a big story and quickly aimed their cameras at Charles.
Charles spoke: "Let me introduce myself. My name is Charles Xavier, and I am a scholar of genetics. What I want to say is that these robots did not malfunction."
The Deputy Minister frowned: "Are you saying that we are indeed Mutants?"
"Don't be in such a hurry, Mr. Deputy Minister. Please let me finish first."
Charles smiled slightly: "I have studied genetics for many years. To be precise, I specialize in the genes of Mutants, which is the X-Gene."
"Based on my many years of research and observation, I want to tell everyone a fact."
"In fact, most people actually carry the X-Gene in their bodies."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue went into an uproar.
"What?"
"That's impossible, right?"
"Does that mean I'm a Mutant too? No wonder my girlfriend always says I'm too fast; it turns out I really do have a superpower!"
"That's called premature ejaculation, not a superpower!"
The Deputy Minister looked shocked and immediately denied it: "That's impossible. I don't know about others, but I can guarantee that I have absolutely no superpowers. Since birth, I have always been a normal human."
Charles shook his head: "You misunderstand. Carrying the X-Gene does not mean you will necessarily manifest extraordinary abilities."
"Let's put it this way: the X-Gene in our bodies actually exists in two states, Dominant and Recessive. Much like the Skip-generation inheritance we are familiar with, some genes are not expressed in one generation but are suddenly activated in the next."
"Just because you haven't shown any superpowers doesn't mean you don't have the X-Gene in your body. It might just be in a Recessive state, lurking in your DNA, waiting to be passed on to the next generation."
The Deputy Minister's frown deepened: "You mean, I don't have superpowers myself, but my descendants might?"
"Exactly."
Charles nodded: "Of course, if these Recessive genes are stimulated by some external factor one day, or for some other reason, they could be activated. At that point, you might become a true Mutant."
"This is why these robots locked onto you—because they did indeed detect the X-Gene in your bodies, even though you didn't know it yourselves."
After these words were spoken, the entire venue fell silent instantly.
This conclusion was too shocking; it could even be called a discovery that would change the structure of the World.
If things were truly as Charles said, it meant that most humans were actually potential Mutants, and their descendants would be Mutants as well.
The Deputy Minister took a deep breath and asked a question: "Roughly how many people carry the X-Gene?"
Charles's tone was calm: "According to my research data, at least sixty to seventy percent or more."
"Hiss!"
Those present gasped in unison.
Sixty to seventy percent?
Doesn't that mean more than half the people in the entire World are Mutants?
"How is that possible!"
Trask couldn't hold it in any longer and immediately jumped out to refute: "How could humans have the X-Gene? This is absolute nonsense!"
Charles smiled: "This is simply the conclusion of my research. If you don't believe it, you are more than welcome to find other genetic experts to verify it. I am very happy to provide all my research results and data, and I welcome any colleagues in the academic community to come and verify them."
Hearing his confidence, those big shots immediately believed most of it.
After all, the fact that the Sentinel Robots had attacked them was real, and it perfectly corroborated the conclusion Charles had stated.
Seeing the situation become increasingly unfavorable for him, Trask quickly said to the Deputy Minister: "Deputy Minister, do not listen to this Mutant's words. He's just afraid of the Sentinel Robots. I guarantee the Sentinel Robots..."
"Enough!"
The Deputy Minister interrupted Trask and said with a straight face: "Our country is a free country that does not discriminate against any race, including Mutants. Your behavior in targeting Mutants like this is already suspected of being severe racial discrimination!"
Trask: "???"
That wasn't your reaction when I was introducing the Sentinel Robots just now.
Of course, the Deputy Minister changed his tune so quickly mainly because he had just learned he might be a potential Mutant.
If Trask wanted to eliminate Mutants, wouldn't that mean eliminating him as well?
How could that be allowed!
The other big shots thought of this as well and began to berate him one after another.
"Those Mutants haven't done anything wrong. How can you defile their innocence out of thin air?"
"Exactly, Mutant lives matter!"
"You damn midget, what I hate most is people like you who discriminate against others."
Trask: "..."
Charles watched as Trask became the target of public criticism, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
He knew that these big shots hadn't suddenly become so righteous because they truly sympathized with Mutants, but because they had just discovered they might also be classified as Mutants. Their stance changed instantly.
People are like that; when the knife isn't cutting them, they always talk big without feeling the pain.
Once they find the blade pointed at them, they immediately change their tune.
In the end, the Deputy Minister added: "Trask, from this moment on, your Sentinel Robots project is suspended indefinitely. All data will be sealed, pending further processing."
Trask felt as if the World was going dark before his eyes.
It was over, all over!
He had poured so much heart and soul into this, finally reaching this point with great difficulty.
Just as he was about to succeed, everything was ruined!
After finishing his sentence, the Deputy Minister ignored Trask and turned to Charles, his tone softening considerably: "Mr. Xavier, we owe it to you for stepping in and saving us today."
Charles smiled: "It was just a small effort."
The Deputy Minister glanced at the surrounding reporters and cameras and lowered his voice: "Once this is over, I'd like to have a private chat with you. I still have some questions regarding the Mutant gene."
Charles nodded: "You are welcome anytime."
Seeing this, others also stepped forward to greet Charles and hand him their business cards.
In the past, they certainly wouldn't have dared to associate with Mutants so freely.
But it was different now. Everyone had the X-Gene; maybe they were all one family, a loving and caring family, so naturally, there was nothing to avoid.
Charles looked at these high-level humans who had undergone a massive change in attitude and sighed inwardly: "Darian really didn't lie to us. The fate of Mutants might just change starting today."
He glanced at the deathly pale Trask with some sympathy.
Trask would likely never know that the entire Expo was actually a trap set for him.
The organizers were Darian's people, the media were Darian's people, and the onlookers were Darian's people.
Even among these big shots, there were Darian's people.
They were all Darian's people.
How could Trask possibly fight against Darian?
Due to the chaos caused by Trask, the Marvel Industries Expo had to be paused, and the new clean energy release would be rescheduled.
However, no one was dissatisfied with this, as everyone's attention had been completely drawn away by Charles's group of Mutants.
The next day, the events of the Expo night quickly made the headlines of every major news outlet.
Unlike the Cuban Crisis, where news was suppressed by various countries and only a small group knew of the Mutants' existence, this time, Mutants had truly entered the public eye.
Whether it was the powerful strength displayed by Erik or the abilities of the other Mutants, everyone was left in awe.
Fortunately, most of the public opinion was very positive, with only a few negative comments that failed to gain any traction.
This was all thanks to the heroic entrance of the Mutants and their impressive performance in easily suppressing the Sentinel Robots.
This country worshiped individualism, and the members of the Brotherhood had hit that mark perfectly.
Of course, there was also no shortage of media outlets and paid shills under the Hellfire Club who were frantically rewriting articles, publishing hundreds of pieces a day that were all favorable to Mutants, along with interviews with various 'ordinary passersby' who spoke highly of Mutants.
In the 1970s, who had ever seen this kind of tactic?
Many citizens were instantly swayed, leaning one-sidedly toward Mutants and berating Trask as a fascist who specifically developed Sentinel Robots to exterminate Mutants.
How was this behavior any different from that of the Little Mustache back in the day?
But the even more shocking news was Charles's statement.
Humans also possess the X-Gene!
In other words, they were very likely potential Mutants themselves!
And the probability was extremely high—so high that at least one out of every two people was a Mutant.
Soon, many genetics experts came forward one after another to publicly state that after research, Charles's claims were confirmed to be entirely true.
With this, public opinion completely exploded!
Many people's first reaction was that after being human for their whole lives, they suddenly discovered they might not be 'human' in the traditional sense.
It sounded a bit strange, but it was their most direct feeling.
Their second reaction was...
if that were the case, wouldn't they also be able to possess superpowers?
Under the promotion of the news media, people didn't have much of a rejection of Mutants.
After all, before this, the vast majority of people hadn't even heard of the existence of Mutants, let alone developed a prejudice against them.
Because of this, they very easily accepted the fact that they might be Mutants.
If 'Mutant' were replaced with 'Black skin,' many White lords certainly wouldn't be able to accept having Black heritage; that is the power of stereotypes.
Now, people not only didn't reject being Mutants, but they also felt they had a chance to possess powerful abilities like Erik and the others.
Who hasn't fantasized about one day having a special superpower?
If nothing else, someone must have fantasized about having superpowers like Time Stop, invisibility, Hypnotic Control, and so on.