Chapter 15: [15] Mutant Classification, Mind Hacking, And Occlumency
United Kingdom, a single-family villa at Oxford University.
This was a residence that Professor X bought for convenience in teaching.
As a true British aristocrat, Professor X was a genuine billionaire.
Not only did he inherit the vast Xavier mansion in USA, but he also inherited hundreds of millions of dollars in assets.
Buying a villa was just a drop in the bucket for Professor X.
"Evil capitalists."
Brian couldn't help but mutter while touring the villa.
"Heh~ Moira, Brian, please have a seat."
Coming to the living room of the villa, Professor X nodded at Brian and the others and then poured two cups of coffee for them.
"P-Professor X, we have no time to waste; Black Emperor Shaw's plan could be carried out at any moment."
Sitting in the living room, Moira held her coffee cup and reminded them anxiously.
As a CIA agent, Moira knew very well how tense the current international situation was.
War was imminent.
"Moira, calm down. Professor X and I still have something to discuss."
Seeing Moira, who was obviously anxious, Brian patted her shoulder gently and chuckled.
Moira took a deep breath and calmed down. "Then you two talk first."
Moira glanced at Brian and left the living room with Raven.
Only Professor X and Brian remained in the living room.
The two just looked at each other calmly, and neither spoke first.
It was not until five minutes later that the young Professor X finally spoke. "Mr. Brian, I'm curious about how you classify mutants."
Professor X asked with a hint of curiosity.
Ever since accessing Moira's memory, Professor X had been curious about Brian's classification of mutants.
Before this, the understanding of mutant abilities was very vague.
Even Professor X could only sense that he was powerful. But he couldn't tell exactly how powerful he was.
That was why he was eager to learn how Brian divided mutants.
"The mutant hierarchy was organized by my brother Darwin after he got inspiration from the future."
Brian did not take credit for establishing the mutant hierarchy. Instead, he attributed it to Darwin, who was already dead.
That way, even if Professor X wanted to delve deeper, Brian could claim ignorance.
In fact, the mutant classification system was summarized by numerous Marvel fans in Brian's previous life, and even he only had a vague understanding of it.
How could he explain to Professor X exactly how he established this mutant hierarchy system?
Anyway, it was easiest to attribute everything to Darwin!
"Darwin divided mutants into five levels:
Level 1 Mutant: Just awakening a mutant ability, but the ability is very weak, and they are completely unable to control their own powers.
Level 2 Mutant: The mutant ability is slightly stronger than that of a Level 1 mutant, and they have been able to initially master the ability, though they still often lose control.
Level 3 Mutant: The mutant ability is powerful, and they can control their abilities well, with a certain level of combat effectiveness.
Level 4 Mutant: The ability is extremely powerful, and they can control their abilities freely, as naturally as using their arms and fingers. They possess terrifying combat effectiveness.
Level 5 Mutant: Very few mutants can reach this level. Typically, each Level 5 mutant has god-like abilities, and conventional means are hardly enough to defeat them.
Certainly, according to Darwin, there is also another level above Level 5, called the Omega Level, also known as the God-Level Mutant. Mutants at this level can already be considered gods among mutants."
Brian briefly introduced the mutant hierarchy.
"According to this mutant hierarchy, what level am I?" Professor X couldn't help but ask.
"Level 4 Mutant," Brian glanced at Professor X and said.
"What about Black King Shaw?"
"Level 5 Mutant."
When Professor X heard that Black King Shaw was a Level 5 Mutant, his face fell.
"Is Black King Shaw really that strong?" Professor X said in disbelief.
According to Brian, a Level 5 Mutant is as powerful as a god and is already difficult to kill.
"Black King Shaw can absorb the energy of nuclear reactors and withstand nuclear explosions," Brian glanced at Professor X and gave a "kind" reminder.
"Fuck, withstand nuclear explosions, yeah, right? Is he even still human?" Professor X couldn't help but swear again.
He prided himself on being knowledgeable, but hearing that Black King Shaw could withstand nuclear explosions still left him shocked.
"Mr. Brian, can you tell me more about Darwin? I am very interested in his precognitive ability," Professor X asked, more intrigued than ever.
"Certainly. Darwin, like you, awakened his mutant ability at a very young age."
Brian was about to start talking nonsense again.
But it was clear that Professor X didn't want to waste time listening.
He intended to use his mental power to directly invade Brian's brain to check the memory of the prophet Darwin.
The power of the mind is silent.
But the moment Professor X released his mental power to invade Brian's brain, Brian already felt it.
The instant his brain experienced a mental shock, it evolved a new ability.
Brian called it: mind occlusion or Occlumency.
He could use his conscious mind to completely seal his brain.
All the memories, consciousness, thoughts, and emotions in his brain were sealed within the deepest part of his mental world.
Unless Professor X could locate Brian's mind's residence, sealed deep within his subconscious, and destroy it, Professor X would never be able to access any of Brian's memories or inner thoughts.
In addition to sealing his own memories and emotions, Brian's evolved mind occlusion also had another feature:
It allowed him to use his consciousness to create false memories to deceive any mind-reading Mutant.
The false memories created by Brian had reached a level indistinguishable from reality.
Not even the current Professor X would notice anything.
Even the future Professor X, confined to a wheelchair, would be unable to tell that these memories were fabricated.
'Heh~ Professor X, since you want to see it, then go ahead.'
Brian thought, taking this as an opportunity to use these false memories to prove Darwin's identity as a prophet.
Brian closed his eyes and began to weave false memories using his mind and consciousness.
In just a moment, Brian had completed creating the false memories.
Simultaneously, Professor X began to read Brian's memory.
At this moment, within the mental world, Professor X's spiritual consciousness sank into Brian's memories.
Scenes of memory unfolded before Professor X.
When Brian was a child, he accidentally fell into the water, awakening his mutant ability in that life-and-death crisis.
When he was seven years old, Brian found a black child who was crazily drawing graffiti under a bridge.
This black child was Darwin in his childhood.
Professor X casually extended his hand, and the previously scrolling memory stopped at this point.
Then the memory scene reappeared in front of Professor X.
"Brian Kent, you're finally here."
Darwin, who was frantically drawing graffiti, stopped and turned to look at Brian.
The young Brian was startled by Darwin's pure white eyes.
"Who... who are you? How do you know me?"
Brian looked at Darwin with a mixture of fear and curiosity, cautiously asking.
"I am Darwin, one of your kind and your future best friend.
I have foreseen both our futures.
I have also seen my own fate.
In the future, you will become someone who is both admired and feared by all.
And I will be your guide, using my abilities to lead you in the right direction."
Professor X observed the frozen memory, then walked toward the graffiti Darwin had been drawing and began to inspect it closely.
"Is this... a nuclear explosion?"
Although the graffiti looked chaotic and messy like a child's ghostly drawing, Professor X could still make out the depiction after careful observation.
It was a nuclear explosion.
A nuclear explosion that had not yet occurred.