Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

"Did it succeed?"

Shiller was a bit surprised by this. If such a thing really existed, wouldn't whoever obtained it be invincible?

Seeing through Shiller's thoughts, Laira said, "Of course it wasn't a complete success, or there wouldn't be so many lives in the cosmos. They must have conducted a partial experiment and succeeded, which made them believe that by increasing the quantity, they could rule the entire cosmos."

"Who are 'they' you're referring to, the ones who succeeded with this experiment?" Shiller pressed on.

"Obviously, it's the former Skrulls," Laira replied after thinking. "Their technology was much stronger than that of the Shi'ar Empire. I guess the Shi'ar must have seen their experimental archives to think this project was feasible, which is why they invested so much into it."

The explanation made sense. After all, the plan sounded so far-fetched. Without some solid evidence to back it up, the Shi'ar Empire wouldn't be so dedicated, as their money didn't just fall from the sky.

The question remained, how did the Skrulls succeed back then?

When Shiller asked Laira further, she said she didn't know. It was the Doctor who came up with the plan to create an antibody using a virus, and she was only responsible for executing it. She didn't know the specific principle behind it.

Rocket Raccoon then posed another question to her, saying, "Then why did you take the job from Supreme Evolution? Surely you don't think your mindset just coincidentally aligned with Doctor Duracar's, do you?"

"Of course not. Actually, the original plan he gave me wasn't this. I was the one who told him it could be done this way, and that's how he came up with the virus," Laira explained.

"Then why did he want to help the mutants? What is this 'disaster' he speaks of?"

"I've told you, I don't know," Laira said, spreading her hands. "I took the job partly because he offered a good price and also because he's a very capable biologist, and I might need his help later on."

"Alright, Miss Laira, you've said enough for today and must be tired. How about you go upstairs to rest now?"

Laira glanced at Shiller but said nothing. She gave Rocket Raccoon a look, gesturing for him to accompany her.

Before long, Rocket Raccoon returned. Shiller looked at him expectantly, but Rocket Raccoon shook his head and said, "No, she didn't tell me anything."

"I wasn't asking about that. Didn't you two catch up just now?"

With a bitter smile, Rocket Raccoon shook his head, "Aren't we already catching up? What's there to say about those things?"

"Do you believe what she said?"

"I can only say her story is somewhat reasonable," Rocket Raccoon replied, sitting down on the bench next to Shiller. Turning to Shiller, he asked, "What do you think? Is she telling the truth?"

"Ninety percent truth, ten percent lies," Shiller said. "Only then does it make for a perfect lie. Since you say she's a skilled liar, perhaps she chose to do it this way."

"Which part is the lie?" Rocket Raccoon asked curiously.

"Of course, it's about the Life Fusion Project," Shiller sighed. "I don't think she's lying, just not telling the whole truth. She must know more."

Swinging his legs, Rocket Raccoon posed, "If the Old Skrull Empire's experiment was successful, how did they still fall?"

"That just shows that while the thing is strong, it's not strong enough," Shiller leaned back on the bench, gazing skyward. "That part must be true. The Old Skrull Empire was on the verge of collapse at the time, so naturally, they couldn't conduct any large-scale experiments. What they might have created had some magical properties, yet it couldn't be used as a decisive weapon."

"Do you think that thing ended up in the hands of the Shi'ar Empire?"

"Very likely," Shiller nodded. "Regardless of the race, politicians won't show their cards until they see the rabbit. If they hadn't seen how powerful it was, they wouldn't have invested in it."

"The problem is, what is that thing, and does it have any harm?"

"That we'll have to investigate," Shiller remarked. "I'll call Charles first. Even if he doesn't know the full picture, he'll at least be able to pick up some clues."

"You don't seem to be in any hurry," Rocket Raccoon observed. "Does this have something to do with you again?"

Shiller shook his head, "I just don't care."

"Why not? If this thing actually succeeds..."

"It can't succeed," Shiller said. "Not that it wouldn't be of any use, but because it simply can't be created."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Of course. This is my turf. Do you think I'm just sitting around eating, letting them fuse lifeforms across the whole cosmos?"

"There has to be a way to stop them, though."

"There's no need for me to do it personally. Aren't there already people ready to deal with them?"

"Who?"

"The mutants, of course."

Rocket Raccoon was a bit confused at first, but quickly he said, "While Laira was involved in both incidents, they aren't really connected. The fusion life-form that the Old Skrull Empire might have created and the current biological riot facing the mutants don't have any direct correlation."

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"There isn't any now, but why don't we just make it available?"

"What are you planning to do?"

"Make a call, of course."

Shiller dialed the number and soon reached Professor X; unsurprisingly, he heard Magneto's voice at the other end of the line. It seemed they had reconciled.

Shiller began his spiel.

He started with Laira's story, focusing on her past with Rocket Raccoon and his recent discovery of her in the Andromeda Galaxy. He said nothing about what she was actually up to.

Both men were intrigued by the tales of the Old Skrull Empire and the Half-World Insane Asylum, but they couldn't relax after hearing that the plan and some experimental results might have been inherited by certain people in the Shi'ar Empire.

Rocket Raccoon overheard from the phone that Professor X might have been aware of these matters, but he clearly didn't know the specifics of the plan or that the Shi'ar had gotten hold of the experimental subjects.

Even as Shiller paused midway through the call, it seemed Professor X might have been trying to confirm something, but he couldn't seem to draw any conclusions.

At that moment, Rocket Raccoon thought maybe there weren't any experimental subjects, just some reports; he didn't know why, but the conversation shifted to whether they might possess brainwave-blocking devices.

Considering the advanced technology of the Three Great Empires, it wouldn't be unusual for them to develop something specifically to shield against brainwaves, especially once they knew of Professor X's abilities.

The apparent inability to discover more about this matter greatly pressured Professor X; the harder something is to uncover, the likelier it's hiding something.

When asked further, Shiller only mentioned he shared some intelligence because he was worried these individuals might wreak havoc in the Shi'ar Empire and affect the mutants' rule. He completely omitted the part about the outbreak in the Andromeda Galaxy.

However, just before the call ended, Shiller feigned concern and asked about the situation in the Andromeda Galaxy. Professor X obviously didn't go into detail and hastily hung up the phone.

"Is that it?" Rocket Raccoon asked, looking at him.

Shiller nodded and said, "Yeah, what else should we do?"

"That's for you to tell me what exactly you did."

Shiller patted Rocket Raccoon on the head and said, "You're better off staying a raccoon. Want me to get you some cotton candy?"

Rocket Raccoon immediately sprang up and said, "What do you mean by that? Are you mocking me for being dumb?!"

"Of course not; you're the smartest raccoon in the cosmos."

"I..." Rocket Raccoon choked for a second, it took him a moment to realize that Shiller wasn't really complimenting him, and he almost flew into a rage.

Shiller stood up, with Rocket Raccoon following. Seeing Rocket walk too slowly, Shiller simply picked him up.

"I really only told Professor X about the past events of Half-World. This may indeed have nothing to do with mutants, but people can put two and two together."

"A biological experiment for a life fusion plan was conducted by the Old Skrull Empire, and now there's an outbreak of a viral mutation in the mutant's Andromeda Galaxy. Isn't it easy to connect the dots?"

"But the Old Skrull Empire was a mechanical civilization, not good at biological experiments... Oh, I get it, so you needed to suggest that the experimental success might have fallen into the hands of the Shi'ar, who excel in biological experiments."

"Exactly, the mutants' rule over the Shi'ar Empire hasn't been smooth sailing, ever heard of the saying 'a guilty conscience needs no accuser'?"

Rocket Raccoon wasn't dumb, after thinking it over he understood, "Are the mutants worried that someone found out they swapped the Empress?"

"Right, even if no one knows now, sooner or later, someone will find out. If those people become the resistance, and the successful result of the Old Skrull Empire's experiment happens to fall into the resistance's hands, then the mutants will indeed encounter major trouble."

"But if they're already mired in troubles, how would they know it's not some people who know about their usurpation, using the successful experimental weapon against them?"

Rocket nodded, feeling Shiller's reasoning was sound, yet he had another question.

"But how did you know Professor X wouldn't be able to find out? He has a strong mind-reading ability; what if the Shi'ar people weren't prepared?"

"Wouldn't that be even better?" Shiller said. "If they can't even guard against Professor X and let him invade their minds and find out what that mysterious Fusion God is, it's the same as me figuring it out, right?"

Rocket Raccoon thought it over and agreed that if Professor X figured it out, he would probably tell Shiller for the sake of the universe's safety. With an enemy in plain sight and an ally in the shadows, they had plenty of ways to deal with them. If Professor X failed to uncover anything, his guilty conscience would link the two events together, prompting the mutants to take action.

Rocket Raccoon gave Shiller a thumbs up, "You're the smartest human on the planet."

"You can't really say that," Shiller shook his head. "After all, someone here is currently vying for the title of the smartest human."

Just then, Rocket Raccoon looked up and realized they had reached the Stone House basement. Upon opening the door, they heard Stark and Reed, the two "turkeys," squabbling again.

"I'll say it again, your experimental conclusion is inaccurate; can your investigative results be reliable? You're totally guessing!"

"Who told you my experimental conclusion is inaccurate? Because you didn't see me test it, it's inaccurate? Don't you think you're being a little unreasonable?!"

The two were at loggerheads, while their lab assistant, Susan, stood by with a helpless look on her face.

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