I Created a Sanctuary in Marvel

Chapter 67 Research on the X Gene: An Unexpected Discovery

Just half an hour after the incident subsided, an emergency notice from the Sanctuary reached the desks of the heads of state of various countries, announcing the complete end of this sudden demonic invasion.

Along with the announcement came an even more eye-catching piece of news: Pope Ye Feng will personally travel to the United Nations headquarters in three days to preside over a global high-level summit.

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

There is no way to hide the fact that demons have invaded.

Countless people witnessed the true form of the Demon Heart Demon, which blotted out the sky, through live online broadcasts, and saw the powerlessness of modern weapons in the face of supernatural power.

Words like "hell" and "demon," which once existed only in mythological texts, have instantly dominated global vocabulary and become the hottest topics of conversation on the streets.

At this sensitive moment, the Vatican and the Holy See proactively convened a global conference, the implications of which have kept countless political observers and analysts up all night.

"They've come with overwhelming force, trying to force us to take a stand."

The White House Strategic Planning Conference Room in the United States. The air was thick with the smell of coffee and a sense of oppression.

The president slammed the letter bearing the emblem of the Sanctuary onto the table, his face revealing undisguised exhaustion.

During this period, global crises seemed to have been orchestrated one after another on this land: before the riots triggered by Vallac's death had fully subsided, Magneto made a powerful entrance by shaking the Statue of Liberty.

Both crises were ultimately quelled by the intervention of the Pope, who was far away in the Holy Land.

What alarms those in power most is the recently concluded demonic invasion.

Although direct casualties were kept to a very small extent, the psychological impact and disruption to order caused by it far exceeded those of the past.

The camera faithfully captured the scene of the intercontinental ballistic missile being ineffective against the demonic witch, and the terrifying power of the enemy's every move that could cause mountains to collapse and the earth to split, which was instantly transmitted around the world through the Internet.

If Ye Feng hadn't intervened in the end, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The global public discourse has now reached a fever pitch, with the core issue being "whether an agency should be established specifically to deal with extraordinary events."

All signs point to one conclusion: using the extraordinary to fight the extraordinary is currently the most effective, and perhaps only, feasible, path.

But this has touched a nerve with the existing power structure. They cannot stand idly by and allow the status of mutants and other superhumans to rise indefinitely.

Once the social structure is overturned as a result, and when individual power can surpass or even replace the strategic position of nuclear weapons, then the balance of power and wealth will inevitably tilt towards these extraordinary individuals.

The deeper and more deadly fear lies in time.

The lifespan of extraordinary individuals is a huge unknown. For regenerative beings like Wolverine Logan, or for vampires with long-standing lineages, living for a hundred or two hundred years, or even a thousand years, is not difficult.

For a country with a history of just over two hundred years, what an incredibly long period of time that is! If that's the case, ordinary people will never have a chance to rise in this new era.

Meanwhile, in the Holy Land, inside the Papal Palace.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the huge stained glass windows, casting colorful and solemn spots of light on the smooth, mirror-like pale white marble floor.

Ye Feng stood quietly by the window, the hem of his white-gold papal robe fluttering gently in the breeze. His gaze seemed to pierce through the sea of ​​clouds, looking towards an unknown distance.

"Ye Feng, you've taken this step a bit too hastily."

The old pope's voice came from behind him. He leaned on his jeweled scepter, a symbol of his past power, and a lingering worry was etched on his brow.

Ye Feng turned around, his eyes clear and firm: "Time waits for no one, and the invaders will not give us a chance to prepare at our leisure."

"The world has reached a critical point, and change is imperative. Even if this conference cannot resolve the generational conflict between mutants and humans once and for all, it must at least advance the process of building a global superhuman social system."

"I understand your thoughts, child," the old pope sighed.

"But if you push forward so forcefully, it will inevitably provoke a strong backlash from those old guys."

"The power and wealth they wield form the pinnacle of the world today. Once the facade is completely torn off, I fear—"

The old pope had already abdicated and should no longer concern himself with specific affairs. However, since Ye Feng succeeded him, the prestige of the Papacy has soared to unprecedented heights, reaching a peak not seen in hundreds of years.

Deep down, he longed to witness the Papacy's rise to true glory under his watchful eye. In his view, Ye Feng was young and promising, but perhaps his methods could be more subtle, allowing him to proceed gradually.

"You—"

Ye Feng gave a helpless smile. He always held the utmost respect for this elder who had given him his full support. "Leave these storms to us young people. You should worry less and enjoy your retirement."

"The reason I'm so eager to push this forward is because I sense an even greater crisis is approaching. An extraordinary era is dawning, and I've touched upon some of the deeper, more hidden aspects of this world."

His gaze returned to the window, his voice becoming low and solemn: "On a cosmic scale, there exist supreme beings capable of easily tearing apart stars and controlling the laws of nature."

"Our modern technology, which we are so proud of, is far too weak in comparison to them."

The old pope gazed into the unwavering resolve in Ye Feng's eyes, and finally nodded slowly: "I hope you are right."

Not long after the old Pope left, the head of the Sanctuary's directly affiliated cutting-edge laboratory hurriedly entered the Pope's office carrying an encrypted electronic document.

"Your Majesty, here is the latest research and analysis report you requested."

"Regarding your conjecture—we still lack conclusive evidence. The existing data can only partially support your inference, but cannot form a complete logical loop."

The person in charge looked visibly tired, and his eyes held a mixture of helplessness and complex emotions.

Ye Feng took the document board and quickly slid his fingertips across the cold screen.

His "hypothesis of common genetic basis for all mankind" was considered almost a fantasy within the laboratory, but after several months of intensive research, he has indeed achieved some groundbreaking data.

Although insignificant, it was like tearing a tiny sliver of light through the darkness.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"The research must continue, but the core principles remain unchanged: it is entirely voluntary. Project grants and bonuses can be appropriately increased to ensure team stability."

"Whether human or mutant, everyone must be treated equally."

Ye Feng quickly browsed through the key data nodes, his tone calm.

The person in charge bowed and quietly left the office. Silence returned to the spacious room, broken only by the soft rustling of documents being turned.

"The progress is still too slow," Ye Feng muttered to himself, putting down the document board and rubbing his throbbing temples.

He originally intended to use the resources of the Sanctuary and his own foresight to forcibly accelerate this process.

But reality is cruel; in just a few months, it is ultimately impossible to catch up with the research results of a genius like Bolivar Trask who has devoted decades of his life to the work.

That's right, Ye Feng's goal is to prove a groundbreaking theory: the X gene lies dormant within the bodies of all humans on Earth.

Whether this gene originated from the ancient gods' experiments on primitive humans, or from the life essence of a fallen god flowing into the human gene pool.

If this can be proven, it will fundamentally demonstrate that mutants are not outcasts or monsters. They share the same roots as all ordinary humans, and are compatriots with limitless potential, hidden within the human race.

However, reality is harsh. In the vast majority of ordinary people, the X gene exists in a silent state that is difficult to detect. With the current level of technology, it is impossible to effectively detect it, let alone predict when these dormant genes will go berserk, or when a person will awaken and become a mutant.

"Charles, when you created the concept of mutants, although your intentions were good, you inadvertently drew a dividing line—"

Ye Feng sighed helplessly.

Charles's original intention was to provide a haven for identity for his kind, but this name, to some extent, separated mutants from ordinary humans, turning them into two opposing groups.

This is the core root of the conflict: ordinary people do not consider mutants to be their own kind, but see them as a threat; while some mutants see themselves as a superior evolutionary form, originating from humans but entitled to transcend humans, or even be superior to them.

This opposition is remarkably similar to the complex relationship between humans and vampires, which is both of the same origin and yet antagonistic.

Over time, it becomes extremely difficult to reverse this antagonism.

What Ye Feng wants to do is break down this wall of prejudice through the most hardcore genetic science research. But clearly, the road ahead is still long.

His thoughts drifted to that tragic timeline called Days of Future Past.

In the future, sentinel robots will use the identification of hidden X genes within humans to carry out precise capture and slaughter.

When the power of identification and life and death is completely in the hands of a few high-ranking humans, the entire world's mutants and even ordinary people carrying the gene face doom, ultimately forcing the surviving mutants to risk restarting the timeline to seek a glimmer of hope.

If the labs he's investing in can be the first to prove to the world that everyone contains this "gift from God," then the so-called mutant threat theory will fall apart on its own.

Since everyone has the potential to awaken, the extreme mentality of being concerned about inequality rather than scarcity will naturally disappear.

However, judging from the current progress, it is almost impossible to achieve this ambitious goal within the next five years.

Just as his thoughts were racing and he was about to close the document, his gaze inadvertently fell upon a minor finding in the report's appendix.

"Um?"

"Does this special genetic marker really exist?"

Ye Feng raised an eyebrow slightly, unconsciously straightening his posture, his fingertip hovering over the bolded conclusion.

Although this differs from the general answer he was primarily seeking regarding the X gene, it was an unexpected and important discovery.

This report itself can serve as strong evidence to push the world to face up to extraordinary phenomena and build a new system at the UN meeting three days later.

Combined with the recent, globally significant demon invasion incident, this could suppress the rampant mutant threat narrative to a minimum in the short term.

This is good news.