It was a new day.
Bruce was still not used to it when he got up.
The new mattress did not seem soft enough.
The single bed was not as comfortable as the two-meter bed in his old house.
Bruce's sleeping posture was very neat. He could lie down for the whole night without moving.
The size of the bed did not affect him much.
It was purely a psychological feeling.
After washing up, he went to the kitchen.
Bruce felt a little regretful.
His new residence, a two-bedroom apartment, was less than seventy square meters.
The kitchen was not big enough to fit the big oven in his old house.
He could only give up his hobby of making desserts for the time being and renovate it when he had the chance.
The other room was temporarily used as a utility room. It was not very useful, but it could be used to expand the kitchen.
Breakfast was a simple soy milk sandwich.
He did not go out for his morning exercise.
He was not familiar with the area. Maybe he could ask Hotch to introduce him? No, no, no.
He said he would not disturb Hotch's life.
But it was not a disturbance. They were still friends, right? He could probably pretend to meet him "by chance" once every two or three days. Uh … That seemed a little frequent.
Three to five days then.
He could always see Hotch during work hours anyway.
Some thoughts were running through his mind.
Bruce quickly finished his breakfast. He would usually pay attention to the news at this time, but the address of the newspaper he subscribed to was still the same. He took out his phone and planned to surf the Internet.
"Good morning, sir. Today's temperature in Washington DC is 9 to 16 degrees Celsius, partly sunny and partly cloudy. The relative humidity is 82%, and the wind is strong from the southeast. Have a good day. " As soon as he opened the web page, the Bluetooth speaker at home lit up and made a sound. Bruce froze and almost pulled out his gun.
"Don't tell me the weather forecast in the future, Red Queen." Bruce said to the phone in a bad mood.
"Yes, sir."
It was still a familiar voice in his memory. It originally came from the founder of the Biochemical World Umbrella Company, the inventor of the T-virus, Professor James Marcus' daughter, Alicia.
Alicia was a cute girl with blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. Unfortunately, fate was not fair to her. She suffered from progeria. By the time she was twenty-five, her body would be like that of a ninety-year-old person. Marcus wants to develop a life-saving drug to save his daughter. He records his daughter's voice and face to preserve her for the future. Later, he made a breakthrough in his research. Marcus discovered the T-virus. After injecting it into the body, the virus could recognize and repair damaged cells. Alicia was saved. However, the outcome was not what Marcus had hoped for. The T-virus was flawed. After that, Marcus and his business partner, Isaac, had a huge disagreement. Isaac murdered Marcus and took over his company, becoming Alicia's guardian. The company that was founded to fulfill his noble ideals was completely led astray by greed and power. In order to help him control the huge profits of the Umbrella Corporation, Isaac invented a powerful artificial intelligence system and designed an interactive interface based on Alicia's image. He named the system the Red Queen.
When Bruce was still a contestant, he obtained the motherboard of the Umbrella Corporation's supercomputer in the Biochemical World. The relevant code of the Red Queen AI system was also stored in it. After the transformation in the Reincarnation Realm, the AI system became his assistant and went through many derivative worlds with him.
He had even obtained enough liquid metal from the Terminator world to create a body for the Red Queen. Her appearance was exactly the same as Alicia's. This allowed the Red Queen to help him not only in terms of technology, but also in terms of combat. As his strength increased, he used various technological and magical means to improve and strengthen the Red Queen's body. She could help him less and less in terms of combat. However, to him, the Red Queen was no longer a cold AI. Unfortunately, the body was destroyed in a high-intensity battle. What was destroyed along with it …
Bruce pulled his thoughts away from the bad memory and looked at the light on the Bluetooth speaker. "What's the schedule today?"
"I have an appointment with Professor X at the Bluetears Cafe at ten in the morning." The crisp voice of a child echoed in the room. It was like a hundred sparrows and antelopes, with a hint of innocence.
But, it was not right.
Bruce's schedule was not so long that he needed to record it. He just wanted to find some of the feelings he had when he was with the Red Queen, but he did not. Although the voice in his ear was the same as in his memory, this Red Queen was not the one he brought into this world, at least not completely.
According to the Red Queen's description, he could roughly guess that when White Night's body was discovered, the chip that stored the Red Queen was also discovered. The people who discovered this tried to crack the chip. When the chip was connected to the computer, the Red Queen immediately began to copy the code to the network. This was the system's security measure to prevent the chip from being damaged. However, the people who tried to crack the chip quickly discovered this and disconnected the network. So, only part of the Red Queen's core code was uploaded to the network. Until now, the Red Queen he came into contact with came from that part of the code.
Although this Red Queen had the same core code, it did not have the data of the derivative worlds they had experienced together. The data that was also in the chip but could not be copied in a hurry. Just like how memory was an indispensable part of a human's constitution, to an AI, those data were also the basis for its logical deduction and judgment.
Moreover, he was no longer White Night. Bruce smiled bitterly.
Yes, he was not the owner of the Red Queen. He did not have the authority to modify the code because he could not prove that he was White Night. Now, he only contacted the Red Queen through the network and used a series of preset passwords to obtain the authority to use the chip. Just like the researchers of the Umbrella Corporation, he had a certain amount of authority to use the Red Queen's powerful data processing ability to conduct experiments.
"You really can't use surveillance to find Foyet on a national scale?" This was the real reason why he wanted to find the Red Queen.
"I'm sorry, sir. Allow me to remind you that I'm only a piece of code stored on the network. I don't have a powerful processing device. I can only rely on some ordinary civilian equipment. High-level equipment has strong protection measures. Even if I can hack it, it will be discovered. Of course, if you have a supercomputer for me to use, I can do what you said. However, you can't do it with just your laptop. "
Perhaps it was an illusion, but why did Bruce feel that he heard a hint of contempt?
His Alicia was clearly not like that.
"Then what can you do? I need to hunt down Foyet and protect Hotch. "
"I can hack into the surveillance equipment at each entrance of this apartment and compare the people entering and exiting with Foyet's image. I'll inform you when I find that the two are similar, provided that your communication device is connected to the network."
"Okay, let's do that." Bruce thought that finding the Red Queen would be a great help to him in capturing Foyet. Unfortunately, that was not the case. But at least he could guarantee Hotch's safety in the apartment? Although he did not think that Foyet would use the same method again.
oo00oo
At ten o 'clock, Bruce arrived at the Bluetears Café on time. This place was reserved by Professor X. Bruce had no interest in coffee at all. He had to rely on the positioning of the electronic map to find the place.
This was a baroque café, which didn't match its sad and poetic name, but the complicated and delicate decoration made people's eyes light up.
There were only two tables of customers in the café. A waiter frowned when he saw him enter. He was about to approach him when he was stopped by the barista at the bar. This made Bruce feel a little strange. He looked around and saw Professor X sitting by the window. Professor X even waved at him.
Bruce walked over and sat across from Professor X. "Good morning, Professor X. Thank you for your help last time." He wanted to transfer the money, but Professor X asked to meet him.
"It's just a small matter." Professor X smiled and gazed at him with those bright and wise eyes of his that had seen the world.
Bruce felt a little uncomfortable. He knew what Professor X's ability was, and he did not want to meet him. As the spiritual leader of the mutants, Professor X had always been committed to the peace and balance between normal people and mutants. He had strong telepathy and mind control abilities.
Professor X seemed to understand his thoughts. "Don't worry. It's very rude to invade other people's minds or memories. I won't do that. Also, you have the ability to protect your own mind. "
"I don't quite understand what you mean." Bruce was puzzled.
Just then, the waiter came over. "Gentlemen, what would you like?"
Bruce saw Professor X looking down at the menu. He glanced at it and said, "Latte." He made a decision instantly. He did not like bitter things. Adding milk would dilute the bitterness of the coffee. Of course, many people felt that it also ruined the taste of the coffee. It was a matter of personal preference.
"This café is one of the top three cafés in the circle of coffee lovers. They only serve 50 customers a day, and they refuse to take out. It's most famous for its espresso. Its special production method gives it a unique taste that leaves a lasting aftertaste. It's worth a try. "Professor X recommended to Bruce. He then looked at the waiter." Espresso. "
"Okay, espresso it is." Bruce also said to the waiter. He would never try espresso because he thought it was the most bitter.
Not long after, the waiter served two cups of coffee. Bruce took a small sip and frowned. His mouth was full of bitterness, and he could not taste the taste of the coffee at all.
Professor X had already finished it in three gulps. He looked like he was savoring the aftertaste. After a while, he said, "It really lives up to its name. What do you think? "
"I don't think this is suitable for me." Bruce's expression was a little strange. Professor X did not meet him just to drink coffee. There must be something else. "Why are you looking for me? And what you said just now … "
"Okay, let's continue the topic." Professor X put the cup aside. "You know what I'm capable of, so you're a little uneasy about it. Of course, this is normal. No one wants to expose their privacy to others, but you don't have to worry about this. To put it in an analogy, there's a layer of shell covering your brain, protecting your thoughts and memories. You should know that the human mind is actually divergent. Even if I don't activate my ability, I can still sense the shallow thoughts of the people around me. Shallow thoughts are just simple and messy things that are not thought through. I used to be troubled by this. "
Professor X paused for a moment, then continued, "But you're different. I can't sense any of your thoughts. It's like a closed shell. If you didn't pass by me, I wouldn't even be able to sense you. This is why I noticed you at first. I even thought that your ability was related to the mind, but later I found out that it wasn't. Of course, I'm not sure what will happen if I attack this shell, and I won't do it easily. "
When Bruce heard this, he actually heaved a sigh of relief. "Then … Why are you looking for me?"
"I've done some research on you. I know it's rude." Professor X looked apologetic. "But I have to do this. Most of my life has been working for the peace between ordinary people and mutated humans, including now. The current situation between the two is not very good, but it's not bad either. It's not easy to come by. You're a mutated human with great power. If you do anything, you can easily destroy this fragile balance. "
Bruce did not expect Professor X to say this. "But ordinary people don't even know about the existence of mutated humans. At least in the past twenty-five years of my life, I haven't discovered them. If it wasn't for the case about mutated humans some time ago …"
Professor X was surprised when he heard Bruce say this. "You don't know?"
"What should I know?"
"Let me think about where to start." Professor X pondered for a moment. "There are indeed many ordinary people who don't know about us, but this is not absolute. More than thirty years ago, there was a …" He paused for a moment, trying to find a suitable word to describe it. "It was a sensational incident. At that time, some powerful mutated humans were exposed to ordinary people, causing panic. Of course, these things were resolved later, but since then, the government added a test program for all newborns. Yes, it's about the X gene test."
In other words, the government actually knew about the mutated humans in almost all countries. Bruce's feelings at this time could almost be described as surprise.
"At first, we were against it. There are always some people who have malicious intentions or want to study mutated humans. After a series of negotiations and mutual compromises, the result was that this list would be made known to us at the same time. Then, we would give some guidance to the new mutated humans. At least, we would let them know that mutated humans are just a kind of evolution of human genes, or that some people like to use mutations. It doesn't matter, but there's no need to be afraid. They just have to accept this fact. Tribute was born. At that time, there were volunteers who were willing to do this work. Later, with the development of technology, this work was carried out online. "
"But there are always some children who are not born in hospitals. Children who can't be detected and don't know about the existence of mutated humans. I'm probably one of them." Bruce guessed.
"For others, it is true, but not for you." Professor X looked at him deeply.
"Why?"
"You work for the FBI, right?" When he saw Bruce nodding, Professor X said, "Those who have been tested will have a column in some files that are not open to the public. Those who have not been tested will not have this column. In order to work in the government, you have to go through this test. And if you are a mutated human, you will have to sign some … In my opinion, some unfriendly agreements, mainly about the restrictions on the use of your ability and some supervision."
"You haven't signed these before?"
Bruce did not speak.
"These are your matters." Professor X did not mind Bruce's silence and nodded. "Now, let's talk about the reason why I'm looking for you. Whether you are a mutated human or not can be determined through the genetic testing of the instrument, but what kind of ability you have can only be known when you see it used. Many mutated humans keep their abilities a secret, but most of them do not have the ability to cause a huge impact. But you are different.
"You can change the weather on a large scale, and not only can you change the weather, you can also cause great harm. I have seen it with my own eyes. I think the snow that covered one-third of Virginia in August was also your doing?" Professor X's expression became serious.
Bruce did not deny it.
Professor X understood what he meant. In a stern tone, he said, "I want to make a statement to you here. Or you can take it as a warning. If you use your ability to cause great harm and violate the law, not only will the government hunt you down, but we will also. There will be no room for negotiation. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Bruce finally understood why Lady Stormsword was involved in the original case.
"But I believe that you are not such a person." Professor X smiled again. "Even when you lost control of your ability due to your mood, you tried to control it and succeeded. You didn't just let it out casually. Besides, you're a law-abiding person with a strong sense of justice. Your job is to hunt down criminals, and you're facing a group of the most ruthless serial killers. Isn't that right?" Professor X said, smiling again.
He did not dare to accept this assessment. Bruce knew that he was not as good as Professor X made him out to be. He avoided the proud or gratified smile on Professor X's face and took a sip of the cold coffee on the table. He frowned at the bitter taste.
"How is it? Do you feel the charm of the espresso?" Professor X teased. "This espresso is so popular because the creator is a mutant who can control the air. From grinding to brewing, the coffee beans do not come into contact with any impurities. And because of the use of air pressure, the grinding and brewing process is very precise. This is how the espresso is made." Professor X gestured at the coffee in Bruce's cup. "Of course, his ability can only do this much. This involves the upper limit of the mutant's ability."
"Hey, I think I heard someone talking bad about me." The barista at the bar said loudly. "Brother, you can call me Pascal. This is also my name in the forum."
Pascal? If he remembered correctly, this was the international unit of air pressure. It was really simple and crude. Bruce's expression was a little strange.
"If you didn't eavesdrop, you wouldn't know." Professor X smiled and pointed at the waiter. "That guy has the ability to change the direction of the wind in a small area. It works well for eavesdropping."
"I am Aeolus." The waiter who wanted to stop Bruce at first looked a little cold.
Aeolus? The god of wind in Greek mythology? Bruce's expression became even more strange.
"Also, I want to introduce you to someone. He is one of the people in charge of Tribute. You don't seem to know much about the mutants. If you have any questions, you can look for him. You can call him 'Doctor.'"
A person walked out from the back room. Bruce was not surprised to see him. Asa Lawrence, his neighbor, or perhaps his former neighbor. He guessed that he would not return to live there for a long time.
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