Good News

Howard Stark had seen Rorschach enter with a middle-aged man.

So Howard Stark had a rough idea of what kind of person Rorschach's friend was and where he was.

Therefore, Howard Stark did not ask any further questions and agreed immediately. "Of course, no problem!"

Agent Carter watched everything coldly from the side but did not intervene.

However, she discreetly signaled several nearby S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with her eyes.

After Rorschach entered the bar's back room, those agents immediately headed out and stationed themselves at the bar's rear entrance.

To prevent Rorschach from slipping away.

Of course.

Rorschach was completely unaware of Agent Carter's little maneuver. He was not an agent, after all, and did not possess their keen ability to read people.

But even if he had known, Rorschach would not have cared.

He was not planning to leave anyway. Otherwise, what good would it do for Agent Carter to have even more people watching him?

As Agent Carter's people began moving, Rorschach entered a passageway.

The passage was long and narrow, with another small door at the far end, hidden away quite discreetly.

Rorschach found it rather speechless.

Caliban had made such a production of it. Anyone who did not know better would think he was some super-wanted criminal. Was there really any need to be this cautious?

This was more than ordinary paranoia.

Creak!

As he pushed open the door, something cold was immediately pressed against his head.

It was the big man who had gone out earlier to call Raven in.

The man held a gun to Rorschach's head and barked in a low voice, "Stay still. Try anything, and I'll put a hole in your head!"

Rorschach smiled faintly without saying anything. He simply reached out and grabbed the barrel pressed to his forehead.

Then he squeezed.

Crack, crack, crack!

The sound of metal warping rang out. When Rorschach released his hand, the barrel had been flattened, with several finger-shaped dents pressed into it.

Gasp!

The big man sucked in a sharp breath, as though he had seen a ghost.

Rorschach ignored him and strode forward into a hall ahead.

"Rorschach!"

Raven's voice rang out.

Raven was sitting inside, but a longsword was pressed against her neck.

The sword was held by a long-haired woman with a sharp, dangerous aura about her.

Psylocke.

Beside Psylocke was a seat, where Caliban sat with a grim expression.

"What was this about?"

Rorschach felt rather confused.

He had only come in to ask Caliban for a favor, one he was willing to pay for. How had things escalated into such a tense standoff?

"Caliban was about to ask you the same thing."

Caliban rose, pulled open a drawer, took out a gun, and pointed it at Rorschach. "What exactly is going on?"

"Caliban, you've misunderstood. We don't know what's going on either, I swear!"

With a sharp blade at her neck, Raven did not dare make any sudden moves. She nervously shouted at Caliban.

"Then why did a shootout break out here the moment you arrived? Don't tell Caliban that was just a coincidence."

Caliban did not believe Raven at all.

"Caliban, let Raven go! If we really wanted to do something to you, why would you still be standing here unharmed?"

Rorschach was starting to get a headache.

It really was just a coincidence.

"So why didn't you tell Caliban your purpose directly? Why did you bring those agents here?"

Caliban continued questioning Rorschach with his gun aimed at him.

Rorschach: "..."

Fine. There was no explaining this now.

In that case, he might as well stop trying.

Rorschach fixed his gaze on the gun in Caliban's hand. With a thought, two heat rays shot out.

Sizzle!

Caliban's gun was instantly destroyed by the heat rays.

Psylocke's expression changed at once. She kept Raven restrained with her longsword in one hand while her other hand abruptly formed a purple blade, which she slashed fiercely at Rorschach.

Whoosh!

But in the next instant, Psylocke's vision blurred. Rorschach had vanished from where he stood and appeared somewhere else.

Sizzle!

Two more heat rays shot out, and the longsword in Psylocke's hand flew free.

Psylocke was startled.

How could she not realize by then that this young Oriental man was extremely formidable, far beyond someone she could handle while dividing her attention?

So she immediately abandoned Raven, who had no combat ability. The purple blade in her hand turned into a purple energy whip, which cracked toward Rorschach.

But Rorschach moved like an agile cat, darting aside and effortlessly dodging Psylocke's lethal whip once again.

Crack!

Psylocke's whip struck the floor, leaving a mark on the ground.

She immediately twisted her shoulder, turned, and whipped again.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Three lashes in succession, and every one missed as Rorschach successfully closed in on her.

Not good!

Psylocke was horrified.

That kid was as slippery as an eel. Even her storm-like attacks could not stop him at all.

She tried to attack again, but a hand suddenly shot out and seized Psylocke by the throat!

Psylocke immediately dared not move.

Her life was already in the other party's hands.

If he wanted to, he could snap her neck at any moment!

"Raven, did you get the answer we needed?"

Only now did Rorschach have the chance to ask Raven this question.

Raven nodded from the side.

In fact, things had gone quite smoothly at first. Caliban liked money, and after receiving payment, he had readily helped Raven sense the area.

But just as Raven was preparing to leave, gunfire suddenly erupted outside.

Caliban, being sensitive and suspicious, immediately ordered his men to seize Raven.

"Rorschach, let's go."

Raven had no intention of pursuing the matter further and walked over to Rorschach.

Rorschach felt the same way.

This had been a misunderstanding from the start. He was not about to do anything serious to Psylocke and Caliban over it.

So Rorschach released Psylocke's neck and swaggered out with Raven.

"Raven, did Caliban sense Shaw?"

That was the first question Rorschach asked Raven.

Raven shook her head, excitement appearing on her face. "No. Shaw isn't within Caliban's sensing range!"

Caliban was not very far from Xavier's Manor. If Shaw was outside Caliban's twenty-five-mile radius, then Xavier's Manor was indeed safe.

They could basically confirm that Shaw had not traced Xavier's Manor. That was good news.