Late at night, a group of figures quietly gathered near the outskirts of the Mutant Academy.
"Sir, newly recruited S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 0233 reporting for duty." A young agent strode up to Lu Yifang and saluted him, as well as Coulson and Melinda beside him.
"Agent 0233, have you done everything I asked?" Lu Yifang cleared his throat and asked solemnly.
"Of course, sir. Everything's ready, but..." Agent 0233 nodded, though his expression was hesitant. As an agent, he knew there were some things he shouldn't ask about—especially when he was only a newly recruited S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, while the man in front of him was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Special Security Advisor, and the two people beside the advisor were both renowned Level 7 agents. Even so, when he thought about the Special Security Advisor's orders from earlier, he couldn't help feeling a little...
"Agent 0233, do you have a question?"
"I do." Agent 0233 gritted his teeth and finally spoke. If he couldn't get to the bottom of this, he felt there was no way he could carry on with the drill.
"Sir, isn't this a Counter-terrorism Drill? Why are we using live ammunition for everything? And why did you bring that thing?" Agent 0233 glanced at the small rocket launcher nearby and couldn't help curling his lip.
"Are we really supposed to shoot when the enemy shows up?"
"Obviously. Of course you're supposed to shoot! Aim for the head, not the chest, and if you hit the chest, put a couple more rounds in. If you see an Armed Helicopter, don't hesitate—blast it out of the sky. Bring out all your best tricks and go all out. Absolutely do not treat this as a drill." Lu Yifang gave his orders seriously.
So this isn't a drill at all. It's a real operation disguised as a drill. Agent 0233 silently grumbled to himself.
But he was still a little doubtful that this wasn't a drill. After all, besides the live ammunition and small rocket launchers, they'd also brought a large supply of fake blood, plenty of makeup equipment, and cameras. Wait, even a drill didn't need all this stuff. Only a film shoot would. What exactly were these big shots planning?
"Agent 0233, I have a very important question for you. Can you film and take photographs?" Lu Yifang patted Agent 0233 on the shoulder and asked seriously.
"I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I'm pretty good at it," Agent 0233 answered instinctively. Filming and photography were basic skills for any good agent, and he didn't understand why the Special Security Advisor was asking.
"Good. Then can you do makeup?" Lu Yifang nodded and continued.
"Makeup?" Agent 0233 was even more confused.
"Sir, I only know the most basic makeup techniques, but the women on our team have had professional training. Most of them are quite skilled."
"That's a relief. Go wait for orders." Lu Yifang let out a breath and waved him away.
What the hell do you mean, 'a relief'? Your wildly different answers to those questions have made us even more worried! Are all the senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agents a bunch of lunatics? Agent 0233 retreated with a miserable expression.
"These new agents are less obedient than they used to be." Melinda had watched Agent 0233 throughout the exchange. Now she shook her head, sounding displeased.
"Mei, they've done pretty well. Even you and I would've been worried by an order this strange back in the day," Coulson said with a smile.
"Yifang, don't you think this is a bit excessive? With Professor X there, he could stop those guys from escaping with a single thought."
"It would be nice if Professor X were at the Academy. I called Katie there earlier. Not long after Professor X returned, he rushed off to find out what was going on from Magneto." Lu Yifang spread his hands helplessly.
"Even if Professor X isn't there, there are still others..."
"They're all out." Lu Yifang interrupted Coulson. "Cyclops went with Professor X, and Jean and Storm went to capture the mutant traitor who tried to assassinate the president."
Colonel Stryker had chosen his moment well. If Fury hadn't warned him, he would've been at home tonight too, with no idea what was happening at the Academy. Something might really have gone wrong then.
"Put like that, it does sound like a bad situation."
"It's fine. After I called Katie, most of the mutant kids escaped into the passageways. The ones left behind are the kind who can fight." As Lu Yifang spoke, seven or eight Armed Helicopters flew swiftly overhead.
"Good, they're all here, and they haven't spotted us. Agent 0233, are you ready?" Lu Yifang turned toward the young agent behind him.
"Sir, I'm ready." Agent 0233 hoisted the rocket launcher and aimed at one of the Armed Helicopters.
"Idiot, who told you to take that? I want you to film and photograph everything. Record it all!"
"Sorry, sir." At that, Agent 0233 obediently switched to a camera.
Several Armed Helicopters eventually stopped over the Mutant Academy. Some landed, while the others began lowering fully armed soldiers from the air.
As Lu Yifang watched, a group of soldiers rushed into the Academy buildings. Just then, the soldiers at the front were blasted back out by a burst of fire.
"Good, we've got the evidence. Now it's our turn to act." Seeing the flames John had produced, Lu Yifang immediately ordered them to move.
"Don't worry, sir. I'll film all of it," Agent 0233 said confidently.
"Are you brain-dead? Who told you to film? Get the rocket launcher!" As he spoke, Lu Yifang snatched the launcher and fired at one of the Armed Helicopters.
"See? This is what a real operation looks like."
"I..." In a daze, Agent 0233 seemed to see Lu Yifang wearing sunglasses and puffing on a cigar, with a thick gold chain around his neck. A mocking tune seemed to echo in his ears to match the whole look.
With a heart full of MMP, Agent 0233 shouted, "High noon has arrived!" Then he grabbed his gun and charged out.
Boom! Boom! Several Armed Helicopters were shot down one after another by the small rocket launchers. Before the special forces could even react, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s newly recruited agents had already charged out.
The soldiers Colonel Stryker had selected for the mission were elite, not much worse than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents. But this was a capture-alive mission, and most of them were carrying tranquilizer rounds. After all, President Obama's threats had carried some weight.
Lu Yifang's side, on the other hand, was armed to the teeth. With him and the mutants still at the Academy, including Wolverine, they quickly overwhelmed the soldiers.
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