Locke's body fell into the pit of flesh and blood, slowly sinking beneath the surface.
His face was pale, his expression full of terror.
He knew that if all that had happened was a powerful Mutant escaping, it wouldn't be a big deal.
But what if that Mutant had not only great strength, but also an iron will?
Locke didn't dare imagine it.
Things like that had always been hard for him to come across.
But today, he had seen someone like that.
Someone with not only tremendous strength, but also an iron will.
Captain Locke's heart trembled.
Lynn stood at the edge of the pit, watching Captain Locke slowly sink into it. Not a trace of emotion showed on his face.
His Sharingan wasn't powerful enough yet, and he hadn't advanced to Magnetic Field Rotation.
So he couldn't brainwash or control anyone.
Otherwise, he could have made good use of the guy in front of him.
Lynn shook his head, brushing away the jumble of thoughts.
He turned to look at the Mutant children beside him.
They were all staring intently at Locke as he sank into the pit.
The pit of flesh and blood had been exposed when the hill at Base 10 was bombed. The Mutant children had then dug it out.
It contained the bones of many Mutants, along with rotting flesh.
The stench was unbearable.
Even so, the Mutant children had stayed there, watching Locke until he sank beneath the surface.
Lynn could see the hatred in their eyes.
Clearly, they were just like him.
After leading the Mutant children beyond the area where Base 10 had been destroyed, Lynn told them to leave at once.
After all, he was only one person. If he faced a Level Four Mutant, or even someone beyond Level Four—
Magneto, Professor X, or Phoenix, Jean Grey, for example—
he might not even be able to protect himself.
And there were all sorts of other dangers in the Marvel Universe.
Galactus, Captain Marvel, Sentry, for instance.
Every one of them was hundreds, even thousands, of times stronger than Lynn was now.
He wasn't sure whether any of them would try to stop him.
But Lynn knew he had to become stronger.
Just as he was about to leave, Wolverine Logan limped over to him.
Logan looked at the man standing before him, wearing Captain Locke's face, and a look of surprise appeared on his own.
His heart skipped a beat. Could that Captain Locke from earlier have had some kind of superpower, too?
Wolverine Logan cautiously asked,
"You are..."
"You can call me... Locke," Lynn said calmly.
There was magic in the Marvel Universe, and some of its effects were bizarre.
Just knowing your name could let someone teleport you to them—or even place a curse on you.
Lynn didn't want to end up getting hit by someone's magic out of nowhere.
Better to use Locke's name.
"Locke..."
Seeing that Lynn had all four limbs intact and wasn't attacking him like Captain Locke had, Wolverine Logan nodded.
"That's a good name," he said with a nod. "The Mutant Locke, who'll lead us Mutants in building the Locke Kingdom someday... Good name."
Lynn: "..."
The Locke Kingdom... What a genius.
Wolverine Logan looked like a man with Astonishing Wisdom, too.
As the two were talking,
a figure darted through the woods, then landed on a branch beside them.
"Let's see, we've got a big guy, and... Oh, Mr. Wolverine! What are you doing here? Sabretooth and you are two of my favorite characters, you know..."
That endless babbling could only come from Deadpool or Spider-Man.
Deadpool probably wasn't in New York right now, so this had to be New York's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Lynn looked up and, sure enough, saw Spider-Man hanging from the branch in a red, blue, and black suit.
"Peter Parker, what are you doing here?" He frowned as he asked.
Spider-Man: "..."
Wait, you only looked at me once and knew my name?
Are you cheating?
"Uh... I'm Spider-Man. Who's Peter Parker? Have you got the wrong person? Or is there something between you and Peter Parker..."
Spider-Man tried to hide the fact that he was Peter Parker.
But Lynn cut him off.
"Listen, Peter Parker. I don't have time to stand around chatting with you."
Lynn raised his resolute face slightly. The sunlight fell across it, illuminating his rugged features.
"Are you here to watch the show, or to arrest us?"
The words crackled with hostility.
Spider-Man swallowed.
His Spider-Sense told him that the man before him didn't seem human at all.
It was like an orca swimming through the deep sea.
One wrong move, and it might devour you.
"I was just passing by and thought I'd ask," Spider-Man said quickly.
He'd been swinging through New York City, searching for Sandman, when he heard a tremendous noise outside the city.
So he'd come to investigate. He hadn't expected to run into Wolverine, or this... this orca of a man.
"There's nothing to ask." Lynn turned to look toward the front left, frowning.
"Spider-Man isn't needed here."
Two people slowly emerged from the woods in that direction, a man and a woman.
The woman wore a tight black outfit that showed off her curvy figure. Her red hair set off her fair skin.
The other was a man, not particularly tall, about five foot nine, with a slender build. He wore a pale gray Oxford shirt that had been washed until it was faded.
He also wore black-rimmed glasses, and looked polite and well-mannered.
"Who are you...?" Logan asked, staring at the two in confusion.
Black Widow stepped forward, pulled out an ID, and said,
"We're with the FBI..."
"S.H.I.E.L.D."
Lynn cut her off before she could finish.
Black Widow's eyes narrowed slightly. Looking at Lynn, whose appearance was completely different from before, she made a mental note of his ability and smiled.
"That's right. We're S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
We're here to see you for the sake of America's security."
"America's security?" Lynn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That's right." Black Widow Natasha nodded. "Ensuring America's safety has always been S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mission. We work hard to protect this land."
"Then can you guarantee the safety of us Mutants?" Lynn asked, the corner of his mouth curling in a mocking smile.
Black Widow fell silent.
She knew about the conflict between Mutants and ordinary people, but she also knew S.H.I.E.L.D. would never help the Mutants.
"Just as I thought. In that case, you'd better leave."
As soon as Lynn finished speaking, his body began to blur into a streak as he prepared to leave.
But then—
"Stop him!" Black Widow hurriedly called to Bruce Banner beside her.
Bruce Banner was frightened, but he still stepped in front of Lynn.
He thought of something that made him angry, and the intense emotion caused his body to swell.
His muscles grew larger and larger, like balloons inflating.
His clothes burst apart in an instant, revealing deep green skin.
In moments, he had transformed into the three-meter-tall Hulk. Muscles bulged across his body, and thick cords of veins twisted over him like pythons, radiating a savage aura.
"ROAR!!"
Hulk let out a mighty roar and reached to grab the man in front of him.
Lynn frowned, clenched his right fist, and punched with all his might.
BOOM!!
His tremendous strength erupted in an instant, sending Hulk flying.
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