On the rooftop of the building across from the hotel.
"Is this mission really going to be easy?"
"That mutant seems pretty strong... If he actually dodges the specialized Adamantium bullets, I'm afraid..."
A burly man with a face marked by a scar like a centipede spoke with a hint of hesitation.
Beside him, a tall, muscular man in a combat uniform held a sniper rifle, aiming at the hotel across the street.
Without turning his head, Alick replied to Jeremy beside him:
"What are you afraid of? He's just a mutant, not a god.
"Besides, we're using Adamantium bullets this time. As long as he doesn't react in time, we can take him out in one shot."
As everyone knew, Vibranium could absorb energy such as kinetic and thermal energy, then convert and release the energy it absorbed.
Not only that, Vibranium was among the hardest metals in existence.
Even so, Jeremy still felt uneasy.
After accepting the mission, they had discovered just how powerful that mutant was.
As if sensing the fear in Jeremy, Alick continued:
"Don't forget, Jeremy. We took the job and already got paid. If we don't do it, just think about what'll happen."
At that, Jeremy's expression changed abruptly.
Thinking of the consequences of failing or backing out, he clenched his teeth and banished the thought of retreating.
A vicious, greedy look appeared on Jeremy's face.
"Once we take this guy out, we'll get the remaining two and a half million dollars!"
Not long ago, someone had approached them and the other killers who roamed New York's underworld.
The client had offered an astronomical sum to have them kill a mutant.
If they killed their target and brought back the body, they would receive three million dollars.
If they captured him alive, they would be paid a full seven million.
That was enough money to spend lavishly for most of their lives!
At the thought, the viciousness in Jeremy's expression intensified.
"Jeremy, that's three million dollars! With that kind of money, you'll never have trouble finding women."
Alick licked his lips, squinted one eye, and raised his thumb to aim at the figure inside the hotel ahead.
Although they had accepted the job, that didn't mean they were taking their target lightly.
After all, the client had provided information: this man was a mutant with terrifying abilities.
He had even taken out an armed force, as well as several fighter jets and tanks, not long ago.
Jeremy gazed at the hotel not far ahead, excitement growing in his eyes.
So what if he could destroy an armed force?
They'd seen plenty of mutants like that.
They'd encountered even fiercer ones before. Once an Adamantium bullet pierced their heads, they were just like ordinary people.
Nothing special.
"But come to think of it, I wonder who this guy pissed off. Someone's willing to spend three million dollars to buy his life."
Alick muttered.
"Who knows?" Jeremy said. "Maybe he offended someone, or maybe he's too much of a threat.
"Besides, the kid's just a mutant, not a god.
"With a sniper rifle and Adamantium bullets, we can take him out even if he has a Steel Body."
Hearing that, Alick nodded.
He had never believed their target could withstand an Adamantium bullet.
But...
Just as Alick was about to pull the trigger,
the corner of his eye caught sight of several figures in the hotel hallway.
Jeremy's anxious voice came from beside him.
"Fuck! Boss, why are there other people trying to take out that mutant too?"
"It's no big deal. We'll wait for them to kill the mutant, then kill them."
Though surprised, Alick wasn't unfamiliar with this sort of thing.
"Another sniper?"
Lynn spotted the two men in the building across the street and furrowed his brow.
Not only that, he noticed three mutants approaching the edge of his sensory range.
Killers? Or members of a mutant organization?
Lynn frowned.
How had they found out where he was?
Could it be because of Wolverine, Logan, and Hans?
Knock, knock, knock!!
A short while later, someone knocked on the door, followed by a woman's voice.
"Hello, I'm a maintenance worker at the Venice Hotel. There seems to be a problem with the water heater in your room. I'm here to fix it."
Lynn sensed the mutant energy of the three people outside. He estimated they were only half as strong as Wolverine.
He drew chakra from his cells, then transformed into the likeness of Wolverine, Logan.
He walked slowly to the door and opened it.
"I don't think I reported a problem that needed fixing," Lynn said, imitating Logan's hoarse voice.
The two white men and one black woman outside stared at Lynn's face and froze.
"Logan?"
The stout, dark-skinned middle-aged woman furrowed her brow slightly.
Hadn't the security cameras shown Wolverine leaving?
Why was Wolverine still coming out of the room?
Were there two Wolverines?
"What?" Lynn raised an eyebrow, looking impatient.
"Are you here to fix something... or..."
Before he could finish, one of the white men beside her suddenly opened his mouth without a sound.
Rumble!!
A piercing scream erupted from his mouth and blasted forward with terrifying force.
The air surged as the attack spread across a wide, fan-shaped area.
Thick black smoke spewed from his mouth, instantly swallowing Lynn and plunging the hotel room into darkness.
Smoke billowed, and fierce winds churned.
Amid the clouds of dust, the windows shattered under the terrifying impact, scattering into countless fragments.
The deafening roar swept forward, echoing again and again.
The floor shook, and the light fixtures broke.
In the thick black smoke, the sound waves formed a devastating shock that hurtled toward Lynn at the speed of sound.
A piercing shriek exploded beside his ears.
The terrifying sound was enough to rupture a person's eardrums, yet it didn't harm Lynn at all.
Rumble, rumble!!
Cracks spread across the hotel walls. They swayed, then collapsed to the floor.
The black woman watched the smoke slowly thinning and beginning to clear, a flicker of delight in her eyes.
"Is he dead?"
"He's dead," the man who had unleashed the black smoke and sound-wave attack replied confidently.
No matter what kind of mutant he was, anyone hit by his full-strength attack would have their eardrums ruptured.
Their brains wouldn't be able to withstand such a terrifying sound-wave attack. They would die instantly.
No one had ever withstood one of his attacks.
Two or three seconds later, the black smoke gradually dispersed, streaming out through the shattered window.
The three watched the ruined room ahead, full of anticipation.
But then—
A tall, muscular figure slowly emerged from the smoke.
A pair of scarlet eyes, like the Mangekyo, lit up in the darkness, shining with a strange, cold light.
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