Believe Me, Logan

X-24 slowly pulled the three blood-soaked metal claws from Professor Charles Xavier's chest. Warm blood dripped from the claws, splashing into dark red flowers across the asphalt.

He turned around, his beastlike eyes passing over Laura, who lay on the ground, before settling on the parking lot entrance.

Logan stood there without saying a word.

He saw Charles. He saw the savage wound in his chest. He saw the last glimmer of light slowly fading from the old man's wide-open eyes.

Logan gently set Miles down from his shoulder, then stepped forward, walking toward X-24 one step at a time.

Three equally cold, gleaming metal claws silently cut through his skin and slowly extended from between his knuckles.

The old wolf's chest heaved violently, every breath like swallowing blades. He no longer cursed, nor did he think about that damned Sun-Chaser. Everything before his eyes blurred into the background. Only the monster ahead, wearing his younger face, stood out with unbearable clarity.

At that moment, only one thought remained in his mind.

Kill him.

Even if it cost him his own life.

Meanwhile, Miles lay on the ground and watched helplessly as Charles's body slid weakly from the car seat. Those eyes that had once been filled with wisdom and kindness were now utterly dim.

Then he looked at X-24, the vicious beast nearby radiating pure killing intent.

Something scorching surged from his chest into his throat, burning through his nerves and nearly setting his entire body ablaze.

Miles slowly clenched his teeth so hard that blood seeped from his gums, filling his mouth with the rusty, salty taste of blood.

Trembling, he raised a finger and pressed it against his temple once more.

He remembered that sun-drenched interstate highway, the frightened horses, and Charles leaning against the car window, telling him in a gentle yet unquestionable voice:

"...You need patience, and reassurance..."

Those words repeated endlessly in his mind, suppressing the screaming rage and grief.

"...Make friends with him..."

"Bzzzz—"

The mental world unfolded, still that familiar chaos: a void burning with commands to kill.

The last time Miles had faced this chaotic mental maelstrom, he had been completely helpless. But this time, instead of treating his psychic power as a weapon and trying to forcibly manipulate the beast's mind, he tried to turn it into a tiny hand, following the violent currents of thought with immense patience as he sought to understand, sort through, and soothe them.

"You can do this, Miles... You have to do this..."

As he activated his ability, Miles muttered weakly to himself, "You have to do this..."

He could feel that the Reavers who had rushed out of the operating room would be here any moment.

Laura had already lost against X-24. Even if old Logan risked his life, he would only be throwing himself into the fire. And X-24 wasn't wearing headphones this time, so Miles's ability to control electronic devices was useless here.

Enemies were closing in from both sides. There was nowhere to run.

So in this desperate situation, he could think of only one solution...

The only solution...

"...Patience... Reassurance... Friends..."

Miles trembled as he chewed over those words, forcibly suppressing every chaotic thought in his mind.

Forget fear. Forget anger.

Try... gentleness.

"Hello... I am... friend..."

Blood tears streamed from Miles's reddened eyes as he gritted his teeth and slowly spoke into X-24's mind.

X-24, who had been facing Logan, suddenly froze.

Logan slowly approached X-24, the distance between them steadily shrinking.

Ten meters.

Eight meters.

Five meters...

Finally, when they were less than three meters apart, Logan's steps paused for half a second.

In that instant, every muscle in his body tightened. His rear legs bent slightly, his back like a fully drawn bow.

The burning pain in his lungs, the groaning of his bones—everything was compressed to its limit. He was ready to launch the final charge of his life, the most resolute charge toward death he had ever made.

But then X-24 suddenly retracted his claws.

That bloodthirsty beast stopped moving.

X-24 merely stood there quietly. The storm of murder in his eyes seemed to have been frozen beneath a thin, invisible layer of ice.

He even tilted his head in confusion, like a dog trying to decipher a command. He lowered his gaze to the hands that had retracted their claws, then looked back at Logan. His eyes remained violent, but now they held a trace of bewilderment.

"I've got him under control!"

At the same time, Miles's weak but urgent shout came from behind them.

"Logan! Take Charles to the operating room!!"

Logan's forward momentum abruptly froze. He turned and saw Miles collapsed on the ground, his face smeared with a mix of nosebleed and tears. His body was convulsing uncontrollably, yet his eyes had never been brighter.

"Damn it, you'd better be telling the truth!" Logan cursed, but he did not hesitate. He followed Miles's order and charged straight toward Charles. He believed Miles—or rather, at this moment, he chose to believe in that final sliver of hope.

He carefully passed the statue-still X-24, rushed to the pickup truck, and hoisted Charles onto his back. The old man was covered in blood and already on the brink of death.

Thank God... he still seemed to be breathing.

"Found them!"

"They're here!"

At that moment, a group of people burst out from another exit of the hospital building. Anthony and his Reavers had finally arrived, their gun barrels all pointed in unison.

"Finally found you, X-0..."

Anthony stared fixedly at Miles, who lay on the ground like a stranded fish, and sneered.

Since they could not carry electronic devices, Anthony, as the commander, had personally taken the field as their leader, bringing the remaining Reavers along to ensure this mission was completed without fail.

Bang! Bang!

Several bullets struck the floor, forcing Logan, who had just lifted Charles onto his back, to stop.

"Fuck!"

Logan cursed under his breath and was about to set Charles down and charge into battle... but then X-24, who had been motionless beside him, suddenly turned his head and fixed his gaze on the approaching Reavers.

"Kill them," Miles muttered hoarsely, his expression blank.

ROAR—!!!

A roar suppressed to the absolute limit exploded from deep in X-24's throat. The beast bent his legs, then kicked off violently, launching himself at the Reavers like a cannonball.

Two sets of metal claws sprang out in an instant. The next moment, the air was filled only with the crisp sounds of flesh and bone being torn apart. There were no unnecessary roars, no pointless displays—only the most efficient, cold-blooded slaughter.

One Reaver had just raised his gun when his arm was severed at the shoulder. The next second, metal claws pierced his throat.

"What is going on?!" Anthony's eyes widened. "Wait, X-24, we are—"

Slish!!

X-24 gave Anthony no chance to speak. His Adamantium claws plunged in through Anthony's mouth and burst out through the back of his neck.

"Ah!"

"This monster's been controlled!"

"Run!!"

Logan stared at the scene in shock, then looked at Miles lying on the ground. Only now did he truly dare believe that Miles had really brought that monster under control.

"Go!!!"

Miles used the last of his strength to command Logan.

At last, Logan had no more reservations. With Charles on his back, he took off running, then reached Laura in a few strides and sliced through the ropes binding her with his claws.

"Take care of the kid."

With that, Logan did not look back. Carrying old Charles, he sprinted toward the hospital operating room.

"There's an injured man here! Save him!"

Before long, Logan carried Charles back to the floor where the operating rooms were located and shouted at the doctors there.

Because of the earlier incident, a large group of medical staff had gathered in the corridor. When they saw Logan return, they all looked over, then... backed away in fear.

The power Miles had cut off earlier had been restored, and the hallway was brightly lit.

"Fuck..." Logan cursed again. Then he spotted Dr. Li De, the dean of the medical school, and hurried over with a flash of hope in his eyes. "Doctor, please save him... He's badly hurt!"

Seeing Logan covered in blood and the dying old man on his back, Dr. Li De took a deep breath and said fearfully, "I'm sorry, Mr. Logan..."

"The board sent word. This place... doesn't welcome you."

"What did you say?!" Logan's eyes widened. "Isn't this a hospital? We need treatment!!"

"We can't admit him. Please leave!"

Logan asked again and again, but no matter what he said, Dr. Li De would not budge.

Thinking of the female military agent from earlier, Logan's heart slowly sank. He finally realized that someone was targeting them.

Just then, every light in the lobby, along with all the lighting in the corridors, suddenly went out.

"What happened?"

"The power's out?"

Panicked cries rose in the darkness. A few seconds later, the emergency lights flickered on, their dim green glow flashing. Amid the shifting sickly green light, a faint yet persistent sound of rolling wheels came from the end of the corridor.

Swish, swish...

The sound drew closer at an unhurried pace, yet it felt as if it were stepping on everyone's heart.

Everyone turned toward the sound. In the darkness of the corridor, a boy sat in Charles's electric wheelchair, slowly approaching as Laura pushed him forward.

His face was so pale it held not a trace of color. His cold eyes were bloodshot. He seemed as though he might fall apart at any moment in that oversized wheelchair, yet there was an indescribable chill in his gaze.

Beside him, a blood-soaked monster followed silently like a mute ghost. The still-wet blood on his body reflected a dark red gleam beneath the emergency lights, and the thick stench of blood hit them from far away, making several timid nurses retch on the spot.

Then the wheelchair stopped before the crowd.

"Let him through."

Miles spoke softly. His voice was weak and hoarse, yet it reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity, carrying an unquestionable command.

Dr. Li De looked past Miles at X-24, and her hands began trembling instinctively. She could tell that was not a person. It was a killing machine that had just finished slaughtering people, with scraps of human flesh still stuck to it.

Facing the invisible pressure Miles brought with him, Dr. Li De gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms as she used the pain to fight off the cold dread.

Then her fear turned to anger.

"Damn mutant... You want to kill me, don't you? Come on! Do it now!"

The woman in her sixties shouted at Miles, her voice echoing through the empty hallway with a slight crack.

"You have no idea who you've provoked! He's a big shot in the military! One word from him, and everyone here can be sent straight to hell!"

As Dr. Li De spoke, her voice gradually took on a sobbing tone.

She pointed at her colleagues around her, her voice growing sharper and more desperate. "Some people here may sympathize with you, but we all have families! Our parents, our children... they're all waiting for us at home!"

"So... don't force us!!"

Her final cry was almost a plea.

[Ha, so that's how it is...]

Miles understood.

"Laura, come back."

Miles called back Laura, who had been about to rush out and hit someone. Then he slowly swept his gaze around the room, his eyes passing over every face.

He saw fear, hesitation, and a trace of guilt buried deep within those eyes.

Right now, he could order X-24 to tear everyone here apart. He could cripple this building's systems completely. He could turn this place into hell... But he could not order a doctor to pick up a scalpel and save someone they were too afraid to save.

At that moment, an unfamiliar sense of helplessness seized him.

Miles closed his eyes, his pale face revealing no emotion.

A deathly silence blanketed the corridor.

Dr. Li De's chest rose and fell violently. After shouting those words, it was as though all her strength had been drained away. She could only stare at Miles, her eyes holding not just fear, but the grim resolve of someone resigned to her fate.

Miles opened his eyes again. He did not look at her, nor did he look at any of the doctors. His gaze passed over the crowd as though they were nothing but air.

"Laura, push me over."

His voice was hoarse, but exceptionally clear.

Laura nodded and slowly pushed Miles forward.

The medical staff instinctively retreated to either side as though avoiding a plague, making way for them.

"Wait!" Logan asked. He truly could not understand the situation before him. "What are you doing?"

Miles remained silent, merely having Laura stop before the glass doors of the operating room. Then he raised his head, his bloodshot eyes carefully studying the precise medical equipment inside, their indicator lights glowing.

"Logan, bring Charles inside and put him on the operating table," he ordered.

"Then what?" Logan asked in confusion. "Who is going to operate on him? We don't have a doctor!"

"I will."

Miles answered.

Everyone froze.

Even Dr. Li De stood rooted to the spot, then looked at Miles as though he were insane.

"You? Do you even know what you're saying? Have you ever read a medical school textbook? You can't even walk!"

"I don't need to walk." Miles slowly turned his head. His bloodstained face was directed at Dr. Li De, and his eyes held no emotion, only bottomless determination. "And I don't need a scalpel."

"As for the medical expertise..." Miles said, trembling slightly as he pointed at his head. "I'm currently going through the database on your medical school's main server... There really is a lot of data. I hope it's enough."

Dr. Li De could not understand what Miles meant, but she understood his resolve. She shook her head, said nothing further, and stepped aside to clear a path for him.

"Miles..." Logan walked toward the operating room and could not help asking, "If you're doing the surgery, what are the odds?"

"Honestly... less than ten percent," Miles said quietly.

"...Fuck!!!" Logan glared furiously at Miles. "You're gambling with Charles's life!!"

"So what?" Miles asked softly. "Do we have any other choice?"

"You can control Dr. Li De..."

"I can control her movements, but she still has to perform the surgery herself." Miles looked at Logan. "Logan, I'm not Charles. I can't twist people's thoughts. I can only manipulate their actions. I'm only twelve years old, and I only gained true freedom a few days ago..."

"I considered other options too... but Charles couldn't wait that long."

As Laura wheeled Miles into the operating room, the shadowless lamp directly above the operating table suddenly lit up, casting a circular, pristine glow utterly devoid of shadows. Then the ECG monitor on the wall flickered, letting out a soft beep. Next, the indicator lights on the vital signs monitor, anesthesia machine, and ventilator lit up one by one. Their steady beeps intertwined, instantly filling the deathly silent room with the vitality of functioning machinery.

All the electronic equipment began operating automatically, as though welcoming their king.

"So... trust me, Logan," Miles said softly.

"Just as you believe Charles won't die, believe me."