Trust Me, Logan

X-24 slowly pulled the three blood-soaked metal claws from Professor Charles Xavier's chest. Warm blood dripped from the blades, splattering into dark crimson 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 ghastly wound in his chest. He saw the last glimmer of light slowly fading from the old man's wide-open eyes.

Then Logan gently set Miles down from his shoulder and started forward, step by step, toward X-24.

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

The old wolf's chest heaved violently, every breath like swallowing blades. He stopped swearing. He stopped thinking about that damned Sun-Chaser. Everything before his eyes blurred into the background, leaving only the monster ahead of him—the one wearing his younger face—sharp beyond measure.

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

Kill him.

Even if it cost him his life.

At the same time, Miles lay on the ground and watched helplessly as Charles's body slid limply from the car seat. Those eyes, once filled with wisdom and gentleness, had gone utterly dim.

Then he looked again at X-24, the savage beast not far away, 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 rust and salt.

His trembling fingers rose and pressed against his temple once more.

He remembered that sunlit interstate highway. He remembered the frightened horses. He remembered Charles leaning against the car window, telling him in a gentle but unquestionable voice—

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

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

"...Become friends with him..."

"Bzzzz—"

The world of the mind unfolded. It was still that familiar chaos, that void filled with burning commands to kill.

Last time, Miles had been utterly helpless before that chaotic mental maelstrom. But this time, he no longer treated his psychic power as a weapon, no longer tried to forcefully manipulate the beast's mind. Instead, he tried to turn it into a tiny hand, patiently following the flow of those violent thoughts, trying to understand them, untangle them, and soothe them.

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

As he activated his ability, Miles muttered under his breath, "You have to do it..."

He could sense that the Reavers rushing out of the operating room would arrive any second.

Laura had already lost against X-24. Even if old Logan fought to the death, 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 stood before and behind them. There was nowhere to run.

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

The only way...

"...Patience... reassurance... friend..."

Miles trembled as he chewed over those words, forcing down the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

Forget fear. Forget anger.

Try... gentleness.

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

Blood tears overflowed 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, stiffened slightly.

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 hind legs bent slightly, his back drawn taut like a fully pulled 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.

But just then, X-24 suddenly retracted his claws.

That bloodthirsty beast stopped moving.

X-24 merely stood there in silence, the storm of slaughter in his eyes seemingly frozen beneath a thin, invisible layer of ice.

He even tilted his head in confusion, like a dog trying to decipher an order. He lowered his head to look at the hands that had retracted their claws, then looked back up at Logan. His eyes were still violent, but now there was a trace of bewilderment within them.

"I've got him under control!"

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

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

Logan's forward momentum abruptly froze. Turning his head, he saw Miles collapsed on the ground, his face smeared with blood from his nose and tears. His body twitched uncontrollably, but his eyes had never been brighter.

"Damn it, you'd better be telling the truth!" Logan cursed, but he did not hesitate for even a moment before following Miles's command and charging toward Charles. He believed Miles—or rather, at this moment, he chose to believe in that final shred of hope.

Carefully stepping around X-24, who stood there like a statue, he rushed to the pickup truck and hoisted the blood-covered, dying Charles onto his back.

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

"Found them!"

"They're here!"

Just then, a group of people rushed out from another exit of the hospital building. Anthony and his Reavers had finally arrived, their guns all trained in unison on them.

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

Anthony stared at Miles, lying on the ground like a stranded fish, and sneered.

Unable to bring electronic equipment, Anthony, as the commander, had personally joined the operation as team leader, leading the remaining Reavers to ensure that the mission would be 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, about to set Charles down and rush into battle... but at that moment, X-24, who had been standing motionless nearby, suddenly turned his head and fixed his gaze on the approaching Reavers.

"Kill them." Miles spoke flatly, his voice hoarse.

"Roar—!!!"

A roar suppressed to its absolute limit exploded from deep in X-24's throat. The beast bent his legs, then launched himself forward with explosive force, shooting toward the Reavers like a cannonball.

Both sets of metal claws snapped out in an instant. The next moment, the air held nothing but the crisp sounds of flesh and bone being torn apart. There were no extra roars, no pointless displays—only the most efficient, merciless slaughter.

One Reaver had barely 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—"

"Shk!!"

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

"Ah!"

"Damn it, that monster is being controlled!"

"Run!!"

Logan stared at the scene in stunned disbelief, then looked at Miles lying on the ground. Only now did he dare truly believe that Miles had actually controlled that monster.

"Go!!!"

Miles used the last of his strength to give Logan the order.

At last, Logan had no more reservations. Carrying old Charles, he broke into a run, then reached Laura in a few strides and slashed 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 rooms.

"There's an injured man here! Help 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 hallway. When they saw Logan return, they all turned to look at him, then... backed away in fear.

The electricity Miles had cut off earlier had been restored, and the corridor was brightly lit.

"Fuck..." Logan cursed again. Then he spotted Dr. Li De, the dean of the medical school. His expression brightened as he hurried over. "Doctor, please save him... He's badly hurt!"

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

"The board sent word. This place... does not welcome you."

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

"We cannot admit him. Please leave!"

Logan asked again and again, but no matter what he said, Dr. Li De refused to relent.

Thinking of that female military agent from earlier, Logan's heart sank little by little. He finally realized that someone had set their sights on them.

Just then, all the lights in the hall, along with every lighting fixture in the corridor, suddenly went dark.

"What happened?"

"Did the power go out?"

Panicked cries rang out in the darkness. A few seconds later, the emergency lights flickered on, casting a dim green glow. In that wavering, sickly light, a faint yet steady sound of wheels rolling came from the far end of the corridor.

"Whirr... whirr..."

The sound drew closer at an unhurried pace, yet it seemed to tread upon everyone's heart.

Everyone turned toward it. In the shadows at the end of the corridor, a boy sat in Charles's electric wheelchair as Laura slowly pushed him closer.

His face was so pale it held not a trace of color. His cold eyes were bloodshot. His entire body seemed to be sinking into the oversized wheelchair, as though he might fall apart at any second, but his gaze carried an indescribable chill.

At his side, a blood-drenched monster followed silently like a mute Wraith. The still-wet blood on his body reflected a dark red glow beneath the emergency lights, and the heavy stench of blood struck 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 every ear with perfect clarity, carrying an irresistible command.

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

Under the invisible pressure Miles brought with him, Dr. Li De gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, her nails digging deeply into her palms as she used pain to fight the cold fear gripping her.

Then her fear turned to anger.

"Damn Mutants... 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 corridor with a faint crack in it.

"You have no idea who you've provoked! He's a major figure in the military! One word from him can send everyone here straight to hell!"

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

She pointed at the colleagues around her, her voice growing increasingly shrill. "Maybe some people here 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 wanted to rush out and hit someone. Then his gaze slowly swept around the room, passing over every face.

He saw fear. He saw conflict. He also saw a trace of guilt buried deep in those eyes.

Right now, he could order X-24 to tear everyone here apart. He could shut down this building's systems entirely. 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, no emotion visible on his pale face.

A deathly silence descended over the corridor.

Dr. Li De's chest rose and fell violently. After shouting those words, it was as if all her strength had been drained away. She could only stare at Miles, her eyes holding not only fear, but also 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 other doctors. His gaze passed over the crowd as though they were nothing but air.

"Laura, push me over there."

His voice was hoarse, but remarkably clear.

Laura nodded and slowly pushed Miles forward.

Like people fleeing from a plague, the medical staff instinctively retreated to either side and opened up a path.

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

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.

"And then?" 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 textbook? You can't even walk!"

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

"As for professional knowledge..." Miles said, raising a trembling finger to point at his head. "I'm currently browsing the database records 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 determination. She shook her head, said nothing more, and stepped aside to clear the way for him.

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

"To be honest... less than ten percent," Miles said quietly.

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

"So what?" Miles said in a low voice. "What other choice do we have?"

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

"I can control her movements, but she would still have to perform the surgery herself." Miles answered, then 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. Until a few days ago, I had only just gained my freedom..."

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

As Laura pushed Miles into the operating room, the shadowless lamp directly above the operating table suddenly lit up, casting a circular, pristine glow without a trace of shadow. Immediately after, the ECG monitor on the wall flickered and gave a soft beep. Then, the indicator lights on the vital signs monitor, anesthesia machine, and ventilator lit up one by one, their steady beeps intertwining and instantly filling the dead-silent room with the vitality of operation.

All the electronic instruments began running automatically, as though welcoming their king.

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

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