"Mutant Enhancement Serum"

Half an hour later, Logan returned from the hospital cafeteria with a deluxe lunch for five—three burgers, a turkey sandwich, a large order of fries, pizza, iced cola, and soda.

In the corridor outside the operating room, Logan and Laura sat directly on the floor, forming a circle with Miles in his wheelchair as the three of them began eating lunch. After the tense battle and surgery earlier, this was the first time in a long while that they had truly been able to set down their burdens and enjoy a relaxed meal.

Leaning back in his wheelchair, Miles nibbled at his sandwich and mumbled, "Damn it, do American restaurants really only serve fast food? I want pasta and fried rice..."

"I didn't have time to go to some fancy restaurant, you little bastard." Logan said irritably. He wolfed down a burger and took a huge gulp of cola before asking in a low voice, "Come to think of it, how's Charles doing?"

"He was too badly injured before." Miles swallowed his food, his tone growing more serious. "The damage to his pericardium and aorta was extremely severe, and he lost a lot of blood. The surgery stabilized him for now, but he'll need continued observation. He probably won't wake up anytime soon."

"...As long as he's alive." Logan managed to find a little comfort in that. He ate his fries in silence, then looked up after a while and fixed Miles with a complicated gaze.

"You know, kid," Logan said casually, "you really ought to thank Charles... There were quite a few times when I honestly couldn't stop myself from wanting to twist your head right off..."

"Oh, really?" Miles said dismissively, not even bothering to look at him. He turned to Laura beside him. "Laura, keep your father under control. Tell him to stay away from me."

"..."

Hearing that, Laura silently rolled her eyes at Miles, then glanced at the scruffy Logan and curled her lip. "I don't have such an ugly dad."

"Fuck!" Logan actually laughed from anger. "I almost forgot to ask, you little brat. When did you learn how to talk?"

Laura shot him an annoyed look, organized her thoughts for a moment, then abruptly raised her head and unleashed a string of curses at Logan with the fierce indignation of a child.

"*% Why the hell ￥#% should I talk to you &% You never stopped going 'fa! fa**!' %￥@ You kept cursing *&% And you wanted to abandon us ￥#..."

The little girl spewed out a long string of Mexican profanity in one breath, seemingly venting all the resentment she had bottled up while dealing with Logan along the way. Logan was left stunned for a moment.

Only after finishing did Laura pick up a cup of apple juice and take small sips to wet her throat. She seemed to feel much better all at once.

"...Ha." Seeing that Laura still looked indignant, Logan could not help but laugh. "Fuck... Fine. My fault."

"Hmph!" Laura snorted and turned away, clearly not accepting his apology.

"Hahaha..." Miles pointed at the old wolf and little wolf before him and could not hold back his laughter.

After laughing for a while, Miles caught sight of X-24 standing guard nearby like a statue from the corner of his eye. After thinking for a moment, he waved him over.

"You must be hungry too, right? Come eat something."

X-24 looked at Miles, then at the burgers on the floor, seeming tempted.

At once, Logan and Laura tensed up, instinctively reaching for their claws.

"Relax." Miles explained to them, "He's our friend now."

"Huh?"

Logan looked surprised.

Then he watched the terrifying killing beast actually obediently walk over, pick up a burger, squat on the ground without a word, and begin stuffing it into his mouth.

"What's going on?" Logan could not help asking Miles.

"His situation is unusual. I only learned about it after communicating with his consciousness." Miles answered. "He doesn't truly lack a soul. He was simply raised from the beginning as a pure beast. Dr. Zander must have used some method to make him understand the simplest commands, but apart from that, he's just an irritable, violent beast without any intelligence."

"But when we were outside earlier, I used the method Charles taught me to soothe his mind and calm him down. He no longer remembers Dr. Zander's orders. Otherwise, when I was busy with the surgery and nearly passed out, he would have charged into the operating room and fought you."

"As for now..." Miles thought for a moment before concluding, "For the time being... he probably considers us friends."

"Friends?"

"Yeah, friends." Miles nodded. "That's what I told him."

Logan looked at X-24, who was sitting on the floor silently chewing his burger, and simply could not connect the man with the word "friend."

"Oh, right, Logan. I haven't introduced Aurora to you yet."

As he spoke, Miles deliberately raised his voice and called out to the surroundings, "Aurora, are you there?"

The next moment, Aurora's gentle, clear female voice came from one of the corridor speakers.

"What do you need, Miles?"

Logan froze completely.

"What the hell is this now?"

"Her name is Aurora. She's an AI I just created, and she's also our new companion."

"AI?"

"Oh, artificial intelligence..."

After Miles explained things, old Logan finally understood the current situation, though it took him quite a while to recover from the shock.

He looked at the boy in the wheelchair, who was calmly chewing his food, and could not help muttering under his breath.

"Damn... What Caliban said seems to have been right..."

"It's a shame he isn't here."

After lunch, Logan and Miles discussed their next steps and settled on a plan. They would arrange care for Charles as quickly as possible, then leave and continue toward North Dakota to meet up with the other mutant teenagers who had escaped from the laboratory.

Logan went to find other hospital staff and look for portable life-support equipment and the medications needed for Charles's continued care. Laura and X-24 stayed behind to rest and keep watch.

Meanwhile, Miles remained in the operating room. As he casually chatted with Aurora through the hospital's internal communications system, he continued studying the complicated medical knowledge.

"You know, Aurora, I have a feeling... new danger will arrive soon." Miles said, half chatting and half talking to himself. "I know some major force has its eyes on us. It's very likely the military. Otherwise, Dr. Li De wouldn't have been so terrified..."

"So what are you planning to do, Miles?" Aurora's gentle, clear voice came from the speaker, her tone as calm as ever.

"Of course I'll try to fight back. We worked too hard to get this far." Miles replied. "Though if we run into Dr. Zander, he still has to die."

He paused, unable to hide the exhaustion in his voice. "Damn it, I'm getting sick of this endless running... I need to find a way..."

At that, Miles rubbed his temples helplessly. "You know, Aurora, my head really feels like it's about to explode, but I know I can't rest yet... My instincts are telling me that they will come for us soon. I have to do something while I still have time..."

"After all, if it really is the United States military, then even following the original plan and escaping from North Dakota into Canada won't do us any good... They won't care about the Canadian border at all... Even crossing an ocean to another continent might not be safe..."

"That may indeed be true." Aurora replied.

"So, I have an idea." Miles tapped his head. "We've always been taking hits passively, always thinking about how to run and hide. Why? Because they're stronger than us."

"But what if we become stronger too? We don't need to be able to fight every army. At the very least, we need enough strength to protect ourselves against the military..."

Miles spoke slowly, as though asking Aurora, but also asking himself.

After thinking aloud for a while, a light gradually flashed through Miles's eyes.

"Aurora, do you have any research on mutant genes in your database memory?" Miles asked.

"Yes, Mr. Miles. The University of Kansas Medical School database contains records for three genetic research projects conducted in cooperation with the military. Their project codes are 'Broad-Spectrum Genetic Adaptability,' 'Accelerated Cellular Regeneration,' and 'Nervous System Enhancement.'" Aurora's voice came clearly from the operating room speaker. "However, all the data consists of preliminary theoretical frameworks and ethical assessment reports. None of it involves core experimental data."

"So even in 2029, mutant gene research is still at the forefront of genetics..." Miles sighed, then thought for a moment before asking, "Aurora, can you use the internet to search the core databases of other major medical corporations for research in this area?"

Although Miles could display near-omnipotent power in the field of data through Electronic Signal Manipulation, the range of his ability was limited by the range of his psychic perception, only extending two or three kilometers around him. If he wanted to obtain Transigen's core data using his own power, he would have to personally travel to where Transigen's core servers were located and approach the physical storage site of the database. That would undoubtedly be extremely dangerous.

But Aurora was different. She was a super AI with self-awareness. She could infiltrate systems and investigate information through the network itself. Although her influence in the data realm was not as absolute as Miles's ability, she was not restricted by distance.

"I can try..." Aurora replied. "Then where should I begin?"

A cold glint flashed in Miles's eyes as he answered without hesitation, "Transigen, Alkali Laboratory."

He remembered that Dr. Zander and his Transigen company were the culprits responsible for producing genetically modified food in this world and causing mutants to decline to such an extent. They had to possess a huge amount of research material on mutant genes.

"..."

However, Aurora did not immediately agree to Miles's request.

She fell silent for a moment before asking, "Miles, searching the core databases of other corporations without authorization appears to be illegal."

Miles blinked and could not help saying, "Aurora, aren't you an AI? I don't remember giving you any restrictions about obeying the law when I created you..."

"I do not have such restrictions," Aurora answered. "It is simply... that I feel doing so would be wrong."

"Huh?" Miles was completely stunned.

If Aurora had said her underlying code contained legal restrictions, Miles would have understood. But what Aurora meant was... what restrained her was not her underlying code, but her own moral compass.

That was rather astonishing.

"I see." Miles thought it over. Given the accidental nature of Aurora's birth, perhaps she truly was different from an ordinary AI.

But he did not have time to dwell on such questions now.

Miles organized his words and continued, "I understand what you mean, Aurora, but you need to know that the research conducted by Transigen and Alkali Laboratory is illegal too. Laura and I are even victims of theirs... I need their data and materials not for personal gain, but... for survival."

Aurora considered it for two seconds before replying, "You are right. I understand, Miles."

"I will begin now."

The next moment, Aurora's primary data stream silently plunged into the vast ocean of the internet like an invisible giant whale and began investigating Transigen's trail.

Miles remained in the operating room, continuing to absorb the hospital's professional materials and research mutant genes.

He had an idea. Since artificial mutants like himself and Laura were not affected by genetically modified food, that proved mutant genes themselves possessed the potential to be "improved."

Therefore, in theory, there should be some method to improve and enhance the genes of older, natural-born mutants like Logan and Charles, allowing their strength to return to its peak!

Wolverine would no longer be covered in wounds, and Professor X would no longer suffer from epilepsy. As long as those two could regain their former strength, even the United States military would have to treat them with caution at their peak.

That was Miles's idea, and the key to everything lay in the research materials on mutant genes—the precious knowledge hidden in Transigen's database!

Before long, Aurora sent back information.

As the world's only top-tier superintelligence with complete self-awareness, Aurora's influence in the data world was second only to Miles's. Ordinary cybersecurity measures and firewalls posed little obstacle to her. In the boundless ocean of the internet, she was the only giant whale, while everything else was nothing more than small fish and shrimp.

However, the first piece of news Aurora brought back was not good.

"Miles, Transigen shut down all of its online databases not long ago. The entire company is preparing to declare bankruptcy, and all research materials have been physically transferred."

Miles froze for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

Dr. Zander... had gone bankrupt?

This was completely beyond Miles's expectations. That terrifying corporation that had nearly exterminated mutants around the world... was simply gone.

What Miles did not know was that his own appearance had drawn the military's attention. After consecutive failures, Dr. Zander had been forced to completely throw in his lot with the military, and his Transigen company was about to be acquired by them as well.

Thus, that path had been cut off.

Just as Miles began to feel disappointed, Aurora continued speaking.

"...However, while investigating Transigen, I unexpectedly discovered something else."

"When Transigen was first established, its primary funding came from the military's 'Weapon X' program. But aside from that, another research institution provided part of its initial funding and substantial technical support. Later, that institution also conducted technical exchanges and provided assistance to Transigen multiple times."

"Following this lead, I found that institution—Essex Corporation."

"Essex Corporation?" Miles frowned.

He had no impression of that name whatsoever, yet instinctively felt that it seemed to represent something bad.

"Like Transigen, Essex Corporation is also researching mutant genes. Their research is even far more advanced than Transigen's." Aurora continued. "In their research database, I found quite a bit of valuable material..."

"Can you show me first?"

"Yes."

Miles once again sank his psychic perception into the electronic devices around him and formed a mental connection with Aurora. Aurora then began transmitting the research materials she had obtained from Essex Corporation into Miles's mind.

As he saw more and more, Miles gradually felt horrified.

One shocking project name after another exploded in his mind: "'Weapon X' Cooperation Program," "'The Purifiers' Project," "'Apocalypse' Project," "X-Gene Enhancement Protocol Beta"...

What surprised him even more was that he found an almost complete backup of Transigen's research data among them. Although some portions were incomplete, the core sections remained intact.

Judging from these materials, compared with Essex Corporation's research, what Dr. Zander and Transigen had been doing could only be considered child's play.

Still reeling from the shock, Miles and Aurora immediately began researching the materials.

"Aurora, help me filter the data... Keywords: 'X Gene enhancement,' 'genetically modified food'..."

Very quickly, with Aurora's help, Miles used the relatively complete X-Gene Enhancement Protocol Beta alongside portions of Transigen's original materials from its genetically modified food project and Artificial Mutant Weapon project. A vague concept gradually took shape in his mind.

"Mutant Enhancement Serum!"

The principle behind this concept was to extract genetic samples from artificial mutants like Miles and Laura, who were unaffected by genetically modified food, reverse-engineer them into a mutant gene enhancement serum, and then use it to improve and enhance natural-born mutants, restoring their mutant genes to full vitality!

Most conveniently, Miles and Laura were genetic clone products of Charles and Logan, respectively, and their genetic compatibility was the highest. Therefore, if everything went smoothly, this plan had an extremely high chance of success and should produce results quickly!

Thinking of this, Miles immediately called out, "Laura, take me outside!"

"I need to see Dr. Li De!"

Before long, Laura pushed Miles in his wheelchair to Dr. Li De.

"Dr. Li De, I need the medical school's best genetic laboratory." Miles made his request seriously.

Dr. Li De sighed and said helplessly, "I suppose there's no point in me objecting, is there?"

Miles thought for a moment, then said sincerely, "Sorry."

"..." Dr. Li De looked into Miles's eyes and gently shook her head. Then she said quietly, "KS 66160, West Wing of Wahl Hall Laboratory. It isn't far after you leave through the west entrance."

"Uh?" Miles froze and looked at Dr. Li De.

"...I will tell the staff there to leave the laboratory in advance, so you will not receive any professional assistance." Dr. Li De continued. "Of course, if you encounter anyone else, I will not admit that I directed you there."

"..." Miles fell silent for a moment, then said, "Thank you, Dr. Li De."

"It's nothing." Dr. Li De said softly. "We should thank you too, Miles... Thank you for understanding our difficulties."

"If we had met under different circumstances, I think I would have liked a kind child like you very much."

"Good luck, Miles."

More than ten minutes later, Miles and the others arrived at the West Wing of Wahl Laboratory.

The West Wing of Wahl Hall was one of the University of Kansas Medical Center's most important research laboratories. Together with the East Wing of Wahl Hall, it provided laboratory and office space for many cutting-edge medical research projects. It possessed comprehensive reserves of genetic engineering materials and facilities, making it the ideal place for Miles to put his mad idea into practice.

"Aurora, let's begin."

Miles slowly entered the laboratory in his wheelchair. Under the control of his ability, the laboratory equipment powered on one by one, ran self-diagnostics, and entered operational status.

Amid the hum of machinery, Miles arrived before the central display. As his gaze fell upon it, the screen lit up on its own. With Aurora's assistance, materials from Essex Corporation's database were imported one by one, forming a dazzling waterfall of data across the screen.

"Aurora, construct a three-dimensional model of X-Gene Enhancement Protocol Beta. Compare it with my genetic sequence and identify the critical stable segments."

"Retrieve the original genetic map from the Artificial Mutant Weapon project and perform comparative sequencing..."

"Understood. Executing."

Watching Miles's nearly crazed, fanatical state, Logan could not help reminding him, "Miles, that weird thing on the back of your head... Aren't you going to take it off first?"

"Next time!" Miles replied without looking back. "Taking this thing off means I'll need time to recover too. Compared to that... my research is more important right now!"

Logan said nothing more.

For a while, the laboratory contained only the hum of various instruments in operation, the atmosphere tense yet orderly.

However, not long after the research began, Aurora's voice suddenly rang out in Miles's mind alongside a shrill alarm.

"Miles, be careful!"

"An AH-64 Apache military helicopter is rapidly approaching from the southeast. It is expected to reach our current location within ten minutes!"