The Purifiers

Outside the University of Kansas Medical School, to the southeast, in the air.

An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, like a hovering falcon, pressed forward at high speed against the howling cold wind and the scorching sunlight toward the experimental building.

Inside the cockpit, the pilot was making final confirmations with the ground command center through the communicator.

"This is Storm One, arrived above the target area, ready to..."

Before he could finish his sentence, every instrument panel in the cockpit died instantly and without warning.

"Bzzzt--"

Amid a harsh static sound, the radar screen turned into a blur of snow, leaving only a busy tone in the communicator, and even the emergency lights inside the cabin began to flash frantically.

"What's going on?! An EMP attack?!"

"Out of control! The aircraft is going down!"

"Damn it! Hydraulics failed! The autopilot is finished, too!"

Amid the terrified screams of the pilot and co-pilot, the newly approaching helicopter fell toward the ground in a spin, like a bird with broken wings. Accompanied by the out-of-control fuselage spinning, it slammed straight toward the ground in the distance.

"Boom--!!!"

A huge, orange-red flame soared into the sky, and dense black smoke billowed, staining half the sky black.

On the ground, beside a black raw-power business vehicle, General Lake was holding a telescope, calmly watching the magnificent scene.

"To be honest," he lowered the telescope and remarked with emotion, "if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really would have found it hard to believe that this world could actually produce mutants who can directly manipulate electronic equipment."

His tone showed not the slightest surprise regarding the plane crash, carrying instead the excitement of a hunter discovering a rare and exotic prey.

"He's become even more terrifying..." Dr. Zander muttered to himself with lingering fear. Although General Lake didn't need him to participate in this operation, under his repeated requests, General Lake finally reluctantly agreed to let him follow, all to witness firsthand just what level X-0 had grown to.

And the result truly met his expectations.

"The crash of a helicopter... This should be enough to make those old guys feel vigilant now." General Lake said, then turned to speak to Davis beside him. "It's time, make your move."

"Yes, sir!"

Davis gave a respectful salute to General Lake, then took off the crisp general's uniform he wore, revealing the soldier's undershirt wrapped around his muscular torso beneath.

"Mr. Davis, do you find your clothes getting in the way?" Dr. Zander asked casually.

"No, just a little hot."

As Davis spoke, he loosened his wrists and legs, then his body slowly lifted off the ground and flew directly into the air, leading the Purifiers squad behind him as they charged toward the experimental building in the distance from different directions.

Meanwhile, behind them, an elite tactical force of fifty men carrying no electronic equipment and armed only with the most primitive firearms had already assembled, following closely behind the action of the Purifiers.

At the same time, citizens and media who had rushed over upon hearing the news had already formed a thick human wall nearby. A few bold reporters pushed past the cordon, aiming microphones and lenses at the young general who appeared to be the highest-ranking commander on the scene.

"Should we chase them away?" an officer asked General Lake in a low voice.

"No, let them come over."

General Lake did not refuse the reporters' enthusiasm; he walked calmly in front of the camera, a confident and steady smile on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Major General John Lake, Director of the Special Projects Division of the United States Northern Command." His voice carried clearly across the scene through the reporters' microphones. "We have received reliable intelligence that a group of extremely dangerous terrorists is lurking in the University of Kansas Medical School, plotting a terrorist attack against civilians. For the safety of the American people, we have the responsibility, and the obligation, to take the most decisive measures against this."

"At the same time, I also appeal to all of you, if you and your loved ones and friends are currently located near the medical school, please evacuate as soon as possible to avoid injury."

"General!" a reporter immediately pursued. "Can you provide more concrete evidence?"

"Why is it the military that has rushed here, instead of the National Guard?"

"What happened to that crashed helicopter? Do the opponents possess heavy firepower?"

Facing a series of sharp questions, General Lake handled them calmly, brushing off all sensitive issues with the excuse of "It concerns military secrets and cannot be disclosed for the time being." Finally, he spoke loudly to the camera again:

"Terrorists hiding in the medical school, if you can hear me... I hope you will surrender voluntarily to avoid unnecessary conflict!"

"General!" another reporter asked loudly. "Just now, someone flew out of your car. Is that a mutant? Is the military using mutants to fight?"

"To correct you," General Lake replied with a smile. "That is not a mutant, but a special research project of our military, which we call the Purifiers. They will be the main force in this fight against terrorists, and our sharpest blade!"

Inside the laboratory, Miles looked at General Lake's handsome yet chilling face on the central big screen, etching it deeply into his memory.

He switched the view to the surveillance system near the experimental building, locking onto four figures approaching from different directions who clearly did not look ordinary.

Through General Lake's mention of "Purifiers" in his interview, Miles immediately had Aurora pull up the Essex Corporation database to cross-reference data with the Purifiers project.

"Logan! Laura! Listen up!"

Having preliminarily obtained the results, Miles spoke swiftly to Laura and Logan. "These four people are artificial mutants created by the military! That is to say, the 'Purifiers' that guy mentioned on TV!"

"That flying guy's code name is Lightwave, capable of flight and of manipulating and emitting energy."

"That big guy's code name is Fire Giant, possessing super strength and a certain degree of self-healing ability, low intelligence, but his body will ignite with flames during combat, and he can throw fireballs when necessary—watch out for high temperatures!"

"That slow-walking one on the ground is called Impact. Records show he used to be a special operations soldier proficient in military combat, and his mutant ability is releasing force-field impacts through his hands."

"And that blue-skinned guy is Night Demon, with a certain self-healing ability, Adamantium claws infused into his hands as well, and his ability is..."

"Teleportation, I know." Logan cut in, his gaze fixed dead on the ghostly figure on the screen, his tone somewhat desolate. "It looks like Wagner ultimately failed to escape."

What Logan spoke of was a former companion, Kurt Wagner, a former member of the X-Men—a young man with a terrifying appearance yet a kind personality, whose ability was teleportation. The "Night Demon" before them was clearly a genetic product of Wagner.

"We can dwell on the past later, look at this for now." As Miles spoke, he highlighted and cropped an image from the big screen.

In the picture, one could see that Lightwave, Fire Giant, and the others all wore a rather high-tech, strange headband on their heads.

"According to data, this is an 'Anti-Mind-Control Device' manufactured by the military in imitation of Magneto's helmet," Miles explained. "This headband can isolate telepaths like me from carrying out mind control on them. The effect probably cannot compare to the original Magneto helmet, but my telepathic ability... also falls far short of Charles's."

"So, you mean as long as we find an opportunity to destroy that damn device, your ability can come into play?" Logan grasped the crux immediately.

"Right." Miles nodded. "Although I guess that as genuine combat personnel, their willpower should all be very strong, if I unleash my ability to the limit, temporarily affecting their actions shouldn't be a problem. All you need to do is take advantage of this opportunity... to deal with them!"

With the tactical arrangement finished, Logan couldn't help asking again: "Miles, tell me, how much longer does Charles need?"

"Charles just underwent surgery, he still needs at least two more hours of emergency observation before he is out of danger," Miles said, gritting his teeth. "In addition, I have an important experiment to carry out here as well... Damn it, these guys came really fast. If only you could have given me one more day..."

"What on earth is your experiment?" Logan couldn't help asking.

"Mutant Enhancement Serum," Miles replied. "If it can be completed, it can cure Charles's epilepsy and also let you return to your peak."

Logan was slightly stunned. He looked at Miles's exhausted and pale face, remaining silent for a long time before finally shaking his head.

"Prepare it for... Charles," the old wolf said slowly. "I don't need this stuff."

Having spoken, he took another glance at the positions of those four people on the surveillance screen and walked out without a word.

"Boom!!!"

Accompanied by a loud noise, the Fire Giant, taking the lead, smashed open the courtyard gate of the experimental building! His huge, flame-burning body slammed into the grounds of the experimental building like an out-of-control tank.

However, greeting him was an even more ferocious beastly roar!

"Roar!!!"

A black shadow lunged fiercely out of the shadows. X-24's expression was ferocious, ignoring the high temperature on the big guy's body as he thrust his claws toward the other's chest, only to be blocked by the Fire Giant's arm.

Blades pierced flesh, and the overflowing blood was instantly evaporated by the high temperature.

The two monsters stared at each other, both seeing ferocious killing intent in the other's eyes!

Almost at the same time, a burst of blue smoke appeared out of thin air in the hallway outside the experimental building, and a blue figure landed gently on the ground.

The Night Demon had barely steadied himself before he abruptly raised his hand.

"Clang!!"

He blocked Laura's surprise attack plunging from the ceiling vent using his own steel claws!

Sparks flew, and the collision of Adamantium made the air hum. He took advantage of the momentum to twist his body while simultaneously sweeping his other hand's claws toward Laura's waist and abdomen!

Facing the Night Demon's attack, Laura forced a mid-air flip, tapped the tip of her foot lightly against the wall, and landed nimbly a few meters away.

The two figures steadied themselves, beginning a silent standoff.

"Oh, another little wolf cub," the Night Demon looked at Laura's youthful face, a fierce light flashing in his demon-like yellow pupils.

"Come on, little one, let me keep you good company..."

On the top floor of the experimental building, Lightwave Davis smashed through the glass curtain wall like a meteor and charged straight in.

Yet the moment he had barely steadied himself, he suddenly heard the low humming sound of machinery operating.

A large experimental robotic arm used for precision operations started up abruptly, the heavy metal arm slamming down toward Lightwave's head with a speed completely inconsistent with its size!

Davis's pupils constricted, his body shooting upward instantly to narrowly dodge it. But that was only the beginning; on the other side, a high-pressure nozzle took the opportunity to shoot a pale white stream of strong acid liquid at him!

"Damn it!"

Davis hurriedly released a scorching energy impact, evaporating the strong acid in mid-air into a pungent fog.

At the rear entrance of the experimental building, Impact, walking at a slow pace, paused and stopped.

Before him, old Logan stood not far away, looking at him with a solemn expression.

"Fuck..." Logan looked at the opponent before him who vaguely gave him a sense of fatal threat, and muttered to himself, "Looks like I guessed right again... You're the most dangerous one here..."

"Boom!!"

Movement gradually drifted in from outside; it was clear that Logan and the others had already engaged the enemy.

For a time, inside the huge laboratory, only Miles sitting alone in his wheelchair remained, alongside Charles, who was still unconscious on the hospital bed.

"Aurora..." Miles said softly. "I have a feeling that this time, those people are most likely coming for me."

"You are correct, Miles," Aurora's voice came from the tablet computer by his side. "According to my logical deduction, that General Lake's true target should indeed be you, because... your ability is too special. Once any nation or faction learns of your existence, it is impossible for them to remain indifferent."

"Ha, so even you could figure that out?" Miles let out a helpless laugh, then, while dividing his focus to manipulate the electronic equipment on the top floor of the experimental building to delay Lightwave's movements, he continued speaking slowly to Aurora, "Aurora, listen to me..."

"If we truly cannot stop them this time... I will ensure the safety of Logan and Charles to the best of my ability."

"And then... as for the subsequent matters, I leave them to you..."