The New Mutants

The blood draw at the health clinic went quickly. Just over ten minutes later, Logan led Laura out through the front doors and back into the car.

Logan looked from afar at the brightly lit clinic in the darkness and asked quietly, "Aurora, how long will it take to make the serum?"

"The initial genetic sequencing and comparison have been completed." Aurora's steady voice came through the phone. "Now that we have obtained your blood sample, the subsequent targeted cultivation and synthesis are expected to take less than twenty-four hours."

"Twenty-four hours... Then we'll wait here until tomorrow." Logan nodded, then asked, "Aurora, was all this... Miles's plan?"

"Not entirely." Aurora's tone paused almost imperceptibly. "Mr. Miles merely hoped that I would follow you and provide assistance when necessary..."

Logan froze for a moment, then instinctively pressed on. "So making the serum was your own decision?"

"Yes," Aurora answered. "When the enemy appeared earlier, Mr. Miles had already half-abandoned the Mutant Enhancement Serum plan. He believed there was not enough time. After he was captured... I continued the subsequent data calculations, then anonymously contacted the School of Biosciences at South Dakota State University and applied for a collaborative project."

Logan was left somewhat stunned. He stared at the phone beside him as though it were some kind of monster. "You... applied for a project with a research institution? How did you apply?"

"Through the internet."

"That must have cost a lot of money."

There was silence on the other end of the call for a moment before Aurora slowly replied, "Mr. Miles told me that this was for survival."

For survival...

Those words made Logan's chest tighten. He looked away from the phone and murmured with feeling, "Miles... that kid really created something incredible..."

"Logan?" Laura suddenly asked, "When you become young again, will you get stronger?"

"Yeah. Much stronger."

"Can you beat up that Impact and General Lake?" Laura asked seriously.

"...Yes," Logan said quietly as he looked at Laura.

"That's good." Laura nodded in satisfaction, then lowered her head. "I want to sleep for a while, Logan."

"Go ahead and sleep."

"When it's time to get the serum tomorrow, remember to wake me up."

"Yeah."

"You have to remember!"

"...Don't worry. I will."

After receiving Logan's assured answer, Laura finally let out a long breath and fell asleep against the car door.

Logan had no intention of sleeping. He stared out into the darkness beyond the window as memories of the past kept resurfacing in his mind...

At last, was it time to fight again?

Late at night, just as Logan was beginning to feel drowsy, the phone beside him suddenly lit up again and rang sharply.

Aurora's voice sounded once more. This time it was noticeably faster, even carrying faint static from unstable data streams.

"Mr. Logan, I intercepted part of the military's encrypted signals. Whiteman Base southeast of Kansas is showing signs of a large-scale operation. General Lake is making another move!"

The instant he heard the words "General Lake," all sleepiness vanished from Logan. He grabbed the phone and asked, "What are they planning to do?"

"The signals are being decoded... Based on their deployment routes and resource analysis, their target is... North Dakota." Aurora's voice paused, as if processing the final information. "Their target is a group of young mutants hiding there."

"...It's Richter and the others!"

Laura, who had just woken up, muttered softly upon hearing Aurora's words.

"Richter? You mean the little ones who escaped the laboratory with you?" Logan asked.

"Yeah!" Laura nodded, then blurted out, "Logan, they're no match for General Lake! We have to find them!"

"Okay." Logan started the car without hesitation.

"...Mr. Logan!" Aurora reminded him, "The serum is not finished yet..."

"We'll deal with it when we get back!"

With that, Logan floored the accelerator and drove the pickup truck into the northern night.

At daybreak, a ruthless encirclement operation was underway in a vast forest near the border between North Dakota and Canada.

When Logan arrived in the pickup under Aurora's guidance, he spotted the military blockade at the end of the road from a distance. Clearly, the area had already been completely sealed off by the army.

Logan frowned and immediately turned the car into the dense woods on the slope beside the road.

Then he asked Aurora through the phone, "Aurora, how are things?"

"Very bad," Aurora replied. "Based on their conversations over the radio frequencies, they have successfully captured eight young mutants. Two more were killed on the spot while resisting."

At that, the knuckles of Laura's clenched fists turned slightly white.

"The remaining five young mutants, led by a boy named Richter, have hidden inside a cave," Aurora continued. "Richter has the ability to create localized earthquakes and manipulate the earth. He has temporarily sealed off a long section of tunnel. General Lake is gathering a demolition team and preparing to force their way in."

Logan took out a pair of binoculars and looked into the distance.

The road below was completely blocked by rows of military trucks and armored vehicles. Soldiers patrolled in groups of three or five, armed to the teeth, both inside and outside the temporary perimeter. Several drones buzzed low in the sky like circling vultures, monitoring every movement on the ground.

"Fuck, Lake really thinks highly of these kids..."

Logan cursed, lowered the binoculars, and asked, "Aurora, can you take control of those military devices?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Logan. I do not possess Mr. Miles's absolute control over electronic equipment," Aurora explained. "I need an interface! A physical interface that will allow me to access their internal network!"

"How do we do that?"

"Get close to their command vehicle. I need to fully decrypt their radio frequencies at close range, then directly invade and hijack their command system!"

"I understand." Logan nodded, then looked at Laura. "Laura, can you contact your companions? We need a plan..."

"I can." Laura nodded heavily. "I'll be right back!"

Then Laura left alone, her petite figure like a cheetah in the woods as she swiftly vanished into the depths of the forest.

Logan watched Laura disappear, then seemed to think of something and suddenly chuckled.

"Shit... making plans, organizing tactics, gathering people... Damn it... when did I start doing Scott's job?"

Laura did not make Logan wait long. Just over half an hour later, she appeared again.

"Logan, follow me!"

Led by Laura, Logan drove in a circle through the woods before finding the remaining children inside a hidden cave on the other side of the mountain.

Some were sitting, others standing. They were covered in dust, and a few were injured. When they saw Laura arrive with Logan, all of them tensed up, instinctively going on guard like a group of startled beasts.

"He's Logan!" Laura shouted to the other children, then paused before adding, "He's Wolverine!"

"Huh?"

The boys and girls were stunned. A chubby Black boy reacted the strongest, raising a hand as he swallowed hard and asked in disbelief, "Y-you're Wolverine?"

Logan's gaze swept across the children. The oldest were only fifteen or sixteen, while the youngest looked even younger than Laura. Thinking of this group of children making their way through hardship all the way to North Dakota, only to face pursuit by the military now... old Logan felt his palms trembling.

"Yeah."

Facing the chubby boy's question, Logan nodded.

He was Wolverine.

Bobby's mouth fell open into an O. He instinctively patted his cheek and muttered, "Is this for real? Wolverine in the comics doesn't have that hairstyle..."

Jonah, the quiet boy beside him, suddenly added, "Comics are all lies."

The atmosphere in the cave strangely loosened for a moment because of that jab.

"Quiet. Save the chatter for later." Logan stopped the children's discussion, then asked Richter, the Mexican-American boy who seemed to be their leader, "First, tell me what your original plan was."

"We were going to cross the border and go to Canada," Richter answered.

"Canada won't help." Logan shook his head. "The ones who came this time are United States military forces, not corporate mercenaries! They got cross-border authorization. The Canadian government won't dare interfere with them... I'm Canadian myself, so I know exactly how this works!"

"...Damn it!" Richter cursed viciously, then asked Logan, "Then tell us, Mr. Wolverine. What do we do?"

"My acquaintances usually call me Logan, but whatever works for you..." Logan sighed, then took the phone from his pocket and placed it on a flat stone. "Aurora, tell them everything you know."

"Understood, Mr. Logan." Aurora's calm, emotionless electronic voice came from the phone. "Hello, everyone. I am Aurora. Based on the preliminary analysis of General Lake's command system signals, they are gathering more personnel. Within a few hours, they are expected to completely seal off this mountainous area and begin a carpet search..."

"What is this, some latest-model smart navigation?" Richter asked, pointing at the phone.

"Her name is Aurora. She's a super AI, our companion," Logan explained.

"A super AI? Like the ones in comics? Cool!!" Bobby's eyes lit up, and he shouted at Jonah, "This one isn't lying!"

"Shut up." Jonah curled his lip, then asked Logan, "Mr. Logan, tell us. What do you need us to do?"

"The plan is simple," Logan answered. "Charge in and destroy their command system. Aurora needs a physical interface to take over their network. Our job is to create an opening for her."

"A direct assault?" Richter frowned. "There's at least a company of troops outside, plus armored vehicles and drones!"

"That's why I need all of you." Logan turned his gaze toward the other children. "We need a coordinated operation."

"...Okay, then let's try it." Richter took a deep breath and nodded, then said to Logan, "I'm Richter. My ability is manipulating earthquakes and soil."

"My name is Bobby. I can generate electricity," Bobby said.

"Jonah. I can make other people imitate my movements," said the black-haired boy.

"Rebecca. I can control plants."

"Delia. Telekinesis."

Five people, three boys and two girls, all told Logan about their abilities.

"Laura. I use claws, and I can heal." Laura stated her own abilities as well, then looked at Logan.

"..." Looking into Laura's bright little eyes, Logan took a deep breath, then said helplessly, "Logan. I... am like her."

"Ha ha ha..."

Seeing Logan's reluctant expression, the boys and girls laughed softly.

Half an hour later.

"Under that tree over there, there's a sniper."

"And over there... there's another one, more than a hundred meters away..."

Delia closed her eyes. As a telekinetic, she also possessed Telepathy, making her the best scout in a complex environment.

"Take out the one to the east first." Logan gave Jonah a look.

Jonah understood at once. He carefully moved a few steps closer, then extended his hands toward the sniper hiding beneath the tree.

Then everyone watched as the sniper rose like a puppet, his movements stiff as he slowly walked toward them.

Logan hurried forward and knocked him unconscious with a powerful chop to the neck.

"Shouldn't we kill him?" Richter asked.

Logan looked at Richter and answered, "Don't kill unless it's necessary."

Then the group continued advancing through the dense forest until they were less than a hundred meters from the command vehicle.

There were too many people here. If they wanted to get any closer, they could only force their way through.

"...Remember, we don't have time. Move fast!"

After dropping those words, Logan burst out of the bushes!

"Enemy attack!!"

"On the eastern hillside! Open fire!"

Amid the enemy's shouts, a barrage of bullets came flying in. In that instant, Logan had no idea how many bullets struck him. The pain nearly made him lose consciousness immediately, and he could only rely on instinct to roll tactically to the side.

Fortunately, this time he was not fighting alone!

"Aah!!"

In the forest, Rebecca let out a low roar and exerted both hands. The next moment, scattered twigs on the ground and leaves from the trees gathered under her control into a storm and swept toward the enemies ahead!

"Aahhh!!"

Several soldiers immediately screamed as sharp branches and leaves pierced their flesh, sending them crashing to the ground.

"Where are the others?!"

More soldiers nearby noticed the disturbance and were about to turn their weapons toward them. At that moment, Richter pressed both hands to the ground and activated his ability!

"Rumble..."

The ground nearby began shaking without warning. The sudden earthquake left everyone unable to keep their footing, nearly making them drop their guns!

"Let's go!!" Richter roared.

"Aah!!" Laura suddenly pounced on a bald, muscular man and tore his neck apart with her claws.

"Bzzzz..."

Several drones approached, only for Delia, striding forward, to grab at them with one hand. Her telekinesis activated like an invisible giant hand, smashing the drones away.

For a moment, through their combined efforts, they tore open a path through the defensive line near the command vehicle!

At the same time, Logan finally staggered and lunged his way to the command vehicle, pulling out his phone and throwing it beneath the car!

[Invasion initiated!]

"Damn it..."

General Lake cursed inside the vehicle. Just as he was about to look out the window, he suddenly saw a bloodied, savage face rise from below outside the window, staring directly into his eyes!

"Long time no see..."

Logan greeted General Lake with a feral grin.