The New Mutants

The blood draw at the health clinic was quick. Just over ten minutes later, Logan walked out the front entrance with Laura and got back into the car.

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

"The preliminary genetic sequencing and comparison have been completed," Aurora's calm voice came from the phone. "After obtaining 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 and instinctively pressed, "So making the serum was your own decision?"

"Yes," Aurora answered. "When the enemy appeared before, Mr. Miles had actually 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 Biological Sciences at South Dakota State University and applied for a collaborative project."

Logan was stunned. He stared at the phone beside him as though he were looking at a monster. "You... applied for a project with a scientific 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 line for a moment. Then Aurora slowly replied, "Mr. Miles told me this was for survival."

For survival...

Those words made Logan's chest feel heavy. He looked away from the phone and murmured, "Miles... That kid really created something incredible..."

"Logan?" Laura suddenly asked. "After you become young again, will you become stronger?"

"Yeah. Much stronger."

"Will you be able to beat that Impact and General Lake too?" Laura asked seriously.

"...Yes." Logan looked at Laura and answered quietly.

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

"Go ahead and sleep."

"When we pick up the serum tomorrow, remember to wake me."

"Yeah."

"You have to remember!"

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

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

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

Was he finally going to fight again?

Late at night, just as Logan was beginning to feel drowsy, the phone beside him suddenly lit up again and emitted an urgent ringtone.

Aurora's voice sounded again, noticeably faster this time, with even a faint static crackle from unstable data streams.

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

The moment he heard the title "General Lake," Logan's drowsiness vanished. He grabbed the phone and asked, "What are they going to do?"

"The signal is being decoded... Based on their deployment routes and resource allocation, their target is... North Dakota." Aurora paused, seemingly 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 quietly after hearing Aurora's voice.

"Richter? You mean those kids who escaped from the laboratory with you?" Logan asked.

"Yeah!" Laura nodded, then could not help saying, "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 has not been completed yet..."

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

As he spoke, Logan stomped on the accelerator and drove the pickup truck into the northern night.

At dawn, a merciless 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 far 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 vehicle into the dense woods on the nearby slope.

Then he asked Aurora through the phone, "Aurora, how's the situation?"

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

Laura's clenched knuckles turned slightly white.

"Five young Mutants remain. Led by a boy named Richter, they have hidden in a cave." Aurora continued her report. "Richter has the ability to create localized earthquakes and manipulate earth. He has temporarily sealed off a long section of the tunnel. General Lake is gathering a demolition team and preparing to force his way in."

Logan took out binoculars and looked into the distance.

The road at the foot of the mountain was completely blocked by rows of military trucks and armored vehicles. Soldiers stood in groups of three or five, armed to the teeth, patrolling inside and outside a temporary security perimeter. Several drones buzzed low overhead, circling like vultures as they monitored every movement on the ground.

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

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

"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 can connect me to their internal network!"

"How do we do that?"

"Get close to their command vehicle. I need to fully decrypt their radio frequencies from 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 back soon!"

Laura left alone, her small figure disappearing swiftly into the depths of the forest like a cheetah among the trees.

Logan watched Laura vanish from sight. Then, as if he had thought of something, he suddenly gave a bitter laugh.

"Shit... Planning tactics, organizing people... Damn it... How did I end up doing Scott's job?"

Laura did not keep Logan waiting long. More than half an hour later, she appeared again.

"Logan, follow me!"

Led by Laura, Logan drove through the forest in a wide circle. Then, inside a hidden cave on the other side of the mountain, he met the remaining children.

Some were sitting, some were standing. They were covered in dust, and a few were injured. When they saw Laura arrive with Logan, their bodies all tensed, instinctively becoming wary like a group of startled animals.

"He's Logan!" Laura shouted at the other children. Then she paused before adding, "He's Wolverine!"

"Huh?"

The teenagers froze. A chubby Black boy reacted most strongly. He raised a hand, swallowed hard, and asked in disbelief, "Y-you're Wolverine?"

Logan's gaze swept over the children. The oldest was only fifteen or sixteen, while the youngest looked even younger than Laura. Thinking about how a group of children like this had struggled all the way to North Dakota and now had to face pursuit by the army... Old Logan felt his hands tremble.

"Yeah."

Logan nodded in response to the chubby boy's question.

He was Wolverine.

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

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

The atmosphere in the cave strangely relaxed for a moment because of that remark.

"Quiet. We can talk later." Logan stopped the children's chatter, then asked Richter, the Mexican boy who seemed to be the group's leader, "First, tell me what your original plan was."

"We planned 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 the United States military, not corporate mercenaries! They got cross-border authorization. The Canadian government won't dare interfere with them... I'm Canadian myself. I know this kind of thing better than anyone!"

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

"People I know usually call me Logan, but whatever works for you..." Logan sighed, then took out his phone and placed it on a flat rock. "Aurora, tell them everything you know."

"Yes, Mr. Logan." Aurora's calm, emotionless electronic voice came from the phone. "Hello, everyone. I am Aurora. Based on a preliminary analysis of General Lake's command system signals, they are mobilizing more personnel. Within a few hours, they are expected to completely seal off this mountain range, then conduct a carpet search..."

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

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

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

"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. We need to buy her the opportunity."

"Charge in head-on?" Richter frowned. "There are at least a company's worth of soldiers outside, plus armored vehicles and drones!"

"That's why we need you." Logan turned his gaze toward the other children. "We need a joint operation."

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

"My name's Bobby. I can shoot electricity," Bobby said.

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

"Rebecca. I can control plants."

"Delia. Telekinesis."

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

"Laura. I use claws, and I heal," Laura said as well, then looked at Logan.

"..." Seeing the bright anticipation in Laura's eyes, Logan took a deep breath and helplessly said, "Logan. I... have the same abilities as her."

"Hahaha..."

Seeing Logan's reluctant expression, the teenagers laughed softly.

Half an hour later.

"There's a sniper hidden beneath that tree."

"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 meaningful look.

Jonah understood. He carefully moved a few steps closer, then stretched both hands toward the sniper hiding beneath the tree.

Then everyone saw the sniper stand up stiffly like a puppet and slowly walk toward them.

Logan strode forward and knocked him unconscious with a hard chop to the neck.

"Aren't we going to kill him?" Richter asked.

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

After that, they continued advancing through the 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 much time. Move fast!"

After throwing out those words, Logan suddenly charged out of the bushes!

"Enemy attack!!"

"On the eastern slope! Open fire!"

Amid the enemies' screams, a storm of bullets came at him. In that instant, Logan had no idea how many shots hit him. The pain nearly made him lose consciousness on the spot, and he could only rely on instinct as he performed a tactical roll to the side.

Fortunately, he was not fighting alone this time!

"Aah!!"

Rebecca let out a low roar in the forest and thrust out both hands. The next moment, scattered branches on the ground and leaves from the trees responded to her control, converging into a storm that swept toward the enemies in front of them!

"Aaaah!!"

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

"There are more over there!!"

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

"Rumble..."

The ground nearby began shaking without warning. The sudden earthquake left everyone unable to stand steady, nearly causing them to lose their grip on their weapons!

"Move in!!" Richter roared.

"Aah!!" Laura pounced fiercely at a bald, burly man and tore open his throat with both claws.

"Buzz..."

Several drones flew closer. Delia stepped forward, grabbed with one hand, and activated her telekinesis. Like an invisible giant hand slapping down, it hurled the drones away.

For a moment, through their coordination, a path was torn through the defensive line around the command vehicle!

At the same time, Logan finally staggered all the way to the command vehicle. He pulled out his phone and tossed it beneath the vehicle!

[Invasion begins!]

"Damn it..."

General Lake, sitting inside the vehicle, cursed under his breath. Just as he was about to look out the window, he suddenly saw a bloodstained, vicious face rise up from below the window and stare directly into his eyes!

"Long time no see..."

Logan grinned ferociously as he greeted General Lake.