An Unexpected Haul

Leland, the financial expert, was somewhat troublesome. The guy was cautious by nature, and whenever he went out, he had at least four bodyguards protecting him.

Of course, that was nothing to Kino.

[Ice Rose Nightclub]

"Please welcome the popular singer, Miss Ice Moon Flower Snow, Xixi."

Soon, a woman with a distinctive aura slowly descended from above. As she appeared, glimmering snowflakes drifted around her.

Like an ice fairy.

Kino sat in the last row, carefully studying a fierce-looking fellow near the front. Seeing that unusual entrance, he smiled faintly. This woman called "Ice Moon Flower Snow" had caught his attention somewhat.

It was not her looks that attracted him. Honestly, she was only a little prettier than Rogue.

That gray-and-black patchwork cropped jacket, hot pants, and black leather thigh-high boots were not what caught Kino's interest either.

What interested him was her identity—she was an enhanced individual.

She was not a Mutant, yet she truly possessed the ability to control "cold air."

The tiny snowflakes that had scattered through the air as she descended were not stage effects. She had created them herself.

An interesting woman.

Her outfit was fairly trendy, naturally. She was a singer, after all.

Her voice was good too, carrying a chilling quality that seemed to pierce straight into one's soul.

When the song ended, the woman withdrew backstage.

Meanwhile, the fierce-looking man in front quietly gave his subordinates a few instructions, then stood and headed toward the nightclub's back alley.

"Heh, interesting."

He really did not know what was good for him.

"Looks like I won't have to make a move?"

The fierce-looking man Kino had been watching all along was tonight's target—the "financial expert," Leland.

His real name was Leland Owlsley, and his nickname was "Owl."

Owl looked fierce, but he had no superpowers. He was merely a skilled fighter adept at using steel claws in combat. Many people mistook him for Wolverine. He loved all things owl-related, flew an owl-headed helicopter, and even had subordinates who wore owl helmets.

Backstage, Xixi received a flower basket from one of Leland's men.

Well, it was a flower basket made of large-denomination U.S. bills, worth at least two hundred thousand by the look of it.

"Miss Xixi, our boss would like to invite you for a late-night meal."

"Oh?"

Xixi did not refuse. Smiling, she accepted the flower basket.

In the back alley, Kino, hidden within space, sneered. "What an idiot who doesn't know what's good for him."

A knockoff Wolverine actually wanted to seduce an enhanced individual? Was he not afraid of being frozen into an ice block?

He truly did not know what was good for him.

An ordinary person actually wanted to force himself on an enhanced individual?

Where did his confidence come from?

Money?

Ridiculous!

Kino suddenly lost his interest in watching the clown. It was a waste of time, so he directly made his move and took the man's head.

Thud.

Like Carl Hoffman's, the headless body crashed heavily to the ground.

Xixi had killed before, so she was not afraid. She was merely stunned. What was going on? One moment, this middle-aged foreigner had been smiling and fawning over her, and the next, his head was gone?

What happened?

"Ahhhhh!"

Though they did not know what had happened, Leland's four helmeted bodyguards decided that the delicate little girl before them was responsible. Roaring in fury, they lunged at her.

Xixi frowned, her body rising into the air as she flipped upside down and hovered there like Chun-Li from Street Fighter.

Huge black ice spikes, cold to the bone, appeared and effortlessly froze all four men to death!

After landing, Xixi did not leave. Instead, she vigilantly scanned her surroundings. "Which master is there? Show yourself!"

After saying that, she felt it was absurd and switched to English.

She had been nervous just now and had spoken Chinese.

Kino was somewhat surprised. Slowly stepping out of the spatial void, he asked, "You're Chinese?"

Her yellow skin and East Asian features were obvious, but Kino did not know what nationality Xixi was. Han Chinese, Korean, Japanese... or perhaps from somewhere in Southeast Asia, like Malaysia.

You could not tell from appearance alone.

But that authentic Chinese had revealed her identity.

When she saw Kino emerge from thin air, Xixi jumped in fright. She quietly assumed a guarded stance, frost-like cold air swirling around her hands, ready to attack at any moment.

Even though she knew she might not be a match for him!

"I am... You... you are too?"

"Mm." Kino pointed at the headless corpse on the ground. "You don't need to get worked up. He was my target."

Then he glanced at Xixi again.

"Follow me from now on."

"Huh?"

Xixi froze. "Follow me"?

Those two words could carry countless meanings—becoming his woman and letting him sleep with her, becoming his lackey and working under him, and so on.

"You're not a Mutant, are you?"

"No." Xixi shook her head.

"You're in a lot of pain, aren't you?"

Xixi's brows knitted tightly, and her expression turned ugly. "!"

"Your ability is unstable. Every midnight at twelve, it goes berserk. You need a secluded place to release your cold air, or you'll freeze yourself to death. That's why you chose a job that takes place at night! Those little snowflakes earlier were also a form of release, but unfortunately, they clearly weren't enough."

As he spoke, Kino extended his hand.

"Follow me. I can stabilize your ability."

Heroes in the Marvel Universe could generally be divided into several categories—Mutants, technology users, energy users, fighters, biochemical types, and so on.

The Mutant category was easy to understand: Mutants with the X-Gene in their bodies, such as Professor X, Wolverine, and Cyclops.

Technology users included Iron Man, War Machine, Ant-Man, and others who relied on science and technology.

Energy users included Thor, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, and the like... either aliens or those altered by aliens or various forms of energy. Daisy Johnson, who had been modified by aliens, also belonged to this category. So did Doctor Strange, who studied mystical magical energy.

Fighters included enhanced humans such as Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Mockingbird Barbara Morse, who possessed no extraordinary abilities but became stronger through rigorous training and genetic enhancement.

The most representative biochemical types were Hulk and Spider-Man, who had been infected or irradiated by outside forces.

The Ice Moon Flower Snow before him, Xixi, also belonged to the biochemical category.

According to the information Kino had read, Xixi had performed at a Stark Industries party as a singer. Later, she had been abducted by A.I.M. During her escape, she came into contact with an experimental subject and gained the ability to control cold air.

The source of her power was basically similar to Hulk's.

Likewise, biochemical types were by far the most unstable among those five categories.

When Hulk went berserk, he could not distinguish friend from foe.

At midnight, Xixi could not control the cold air inside her body, and her icy energy would go berserk.

However, she was better off than Hulk. By occasionally releasing cold air outward, she could reduce the scale of her eventual outburst. Unfortunately, she did not have many chances to release cold air whenever and wherever she wanted.

Summer was the best season for her. Wherever she was, there was no need for air conditioning.

Oh, right. Although Spider-Man also belonged to the biochemical category, he was more specifically a case of foreign biological gene fusion, so he was more stable than Hulk and Xixi.

"You..." Xixi was somewhat moved, but then she recalled the painful memories of being captured by A.I.M. "How... how can I trust you?"

"Suit yourself. This is my personal card. Once you've made up your mind, you're welcome to come find me anytime."

With that, Kino tossed out a card, then transformed into lightning and shot into the distance.

Holding the card, Xixi stared blankly at the retreating arc of electricity. "..."