Japanese Mutant

"Are they mutants?" Steve's eyes narrowed as he saw the two Japanese devils. He turned to Zhang Xuan and said in a low voice, "Are they mutants?"

Zhang Xuan nodded, a knowing smile on his face. "Yes, but they're low-level, around Class 2, I'd say!"

Steve nodded in agreement. "Indeed, their abilities seem quite ordinary. Nick might have been caught off guard and underestimated them."

Neither Zhang Xuan nor Steve made any move to help. They stood by, watching Nick maneuver against the two Japanese devils, discussing them as they went.

"Look at that one with the sharp mouth, monkey cheeks, and short stature," Steve said, pointing at the devil who had just blocked Nick's dagger with his arm. He turned to Zhang Xuan and continued, "His ability is probably similar to 'stone skin,' but it's not enough to be impervious to blades and bullets. Nick's dagger just left a mark. If Nick finds the right spot, he could still injure him with one strike."

"To put it bluntly, he's just thick-skinned, not much of an ability," Zhang Xuan said dismissively, glancing at the shorter devil with a hint of mockery in his voice.

Nick had noticed Zhang Xuan and Steve long ago. Seeing them arrive without offering help, he felt a pang of resentment. Hearing their conversation, his face flushed. He had indeed underestimated them just now. With a sharp glint in his one good eye, Nick's gaze locked onto the shorter devil directly in front of him. His dagger danced rapidly, like a venomous snake ready to strike, poised to attack.

"The taller one's ability is quite peculiar. He can shoot heat daggers from his fingers," Steve said, genuinely surprised by the other Japanese devil's power.

"The ability is decent, but this little devil is trash. His close-combat ability is practically zero," Zhang Xuan said, also surprised by the little devil's power, but still relentlessly belittling him.

Nick's expression grew brighter. Zhang Xuan's words were clearly directed at him.

With Zhang Xuan's subtle guidance, Nick's spirits lifted. His sturdy body displayed remarkable agility. He bypassed the shorter devil blocking his path and appeared strangely in front of the taller one. With his dagger, he precisely stabbed the taller devil's palm as he raised it to fire a heat dagger. In agony, the taller devil cried out, clutching his wrist, completely incapacitated.

With the taller devil dealt with, the shorter one immediately became a target. Apart from his skin, which was as hard as rock, his only other notable trait was his strength. However, under Nick's agile movements, the shorter devil couldn't even touch him, let alone attack.

A few minutes later, Nick seized an opportunity and unexpectedly threw his dagger. This move surprised everyone, especially the shorter devil. By the time he realized what was happening, the dagger was already arcing in a strange trajectory, heading straight for his eye!

"How is this possible?" was the only thought left in the shorter devil's mind before the dagger plunged into his eye, its sharp blade instantly piercing the eyeball and lodging in his brain.

Zhang Xuan couldn't help but clap his hands in praise. "Nick, that final move was brilliant!"

Nick grinned, pulling the dagger from the shorter devil's eye socket. A shattered eyeball and brains splattered onto the ground, causing the taller devil, who had been watching nearby, to faint on the spot.

Wiping his dagger clean on the undeniably dead shorter devil, Nick casually sheathed it at his waist and said with disdain, "He's too much of a coward, isn't he?"

"I'll handle this one!" Zhang Xuan said, looking at the taller devil after a moment's thought.

Nick shrugged, looking indifferent. "Whatever you say. I have no interest in him whatsoever!"

After a while longer, the gunfire within the base gradually died down. Chinese soldiers began to gather in small groups, excitedly recounting to their comrades how many devils they had killed and which high-ranking Japanese officers they had taken down.

Zhang Xuan didn't stop them, letting them vent their exhilaration.

However, after a few minutes, everyone calmed down. They realized their "heroic deeds" were nothing compared to others. Someone had killed more devils than them, and while they had taken down a Japanese Major, they could hear someone else had eliminated three Colonels. As they listened, everyone grew weary. It wasn't that big of a deal, really.

Leading the troops back to their valley base outside Shancheng, Zhang Xuan had Mr. Song distribute the already prepared bonuses. Driving out the Japanese devils was the duty of every Chinese soldier, but the monetary rewards were also essential. As the saying goes, "Great rewards make brave men." Zhang Xuan intended to use the lure of money to forge a strong army that dared to fight and charge.

"Follow me, Zhang Xuan, and you'll have everything – silver dollars, devils, you name it!" As Mr. Song arranged the bonus distribution, Zhang Xuan once again stood before the army and shouted with his characteristic swagger, "The more devils you kill, the more silver dollars you'll get, with no upper limit. As long as you can kill them, you dare to kill them!"

After concluding this rather unconventional speech, Zhang Xuan went to the base's prison. The taller Japanese mutant was being held there.

While mutants weren't entirely surprising to him, Zhang Xuan was taken aback that the Japanese had them. However, the sheer number of them wasn't insignificant, and Zhang Xuan wasn't surprised by the appearance of mutants in Japan. What worried Zhang Xuan was that there were two mutants in just the Wuhan Japanese garrison. Did this mean there were many more mutants within the larger Japanese army? If the Japanese military contained a large number of mutants, it would significantly impact Zhang Xuan's future plans.

With his mind full of worries, Zhang Xuan had just entered the prison when Natasha, her waist swaying, emerged with a charming smile.

Seeing Natasha's expression, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but show a hint of joy. He looked at her expectantly and asked, "Did you find anything out?" Although Zhang Xuan had been learning from Natasha for some time, he wisely left the interrogation to her.

"Alex, your worries might be coming true!" Natasha's first sentence made Zhang Xuan's heart skip a beat. "The Japanese army has a special brigade, and all its members are mutants. The leader of the brigade is a man named Yoshida Shiro, nicknamed Sunfire. He can generate extremely high-temperature flames and is a very powerful mutant."

"Sunfire?" Zhang Xuan frowned deeply. He had initially thought conquering China would be easy, but now it seemed fraught with difficulties. The little Japanese were not as easy to deal with as he had imagined.

Mutant abilities varied greatly, and their power was directly related to their abilities. Some mutants had no combat power at all, while others were born with world-destroying powers. A mutant brigade would have at least a thousand members. If even one or two high-level mutants appeared among them, Zhang Xuan and his 30,000 Hydra troops would be no match.

While Zhang Xuan was fretting over the Japanese mutants, some people in Shancheng had already received news of the complete annihilation of the Jiangcheng Japanese forces. Some were elated, declaring it a heaven-sent opportunity and the perfect time for the National Army to launch a full-scale counteroffensive. Others, however, were deeply worried, fearing Japanese retaliation.

Among these people, there was one individual who was extremely angry.

"What's going on? Who did this?" The young man stood up in anger, his angular face etched with deep resentment. "My plan was about to be completed, and now this happens at such a critical moment!"

"Young Master, we are investigating with all our might," the balding middle-aged man by the young man's side replied cautiously. "We will have results soon."

"Find him and eliminate him!" the young man commanded, then turned and left, quickly disappearing into an ancient building.

ps: This novel follows the mutant level system from the movies: Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, with Level 5 being the strongest, equivalent to Omega-level in the comics.

ps: I originally intended to explain the issue with Wolverine's name in a unified reply post, but after editing, it indicated sensitive words. I searched everywhere but couldn't find anything sensitive, which was frustrating! I could only find and pin a classmate's previous post where Scorpio had an explanation. Please take a look!