In the sky southeast of the Kansas University Medical Center.
An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, like a soaring falcon, was rapidly approaching the laboratory building against the howling cold wind and blazing sunlight.
Inside the cockpit, the pilot was making final confirmations with the ground command center via his communicator.
“This is Storm One.
We have arrived over the target area and are ready to—”
Before he could finish, every instrument panel in the cockpit went dark in an instant, without warning.
*Bzzz—*
Amidst a harsh static buzz, the radar screen dissolved into static, the communicator went dead with a busy tone, and even the cabin’s emergency lights began to flash frantically.
“What’s going on?!
Is this an EMP attack?!”
“We’ve lost control!
The chopper is going down!”
“Damn it!
Hydraulic failure!
The autopilot is dead too!”
Amid the terrified screams of the pilot and co-pilot, the newly arrived helicopter spiraled and plummeted toward the ground like a bird with broken wings, its out-of-control fuselage spinning wildly as it crashed into the distance.
*BOOM—!!!*
A massive, orange-red fireball erupted into the sky, sending thick, billowing black smoke to shroud half the horizon.
***
On the ground, beside a black, combustion-engine commercial vehicle, General Ryker stood holding a pair of binoculars, calmly enjoying the spectacular sight.
“To be frank,” he said, lowering the binoculars with a sigh of admiration, “if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would find it hard to believe that this world could actually produce a mutant capable of directly manipulating electronic instruments.”
There was not a shred of surprise in his tone regarding the crash; instead, it carried the sheer excitement of a hunter discovering rare prey.
“He has grown even more terrifying…” Dr.
Zander muttered beside him, still shaken.
Although General Ryker had not required his participation in this operation, Dr.
Zander had pleaded repeatedly until the general finally, reluctantly, agreed to let him tag along.
He wanted to witness firsthand just how far X-0 had developed.
And the result was indeed as he had expected.
“The crash of a single helicopter…
that should be enough to alarm those old fools,” General Ryker said.
He turned to Davis, who was standing beside him.
“It’s time.
Move out.”
“Yes, sir!”
Davis saluted General Ryker respectfully, then shed his crisp officer’s uniform, revealing a military tank top that clung tightly to his muscular frame.
“Mr.
Davis, do you find the uniform cumbersome?” Dr.
Zander asked offhandedly.
“No, it’s just a bit too hot.”
As Davis spoke, he rolled his wrists and shook out his legs.
Then, his body slowly rose from the ground.
He took flight, leading the Purifiers squad behind him as they charged toward the distant laboratory building from various angles.
Meanwhile, behind them, an elite special operations force of fifty men—carrying no electronic devices and equipped only with purely mechanical, primitive firearms—had already assembled, closely following the Purifiers.
***
At the same time, a thick wall of onlookers and media personnel, drawn by the commotion, had already gathered nearby.
A few bold reporters pushed past the cordon, pointing their microphones and cameras at the young general who clearly appeared to be the commanding officer on-scene.
“Should we push them back?” an officer whispered to General Ryker.
“No, let them come.”
General Ryker did not rebuff the reporters’ enthusiasm.
He walked calmly toward the cameras, a confident, steady smile on his face.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am Major General John Ryker, Director of the Special Projects Division of United States Northern Command,” he announced, his voice carrying clearly over the reporters’ microphones.
“We have received reliable intelligence that a group of extremely dangerous terrorists is currently holed up inside the Kansas University Medical Center, planning a terrorist attack against civilians.
For the safety of the American people, we have a responsibility and a duty to take the most decisive measures.”
“At the same time, I urge everyone: if you or your loved ones are currently near the medical center, please evacuate immediately to avoid injury.”
“General!” a reporter quickly pressed.
“Can you provide more concrete evidence?”
“Why is the army here instead of the National Guard?”
“What happened to that crashed helicopter?
Does the opposition possess heavy weaponry?” Find the original chapter at g.com.
Facing this barrage of sharp questions, General Ryker handled them with ease, deflecting all sensitive inquiries with “that involves military secrets; no comment at this time.” Finally, he turned back to the cameras and spoke in a clear, ringing voice:
“To the terrorists hiding inside the medical center: if you can hear my voice…
I urge you to surrender voluntarily to avoid unnecessary conflict!”
“General!” another reporter called out loudly.
“Someone just flew out of your vehicle.
Was that a mutant?
Is the military using mutants in combat?”
“Allow me to correct you,” General Ryker replied with a smile.
“Those are not mutants, but rather a special military research project we call the Purifiers.
They will be our primary force in combating these terrorists, and our sharpest spearhead!”
***
Inside the laboratory, Miles stared at the central main screen, burning General Ryker’s handsome yet chilling face deep into his memory.
He switched the display to the security feed surrounding the laboratory building, locking onto four figures approaching from different directions, each clearly far from ordinary.
Hearing General Ryker mention the “Purifiers” in the interview, Miles immediately had Aurora access the Essex Group’s database to cross-reference their files on the Purifier Project.
“Logan!
Laura!
Listen up!”
Miles quickly explained to Laura and Logan as soon as he got the initial results.
“These four are the military’s artificial mutants!
The Purifiers that guy on TV was talking about!”
“The flying one is codenamed ‘Lightwave.’ He can fly, and he manipulates and projects energy.”
“The big guy is codenamed ‘Ifrit.’ He has superhuman strength and a degree of self-healing.
His intelligence isn’t high, but his body ignites during combat, and he can hurl fireballs when necessary.
Watch out for the heat!”
“The one walking slowly on the ground is called ‘Impact.’ Records show he was a special forces soldier highly proficient in military hand-to-hand combat.
His mutant ability is releasing kinetic shockwaves through his hands.”
“And the blue guy over there is ‘Night Demon.’ He has some self-healing, Adamantium claws grafted onto his hands, and his ability is…”
“Teleportation.
I know,” Logan interrupted.
His eyes were glued to the ghostly figure on the screen, his tone heavy with sorrow.
“It looks like Wagner never made it out after all.”
Logan was referring to his former comrade, Kurt Wagner, the Nightcrawler, who had once been a member of the X-Men.
He was a kind-hearted young man despite his terrifying appearance, and his ability was teleportation.
The Night Demon before them was clearly cloned from Wagner’s DNA.
“We can reminisce later.
Look at this first,” Miles said, zooming in on a specific image on the main screen.
In the image, Lightwave, Ifrit, and the others could be seen wearing strange, high-tech headbands.
“According to the data, these are ‘anti-telepathy devices’ the military made by replicating Magneto’s helmet,” Miles explained.
“The band blocks telepaths like me from mind-controlling them.
It’s probably not as effective as Magneto’s original helmet, but my telepathic power…
is nowhere near Charles’s.”
“So you’re saying if we can find a way to destroy those damn things, your powers will work on them?” Logan caught on immediately.
“Exactly,” Miles nodded.
“Even though they’re trained combatants with likely formidable willpower, if I push myself to the limit, I should be able to briefly disrupt their actions.
Your job is to seize that opening…
and take them down!”
With the plan set, Logan couldn’t help but ask, “Miles, tell me, how much longer does Charles need?”
“Charles just finished surgery.
He needs at least two hours in critical observation before he’s out of danger,” Miles said, gritting his teeth.
“Besides, I have a vital experiment of my own to run here…
Damn it, they got here too fast.
If I only had one more day…”
“What is this experiment of yours?” Logan asked.
“Mutant Enhancement Serum,” Miles answered.
“If I can complete it, it could cure Charles’s seizures and bring you back to your peak.”
Logan froze.
He stared at Miles’s pale, exhausted face, silent for a long moment, before finally shaking his head.
“I don’t need it.”
With that, he glanced once more at the positions of the four targets on the monitor and walked out without another word.
***
*BOOM!!!*
With a thunderous crash, Ifrit, leading the charge, smashed straight through the laboratory compound’s gates!
His massive, burning frame tore into the facility’s grounds like an out-of-control tank.
But what welcomed him was an even more savage, beastly roar!
“ROAR!!!”
A dark figure lunged from the shadows.
X-24’s face was twisted in a snarl as he ignored the giant’s blistering heat, driving his claws straight toward the brute’s chest, only to be blocked by Ifrit’s forearms.
Blades bit into flesh, and any blood that spilled was instantly vaporized by the intense heat.
As the two monsters locked eyes, both saw nothing but raw, homicidal rage in each other.
***
At almost the exact same time, a cloud of blue mist materialized out of thin air in a corridor outside the laboratory building, and a blue figure dropped lightly to the floor.
The moment Night Demon found his footing, his hand snapped upward.
*CLANG!!*
He used his steel claws to block Laura’s surprise descent from the ventilation shaft!
Sparks flew as the impact of Adamantium against Adamantium rang through the air.
Twisting his body in one smooth motion, he swept his other claw toward Laura’s midsection!
Reacting to Night Demon’s counter, Laura forced her body to spin mid-air, tapped her toes against the wall, and landed gracefully several meters away.
The two squared off, locked in a silent standoff.
“Oh, another little pup,” Night Demon said, staring at Laura’s youthful face, a cruel gleam in his demonic yellow eyes.
“Come on, little one.
Let’s have some fun…”
***
On the top floor of the laboratory building, Lightwave Davis crashed through the glass curtain wall like a meteor.
Yet the moment he landed, he heard the deep, mechanical hum of machinery starting up.
A large robotic arm meant for precision laboratory work suddenly roared to life, its heavy metal limb swinging toward Lightwave’s head with speed that defied its massive size!
Davis’s pupils dilated.
He surged upward, narrowly dodging the blow.
But that was only the beginning; from the side, a high-pressure nozzle seized the opening, aiming directly at him and spraying a jet of pale-white acid!
“Damn it!”
Davis hastily unleashed a searing blast of energy, vaporizing the acid mid-air into a pungent, choking mist.
***
At the back entrance of the laboratory building, Impact paused mid-stride.
A short distance ahead, old Logan stood, watching him with a grim expression.
“Fuck…” Logan muttered to himself as he stared at the opponent who radiated a faint but lethal sense of danger.
“Looks like I guessed right again…
You’re the most dangerous one here…”
***
*BOOM!!*
Sounds of combat began to filter in from the outside.
Clearly, Logan and the others had engaged the enemy.
For a moment, the massive laboratory fell quiet, leaving only Miles sitting alone in his wheelchair and Charles, who remained unconscious on the hospital bed.
“Aurora…” Miles said softly.
“I think those guys are mostly here for me this time.”
“You are correct, Miles,” Aurora’s voice chimed from the tablet at his side.
“According to my logical deduction, General Ryker’s true objective is indeed you.
Your ability is far too unique; no nation or faction could remain indifferent upon learning of your existence.”
“Ha, so even you can see it?” Miles let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
As he split his focus to manipulate the top floor’s electronic systems to delay Lightwave’s advance, he spoke slowly to Aurora.
“Aurora, listen to me…”
“If we really can’t hold them off this time…
I will do everything I can to ensure Logan and Charles’s safety.”
“And after that…
the rest is up to you…”