The atmosphere in the lobby of the laboratory building was terrifyingly tense, as if frozen in place.
Elias Vance, code-named Impact, walked silently toward the petite girl who was holding a hostage at claw-point.
His every step was heavy and powerful, carrying the distinct, oppressive weight of a veteran soldier.
He slowly raised his hand.
The air in front of his palm began to warp, bending the light with invisible force, and several floating dust motes were instantly crushed into nothingness.
His target was clearly Laura.
As for Night Demon, the hostage in her grasp, she didn’t seem to enter his calculations at all.
Just as he was about to unleash his power, a slightly weak but perfectly clear voice suddenly echoed from the surround-sound speakers throughout the lobby.
“Stop!”
Impact froze.
The energy in his palm did not dissipate; its gathering simply paused.
He stopped, his gaze sharp as a blade as it swept across the lobby, finally locking onto a loudspeaker in the corner of the ceiling.
He asked, a hint of testing in his voice, “…Mr.
Miles?”
“Elias Vance,” Miles’s voice continued unhurriedly, as if reading from a dossier.
“Former elite soldier of the United States Army Delta Force, discharged after sustaining severe injuries during a terrorist attack involving mutants.
Later, you were invited by Northern Command’s Special Projects Division to join the ‘Purifiers’ project under the code name ‘Impact’…”
Faced with his dossier being read word for word, Impact showed no emotion.
He even lowered his hand, letting the terrifying force field dissipate into nothing.
Upon hearing Miles’s voice, Laura’s expression flickered, and she quickly began to realize that something was terribly wrong…
“It seems the Department of Defense’s military firewall isn’t as secure as they claim,” Elias replied calmly.
“Mr.
Miles, since you are willing to initiate communication, I assume you have come to your senses.”
“I don’t want to waste words,” Miles’s voice carried an unquestionable tone of command.
“I want to speak with General Ryker.
Now!”
“I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed, Mr.
Miles.” Elias shook his head.
“We didn’t bring any electronic communication equipment for this operation, for reasons I’m sure you can understand.
If you truly wish to speak with our superior, please show yourself first and cooperate with us.”
“Heh…”
Faced with Elias’s airtight official excuse, Miles let out a dry laugh.
It echoed through the empty lobby via the speakers, sounding as harsh as metal scraping on metal.
The next second, the giant LCD screen in the center of the lobby flickered and abruptly lit up.
In the glaring white light, the scene inside the cryogenic freezer was clearly displayed to everyone.
In the frame, a man lay stiffly on the floor, covered in a thick layer of white frost, his skin an unnatural greenish-purple.
It was Davis, code-named Lightwave.
His chest barely showed any movement; he had seemingly lost all signs of life.
Miles was slumped against the wall next to him, leaning against the metal surface covered in frost.
His body was likewise frozen stiff, unable to move, and his two arms were twisted at bizarre angles, clearly broken.
His purplish lips were cracked, and his face was covered in fine frost.
Only his bloodshot eyes stared straight through the camera lens, looking out at the world beyond the screen.
Even though his lips in the video feed never once moved, his cold voice echoed perfectly from the lobby’s speakers. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“This is the laboratory’s liquid nitrogen freezer.
Current temperature…
minus seventy-three degrees Celsius.” His tone was as flat as a weather broadcast.
“Davis is about to kick the bucket, and I’m not far behind.
Maybe I can last another two minutes?
One minute?
Tsk…
who knows.”
Impact’s pupils contracted imperceptibly.
“By the way, this freezer was built to the standards of an underground bunker, so I suggest you don’t think about breaking the door down.
Also, the power distribution room for the entire laboratory building has been physically locked by me.
You can’t cut the power…
though you could try tearing down the walls to find the wires.
But I suggest you hurry.
Time is running out.”
Miles paused, as if gathering what little strength he had left.
“Oh, right, Elias.” He mentioned Impact’s real name again, his voice carrying a strange hint of amusement.
“Remember to remind General Ryker to pay a generous sum to Kansas University Medical Center for structural repairs afterward.
After all, you guys are the ‘good guys,’ so you can’t leave a mess behind, right?
As for us…
we are already ‘terrorists.’ You wouldn’t expect to ask terrorists for compensation, would you…”
Hearing this, Laura finally understood—Miles was prepared to sacrifice himself!
Instantly, Laura went to spring forward.
But in the next moment, a firm hand pressed down on her shoulder.
The force wasn’t overwhelming, yet it kept her from moving even a fraction of an inch.
Without her noticing, Impact had appeared beside her.
While holding Laura down, his eyes remained locked onto the screen.
At the same time, Miles’s weak yet unyielding voice echoed in Laura’s mind.
“Laura…
listen to me!!”
“…” Laura clenched her teeth, her body trembling as she ceased her struggle.
“Fuck…” Elias cursed under his breath, his face darkening.
Faced with Miles using his own life as leverage, Elias felt as if he weren’t dealing with a child at all, but rather the most ruthless, desperate maniac!
And the worst part was…
they couldn’t afford to ignore it!
With a grim expression, Elias shot a look at the squad leader.
The soldier understood instantly, turned without a word, and jogged out of the lobby.
Before long, he returned carrying a heavy, olive-drab briefcase.
He opened it to reveal an old-fashioned military satellite phone with a thick antenna.
This was their last resort, prepared in case of a total communications blackout.
In their original plans, if Miles resisted to the end, this device would have been useless.
But if Miles was willing to cooperate, they could use this phone to contact General Ryker as quickly as possible. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Elias hadn’t wanted to reveal this trump card so early, hoping to use it to squeeze more concessions out of Miles.
However, Miles refused to play by the rules.
It was as if he had accurately grasped their bottom line from the very beginning—he was completely impervious to both threats and negotiations!
For things to turn out this way, either this kid was a master of psychology and negotiation, or…
he was a genuine, ruthless lunatic!
Ruthless to his enemies, and even more ruthless to himself!
Elias picked up the satellite phone and expertly powered it on.
After a series of practiced keystrokes, the call connected, successfully linking them to General Ryker, who was miles away in the city.
The lobby fell dead silent, everyone’s gaze converging on the small phone.
After quickly being briefed on the situation, General Ryker’s steady voice came through the receiver.
“Mr.
Miles, what do you want?”
General Ryker’s voice echoed through the lobby speakers, calm yet carrying an undercurrent of razor-sharp edge.
“I have only one condition,” Miles’s voice rang out clearly.
“Let Logan and the others go.”
Silence hung over the line for three seconds before General Ryker’s voice returned.
“Frankly, you are putting me in a difficult position, Mr.
Miles.”
“Both you and Charles Xavier are high-value targets for this operation.
In comparison, the latter is actually more important.
Even if he is old, that uncontrollable, terrifying mental power of his remains a massive instability.
I do not think it is wise to hand a nuclear bomb that could detonate at any moment over to a little girl and let them run wild…”
The general’s tone was natural, as if he weren’t bargaining, but merely stating cold facts.
Yet Miles on the screen seemed not to hear, nor did he have any intention of arguing.
He simply used his bloodshot eyes to stare dead at Impact through the camera, and at the phone in Impact’s hand.
In less than a minute, the frost on his face had thickened by another layer, even coating his eyebrows in solid white.
The boy’s message was clear: agree, or he would die right here.
The lobby was as silent as a tomb.
Impact’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone, his face black as coal.
The soldiers behind him stood motionless, but their tense muscles betrayed their anxiety.
Laura’s gaze drifted from the screen to the unconscious Logan.
She slowly lowered her head, letting her hair obscure her face, hiding her expression.
Time seemed to freeze.
This time, a full dozen seconds passed before a long sigh finally came from the phone.
“…Very well, Mr.
Miles.
You win.” A trace of human annoyance finally crept into General Ryker’s voice.
Hearing General Ryker’s answer, Miles’s eyes on the screen finally blinked once, extremely slowly, like a rusted gate.
“Prepare a car for them.
Let Laura take Logan and Charles.
You are not to track or block them in any way…
I will raise the temperature here slightly to ensure I still have breath in me when you come in…
Half an hour after they leave, I will open the door.”