Support me and be 20 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
*****
"Not good!"
Donald immediately retreated upon recognizing the vial. This was a drug developed by their lab, specifically designed to temporarily enhance a mutant's abilities.
Once Wolverine injected it, his strength would peak until the drug wore off.
At his peak, Wolverine was an extremely formidable killer.
"Sniper, target Wolverine!"
However, the response over the radio was:
[Remember our domain Taiwan Novel Network → 𝚝𝚠𝚔𝚊𝚗.𝚌𝚘𝚖]
"X-23 and Test Subject 757 have been spotted. They're heading towards me."
"Release X-24 to deal with them. You continue to target Wolverine."
Donald ordered his men to engage, while instructing the sniper to keep aiming at Wolverine.
He wasn't sure how X-23 and Test Subject 757 had managed to silently escape under their heavy encirclement, but it didn't matter. As long as X-24 was deployed, they would be dealt with.
According to experimental data, X-23 was no match for X-24, and no matter how precise Test Subject 757's shooting was, it couldn't harm X-24—X-24 was their perfect counter.
The most pressing concern was that Wolverine, now at his peak due to the drug, had already taken out ten of his elite men amidst the heavy fire and encirclement.
Without the sniper's intervention to limit Wolverine's movement, both he and the remaining men could be wiped out by Wolverine.
It's no wonder the boss had such a fixation on Wolverine.
"Understood!"
The sniper's shot rang out, hitting Wolverine and causing him to fall. The other men immediately swarmed in, using bullets to prevent Wolverine from rising.
Meanwhile, George was sprinting towards the bus with X-23.
They hadn't escaped from the encirclement; instead, they had left the factory and hidden behind nearby obstacles before the encirclement was complete.
When the enemy's attention was entirely on Wolverine, they had quietly moved towards the bus that was clearly holding X-24.
Eliminating X-24 ahead of time would mean they had won most of the battle.
However, George hadn't anticipated that the enemy would take them so seriously and even bring a sniper—something not seen in the movies.
Fortunately, he had brought along the capable X-23 just in case.
If the sniper aimed at him, he would use X-23 as a shield. Despite the cruelty of this choice, with X-23's healing abilities, she wouldn't be killed by a sniper shot.
Though it was harsh, if it came to that, there was no other choice.
In a life-and-death struggle, failure meant not just his own death but the death of everyone, including the thirty or so mutant children.
X-23 was small and couldn't cover his entire body, so he would have to use her to shield his upper body, where vital organs were more exposed. Her running legs, though, were less likely to be hit.
Moreover, with his sorcerer's bloodline, his vitality was extraordinary. Even if he was accidentally hit, as long as it wasn't a vital area, death would be less likely.
As they got closer, he could start affecting the sniper. While he couldn't alter the trajectory of the bullets, he could still impact the sniper rifle's stability, making it harder to aim.
In fact, things were better than he had expected. The sniper didn't turn the rifle towards them but continued to focus on Wolverine, clearly drawn by the distraction.
However, they hadn't ignored them entirely. They released the menacing X-24.
"Excellent!"
Seeing the back door of the bus open and X-24 leap out, roaring and charging towards them, George's face brightened.
The enemy's move played right into his hands.
At the same time that X-24 disembarked from the bus, four elite soldiers also got out. Instead of joining X-24, they set up a camera, seemingly intending to record X-24's combat performance.
These soldiers were well aware of X-24's terrifying capabilities and didn't believe that X-23 and Test Subject 757 could defeat him.
Recording X-24's battle was a directive from their boss, as this was also a field test for X-24, and the video would be analyzed later.
As George and X-23 approached X-24, George quickly picked up X-23 and took out a submachine gun, firing two shots at X-24.
He avoided using Adamantium bullets immediately because killing X-24 right now would alert the sniper, and others would focus their attacks on him, putting him in grave danger.
He preferred not to use X-23 as a human shield unless absolutely necessary.
So, he aimed to get as close as possible while the enemy was distracted. Once within range, his sharpshooting skills could make a difference.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two bullets shot straight at X-24's eyes. While the bullets wouldn't kill X-24, injuring his eyes would require time to recover.
Seeing George shoot at him, X-24 immediately raised his arm to block.
Unfortunately, George's bullets curved mid-flight, hitting X-24's eyes with pinpoint accuracy.
X-24's eyes were ruptured, and he let out a pained scream, momentarily halting.
The eyes could heal, but the pain was unbearable.
"It's you, Little Wolf Girl!"
Taking advantage of X-24's temporary blindness, George threw X-23 toward him with all his strength.
"Go take out that sniper."
X-23 flew over X-24's head, landing with a tactical roll and immediately charging towards the sniper and the four soldiers by the bus.
By now, X-24's eyes had recovered, and he swiped at George with lightning speed, catching him off guard.
"Swish!"
Even though George had managed to retreat, X-24's claw sliced his submachine gun in half.
Then, X-24's second claw aimed at George's neck.
"Quite brutal,"
George gasped at the sight, then unleashed his magnetic powers with full force, concentrating on X-24's arm.
While he wasn't Magneto, who could easily control Wolverine's adamantium body, applying several dozen pounds of force to X-24's arm could make a significant impact.
Indeed, the magnetic force caused X-24's arm to momentarily halt, allowing George to dodge again.
George didn't linger in the fight. He used the opportunity to circle around X-24, heading towards the bus.
Angered by what he saw as George's taunting, X-24 spun around and continued to chase him.
George avoided direct confrontation, knowing he couldn't win in a head-to-head fight. Instead, he used his magnetic abilities to disrupt X-24's movements, skillfully evading X-24's relentless attacks while inching closer to the bus.
His powers were still developing. Even with his sorcerer's bloodline enhancing his abilities, he hadn't fully tapped into their potential yet.
Initially, he could only manage ten pounds of magnetic control, but with his sorcerer's bloodline, he could now exert several dozen pounds. Given a few more years, he could potentially develop several hundred pounds of force.
With that kind of strength, he could lift X-24 into the air and crush him at will. Alternatively, further magical training could easily incapacitate X-24 with a single spell.
In summary, the future held great promise, but for now, he had to make do with his current capabilities.
(End of Chapter)