El Paso County, Texas, early morning.
Logan, who had just dropped off his last passenger, was exhausted and sleeping in the rented stretch limo, only to be awakened by the noise outside.
"Damn it!"
Cursing in frustration, Logan reluctantly forced himself to get up and push open the car door.
This kind of thing happened often. It was probably those punks from across the Mexican border again, eyeing his limo and trying to take the wheels off to sell them.
But Logan couldn't let them get away with it this time. He needed this rented car to earn money, and right now, money was essential.
He needed money to buy medication for the professor's illness, and he was saving up to buy a yacht so they could live safely out at sea.
Having lived so many years, having witnessed the deaths of friends and loved ones, Logan had grown tired of his own existence.
The only thing left that mattered to him was ensuring his old friend Charles, the one who had once saved him, would have a decent life in his final years.
If these punks took the wheels, Logan would have to pay the rental company, and he wouldn't be able to continue this steady job.
"Hey, those lug nuts are all chrome-plated. You're messing them up. You guys better get out of here..."
Leaning on the car door, Logan tried to convince the thugs to leave without resorting to violence. But it was obvious things weren't going to go his way.
The thugs didn't run when they saw the owner approach. Instead, they raised a gun and shot Logan before continuing to work on removing the wheels.
Killing someone seemed as trivial to them as eating or drinking.
Logan's healing ability had been weakened by the poison in his adamantium, but this wound wasn't enough to kill him
Getting up slowly, he extended his claws and charged at the thugs, starting to fight them.
However, due to his aging body and exhaustion, Logan was quickly overwhelmed by the six thugs. He ended up on the ground, covering his head with his arms, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.
"George, can he really help us in this state?"
In the truck, Gabriela asked worriedly.
After rerouting to El Paso County and four hours of searching, they had finally found Wolverine. But seeing him in this condition, she felt her hope waning.
George smiled and nodded:
"Of course he can, and he can be a big help."
Wolverine might look like this now, but if he got serious, not even a dozen of those thugs would be able to stop him.
If they could somehow find a way to detoxify the Adamantium poisoning, Wolverine could return to his prime.
After all, Apocalypse, who had also gained the healing factor, had lived for thousands of years without showing any signs of aging.
"You all stay here. Let me go talk to him."
George opened the car door and jumped out, controlling two daggers with his power to slice the throats of the thugs surrounding Logan.
George had no sympathy for these people—those who had no moral compass and would casually kill innocent people. His strikes were aimed directly at their vital points.
"Swish, swish, swish, swish."
The sound of air being cut filled the night as the blades sliced through, and the thugs, who had been kicking Wolverine, instantly clutched their throats in disbelief and collapsed.
Logan sensed something was off and let go of his defensive posture, looking around in surprise.
At that moment, a hand was extended toward him.
"Are you okay, Wolverine?"
"Friend, you must have me mistaken for someone else. I'm not Wolverine, but thanks for the help."
Logan didn't take the offered hand. Instead, he slowly got up on his own.
George wasn't bothered and pulled his hand back, continuing:
"My name is George. I'm a mutant. We also have thirty-five mutant children with us, and we need you and Professor X's help."
"Mutants? Mutants have been gone for a long time. There are no mutants left in this world—no Wolverine, no Professor."
Logan shook his head, squatting down with difficulty, and began picking up the lug nuts scattered on the ground to fix the car's wheels.
George gestured with his hand, and the scattered lug nuts instantly floated up and fell into his hand.
"There aren't many naturally occurring mutants left, but there are still plenty of mutants created through human experimentation. For instance, I was made using the genes of the Professor and Magneto."
"Who exactly are you?"
Logan watched the lug nuts float, a wary look in his eyes. His claws extended again, though one of them got stuck halfway.
George paused and then waved toward the truck parked nearby.
A moment later, Gabriela led X-23 and the thirty-five mutant children over.
"Show Mr. Logan your abilities."
X-23 extended her Adamantium claws, Richter raised a wall of earth, and the other children displayed their respective powers—controlling wind, fire, plants, water, electricity, and even breathing frost.
Though the powers weren't fully developed yet, they were enough to prove that they were indeed mutants.
"Mr. Logan, George isn't lying to you. We just escaped from the Genetic Modification Institute in Mexico City. They..."
Gabriela recounted her experiences and the situation at the lab.
After listening, Logan took a deep breath and looked at George and the children, struggling to say:
"I'm afraid I can't—I don't have the ability to help you."
He didn't care much about his own life, but with the professor's current condition, Logan couldn't afford to get caught up in such a troublesome situation. One wrong step, and it could endanger the professor's life.
Even though he felt guilty, Logan had to refuse.
Hearing this, Gabriela's eyes dimmed, but George had anticipated Logan's response and wasn't ready to give up.
George knew why Logan refused, and he also knew that Wolverine, at his core, was a good person. If given a reasonable way out, he could be convinced.
"At the lab, I happened to come across some information about the Westchester incident. You're working so hard to make money, presumably to treat the professor's illness.
Helping us is actually helping the professor and yourself.
According to our plan, the professor could receive the best medications and treatment in the world—maybe even recover."
"But have you considered that Tony Stark, the famous playboy, might not repay us for helping him? He might even betray us?
Not everyone in this world is grateful after being saved. Some might turn against you for their own interests."
Logan responded after a moment of silence.
He had experienced such things firsthand.
On a World War II battlefield, he had saved a high-ranking officer. Later, that same officer, on the verge of death, coveted Logan's healing ability and tried to kill him to take it for himself, just to extend his own life.