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Dr. Lai approached the clone, which had been pulled out from the spikes by the mercenaries and laid flat on the ground. He did not immediately help the clone. Donald, the leader of the mercenaries, asked, "Aren't you going to inject him with the Mutant serum?" Dr. Lai calmly replied, "He hasn't regained consciousness yet. The serum can be better absorbed and its effects can be better utilized when he is awake." Hearing this, Donald shrugged and said, "Alright, then let's wait for a while. Anyway, we have Caliban, so we won't lose track of these two guys."
The group waited quietly for the clone to wake up. Given the serious injuries, especially a head injury, even with Wolverine-like healing abilities, recovery would take some time. Noel, beside them, also had to wait. He lowered his body further into the bushes. At night, in the field, there were many mosquitoes. Slap! Slap! Slap! The mercenaries from Essex were constantly fending off mosquitoes and scratching the bites. "Damn, there are so many mosquitoes here!" one complained. "Is my blood tastier? Why so many mosquitoes target me?" another groaned. "f**k, I wish I brought insect repellent!" said another miserably.
Faced with the mosquito annoyance, the group cursed and complained. Noel's situation was no better. Mosquitoes buzzed around his ears and landed on him, but he remained motionless, like a statue. It wasn't that he didn't want to move; he too itched from the bites. But he couldn't move and risk discovery, so he endured the itchiness. Noel had changed a lot, especially after experiencing the baptism of the super soldier serum. His willpower had reached an astonishing level, so he restrained himself against the constant mosquito bites, remaining as steady as Mount Tai.
Time passed like this, and it was uncertain how long it had been. The sky seemed to be getting brighter. Dr. Lai and Donald were starting to feel drowsy when the clone suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing this, one of the mercenaries quickly said, "Doctor, X-24 is awake!" For Noel, this voice was the most beautiful sound. This journey was nearing its end. Noel's eyes brightened, and he whispered to himself, "It's about to begin."
Dr. Lai woke up, a hint of joy in his eyes. "Finally awake?" He quickly got up and approached the clone. Taking out a bottle of Mutant serum and installing it on the syringe, he spoke gently to the clone, "Don't worry, this will heal you. You are still a newborn, with a fragile body like a baby's. You need nourishment. This will enhance your healing ability, restore your blood vessels and epidermal tissues, and increase your matrix cells." He injected the serum into the clone's body, then stood and walked to the side, putting the syringe back in the box.
Not far away, Noel saw that the injection was finished, and his eyes lit up. "It's starting!" He took out a headscarf from his pocket, covered his face, and then put on a hood, completely covering his face. He glanced at everyone's positions, took in the surroundings, and engraved everything into his mind. With a sudden burst, Noel shot out like a cannonball, rushing towards the clone on the ground.
He reached behind his back and pulled down the shield. The surrounding shrubs were easily broken. Noel's presence instantly caught the attention of the mercenaries.
"Who?! Who are you? Identify yourself! Damn, someone's here!"
Lai Si turned around, saw the direction Noel was rushing towards, and instantly understood his motive. He shouted, "This guy is here to steal X-24! Kill him! We can't let him succeed!"
Donald looked at Noel's astonishing speed, his pupils shrinking. That was definitely not the speed of an ordinary person. "Damn it! This speed! He's not an ordinary person!" The other party was either a mutant, a super-ability user, or someone with enhanced abilities.
Donald raised his gun and shouted, "Fire! Bullets interweave and attack! Kill him!"
Bullets flew out one by one, racing towards Noel. Noel raised his shield and blocked the bullets. He looked at the large tree in front of him, his mind rapidly calculating the position of each mercenary. He calculated the angles and forces needed for the shield to fly out, rebound, and strike precisely. It was as if this was his instinct.
In a flash, he reached a tree, and the veins on his hand bulged as a burst of brute force surged out. The shield in his hand shot out like the most powerful arrow. It directly severed the wrist of a mercenary holding a gun, causing a scream. The shield didn't stop; it collided with a car's shell at an angle and bounced off towards another mercenary, severing their head. It then collided with an iron railing, cutting off someone's arm.
This chain of actions happened in an instant, with almost no time for reaction. As soon as Noel's front foot left the ground, he reached out and caught the shield, once again raising it to block the flying bullets. Sparks and a crisp sound erupted as not a single bullet hit his vital points. Noel's body was wrapped in a bulletproof vest, while his legs, smaller in size and moving fast, avoided being hit.
Noel took big strides towards the clone. "Stop him!" Lai Si roared, but two mercenaries were directly knocked away by Noel's bull-like shield.
Noel arrived in front of the immobilized clone, their eyes locking. Noel felt delighted. 'X-24, a young version of Wolverine, is in my hands!' He lifted the clone and used it as a shield against the flying bullets. The clone's eyes widened, with blood silently flowing from their mouth.
"What the hell is he doing?!" Lai Si seethed. As the clone coughed more blood, Noel threw the shield again. With the clone, the shield didn't need to maintain its defensive function. It flew out, knocking down several mercenaries anew.
Lai Si glared at Noel and the shield in his hand. He gritted his teeth and angrily shouted, "This speed! This shield's attack moves! It's you, Steve Rogers! You damn Captain America! What are you doing here? Kill him for me!"