Richard closed the information panel and used Blinkstep to return to the second underground floor.
Although the mutant agents from the Department wouldn't be able to return for some time, he had no intention of idly waiting for their arrival. Upon materializing on the second level, he found Sabretooth locked in combat with his clone.
Despite both beings having human form, Sabretooth and his duplicate were wrestling like primitive beasts—a savage exchange of primal violence. For every slash of claws, the opponent returned in kind. Each attempt to tear out a throat was countered with fingers aimed at eyes.
Neither Sabretooth nor his clone employed particularly sophisticated fighting techniques. The original Sabretooth possessed vastly superior combat experience and skills compared to his duplicate. Unfortunately, these advantages weren't enough to quickly dispatch the clone before him.
Worse still, Sabretooth was now experiencing firsthand how frustrating it was to battle an enemy with regenerative abilities—the same power he himself relied upon.
"Do you need my help?" Richard called out, observing that the clone facing Sabretooth appeared virtually "unharmed" despite his tattered, blood-soaked clothing.
"No, I can handle this myself!" Sabretooth snarled back quickly.
"Then take your time. I'll check out the third underground floor."
Without waiting for Sabretooth's response, Richard activated Blinkstep and teleported to the level below.
Though Sabretooth's informant hadn't provided specific details about the third underground floor—only mentioning "dangerous things" potentially lurking there—Richard now felt certain about what awaited him.
Sentinel robots.
The "dangerous things" the informant had alluded to were undoubtedly the mutant-hunting Sentinels. This meant the third floor likely housed their hangar, maintenance area, monitoring station, or some combination thereof.
Richard's assumption proved correct. As soon as he materialized on the third level, he found himself in a massive Sentinel maintenance facility. The cavernous space contained various tools and spare parts for the enormous robots.
But what caught his attention immediately were the mutant children imprisoned throughout the area.
They weren't simply detained—they were locked in metal cages like laboratory mice. The sight of these children fueled Richard's growing hatred for the Department of Mutant Affairs.
Though mutants possessed abilities beyond ordinary humans, they were still people. And judging by these children's conditions and the terror etched across their faces, they had endured utterly inhumane treatment.
If his suspicions were correct, these mutant children had been transferred from the laboratory on the second floor. As for why they weren't sent to a mutant prison but instead brought to the Sentinel maintenance area—the reason wasn't difficult to deduce.
These children must possess exceptional powers. They were here so the Sentinels could analyze and replicate their abilities.
Witnessing the fear in their eyes, Richard strode directly to the metal cages. With lightning-swift movements, he swung his Masamune.
Tsk-tsk-tsk!
The razor-sharp blade easily sliced through the cage locks.
"Come out, it's okay," Richard said softly to the children.
Though the cage doors were now unlocked and would open with the slightest push, none of the children moved to escape. Instead, they retreated to the farthest corners of their cages, curling into tight balls and staring at him with trembling eyes.
Whatever these mutant children had experienced had left them terrified of leaving their cages. They exhibited severe psychological trauma, instinctively resisting any attempt at freedom.
This sight only intensified Richard's hatred toward the Department. He never considered himself a paragon of virtue, but he maintained certain boundaries.
He could never conduct horrific experiments on children, mutant or otherwise. Nor would he indiscriminately kill like some deranged serial killer just to harvest more mutant powers.
Looking at these traumatized children, Richard retrieved a disposable cell phone he'd prepared in advance from his system space.
These prepaid phones—non-contract models with short-term service—required no registration or paperwork. In America, such devices were commonplace, available in any supermarket at reasonable prices and especially popular among those operating outside the law.
He and Clarice had purchased several while grocery shopping in preparation for tonight's operation.
Richard dialed Clarice's number. The call connected almost immediately.
"I'm on the third underground floor. I've found several mutant children with severe psychological trauma. Open a portal and come get them."
"On it!" Clarice replied without hesitation.
Seconds later, an irregular elliptical portal materialized near Richard. As soon as it stabilized, Clarice stepped through, appearing before him.
"These little ones are afraid of me. They won't come out," Richard explained, gesturing toward the caged children.
"Leave it to me," Clarice nodded, approaching one of the metal cages. She spoke gently to the child inside: "Come out. We won't hurt you. We're going to take you away from this place."
She extended her delicate hand toward the frightened child.
Perhaps it was her gentle tone, or maybe her beautiful, non-threatening feminine appearance—after a moment's hesitation, the child in the corner reached out, grasped Clarice's hand, and climbed out of the cage.
With the first success, the rest followed more easily. Without much effort, Clarice coaxed all the mutant children from their prisons.
Under Richard's watchful gaze, Clarice guided the children through the portal, returning to their staging area on the rooftop of the building they'd used earlier.
When the portal closed, Richard left the maintenance area, Masamune still in hand. After exploring the third floor thoroughly, he encountered no one else—the children had been the only occupants.
He discovered that much of the equipment on this level had been destroyed—and recently. It became obvious that before his arrival, the staff had not only evacuated but had systematically destroyed important information and equipment they couldn't take with them.
Richard confirmed this when he found surveillance footage in the monitoring room showing staff evacuation and destruction procedures.
They fled so decisively! Richard thought bitterly.
The footage revealed that the evacuated personnel weren't mutants. Furthermore, judging by their organized behavior during the evacuation, they clearly had established contingency plans. They had withdrawn in an orderly fashion, without panic.
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