"This is Team C, we are in position at the main entrance."
"This is Team A, we have secured the elevators."
"This is Team B, we are approaching the target via the stairwell…"
"Received. Continue the operation. Await orders."
Inside the command vehicle, Anthony was intently staring at the various screens in front of him.
As the Raiders' new interim leader, Anthony came from the U.S. Military's Naval Special Warfare Command and was highly experienced. Unlike his predecessor, Donald, who liked to roam around, he preferred to command from the center, which gave him a comfortable sense of control over the overall situation.
"There are five targets. Try not to provoke the old man. If you engage, make sure it's a one-hit kill. Wolverine and X-23 are extremely dangerous; do not let them get close! Repeat, do not let them get close!"
"The heavily dressed Mutant is not a concern. Focus on the kid in the wheelchair… He can only control two to three people at a time, and his range isn't too far. Remember not to be isolated! Once you discover a comrade is controlled, the others immediately subdue the target!"
"Received. We have reached the target floor…"
A line of black-clad Raiders soldiers slowly and cautiously entered the twelfth floor where Miles and the others were, their movements careful and their footsteps extremely light.
"No abnormalities detected so far…" The squad leader whispered into the walkie-talkie, "We are preparing to breach the door…"
The next moment, all the lights on the entire floor abruptly went out.
Boundless darkness descended, startling everyone.
"Damn it, the power's out here, who did this… Ah!!"
Someone had just complained when a scream followed.
"Enemy attack!" The squad leader was startled and quickly reported, "Anthony! We're under attack! Shit, this is a trap, we… Ah!"
"Ah!"
"Not good!"
In the darkness, screams and exclamations rose and fell.
The walkie-talkie fell to the ground, emitting a static busy signal.
"Team B! Team B! Report status! Team B, can you hear me?!"
Inside the command vehicle, Anthony continuously shouted into Team B's channel, but received no response.
In front of him, the first-person view that belonged to Team B completely lost its signal, and the screen turned into static.
"The situation has changed, Team B is out of contact, they were prepared!" Anthony ordered the others, "They are still on the twelfth floor. No need to leave too many people on the first floor. Team A, Team C, Team E, you all go and provide support! Team D, you stay behind to defend and protect Dr. Zander…"
"Turn on night vision. I suspect the enemy might have cut off the light source on the twelfth floor!"
The enemy's two main forces were Wolverine and X-23, both close-combat Mutants with keen senses. Since the enemy had already gained the initiative, Anthony thought that if he were commanding those two monsters, he would 100% actively cut off the light source on the battlefield to create a favorable environment for his side.
Frankly speaking, his arrangement was not wrong, but the problem was that he was not facing conventional enemies.
"Quick reaction, Antini, no, that's Tony Damo… Forget it, doesn't matter, it's an enemy anyway."
Still in his room, Miles pressed his finger to his temple, trembling as he muttered, "Logan, how many more minutes do you need?"
"Two minutes."
Outside the room, in the darkness, Logan's Talon pierced through a Raider's chest. He spoke into his wireless earpiece, "Also, at a time like this, can't you talk less useless nonsense?!"
"Sorry, you know, my brain isn't normal. The more stimulating it gets, the more I can't help myself, just like a man getting hard when he's aroused. It's not something I can control subjectively…"
"F***!!"
Logan cursed, then was caught off guard and slammed against a wall by a Raider. With a "bang!" he took a bullet, biting his teeth hard from the pain.
Then, as a girl's fierce roar rang out, the Raider was immediately impaled through the neck by Laura and torn off Logan.
"Ha… Ha…" Logan lay on the ground, gasping for a few breaths, then slowly propped himself up.
He was no longer the Wolverine who never got injured or tired. His dwindling healing factor could only ensure that he wouldn't suffer fatal injuries after being shot, but that was all.
If it were before, being hit by a few bullets would barely register with him; in a few seconds, the bullets would be pushed out by new flesh. However, now, he could only endure the pain and stand up again with the bullets and wounds still in him, because the battle was not over.
Old Logan was truly exhausted, both physically and spiritually.
"Logan, get ready. The second wave of people will be here in two minutes. Eighteen people."
"F***!!" Logan cursed, "Are you serious?! Do you think just me and this kid can stop eighteen fully armed soldiers?"
"Don't worry, I'll help you," Miles said. "Oh, by the way, Logan, are you afraid of Water?"
"Afraid of Water? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, right, you're a wolf. Canines can all swim. Cats are afraid of Water, like your older brother Sabretooth… F***, tigers clearly love swimming. Damn it, I can't figure it out, just can't figure it out!"
"Shut up, you little brat with shit for brains!" Logan couldn't stand Miles's nagging anymore. "If you keep bothering me, I'll cut off your head and shove it up your ass!"
"You really have a soft spot for asses, Logan," Miles said. "Don't talk about anything else. Go grab a gun from the ground for Caliban. We need a bit more power. I already told Laura to bring a few guns, but unfortunately, she doesn't like them…"
"Um… I have a pistol," Caliban said, taking out the pistol he carried with him.
Although Caliban was physically weak and not good at fighting, as a former black market merchant, it was normal for him to carry a pistol for self-defense.
"That's too weak, not enough 'waaaaaagh,' probably can't even penetrate body armor!" Miles pouted.
"Alright, you're right." Caliban nodded, accepting the point.
Soon, the door opened, and Laura, covered in blood, walked in from outside, carrying an AR-15 rifle. She nodded to Caliban and handed him the rifle.
"Ai…" Old Charles sighed silently, looking at Laura's murderous appearance.
"Get ready. The second wave of enemies is here. Logan, are the grenades ready?"
"Mm." Logan nodded, then looked towards the stairwell.
In the darkness, footsteps were already echoing, clearly indicating a large group of people approaching from below.
"Logan, listen to me, hide first, don't panic, trust me…" Miles said, trembling and gritting his teeth, "Listen to me, we can win!!"
"You better be telling the truth!"
Logan gritted his teeth as he spoke, then saw the enemies slowly emerging from the stairwell.
With Beast-like senses, darkness had minimal impact on Logan and Laura. Just as the enemy commander Anthony had predicted, a dark environment was Logan and Laura's home ground.
"They're wearing night vision goggles," Miles spoke again. "Laura, distract them for a bit."
Laura nodded and poked her head out slightly.
"Bang bang bang…"
The next moment, several bullets shot over, scaring Laura into quickly pulling her head back.
"Is it not time yet?" Logan asked softly, sensing the enemy's footsteps, "They're already this close…"
"Wait a little longer, Logan…"
Miles said hoarsely from the room, "Almost ready…"
Two seconds later, in Miles's perception, the enemies finally reached their designated position.
"Hehe…"
The young man sneered, muttering to himself, "The show begins."
The next moment, all the Raiders soldiers' night vision goggles suddenly flickered and stopped working!
Darkness descended, which even night vision goggles could not resist.
And at the same time, the fire alarm in the hallway suddenly rang out with an urgent bell!
"Ding-a-ling-a-ling…"
As the bell rang loudly, the fire sprinklers immediately began spraying Water, like a torrential downpour, instantly drenching the entire corridor!
"Logan! Now!!"
Hearing Miles's reminder, Logan disregarded the shock in his heart and quickly and expertly disengaged the safety on the grenade in his hand.
"No wonder you asked me if I was afraid of Water just now… Well done, kid!"
Logan said, pulling the pin and throwing the grenade.
As a former World War II veteran, throwing grenades was almost an ingrained instinct for Logan. He could tell at a glance where to throw a grenade to achieve maximum lethality.
"What's going on?! My night vision goggles are malfunctioning!"
"Mine too!"
"The alarm is ringing, where's the Fire?"
"It's all Water here!"
The sudden malfunction of the night vision goggles, coupled with the piercing ring of the fire alarm, the sudden turn of events completely disoriented the squad. For a moment, no one even realized that a grenade had been thrown, sliding all the way through the watery floor to the very center of the crowd!
"When human eyes suddenly enter a dark environment, it often takes several minutes to adapt. During this time… they are blind in the dark," Miles sneered, muttering to himself, "This is my first gift to you… Dr. Zander!"
"Boom!!!"
A violent explosion reverberated, so terrifying that even Miles, inside the room, could clearly hear its force.
"Miles…" Charles couldn't help but say, "We can escape now… Too many people have already died here."
"Wait a little longer, Dr.…" Miles said softly, "That bastard Zander is still out there…"
"I understand your persistence, Miles," Old Charles said. "But you must know, revenge doesn't have to be rushed. You are still very young. You could clearly give yourself more time to grow first…"
"Sorry… I can't wait any longer, Professor," Miles said softly. "As long as Zander is still alive, every day I live is torture for me…"
"I can't bear it anymore… Professor!"
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…"
On the battlefield in the corridor, the fire sprinklers continued to spray Water, drenching everyone like a downpour.
With the grenade detonating in the center of the crowd, several Raiders soldiers died on the spot, while the others collapsed haphazardly, lying in the drizzling rain, momentarily unable to comprehend what had happened.
"Ah!!!"
In the darkness, several roars echoed.
Then, the silent battle began.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!"
Someone whose condition was barely stable tore off his useless night vision goggles, raised his rifle, tried to aim at the source of the commotion in the darkness, and was about to fire… then was horrified to discover that his mechanical prosthesis had also malfunctioned!
"Crackling…"
His usually flexible and precise mechanical prosthesis, as if infected by a virus, made a strange electric crackling sound before completely ceasing to function.
And with only one hand, he was clearly unable to operate a firearm at all!
The next moment, he only saw a Talon in the darkness, flashing with cold light, piercing into his vision!
"Hiss!!!"
…
"Team A? Team B?"
Inside the command vehicle, Anthony continuously shouted into the walkie-talkie, but no matter how hard he yelled, he could not get any response.
The few squads sent out had completely lost contact!
"Information warfare? Electromagnetic interference?!" Anthony rapidly analyzed the current situation in his mind, then couldn't help but ask Dr. Zander behind him, "Are you sure they are just a group of old, weak, and sick Mutants?!"
"I am absolutely sure!!" Dr. Zander's expression was agitated, recalling the "abnormal data" he had once obtained from Miles, and he muttered to himself, "It's 'X-0'! It must be him!"
"This is his true potential!"
"What are you talking about?!" Anthony couldn't help but press.
"We retreat!" Dr. Zander, too lazy to explain, directly ordered, "Abandon those people, retreat immediately. I need to redesign the capture plan…"
However, before Dr. Zander could finish speaking, the next moment, all the lights inside the command vehicle dimmed.
"Click!!"
The car doors automatically locked, sealing the interior and exterior spaces.
"…What's going on?"
"The car's malfunctioning too?"
Anthony continuously tried to restart the car, but received no response.
"What's going on, is the system battery low?" Dr. Zander asked.
"Impossible, it was more than half full just now!" Anthony said with some horror, "Not just the command system, I can't even start the car now!"
"We're trapped here!"
As a Military command vehicle specially customized by Alkali for the Raiders, this vehicle was highly technologically advanced. From the engine to the command system, and even the car door locks, everything could be controlled through electronic systems.
At the same time, the vehicle itself was extremely sturdy, capable of withstanding Rocket bombardment head-on and moving safely through a hail of bullets. Of course, this also meant… once locked inside, the vehicle could also serve as the best iron coffin.
"Our system has been hacked!" Dr. Zander immediately reacted.
"Impossible!" Anthony retorted, "We use a special frequency band temporary internal network for communication, and it's physically isolated from the central control system. No hacker could achieve this!"
"What if it's not an ordinary hacker?" Dr. Zander muttered with a hint, then said, "Where's the emergency exit! We need to escape immediately!"
"Below!"
Like a tank, this armored command vehicle also had an emergency exit, controlled purely manually, unaffected by electromagnetic interference.
However, the problem was that opening it was a very strenuous task in itself.
"Let's do it together…"
Anthony and Dr. Zander both began to pull the emergency exit handle together.
"One, two, three!!!"