"A bunch of useless idiots!"
Inside **Gabriella**'s boyfriend's house, the Commander crushed the communicator in his modified mechanical hand.
"Commander, the investigation is complete."
Just then, a mercenary rushed in with a laptop, set it on the table, and hit play.
When the Commander saw the tailed boy leap onto a fifth-floor balcony in the footage, he raised an eyebrow.
"It seems this kid ruined my plan. Interesting. There are still wild mutants out there.
I'm sure **Dr. Rice** will be very interested in him."
**Dr. Rice** was the Institute's lead biologist and also CEO of Rice Genetics Group—his boss.
Mutants had gone extinct because of **Dr. Rice**'s work.
He had developed a special virus that suppressed the mutant X-gene, then integrated it into genetically modified food and distributed it worldwide.
Ordinary people who ate this GM food faced no immediate life-threatening danger, but it made it impossible for them to produce children with the X-gene.
Thanks to the widespread adoption of genetically modified food, no new mutants had appeared in twenty-five years.
Even the mutants from twenty-five years ago saw their powers degrade and go out of control after long-term consumption.
That was one key reason his teams had been able to wipe out the remaining mutants.
The Westchester incident—where **Professor X** lost control, killed all the **X-Men** and students except **Wolverine**, and took over six hundred ordinary lives—was also caused by long-term exposure to that food.
**Wolverine**—**Logan**—had suffered a drastic decline in his healing factor and now looked aged for the same reason.
The Institute had always known the hiding places of **Professor X** and **Wolverine**. If not for **Dr. Rice**'s explicit orders against it, the Commander would have eliminated them long ago.
The mutant children born in the lab were unaffected thanks to antibodies **Dr. Rice** had injected.
That made the sudden appearance of an eleven- or twelve-year-old wild mutant child extremely suspicious.
If his parents hadn't eaten GM food, how could the child have grown up without ever consuming any? That was clearly impossible.
"Let's head to the border checkpoint and see what's going on."
After shooting and finishing off **Gabriella**'s half-dead boyfriend, the Commander led his team toward the border.
On the way, he called **Dr. Rice**:
"Doctor, while pursuing **Gabriella** and **X-23**, we discovered a wild mutant child..."
"Bring him back alive. I need to determine why he's unaffected. If necessary, request authorization to deploy **X-24**."
Inside the Institute, **Dr. Rice** hung up with a grim expression.
"How could a new mutant appear? Has the X-gene developed natural resistance? That shouldn't be possible."
Right now, he was far more concerned about this newly discovered wild mutant than the escaped lab children.
If the X-gene had truly evolved an antibody, new mutants would keep appearing.
His plan to rule the world with an army of **Wolverine** clones would collapse.
Meanwhile, after entering El Paso County, **Gabriella** didn't rush to find **Wolverine**.
Instead, she checked into a quiet, out-of-the-way motel.
Her reasoning was simple: without knowing **Wolverine**'s exact location, searching blindly through El Paso County would likely lead straight into Institute mercenaries.
Since he worked as a taxi driver, she could use a ride-hailing app to summon him.
Place an order, and **Wolverine** would come right to her.
"**Goku**, put this jacket on over your clothes."
As soon as they stepped out of the car, **Gabriella** took off her own jacket and draped it over **Son Goku**, tucking his tail underneath.
Most people would assume a tail was just a costume accessory, but she preferred to play it safe.
"Boss, one room."
"Thirty dollars."
The plump motel owner glanced at **Gabriella** with a hint of disdain in her tone.
Local white residents often looked down on outsiders.
**Gabriella** ignored it. She paid, finished check-in, and quickly led **Laura** and **Son Goku** to their room.
"You two sit here and watch TV. I need to contact a friend for help."
She opened the ride-hailing app on her phone and began searching.
**Son Goku** tilted his head and suggested,
"Aunt **Gabriella**, why don't you just take me to that Institute? I'll help you wipe them out, and then no one will chase you anymore."
He wanted to destroy the pursuers' headquarters—the Institute—just like he'd done to the **Red Ribbon Army**.
That would solve the problem at its root, and he'd get to fight that expert sooner.
**Gabriella** gently patted **Son Goku**'s head.
"Auntie knows you're really strong, but the Institute isn't as simple as you think. That **X-24** has an immortal body—you're no match for him.
The friend I'm contacting is incredibly powerful. Once he gets here, we won't have anything to fear."
An ordinary boy with a toy gun might think he's the strongest in the world; for a mutant like **Son Goku** who could actually take on twenty grown men, that confidence was understandable.
But she knew the Institute's true terror—and **X-24**'s even more so.
She had never even considered destroying the Institute. Escaping to Canada with the children was the best outcome she could hope for.
"Aunt **Gabriella**, is your friend really that strong?"
**Son Goku**'s eyes lit up instantly.
**Gabriella**'s gaze filled with admiration.
"Yes. His name is **Logan**, but he's nicknamed **Wolverine**. He was once one of the most powerful mutants."
From Institute intel, she knew the real **Wolverine**—**Logan**—was much like his comic-book version: a righteous mutant warrior who had saved the world multiple times alongside the **X-Men**.
"Is he stronger than that **X-24** you mentioned?"
**Son Goku** looked even more excited.
**Gabriella** hesitated for a second before answering,
"If it were the old **Logan**, he'd definitely be stronger. But now… I'm not sure."
**X-24** was just a clone of **Wolverine**—**Logan**—so naturally his power couldn't match the original's.
But that was the old **Logan**.
The one she'd seen yesterday already had white hair.
Still, she believed even an aging **Wolverine** wouldn't be much weaker than **X-24**—especially with **Son Goku** and **Laura** helping.
At that moment, **Laura**—who had been quietly watching TV—pulled a comic titled *Uncanny X-Men* from her backpack and handed it to **Son Goku**.
**Son Goku** took it, flipped through the pages rapidly, and after finishing, he jumped up and down on the bed in excitement.
"So many experts! I really want to spar with all of them!"
(End of Chapter 5)