Chapter 47: The Hidden Passage
These were sonic tanks manufactured by Azeroth Tech. Garus likely never expected that the very weapons he sold would so quickly be turned against his own academy.
A pulse of invisible sound waves surged forward, catching Wanda off guard. She had never encountered such a weapon before. The shockwave hit her squarely, throwing her back along the path she had just taken.
"Wanda!"
Pietro appeared beside her in a flash, catching her as she fell. "Are you alright?"
Wanda rubbed her sore back and nodded. "I'm fine. I just let my guard down."
Fortunately, she had managed to cast a protective Chaos Magic barrier just before impact. Even so, the force left her dizzy.
"Logan!"
Cries from the students made Wanda and Pietro turn. They saw Logan stepping out into the chaos, heading straight toward the invaders.
"Stryker!" Logan roared, his entire body trembling with rage as he fixed his gaze on a figure standing atop an armored vehicle. Memories came rushing back—memories of torment and betrayal—as he recognized his old enemy. That Stryker had crossed into this world and now stood as an attacker of the X Academy was a cruel twist of fate. Old grudges and new fury ignited within Logan, driving him into action.
"Aaargh!" Logan charged forward, ignoring the rain pouring from the sky. The falling droplets mixed with his unyielding determination as he hurtled toward Stryker's vehicle.
Stryker noticed Logan's approach, his expression unreadable. Although the man before him seemed to harbor a deep hatred, Stryker couldn't quite place him.
"Open fire," Stryker ordered calmly.
Logan was blasted back before he could close the distance. The damp rainwater exacerbated the effects of the suppressant agents now coursing through his body, weakening his regenerative abilities. Though the suppressant had been diluted, its effects were still slowing his recovery.
Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, Logan struggled to his feet. Amid the students' panicked cries, he staggered forward once more.
The sight of their once-invincible teacher being beaten so soundly struck fear into the students. They didn't understand that his powers were being suppressed.
"Wanda! Pietro!"
A small voice called out. Wanda and Pietro turned to see a solitary boy running toward them. It was Klin, a quiet and reclusive student.
"Klin, get back!" Wanda shouted urgently. "It's too dangerous here!"
Despite their differences, Wanda and Pietro's fierce determination to protect the students had softened the barriers between them and the mutant children.
"Wanda, I dug a tunnel that leads outside the academy," Klin said hesitantly, lowering his gaze in embarrassment.
Klin's mutation allowed him to compress matter with his hands. By displacing soil and rock, he had secretly carved out a narrow passage beneath the academy grounds. He'd initially dug it out of boredom, wanting a way to escape and explore the world beyond the academy. But now, that hidden tunnel was their best chance of survival.
"Pietro, you take them out through the tunnel. I'll hold them off here," Wanda said firmly.
"But—" Pietro hesitated.
Wanda pushed him. "No buts! If you don't go now, no one will get out!"
Nearby, Logan was flung into a pile of rubble, unconscious. The relentless attacks and his diminished healing factor had finally overwhelmed him.
"Logan!" the students cried out.
Seeing that the attack was progressing smoothly, Stryker ordered the sonic tanks to halt. Regular tanks rolled forward instead.
A shell whistled overhead, demolishing a corner of the academy walls. Wanda spun around, conjuring Chaos Magic to prevent further shells from hitting their target. Just as she began neutralizing the incoming projectiles, armed helicopters appeared, their machine guns unleashing a relentless hail of bullets aimed directly at her.
Wanda's focus was stretched to the limit as she suspended and disassembled the incoming munitions mid-air.
"Everyone, follow me!" Pietro called to the other teachers and students. "They won't spare any of us!"
The group nodded, quickly rallying to follow Klin to the academy's rear gate.
"It's over here," Klin said, pointing to a concealed spot in the garden. He pushed aside a cluster of banana leaves and a couple of wooden planks, revealing the narrow tunnel.
For Klin, the passage was just wide enough. But Pietro and the other adults had to crouch and move carefully through the confined space. It was a slow, painstaking journey.
After about ten minutes, Klin suddenly stopped, causing Pietro to nearly bump into him.
"We're here," Klin announced. He reached up and pushed away a wooden panel above them, revealing the sky.
Finally, they were outside. Pietro exhaled in relief as he helped the children out of the tunnel.
"Stay together and leave the area immediately," he instructed the other teachers. "Take care of the children. Right now, they're just ordinary kids."
Trusting them to handle the rest, Pietro leaped back into the tunnel without a second thought. His priority was returning to Wanda.
Back at the academy, Wanda ducked and weaved through the chaos, shielding herself from gunfire and explosions. She reached Logan's battered body and pulled him free from the rubble. Although he was still unconscious and covered in blood, a faint pulse reassured her he was alive.
...
Meanwhile, Garus paused mid-meal, a deep sense of unease washing over him. The teleportation beacon he had placed at the X Academy had been destroyed. His heart sank. Such a thing could only mean one thing: the academy was under attack.
Who would dare assault the X Academy? And who could destroy his beacon—a location guarded by powerful mutants like Wolverine, the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and others?
Wait… hadn't he sent Abomination to guard the Azeroth Tech building?
Damn it all. He only hoped he wasn't too late.
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