Chapter 19: It's You, X-23!

Chapter 19: It's You, X-23!

"Not good!"

Realizing the situation, Donald immediately stepped back. He recognized the reagent—it was developed by their experimental base specifically to temporarily enhance the abilities of mutants.

If Wolverine were to inject it, his strength would return to its peak until the reagent wore off.

Wolverine at his peak was undoubtedly the most fearsome killer.

"Sniper, target Wolverine!"

However, the response from the walkie-talkie was:

"X-23 and Subject 757 have been spotted. They're heading towards me."

"Release X-24 to deal with them. You continue to snipe Wolverine."

After ordering his subordinates to cover, Donald commanded the sniper.

He didn't know how X-23 and Subject 757 had managed to escape unnoticed under such tight surveillance, but it didn't matter. As long as X-24 was released, they would surely be dealt with.

According to experimental data, X-23 was no match for X-24, and no matter how accurate Subject 757's shooting was, it couldn't harm X-24—they were completely outclassed.

The most pressing issue now was Wolverine, who had regained his peak strength after taking the drug. In just a few moments, he had already killed ten of Donald's elite subordinates amidst the heavy gunfire.

If they didn't use the sniper to restrict his movements, both Donald and the rest of his men might be slaughtered by Wolverine.

No wonder the boss was so obsessed with Wolverine.

"Roger!"

A gunshot rang out from the sniper, and Wolverine was immediately hit and knocked down. The others rushed forward, using bullets to suppress him and prevent him from getting up.

Meanwhile, George and X-23 were sprinting towards the bus.

They hadn't escaped from the heavy encirclement; instead, they had left the factory before the enemy surrounded it and hid behind nearby obstacles.

When the enemy's attention was fully focused on Wolverine, they quietly made their way towards the vehicle that obviously held X-24.

If they could take out X-24 in advance, they would have won half the battle.

However, George hadn't anticipated that the enemy would take them so seriously and even bring a sniper—something that hadn't happened in the movie.

Fortunately, he had brought the formidable X-23 as a precaution.

If the sniper aimed at him, well, he would have to use X-23 as a shield.

After all, with X-23's healing ability, even a sniper shot wouldn't kill her.

Although it seemed cruel, if it came to that, there was no other choice.

This was a life-and-death struggle. If they failed, it wouldn't just be him who died—it would be everyone, including the thirty-plus mutant children.

The only issue was that X-23's small frame couldn't cover his entire body, so he would have to lift her to shield his upper body, where more vital organs were located. His legs, which were sprinting, would be harder to hit.

But with his wizard bloodline, his vitality was astonishing. Even if he were shot, as long as it wasn't a fatal hit, he wouldn't die easily.

Once they got closer, he could influence the sniper. Currently, he couldn't alter the trajectory of a sniper bullet, but he could affect the sniper rifle itself, causing it to shake and miss its target.

In fact, the situation was better than he had expected. The sniper didn't turn his rifle towards them but continued to aim at the factory, clearly distracted by Wolverine.

However, they weren't completely ignored, as the ferocious X-24 was released.

"Perfect timing!"

Seeing the back door of the bus open and X-24, Wolverine's clone, leap out with a roar, charging towards them, George couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

This move by the enemy was exactly what he had hoped for.

Along with X-24, four elite soldiers also exited the bus. However, instead of joining X-24, they set up a camera, apparently intending to record X-24's battle.

These soldiers knew full well how terrifying X-24 was and didn't believe X-23 and Subject 757 could win.

Recording X-24's battle footage was a request from the higher-ups, as this was also a field test for X-24, and the video would be analyzed later.

As they got closer to X-24, George grabbed X-23 and fired two shots from his submachine gun at X-24.

He didn't use the Adamantium bullets immediately because if he killed X-24 now, the sniper would quickly realize what had happened, and the others would focus their attacks on him.

That would be dangerous.

Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to use X-23 as a shield.

So, while the enemy was still off guard, he needed to get as close as possible. Once within range of his abilities, his sharpshooting skills would come into play.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two bullets shot straight towards X-24's eyes. While the bullets couldn't kill X-24, damaging his eyes would take time to heal.

Seeing George shooting at him, X-24 immediately raised his arm to block.

Unfortunately, George's bullets weren't straightforward—they curved around X-24's arm and accurately hit his eyes.

X-24's eyeballs burst, and he let out a scream, stopping in his tracks.

While his eyes could heal, the pain was still very real.

"It's you, X-23!"

Taking advantage of X-24's temporary blindness, George hurled X-23 forward with all his strength.

"Take out that sniper."

X-23 flew over X-24's head, landed with a tactical roll, and without hesitation, charged towards the sniper and the four soldiers near the bus.

By now, X-24's eyes had healed, and he immediately swiped at George with his claws, moving so fast that George barely had time to react.

"Swish!"

Although George managed to step back in time, the submachine gun in his hand was sliced in half by X-24's claws.

The next swipe was aimed at George's neck.

"Brutal."

George gasped, then focused his magnetic powers entirely on X-24's arm.

He wasn't Magneto, who could easily manipulate Wolverine's Adamantium-laced body, but applying dozens of pounds of force to X-24's arm could still have a significant impact.

Sure enough, the magnetic force caused X-24's arm to pause, giving George another chance to dodge.

George didn't engage further. Instead, he took the opportunity to circle around X-24 and continue towards the bus.

Feeling toyed with, X-24 roared in anger and turned to chase after George.

But George didn't engage in direct combat. Knowing he couldn't match X-24's strength, he used his magnetic powers to disrupt X-24's limbs, skillfully dodging each attack while steadily moving closer to the bus.

The problem was that he hadn't had his abilities for long. Even though his wizard bloodline had enhanced them, he still hadn't fully developed his powers.

Originally, his body's maximum potential was to control a hundred pounds of magnetic force, but initially, he could only manage ten pounds. With his wizard bloodline, he could now exert dozens of pounds.

If he had a few more years to adapt, his maximum strength could reach several hundred pounds.

With several hundred pounds of force, he could easily lift X-24 into the air and dominate him.

Or, if he spent more time learning magic, a simple stunning spell could easily take X-24 down.

In short, the future looked promising, but for now, this was the best he could do.

(End of Chapter)