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"Damn it! These hateful Mutants..."
William Stryker cursed under his breath in his underground laboratory, angrily slamming a stack of documents onto a metal workbench with a resounding crash.
As one of the key figures who'd spent years pushing Mutant suppression policies from the shadows, Stryker watched helplessly as the situation spiraled away from his carefully laid plans.
His hatred for Mutants stemmed from his own flesh and blood.
But it was this destruction brought by family that allowed the seeds of hatred to root themselves even deeper in his heart. Whenever night fell, he'd still jolt awake from nightmares—dreams of his son's uncontrolled abilities and his wife's vacant, lifeless eyes.
Now, the Mutant forces he'd painstakingly suppressed were showing signs of resurgence, and it made his blood boil.
"Something has to be done..." Stryker forced himself to calm down, his fingers unconsciously tapping an erratic rhythm on the table.
He did have a trump card—a secret weapon that could turn the tide at a crucial moment.
But he was still hesitant about whether to reveal it now.
Even if the Mutants' status seemed to have improved, it didn't change their inherent danger. Most Mutants simply couldn't control their powers. That was an undeniable fact.
Stryker knew some high-ranking officials feared Mutants even more than he did.
"Let's wait and see," he muttered, finally taking a deep breath to suppress the turmoil churning in his chest. "Perhaps... there'll be unexpected surprises."
Meanwhile, in a remote town thousands of miles away, Logan sat in the corner of an old tavern, cigar smoke curling around him in lazy spirals. Outside the window, fine rain fell steadily, and neon signs cast colorful reflections across the wet streets.
He stared down at a stack of crumpled documents, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
Ever since parting ways with Adrian, he'd been searching for suitable Mutants—hoping to add strength to the Vatican and secure a better future for Mutants themselves.
Ironically, while Mutant news seemed to be everywhere normally, when he actually tried to find suitable candidates, it was damn near impossible.
"Is this all? Nothing else?" Logan tossed the documents onto the bar with obvious impatience, looking at the bartender.
The information recorded was all old intel. Outdated stuff.
The tavern appeared run-down on the surface, but it was actually one of the underworld's intelligence hubs. All sorts of shady characters frequented the place, most unwilling to reveal their identities.
Logan came here to gather information and pass the time.
"There is one more thing..." The bartender lowered his voice, his eyes meaningfully sweeping the room before he rubbed his fingers together in the universal sign for money.
"Money's not an issue." Logan pulled out a wad of cash from his backpack, counted out the appropriate amount according to standard rates, and pushed it across the bar.
Ever since receiving funding from Adrian, he didn't worry about money anymore. Funds were regularly transferred into his account.
But this made Logan feel uneasy. He always felt like he didn't deserve it. From escaping the laboratory to receiving the elemental blessing, Adrian had helped him way too much, yet he hadn't even managed to find a single person.
The bartender finished counting, nodded with satisfaction, and pulled out a slightly worn document from under the counter.
"A newly emerged Mutant with a very special ability... It's said she can absorb other people's power and life force. Anyone she touches comes to a bad end."
He lowered his voice even further, as if afraid of being overheard.
Although the tavern buzzed with chatter, those words still reached the ears of a cloaked figure sitting not far away. The figure stiffened almost imperceptibly.
But there were too many people hiding their identities here. No one paid attention.
Logan, however, became interested. Sounded like a powerful ability—maybe the kind of special talent Adrian had mentioned.
He opened the document. The name on the first page read: Anna Marie.
"Taking life on contact?" Logan's first reaction was that this ability sounded way too dangerous and difficult to control.
He muttered to himself, "Forget it, I'll let Adrian decide... Maybe he's got a way."
Although his voice was soft, it was still clearly caught by the cloaked person. Those two words—"Adrian"—made her suddenly lift her head, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes.
During this time, she'd heard so many legends about that man.
The Vatican's Holy Knight Commander. Clashing with vampires. Even fighting some supreme being... It was because of him that the situation for Mutants had slightly eased. The Vatican had become one of the few places that openly accepted Mutants.
And her destination for running away from home? The Vatican.
She desperately wanted to cure this terrifying ability, to live like an ordinary person.
She naturally didn't know that many of these messages were deliberately released by the Vatican to enhance Adrian's prestige.
The Pope was gradually pushing Adrian toward the position of successor. For a Mutant to ascend to the papal throne and enter the center of human power? The resistance would be beyond imagination.
Even within the Vatican itself, it wasn't a united front.
Logan pocketed the documents and stood to leave.
The rain had stopped, and the street was filled with the scent of damp earth.
He hadn't walked far when he noticed something off. Someone was following him.
"Clumsy technique," he evaluated silently.
From the footsteps, he could tell the person hadn't undergone professional training, and their physical fitness was pretty ordinary too.
Thanks to the earth element blessing Adrian had given him, as long as his feet touched the ground, Logan could feel an all-around enhancement—keener senses, more stamina, greater agility.
He deliberately turned into a narrow alley, then with several swift and silent maneuvers, circled behind his pursuer.
"Who sent you?" he asked in a low voice, his bone claws silently extending toward the back of the person's neck.
But the next second, something felt wrong.
The pursuer was small and thin. An inexplicable sense of danger washed over him.
He leaped back sharply, staring at the figure warily.
Without direct contact, the sense of crisis quickly faded.
"Who the hell are you?"
The pursuer seemed startled. After a moment's hesitation, she slowly pulled down her hood, revealing the face of a young girl.
"I'm the person you're looking for."
"Anna Marie... I heard in the tavern that you know Lord Adrian of the Vatican. Can you take me to see him?"
Her voice was soft, filled with unease and anticipation.
Logan couldn't help but sigh. Sure enough—an inexperienced kid, revealing her identity so easily.
But Adrian's name really was useful.
He breathed a sigh of relief. At least he'd found someone.
"Wait here. I need to make a call first."
He pulled out his phone.
Inside the Apostolic Palace, a crisp phone ring interrupted Adrian's meditation.
He saw the caller ID was Logan and pressed answer.
"It's me, Logan. I found a Mutant. Her ability's a bit dangerous..." Logan briefly explained Rogue's situation.
"Send her to the Vatican."
"I'll send someone to meet you."
Adrian didn't hesitate, a slight smile playing at his lips.
Anna Marie. Codename: Rogue.
He remembered this name. A Mutant who could absorb others' memories, abilities, and even life energy through physical contact. Later, she could even absorb from a distance.
The abilities she gained could last for years.
Her potential was immense.
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