"No problem, go on through!"
The soldier at the border checkpoint glanced at **Gabriella**'s documents and waved her forward.
**Gabriella** let out a small sigh of relief.
Her biggest fear had been that the U.S. soldiers at the checkpoint were also bribed by the Institute and would detain them on the spot.
It seemed she'd moved fast enough—the Institute hadn't reacted yet.
"Thank you!"
She took back her documents, pressed the accelerator, and drove toward El Paso County.
El Paso County is in the westernmost part of Texas, United States, bordering Chihuahua, Mexico.
**Wolverine**—**Logan**—was currently working as an ordinary taxi driver in El Paso County. That was information she'd obtained from the Institute.
Yesterday she had already brought **Laura** to seek his help.
She'd initially believed that, given **Wolverine**'s rumored personality, he would surely lend a hand.
But **Wolverine** had coldly refused.
That's why she'd risked returning to borrow money from her boyfriend—hoping to hire **Wolverine** to escort them to North Dakota.
**Screech!**
However, just two kilometers past the border station, a black SUV suddenly accelerated from the side and rammed her vehicle.
Startled, **Gabriella** slammed on the brakes and swerved sharply, narrowly avoiding a total wreck.
But the impact forced her to stop.
Before she could restart the engine, four more SUVs pulled up, completely boxing in her sedan.
That's when **Gabriella** realized the border had already been compromised by the Institute.
They probably hadn't detained her at the checkpoint because of the crowd and the risk of causing a scene.
More than twenty well-trained mercenaries quickly disembarked and surrounded her car.
Cold sweat broke out on **Gabriella**'s face.
The mercenaries who ambushed them in the alley earlier had worn plain clothes and used only pistols to stay discreet.
These ones were different: all wore bulletproof vests, carried submachine guns, tactical daggers, grenades, and smoke bombs.
Their combat capability was on another level entirely.
Even knowing how strong **Son Goku** and **Laura** were, **Gabriella** felt the odds were stacked against them now.
"Aunt **Gabriella**, are they more bad guys chasing us?"
**Son Goku** watched the mercenaries cautiously approach with submachine guns raised and asked the tense driver.
**Gabriella** nodded, gritting her teeth as she quickly formed a plan:
"Don't move yet. I'll step out first to draw their attention. Then **Laura**, you ambush from the right.
Once they're focused on us, **Goku**, that's when you make your move…"
She intended to exit the car and pretend to surrender, lowering their guard.
Otherwise, if they all opened fire on the vehicle at once, there'd be no chance.
With the enemies relaxed, the small and agile **Laura** would slip out and strike from the side to draw fire.
Why **Laura** instead of **Son Goku**, who clearly had greater fighting power?
**Laura** had a healing factor—even if hit by bullets, she'd recover quickly.
But her weakness was clear: without her **adamantium** claws, her raw strength was only slightly above that of a normal girl her age.
If her limbs were restrained, she'd be helpless.
From the previous fights, **Gabriella** had realized **Son Goku** was likely a strength-type mutant. A single kick could send a grown man flying.
His destructive power far exceeded **Laura**'s.
Once **Laura** drew attention, **Son Goku** would burst out and attack, giving them a real shot at victory.
And though **Son Goku** lacked a healing factor, he could catch pistol bullets bare-handed—submachine-gun fire wouldn't drop him easily.
Finally, **Gabriella** herself carried a pistol for support.
Even if the plan didn't eliminate every enemy, taking down most of them would let them seize a vehicle and break through the encirclement.
After explaining quickly, **Gabriella** glanced back at **Laura** and **Son Goku**, ready to step out as planned.
On the left side of the back seat, **Laura** had already extended her claws and was poised to strike.
On the right…
"??? …Where is he?"
Blinking in confusion, she saw that **Son Goku**—who had just been sitting there asking questions—was gone. The right-side door hung open.
"Oh no!"
She looked outside and sure enough, **Son Goku** had already stepped out and walked straight up to the nearest mercenary.
"Hey, has your world's strongest expert arrived yet? I want to spar with him!"
"Who the hell is this kid?"
The mercenary was stunned. This Asian-looking boy wasn't on the target list, but as an elite, he reacted fast.
He immediately drove a vicious knee toward **Son Goku**'s stomach.
But before the strike could land, the mercenary found himself flying backward. He let out a scream and blacked out.
**Son Goku** had simply struck first with a punch, sending him soaring.
The other mercenaries' pupils shrank. Realizing the boy was no ordinary child, they immediately opened fire, unleashing a storm of bullets.
Dense rounds streaked toward **Son Goku**, but he stood completely unfazed.
"Afterimage Technique!"
The bullets passed straight through the **Son Goku** who was making a funny face—as if hitting thin air.
The mercenaries froze in shock.
"He's a mutant who can create illusions! Everyone, be careful!"
The experienced captain shouted immediately.
He mistook the **Afterimage Technique** for a mutant power.
But his warning came too late.
After leaving an afterimage in place, **Son Goku** had already dashed at high speed into the center of the group.
Like a tiger among sheep, he knocked each one out with a single punch—in the blink of an eye.
"So weak. Looks like your world's strongest expert didn't show up."
After dropping the last mercenary, **Son Goku**'s face showed clear disappointment.
If the enemies were this weak, he couldn't get any stronger from the fight.
Just then, the communicator on the mercenary captain's belt crackled to life:
"Bill, what's the situation? Did you catch them?"
**Son Goku** curiously picked it up and shouted into it:
"Hey, the guys you sent are way too weak! Next time, send that world's strongest expert!"
With that, he tossed the communicator aside.
At that moment, **Gabriella**—still in shock—finally snapped out of it. She quickly pulled **Son Goku** back into the car and floored the accelerator, speeding away.
"This kid… why provoke them? If they actually send **X-24**, we're finished."
Yet deep down, **Gabriella** also felt a surge of relief.
**Son Goku** was far stronger than she'd imagined. Their chances of reaching **Eden** had skyrocketed.
If they could also recruit **Wolverine**, it would be foolproof…
(End of Chapter 4)