ebonymovies Chapter 118 The Mutants' Counterattack
Chapter 118 The Mutants' Counterattack
Chapter 118 The Mutants' Counterattack
The plane soared through the azure sky, and even before it landed, one could clearly see the yellow sand swirling wildly on the ground. Layers of sand, whipped up by the wind and dust, crashed onto the brownish-yellow sand like ocean waves.
This is the Middle East, a place with extremely high desert coverage, containing several world-renowned desert areas.
Logan and his team's plane landed at an airport surrounded by yellow sand.
This is a country built on the desert, and their destination is a city shrouded in yellow sand.
As soon as I got off the plane, the sweltering heat hit me. The sky was cloudless, and the blazing fireball seemed to be giving this region special care. The air I breathed in was not only hot, but also carried a lot of fine dust.
The swirling dust forced the group to squint as they surveyed the city, completely enveloped in yellow sand.
Logan walked on the scorching ground, which radiated intense heat from the sun. Even through the soles of his shoes, his feet could feel the unbearable heat.
"How many years ago was the last time you visited this part of Asia?"
Behind him, Victor gazed at the endless expanse of sand and sighed.
He traveled to many places, including the Middle East. He was very young at the time, and in his mind, the Middle East was like this: yellow sand everywhere, and it seemed that every place was exactly the same.
"The last time I came back, I was with a mercenary group; we had a mission here."
Logan surveyed the area, recalling past events. Deep in his memory, in the recollections of Wolverine, lay his journey to the Middle East.
"I never thought I'd be able to revisit this place, haha, I love the roasted naan and roasted lamb here."
Victor reminisced about the delicious food in this vast region, then turned to Mackay, "Hey Mackay, is our budget enough for us to eat our fill here?"
"We're not here for tourism."
McCa rolled his eyes at him and urged, "Hurry up, we still need to get to the city center."
After saying that, he led everyone to the parking lot and found an off-road vehicle that Hydra had prepared for them. A high-powered, high-chassis off-road vehicle is a necessity for traveling in the Middle East, as ordinary vehicles can easily get stuck in the sand.
Everyone threw their luggage into the trunk, Logan got into the driver's seat, and drove to the city center according to the map that McCain had prepared in advance.
According to documents left by Strucker, Hydra agents were stationed in the city center to receive them.
Along the way, the group witnessed a vast desert that they would never see again in their lifetime. It was like an ocean made of sand, with the dust and sand occasionally whipped up by the strong winds, crashing against them like ocean waves.
"Asalan, which locals consider to be the capital of the desert, is entirely built on the desert and surrounded by a vast sea of sand."
McCa sat in the passenger seat, admiring the desert outside the car that looked like a deep sea, and introduced the place to everyone.
Then, as if remembering something, he turned and asked, "I hope you all brought coats. The daytime high temperature in this city can reach 55 degrees Celsius. You could say that most of the sun's afterglow is poured here."
"But once night falls, it's like a forsaken land abandoned by the sun god, where the temperature can plummet to minus four or five degrees Celsius within a few hours. If you don't keep warm enough, you'll freeze to death if you stand outside all night."
McCa looked at everyone and said, "I hope you won't be fooled by the current temperature; you'd better have a few coats in your backpacks."
"When I first came to the Middle East, you probably weren't even born yet."
Victor curled his lip in disdain. He already knew about the unpredictable temperature here and had prepared all the necessary living items before leaving.
Moira nodded and said, "I often traveled to Asia when I was in college. In addition to East Asia, I also often came to these Muslim countries in West Asia. You don't need to worry, I have everything you need to prepare."
Hearing her words, Logan, who was driving, couldn't help but sigh, "A university where you can travel freely is so great. My university was all about carrying out deadly missions every day."
To be honest, Logan really envied Moira's college life, with no troubles, no dangers, and the freedom to travel the world during holidays.
Unlike his Xavier's School of the Rising Sun, whose actions are increasingly dangerous.
Hearing Logan's envious tone, Moira smiled and shook her head, saying, "That's all in the past."
During the conversation, Logan drove into the city.
Although the place looks desolate, the city is quite lively. There are many houses made of yellow bricks on both sides of the road. Most of them are very low and have small windows, giving them a retro feel.
However, it's just a retro style. In reality, the prosperity here is no less than that of a typical city. Various shops line the streets, and the signs are all different. There are even some luxury brand stores from Western countries.
Locals clearly prefer walking to driving, and there are very few cars on the road.
Most of them were dressed in roughly the same clothes, all in white, with headscarves on their heads, and were muttering something that Logan and the others couldn't understand.
Following the map's directions, Luo drove into the city library, their agreed meeting point.
McCa led the group out of the car and into the library.
There were very few people in the library at that time; only a few students were sitting at the tables quietly reading.
Logan and the others casually found a place to sit down, and after a while, a local man dressed in white and wearing a headscarf came over.
"McCarthy's people?"
He stood in front of Logan and his group's table and asked in somewhat broken English.
Looking at the contact person's appearance, McCain and his group nodded and stood up.
"Follow me." The contact carefully glanced around before turning and walking towards the second floor of the library.
Logan and the others quickly followed.
The contact person didn't say anything along the way, and no one else spoke either; the scene was unusually quiet.
The contact led everyone to the second floor and into a room that had already been prepared.
The room is covered with various route maps, all roughly pointing to the same place, clearly related to this mission.
The contact waved for the group to sit down at a long table in the middle of the room, and then said, "Baron Strucker would like to speak with you."
Upon hearing this, Logan asked in surprise, "He's here?"
As he spoke, he glanced around the room, but there was no one else in the small room.
The contact didn't speak, but simply pushed a television out from the corner of the room and turned on the screen.
Strucker appeared on screen, sitting at his desk, smiling at everyone through the screen.
"Congratulations on arriving in Asaran. I'm sure you've enjoyed the scenery along the way. Now it's time to get down to business. I hope you'll keep your promise and bring back what I need."
Strucker's voice came through the television speakers, polite but threatening.
"certainly."
McCa stared at the television and said in a deep voice, "I also hope you can keep your promise and release my people after the mission is completed."
"As long as you bring the items back, everything will be fine."
Strucker squinted as he spoke, then continued, "Rest assured, I will consider anyone who sincerely helps me a friend, and I have always been very kind to my friends."
After a pause, Strucker seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, you really should keep a closer eye on those kids. They tried to run away, but thankfully they didn't get lost. I've already disciplined them for you. Kids need to be taught a lot."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically.
Logan flew into a rage, staring at Strucker on the screen, and demanded sharply, "What have you done?!"
He stared at the screen with a serious expression. He believed that the education Strucker was talking about could not possibly be as simple as just lip service!
Those children are probably suffering some unbearable torment!
Seeing the expressions on Logan and the others' faces, Strucker simply smiled and said, "A few of the kids were injured, but don't worry, they've been rescued. I'll ensure their safety until the mission fails."
rescue!
This word instantly turned everyone's expression incredibly cold.
"They are all still just children."
Marcos spoke through gritted teeth, his face dark.
It's hard to imagine that Strucker would lay a hand on several defenseless children, even beating them to the point that they needed emergency medical attention!
In other words, those children may have already been in critical condition at that time!
"A child's ability to mutate can be just as deadly, can't it?"
Strucker remained calm and chuckled lightly, "Hurry up and finish the mission, gentlemen, for your own sake and for the sake of others, or you will truly be saying goodbye to them forever."
After saying that, the screen went offline, leaving only a few people in front of the television with cold expressions.
"Damn it!"
Victor's face was grim, his cold eyes fixed on the screen, then sweeping over everyone before finally landing on McCa, his claws seemingly ready to spring forth.
"Calm down, Victor."
Logan reached out and patted Victor on the shoulder, signaling him not to get angry.
Victor's face remained grim as he turned to Logan, "The more we hold back, the more those guys will escalate their actions!"
He believes this is the consequence of always giving in; you'll only be bullied and have others ride roughshod over you!
"But if we can't bear it now, what about the children and the professors?"
Logan patted Victor with a furrowed brow, afraid he might lose control, then sighed, "Don't worry, they'll regret their decision today. We'll get our revenge."
Although Logan didn't want to back down, he had no choice but to temporarily yield to the current situation.
He then turned to the Hydra contact, his face dark, and said, "Let's begin. What are our specific tasks?"
The documents Strucker provided only instructed them to come to the Middle East to make contact with someone; the specific tasks would be arranged by the contact person.
McCain, standing nearby, urged, "Hurry up and say it, we're in a rush!"
The contact person had been standing like a wooden stake next to the television set, without saying a word or making any movement.
Only after Logan asked him a question did they take action. He glanced at everyone and said in broken English, "Baron Strucker's task for you is simple: intercept a shipment."
As everyone listened to the contact's words, their brows furrowed. Just hearing that one word made it clear that the task would be extremely difficult.
"This shipment is unusual, isn't it?"
Logan looked directly into the contact's eyes and asked in a deep voice.
He knew very well that if the task was simple, the Hydra agents would come and collect it themselves.
If Strucker went to such lengths to capture mutants in the shelter and threaten him into carrying out the mission, then it means that this is likely a mission with no chance of survival!
The contact nodded bluntly. "Yes, we're not the only ones eyeing this shipment. There are many other forces from the Middle East and other regions involved. Your mission is to intercept this shipment and then protect it safely."
Logan and the others nodded with grim faces.
They knew that the Middle East was a place where all sorts of people mingled and various forces were entangled in conflict, making it a dangerous place.
At this point, McCa asked, "Do you have any more information, such as a list of forces coveting this shipment?"
If they knew which forces might get involved, they could perhaps take precautions in advance, or at least make more corresponding preparations.
The contact nodded. "We've identified some of the forces involved, but it's not comprehensive. There are probably many more hidden figures."
Although Hydra has a sophisticated intelligence network with personnel spread across almost every industry on Earth, it doesn't know everything.
After a moment's thought, the contact added, "It's currently known that S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers might be involved in this incident, and they seem to have a strong interest in this shipment as well."
"In addition, there is an unknown organization that may also be involved. We have very limited information about them. What we do know is that one of their members has a magnetic field manipulation ability, and their subordinates also have superpowers. They may be mutants or superhumans."
The contact spoke slowly and deliberately, saying calmly, "However, no matter what kind of people they are, they are all your enemies. Don't be soft-hearted just because they are your kind. Mercy will only make your mission more likely to fail."
Logan and his men nodded grimly. They knew that in this kind of mission, they had to do everything they could to deal with anyone who wasn't one of their own.
What intrigued Logan, however, was what exactly was it that could entice S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers?
As for that unknown force, what is it? Is it a mutant organization or a team of superhumans?
But one thing is certain: since those guys were able to infiltrate this conflict, their strength must not be underestimated.
The contact looked at everyone and said, "There are a few rooms here for you to rest. You can rest here for a while. We'll start the operation later. I hope everything goes smoothly for you."
After saying that, he led the group out of the library and into another room, then turned and left.
Logan and the others went inside and looked around.
The house has a relaxing living room and rooms for people to rest.
After a quick rest, everyone met in the living room, where Logan took out the dry food and water he had brought and distributed them.
After quickly finishing his meal, Victor threw a bag of weapons onto the table.
Everyone tacitly opened their backpacks, took out their usual weapons and equipment, and began to organize them.
Victor carried very little, just a pistol and a few spare magazines.
While organizing his pistols, he couldn't help but complain, "We're facing S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, as well as some mysterious organization whose identity we don't even know. These guns are completely unnecessary against them, unless you can replace them all with cannons."
The danger of this trip is unimaginable. Without special abilities, no one would dare to get involved in this conflict. In a battle of this level, firearms can provide very little support. Even powerful rifles would probably be difficult to use effectively, let alone the pistols that these people only have. Victor thinks that the only useful ones are a few grenades.
"It's better than having nothing at all."
Marcus carefully inspected his equipment, carrying the maximum amount of ammunition while ensuring flexibility.
In his view, even if sufficient ammunition cannot kill the enemy, it can suppress them so much that they cannot raise their heads.
He doesn't have Victor's healing factor; if he gets seriously injured, he really will die.
On the other side, McCa, wiping his gun without looking up, said, "It's better to be safe. Take all precautions. This matter concerns the future of the entire shelter. It can only succeed; failure is not an option. We cannot afford the consequences of failure."
His voice was unusually deep, as if he were going all out.
Marcus nodded repeatedly, agreeing with McCain's words.
Most of the people on their farm have been captured by Strucker, and if the mission fails, he will not hesitate to execute all the mutants.
When that moment finally comes, their shelter will truly be beyond any hope left.
Drop drop drop.
Just as everyone was talking, Logan's communicator suddenly rang.
He picked it up and saw that it was a call from the farm.
After connecting the communicator and listening to the report on the other end, Logan's eyes instantly gleamed.
Everyone looked at Logan's expression, wondering what news could have made him so excited.
After hanging up the phone, Logan took a deep breath and excitedly said, "Good news! The Hydra's hideout has been located at the farm, and we are currently preparing for a rescue."
Upon hearing this news, everyone's eyes lit up instantly.
Only McCarthy frowned and said, "Don't be so reckless!"
He glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice, "The farm's main fighting force is all here now. Those who stay behind have limited strength. Breaking into the Hydra base would be like throwing an egg against a rock."
Faced with McCa's firm refusal, Logan frowned, glanced at McCa, and said in a deep voice, "No, I don't think we can put all our hopes on Hydra keeping its promises. Let the people on the farm prepare for a rescue. Even if it fails, we can use the goods as leverage, and Strucker will certainly not dare to act rashly."
However, McCain firmly refused Logan's suggestion, saying, "That's too dangerous. It could very well put others in danger!"
Seeing the two on the verge of conflict, Moira frowned and interrupted their argument: "Since neither of you can convince the other, then let's vote."
The group was taken aback, exchanged glances, and then nodded in agreement to the vote.
"Raise your hand if you support Logan."
Moira spoke slowly, her gaze sweeping over them.
Victor raised his hand without hesitation; he strongly agreed with the suggestion to save lives.
Marcus glanced at McCain, then at Logan, and after a moment's thought, slowly raised his hand and said, "I also think saving people is a good idea."
Finally, Moira also raised her hand, "I also support Logan."
Hydra guys are fickle; who knows if they'll actually release the people once they get the goods?
Only by rescuing the people can we completely get rid of the threat of Hydra.
Seeing the overwhelming result, McCa frowned, and after a moment said with a stern face, "Since you have all chosen to take action, I support your choice, but you must tell them to be careful and to leave immediately after rescuing the people."
Logan nodded and relayed the decision to the farm.
Just as I hung up the phone, there was a knock on the door.
"This matter must be kept strictly confidential. Don't tell anyone outside," Logan warned, turning to look at the crowd.
After everyone nodded, he opened the door.
The contact was standing outside. Without saying a word, he handed over a set of keys. "The car is outside. Let's go."
Logan nodded and led everyone to the interception point.
(End of this chapter)