At the southern border, on a desolate desert plain, a luxury car that seemed completely out of place was driving along a dirt road.
Old James wore a stern expression. Along the way, countless times he had the urge to throw the two unfamiliar girls in the back seat out of the car, but every time he was about to do it, he just couldn't bring himself to press the brakes.
During the entire journey, neither of the two girls showed any sign of waking up. Old James could clearly hear their heartbeats, which proved they were not in any life-threatening condition—just either extremely tired or unconscious for some other reason.
Having been Wolverine for most of his life, Old James was a bit reckless, but he was not stupid.
He clearly understood how strange the identities of these two girls were. Coupled with Pierce, who had previously given him a business card and threatened him, Old James quickly pieced together the whole story.
Something had clearly happened in this world that he could not comprehend.
"Invaders" from other worlds, "new mutants" with strange powers — James couldn't help but recall the Alex and Petra he had encountered before.
At the time, he hadn't thought much of it. But after reflecting on the journey, Old James suddenly realized how complicated Petra's gaze toward him had been.
That was definitely not the kind of look someone would give just after reading a comic book. It was very likely that she had come into contact with him before, maybe even as a comrade.
But Old James knew well that in his life, he had never seen either of them before, nor did he have any memory of them. The conclusion was clear.
If those "invaders" Pierce spoke of really existed in this world, then Alex and Petra, whom he had met, must be among them.
This might also explain why Petra's attitude toward him was so complicated, why she got so emotional when she saw him.
Because in her world, in her memories, he was a true hero.
Thinking of this, an inexplicable rage suddenly rose in Old James's heart. Irritated, he rolled down the car window and let the wind hit his face, which eased his mood a bit.
He had never thought about looking for Alex and Petra because he didn't want to get involved in these troublesome matters. Maybe in their minds, he should be a heroic figure, but James knew very well he was just an old wreck now.
He had never been a hero—not at the start, and not now.
All of this was a mistake. Charles was wrong, Magneto was wrong, and this world, or the mutant race itself, was a big joke.
In this mood, Old James really wanted to throw those two strangers out on the roadside and leave them to fend for themselves. But he didn't know why he still hadn't done anything.
Though he didn't know exactly who the two girls were, their identities were obvious. After all, not just anyone could open a teleportation portal inside a speeding sports car.
Old James also didn't know why his luck was so "good." In just a few days, he had already run into so many invaders from other worlds.
At this moment, he didn't know what to do. Old James's only thought was to pray that these two would wake up before he returned to Charles.
That way, he would have enough reason to kick these two outsiders out of the car.
Lighting another cigar, Old James started coughing violently from the smoke, then reached for a bottle of whiskey and took a sip to calm himself.
He hadn't cared about drunk driving before, but things were different now.
Old James had always known how tough his body was, so he never worried about accidents. But since renting this car, he valued it above everything else—it was his hope for survival.
Exhaling a long stream of smoke, Old James shifted his gaze through the rearview mirror onto the girls in the back seat.
Licking his slightly cracked lips, Old James spoke in a low voice: "Stop pretending and wake up."
Though his bodily functions had deteriorated and the adamantium inside had corroded badly, Old James's senses were still sharp.
When the breathing of one of the girls changed behind him, he knew she was showing signs of waking up. However, the girl seemed quite cautious—she didn't immediately open her eyes but pretended to be unconscious, assessing the surroundings and how safe it was.
If it weren't for her slightly accelerated heartbeat giving her away, Old James wouldn't have noticed so quickly.
Sure enough, upon hearing Old James's voice, the green-haired girl slowly sat up.
"Where is this? Who are you? Where are you taking us?"
Seeing the girl suddenly so confrontational upon waking, Old James gave her a cold glare, then took another sip of his drink and slammed on the brakes.
Soon, the luxury car slowed down and stopped by the roadside.
"Since you're awake," Old James turned his head to look straight at the delicate-faced girl, "you can get out. I'm sure you're capable of taking care of your companion."
"You haven't answered my question,"
the green-haired girl said expressionlessly, then, as if realizing something, she looked at Old James in surprise and couldn't help but ask: "What kind of freak are you? Why is your body made entirely of metal?"
"That's none of your business."
Old James snapped back, annoyed. "Listen, kid, I don't know who you are, and I don't want to know. It's already my mercy that I didn't dump you unconscious out of the car. Now that you're awake, I have no obligation to take care of you."
Before he could finish, the green-haired girl interrupted him.
"You're a mutant too, aren't you?"
Old James's expression darkened slightly, but he pretended not to hear.
"I know you're the same kind as us," the green-haired girl said, sizing up Old James. Although he looked a bit intimidating now, she showed no sign of fear.
"Lorna Dane, what's your name?"
Old James glanced at her but gave no answer. Instead, he opened the back door and motioned for her to get out quickly.
"Is that how you treat your own kind?"
Lorna frowned, staring at the old man in front of her.
In her experience, mutants had always stuck together. This was the first time she had ever been rejected by another mutant after revealing her identity.
"Get out." Old James's words were terse and to the point.
"I refuse."
Lorna raised an eyebrow. As soon as she finished speaking, the car door closed automatically—without anyone touching it.
Staring blankly at this, a flash of surprise appeared in Old James's eyes.
He was very familiar with this mutant power. He had faced this ability many times before, and since his body was made entirely of metal, this power was especially effective against him.
Lorna clearly noticed this too, and a slight smile appeared on her face.
"Sir, I'm only trying to get some information. Besides, this place is a desolate wilderness—leaving us here is no different from leaving us to die."
"Who exactly are you?" Old James looked Lorna straight in the eye, narrowing his gaze slightly.
"I already introduced myself," Lorna said, folding her arms, her gaze curiously fixed on Old James. "Now tell me about you—I still don't know who you are. Also, where exactly is this place?"
Old James heard the question but still didn't reveal his name. Instead, he sighed deeply.
"This is real hell. I don't know how you came here, but take my advice—go back where you came from."
Lorna glanced at her purple-haired companion beside her, then fixed her eyes on the man opposite.
"I've already been through hell. Now I just want to survive."
Both of them understood that neither had shown their true feelings. In other words, they were both hiding something, which made it almost impossible for them to communicate on the same wavelength.
Breaking this deadlock was simple—it required one of them to take the first step. Only then could further conversation be possible.
But whether it was Old Wolverine or Polaris, their pasts had already shut their hearts tight.
Like hedgehogs, they found it hard to trust anyone—even fellow mutants like themselves.
After an unknown length of silence, Lorna finally chose to speak.
"I won't make things difficult for you. Just take us to the nearest town, and this can be your payment."
As she spoke, she took a gold bar out of her pocket.
Watching this, Old James felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
At this moment, he really wanted to ask: Don't you invaders from other worlds have any other currency? Can't I just run into someone carrying cash for once?
But that was just a passing thought. Old James knew very well how deep the rift between mutants and humans was. For mutants, gold was hard currency, while cash often risked exposing their whereabouts.
Old James pondered for a moment, hesitating about whether to accept the deal.
The gold Alex had given him earlier, if converted to cash, would have been enough to charter an entire ship. Meaning, he didn't actually need to accept Lorna's offer.
But no one ever complains about having more money. Besides, Old James worried that the chartering process might still face unexpected troubles—after all, the last guy suddenly raised the price, catching him off guard.
Just as Old James hesitated, he suddenly caught faint vibrations with his ears.
He snapped his head around and fixed his gaze on the distant horizon.
Between earth and sky, a bizarre convoy was speeding forward.
Because of the distance, Old James couldn't clearly identify the vehicles, but instinctively he was immediately on high alert.
Watching the convoy seriously, Old James felt something was wrong. After all, this place had been deserted for who knows how many years. Few people ever passed through here, let alone so many at once.
Gazing in the direction the convoy was heading, a sudden realization flashed through Old James's mind. His eyes blazed with fury as he grabbed the steering wheel and started the car.
"Fuck! Charles—!!"
...
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