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"Ahh…" Sunlight spilled across Gwen's face as she mumbled and rolled over in her sleep. Inside the tent, Laura lay on her stomach, watching
"Ahh…" Sunlight spilled across Gwen's face as she mumbled and rolled over in her sleep. Inside the tent, Laura lay on her stomach, watching
"Ahh…" Sunlight spilled across Gwen's face as she mumbled and rolled over in her sleep. Inside the tent, Laura lay on her stomach, watching
"Ahh…"
Sunlight spilled across Gwen's face as she mumbled and rolled over in her sleep.
Inside the tent, Laura lay on her stomach, watching the still-sleeping Gwen. She held a fresh green blade of grass in her hand and playfully brushed it beneath Gwen's nose.
Gwen wrinkled her nose, rubbed at it absently with her hand, and kept right on sleeping.
Laura's lips curved into a faint smile, as though she'd stumbled upon something amusing, and she continued teasing Gwen with the grass.
At that moment, the tent flap was pulled open. Logan poked his head inside and called out, "Gwen! Time to wake up! We're heading out!"
Gwen's eyes shot open, locking instantly with Laura's, who still held the grass in her hand.
Laura quickly hid the blade behind her back, lifted her chin toward Logan's head jutting into the tent, and gave him an expressionless, icy stare.
Scratching the back of his head, Logan gave an awkward little laugh, lowered his voice, and said, "Uh, well… we're about to leave. You should probably get up."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his head vanished back outside.
"Pfft!" Gwen burst out laughing as she sat up. Seeing Laura looking exactly like someone caught red-handed, she smirked, then suddenly reached over and tickled under Laura's arm.
Laura: "…"
"Ahem." Gwen coughed in embarrassment and muttered, "You're not ticklish?"
Laura almost nodded, but seeing Gwen's disappointed expression, she hesitated for a second before forcing a laugh. "Ha… ha."
Gwen gave her a deadpan look of despair. "Could you at least try to sound less fake?"
Laura: "Hahaha!"
Gwen: (╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻
Moments later, the two girls ran out of the tent. Gwen, already finished with breakfast, hurried over to pack up the camp.
But when she spotted Charles and Caliban, an awkward look flickered across all three faces.
Though the details of last night were fuzzy, Logan had filled them in afterward—quite seriously, in fact—and had even shown them videos of their delirious rambling once Mike had detoxified them.
"Come eat breakfast," Mike called out. When Gwen trotted over, he grinned and ruffled her hair. "Little moneybags."
Gwen: (Д)ノ
Please don't bring that up again!
With a groan, she covered her face in embarrassment.
Laura suppressed a laugh, then handed Gwen a sandwich.
"Thanks."
Gwen accepted it and turned her frustration into appetite.
Half an hour later, everything was packed, and they once again set out on their journey north.
Yet with Mike and Gwen around, what had once been a desperate flight now felt far more like a road trip.
From Oklahoma, they traveled north through Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota, until finally arriving at their destination: North Dakota.
After another half day on the road, they reached the U.S.–Canada border, where they discovered the so-called "Eden."
Eden was not a paradise, but simply a rendezvous point chosen by children who had escaped the Alkali Genetic Research Facility.
They had set the time and place themselves, waiting for their scattered companions to gather one by one.
It was a promise only they shared.
"So this is the place?" Logan asked Laura.
Laura nodded, her excitement plain. Soon, she would be reunited with the children she had grown up alongside. A smile began to bloom more frequently on her face.
It was a valley, and the children had set their temporary camp atop a cliff overlooking it.
Mike scanned the site, taking in the rough settlement and the group of busy youngsters.
There were several wooden huts, a crude watchtower, and little else.
Some children stood guard in the tower, others—still quite young—were playing nearby, while the older ones were preparing the evening meal.
Caliban shaded his eyes with his hand, gazing toward the watchtower, his expression unreadable.
He could sense them: more than a dozen children, every one of them mutants.
Tears welled in Charles's eyes as he pointed toward the gathering. His voice trembled. "That… that is hope."
Laura squeezed his hand, smiling warmly at him.
Logan clenched his fists, his emotions tangled and heavy.
To see these children, to see this fragile spark of hope at the end of their long road—it was enough.
"How do we get up there?" Logan asked quietly.
"Leave it to me, I—" Mike began.
"Wait!" Gwen suddenly raised her hand. "Let me do it!"
"You can?" Mike asked.
"Of course! Dad, can I?"
Mike gave her a nod. "Go ahead."
"Yes!"
Bouncing excitedly, Gwen waved to the others. "Hop in the car—I'll take us up!"
Everyone looked on curiously, wondering what she had in mind.
Gwen grinned mischievously as they piled into the vehicle, then slid into the driver's seat. She turned to Mike. "So… which one's the gas and which one's the brake?"
At that, the four passengers in the back froze. A chill shot up their spines, and they shuddered in unison.
What crushed their hopes further was Mike's answer:
"You don't need to worry. Once you transform, you'll know."
"Oh!" Gwen chirped cheerfully. She tapped the bracelet on her wrist, and in an instant, her suit clung to her body. Blue flames licked across her form as she transformed.
"Hahaha!"
In her Spirit of Vengeance form, Gwen's flaming skull turned to grin at the others. "Hold on tight, kiddies!"
Mike's expression darkened. Even transformed, Gwen was clearly influenced by the Rider's reckless spirit.
The car suddenly ignited in blue fire, transforming into a blazing hellride. Its wheels spun like fiery rings, and with a violent lurch, it roared forward—straight toward the cliff wall a hundred meters away.
The kind of trajectory that screamed: if it can't break through, it'll break apart.
"Ahhh!"
Caliban shrieked, clutching Charles for dear life.
Even Logan and Laura tensed, their composure cracking.
Only Mike remained calm, watching Gwen's wild laughter with a helpless yet doting smile.
The cliff face loomed closer. Caliban and Charles's faces twisted in terror, Logan and Laura were no longer composed, and worst of all—Gwen even glanced back to flash them a smile.
The next instant, in defiance of all logic, the blazing vehicle clung to the cliff like a gecko and roared straight upward.
"Woohoo!"
Gwen cheered wildly as Logan and the others cried out in shock. In full view of the stunned children above, the fiery car shot skyward and landed with a thunderous crash.
Gwen, still buzzing with excitement, spun the car in two tight circles before slamming her palm on the steering wheel.
"How was that? Pretty thrilling, huh!?"
Logan and the others looked decidedly less thrilled, their faces pale.
By then, the children had surrounded them in amazement.
"Gwen, put it away," Mike said evenly.
Gwen nodded. In an instant, the flames vanished, and she returned to her normal self.
The next second, Laura leapt out of the car. Her old companions recognized her at once, and in their joyous cries, they rushed into each other's arms.
(End of Chapter)