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Leo watched as Logan's claws sliced clean through the mounted gun of an armored truck. The memory of the bathroom sink split neatly in half flickered through his mind, and he couldn't help but mutter:
"Those claws really are something else."
Before he could think more about it, a black sniper rifle appeared in the hands of an enemy inside the pursuing helicopter.
"That feeling… It's the same bastard who tried to shoot Aunt Lynn earlier!" Rage flared hot in Leo's chest. Images of the shattered glass and Lynn nearly being killed seared into his mind. His eyes narrowed.
"That son of a bitch tried to kill Paul and Lynn… damn him!"
Fueled by fury, Leo vanished from the ground and reappeared directly inside the helicopter.
"Die, you bastard!" Zero, the marksman, snarled, sensing danger behind him. Without hesitation, his silver pistol appeared in a flash, his reflexes so sharp it looked like the weapon had been conjured from thin air.
He fired backward blindly, the gunshots deafening in the tight space.
Bang! Bang!
But the bullets tore only through empty air. Leo grinned coldly, his figure now plastered against the windshield, glaring in at the stunned soldiers.
Zero spun, firing again. Leo teleported just as the muzzle flared, reappearing beside the pilot.
The assassin instinctively kept shooting, his bullets ripping straight into his own pilot's body as Leo yanked the man in front of him like a shield.
The pilot slumped lifelessly, blood spraying across the cockpit. For a heartbeat, everyone froze in horror.
Leo smirked. "Goodbye."
With that, he vanished, reappearing safely on the ground as the helicopter lost control.
BOOM! The aircraft spiraled like a broken bird, flames engulfing it as it slammed into the earth. Fire bloomed high, painting the battlefield in a violent glow.
Leo barely had time to exhale when his instincts screamed. Pain pricked the back of his skull he teleported on reflex.
BRRRRT! Bullets shredded the ground where he'd stood. From the wreckage, a blackened but very much alive figure emerged. Zero.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Leo hissed.
Zero's pistols danced like extensions of his hands. He didn't even bother aiming his bullets found Leo every time he blinked back into view, forcing him to teleport again and again.
"Is he even aiming?! His guns… they're like they've got a mind of their own!" Leo thought frantically as every reappearance was answered by a bullet.
"Need a hand, kid?" Logan's gruff voice cut through the chaos, tinged with mockery.
Leo grinned slyly. He teleported right behind Logan.
Bang! A bullet whizzed straight toward him only to slam into Logan's chest instead.
The older mutant looked down at the wound, unimpressed.
"Oh look, you're shot," Leo teased.
"You little punk," Logan growled, shaking his head. His claws snikted out in a flash of silver.
Zero's confident expression cracked. He knew those claws. And he knew his bullets couldn't stop Logan's healing factor. Fear flickered in his eyes as he began to edge back, still firing nonstop.
"Logan, he's trying to run," Leo called.
"Not happening." Logan's eyes gleamed with cold fury as he charged forward.
Zero retreated rapidly, his fingers a blur as he kept the hail of bullets going, slowing Logan but never stopping him.
Leo appeared suddenly at Zero's side, his fist cocked for a knockout blow. But again, that sharp sense of mortal danger hit him like a spike in the brain, and he blinked away at the last instant.
"Damn it! I'm being reckless," Leo cursed himself. He popped back behind Logan.
"You good?" Leo asked, seeing the dozens of bullet wounds peppering Logan's body.
"What do you think?" Logan barked back, shaking his head as his flesh already began to knit itself back together.
Leo winced as one bullet nearly hit a… very sensitive place. He clamped his legs together instinctively. "Yeah, not good at all."
"Teleport me right on top of him," Logan ordered grimly.
"You finish it then," Leo said with a grin, slapping a hand on Logan's shoulder. The world blinked both appeared right beside Zero.
"Fuckerrr!!" Logan roared, his claws flashing. Zero screamed, emptying his guns point-blank, but it was useless.
A single slash cut through flesh, and his head flew skyward in a spray of crimson.
Leo flinched not at the gore, but at the sheer finality of it. He'd never seen a human head severed so cleanly up close. His stomach tightened, but his eyes stayed steady.
Then he caught sight of Logan's face half blown apart, an eyeball destroyed by a stray bullet.
Leo swallowed hard. "Your eye—"
Logan grimaced, then smirked. "It'll grow back."
Leo could only laugh weakly. "Man… you'd make a fortune selling organs." The image of Logan casually handing over an eyeball at a hospital desk made him shiver.
Logan chuckled dryly, shaking his head.
At that moment, a faint crackle came from a nearby earpiece. Logan bent down and picked it up.
"Zero, report. Is Weapon X terminated? Zero, respond!"
Logan's voice was ice. "You want me dead?"
"…Logan?" The familiar voice of William Stryker wavered in disbelief.
"Is Victor there?" Logan growled.
"Come back to base. Together we can deal with Victor—"
"Wrong answer. After I deal with Victor, I'm coming for you." Logan crushed the comm in his fist, his expression hard.
Leo felt a pang in his chest. For a man like Logan, betrayal cut deeper than bullets ever could.
"You're not a beast, Logan," Leo said quietly.
Logan's gaze softened just slightly. "…Thanks, kid."
He shook his head. "What about Paul and Lynn?"
"They're safe. I moved them far away from the blast."
"Good. They'll be worried about you. Let's go back."
Leo eyed Logan's half-regenerated face and snorted. "Yeah, maybe wait until that eye grows back. Don't want to give them nightmares."
Logan chuckled, touching his healing socket.
While Logan recovered, Leo opened his mind to the system.
[Congratulations, Host. Current Mission Complete: Path Selection.]
[Result: You chose to save ordinary people. Alignment confirmed: Hero.]
[Reward: 200 Exchange Points. Additional Note: The System has been formally renamed to 'Hero System'.]
Leo's expression darkened. "All that, for a 'formal renaming' and a pat on the head? What, no medal? No shiny red sticker?"
The system ignored his sarcasm.
[New Daily Mission: Do One Good Deed.]
[Mission Description: Since you've chosen the path of a hero, you must practice it daily. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are heroes.]
[Mission Requirement: Perform one good deed per day. Reward: +10 Points.]
[Failure Penalty: If you miss a day, -100 Points. If Points drop below zero, termination will occur.]
Leo's face went pale. "Every day?! You bloodsucking piece of—"
Before he could finish, the system chimed again.
[Special Optional Mission Detected. Accept? Y/N]
[Mission Description: Assist Logan, who has fallen into a government trap. This is your chance to establish a name among mutants.]
[Reward: 1000 Exchange Points + 1 Random Reward.]
[Failure Penalty: None.]
Leo's mind raced. They already know about me. If I let them live, they'll come after me, and Paul and Lynn will never be safe. Besides… no punishment if I fail? That's the best deal I've had yet.
His eyes hardened. "Fine. I'm in."
[Mission Accepted.]
Leo clenched his fists, his heart pounding with anticipation. 'Alright then… time to see just what kind of hero I'm going to be.'
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