"You…"
Seeing General Levean's reaction, Sam Lane's face turned green.
He glared at the old man.
"Fuck, you ran off so decisively! How did an old ghost like you even become a general?!"
"You want to know how I became a general?" Levean chuckled, patting his belly.
"Simple. Avoid danger, live a few more decades, and have a general for a father. Naturally, I became a general too. You should try it, Sam. Then you can retire in peace and take the National Guard out hunting when you're bored!"
With that, Levean patted Sam heavily on the shoulder before scurrying to his car, clutching his belly.
Meanwhile, on the outer perimeter of the National Guard encirclement, Axel watched, bewildered, as the soldiers jumped into vehicles and sped off.
"They were aiming at me, and suddenly they just left? I was about to go on a rampage. Are you kidding me?"
Axel closed his car door with his foot and walked toward the pile of bodies in the distance.
Without the National Guard, General Ryan's few remaining subordinates now had double the work.
Seal Team soldiers were still moving bodies.
Axel approached them, calling out casually:
"Hey, Buddies, your equipment looks better than the guys who ran off. What happened here? Why are there so many bodies? I don't remember killing this many people. One or two hundred, maybe?"
"Holy shit, Axel!" a startled Seal yelled, tossing a body aside and backing up, gun raised.
By the sixth step back, General Ryan arrived and stopped him.
"Relax. You're no match for him. Find the dog tags; I'll report to the families. No more deaths. Let me talk to Axel."
Ryan walked forward.
Axel, hands in pockets, smirked.
"So you're the commander? And you're the one who said I wasn't important on the walkie-talkie?"
"That's me. If anyone deserves to die here, it's me. Axel, don't go on a rampage—I…"
"You're really good at talking!" Axel interrupted, grabbing Ryan's neck and lifting the old man clean off the ground.
Watching Ryan struggle, Axel continued with amusement:
"Rampage? Hilarious word. I was driving peacefully to a café in Smallville with a female paparazzi, and suddenly you guys bomb me. Air-to-ground missiles, haha. You like bombing me, huh? I said I'd return the favor. Kill your general, and do you think your superiors care if the rest of you die under missiles?"
"Wait, Axel, that missile wasn't us! It has nothing to do with the general!" an adjutant shouted, rushing in, eyes wide.
"A third-party mercenary group joined the battlefield. They bombed you. We don't usually fire missiles near towns; it would get us impeached."
"Oh? My mistake, then?" Axel's interest piqued.
He extended his left hand toward the adjutant.
"Hand over your pistol."
"I… I—"
"Buddy, don't think. I'll take it myself!"
Axel bounded forward, snatching the pistol.
He raised the white-eyed Ryan high in his right hand and, with the gun in his left, shot both of Ryan's legs.
Bang bang!
Axel threw the convulsing Ryan aside.
Ryan screamed, clutching his legs.
Axel tucked the pistol into his waistband and addressed the trembling adjutant:
"Relax. I was just scaring you. I don't want to kill this old Buddy. You probably don't get it—it's about a new friend of mine. Pure good people are rare, like pandas. If all the interesting ones die, I'd be surrounded by boring pugs fawning over me. How dull would that be, haha?"
Axel crouched beside Ryan, raising his hand at the adjutant.
"Come on, Buddy. Don't just stare. Your general needs treatment. How do you usually treat gunshot wounds? Like games, with adrenaline injections?"
"No… no… we… have medics… Wait! I'm a medic!"
The adjutant rushed into the command vehicle, grabbing a large box of equipment.
He cut open Ryan's pants and treated the bullet wounds swiftly.
Ryan tried to speak through the pain, but age and shock made it impossible.
Axel reached down and ruffled his hair.
"Alright, old man. If you can't speak, don't. Your pubic hair is probably white, but my hair's still dark. Generation gap! Whatever you wanted to say, I'll tell Lois. Speaking of her… hmm? Little paparazzi, you around? Hmm, is she on her period? The blood smell's strong!"
Axel released Ryan and walked toward a dentist's office nearby.
Two guards quivered as he pushed past them, spotting Lois lying on a hospital bed, slightly stunned.
"Oh, she passed out from the attack? Get up, sun's high. If you don't wake up, your dad might die, little girl!"
Axel pinched her cheek sharply.
Pop!
"Ah!" Lois screamed, springing up in terror.
____
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