"That's… close enough. You can think of it that way."
After a brief pause, Erik nodded.
He still hadn't fully figured out Bradley's attitude yet, so he chose his words carefully. There was no point revealing everything too quickly.
Unfortunately, Bradley's reaction was immediate.
"Sorry," Bradley said as he abruptly stood up, his tone turning cold. "I don't think we have anything to talk about. Please leave."
The friendliness he had shown earlier disappeared completely.
Erik remained calm.
"Mr. Bradley, perhaps you should hear everything before making your decision," he said patiently. "It might not be too late to reconsider."
"There's no need."
Bradley shook his head firmly.
"I'm sorry you wasted your trip, but my answer won't change."
Erik fell silent for a moment.
Then he exchanged a quick glance with Ryan beside him. Neither of them argued further.
If someone clearly didn't want their help, forcing the issue would only make things worse.
Both men stood up.
"Very well," Erik said calmly.
He and Ryan walked toward the door.
There was no reason to stay where they weren't welcome.
Squeak.
The door opened.
But the moment it did, both Erik and Ryan stopped.
Standing directly outside the doorway was a broad, rugged man wearing a black trench coat. A thick beard covered his jaw, and his sharp eyes carried a dangerous gleam.
It was the same man they had seen smoking near the carousel earlier.
Victor Creed.
Sabretooth.
"Well, well," Sabretooth said with a crooked grin. "Looks like the conversation didn't go too well."
His voice carried a heavy, oppressive weight.
"Victor…"
Bradley's face changed immediately when he recognized him.
During the years they had worked together under Stryker, Bradley had witnessed firsthand just how terrifying Victor Creed could be.
The man was a monster.
A bloodthirsty killer who enjoyed violence far too much.
"What's wrong, Bradley?" Sabretooth said with a sideways glance. "Not happy to see an old friend?"
Erik frowned slightly.
Sabretooth's body blocked the entire doorway.
"Excuse me," Erik said evenly. "Would you mind stepping aside?"
"No, no, no."
Sabretooth raised one finger and slowly waved it in front of his face.
"You shouldn't apologize," he said with a low chuckle. "Because the one who's embarrassed here… is me."
Erik raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And why would that be?"
Sabretooth didn't answer immediately.
Instead, the grin on his face widened.
Slowly, deliberately, the fingers of his hands began extending outward. Thick claws slid from his knuckles, long and razor-sharp.
"You see," Sabretooth said softly, "none of you are leaving tonight."
He stepped into the room.
The door shut behind him with a dull click.
—
At that exact moment, several lines of text suddenly appeared in Ryan's vision.
[New Task Generated]
[Objective: Stop Sabretooth and protect the mutant Bradley]
[Reward: 100 Origin Points]
Ryan froze for half a second.
Then excitement surged through him.
The system had finally issued a mission.
And where there was a mission, there would be rewards.
He still didn't know exactly what Origin Points were used for, but that hardly mattered. Anything connected to the system would almost certainly help him grow stronger.
Ryan's gaze shifted toward Sabretooth.
Looks like you're not leaving here alive tonight.
—
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Metal objects throughout the small trailer suddenly rattled violently.
Knives, tools, metal containers, even pieces of the shelving unit—all of them rose into the air as if pulled by invisible strings.
They hovered around Erik like a swarm of metallic guardians.
The scene was both beautiful and intimidating.
Magneto might not yet be the legendary figure he would become in the future, but Erik Lensherr was still far from helpless.
"I hope you can entertain me," Sabretooth said with a savage grin.
His body suddenly crouched like a hunting beast.
Then he exploded forward.
WHOOSH.
The metal objects floating in the air shot toward him instantly, each piece flying like a deadly blade under Erik's control.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Sabretooth didn't dodge.
Instead, he barreled forward like a charging animal, his claws slashing wildly through the air. Metal objects shattered as they struck his arms and claws.
Televisions cracked.
Cabinets splintered.
Anything that flew toward him was smashed aside.
He forced his way through Erik's barrage with terrifying ferocity.
But Erik didn't stop.
More metal pieces launched toward Sabretooth from every direction.
No matter how powerful Sabretooth was, he couldn't avoid everything.
SCHK.
SCHK.
SCHK.
Several kitchen knives suddenly shot forward and buried themselves deep in Sabretooth's abdomen.
Erik's eyes flashed with excitement.
He hit him.
"ROAAAR!"
But instead of collapsing, Sabretooth released a furious roar that sounded more like a wild animal than a human being.
The knives stuck in his body didn't seem to slow him down at all.
He leapt forward.
The distance between them vanished in an instant.
Erik's eyes widened.
Sabretooth's clawed hand rose high above his head before slashing downward.
At the last second, Erik desperately yanked a metal cabinet into the air and slammed it between them.
BOOM.
Sabretooth's claws struck the cabinet with terrifying force.
The thick metal instantly bent inward.
The impact blasted Erik backward as if he had been struck by a hammer.
His body slammed against the wall and slid down.
Erik coughed violently.
His chest burned with pain, and for a moment he could barely breathe.
At this stage of his life, he hadn't yet undergone the intense training that would later turn him into the legendary Magneto.
In addition, Bradley's trailer simply didn't contain enough metal for Erik to fully unleash his abilities.
The cramped space worked against him.
"Agh…"
Erik struggled to catch his breath.
Sabretooth, however, showed no mercy.
"Die!"
With a feral snarl, he lunged again.
His claws flashed downward toward Erik's chest.
Stryker's orders had been clear.
Capture mutants if possible.
Kill them if necessary.
And Sabretooth personally preferred the second option.
After all, Stryker could always extract what he needed from a corpse.
Sabretooth's massive body closed the distance in an instant.
His claws were already descending.
Then suddenly—
His vision blurred.
Someone moved.
The young man Sabretooth had completely ignored until now appeared in front of Erik with impossible speed.
Ryan Cross.
Before Sabretooth could react, Ryan's fist drove forward.
CRACK.
The sound of breaking bones echoed inside the trailer.
Sabretooth's massive body flew backward like a cannonball.
BOOM.
He smashed straight through Bradley's wall, blasting a huge hole in it before crashing into the ground outside.
His body skidded across the dirt for several meters before finally coming to a stop.
Inside the trailer, silence fell instantly.
Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward Ryan.
Shock filled their expressions.
Since when was this kid so strong?