Chapter 339 38. The End of the Twilight Wolf Walking Alone

   "Most of the instruments here are close to being scrapped because they are not properly kept, and the backup energy in the laboratory is quite insufficient. In fact, even if we don't come, the power here will be completely cut off in seven months at most."

  In Dr. Pym’s underground secret base, Barbara, who was taken over by Zod, reported to Mason while taking over the laboratory’s internal network:

   "Don't try, brother, the energy here is not enough to open that quantum tunnel, the energy it needs to activate once is an astronomical figure, and it is set with a very precise lock.

  I can't even find an open interface. "

   "I just found out, I was just curious why Valeria didn't tell her brother this cruel fact."

  Mason squatted in front of the exquisite device that popped up from the laboratory floor, and while using his engineering attainments to try to understand the working principle of this thing, he said:

   "If she was really half as smart as Franklin said, she would have known the result when they moved into the base."

   "Maybe it's because you want to give Franklin hope?"

  Barbara's eyes were shining red when cracking the program, and she said:

   "For an impulsive fifteen-year-old kid, it is really unimaginable how he would degenerate if there is no hope of escape to guide him.

  Looking at the bones buried in the ditch by him, one can tell that the child's brutality is astonishing.

   But considering this is the Wasteland, it's no wonder he's gotten into the habit. "

   "Can you keep your voice down when you discuss me?"

  The ant king, who was taking care of his sleeping sister, scolded annoyedly:

   "Do you know that I can hear your voices? Also! Most of the bones in the ditch were not made by me. The mechanical ant colony will actively protect this base in self-discipline mode.

   Those unlucky ghosts strayed too deep here and were attacked by ant colonies.

  Actually, if it wasn’t for me, no survivors would have been able to pass this road for so many years. In theory, I controlled the ant colony to protect them, you bastards! "

   "Honey, I found a letter!"

  Halley yelled suddenly, and Mason glanced back. Halle was taking out a pasted letter from the depths of Valeria's biological cabin, and she said in a sad tone:

   "It should be the farewell letter left by that poor little girl to her brother. The little girl seems to know that her life is not long. Shall we take a look?"

   "That's private between two siblings, Harry, we good people shouldn't be looking at it without permission."

  Mason waved his hand, motioning for Harry to hand over the letter to Franklin.

  He didn’t even need to read to guess what was written in the letter. It was nothing more than a gifted girl who worried about her brother’s future and told him to live well after her death.

   Compared with the Ant King, this thin but talented little girl is really a very good child.

   But this may also be because she has been well protected by her brother. After all, given her physical condition, if Franklin hadn't been "robbing" outside all the year round, it would be difficult for her to live to this age.

  This is wasteland.

   Too little resources make congenitally weak children almost a complete burden.

   "There is nothing to see here, we have to take them back, and Dr. Otto and Dr. Stein will help us decipher them."

  Mason took the closed quantum tunnel in front of him from the base and put it into the suitcase factory, and directed Barbara to collect all valuable things and take them away.

  He looked at the mechanical ant colony outside the laboratory that was still moving according to certain rules, and then took the worn-out Ant-Man helmet from Zod and handed it to Barbara.

  Looking at the surprised Batgirl, Mason shrugged and said:

   "Are you bringing it yourself, or shall I bring it for you? You choose."

   "Ha! Can't I choose a 'secret weapon' that better suits my taste?"

  Barbara said with great resistance:

   "As I said before, I hate ants. Those things crawling around make people feel uncomfortable."

   "But you have to admit that the mechanical ant colony left by Dr. Pym is the most suitable for a master hacker like you among all the 'weapons' that Team K has encountered so far."

   Mason says:

   "Your brain-computer and hacker-based prosthetic transformations are a perfect match for this group of mechanical ants who need a 'brain' to lead them. You must obtain their permissions and learn to use them, Barbara.

   Otherwise, I can only assign you to a support post.

  You also know that the enemies we are facing are becoming more and more outrageous. I can't put people like you who are 'powerless' on the dangerous front line.

   And what's wrong with ants?

   Throughout history, ants are a great species that has never been conquered! From the perspective of abundant martial arts, they are much more powerful than humans, and there is nothing better than these little guys who understand the truth that unity is strength. "

  Beside Zod nodded again and again, and the always silent Superman in black said:

   "Mason's consideration is correct, if the enemy on the opposite side is a Kryptonian like me, then before all your control methods take effect, I can crush your heart.

  Barbara Gordon, you are eager to be Mason's helper, and you don't want to be the drag bottle of K team, right? "

   "Why didn't I find out before, you dumb superman speaks in a way!"

  Batgirl rolled her eyes and complained to Zod:

   "Don't be like Mason, he's a badass."

   After finishing speaking, she glanced at the old and dirty helmet in Mason's hand extremely critically, she gritted her teeth with the last insistence and said:

   "At least give me another appearance that suits my aesthetics?"

   "Bat helmet! Got it."

  Mason grinned, took out various materials from the luggage, apparently intending to make them on site, all he needed was to take out the technology modules from Ant-Man's helmet and put them into the new shape.

   You don't even need to understand how it works.

  This job is too simple.

   After nearly an hour, a group of people walked out of the underground laboratory.

  Barbara had a black bat helmet on her head, and Mason gave her some extra decorations to make the helmet look like a bat crown.

   She also carried a mechanical suitcase in her hand.

  It is full of various data extracted from the laboratory, as well as some samples and blueprints of mechanical ants that have not been damaged.

The ant colony left by Dr. Pym has not been well maintained for seventeen years, making them on the verge of being scrapped. Therefore, after returning to Osborne Tower, Mason will use the blueprint left by Dr. Pym to rebuild the ant colony for Barbara. Recreate a batch of fierce mechanical ants.

As for the two brothers and sisters Franklin and Valeria, who have been placed in the old K apartment in the suitcase factory, Mason asked May Parker and the old Wolverine's wife Vanessa to take care of them, and also asked Jimmy Houte Leigh watched the irascible Franklin.

  After losing the Ant-Man helmet, this kid's threat has been reduced a lot, but Mason doesn't want him to cause any trouble in his suitcase that contains nearly a thousand people.

   "It's time to split up."

  Mason glanced back at the slowly closing underground passage behind him, and he told Barbara and Zod:

"Hawkeye's state is not right. He regards supporting the rebels as his only remaining creed in life. I can understand his mentality and decision, but when he connects with the so-called rebels, you have to watch from the sidelines." .”

"I know."

  Barbara pushed her black bat helmet, she grinned and said:

   "In the seventeen-year-long doomsday era, there is actually a group of 'rebels' operating in the enemy's heart base camp. Anyone with a brain will not believe this kind of thing.

   It also deceives a guy with deep obsession like Hawkeye.

  We will take good care of him. When you and Lao Lang go to the ruins of Xavier College, be careful, and contact us in time if you encounter any problems. "

  She patted the black-clothed Superman beside her and said:

   "We have Kryptonians now, and the distance of a hundred kilometers is just the blink of an eye."

   "It's better to be careful."

  Mason rubbed his heart, he said:

   "This trip is about to reach its end. According to our luck, if something really happens, it will probably be at that time. I just don't know what kind of explosive ending this story will end with?"

  —

   Xavier Academy for Gifted Boys, or Academy for Gifted Boys.

  A well-known "sacred place" in the mutant society, because of the legendary Professor X and the X-Men sitting there, it can be regarded as one of the two poles of the mutant civilization.

   Normally, this college would be located on the outskirts of New York City, but that's clearly not the case in this world.

  It was set up in an inaccessible place. According to the old wolf, it has been covered by the professor's exaggerated spiritual power all year round, and it is difficult for people without permission to get close.

  It seems that even in the prosperous era seventeen years ago, the relationship between mutants and ordinary people in this world was not very good.

In the low sound of motorcycle engines, the three of Mason gradually approached this barbaric area that is no different from other parts of the wasteland. With the whole world being plowed by nuclear bombs, the desertification of the land is the main theme of this world today. up.

   "Keep going, beyond that swamp."

The old wolf sitting in the bucket of the flying motorcycle looked at the scenery in front of him that had been away for seventeen years with mixed emotions. He pressed down the worn-out cowboy hat on his head, and looked at Harley who was driving and Mason who was parallel. explain:

   "It's just ahead, the shield should still be in effect."

   "Did you make it all the way to California?"

  Mason sensed his surroundings with his upgraded Isu senses. The smelly swamp in front of him was really daunting. Both he and Harley put on breathing masks, and asked in a low voice:

   "Where did you meet Vanessa? You haven't told us about you and your wife yet."

   Facing Mason's question, Old Wolf hesitated.

  Probably because he sensed that the answer was close at hand, he didn't hide too much. Under Harley's gossip-watching gaze, the doomed old man said:

   "Probably because I wanted to commit suicide by a certain railway track in Ohio, so I chose to lie on the track in a daze."

   "Tsk, what a novel way to commit suicide."

  Mason complained in a low voice:

   "Don't you know how hard the Adamantium alloy in your body is? I guess, that train derailed?"

   "Well, derailed."

  The old wolf sighed and said:

   "I really didn't think about it that much at the time, I just wanted to free myself from the endless pain, even if it was only a few seconds, it was just a locomotive, and Vanessa was on the front of the car.

  The town where she lived was affected by the war between heroes and villains, and she was the only one left in the family. She escaped with difficulty, and I almost killed her.

  She climbed out of the derailed car, found me with a shotgun and emptied the bullets in her hand, but failed to kill me.

  I don't know what kind of mental state Vanessa was in at the time. In short, when I woke up from the coma, she had already taken me out of there.

  The story after that is very clichéd. "

   Logan closed his eyes, leaned against the truck body, and didn't care about the disgusting smell around him. Amid the sound of the wheels stepping on the mud, he said:

   "We arrived in California with a group of refugees. We planned to blend in, but someone followed her. A beautiful girl like her was a rare commodity in the wasteland era.

  I helped her deflect a few bombs, and she saw me as a protector.

  We live in isolation”

   "Then do you love her?"

  Harry suddenly asked:

   "You both have children, I think there must be love between you?"

"like?"

   Logan was a little dazed by this nonsensical question.

   In this wasteland, he had not heard the word for many years, he shook his head and said:

   "Harry, you really remind me of people who were born in times of peace. Well, maybe there was love, but Vanessa and I never discussed it, and we're lucky to survive."

   "It must be love."

   Mason interjected:

   "Vanessa has beautiful red hair.

   As we all know, the lethality of red-haired women to Wolverine is at least 500%. In his past hundreds of years of life, all the women who had close relationships with him were red-haired.

  This is also a special hobby. "

   "Ah, isn't Barbara in danger?"

  Harry exclaimed, and then both she and Mason laughed. The old wolf sitting in the back of the car was expressionless, but after a few seconds, he also grinned.

   This was the first time Mason saw this guy smiling so happily along the way.

   There is even a sense of free and easy.

   "You know me well, Mason."

   Logan lit a cigarette and said:

   "Is it the information you found outside? Does anyone outside remember me?"

   "I don't know, they built a utopia outside, but since I'm not a real mutant yet, they didn't invite me over there."

  Mason truthfully stated:

   "As for the mutants I know, I can only say that they all thought you were dead. Liana, and Rakshasa"

   "Well, Anna."

   Logan exhaled the smoke ring and said:

   "I remember they were on a mission in Europe that night. Colossus and Gambit led the team. It was lucky that they escaped the crazy killer of the Slaughter Academy."

   "Talk about the killer."

  Halley twisted the handlebars to keep up with Mr. K, while looking at the valley emerging from the end of the swamp ahead, she whispered to the old wolf:

   "I heard the story of Wolverine from the little sweetheart, he can worship you, second only to Batman, he said that if we can meet you, then we can trust you at any time.

  If those stories are true, then I think you will be desperate to find revenge on the maniac who killed all your friends.

  You are an undead, you want revenge no one can stop you.

   So, did the maniac end up dead? "

   This question made the old wolf silent again, until when they drove out of the swamp, Logan jumped out of the car and looked at the desolate ruins of the old college site in front of him.

   A gust of wind blows over here, making the weeds sway.

  He stepped forward to touch the wreckage of most of the collapsed wall, and seemed to be able to see traces of blood on it. Under the gaze of Mason and Harry, Logan closed his eyes.

  My thoughts seemed to return to the night seventeen years ago, so much blood, so much despair.

  He said hoarsely:

   "Of course I found the killer, I fought him like crazy, I ended up pinning him on a rail and killing him with a train. Wolverine is dead!

  He has been dead for seventeen years, and the murderer has been dead for seventeen years.

   Yet I am alive"

  The riddle-like words made Harley frown, but she quickly reacted, her eyes widened, she held the pistol at her waist, drew it and aimed at the old wolf in front of her.

   she exclaimed:

   "You! Did you kill them?"

   "Yes, it's me."

  The old wolf didn't care about the muzzle aimed at the head behind him, he said:

  "I tried everything to kill myself, but every time I failed, I knew I could be drowned, but unfortunately the only water source in California is in the hands of the Hulk.

  He knows this too, he has been waiting for me to pass.

  He wants a fight.

  He also wanted to die, and he was burdened with a heavy past like me, but unfortunately we are no longer the fearless people in the past, lingering like cowards until now.

   But I can die at last, right here, today, me."

"boom"

  He turned around, and Harry pulled the trigger, and the kinetic energy bullet precisely hit the old wolf between the eyebrows, causing him to fall to the ground with a bang. Mason gave Harry a surprised look, and said:

   "You were not asked to shoot."

   "Isn't this helping you vent your anger, sweetheart."

  Harry stepped forward angrily, and emptied a magazine at the old wolf. She said:

   "This **** lied to us all the way!"

   "But I already knew it. When I first met him...he thought his poor performance could hide it from me."

  Mason shook his head, stepped forward and took Harry's hand.

  He looked at the ruins and said softly:

   "I just want to hear him say it himself, look here, it's really a nice tomb."

  (end of this chapter)