"W-What's going on?"
The Kraken gripped the windowsill tightly, as if that alone could keep him grounded.
"What the hell is going on!"
Alex, the Ravager, swallowed hard.
"It's a mutant. Another mutant!"
Hank, more composed and mature than the others, made the call.
There was no way this kind of chaos came from ordinary humans. It had to be a mutant.
"Rorschach, how are you so calm? How are you not freaking out?"Raven—known as the Witch—stared at him, stunned.
The base was under siege. People were dying.
And Rorschach looked like he was on a coffee break.
"Simple," Rorschach smiled at her. "I pretended."
Shapeshifter: "..."
The Kraken and the others were speechless.
He was still joking at a time like this? Meanwhile, the rest of them were seconds away from wetting themselves.
Bump Bump Bump!
Bump Bump Bump!
Gunfire cracked in the distance as CIA agents engaged in a brutal firefight with the intruders.
"Stand back! Move! Get to the rooms! We're under attack!"
A squad of special agents burst through, assault rifles ready, barking orders at Raven and the others.
Normally, these mutants acted like sarcastic zoo animals.
But now, when it mattered, they followed orders.
Even in the face of death.
[New Quest Generated:]
[Mission: Prevent the Black Emperor and his team from abducting any mutants.][Reward: 300 Origin Points]
The familiar prompt echoed in Rorschach's mind.
Another mission, just like that.
And yeah, he couldn't help it—he got a little excited.
"Only 300 Origin Points for this?"
Rorschach frowned internally. Was the system shortchanging him?
Last time, he faced Sabretooth and got 100 points.
Now it was Black Emperor Shaw, the Red Devil, and Riptide—three monsters, all more dangerous than Sabretooth. This mission was easily three times harder.
And only triple the points?
But then again, it wasn't about killing them. The objective was just to stop them from taking anyone.
Rorschach already knew the story. Shaw's main goal today was to recruit Angel. That was it.
So technically, if Rorschach stopped that, the mission was complete.
He could even knock Angel out right now and be done with it. But that wasn't his style.
Shaw's crew didn't scare him. Not anymore.
He might not be able to kill Shaw—but Shaw sure as hell couldn't kill him either.
So fine. 300 points. That's what the system wanted? He'd take it.
Swish!
Just then, as if summoned by his thoughts, the Red Devil appeared outside the lounge door like a ghost.
Arms spread wide like some twisted Titanic reenactment.
"Behind you!"
"Watch your six!"
The mutants shouted warnings at the CIA agents.
The agents spun around, rifles raised, unloading a hail of bullets at the red-skinned intruder.
Rat-tat-tat!
Rat-tat-tat!
It was like a storm of lead.
Swish!
But the Red Devil vanished in a blink.
Reappearing beside an agent, he snatched away the rifle and turned it on the man's teammate.
Panic rippled through the squad.
Before they could regroup, the Red Devil disappeared again—ghostlike—only to reappear somewhere else.
Whew!
Elsewhere, a tornado had erupted in the compound, shredding the massive steel "sphere" in seconds.
The Brainwave Booster.
Hank had built it just for Charles. It was the one thing the Black Emperor feared.
Which is why Shaw was here not just to recruit—but to destroy it.
Whew!
The tornado wasn't done. It surged toward the main building, as if it had a mind of its own, stopping only at the next window.
Standing calmly behind the glass was a tall man with long hair and sharp leather shoes.
Riptide.
First the Red Devil. Now a hurricane-generating mutant at the front door.
The Demon, the Siren, the Ravager—everyone looked on the verge of despair.
"Rorschach, what do we do?"
The Siren turned to him, eyes wide with panic.
"Yeah, man, come on—think of something!"
The Ravager echoed her desperation.
Without meaning to, they had all started looking to Rorschach as their anchor. Charles and Erik trusted him, after all.
"Stay here. You'll be fine."
Rorschach's voice was calm. Steady.
"But the agents out there won't hold out much longer! We should run!"
Darwin objected, his instincts kicking in.
"You planning to shapeshift and sneak past the guy who can teleport?"
Rorschach's single remark shut Darwin down.
"Sit tight."
Then, without another word, he blurred into motion—racing toward the fight at a speed far beyond any car.
The agents were laying down their lives to protect them. Rorschach wasn't about to sit and watch them die.
Slash!
Out in the square, the Red Devil drove a blade through one of the agents.
He turned, knife ready for the next victim—when a gust of wind slammed into him.
In a flash, Rorschach stood between them.
His punch came fast, powerful.
Swish!
The Red Devil vanished just before it landed. The punch struck air.
Of course. Rorschach knew this would happen.
"What's the point of killing those guys? If you're so tough, fight me!"
He shouted, scanning the area.
It wasn't bravado. It was bait.
Rorschach knew that catching the Red Devil with brute force was pointless. He was too fast, too slippery.
The only way to land a hit… was to make him attack first.
.......
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