Chapter 17: The Border Factory

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*****

Upon hearing Wolverine's words, George did not feel worried; instead, he smiled slightly.

Since Wolverine had already considered this direction, it meant George was right—Wolverine was tough on the outside but soft-hearted, and he still wanted to help.

"Tony Stark is the kind of person we need to judge for ourselves once we meet him. If he is not trustworthy, you can still earn a substantial reward from this venture and leave. With the money, you can take the professor and live the life you want, without needing to worry about us. How does that sound?"

"I need to think about it."

Wolverine pulled out a bottle of strong liquor from the car seat and drank it down in one gulp. He then closed his eyes and thought for a long while before finally responding:

"Alright, I'll help you, but with one condition: the professor cannot come. The professor's condition is not as manageable as you think. He cannot actively control his abilities, and if he appears in New York, it will cause panic among the authorities, making things even more troublesome!"

"That's fine."

George considered it and nodded. He had been focused on using Professor X's abilities but had overlooked the potential consequences of bringing such a 'massive weapon' into New York. It might even attract the attention of SHIELD.

In that case, it was better not to bring him along. At worst, they could resort to torturing Obadiah. Under the threat of death, he would likely reveal Tony Stark's whereabouts.

It was also beneficial that Professor X, being incapacitated, would not need to be part of the operation. With only himself and Wolverine involved, their efficiency would be much higher.

"Let's get out of here quickly. The gunshots we heard will attract the police soon."

Seeing that George had reached an agreement, Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief and, glancing at the bodies of the small-time thugs on the ground, hurriedly reminded them.

Wolverine, meanwhile, bent down again to fix the wheel.

"Don't worry. The gunshots are actually a good thing; they'll delay the police from arriving quickly."

"Well, they're certainly diligent."

At this point, George also crouched down, changing his hand gestures repeatedly:

"Restore to its original state!"

With the restoration spell activated, the wheel that had been removed automatically reattached.

This was the second spell he could cast with hand gestures.

"It seems that your body contains more than just the genes of Professor X and Magneto."

Seeing this, Wolverine's face showed surprise.

George shrugged and smiled:

"Actually, I'm not sure how many genes they integrated into me."

"Your situation reminds me of a very chatty friend of mine, who also had many mutant genes integrated into his body and was silenced."

Wolverine sighed as he recalled this memory from deep in his mind.

"Unfortunately, they're no longer around."

"Well, friends come and go, but life goes on. Don't be so pessimistic."

George offered a casual bit of comfort.

He had always wondered whether Wolverine had experienced a future reversal, if he had memories of two different timelines, or if this universe simply didn't have two timelines.

In X-Men's "Days of Future Past," changing the past also changes the present. However, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, changing the past only creates a new timeline without affecting the present.

But this was something he couldn't ask about now; he would have to wait until he got to know Wolverine better.

Wolverine looked at him with some surprise:

"It seems you really do have some of Professor X's genes in you."

With the car fixed, Wolverine drove the luxurious limousine ahead, with Isabelle driving the truck carrying George and the children closely behind. They headed toward the border.

Given the professor's special condition, Wolverine had hidden him in a remote border area with very few people around.

"When this was a factory, it was run by a multinational smelting company headquartered in Shanghai. It had to be abandoned due to the chaotic security situation, so normally, no one would come here."

The vehicle stopped in front of an abandoned factory on the border, and Wolverine introduced it to George.

Since El Paso is close to Mexico and there are many Mexicans who cross the border to live, the area is rife with disorder, which allowed them to remain hidden.

In a city with better security, they wouldn't have been able to stay undetected.

"Wolverine, who are they?"

At that moment, a man wrapped in a scarf and hat, revealing only his eyes, cautiously walked out from the factory, looking at George and the group of mutant children with curiosity.

"Caliban, these kids are mutants. Go inside first, and I'll explain everything in detail later."

Wolverine waved his hand and led everyone into the factory.

George glanced at the man wrapped in the scarf, and relevant information instantly flashed through his mind.

Caliban was a mutant with the ability to track the location of mutants. He had once been a black market dealer, profiting from selling the whereabouts of mutants. He had also helped the Arklay Genetic Corporation hunt down mutants in exchange for money.

Later, afflicted by albinism and unable to see the sunlight, he began to repent for his past crimes and started assisting Wolverine and Professor X in hiding their tracks.

In the end, when he saw Professor X being killed, he detonated two grenades in a final act of desperation, taking himself and the enemies with him.

So, for now, he was considered a trustworthy mutant.

"No wonder, no wonder he always talked about being in touch with some people, claiming there were many new mutants. It turns out it's true. But Wolverine, are you sure about this? It's dangerous."

Inside the factory, after hearing Wolverine's words, Caliban's brows furrowed deeply.

He had sympathy for the mutant children but was more concerned about Wolverine's safety.

The old generation of mutants consisted only of them three, and over the years, he had come to see Wolverine and Professor X as his only family.

"George is right. Maybe this is the only way to truly cure the professor. You know that the containment tank can't hold him forever; this situation isn't sustainable. We need money, better equipment, and medications to treat him."

"Besides, I don't trust that the Canadian government will be kind to these children. There are no good people in human governments."

Wolverine tossed a bag of medication and a card to Caliban.

"These medications will last the professor for a month. The card contains all the money I've saved over the years, which I originally intended to use to buy a yacht and take you and the professor to live on the sea. If something happens to me and I don't come back, please take care of the professor."

"Alright, I know I can't stop you. But I must tell you, if you don't return, I won't be able to take care of that difficult old guy alone. I'll leave him behind and take the money to start a new life."

Caliban took the medication and card, paused for a moment in silence, then finally replied with a smile.

Wolverine, hearing this, smiled back for the first time in a long while:

"You won't do that. Otherwise, you wouldn't have given up all that money to help us."

"It's your turn to administer the medication. I've already had a long night."

Caliban shook his head in resignation and handed a bottle of medication from the bag to Wolverine.

It was clear that Wolverine had accurately predicted Caliban's response.

(End of Chapter)