Chapter 12: The Choice—To Save or Not to Save?

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"Whoosh!"

Controlling two daggers, George silently eliminated two guards by slashing their necks and reached a fork in the hallway.

Based on his recent observations and eavesdropping, he knew that the right path led to the cafeteria. Beyond that was where the mutant children were imprisoned. The left path, on the other hand, led out of the laboratory.

At this moment, if he took the left path, his current abilities would likely allow him to safely sneak out and steal a vehicle for escape. Once in the city, he would be free to go wherever he pleased.

With the mutant children drawing attention, it was unlikely that many would pursue him.

"Ah!!!"

Just as he was about to head left, a chilling cry from the right echoed through the corridor. It was a young, childlike voice.

The sound made George hesitate, his foot falling back to the ground.

"It's not my problem. I don't know these people, and there's no need to risk my life for strangers. They'll eventually escape anyway."

After a moment of hesitation, he prepared to move left once more.

"Ah!!!"

Another cry, this time from a different child.

There were fifty mutant children in the facility, and from what he had seen in the movies, fewer than twenty, including X-24, managed to escape.

This meant that over thirty mutant children had perished during the escape.

"Although they're just kids now, if they grow up, they could be valuable assets. Having them as subordinates would provide extra security in this dangerous Marvel world.

Besides, fortune favors the brave. It's worth taking some risks for a better future.

If it becomes too dangerous, I can always run later."

With a change of heart, George redirected his steps to the right.

At this moment, he wasn't sure if his decision was truly based on the reasons he had just considered or simply because of the lives of those twenty or so children.

People often act differently when faced with a crisis, and sometimes it's impossible to know how one will choose until that moment arrives.

Some may consider themselves selfish, only to sacrifice themselves to save others in a critical moment.

Others may preach virtue but end up being the first to flee.

George didn't consider himself a particularly good or bad person—just an average individual with average moral standards.

While he couldn't sacrifice himself to save others, he was willing to take risks to help others, especially a group of children, without putting himself in too much danger.

"Ladi, Weir, Ellie…"

In the cafeteria, Gavriella looked at the three children who had been shot while trying to delay the pursuers, tears streaming down her face once more.

Realizing that the genetic modification facility was not researching a cure for cancer but instead cultivating mutant killers, she and a few other kind-hearted colleagues had decided to secretly escape with the children.

However, before their plan could be put into action, the facility's higher-ups had ordered the execution of the children.

Forced to act sooner than planned, they found themselves outmatched by the guards armed with cold weapons and extensive experience.

By the time they reached the cafeteria, several of her colleagues had been killed while covering for the children, and over a dozen of the fifty children had been murdered. The chances of making it out alive were growing slimmer.

"Laura!"

Seeing that X-23, the strongest child among them, had been captured and was suspended in midair, unable to break free, Gavriella grabbed a submachine gun from a nearby guard's corpse and said to the remaining children:

"Head to the door. Auntie Issa will take you to your destination."

Issa was the last surviving colleague. She typically drove a large truck to transport supplies from the city to the base.

Upon receiving the notification from Gavriella, she had already driven the truck to the entrance to pick up the children.

"What about you and Laura?"

Rick, the eldest of the mutant children, asked with a worried expression.

Despite having lived in the lab without much common sense, they were not naive.

"Rick, you are the oldest among them. I'm leaving them in your care. Take them to the designated location and wait for me there. I will make sure to find Laura and bring her to you."

Gavriella spoke gently, then, armed with a submachine gun, began firing wildly to create an escape opportunity for the children.

Although her marksmanship was poor, her frantic shooting caused the guards controlling X-24 to become disoriented. This allowed X-24 to free one of her legs and viciously stab a guard's eye with her Adamantium claw, temporarily freeing herself.

However, it was clear that more guards were converging on their position.

Seeing this, Rick gritted his teeth and led the other children down the corridor.

But just after they left the cafeteria, they were blocked by four guards armed with firearms.

"Let's all fight them!"

Despite their fear, they mustered their courage and prepared to fight for their lives against the four guards.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Before they could activate their abilities, two of the guards suddenly fell, their necks gushing blood. The remaining two guards quickly turned around, only to be met with two bullets.

"Are you all okay?"

George, having dealt with the four guards, looked at the stunned children and sighed with relief.

There were still thirty-four children alive; he had arrived just in time.

"Number 757!"

Seeing that their rescuer was the usually silent Number 757, Rick was momentarily stunned but quickly grew anxious.

"Gavriella and Laura are still in the cafeteria!"

"I've cleared out the guards in the back. You all continue to escape. I'll go rescue them."

Without hesitation, George dropped the empty submachine gun, picked up the two weapons from the fallen guards, and charged back towards the cafeteria.

"So ruthless?"

As he burst into the cafeteria, he saw X-24 straddling a guard's neck, relentlessly attacking his head until his brains were splattered everywhere.

The sight startled the surrounding guards.

Despite her relentless attack, X-24's slim frame made her vulnerable. The guards, reacting quickly, suppressed her with gunfire. Although she couldn't be killed due to her regenerative abilities, she was still knocked from the air and forced to retreat.

Meanwhile, Gavriella, having exhausted her ammunition, was pinned behind cover and unable to provide much assistance.

"It's time to show my true skills!"

At this moment, relying solely on controlling knives to fight was clearly insufficient. George lacked regenerative abilities and couldn't afford to be overwhelmed by so many guns.

If he didn't eliminate the enemies quickly, he would be met with relentless firepower.

So, George hefted two submachine guns, channeling all his magnetic control into the bullets in the magazines, and began a frenzied assault.

The bullets, instead of following their usual trajectories, curved through the air under the influence of his magnetic power, hitting the center of each guard's forehead with deadly precision.

The combination of the submachine guns' firing speed and the accuracy of sniper rifles was George's true trump card in this dire situation.

(End of Chapter)