Non-Existent Laboratory

When Max returned to the hotel, Viper and Yukio were watching TV to catch up on the local news and understand the situation in the area.

"The place has been found, but it needs some renovations. We'll head there directly tomorrow," Max informed the others.

"Is it safe?" inquired Viper.

"It's definitely safe," Max reassured.

....

The night passed quietly, and the next day, the three of them left the hotel room and headed straight to the new location.

They arrived at a beautiful spot with faint green grass and rustling red maple leaves. A house nestled in the middle of the woods, complete with a loft on the upper and lower floors, greeted them. The semicircular bay window in the attic added to its charm.

"It's so beautiful here!" Yukio couldn't help but sigh.

"The space is wide!" Viper commented. "However, once this place is surrounded, it will be challenging to escape. It doesn't seem suitable for housing the experimental equipment."

"Who said it's not?" Max smiled and took a step, stomping on the ground underfoot. "The house is just a facade for living. The real base is underground."

"There's a basement here?" Viper asked.

"Definitely!" Max replied with a grin. "That's the first requirement."

With Max leading the way, they entered the house. The interior was fully furnished with all the necessary equipment. After a brief tour, they headed straight to the basement.

The basement offered plenty of space, but it was cluttered with debris and trash.

"There's enough space, but it could still be easily discovered," Viper noted.

Max smiled but remained silent, prompting Viper to realize his plan. "You intend to create a door here. The real basement is in your different space."

"Exactly! This is just a cover. If anyone finds this place, they won't find anything of value. When the time comes, I'll put the equipment in a different space. Once the power issue is resolved, it can be used without being detected. When it's not needed... the real laboratory essentially doesn't exist!" Max explained with a grin.

"What if you're not here?" Viper asked.

"I can keep the door open here, allowing you to come and go freely even when I'm not present. There might be some limitations regarding distance, but give me some time, and I should be able to overcome that issue," Max replied.

"Good," Viper approved. She couldn't think of any other problems at the moment, and she was very satisfied with this safe house laboratory setup.

The next steps were relatively straightforward. Each of them selected a room in the house. Max went shopping for daily necessities and also acquired a car. While Yukio and Viper stayed behind to clean up the basement, Max stayed in touch with Mariko.

Mariko sounded extremely busy over the phone, but Max provided her with the address, and she promised to send the equipment and the samurai armor as soon as possible.

....

The sun filtered through the maple leaves, casting dappled shadows on Max as he leaned against a tree, holding a squirrel in his hand.

"Open," he muttered softly.

Max's fingers gently touched the squirrel's forehead, and a door, no larger than a fingernail, appeared. He pulled it open, revealing the intricate structure of the squirrel's brain.

However, this attempt left Max frowning. It still wasn't working as he had hoped. The door he could create only appeared on physical bodies, not on the spiritual level.

Before he could delve further into his thoughts, his phone rang, interrupting his concentration. Not many people had this number, and it wasn't Mariko on the other end, but a call from the Mutant underground base.

"Go play," Max instructed the squirrel, closing the door but not letting it disappear. He released the squirrel, which darted away quickly.

Answering the call, Max heard Lorna's voice. "Max, it's Lorna."

Max replied with a smile, "It seems like it's about to get busy."

Lorna continued, "Where are you? Let's meet and talk."

"Alright, tell me the location," Max replied.

Lorna provided an address, and Max left immediately.

Half an hour later, they met at a restaurant in the town. Max entered and saw Lorna sitting at a table, absentmindedly playing with her fork.

Max took a seat across from her and remarked, "You know, I still think your original hair color suits you better."

Lorna chuckled briefly before getting down to business. "Let's talk about why I called you here. This is a bit of a delicate situation involving the Sentry Secret Service. There's a local prosecutor named Reed Strack who's in charge of Mutant cases. We just received information that several Mutants have been prosecuted by him. We want to know where these Mutants will be transported to. Currently, only this prosecutor has that information."

Max asked straightforwardly, "You want me to locate this prosecutor and find out where the Mutants will be sent?"

Lorna confirmed, "Yes."

Max then inquired, "And what's the reward for this task?"

.....

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