Under Darian's physical... mental hypnotic control, Victor answered every question without holding anything back.
From Victor's intermittent confessions, everyone learned that he had been Stryker's henchman for all these years, specifically responsible for capturing Mutants and supplying materials to the laboratory on that island.
And the operation to kill Logan's wife, Keira, was indeed a play carefully directed by Stryker to push Logan into undergoing the Adamantium surgery.
However, Victor immediately followed up with a startling piece of news.
That was: Logan's wife, Keira, was not dead!
In fact, Keira was also a Mutant, code-named Silver Fox, with the Mutant ability to control others' thoughts and behaviors through touch.
Stryker had captured Keira's sister and used her as leverage, forcing Keira to approach Logan and cooperate with Victor in staging the fake death scene.
Hearing this news, Logan immediately felt terrible.
He had thought it was just a trap, but he didn't expect it to be a nesting doll of schemes; everything was fake from start to finish.
The death was fake, the revenge was fake, and even his damn wife was fake!
He couldn't tell anymore!
He simply couldn't tell at all!
After a brief moment of self-doubt, Logan said in a low voice, "I need to find Keira and ask her face-to-face."
Victor revealed that Keira was in Stryker's secret laboratory, so he had to go there personally.
John gave a bitter smile. "I'm going too, to rescue those trapped Mutants. I've captured many people for Stryker in the past; consider this my atonement."
Darian nodded. "Since everyone's goal is the same, the four of us will set off for that island."
Remy: "...."
"I never agreed to this!"
After Victor revealed the whole truth, Logan no longer had the desire for revenge against him.
Darian, thinking that more people meant more strength, decided to bring Victor along as well. Since Victor was already under his control, there was no need to worry about him resisting or betraying them. Besides, in another instance, Victor had been his lackey and was quite useful.
Just then, the system's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
[Beginning the formal distribution of instance missions]
[Mission: Immortal N-Man Group]
[Objective: Form a team composed of Mutants with high-concentration Healing Factors, with no fewer than 6 people (Current progress: 0/6)]
[Reward: Settlement will be based on the final team members]
This instance mission came out of nowhere.
Darian originally thought the instance mission would be triggered through Logan, but he didn't expect it to be activated through Victor instead.
"High-concentration Healing Factor... so you're saying Mutants with average self-healing abilities won't do?"
Darian frowned; the completion conditions for this mission were more than just a little harsh.
After all, among the Mutants he had encountered so far, the only ones who truly met this condition seemed to be the immortal brothers, Logan and Victor.
Even if he could invite Logan and Victor to join this immortal squad, where would he find the remaining four members?
Led by Remy, everyone arrived in Pennsylvania in the eastern United States, abbreviated as Penn State—a place that would make any Cantonese speaker chuckle.
And Stryker's secret laboratory was hidden on Pennsylvania's famous Three Mile Island.
The island is home to two nuclear power units and was the site of an extremely serious nuclear leak accident several years ago—the peak of nuclear power plant accidents in American history—leading to the island's long-term abandonment, with no one daring to approach easily.
This desolation provided the perfect cover for Stryker's shady experiments.
Since Three Mile Island is an isolated island that can only be reached by boat or plane, Darian used the small private plane he had won from Remy and had Remy himself serve as the pilot to take them to Three Mile Island.
However, the space in this small private plane was truly limited; even when packed tight, it could barely fit four people.
With no other choice, Darian had Victor lie on top of the plane and secured him firmly with ropes.
During the flight, Logan showed obvious discomfort.
This was an old problem of his; despite having a self-healing ability comparable to immortality, he just couldn't stand flying.
Darian and Logan sat in the back row of the plane. Seeing him like this, Darian looked at him with disdain.
"Logan, so many years have passed, how have you not improved at all? You still can't handle a plane ride."
Logan suppressed the churning in his stomach and looked at Darian with confusion.
"Actually, I've wanted to ask for a while. You seem to know a lot about me, but we've never met before."
He had always felt that Darian was very familiar with him, like an old friend he had known for a long time, but Logan was certain that in his long memory, someone like Darian had never appeared.
Darian leaned back in his seat with a smile.
"No, we have met, just in another parallel Universe."
Since Logan asked, there was no need for him to hide it. After all, the game system didn't forbid him from revealing information from other servers.
"What the hell is a parallel Universe?"
Logan had never been to school and had nothing to do with science. Combined with the limitations of the era, it was normal for him not to understand the theory of parallel Universes.
Darian explained simply, "You can think of it as another similar Earth where there's also a Logan who has gone through things similar to you."
Logan didn't quite understand, but he was greatly shocked.
"So... you're from another World?"
"You could say that."
Darian nodded and said, "In that World, I founded the Brotherhood, and both you and Victor were the most loyal members of the organization, going through fire and water for the Brotherhood. Later, you even voluntarily donated your entire net worth. I originally didn't want it, but you insisted on clinging to my leg and begging me to take it. I really couldn't refuse you, so I could only reluctantly agree."
Logan:"....."
"Are you sure those two idiots were really me and Victor?"
"If you don't believe me, I have videos of you here."
As Darian spoke, he took out his phone and had the game system transfer some screen recordings over.
Logan had never seen a smartphone before and looked at it curiously.
But soon, he discovered that the screen was full of videos about himself: there was a video of the whole team making a cool entrance while only he was vomiting, a video of him driving the Green Goblin's glider and puking wildly in the air, a video of him being pummeled by Sebastian Shaw...
Damn it, why is it all his dark history!?
Logan cursed inwardly, but he had to admit that the pathetic guy in the video was indeed himself, though he looked a bit older, a bit sillier, and a bit more irritable.
"Who is this guy?"
He frowned and pointed at Sebastian Shaw, who was beating him up in the video.
Even if it was something from another World, seeing himself being beaten like that still felt very unpleasant.
"His name is Sebastian Shaw. He's a very powerful Mutant who can absorb and convert energy. However, his ambition was too great, and he secretly plotted to have America and the Red Bear country nuke each other, attempting to start 'Season 3.' To save the World, we teamed up and took him down."
"Then why was he beating me the whole time?"
"Uh, maybe he just didn't like the look of you..."
Darian felt a bit guilty; he couldn't exactly say that he had set up the Logan of the other World, causing him to receive special attention from Sebastian Shaw.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, in the end, we worked together to defeat Sebastian, successfully prevented the Bagu Crisis, and saved the World. After that battle, the Brotherhood's reputation soared, and both you and Victor chose to stay in the Brotherhood to continue contributing to the organization."
"Sounds... not too bad."
Logan said in a low voice, a trace of inexplicable envy crossing his heart.
He didn't know if Sebastian Shaw had also been involved in the Bagu Crisis of this World, but he remembered that back then, he and Victor had just escaped from yet another war and were wallowing in some nameless American bar, using alcohol to numb themselves. They had never joined any organization, let alone saved the World.
It wasn't until later, when the two brothers were scouted by Stryker, that they joined that special forces team full of Mutants. They did a lot of shady dirty work for him until they finally couldn't stand the condemnation of their consciences and chose to quit, leading to his break with Victor.
And after that, it was the series of events he was experiencing now.
Compared to himself, the version of him in the other World had it much better.
Seeing this, Darian kindly comforted him, "Don't be discouraged. Parallel Universes are infinite, and every Logan's experience is different. Besides, you're not completely worse than that Logan; at least you have a wife, even if she's fake."
Logan:"...."
"Thanks, I don't feel comforted at all."
He didn't continue asking because a strong wave of dizziness and nausea suddenly surged up.
Anyone who gets carsick or airsick knows that playing with a phone only makes the dizziness worse.
Darian's eyes widened.
"Holy crap! Remy, open a window to let some air in! Logan's gonna blow!"
"Big brother, where am I supposed to get a window on this plane!?"
"Then open the cabin door!"
"I can't... I can't take it... *Ugh*!"
"Hurry!!"
In a flurry of movement, just as Logan was about to vomit, Darian kicked him in the side, sending him flying out of the cabin door without even a parachute.
Remy and John silently gave a thumbs up from the side.
Logan getting a little hurt was a small matter; him vomiting in the cabin and disgusting them was the real disaster.
To avoid exposing their tracks early, their plane couldn't land directly on Three Mile Island. Darian ordered Victor to cut his ropes and jump down, then grabbed John and came to the cabin door.
"John, ready?"
"Wait! We haven't taken our para—"
Before he could finish, Darian had already grabbed him and leaped out, the whistling wind instantly swallowing John's unfinished cry.
Remy: —
Did those two also forget to bring parachutes?
In the night sky.
Darian stepped on the Green Goblin's glider, holding John with one hand, and carved an arc over the sea, landing steadily on the rocky beach at the edge of Three Mile Island.
John said with lingering fear, "That scared me to death. I thought I was going to be smashed into a meat patty."
Darian put away the Green Goblin's glider and said dismissively, "What are you afraid of? Can't you teleport? Just jump a few more times and you'll reach the shore."
"Even so, it wouldn't reduce the gravity and momentum of the fall. I'd still be half-dead hitting the ground."
"You have superpowers, yet you're still talking about scientific principles?"
"..."
As Darian stepped onto Three Mile Island, the system's prompt sounded right on time.
[Mission "Tracing Clues" settlement complete]
[Rewards obtained: 1000 experience points, Logan Favorability +10, Item "reborn pill", Item "motion sickness patch"]
[Item: reborn pill (After consumption, the user's blood and bones will be replaced and renewed. The process is extremely painful, please use with caution)]
[Item: motion sickness patch (When applied to a target's body surface, it causes the target to experience a continuous vomiting sensation as if they were motion sick, lasting for twelve hours)]
"Isn't a motion sickness patch supposed to prevent motion sickness? Why does it cause it instead?"
Darian looked at the system description, somewhat speechless.
The items produced by this game system always have such strange effects.
The two waited on the shore for quite a while before they saw Logan and Victor climb up from the sea one after another, soaking wet.
"Fuck! I swear, I'm never getting on a plane again in my life!"
Logan cursed under his breath.
He had taken quite a fall just now; even if it was into the sea, falling from that height was no different from hitting a concrete floor.
Victor was the same. Perhaps because the injury was too severe, the intense healing reaction actually caused his shattered consciousness to gradually begin to recover.
Darian noticed his mental control over Victor suddenly weakened, so without a word, he rushed forward and delivered a flurry of punches to Victor's face. The spark that had just gathered in Victor's eyes instantly vanished, and he fell back into a hollow, dazed state.
John's mouth twitched.
"Logan, are you sure Darian doesn't have some personal grudge against Victor?"
"Uh, probably not."
After re-consolidating his mental control over Victor, the group used the cover of night to sneak toward the experimental Base in the center of the island.
They encountered several patrol guards along the way, but John used his invisibility and teleportation abilities to take them down one by one without a sound. They didn't even trigger an alarm and successfully reached the entrance of the Base.
Darian pulled out a Master Key and opened the door, and the group silently slipped into the experimental Base.
Logan spoke up, "I'm going to find Keira. I'll find you guys later."
"Alright, be careful."
Darian nodded, and after watching Logan turn to leave, he instructed Victor, "Lead us to the area where the Mutants are being held."
Stryker had captured so many Mutants over the years; there was bound to be one or two with self-healing abilities among them.
Victor nodded with hollow eyes, turned, and walked toward the depths of the corridor, acting as their guide.
Following Victor, Darian and John arrived at a heavy iron gate and casually took out the few soldiers guarding it.
Victor pulled a lever nearby, and the gate slowly rose with a low rumble.
Behind the door was a vast and oppressive space.
Dozens of specialized cages were arranged neatly, each holding a Mutant. Most were pale and had numb expressions, and many were fitted with various strange devices that seemed to be instruments specifically designed to target their abilities.
Darian scanned the room, his gaze suddenly stopping on a blonde figure, his expression freezing.
"Emma, is that you?"