The dazzling Las Vegas, known as the Paradise City of the West, carries titles like "World Tourism Capital" and "Marriage Capital." It boasts one of the nation's largest shopping plazas, delicious food from all over the world, and a 24-hour civil affairs bureau—aning that at any ti of day, you and your partner can get a marriage certificate.
At the sa ti, this beautiful city is also called the Sin City—a place Christians would never wish to set foot in during their lifeti, yet one they dream of conquering. It is one of the four great gambling cities, littered with casinos, riddled with gangs, and crawling with countless criminals.
lin followed Logan here and found one of his old comrades, "Ghost" John.
"I can't believe it, Logan. You actually made a new friend."
Facing John's teasing, Logan shot back, "Of course. A man's life can't just revolve around a bunch of old bastards."
"So he must be a good guy," John said as he looked at lin, his years of experience making him distrustful.
"Yeah, he saved and… helped kill Zero."
"Zero? Damn, he ca after you?"
"Yeah. I was his final target—one he could never complete."
"…"
"…"
"Then he must really hate you. You know his code."
"Of course. I'm honored."
"So you're not just here for a reunion, are you?" John asked.
"Victor killed my girlfriend. I'm hunting him."
"You're sure it was Victor?"
"Absolutely."
"Damn it! I an… sorry for your loss."
"…What happened after I left?"
"He got worse. Bloodthirsty. Cruel. He felt abandoned by you. You know, even though we all went through hell, Victor always tried harder than you—to prove he was better. He hunted every target assigned to him with ruthless efficiency."
As he spoke, John was dragged into painful mories and added, "After a few months, even I couldn't stand rounding them up anymore."
"Rounding up who?"
"Don't ask, Logan."
"Rounding up who, John?!"
Faced with Logan's insistence, John didn't want to answer, knowing that once he spoke, the guilt would flood back, and the souls of the dead would haunt him again. But he knew Logan's character—once he wanted to know, he would not let go.
"We were hunting our own kind! Hunting mutants! Logan, we committed countless atrocities! Hell surely has a place reserved for us!"
"Why?" Logan found it hard to believe—after all, Stryker had always worked with mutants.
"Stryker said we had to make a difference—to protect people from evil mutants," John explained.
But in this heavy atmosphere, an ill-tid laugh suddenly broke out.
"Pfft—hahaha… Sorry, couldn't hold it in. You guys continue." lin quickly apologized when he saw both of them looking at him.
"Hey, pal, you think this is funny?" John flared up. This was his deepest nightmare, sothing he had spent years suppressing. Yet to lin, it seed like a joke.
"John, if I were you…" Logan, though also finding lin's behavior inappropriate, decided to warn his old friend, mindful of lin's strange abilities.
But—
It was clearly no use.
"Shut up, Logan! He's your friend, not mine!" John shouted and strode toward lin, intending to lift him up and teach him a lesson. But…
Unfortunately, before he could reach lin, he stopped. A refreshing stream seed to flow through his limbs, extinguishing his rage.
"Damn it, you're a mutant too? What ability is this?" John asked in shock.
"I'm not a mutant. Call lin, if you like," lin introduced himself calmly.
"Strange na… feels familiar sohow… never mind. But lin, answer —did you really find it funny?"
"A little," lin admitted, "but it's in two parts—one is happiness for you, the other is just genuinely funny."
"Looks like your friend's no saint either, Logan. I've committed all these cris, and he's happy for ," John said self-deprecatingly.
Logan frowned slightly. He was curious about lin's next words—after all, he had spent enough ti with lin to know he wasn't a madman.
"Because you recognize the wrongness of what you've done. To be able to see your own sins proves… you're still human. Shouldn't that be sothing to be happy about?"
Logan and John were stunned and then simultaneously gave a bitter smile. Logan smiled because lin was still the sa—spouting profound truths that were hard to fully grasp. John smiled because, weighed down by his guilt, he felt a slight relief for the first ti in a long while.
"As for the funny part… you picked the wrong place. When you die, you don't go to hell—you go to the underworld. Based on your sins, you'll be sent to different regions for punishnt. Hell isn't for just anyone. There are only two ways for humans to end up in hell: either as a sacrificed soul or by signing a contract with a demon. Either way, once a soul goes to hell, endless tornt awaits."
Logan and John were stunned again. It sounded like lin was telling a legend—but the way he spoke made it feel almost real.
"And as for Stryker saying you were protecting people from evil mutants—that's nonsense. You never even truly understood your boss. Stryker's own son was a mutant. When his son's powers awakened, he lost control and accidentally killed Stryker's wife. Since then, Stryker has harbored deep hatred toward mutants. His real goal is to exterminate all mutants. Using you and researching mutants was just a ans to that end.
There is a real organization that arrests mutant criminals. I think you've heard of it—it's pretty active," lin continued.
"You an the X-n? Yeah, they're a good bunch," John acknowledged.
Even though he had left Stryker's team before the X-n were founded, over the years, he had often helped distressed mutants to ease his guilt. He had even crossed paths with X-n mbers, who once invited him to join. He refused.
In John's eyes, the X-n were a force for good. A butcher like himself, hands stained with innocent blood, didn't deserve to work with them.
Logan, anwhile, had spent the last few years living quietly in the wilderness with his girlfriend, cut off from news of the outside world.
"You know them?"
"Of course. If not for them, the world would have fallen into chaos by now," John praised.
"Actually, John, you'd make a good X-Man. Your past sins aren't an excuse. Knowing your guilt just ans you have a heart left to redeem. The dead can only be mourned—but the living are still waiting for help," lin said.
John's powers weren't strong—his teleportation was limited in range and had no major offensive strength—but so what? The X-n never chose mbers based solely on power. Since John had the heart to atone, lin didn't mind pointing him toward a better path.
"…Forget it. Soone like …" John said, tempted but ultimately refusing.
Logan felt a pang of emotion. Back when they served under Stryker, John was one of the few comrades he truly got along with. Seeing him like this now made him uncomfortable.
lin only smiled and didn't push further. After all, John would be joining them in the hunt for Victor and Stryker—there would be plenty of opportunities along the way.
"Alright, back to business. John, do you know where we can find Victor?" Logan steered the conversation back.
"I don't. We lost contact a long ti ago. But there's a place where we might find a lead."
"Where?"
"An island. But I don't know exactly where it is. Stryker's very cautious—only Zero knew everything. But Dukes might know. He and Zero were best friends."
"Dukes? Fred Dukes? Where is he?" Logan exclaid. This really was turning into an old friends' reunion.
"He's right here."
"Then let's go find him."
"Don't rush, Logan. You can't go before four o'clock," John said, popping open another beer. "Let warn you: he developed an eating disorder. We all have our coping chanisms. I'm trying to help him recover. If you want his help, whatever you do, don't ntion his weight."
"Alright…" Logan nodded.
"By the way, Logan, have you figured out a way to beat Victor? No offense—you know, back then…"
"Rember Africa?"
"Of course. I lost a friend that day."
Logan didn't answer. He simply raised his right fist—tal claws instantly sprang out.
"Holy hell, brother, what the hell did they do to you?" John gasped.
"Don't ask."
"Alright…" John didn't press when he saw Logan's reluctance.
They drank for a while, until John suddenly rembered sothing and looked at lin in astonishnt.
"lin, if I rember correctly… the X-n's headquarters is in Athens. They're affiliated with a mysterious organization called Sanctuary, right?"
"And?" lin asked, smiling faintly.
"According to so intel I heard… apparently, there's a god living in Sanctuary. A god nad lin. Ring any bells?"
Logan almost dropped his beer. Yet lin wasn't panicked by John's suspicion. Instead, he smiled calmly and asked back—
"What do you think?"
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