The three of them slowly descended through the air and finally landed safely in the wilderness outside the city.
"Could you try following orders next time? We were supposed to land inside the city, not out here in the middle of nowhere!"
Marcus glanced at their desolate surroundings and spoke to the other two with exasperation.
If they hadn't opened their parachutes too early, they wouldn't have drifted so far off course.
Still, Marcus felt somewhat fortunate. At least they hadn't opened their chutes ridiculously early—otherwise, they might still be floating somewhere in the sky.
Marcus's words made both Hank and Alex look embarrassed. They'd been genuinely nervous, and the sensation of free fall had left them feeling completely insecure.
Seeing their discomfort, Marcus patted their shoulders.
"Relax, it's just skydiving. Nothing to be afraid of."
With that, he started walking toward the road. They needed to enter the city quickly. Those mutants causing chaos were waiting to be captured.
After walking along the road for some time, they finally spotted a pickup truck slowly approaching. The three men waved eagerly to get the driver's attention.
The truck stopped in front of them. As the window rolled down, a sturdy man leaned out and looked them over.
"Need a ride?"
"Yes, we're heading to the city up ahead. Here are our IDs!"
Marcus pulled out the temporary credentials issued by the CIA and explained who they were.
The IDs surprised the driver. These hitchhikers were actually from the famous CIA—the most prestigious intelligence agency in the country.
"What mission brings you to the city?" The man's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. "Ha! I know! You're going to deal with those magicians who've been destroying everything!"
In the man's mind, those mutant powers were simply advanced magic tricks. As he saw it, anyone could do the same thing if they understood the principles behind it.
However, these "magicians" used methods too advanced for ordinary people to comprehend. Plus, they were destroying property and snatching children everywhere, making people afraid to leave their homes. No one had been able to figure out their tricks.
"Well... something like that. Those 'magicians' may be powerful, but we're pretty capable ourselves!" Marcus patted Alex beside him and said, "Show him!"
At Marcus's signal, a red beam of light slowly appeared in Alex's hand, impressing the driver even more.
"This is high-tech equipment specifically designed by the CIA to deal with those magicians," Marcus explained with a smile.
Hearing Marcus's explanation and seeing the red energy in Alex's hand, the man grew even more excited.
"I get it! Those magicians also have high-tech equipment, right?"
"Exactly. We need to recover the weapons they're using. They're far too dangerous in the wrong hands!"
The man seemed very satisfied that Marcus had confirmed his theory. He opened the door and gestured for them to get in.
"Hop in! The good days are over for those troublemakers!"
With the engine roaring to life, the three agents climbed into the truck and headed toward the city. Hank and Alex exchanged uncomfortable glances, clearly wanting to explain that these weren't magic tricks but their innate mutant abilities.
Catching their hesitation, Marcus simply sat in the passenger seat, chatting animatedly with the driver and laughing from time to time.
Finally, the pickup truck entered the city and stopped in front of a store selling fishing equipment.
"I'll drop you off here. Need to pick up some fishing gear!"
Marcus didn't protest. After all, they'd reached the city—they couldn't expect the man to chauffeur them around indefinitely.
After climbing out, the driver waved goodbye.
"Hope I see some good news about you guys on TV!"
Marcus waved back before turning to start searching the city with his team.
Although they knew mutants were causing havoc in the city, these individuals were still human. They couldn't possibly be wreaking destruction 24 hours a day.
So Marcus and his team could only visit recently damaged areas, check the situation, and try to find clues.
They approached a house that had been destroyed not long ago. The walls had collapsed, turning the structure into rubble. Police tape surrounded the area.
"Looks like our target has some serious strength!"
The collapsed wall showed no signs of explosion. It appeared to have been struck directly by someone with tremendous force.
"I'd say beyond 'serious strength,' wouldn't you?" Hank glanced at Marcus, his tone filled with disbelief. "This guy's strength is on par with a demolition truck!"
Though Hank's own strength exceeded normal human capacity, it couldn't compare to this level of destruction. He almost wondered if someone had actually driven a demolition vehicle straight into the house.
After showing their credentials, they entered the ruins, searching for any clues left behind.
Just as they were investigating, a violent explosion suddenly erupted in a nearby block.
"Seems our target is back at work!" Marcus stopped and looked toward the source of the blast.
Since their quarry had revealed themselves, there was no longer any need to search for clues. The three men quickly ran toward the affected block.
Along the way, terrified people screamed and fled from the area, while some fearless onlookers moved toward the commotion out of curiosity, completely ignoring police warnings to stay back.
When Marcus and his team arrived, they spotted two men who looked like bikers—one tall, one short—standing amid the ruins, surveying their handiwork.
"Looks like we found them."
The two mutants seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. The screams of panic appeared to be sweet music to their ears, leaving them visibly intoxicated with power.
Marcus picked up two pieces of rubble from the ground and hurled them hard at the pair.
Just as the debris was about to reach them, the taller biker suddenly threw a punch, knocking the flying stones away.
"Nice reflexes!" With a slightly raised eyebrow, Marcus patted the backs of his teammates and pushed them forward. "Now it's your turn to show what you can do!"
Hank and Alex, thrust forward without warning, immediately entered combat mode, preparing to face the two bikers.
The tall one approached them, each footstep cracking the ground beneath him. He flexed his wrist and moved closer with a menacing smile.
Meanwhile, the shorter guy picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground and, using perfect baseball pitcher form, hurled it at Hank and Alex.
Having benefited from Marcus's training, they remembered his lessons well.
Seeing the flying stone, Alex reacted immediately. The energy device in his palm lit up, firing a red energy blast at the approaching projectile.
BOOM!!!
The stone exploded instantly upon contact with the energy blast. The shockwave from the violent explosion generated a powerful gust that spread in all directions.
"Energy projection? That's a fairly rare ability."
Watching the flying debris shatter from the explosion, Marcus looked somewhat surprised. This was the first time he'd encountered a mutant with this particular power. The shorter biker's ability was more subtle than Alex's, and much less likely to draw attention.