After reading the internal email forwarded by the intelligence director, the Black operations chief's expression darkened even further. His face was already stern by nature, but now it hardened into something colder.
Inesa and her entire team had been wiped out.
Unlike the average netizen who saw the footage and focused on the silver-haired young man's appearance, the operations chief saw something else entirely. When he watched the restaurant video captured on civilians' phones, he didn't see style or spectacle. He saw a trap.
Although only Richard and Sabretooth were visible engaging in combat, his first suspicion still landed on Crimson Manor. Whether other members had intervened off-camera was irrelevant. What mattered was that a known affiliate of Crimson Manor had slaughtered three department agents and an entire special forces unit.
After replaying the clips with a grim expression, he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed the internal line for intelligence.
"Contact the platforms and get those videos taken down. Now. Immediately."
His voice left no room for interpretation.
Though both of them held department head titles, the authority of the Operations Division far outweighed that of Intelligence. The man on the other end didn't hesitate.
"I'll arrange it right away."
The operations chief hung up and immediately dialed another extension.
"Notify First and Second Teams. Conference room. Now."
He ended the call without waiting for confirmation and stood, heading straight for the meeting room.
A few minutes later, more than a dozen mutant agents sat around a long conference table. The atmosphere was heavy. No one spoke.
The operations chief took the seat at the head of the table and looked down the line of hardened operatives.
"Inesa, Slater, and Bourne are dead," he said flatly. "Killed by Richard Wesley."
A signal to the secretary brought the downloaded footage onto the large display.
The video wasn't long—less than a minute—but it was enough.
By the time the screen went dark, the agents' expressions had shifted. They all knew Inesa's combat level. Slater and Bourne dying wasn't shocking. Their powers—Super Strength, Super Physique, Self-Healing—were common X-Gene categories.
But Inesa was different.
Bounce. Flash. Psychic Charm.
She was ranked among the top five in the Los Angeles branch. Regardless of her personality flaws, her combat ability was unquestionable.
Yet in the footage, she was cut down like an amateur.
The implication was unsettling.
"If that's a recent awakening," Bert, leader of the Second Team, said, "then the intelligence is wrong. That doesn't look like someone who just gained powers."
Before the operations chief could respond, Aiden, leader of the First Team, spoke.
"Intelligence confirmed he hadn't awakened yet. His father admitted as much during interrogation. Unless you're suggesting he lied under questioning."
The friction between the two men was obvious.
Aiden controlled fire.
Bert wielded extreme cold.
Their rivalry wasn't just professional—it was elemental.
"There's no issue with the intelligence file," the operations chief said, cutting through the tension. "He awakened within the last few days."
He tapped the screen, replaying a moment where the massive blade appeared in Richard's hand.
"The weapon he summoned is not ordinary steel. He demonstrated short-range teleportation and energy blade projection. Most importantly, he eliminated Inesa decisively."
He let that sink in.
"I have reason to believe he may already qualify as a Level Four mutant. Effective immediately, I'm issuing an A-Class warrant."
The room stirred.
An A-Class warrant was second only to S-Class. The department had only issued one S-Class in its history—to Magneto. A-Class warrants were reserved for highly dangerous, high-profile mutant criminals.
To assign one to a newly awakened, unregistered mutant was unprecedented.
"Sir," Bert began cautiously, "isn't that excessive?"
The operations chief ignored the tone.
"To prevent further agent casualties, First and Second Teams will operate jointly."
His gaze hardened.
"Richard Wesley. Victor Creed, also known as Sabretooth. The unidentified female with spatial ability. Any remaining Crimson Manor affiliates. Apprehend them all."
"If anyone resists—terminate."
His voice carried absolute finality.
"We will make an example. Illegal mutants who challenge this department will die."
"Understood, sir," Aiden, Bert, and the others answered in unison.
The hunt had begun.
—
Suburbs of Los Angeles.
The RV campground Richard selected was intentionally quiet. The original host's memory contained information on over a dozen campsites, but he deliberately chose one with minimal foot traffic.
He had no idea the restaurant footage had gone viral. He didn't know the department had escalated his case to A-Class status. He didn't know two full operational teams were mobilizing.
After parking the RV in a corner of the lot, he stepped out and walked toward the nearby forest.
Once he confirmed there were no civilians within range, he summoned the authentic sword.
"Eight Blades Flash."
He executed the technique cleanly.
"Eight Blades Flash proficiency +1."
He didn't stop.
The blade blurred again and again, carving through empty air in disciplined repetition.
"Eight Blades Flash proficiency +1."
"Eight Blades Flash proficiency +1."
…
He practiced until the familiar drain of magic left him lightheaded. When he finally stopped, he opened the interface.
[Eight Blades Flash – Level 1 (36/100)]
Twelve uses earlier in the day. Twenty-four more during this session.
Progress was steady.
With magic fully depleted, he shifted focus to reviewing his newly acquired ability.
[Bounce – Beta-Level Superpower. Capable of deflecting any object, including solids, liquids, gases, and energy.]
Like Plunder, the description was brief.
But sufficient.
From observation alone, he had already drawn conclusions.
Inside the restaurant, Inesa deflected the authentic sword directly. Outside, she compressed air into a shockwave and redirected it as a weapon. Bounce wasn't limited to passive reflection—it could be weaponized through manipulation of the environment.
So why had Eight Blades Flash pierced through?
Because it wasn't purely physical.
Eight Blades Flash was powered by magic.
If Bounce had an upper threshold—as indicated by its Beta classification—then an attack exceeding that ceiling could bypass it entirely. Either it overwhelmed the deflection capacity or struck before redirection could occur.
In practical terms, Bounce was extremely versatile.
Unfortunately, it was only Beta-level.
Without acquiring and fusing a similar deflection-type power, its growth ceiling would remain constrained.
.....
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