Dr. Campbell, the head of Sentinel Services, reacted immediately the moment he received the alert. There was no hesitation in his orders—deploy additional Sentinels and mobilize specialized weapon units to contain the intruder. Whatever had just breached the Garland Detention Center wasn't being treated as a minor incident.
At the same time, Liam had already made his way deep into the detention facility.
He arrived at a secured holding corridor, where a line of armed guards stood waiting. Their weapons were raised, but their confidence clearly wasn't. Every time Liam took a step forward, the entire line instinctively took a step back, as if they were facing something far more dangerous than a single man.
The scene almost looked absurd.
"Gentlemen," Liam said lightly, glancing at them with amusement. "Care to tell me where the mutant holding area is?"
No one answered.
Their silence was stiff, their eyes locked on him with a mixture of fear and uncertainty.
"Yeah… figured," Liam muttered, shrugging slightly.
Not asking Thunderbird for a layout earlier was starting to feel like a mistake. The facility was far larger than he expected, and without a map, finding the right section was turning into a tedious process.
Still, it wasn't a real problem.
He had already committed to this approach, and turning back wasn't his style.
After wandering through multiple sections of the detention center, Liam finally located the mutant holding area. Compared to the rest of the facility, this section was quieter, more heavily reinforced, and noticeably colder in atmosphere.
There weren't many prisoners.
But it didn't take long for him to find who he was looking for.
He stepped up to a cell and pushed the door open with casual ease, the metal hinges giving way without resistance. Inside, a girl with green hair lay weakly on the ground, her breathing shallow and uneven.
Polaris.
Blood stained the corners of her mouth and nose, and the collar around her neck crackled faintly with residual energy. It didn't take much to understand what had happened—she had tried to use her abilities, triggering the device's punishment system.
The shock wouldn't kill her outright.
But forcing her powers under those conditions could.
"Hey. You still with me?" Liam crouched down, lightly tapping her cheek.
Her vision was blurred, unfocused. All she could make out was a tall figure standing over her, his outline sharp but indistinct.
"Yeah… that's not working," Liam muttered.
Without wasting more time, he slid an arm under her and lifted her onto his back with practiced ease. There was no point trying to wake her now—getting her out was the priority.
As he stepped out of the cell, the surrounding guards instinctively retreated again, giving him a wide berth.
Liam didn't even look at them.
He simply walked forward, Polaris resting against his back as if this were nothing more than a casual stroll.
"Please… save us!"
"Don't leave us here!"
Voices erupted from the surrounding cells as the other mutant prisoners realized what was happening. Hope, desperate and raw, surged through the corridor.
Liam slowed slightly.
For a brief moment, he considered ignoring them. His objective had already been achieved, and anything beyond that was unnecessary risk.
But then he exhaled softly.
"Fine."
He moved quickly from cell to cell, breaking the collars around their necks with precise force. The devices sparked and died one after another, freeing the mutants from their restraints.
"I've done what I can," Liam said without stopping. "Whether you make it out is up to you."
He wasn't their guardian.
He wasn't here to escort everyone to safety.
He had done enough.
Some of the freed mutants immediately activated their abilities, scrambling to escape through any opening they could find. Others hesitated, weaker and less confident, choosing instead to follow behind Liam.
Their powers weren't strong enough to guarantee survival on their own.
Liam didn't intervene.
He neither encouraged nor stopped them.
He simply kept walking.
Outside the detention center, Thunderbird, Clarice, and the others waited anxiously, their eyes fixed on the distant structure.
"What do we do?" Clarice asked, her voice tight with worry. "Sentinel reinforcements just arrived."
The arrival of additional forces had only heightened the tension. Every passing second felt heavier.
Thunderbird clenched his jaw. "If Liam went in alone, then he must have a plan," he said, though even he wasn't entirely certain. "We wait."
It was the only option they had.
Inside the facility, Liam continued forward as if he owned the place.
No one dared to engage him directly anymore.
The guards kept their distance, forming a loose perimeter but refusing to step any closer. They had already seen what happened to those who tried. Bullets didn't work. Electricity didn't work. Getting too close only meant getting hurt.
And no one was eager to test their luck.
Then—
something new appeared.
A mechanical shape dropped into his path.
It was a spider-like robot, its metallic limbs sharp and angular, its body low to the ground. Red lights flickered across its surface as it locked onto Liam.
Recognition came instantly.
This was one of Sentinel Services' specialized anti-mutant weapons.
The machine's legs allowed it to move across walls and ceilings with ease, and its entire frame was charged with high-voltage current. Once it latched onto a target, it would release a devastating shock capable of incapacitating most mutants instantly.
It wasn't fragile, either.
Even with damaged limbs, it could continue functioning.
The robot didn't hesitate.
The moment it identified Liam as a threat, it lunged forward.
Liam didn't move from his spot. He simply raised one hand.
The instant the machine made contact—
it was violently repelled.
The force snapped through its structure, sending it flying backward before it hit the ground in a lifeless heap, completely disabled.
But that wasn't the end of it.
More of them appeared.
One after another, spider-like robots crawled into view, surrounding him from the front, their red sensors glowing in unison.
Liam glanced at them, lips twitching slightly. "These things don't look cheap."
The next moment, the temperature dropped.
A thin layer of frost formed beneath his feet, spreading outward in an instant. The ice surged forward like a living wave, racing across the floor and climbing up the walls.
Every robot caught in its path froze solid, locked in place mid-motion.
In just a few seconds, the entire corridor was encased in ice.
The machines stopped.
Completely.
Behind him, the mutants who had followed stared in shock, their eyes wide at the overwhelming display of power.
Even Polaris, who had regained a sliver of consciousness on his back, saw it.
Bullets couldn't touch him.
Electricity couldn't harm him.
And now, with a single motion, he had frozen everything in front of him.
Her breath caught slightly.
Who… was this man?
But what came next would shake her even more.
....
Can't wait to read ahead. Then Join my P@treon and get 60+ chapters.
Even Free members can enjoy 2+ advanced chapters FOR FREE.
Link: [email protected]/Divine_Quill
Join Right Now