Frank and Luke Cage faced the infected X-Men.
Colossus, Peter Rasputin.
Remy Étienne LeBeau, Gambit.
Angel, Warren Kenneth Worthington.
Nightcrawler, Kurt Wagner.
A full four X-Men had gathered here. If there had been only one, two, or even three of them, the Punisher would have been confident he could kill them with overwhelming firepower. But there were four X-Men here, and one of them was Colossus, who was not afraid of bullets. Against them, Frank's combat skills were almost a joke.
The two of them fled quickly, but the X-Men behind them were not slow either. Their pupils were red, and scarlet marks covered their bodies. The strange, ominous aura they gave off made both men tremble.
The moment Angel saw his prey, he spread his wings. His flying speed was far beyond anything two legs could match. In just a few seconds, Angel suddenly landed in front of Frank and Luke Cage, and sharp feathers shot toward the two of them.
Luke Cage did not even need to dodge. He stood directly in front of Frank. His body could be described as invulnerable, and he was much stronger than a super soldier.
Even with the blessing of high-speed flight, those light feathers could not leave even a mark on Luke Cage.
However, Angel's goal had already been achieved. He had successfully blocked the two men's path. The three mutants behind him quickly caught up, crazy and eerie smiles on their faces. Drool kept dripping from the corners of their mouths, and their red eyes had long since lost the distinction between black and white. Even so, the two men could still read the hunger in those eyes.
"Do they see us as food? We're really being looked down on!" A trace of cold sweat broke out on Frank's forehead, while his face became even more ferocious and cruel. "Then let's see how good they really are!"
The Punisher instantly pulled out the grenade launcher behind him and aimed it at the charging Angel.
The grenade made close contact with Angel's head. Angel had not been physically strengthened. His only ability was those flashy, enormous wings.
Boom!
Angel's head exploded like a watermelon, red and white matter scattering all over the ground. Some even splattered into Frank's mouth, but he was used to scenes this bloody, so it did not matter.
Luke Cage immediately fought Colossus. He knew very well that Frank could not cause any harm to Colossus, while he and Colossus had similar abilities and almost comparable physical strength. The two quickly began a brutal hand-to-hand fight.
But Colossus was no longer the polite X-Man he had once been. He had completely turned into a crazed monster, with only killing and appetite left in his mind. He attacked Luke Cage with both hands and feet, and even bit Luke's indestructible skin.
When two indestructible people collided, the destructive power was no less than that of the Hulk.
Frank also understood Luke Cage's intention. He continued launching grenades at Gambit and Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler's excellent dodging ability made it impossible for the Punisher to lock onto him, but Gambit could not properly display his strength. His ability was to store energy in objects. Usually, he liked to store energy in playing cards, which was also the origin of his nickname, the King of Cards.
But there was nothing here that allowed him to store energy properly, so he could only rush toward the Punisher with bared teeth and claws.
Da da da!
The grenades had been used up, so Frank decisively took out his AK, aimed at Gambit, and opened fire. Blood sprayed everywhere, and Gambit turned into a hornet's nest in the blink of an eye.
"This is the price for underestimating me!" A sneer appeared on Frank's lips, but before he could finish showing off, Nightcrawler suddenly appeared behind him, grabbed his shoulders, and vanished.
Blue smoke suddenly appeared in the sky. Nightcrawler had taken Frank dozens of meters into the air, intending to drop him to his death.
But how could the Punisher, a veteran, let this young kid succeed so easily? He immediately grabbed Nightcrawler's calf, and both of them began to fall.
Nightcrawler roared angrily, and his body flashed again. This time, the two men reappeared in another place. Frank was pinned under Nightcrawler's foot, and sharp claws were about to kill him, but Luke Cage rushed over and knocked Nightcrawler away.
"Are you okay?"
"Behind you!"
Before Luke Cage could react, Colossus hugged him from behind and kept tightening his arms, trying to strangle him alive.
Frank aimed at Colossus and fired a full burst into his face, but obviously, bullets could not cause any damage to Colossus. Maybe grenades could, but they had already been used up.
"Luke Cage, get out of the way!"
Frank had taken off all the lethal weapons on his body, while Luke Cage was breathing hard under Colossus's immense strength, his face turning red.
But as long as one was a man, there was an eternal weakness.
Luke Cage turned and kicked Colossus in the crotch. This was an indescribable pain for any man, even a madman.
Colossus was in pain and loosened his arms around Luke Cage. He could not help opening his mouth and gasping for air.
Luke Cage took the explosives from Frank's arms and stuffed them into Colossus's mouth one after another. His strength was not weak at all, and the severe pain made Colossus unable to resist. He was forced to swallow the explosives into his stomach.
"Run!" Frank and Luke Cage rolled into a shop with shattered glass.
Boom!
The bomb exploded. Colossus's exterior was indeed indestructible, but his insides were as soft and fragile as those of a normal person. The violent explosion tore him directly into pieces, leaving no intact limbs behind.
"Good teamwork!" Luke Cage grabbed Frank's arm and pulled him up from the ground.
"Where did your mask go?" Frank asked in surprise.
"It got smashed during the fight with Colossus. Move!" Luke Cage's body structure was different from that of ordinary people, and his breathing ability far surpassed theirs. He could barely hold on for a while.
The two supported each other and walked toward the edge of the red mist. They had left marks along the way and could follow those marks back outside.
But they had overlooked one thing.
The red mist was moving, expanding outward constantly. The outer area Frank and Luke Cage had first entered had now become a relatively inner region. It was impossible for the two of them to escape within an hour.
Frank was still fine. His oxygen mask could last another ten minutes, but Luke Cage had already inhaled a large amount of red mist. Even if he escaped, he would inevitably end up with the same fate as those X-Men.
"Give me a bomb." Luke Cage reached out and asked Frank.
"What are you going to do?"
"When I lose my mind... I'll swallow it." Luke Cage had already realized that he was going to die. His body was indestructible, and the only possible way to kill him was from the inside.
Frank remained silent, but he still took out a bomb and handed it to Luke Cage. "This is the last one. If we run into more enemies... I'll probably go to hell with you."
"I'm not going to hell. If you die, don't drag me into it!" Luke Cage laughed, then inhaled more of the red mist. It was no longer clear whether the redness in his pupils came from bloodshot eyes or the mist itself. His vision began to overlap, like the eyes of a drunk old man in a daze. His steps became light and unsteady, as if he might collapse at any moment.
The red mist began to gather toward Luke Cage, and the veins on his forehead suddenly bulged. He could barely endure the suffering anymore.
It hurt. It hurt too much... Luke Cage finally understood why the X-Men had been unable to withstand the erosion of the red mist. It simply could not be stopped.
Frank let go of his arm and looked at him standing there in pain. A trace of reluctance flashed across his fierce face, but only a trace.
As the Punisher, he was ruthless to his enemies and even more ruthless to himself, let alone his comrades. If it came down to life or death, he really would abandon his comrades and run.
Of course, he could also give up his life for his comrades.
Frank raised his gun, aimed at Luke Cage's head, and loaded a golden bullet into the magazine. This was his last resort. With six adamantium bullets, even Luke Cage could be shot through the head.
"Ah... ah..." Luke Cage's body began to twist, and even his bones made creaking sounds. He struggled to look at the miniature explosive in his palm, then hardened his heart and swallowed it.
"Goodbye... friend."
Frank relented. He put down his pistol, turned his head, and walked toward the outside of the red mist with firm eyes.
Boom!
The violent explosion stirred up a large amount of dust, dispersing some of the surrounding red mist.
Frank ran as fast as he could. He had to inform the superheroes outside about what was happening inside and keep them away from the red mist.
But fate did not follow his wishes.
"Fuck!" Frank stopped, looked at the figures appearing in front of him, and laughed miserably. "You've really got to be kidding me... Hahaha!"
Jessica Jones, Nightcrawler, and...
"General Ross!"
Red Hulk's huge body sealed the road tightly. His red body was surrounded by scarlet aura, making him look even stranger. He casually smashed the truck beside him with a punch. The three of them walked toward Frank with sly smiles.
The Punisher raised the pistol loaded with adamantium bullets. His arms trembled slightly, not because of fear, but because he could no longer hold on. His oxygen was about to run out, and his physical strength was close to the limit. At most, he could risk his life to kill two of them. As for Hulk... one punch from him could kill Frank.
Boom!
Two gunshots rang out. One missed, and the other hit Red Hulk's body.
It caused little damage and offered far more insult.
Red Hulk was enraged by the shot. He beat his chest angrily, roared toward the sky, smashed Nightcrawler's head beside him with one palm, and charged toward Frank with a roar.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three more gunshots rang out, and all three bullets hit Red Hulk's body. Aside from spurting blood, they only stirred up his brutality. He leaped in rage, dropped from the sky, and stomped toward the Punisher with one massive foot.
Frank lowered his arms and waited for death with a smile. A hero always hoped to save more people and die in battle, not grow old bit by bit. What difference was there between that and cowardice?
"Roar—bang!"
Red Hulk's roar stopped abruptly, and Frank felt as if he had been drenched in an unusually foul rain, sticky and disgusting...
Frank suddenly realized something and raised his head. Red Hulk's head had disappeared. Then his body exploded. Internal organs, muscles, limbs, eyeballs... all poured down like a shower, covering Frank so thoroughly that he was almost unrecognizable.
"Who?!"
Frank's dead heart suddenly began beating again. He did not know the man in front of him, but there were many heroes he did not know. In today's society, as long as someone knew a few tricks, put on awkward and strange tights, and picked up an odd, dramatic nickname, they could call themselves a hero.
But the guy in front of him was obviously not part of that group.
He was too strong.
Renzo had punched through Red Hulk directly with a fist wrapped in the Power Stone's energy. At the same time, a beam of light pierced Jessica Jones's body. He frowned and looked at the sluggish Frank below.
He had also met several infected heroes along the way. They had all come to participate in the red mist rescue. However, because of the lack of information, they had fallen into the trap and become Chthon's walking corpses.
In fact, Renzo had just eliminated the infected Iron Fist and Sunspot a few minutes before meeting Frank.
A golden halo enveloped Frank, blocking him from the red mist and preventing him from being infected as well.
In truth, even with a gas mask, every pore on his body had inhaled a small amount of the red mist. If this continued for another ten minutes, Frank would likely be infected.
Renzo was not afraid of the red mist. He was a synthetic being and did not need to breathe. He was also protected by the Mind Stone. Unless chaos magic directly attacked him, it would not cause any harm at all.
"That way... is a safe route. I took it when I came here. All the infected people along the way have been cleared out." Renzo pointed in a direction as he spoke.
Frank bent over as the red mist that had invaded his body was expelled by the light of the Mind Stone. The process was especially painful. Scattered scarlet power emerged from Frank's body, from his facial features, pores, lower body... anywhere there was an opening, crimson demonic energy overflowed.
After a while, the red mist inside Frank's body was completely expelled. His body, which had been bent like a cooked shrimp, suddenly straightened. His skull vest was soaked with sweat and blood. Red Hulk's eyeballs were still hanging from his body, staring ferociously at the two people before him, pitiful and resentful...
"Who are you? Where are you going?" Frank raised his head and looked at this powerful stranger. With his strange appearance and extraordinary strength, he should not have been completely unknown. It was impossible that Frank had never heard even a rumor.
Frank was a little confused. Could this be a superhero from another planet, like Captain Marvel?
"What happened is complicated, and I can't explain it clearly. But if you want to live, follow the direction I pointed. The halo will protect you for one hour and prevent you from being eroded by the red mist. But if you're attacked by other external forces, you'll have to rely on yourself..."
"The red mist is spreading, moving about fifty meters per minute. I advise you to leave now, or you may not be able to find the way out later."
Frank silently glanced at Renzo, and his naturally fierce expression softened a little. After all, he was facing his savior. "This is for you."
Frank took the last adamantium bullet from his gun and handed it to Renzo.
"Keep it for self-defense."
"I don't need it," Frank replied. "It's more useful in your hands. If I encounter someone weaker, I don't need it. If I encounter someone much stronger, it's useless anyway."
Frank tossed the bullet to Renzo, and Renzo caught it smoothly.
"I hope you can save more people. There may still be people inside who haven't been eroded by the red mist and are still alive. I hope you can save them..." Frank whispered, clenching his fists slightly.
His life had been miserable. His wife and children had all been killed by gangsters, and he had been powerless to stop it.
His hatred of evil reflected his heart, and using violence to fight violence was his code of conduct.
Frank was the Punisher, punishing not only others, but also himself...
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