章 16: Chapter 16

Mike took a deep breath, his violently beating heart gradually calming down, though his eyes grew colder.

The sniper, an Asian man, was Agent Zero—one of Stryker's men!

"Damn it!" Mike cursed under his breath.

He distinctly remembered that in the original timeline, Logan was only found by Stryker's men the following morning. How had they gotten to him so early this time?

Besides, their target was Logan. Why come after me and my son? Are they just trying to frame Logan for this? Or are they doing it for fun?

With that thought, Mike cursed again, "Fuck!"

"Dad, what does 'fuck' mean?"

"Uh, it's a kind of plant," Mike answered offhandedly.

At that moment, the sound of helicopter blades rotating suddenly reached Mike's ears.

'It couldn't be…'

Mike's eyes narrowed. He bolted toward the window with Clark in his arms. As he jumped, a card appeared in his hand. Just as they leaped out, the card vanished, replaced by a stopwatch.

A second later, two missiles shot out from the helicopter, slamming into their home.

Boom! Boom!

The explosion sent flames and shockwaves roaring through the house, destroying everything in their path.

Mike pressed the stopwatch, and in an instant, both he and Clark were enveloped in a shimmering gold light. They defied gravity, suspended in mid-air.

The stopwatch, a prop from League of Legends, granted 2.5 seconds of immunity from all damage, though it prevented any movement or attacks.

Mike had embodied the life-saving item. Despite its limitations, it was a powerful tool when used at the right moment.

The flames and shockwaves obliterated their home, but they passed harmlessly over the suspended father and son.

In the distance, Agent Zero, with a sniper rifle in hand, smirked.

Even though the man had managed to dodge his shots, which had been unexpected, no one could survive an attack like that.

"After all," Agent Zero muttered, "they're just two ordinary people."

He pressed the communicator in his ear. "Attention. The mad dog's coming back."

Though he knew Logan wasn't at Mike's house, he had no interest in going after him. Once the place was reduced to rubble, Logan—who couldn't have gone far—would surely return for revenge.

As a former teammate, Agent Zero knew Logan all too well.

"Heh. Idiot," he sneered.

Meanwhile, Logan, who had been nearby, turned at the sound of the explosion. The sight of flames lighting up the sky froze him in his tracks. His body went cold, but his eyes blazed with fury.

In his mind, he saw the father and son caught in the blast, torn to pieces by the explosion.

"No! I'll kill you all!"

With a primal roar, Logan's eyes burned red with rage, and he spun around, racing back toward the scene.

At the same time, Mike, having used the stopwatch to evade the blast, carried Clark through the flames and down into the basement.

"Clark, wait here for Dad," Mike said in a calm, reassuring voice.

"Dad!" Clark tugged at Mike's charred sleeve, worry evident in his eyes.

Mike turned back, gently ruffling his son's hair. "Clark, remember this: when friends come, there's food and When jackals come, there's a shotgun."

For the first time, Clark saw a side of his father he had never seen before—a commanding, powerful aura. But even so, looking at his father made him feel safe, like he was being sheltered by an unbreakable shield.