Chapter 121: Indominus Rex Causes Trouble
Through the thick reinforced glass, Logan's spiritual power spread out.
The mental illusion ability quietly unfolded, like an invisible wind, seeping into the exhibit area along the gaps in the glass, precisely entangling the massive figure deep in the woods.
There was no forcible impact, just a tentative touch on the edge of the other's consciousness.
The mental World of the Indominus Rex was much clearer than expected. Instead of the chaos of a Beast, it carried a strong sense of vigilance and calculation, with astonishingly high mental activity. One could even clearly perceive it plotting, "What is the background of these people outside? Are they dangerous? Can they be used as prey?"
Logan clicked his tongue inwardly.
It had the intelligence level of a middle school student, and not the book-smart kind, but a mischievous middle school student full of trickery.
Dr. Wu really dared to add genes to it. Velociraptor, tree frog, and Tyrannosaurus Rex were not enough; did he secretly mix in some primates? Creating such a fellow whose mind was full of jailbreaking and hunting, did he have no self-awareness at all?
He withdrew his mental power without showing the slightest change on his face, sweeping his gaze across the woods where the Indominus Rex was hidden, becoming more satisfied the more he looked.
The size was big enough, the scales were hard enough, the intelligence was online, and the combat power definitely wouldn't be bad.
Smarter than Poseidon, better at fighting than Ares, raising it in the forest next to the private harbor would be just right for guarding the house.
It just lacked a righteous name and justification.
He couldn't just directly tell Simon, I've taken a fancy to your dinosaur, name a price?
That would be too degrading and easily arouse suspicion.
He had to wait until it caused trouble and things got out of hand before stepping in to sort it out. Raising conditions then would be a matter of course.
He would save the park and get a pet at the same time—a win-win.
" Have you seen enough? We haven't even seen a shadow, acting all mysterious. " Tony leaned over and bumped his arm, lowering his voice, " Did you really see it? Where is it hiding? My armor's infrared scan is a complete blind spot; it's wicked. "
" It's hiding and observing us. " Logan bit on his cigar and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, " Its IQ isn't low; it has much more cunning than Jarvis. "
" Bullshit! Jarvis is a top-tier artificial intelligence! " Tonyrefused to accept it, but subconsciously leaned closer to the glass, " Speaking of which, since you can even guess the genetic makeup, have you secretly researched cloning technology? "
" Guessed it. " Logan brushed it off casually, turned around, and walked back, " All right, no more looking, let's check out somewhere else. If it doesn't come out today, there will be plenty of chances to see it. "
Claire hurriedly followed, her doubts growing heavier.
This Mr. Howlett seemed to know the Indominus Rex like the back of his hand, describing everything from its genes to its habits without a single error.
But the park's confidentiality work was extremely well done; even the board of directors had very few people who knew the detailed gene sequence. How on earth did he know?
She couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried, and could only attribute this to "the big boss's intelligence channels have always been unfathomable."
When the three of them returned to the command center, it was full of joy inside.
Simon stood in front of the big screen, looking at the real-time number of visitors entering the park and live broadcast data, his mouth grinning almost to the base of his ears.
Seeing them come in, he immediately smiled and greeted them, " What do you two think? The opening data far exceeded expectations, and visitor feedback is exceptionally good. At this momentum, the first-year revenue will be able to break even. "
" Pretty good. " Logan glanced at the jumping data on the screen, his tone flat, " Don't celebrate too early. "
Simon was stunned, not quite understanding the meaning of these words. Tony was holding back a smile nearby; he knew Logan's tone all too well.
Usually, when he said that, it meant there was a good show about to be watched.
The excitement came even faster than expected.
In less than ten minutes, the alarm in the northern exhibit area suddenly sounded sharply.
" What's going on? " Simon's expression changed, and he walked quickly to the console.
The operator's fingers tapped rapidly on the keyboard, voice trembling: " Mr. Simon! Indominus Rex exhibit... climbing claw marks found on the outer wall! The fence grid has been destroyed! The dinosaur... the dinosaur is gone! "
" What?! " Simon lunged forward, staring at the blank thermal imaging on the screen, his brain buzzing, " How is that possible! A ten-meter-high alloy fence with high voltage, how did it run out?! "
" Thermal imaging cannot scan any signal! It seems to have vanished into thin air! "
The command center instantly fell into chaos. Claireimmediately stepped forward: " Initiate Level 1 alarm immediately! Notify all staff in the exhibit area to evacuate! Where is the feeding team? Did they go in to confirm the situation? "
" The zookeepers have already gone in, saying they need to check the fence gap... "
Before the words fell, a few screams suddenly came from the communicator, followed by the dull thud of heavy objects falling to the ground, and then harsh current static.
" Oh no! " Owen stood up abruptly, his expression ugly, " It's a trap! It deliberately made claw marks to pretend to escape, and is waiting for people to go in and check so it can rush out while taking the opportunity! "
Everyone's heart sank.
It tricked them into opening the door.
In just a few minutes, bad news came one after another.
The Indominus Rex rushed out of the feeding area and headed all the way to the herbivore area dense with tourists. Three security posts along the way were smashed, and two staff members were seriously injured. The tour buses had already begun emergency evacuation, but the park was too large and there were too many tourists, making it impossible to evacuate in a short time.
Simon's face was pale, and he only managed to steady himself by holding onto the console.
He never dreamed that such a thing would happen on the very first day of the opening. If tourists really died, not to mention revenue, the entire park would have to be shut down, and the compensation would bankrupt him.
" We can't just let it run around like this! " Vic Hoskins stepped forward. He was the head of the Gene Security Department, and his eyes carried a bit of eager and quick-success excitement, " Owen, take your four Velociraptors to hunt it down! They are fast and have sensitive noses, and can locate the Indominus Rex's position the fastest! "
" No! " Owen immediately objected, " They are research subjects, not hounds! Furthermore, the Indominus Rex has Velociraptor genes, what if... "
" There are no 'what ifs'! " Hoskins interrupted him, his tone tough, " Right now, only they can catch up to that monster! Are you going to wait until all the tourists are dead before taking action? "
Simon hesitated for a few seconds and finally nodded: " Owen, sorry to trouble you. Be sure to stop it before it hurts any tourists. "
Owen looked at him, then looked at the constantly expanding danger zone on the screen, gritted his teeth, and turned to walk out: " I'll go prepare. But I can't guarantee they will follow commands. "
The atmosphere in the command center was so heavy it could drip water.
Logan leaned against the corner, biting on an unlit cigar, looking like he was watching a play, not in a hurry at all.
Tony came over and nudged him with his elbow: " Did you know this would happen early on? "
" Guessed it. " Logan chuckled lightly, " A high-IQ predator locked in a cage for more than a decade, how could it not think about running? "
" Then why didn't you remind them? "
" Even if I reminded them, they wouldn't believe it. " Loganshrugged, " Besides, if it didn't run out, how could I justifiably take over? "
Tony raised an eyebrow, understanding instantly, and shook his head while holding back a smile: " You really are vicious. Someone else has a fine park mascot, and you just abduct it straight away once you set your sights on it. "
" Better than dying under mercenary guns. " Logan said offhandedly, " In their hands, sooner or later it would either run out to harm people or be made into a genetic weapon. Following me, at least it has food and drinks, and nobody messes with it blindly. "
The two were speaking in low voices when the battle situation outside took a sharp turn for the worse.
At first, Owen's command voice and the low howling of the Velociraptors could still be heard in the communications. The tracking speed was very fast, and they were about to catch up to the Indominus Rex.
But less than ten minutes later, gunshots and screams suddenly sounded in the communicator, along with Owen's exasperated shout: " Stop! Don't attack humans! Blue! Come back! "
Following closely was a burst of messy roaring and metal clashing sounds, and the communication was completely cut off.
Everyone's heart in the command center sank.
" What's going on? " Simon grabbed the walkie-talkie and roared, " Answer me! What happened? "
After a long while, Owen's panting voice came through, looking extremely disheveled: " The Indominus Rex... it has Velociraptor genes. It turned them. All four Velociraptors have defected, and the mercenary team... suffered heavy casualties. I barely managed to withdraw. "
" What?! "
Hoskins's face turned livid, and he stepped forward to snatch the walkie-talkie: " Impossible! The Velociraptors were raised by us since they were small, how could they be turned by a strange dinosaur... "
" The fact is just like that. " Owen's voice carried fatigue, " It is much smarter than we thought. Now it is taking the four Velociraptors towards the tourist area. If we don't figure out a way, it will be too late. "
The command center was in complete chaos.
One Indominus Rex was already a headache, plus four Velociraptors, and the entire park would turn into a hunting ground.
" Close the park! Immediately initiate a park-wide evacuation! " Claire made a decisive judgment, looking at Simon, " Mr. Simon, we can't hesitate anymore! Immediately notify all tourists to evacuate and contact the Coast Guard for support! "
Simon collapsed into his chair, his expression ashen.
Closing the park and evacuating meant that the opening day was a declared failure, and the subsequent compensation, reputation loss, and rectification costs were enough to drag down the Masrani Global company.
Could the project he had painstakingly prepared for twenty years be ruined just like that?
He was unwilling, but there was no other way. He couldn't just watch the tourists go to their deaths.
Just as he was gritting his teeth and ready to nod, a slow voice sounded.
" Don't rush to close the park yet. "
Logan straightened up, pinched out the cigar in his hand, and took two steps forward.
Everyone's gaze focused on him. Simon, as if grabbing a life-saving straw, stood up abruptly: " Mr. Howlett, do you... do you have a way? "
" There is a way, though. " Logan's tone was flat, as if he were just talking about how the weather was nice today, " That Indominus Rex, I can help you guys deal with it. But there is a condition: after it's dealt with, it belongs to me. "
As soon as these words came out, the command center instantly quieted down.
" What did you say?! " Hoskins was the first to jump out in opposition, his face flushed, " No! Absolutely not! The Indominus Rex is an important genetic research sample with immeasurable value. How can it be handed over to a private individual! "
" No matter how high the value is, you have to have your life to keep it. " Logan glanced at him, his tone carrying a bit of mockery, " Now it's taking four Velociraptors towards the tourist area. When it bites dozens or hundreds of tourists to death, let alone samples, the entire park will have to be shut down. By then, Mr. Hoskins, will you be able to pay compensation or block the dinosaurs? "
Hoskins was choked up and speechless, but still stiffened his neck: " We have a security force, we have heavy weapons, we can definitely... "
" Give it up. " Tony sneered, folding his arms and interrupting, " With that little security equipment of yours, it's fine to fight ordinary dinosaurs, but fight the Indominus Rex? It's not even enough to give it an itch. By the time your troops arrive, the tourists will be stone cold. "
" You... "
" All right! "
Simon spoke abruptly, interrupting the argument. He stared hard at Logan, his eyes full of struggle. After a few seconds, it was as if he had made up his mind: " Mr. Howlett, I agree. As long as you can solve... no, as long as you can control the Indominus Rex and ensure the safety of the tourists, it belongs to you. We will bear all the losses of the park ourselves. "
He calculated very clearly.
Compared to bankruptcy liquidation and imprisonment, giving away a dinosaur was nothing at all.
Furthermore, what kind of person was Logan Howlett? An Omega-level Mutant, a fellow who had wiped out an alien fleet all by himself. Doing him this favor was ten thousand times better than hugging a dinosaur and waiting to die.
" Mr. Simon! " Hoskins panicked, " You can't agree to him! This is the core asset of the company... "
" Is the core asset important, or are hundreds of human lives important? " Simon gave him a cold look, " Or, does Mr. Hoskins have a better way? "
Hoskins opened his mouth, but ultimately shut it sullenly. He really had no other way; he couldn't go up and fight the dinosaur himself.
No matter how unwilling he was in his heart, he could only hold it in, glaring resentfully at Logan with venom in his eyes.
Logan didn't take his gaze to heart at all.
This kind of clown jumping on the stage didn't even qualify to make him take action.
" Deal. " He nodded, stretched his fingers a little, and a very faint blue light appeared at his fingertips, " Wait here, within half an hour, it will be resolved. "
Tony's eyes lit up, and he immediately followed: " Hey, wait for me! I'm going too! Just right to test if my new armor's tranquilizer darts can knock down a dinosaur! "
The two walked out one after the other, leaving a room full of people in the command center looking at each other in dismay.
Claire looked at Logan's back, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
She didn't know how this big boss was going to deal with the Indominus Rex, nor did she know what he wanted with a prehistoric predator.
But she inexplicably felt that whatever he said he would do, he could do it.
Simon leaned back against the chair, letting out a long sigh of relief, his back completely soaked.
He didn't know whether this decision was right or wrong, and he didn't know whether handing a dangerous genetic dinosaur over to a private individual would cause even bigger trouble.
But at least for now, he had won the bet.
It was better than causing large-scale casualties on the very first day of opening.
It's just that he couldn't figure out no matter what—how did this Wolverine happen to take a fancy to that Indominus Rex?
Could it be that the big bosses' tastes in raising pets are all so extraordinary?
Chapter 122: Done
By the fence of the herbivore enclosure, the Indominus Rexwas pressing its head against the alloy guardrail, emitting a low hiss.
It had just shaken off the following of four velociraptors.
To be precise, it found those four little guys too noisy, swiped them away with a flick of its tail, and wandered over here alone.
The herd of triceratops in the enclosure huddled in the corner, shivering, and the tourists had long been evacuated by security, leaving only a few trampled hats and overturned beverage cups scattered on the ground, though no severely injured tourists were seen, meaning it hadn't completely gone on a killing frenzy yet.
"There it is!" Tony's mask snapped shut with a swish, and his palm repulsors instantly lit up with a light blue glow. "Watch me hit it with a tranquilizer dart, guaranteed to knock it out in three minutes..."
"Don't move."
Logan raised a hand to press down on his muzzle, his tone calm yet unquestionable, "That little bit of anesthetic you have isn't even enough to give it an itch scratch. If you really hurt it and it charges into the tourist evacuation route, are you going to be responsible for stopping it?"
Tony unconvincedly retorted, "This is an enhanced anesthetic of mine; it can knock down ten elephants!"
"It's not an elephant." Logan glanced at the Indominus Rexon the other side of the fence, whose dorsal fins were alertly raised, a flash of sharpness passing through his eyes. "Its intelligence is higher than you think, and forcing it will only cause more trouble. Stand aside and watch, don't make a mess."
As his words fell, he took two steps forward and stood in the middle of the empty driveway.
The Indominus Rex instantly turned its head, its cold vertical pupils staring fixedly at him, emitting a threatening low growl from its throat, its massive body slightly lowering into a hunting posture.
Its body, over a dozen meters long, was covered in thick dark-gray scales, with spines extending all the way from its back to the tip of its tail, every inch exuding the ferocity of a top predator.
If anyone else stood here, they would probably have been scared weak-kneed long ago.
Logan, however, remained motionless, even leisurely lighting a cigar.
He silently recited the command in his heart, and the Mental Illusion level instantly climbed upward, points clattering down along the system panel, quickly breaking through the Alpha-level threshold.
A wave of mental power far more majestic than before unfolded, not as grand in momentum as a magnetic field, but carrying an omnipresent dominance, sliding through the air and the gaps of the scales, arrogantly yet orderly drilling into the mind of the Indominus Rex.
The Indominus Rex suddenly shook its head, let out a painful hiss, took two steps back, and whipped its tail fiercely against the nearby tree trunk, snapping a bowl-thick tree on impact.
It could feel something invading its consciousness, wanting to resist, but unable to find a target to attack.
Anger, anxiety, and fear intertwined, causing it to spin in place, its claws kicking up flying dirt, yet it never dared to charge forward a single step.
Instinct was telling it that the man in front of it was an even more apex predator than itself.
Alpha-level mental invasion was more than enough to deal with a dinosaur with the intelligence of a middle schooler.
Logan wasn't in a hurry to force it to surrender. Just like when he domesticated Poseidon, he retracted and released it, suppressing its ferocity with mental power while repeatedly implanting the conditioned reflex that 'obeying commands equals having food equals being safe'.
The wind whipped past with debris of grass and wood, and the man and the dragon stood facing each other like this.
Tony floated in mid-air, his palm repulsors still lit, but he dared not make a move.
He could clearly see the emotional changes of the Indominus Rex.
From the initial fierceness and tyranny, to anxiety and struggle, then to later hesitation and bewilderment, and finally even the low growls weakened, and its tail stopped swinging, obediently hanging down.
Less than five minutes in total.
"Done."
Logan casually spat out two words, then raised his chin at the Indominus Rex, his voice not loud, but carrying an irresistible force: "Come here."
The Indominus Rex hesitated for two seconds, its massive body slowly moving forward a few steps, its head slowly lowering until it approached Logan, as docile as an oversized lizard, even lightening its breathing.
Logan reached out and patted its rough nasal bone. The scales were as hard as alloy plates, carrying a bit of the warmth baked by the sun.
"Quite well-behaved."
Tony dropped from mid-air, his mask springing open, his mouth wide enough to fit a donut: "Holy shit... That's it? Five minutes? Your mental power is too outrageous!"
"It's very smart, knowing to concede when it can't win." Logan withdrew his hand, patting the dust off it, "Better than you blasting it with a cannon and forcing it to run wild all over the mountain."
Tony curled his lips, but couldn't refute it.
He lowered his head to glance at the armor's scanning data; the Indominus Rex's various physiological indicators were leveling off, its aggressiveness had dropped to an extremely low level, and even its heart rate had slowed down.
He smacked his lips, and inside, besides shock, there was only irrepressible excitement.
Such a good modification material; not outfitting it with armor would simply be a waste of heavenly things!
When the two of them walked towards the command center with the Indominus Rex, the security personnel on the road were dumbfounded.
The prehistoric beast that was chasing people all over the park just now was now obediently following behind Logan, stepping extremely lightly, even carefully pulling back its tail for fear of brushing against the trees on both sides. In that state, if someone said it was a large pet dog, people would believe it.
The people at the command center had received the news and were waiting at the door, but seeing this scene, they collectively lost their voices.
Simon stared at the uncharacteristically docile Indominus Rex, unable to speak for a long time.
He had envisioned countless ways to resolve this: dying in battle, severe injury, blasting with heavy firepower, but he never expected it could be... tamed so easily.
"Mr. Howlett..." He hurried forward, his tone full of the relief of surviving a disaster, "Thank you so much! Really thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know how today's matter would end."
"Small matter." Logan waved his hand, "It's good that not many people were hurt. I'll take the dinosaur away, just have your assistant coordinate the subsequent procedures with my lawyer."
"No problem, no problem!" Simon nodded repeatedly, wishing he could quickly hand off this hot potato, "I'll have people expedite all the procedures, and the process can be finished today! I'll also send you the transportation and breeding-related materials later!"
Hawkins standing nearby in the shadow had a face turning blue and white.
He was unwilling, but didn't dare to say a single word of refusal. Even the Indominus Rex had been casually tamed by him; his meager security forces were no different from paper in front of this person.
If he really angered the other party, he wouldn't even know how he died.
Claire stood beside Simon, looking at Logan's back, the shock in her eyes lingering for a long time.
She had only seen this big shot's battle records in the news before and always felt there was some exaggeration. Only seeing it with her own eyes today did she know what absolute strength crushing was.
One person, five minutes, taming an out-of-control apex predator.
No one would believe it if told outside.
Logan didn't delay much, greeted Simon, and led the Indominus Rex toward the port.
Tony followed alongside, his mouth never stopping: "Hey, what material do you think we should use for its armor? Ordinary alloy definitely won't do; its skin is too hard, and the fit won't be enough. Cybertron memory metal is suitable, but it needs a custom mold, much more complicated than Poseidon's..."
"The shoulder armor must be thickened; it likes to crash into things. And the claws, can we put an alloy claw cover on it? It will be convenient for splitting trees and tearing down fences. Right, and at the caudal vertebrae, install a small energy shield generator, which can block attacks when encountered..."
Logan got a headache from hearing it: "Give it a rest. You just finished outfitting Poseidon, and now you're eyeing this one?"
"This is different!" Tony's eyes lit up, "Poseidon is in the water, and this one is on land! The uses are different! Think about it, in the future when it stands in your private port wearing armor, any thieves or pirates who dare to approach will be slapped flying directly, much more useful than hiring security!"
"Am I short on that bit of security?" Logan glanced at him sideways, "Tinker all you want, just don't mess it up for me. You pay for the material costs yourself."
"No problem! I'll cover the materials!" Tony immediately agreed, afraid he would go back on his word, "Later I'll pull Ironhide in to design it together, guaranteed to look cool and pack a punch!"
The two of them argued all the way to the port. Poseidonhad long been waiting in the shallow water area, its dark silver armored dorsal fins exposed above the surface. Seeing Logan return, it flicked its tail.
Ares also ran over from the nearby lawn, originally wanting to pounce on Logan's side, but looking up and seeing the dozen-meters-tall Indominus Rex, it slammed on the brakes on the spot, its fur fluffing up all over again, tucking its tail and retreating two steps back, emitting a vigilant whine in its throat.
"Be a good boy." Logan bent down to rub its big head, pointing at the Indominus Rex, "Our own people, don't bark blindly."
Ares tilted its head to look at its Master, then looked at the docilely standing big dinosaur, hesitated for a few seconds, tentatively edged forward, and sniffed the Indominus Rex's claws.
The Indominus Rex lowered its head to glance at the puppy at its feet, didn't move, and let it sniff.
Poseidon also poked its head out of the water, resting its big head on the shore, curiously eyeing this newly arrived big guy.
Sunlight spilled over the port—the twenty-plus-meter armored giant shark, the dozen-meter Indominus Rex, the ninety-kilogram Blue Bay Shepherd, plus the two people standing in the middle. The scene was indescribably bizarre, yet exuded a bizarre harmony.
Logan, with an unlit cigar in his mouth, looked at the three figures before him and couldn't help smiling.
From now on, the private port wouldn't have to worry about lacking someone to watch the door.
Tony was still babbling endlessly beside him about the armor design plan, talking about materials to propulsion, defense to aggressiveness, almost flying spittle.
Logan didn't interrupt him, just listening like this.
Let him tinker away.
Chapter 123: The Restless Tony
The disturbance on Isla Nublar subsided after only half a day.
After the tourists were orderly evacuated, the security team worked overnight to repair the damaged fences, and the herbivore zone reopened the next morning.
Simon stood in the command center, looking at the park that had resumed its hustle and bustle, cold sweat still on his back, but he couldn't help sighing to Claire beside him: "A blessing in disguise, who knows if it's a misfortune or a blessing."
Claire flipped through the real-time popularity data on her tablet, crying and laughing: "Right now, the whole internet is spamming 'Jurassic World opening encounters dinosaur escape, Wolverine tames it on the spot', and the traffic is three times higher than the opening ceremony. Many tourists specially changed their flights to come here just to check-in at the 'Indominus Rex escape site', and some people are even asking if they can take a picture with Mr. Howlett's dinosaur."
Simon touched his chin and smiled: "Well, it can be considered a blessing in disguise. It's just a pity about that Indominus Rex... But giving it to Mr. Howlett is better than something going wrong. If someone really lost their life, we'd all be in big trouble."
He knew very well that no matter how precious that dinosaur was, it couldn't compare to the future of the entire park.
Being able to use this matter to do Logan a favor was much more cost-effective than keeping a ticking time bomb.
During the first three days back at the private harbor, the new Indominus Rex was not quite used to it.
Having stayed in a cramped breeding area since it was small, its eyes were filled with alloy fences and cement floors; when had it ever seen mountains of lawns, deep pools connected to the open sea, and patches of tropical forests?
During the day, it strolled leisurely through the woods, scratching the soft soil with its claws and whipping the coconut trees blocking the way with its tail, having a blast, and even its ferocity faded quite a bit.
On the day of naming, Tony was squatting by the pool drawing armor sketches with Ironhide. Hearing Logancasually give the Indominus Rex a name, the stylus in his hand dropped onto the blueprint with a "clack".
"Hades?!" Tony jumped up, pointing at his nose and shouting, "Poseidon, Hades, are you going to get Zeus and Athena next? Gather the Twelve Olympians?"
Logan leaned against a coconut tree, biting on a cigar and leisurely exhaling a puff of smoke: "Not a bad idea, we'll talk when we run into suitable ones later."
Ironhide nodded heavily beside him, delivering a deadpan knife-twist: "Zeus can be equipped with a lightning generator, which fits the mythological setting and has great firepower."
Tony: "..."
He finally figured it out: these two, one daring to think and the other daring to echo, put together would sooner or later turn the prehistoric zoo into a mythology-themed amusement park.
Ares was now completely unafraid of Hades.
At first, it only dared to throw beef jerky from afar; now, every morning, it carried its own frisbee into the woods, threw it in front of Hades, and barked for it to fetch.
Hades was initially too lazy to bother, but getting annoyed by the pestering, it gently flicked the frisbee up with the tip of its nose and swept its tail to fling it far away. The big dog immediately trotted over in chase, never tiring of it.
Poseidon was even worse, always taking advantage of when Hades went to the shore to drink water to fiercely flick its tail and splash seawater all over its face.
Hades would initially low-roar twice as a warning, but later getting used to it, it used its tail to sweep the grass clippings and fine sand on the shore back into the water. Shark and dragon fought a water battle across the pool's edge, splashing the surrounding lawn completely wet.
Every time Logan stood on the terrace and saw these three, he would complain: "Three fools."
Disgusted on the lips, he turned around and asked the kitchen to prepare another two tons of top-grade Wagyu beef, feeding the three guys until their fur was glossy and sleek, and each of them was plump and strong.
This matter was never kept secret from start to finish.
When Logan swaggered away from the port of Isla Nublarwith Hades, the surroundings were full of tourists and media holding an astral phone, and the lenses were almost pressed against the dinosaur's face.
That very night, Astral exploded directly, #WolverineTames Indominus Rex# and #Logan Dinosaur Pet# slaughtered the top two spots on the trending list, and even the news about the remnant Decepticons was squeezed past the tenth page.
In the most popular video, the dozen-meter-long Indominus Rex obediently followed behind the man in a floral shirt, stepping extremely lightly, and even carefully tucking away its thick tail for fear of brushing against the nearby facilities.
Tony, following behind, was still endlessly talking about the armor plan, gesticulating wildly, forming a stark contrast.
"I'm dumbfounded... That's an Indominus Rex! The master who almost overturned the park at its opening, and it's this well-behaved?"
"Those online flaunting lions and tigers should all come out and take a beating! People raise Megalodon and prehistoric dinosaurs!"
"The most gutsy man in the World, Logan Howlett, well-deserved. Other people raise pets for companionship, he raises pets to guard the house."
"It is recommended to directly change the title from 'Wolverine' to 'Prehistoric Zoo Director'."
"Is it only me who noticed Hades's name? Poseidon is the god of the sea, Hades is the underworld king, Ares is the god of war, so the boss is trying to gather all the divine positions?"
Mainstream media also entered the field to report.
The New York Times headline was "The Mutant Leader's New Pet: The Taming Path of a Top Predator", while tech magazines wrote lengthy analyses on "Is the ability of psychic powers to tame prehistoric creatures capable of popularization?"
The financial section also casually calculated the cost of Logan raising these two pets: the food bill alone would be close to 10 million dollars a year, something ordinary people wouldn't even dare to imagine.
Among the various statements, the nickname "the most enviable man in the World" spread the widest.
After all, who wouldn't want to raise a shark in their left hand and a dinosaur in their right hand, and even be able to ride one out for a spin?
Carly was the first to propose opening an astral phoneaccount for the two new members.
That day she came over with Anna to deliver documents, and as soon as she entered the harbor, she saw Arescarrying a frisbee chasing Hades, and Poseidon poking its head out of the pool to watch the fun. She pulled out her phone on the spot and filmed a video, her eyes shining like stars: "Boss! Open an astral account for Poseidon and Hades too! Ares's account fans have already broken 20 million, the two of them will definitely go viral too!"
Logan was originally too lazy to bother with such idle matters, but he couldn't stand Carly's badgering, and after glancing at the three guys tilting their heads and looking over, he casually agreed: "Whatever you want, just don't make too much of a fuss."
The account was registered that very day, with the ID named "Poseidon and Hades", and the bio written very down-to-earth: "The boss's two silly pets, big brother @Ares is the wolf king".
Just ten minutes after registration, the fans broke one million, all stumbling over following Ares's account and the trending searches.
The first video featured all three pets in the same frame: the big dog ran on the lawn with a frisbee in its mouth, the dinosaur leisurely followed behind swaying its tail, and the shark revealed a dark silver armored dorsal fin in the water, with the caption "Land and Sea Heavenly Group Officially Debuts".
The comment section instantly went crazy with laughter:
"Big brother Ares's aura is really strong! Dinosaurs and sharks both have to listen to it?"
"I'm dead laughing, the wolf king is indeed the top traffic, the younger brothers all have to queue in the back."
"May I ask if you are still missing new members? Tyrannosaurus Rex or Mosasaurus are both fine, I see the boss's stance is to gather the prehistoric whole-family bucket."
"It is recommended that Teacher Tony also install armor for Hades, gather an armored heavenly group, and debut directly!"
Within a few days, the account's fans were heading towards five million.
Although there was still a considerable gap from Ares's 20 million, the growth rate was astonishing, with a large number of netizens camping out waiting for updates every day.
Carly happily filmed daily routines every day: today she filmed Hades tearing down a coconut tree, tomorrow she filmed Poseidon splashing water to prank the big dog, and the day after she filmed Ares riding on Hades's back showing off. The traffic was outrageously high, and even advertisers came knocking, all of which were blocked back by Anna.
The boss wasn't short of this little money, so there was no need to let pets take commercials.
Tony and Ironhide's "Hades Armor Project" was also quickly put on the agenda.
At first, Hades was particularly resistant to sticking metal plates on its body, shaking its head and swinging the mechanical arm half a meter away.
Later, Tony learned to be smart: stick a piece of armor, feed a piece of top-grade Wagyu beef. Feeding and feeding, Hades became numb, and every afternoon it punctually lay on the lawn, letting the two of them mess around. Anyway, as long as there was meat to eat, it didn't matter what was stuck.
Ironhide even specially made spine shapes for the shoulder guards, saying it fit the domineering setting of the underworld king. Tony complained that the aesthetic was too retro, and the two of them quarreled over the appearance for a whole afternoon.
Logan leaned against the terrace, looking at the two tech geeks busy downstairs, as well as Hades lying obediently gnawing on beef, Poseidon poking its head out of the pool to watch the fun, and Ares chasing butterflies, unable to help smiling.
This is what you call life!
Chapter 124: Special Departments Meeting
Unwittingly, the time came to early June 2012.
With the entry into summer, the weather also began to gradually heat up, and pedestrians' clothing gradually began to be dominated by cool and bold styles.
Early in the morning, Maggie opened the doors of the coffee shop and began to prepare for business.
Ever since Logan bought her this street-corner coffee shop, she leisurely began to enjoy her own slow-paced life.
The thing she liked doing most was brewing cups of coffee with different flavors for the guests. In her spare time, she would browse the Astral Platform and check out that man's daily life.
Although the meetings between her and Logan became less and less frequent, contact was never broken.
This kind of life was actually quite nice. When she thought of him, she would meet him, and when nothing was going on, she would live her respective life well. There was neither need to consider a distant future nor fail to live well in her own present.
Speaking of which, due to the launch of the Astral Platform, under Logan's promotion, her coffee shop had also become a check-in spot in New York City. The celebrity effect, combined with honest ingredients and an impressive taste, quickly won the favor of many people.
When she was busy, her younger brother Matt would also come over to help, and even Logan would come over to lend a hand when he had free time.
Quite good, this was enough, did she still need to ask for more?
Sending out the first cup of coffee in the early morning, Maggie said "Welcome, please come again" with a full face of smiles. Her hands, pressed closely against her abdomen, were as steady as if she had never had Parkinson's disease before.
In the corridor of the women's college, Michaela was plotting whether to beg Logan to go and see his private harbor, when Emma behind her patted her on the shoulder unexpectedly.
"What are you thinking about? You didn't even hear me when I greeted you."
Michaela said an apology, and then mysteriously whispered to Emma and Harriet, "Do you guys want to go see Hades and Poseidon?"
Emma and Harriet's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and the latter said somewhat hesitantly, "Would this trouble Mr. Howlett?"
"Probably not, he isn't very busy usually. Let me give him a call and ask." Saying this, Michaela took out her phone uncertainly and dialed Logan's number.
"What's wrong, Michaela?"
Facing Emma and Harriet's expectant gazes, Michaelamustered up the courage to ask, "Logan, can I bring Emmaand Harriet to visit your private harbor?"
"Not these past few days." Before the young girls could become disappointed, the matter took a turn, "But one week from now is fine."
"Really? Then it's a deal!"
Far away in the private harbor, listening to the girl's jubilant voice on the other end of the phone, Logan unconsciously chuckled, "Of course."
Hanging up the phone, he threw half a side of beef into the pool, which was swallowed into the belly of Poseidon with its bloody mouth wide open shortly after.
On the beach not far away, Hades, covered in black armor, was lazily lying there sunbathing, while Ares was curled up sleeping in the bend of its legs.
Logan turned around and returned to the lounge chair, picked up a cigar from the round table next to it, slowly lit it, and then leisurely exhaled a puff of smoke.
Living life to this extent, basically there were no major pursuits left anyway. He was in no hurry to enhance his own strength unless he encountered some difficult-to-resolve problems.
Speaking of which, after a short while, Tony would have to suffer again, right? After all, the trigger time for Iron Man 3 was getting closer and closer, and that Aldrich Killian must have already started moving by now, right?
Thinking this, he picked up the phone and dialed Jessica, "Jessica, help me check Aldrich Killian, the CEO of A.I.M. Advanced Idea Mechanics, see what people he has met and what things he has done. It doesn't need to be too detailed, just the general outline."
"Sigh, you're coming to exploit my labor force again. Who made you the boss? You have the final say, but the pay and bonus must not be a single penny short."
Saying complaining words on her lips, Jessica was actually feeling quite pleased in her heart. After all, her boss was always generous with his money, and this time she could splurge for a while again.
"Alright, old rules." Logan hung up the phone in exasperation. He was long used to this money-grubbing female detective.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion Headquarters.
Fury looked at Z in front of him with some helplessness. Ever since dealing with the Men in Black organization, he had found out just how troublesome it was.
In the past, he only needed to manage supernatural events and alien invasions, but now he even had to assist the other party in managing alien immigration on Earth.
If data hadn't been shared, he wouldn't have discovered that there were so many aliens on Earth. Even among well-known sports stars and celebrities, there was no lack of their figures.
Exactly because the number was too large, he was already starting to consider whether to conduct a recruitment expansion. After all, almost the people he could send out under his command had already been sent out.
"Z, it's not that I won't help you, the problem is that I don't have anyone left on my hands right now. The people on Coulson's team cannot be moved, let alone the Avengers. I've already sent Victoria Hand to assist with your control mission, where else are there people?"
Looking at Fury, who spread his hands to express powerlessness, Z said deliberately and slowly, "Isn't there still Agent Hill?"
"Hehehe! Hill has a mission on her, it's impossible for me to send her out." Fury patted the table lightly and said seriously, "If all else fails, you guys can expand recruitment. You can't keep trying to find a solution through us, right?"
"You think expanding recruitment is that simple? We don't just take anyone." Z curled his lips, "Since you have no solution, I'll go to Sector Seven and think of a way."
"You don't need to go."
The door opened, and Simmons, who had now become the director of Sector Seven, brought his confidant Dutch and said in a theatrical tone, "Our Sector Seven now needs to be responsible for the global Decepticons defense project, there are no hands we can give you."
The plan to borrow people went bankrupt, but Z was not annoyed. He frowned and asked the two, "Do you guys know of any other departments that haven't popped up yet?"
"Among special departments currently exposed, there are our S.H.I.E.L.D., Sector Seven, B.P.R.D., and your Men in Black. I can't think of any other mysterious departments that haven't been exposed." Fury's single eye rolled.
Mentioning this left him speechless. Four special departments, their functions almost all overlapped, and he didn't know which big brain thought it up.
"Actually, it seems there really is one." Simmons suddenly said something startling.
Z's eyes lit up, "Oh? What organization?"
"G.I. Joe, a multinational joint special forces unit responsible for handling global terrorist attacks. Their person in charge is General Hawk, and this department belongs to the Military."
Z raised an eyebrow, "Sounds pretty ordinary?"
"Don't look down on them. Although they don't deal with aliens, the abilities of the members they absorb are not bad."
Simmons's words piqued Z's interest, and even Fury had a pensive look.
Chapter 125 Special Forces
Z was a man of action, genuinely pulling out an encrypted terminal to dial a cross-Military-district dedicated line.
The phone rang seven or eight times before it was answered. The background noise on the other end was mixed with shouted commands and keyboard clicking. General Hawk's voice was as raspy as sandpaper: "Who is this?"
"Men in Black, Z." Z spoke at a steady pace, getting straight to the point. "I heard that G.I. JOE is responsible for global counter-terrorism special operations, and I'd like to borrow two people to help deal with the lingering issues of alien immigrant control."
Hawk was silent on the other end for two seconds, and then a rather speechless voice came through the receiver: "Borrow people? You Men in Black handle alien affairs, what kind of people are you borrowing from our Militaryspecial forces? To be honest, I am even shorter on people than S.H.I.E.L.D. right now. The arms smuggling case in the Middle East has just cropped up, and NATO's joint exercise is starting next week. I'm getting a headache just staring at the recruitment expansion report. Rookies take at least three months to train, and veteran team members have been running continuously for almost half a year, being used as three people each. Borrow people? Impossible, I even want to borrow people myself."
He spoke bluntly without any official jargon at all.
Fury listened from the side, raising an eyebrow, and exchanged a glance with Simmons.
Turns out these special forces were also suffering from a manpower shortage; they were cut from the same cloth.
Z didn't press the matter and nodded, saying, "Understood. I just heard that you guys recently took on an escort job for MARS Group, so I casually asked."
"Escort? Don't mention it." Hawk's tone sank a bit. "Four Nanomites warheads, said to be bought by NATO from McCullen, and they asked us to pick them up along the way. I'm just afraid the road won't be peaceful. That stuff is extremely eerie, and if it really leaks out, the trouble will be huge."
After a couple more polite words, the phone hung up.
Z shrugged and looked at Fury: "Well, total wipeout. Everyone cries about lacking people, as if Men in Blackwere stepchildren."
Fury didn't respond, his single eye staring at G.I. JOE's profile on the screen.
A multi-national joint special forces unit specializing in tackling hard nuts to crack; they were indeed a force worth winning over.
It was just that the timing wasn't right; it wouldn't be too late to talk about it after this wave of counter-terrorism blew over.
Meanwhile, on a winding mountain road somewhere in Eastern Europe, three black bulletproof SUVs were driving smoothly.
Duke in the passenger seat was biting on half a cigarette, squinting sideways at the tightly sealed alloy safe in the back seat, complaining to Ripcord who was driving: "I mean, just four lousy warheads, is it worth the two of us personally escorting them? Are those people at headquarters having too much idle time? That guy McCullen boasts to the skies. I think he's cut from the same cloth as Hammer's Steel Soldiers back in the day; it's all marketing gimmicks."
Ripcord held the steering wheel and laughed: "Gimmick or not, as long as they pay. Besides, once this run is done, we can just go back to the Base to report on the mission."
As soon as he finished speaking, the electromagnetic warning light on the roof of the car suddenly flashed wildly.
Duke instantly threw away his energy bar, grabbed the rifle beside him, and shouted: "Something's wrong! There's an EMP!"
Too late.
Several almost invisible arcs flashed across the air, and three electromagnetic pulse bombs precisely smashed in front of and behind the convoy.
With a loud "buzz" sound, the electronic systems of the three cars instantly went completely black, the engines stalled, the doors locked dead, and even the communicators turned into bricks.
Outside the car windows, a dozen or so armed militants wearing exoskeleton armor silently surrounded them, their masks tightly covering their faces, and the pulse guns in their hands glinted with cold light.
"Damn! Someone actually dares to rob us!" Duke cursed, raised his foot to kick the side window shatter and tumbled out, using rifle single shots to force back the two people in the front.
Ripcord also broke through from the other side, the two of them sticking back-to-back, frowning tightly as they looked at the surrounding enemies.
The opponent's equipment was too good, with exoskeletons and stealth coating; it was clear they were gunning for the warheads.
The enemy didn't talk nonsense either, smashing pulse bombs over here like they cost nothing.
Just as Duke dodged a shot, his shoulder was grazed, and half of his body went numb for a split second.
Seeing that the opponent was about to feel their way to the rear trunk, suddenly a shadow leaped down from the roadside cliff, a katana slashing out with cold light, neatly and decisively batting away the rifles of two armed militants.
It was Snake Eyes.
He landed without a sound, his black combat uniform almost blending into the shadows, his blade so fast it left only afterimages, and he took down three people in the blink of an eye.
On the cliff on the other side, Scarlett held a sniper rifle and engaged in precise single-shot firing, every shot hitting the joint gaps of the exoskeleton, disengaging power with every shot.
"They're our own people!" Ripcord's eyes lit up.
With the two of them joining, the situation instantly reversed.
Seeing that they couldn't get the upper hand and unwilling to linger in battle, two armed militants carried one of the safes to retreat backward, while the rest covered the rear.
By the time Snake Eyes finished dealing with the rear-guard enemies, the opponents had long since rappelled down the cliff, leaving not even a shadow of their vehicles.
Duke braced his knees and panted, cursing a foul word as he looked at the only remaining safe.
Scarlett put away her gun and walked over, her red hair slightly lifted by the wind: "General Hawk anticipated someone would intercept us, so he had the two of us follow. I didn't expect the enemy to move so fast."
"Half the warheads are gone, how are we going to report back?" Ripcord frowned.
"Let's go back to the Base first." Snake Eyes didn't speak, just nodded slightly. Scarlett said, "As long as everyone is safe. General Hawk said, warheads can be chased down, but people cannot be lost."
The four of them rendezvoused with the supporting team along the way and returned to G.I. JOE's secret Base.
After hearing the report, instead of getting angry, Hawk pointed at Duke and Ripcord and laughed: "Not bad, two people unarmed holding out for three minutes, fast reactions and accurate shooting. Just right, I'm expanding recruitment here and lacking people with practical combat experience like you guys. How about it, stay and work with me?"
Duke and Ripcord exchanged a glance, both seeing a sense of temptation in each other's eyes.
They were originally here to hand over the task; being able to enter G.I. JOE was naturally a good thing.
The two of them hardly hesitated and nodded on the spot: "We'll do it!"
Hawk laughed loudly, patting the two men on the shoulders: "Good! We're short on hands anyway, join the team for training tomorrow. Snake Eyes, Scarlett, take them to get familiar with the environment."
He turned around and walked to the operational map, staring at the location of MARS Group marked on it, his brow slightly furrowed.
The Nanomites warheads being robbed was definitely not something ordinary Terrorists could pull off.
On a private island on the other side of Earth, the sunlight was making people feel lazy.
Tony squatted on the lawn with a tablet spread out in front of him, his stylus tapping loudly.
Nearby, Ironhide half-squatted on the ground, holding the shoulder armor components of Hades. The two of them put their heads together to study the stress angles of the armor spikes, arguing every now and then.
Logan leaned on the recliner on the terrace, spinning a lighter in his hand, browsing funny videos edited by netizens on the Astral network, and he couldn't help laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Tony shouted without raising his head, the pen in his hand still modifying blueprints. "Come over and give me a hand. Ironhide's aesthetic is hopeless; he insists on adding cannon barrels to the shoulder armor. Hades isn't Ironhide, why carry so many cannon barrels? To act as a mobile artillery platform?"
"Mind your own business," Ironhide retorted in a muffled voice. "Defense has to be stacked. Last time Decepticons' pulse cannon could pierce alloy, can we not thicken it?"
"Even if you thicken it, you don't need cannon barrels! Is it proper to put cannon barrels on a dinosaur?"
"What's improper about it? Poseidon already has thrusters installed, what's wrong with Hades having two cannons!"
The two of them started arguing again. Logan shook his head with a smile, didn't go over to meddle, and took a sip of his iced drink.
"Oh right," Tony suddenly remembered something, stopping the pen in his hand, and looked up to shout at Logan, "Have you ever heard of MARS Group? It's that Military industry company, the boss is named McCullen. Word has been spreading wildly in the circle recently, saying he came up with some kind of Nanomites warhead, the kind that can chew through metal, hyped up like it's miraculous."
Logan's lighter paused in his hand.
MARS, McCullen, Nanomites warheads.
Stringing these words together, a sense of familiarity welled up in his heart.
He pondered in his heart, but didn't show it on his face, merely raising an eyebrow: "No impression. What, did they steal your business?"
"He's worthy?" Tony snorted, full of disdain, "He only rose to the position by picking up Hammer Group's leftovers. After Justin Hammer went to prison, most of the engineers under him scattered, and McCullen picked them all back up, even taking over the nano project that Hammer failed to complete back then. He changed the packaging and took it out to fool people, calling it Nanomites warheads. I think it's just reskinned micro-mechanical bugs; compared to the nanotechnology of my Mark armor, they're not even worthy of carrying my shoes."
He spoke smugly, tapping the stylus on the tablet and pulling up an industry briefing: "Look, they're even doing business with NATO, selling four warheads. This very thing, Hammer gave up halfway back then because the control difficulty was too high and it was prone to backlash. McCullen hides it like a precious baby; I think sooner or later something's going to happen."
Logan didn't speak, his gaze falling on the words "Nanomites warheads" on the briefing, and the memories in his mind grew clearer.
Isn't this the plot from the movie *G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra*?
In the original plot, this thing chewed away the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and its destructive power was not small.
And the one who truly manufactured this thing wasn't McCullen, but Rex, the true leader of the Cobra organization. McCullen was just a scapegoat he pushed to the forefront.
"What are you thinking about?" Tony saw him not speaking for a long time, raised his head to glance at him, "You don't really think that thing is powerful, right? Let me tell you, if it really attacks, the outer layer of my armor is plated with an inert metal film, and it won't even be able to chew through it."
"Powerful or not, it's still more useful than you pondering every day about putting armor on a dinosaur." Loganlaughed, retorted, and then sent Jessica a message asking her to check the movements of MARS and McCullen.
Jessica instantly replied with a meme of "Received and boss is generous", followed by a little person rubbing hands, and along with it sent the previous investigation progress of Killian, saying that they had already tracked down a secret laboratory of his in Florida.
Logan glanced at it and casually stuffed his phone back into his pocket.
Killian's side wasn't urgent; Extremis was still in the experimental stage and hadn't reached the time of outbreak.
McCullen's side could be paid attention to; anyway, Jessicahad free time, so checking more wouldn't hurt.
"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?" Tony threw over a stylus. "Come over and see what weapons are better to use."
Logan caught the pen, lowered his head to scan the various weapon design blueprints on the tablet, and said speechlessly: "It's one thing for you to make armor for a dinosaur, but you're also equipping it with weapons? Does it know how to use them?"
"So what?" Tony became unhappy. "This is called being prepared for any eventuality."
Ironhide nodded heavily beside him, expressing deep agreement.
Logan shook his head helplessly, "Suit yourselves."