After finishing the last bit of food, the two carefully cleaned up the scene, making sure they didn't leave any traces.
Everything around them was silent except for the rustling of leaves in the wind. They moved quietly in their planned direction, guided by the faint moonlight.
In the distance, the outline of a pretty small town appeared, with flickering lights in the darkness. The town probably had a few thousand people, most of whom were asleep by now.
"Be careful," Logan whispered, scanning their surroundings cautiously.
"Those guys might've set up an ambush in the town."
He paused, then added,
"After all, that town's the only supply point within a couple hundred miles."
Logan quickly made his call based on years of experience. The lab where they'd been trapped was in some remote, barely-populated corner of the United States.
The location was picked for two reasons: first, to stay hidden, and second, to make sure that even if a Mutant managed to escape, they'd have a hell of a time hiding their tracks and getting supplies fast.
"Don't worry, my body's recovered a bit these past couple days."
Adrian replied quietly, his voice tired but determined.
"With my ability, they won't find us."
As he spoke, Adrian had already subtly activated the natural elements around them.
A faint shimmer rippled through the air, and an invisible energy slowly covered both of them.
It was an invisibility cloak woven from pure elements—not only impossible to see but also completely hiding their body heat.
"We don't have much time. Need to grab some supplies and cash, then get the hell out of here."
Adrian said quietly while keeping his ability running.
"Even though I freed a bunch of Mutants when I escaped the lab, that won't buy us much time."
He looked at Logan, his tone serious.
"You know who's running these kinds of labs, right? The power and tech they've got is a serious threat to us right now."
Honestly, if it wasn't absolutely necessary to get out of this area as fast as possible, Adrian would never take this risk.
It was still thousands of miles to the Vatican.
Without transportation and enough money, it'd take them several months to walk there—if they even made it at all.
Adrian didn't want to waste time here. A few months was enough for him to do way more important things.
"I know."
Logan nodded, his expression dead serious. He totally got what Adrian meant.
Under Adrian's elemental cover, the two slipped into the town silently, like shadows blending into the night.
With their shapes, heat signatures, and sounds completely hidden, they didn't disturb anyone—not even a single dog barked.
The town was soaked in the quiet of deep night. Most windows were dark, and only a few streetlights cast dim, yellow halos.
But Logan's beast-like intuition picked up on something off.
This town was clearly set up carefully—some hidden corners and high points had weapons and surveillance equipment, and there was this subtle, hard-to-detect tension in the air.
"Yeah, my hunch was right."
Logan said to Adrian in an almost inaudible voice.
"This town's a supply point they set up. Also a trap."
"Let's go, don't waste time."
Adrian's face looked even paler in the moonlight.
"My body can't hold out much longer."
The distance from the forest to the town wasn't too far, only a few miles, but constantly using his ability was taking a huge toll on Adrian.
They quietly reached the entrance of the supermarket in the town center. Adrian focused, extending his ability over the entire building, forming an energy barrier that blocked signals and sounds.
Logan jumped at the chance to move fast, expertly gathering what they needed.
Compressed rations and high-energy chocolate bars were the top priority—small, quick energy boosts.
At the same time, he also found several thousand dollars in cash at the supermarket's register and quickly stuffed it into his backpack.
"Go!"
Just a minute or two later, Logan shot out of the supermarket, his backpack already packed full.
He also had a car key in his hand, grabbed from a hook on the side of the supermarket.
"This gonna work?" Logan shook the key in his hand, looking at Adrian.
"It'll work. If the map's right, it can last till that city."
"Once my ability wears off, we'll have to ditch this car."
He understood what Logan was getting at—this car was just temporary.
"Alright!" Logan didn't waste time. The two quickly walked toward an old pickup truck parked next to the supermarket.
Adrian activated his energy again, wrapping the entire vehicle in it, and just like that, the car seemed to vanish into thin air.
Opening the door, starting the engine, which ran almost silently... under Logan's skilled hands, the car sped out of town like a ghost, completely without alerting anyone lurking around.
Even the armed guys stationed in the town didn't notice a thing.
Adrian's Elemental Control ability had been essential for escaping the lab.
It could distort light and block heat, and also temporarily mess with electronic signals, forming a complete stealth barrier.
The gas pedal hit the floor, and the car's engine roared quietly on the open road, its speed rapidly maxing out.
America's road system back then was actually pretty decent, especially the highways outside the city—barely any cars, no traffic jams, perfect conditions for their escape.
"Next stop's about a hundred and twenty miles away."
Logan checked the map by the faint light of the dashboard. It clearly showed their current location and the road ahead.
"This car probably doesn't have enough gas to make it."
"Let's get as far as we can."
Adrian leaned back in the seat, eyes closed, his face pale as hell.
"I need to recover."
He pulled out an emerald green glass bead from his pocket. It was a life energy crystal he'd painstakingly extracted and compressed from the surrounding plants using his ability.
Adrian had put in serious effort to make it, specifically to save his own ass when he was completely drained.
As the life energy entered his body, warmth gradually spread, and Adrian's color visibly improved.
Sure, the recovered energy wasn't much, but at least it was enough to keep his ability from failing for now.
The drive was silent. Logan stayed focused on the wheel, his sharp eyes locked on the road ahead, while Adrian closed his eyes to rest, recovering as much strength as possible.
After the vehicle had gone about a hundred and eighty miles, the pickup finally ran out of gas and slowly stopped in the middle of the road.
"How far to the destination?"
The moment the car stopped, Adrian opened his eyes, his voice still weak but clear.
"Less than twelve miles."
Logan double-checked the map by the faint light of dawn.
"At my speed, carrying you, we should get there quick. Sun's not fully up yet, so we should still be in the clear."
"Let's go." Adrian replied simply, slumping onto Logan's sturdy back.
Logan carried Adrian and took off, speeding toward the distant city.
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