Chapter 67: Help, Survival, and Dollar
Carol finally came back to her senses after her crazy binge fest. She was embarrassed, but she didn’t stop chewing. A few minutes later, she was already on her fourth bar of chocolate.
Luke made himself green tea which he had just bought from the supermarket.
Selina enjoyed her Dr. Pepper, and Carol had a can of energy drink.
Sipping the tea, Luke asked, “Ms. Carol, what brings you here?”
Carol stopped eating and lowered her head. “Nothing… actually, I just wanted to thank you in person.”
Luke remarked, “But the FBI is chasing you, and you may be discovered if you come looking for me. It wasn’t a wise decision.”
Carol hesitated. “I… I don’t know where I can go.”
Luke was silent for a while. After much thought, he eventually made a decision. “Carol, it probably wouldn’t have ended too badly for you if the FBI team had caught you yesterday, but you might’ve wanted to kill yourself if it had been the military.”
Carol exclaimed and looked at him suspiciously.
Not planning to explain himself, Luke continued, “You’re a mutant, aren’t you?”
Carol stood up quickly and stepped back in a defensive pose.
Luke continued calmly, “Don’t be shocked. It was just a random guess. Now, I’m going to ask you some questions, and you have to answer them honestly. Then, I’ll tell you a way out of this. Are you okay with that?”
Carol hesitated for a moment, but nodded. As an ordinary girl, it was impossible for her to deal with a situation like this.
Luke pointed at the sofa. “You can sit down.”
Carol sat down obediently.
Luke asked, “Actually, we looked into your shooting, so we have basic information on you. Can you tell me why you went after the Mexican gang?”
Carol gnashed her teeth. “They were the ones who tried to kill me. I know the person who killed me. His name’s Franco. He was with the manager.”
Luke asked, “Why did he kill you?”
Carol replied, “I caught them moving drugs to the warehouse in the back when I was getting off work. I was terrified and ran off, but they saw me. I called in sick for three days. Then, Franco broke into my apartment and killed me.”
Selina found it weird to listen to a living person talk about how she was killed.
Luke asked, “Why did you go to the warehouse after that?”
Carol said, “For revenge. I wanted to kill Franco if I could find him, and burn the goods if they were still there.”
Luke was amazed by the woman’s vindictiveness.
So far, Carol’s confession fitted the information he had.
But Luke still asked, “Where did you find the courage to seek revenge? They just murdered you.”
After a brief hesitation, Carol said, “I don’t know, but I realized that my body had changed after I woke up. I was strong and fast.”
Luke understood.
Although self-healing only seemed to be about the body’s recovery, Luke knew of a lot of other mutants who had such an ability.
Sabretooth, Wolverine, Lady Deathstrike and Deadpool were all experts in melee fights.
It would be weird if the self-healing ability didn’t improve Carol’s physical attributes.
Carol’s X-gene had probably been awakened when she had been near death, and had given her the self-healing ability. She wasn’t familiar with her ability yet, or Luke wouldn’t have been able to defeat her so easily.
But of course, her current performance was already pretty good.
Carol was a young girl who weighed no more than forty kilograms, but she could easily jump three meters high.
Luke nodded. “Alright, I have no further questions. There’s now only one way out for you. Find Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in Winchester, New York, and ask Professor X to take you in. Then you’ll be safe.”
Carol was stunned. “Youngsters?”
Luke couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve read your file. It’s true that you’re 23, but you can still turn to them since you’ve only just awakened your power. After all, they need teachers to teach the students. Everybody in the school is a mutant. Nobody will look down on you.”
Carol found it hard to believe. “Really? Does such a place really exist?”
Luke nodded. “Your only problem is getting to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters safely. Actually, it’s an open secret to many organizations. The FBI agents who tried to catch you must have people watching the school all the time.”
Carol was immediately upset.
Luke thought for a moment and went to his room. Soon, he returned with a pile of cash.
He gave the money to Carol and said, “Here’s about eight thousand dollars. Take the money and choose roads that don’t have security cameras. Don’t enter any big city in case there’s surveillance. Also, after you reach New York, you mustn’t approach Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters recklessly. My suggestion is that you observe it from afar until some of the school’s more powerful mutants come out. Then, you can ask for their help. Professor X is called Charles. He’s… supposedly a bald old man in a wheelchair right now. Storm is a young female with white hair, Cyclops is a young man wearing special goggles, and Dark Phoenix is another young female.”
Selina and Carol were both dumbfounded.
A moment later, Selina asked, “Why… Why do you know so much? Are you…”
Luke shook his head. “I’m not a mutant, but don’t forget Robert.”
Selina was enlightened. “Oh, Robert knows so many people. You found out from him?”
Luke smiled and said to Carol, who was still dazed, “Remember, stealth is the most important. You must know how tricky the FBI is. You won’t get away again if they catch you.”
Staring at the cash in her hand, Carol finally asked, “Why… Why are you helping me?”
She subconsciously glimpsed at Selina.
Selina was a hot Latino girl and a police officer. She was both sexy and smart.
Carol, in comparison, was just a regular girl. In terms of physical appeal, she was at least one level lower than Selina.
Luke couldn’t be helping her because she was beautiful.