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Deep within the underground drainage system of Paterson City, the damp air hung like a sticky, wet cloth, pressing heavily on everyone's hearts, permeated with the pungent smell of rot and rust mixed together. That stench was like countless tiny insects, desperately trying to burrow into one's nostrils.
Emergency lights cast a dim yellow glow, throwing shadows onto the moss-covered walls.
Sewage flowed slowly in the channels, its surface glistening with a disgusting, oily sheen under the light.
"Ugh, it stinks so bad here… This smell is even worse than your socks, Dad!"
Little Wolf Girl, with her keen sense of smell, had barely stepped into the sewer before she was almost knocked out by the pungent gas that assaulted her.
Her small nostrils flared violently, her two pale hands clamped tightly over her mouth and nose, her eyes rolling dramatically, and her slender body swayed like a reed in the wind, making a cute face that said, "I'm going to die here!" "Dad… I need to make a will… If I get suffocated to death, my game console goes to Charles…"
"Thump—"
Logan, completely unaffected, frowned slightly and raised a hand to deliver a crisp rap on his daughter's head, who was still fooling around.
The corner of his mouth, where a cigar was clamped, turned up slightly, forming a faint smile, and his eyes in the dim environment emitted a deep and sharp light, like that of a Beast.
Clearly, the darker the environment, the more it was his home ground.
"Listen, kid, smell is one of our strongest weapons; you have to learn how to control it…"
Logan's rough hand pressed on his daughter's shoulder, teaching earnestly: "Come, follow me, feel it, tame it, don't let it control you."
Next, he spoke while taking a deep breath himself, slowly exhaling, and at the same time, gently tapping his daughter's nostrils with his finger, patiently explaining the rhythm and frequency of breathing. He immediately began to teach Little Wolf Girl the methods and tricks for actively shielding excess odors.
Little Wolf Girl pouted, her small mouth slightly pursed, revealing a hint of reluctance, but she obediently closed her eyes, took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling rhythmically, trying as her dad had taught her.
Her brows sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed, as if she were engaged in a silent struggle with the foul odor.
Soon, when she opened her eyes again, a hint of surprise flashed in them. She blinked in astonishment, then proudly shook her head, her short black hair swaying. "It really doesn't feel as bad as before, does it?!"
Her voice was clear and pleasant, with a childlike joy, as if she had discovered a remarkable secret.
Meanwhile, Polaris, during the father-daughter lesson, turned slightly and said to Gwen, "There's one thing I think I need to remind you of: our current identity is still just observers…"
"So, moving forward, unless absolutely necessary, we will not actively help you in combat. After all, assessing your combat capabilities is part of our risk evaluation this time."
"I hope you two can understand."
Of course, it doesn't matter if they don't understand!
The last sentence was simply said by Polaris out of politeness.
Although Zemo had approved their participation in this rescue operation, it didn't mean they would blindly intervene regardless of the situation.
If Gwen and the others didn't even possess the most basic ability to control a situation, then they simply weren't worthy of cooperating with the Hyperspace Group.
Polaris would definitely report to Zemo immediately and cancel this risk assistance.
After all, Boss said: 'Heaven helps those who help themselves'!
"I understand…"
Gwen nodded emphatically upon hearing this, her eyes firm and clear.
She understood the principle that one must be strong oneself to succeed, and besides, she was already very grateful that Logan and the other two were willing to come along.
Come to think of it, if it weren't for her not wanting to kill these innocent people controlled by the Symbiote, she could easily handle this rescue operation alone.
"If there are only a few Symbiote Warriors here, Peter and I can handle it!" Gwen said confidently.
"That's right, we won't be a burden."
Lizard Peter, who had been following behind Gwen, let out an approving growl, his huge tail swinging back and forth on the ground.
"Gwen, Mr. Logan… look what I found?"
Soon, Lizard Peter picked up a mobile phone from the ground and carefully handed it to Gwen, afraid that he would crush it if he used even a little force.
Gwen woke the screen, finding that the battery icon in the upper corner of the phone was red and flashing to indicate low power.
So she quickly opened the call log before it automatically shut down, her eyes suddenly lighting up. She saw that the first entry was clearly her number, and she immediately said excitedly:
"That's right, Sheriff Frank Castle just used this phone to call…"
But when Gwen looked at the huge drainage pipes in front of her leading in four different directions, her excited expression instantly froze, her brows furrowed tightly, and she was suddenly at a loss, "But now, which way should we go to find him?"
A hint of confusion appeared in her eyes; in this intricate sewer system, every pipe was like an unknown labyrinth.
"He should have fled this way."
Logan bent down to examine the ground carefully, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, not missing any clue.
Relying on years of accumulated experience, he extended his finger, pointing to one of the passages, and said:
"He was very flustered when he left; something must have been chasing him… Presumably, it was those Symbiote Warriors, right?"
His voice was low and certain, as if he had personally witnessed Sheriff Frank Castle's escape.
So, the group of five, guided by Logan, endured the pungent stench and continuously moved forward along one side of the sewer, searching for more traces of Sheriff Frank Castle.
Sewage flowed through the main drainage channel, making a disturbing gurgling sound that, to Gwen's ears, sounded like countless rats gnawing at one's heart, causing anxiety.
The walls beside them were covered in moss and grime; the moss was like a layer of green velvet, covering the walls, while the grime was like patches of black, making the walls appear even more eerie and terrifying.
Occasionally, groups of unknown small insects would scurry past, their carapaces gleaming faintly in the dimness, wriggling slowly or quickly, making one feel nauseous.
Logan walked at the very front of the team, though his eyes showed vigilance, like a Beast lurking in the darkness, not missing any suspicious signs, his face remained calm… no, it should be said, an expression of seeing life and death lightly, and fighting if challenged.
It was clear that this old Wolf wasn't worried about encountering those Symbiote Warriors at all.
Perhaps in his eyes, danger was merely an interesting seasoning in his life.
Little Wolf Girl followed closely behind her dad, her small figure appearing exceptionally agile in the dim light, like a nimble little wolf cub.
After gradually adapting to the 'breathing technique' her dad taught her, the smell in the sewer no longer posed any problem for her.
At this moment, her small face was taut with concentration, and her dark eyes sparkled with a sharp light, like cold stars twinkling in the night sky, revealing a composure and courage unsuited for her age.
And her pink little ears occasionally twitched slightly, like two nimble small radars, listening intently to distant sounds, trying to catch any movement related to Sheriff Frank Castle.
Gwen and Lizard Peter walked side by side in the middle of the team; the former's face beneath her mask showed a hint of tension, her hands tightly clenched, knuckles slightly white from the excessive force, as if her heart was battling an invisible pressure, "Sheriff Frank Castle, you absolutely must not be in trouble!"
Compared to the slightly tense Gwen, Lizard Peter was much more relaxed, his agile figure following behind Logan and his daughter. His body leaned slightly forward, his gaze vigilantly observing his surroundings, his large green eyes gleaming with dangerous light in the dimness.
Occasionally, he would exchange glances with Gwen, his eyes conveying understanding and encouragement, as if telling her not to be afraid, that they would definitely complete this rescue mission.
Polaris, meanwhile, walked gracefully at the end of the team. Her distinctive green hair remained exceptionally striking in the somewhat dim environment, like a brilliant, burning green flame.
She raised her hand and tapped several times on the multi-functional electronic watch on her wrist, and a palm-sized micro-drone ejected from the back of her specialized combat suit.
The drone emitted a faint buzzing sound, hovering in mid-air, transmitting everything happening there in real-time back to the Hyperspace Group.
Soon, when Logan and his group arrived at another three-way intersection, Logan and Little Wolf Girl stopped almost simultaneously.
The former narrowed his eyes slightly, cocked his head to listen, his expression focused and serious.
The latter followed suit, learning, pricking up her ears, her small ears twitching slightly amidst her hair like an alert little rabbit, concentrating fully on catching subtle sounds in the air.
"There are human voices coming from this way…"
A moment later, Logan and Little Wolf Girl spoke almost simultaneously, both pointing in unison to the rightmost drainage pipe.
Their movements were identical, as if they had undergone countless tacit agreement training sessions, and even the determined look in their eyes was exactly the same.
"Oh no, Sheriff Frank Castle might be in danger?!"
Gwen's face beneath her mask immediately showed a hint of tension. She then exchanged a glance with Lizard Peter, and the two of them immediately took the lead, quickly running into that drainage pipe.
"Dad, did you forget to tell them that they still have to pass through an enemy's lair ahead?" Little Wolf Girl looked up at Logan and said, her eyes wide, with a hint of mischief and curiosity.
Logan, hearing this, calmly exhaled a puff of smoke, spread his hands, and said, "That's not my business; it's clearly because they were too reckless and didn't give me a chance to continue speaking, okay?"
Polaris, seeing this, couldn't help but laugh at the father and daughter, but still reminded them, "Alright, let's hurry up and follow. This is a good opportunity to capture some Symbiote samples for Dr. Stern to research!"
The three then followed Gwen and Peter unhurriedly, and in a short while, they arrived at a space inside that was as vast as a palace.
This was the most important place in the city's drainage system — the Pressure Regulation Tank Room!
Once heavy rain hit, this place immediately became a crucial space for regulating the amount of water in the entire city's drainage system.
The floodwaters flowing into the underground drainage network from the city's surface drains and manholes would all eventually converge in the Pressure Regulation Tank Room through various drainage pipes.
Then, when the water stored in the Pressure Regulation Tank Room reached a certain level, giant pumps with tens of thousands of horsepower would be activated, discharging the stored floodwaters into the nearby sea at a speed of hundreds of cubic meters per second.
However, since it was not the rainy season, there was only a thin layer of water on the ground inside the Pressure Regulation Tank Room at the moment.
And precisely because of this, this extremely spacious area naturally became the best hiding place for some Symbiote Warriors.
At this moment, Gwen and Lizard Peter were already fighting a dozen Symbiote Warriors inhabiting the area. Although they were outnumbered, Gwen and Lizard Peter were not at a disadvantage in the slightest.
However, without using the Hell Eight Spider Spears, Gwen could only nimbly weave back and forth across the battlefield, dodging enemy attacks, while relying on her crimson web to restrict the Symbiote Warriors' movements.
But this method was clearly far less efficient than the power-oriented Lizard Peter's approach.
"Bang bang bang—"
Lizard Peter's two huge Iron Fists swung up and down, each punch accompanied by a whooshing sound, combined with powerful, heavy tail sweeps. Every attack carried the mighty force of a thunderbolt, directly sending the surrounding Symbiote Warriors flying several meters away.
Especially when his huge tail swept horizontally, it struck the Symbiote Warriors with the force of a cannonball, emitting a dull thud, accompanied by the sound of breaking bones, which made one's hair stand on end.
In just a few breaths, Lizard Peter had knocked out all the Symbiote Warriors in front of him, then thoughtfully rushed to Gwen's side to help his goddess out of trouble.
His figure moved freely on the battlefield, like a valiant knight.
However, as the battle continued, roars like those of Beasts began to echo from the drainage pipes connected to the Pressure Regulation Tank Room.
More and more Symbiote Warriors with spiral patterns on their faces were attracted by the sound of the battle here, continuously converging from other drainage pipes.