More than a dozen special operators were struck down in the same instant by bullets fired from their own weapons. Some collapsed to the ground clutching their wounds, their bodies trembling as they mourned their fate, while others were killed outright before they even understood what had happened. The sudden reversal was so brutal and unexpected that none of them had time to react or defend themselves.
The scene transformed into something that looked disturbingly close to purgatory. Scarlet blood burst from shattered bodies like grotesque fountains, spraying across the floor and quickly soaking into the surrounding ground. Within seconds, a wide area had been stained a dark, spreading red, and the cries of the wounded filled the air with desperate agony.
Those who had been wailing soon fell silent one after another as the blood loss claimed them.
The man who had just rushed out from behind the wall froze in place the moment he saw the carnage. His eyes widened so far they looked ready to pop from their sockets, and his mouth opened as if to speak, but no words came out. He pointed a trembling finger toward Ethan Cole, shock and disbelief written across his face.
"Who are you?" Ethan asked calmly.
His voice carried no urgency or anger. It sounded almost casual, as though the pile of corpses surrounding them was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
"Damn it! Do you even realize what you've done?" the man finally shouted, his tone filled with fury and barely controlled panic.
Ethan tilted his head slightly, studying him with quiet interest. His expression didn't change in the slightest, as if the accusation had no weight at all.
"None of that matters," Ethan replied. "What matters is who you are and why you came looking for me."
The man standing before him was a middle-aged white man with an ordinary, forgettable face. He was slightly shorter than Ethan and had a receding hairline that made him look older than he probably was. He wore a neatly pressed suit, and in one hand he gripped a pistol that he clearly wanted to raise but hesitated to use.
"I'm Agent Phil from S.H.I.E.L.D.," the man said with a stern expression. "You're suspected of endangering national security. I have an official arrest warrant right here. But after what you've just done, we'll also be adding resisting arrest and multiple counts of murder."
Ethan's eyebrows lifted slightly in genuine surprise. He took a moment to examine the man more carefully, as though confirming something he had already suspected. After a few seconds, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Are you sure you want to pin those charges on me?" Ethan asked lightly. "Because right now, it seems to me the person you should be arresting isn't me at all."
Agent Phil's expression darkened. The intelligence briefings had said Ethan was a mutant, but they hadn't adequately conveyed how dangerous or unrestrained he truly was. Seeing the carnage in front of him, Phil suddenly realized the situation was far more serious than the files had suggested.
Ethan watched him quietly for a moment before speaking again.
"Tell me something," he said. "Exactly how am I endangering national security?"
He asked the question calmly, but there was an unmistakable edge beneath the words.
Ethan understood his own position in this world better than anyone else. He possessed power that ordinary institutions simply couldn't restrain, and if he truly wanted to, he could challenge an entire nation by himself. That wasn't arrogance or empty boasting; it was simply the reality of the situation.
Because of that, he had never felt the need to hold back when dealing with enemies. Mercy was reserved only for people who were useful or who might serve a purpose later.
That was why he had spared Sabretooth and Magneto earlier. They still had value to him.
These special operators, however, meant absolutely nothing.
Agent Phil's face remained grave as he answered slowly. "We suspect you possess the ability to transform ordinary humans into mutants. That capability alone is enough to threaten national security. You need to come with us and cooperate with an investigation."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"But now that you've violently resisted law enforcement, you've already committed a crime. That gives me even more reason to arrest you."
Ethan simply shook his head with a faint smile. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Phil, and then something unexpected happened.
His body rose gently into the air.
He floated upward about twenty centimeters off the ground as if gravity had suddenly stopped applying to him. Without a sound, he drifted forward across the blood-soaked floor, gliding over the scattered corpses as though they weren't even there.
Agent Phil watched in silence as Ethan passed right by him.
Ethan landed lightly beside a nearby table, reached for a bottle of red wine, and poured himself a glass with unhurried elegance. The deep crimson liquid swirled inside the glass as he lifted it to his lips and took a small sip.
Watching this display, Phil felt his heart sink.
Then Ethan laughed softly.
"You may not have realized something," he said. "I'm a law-abiding citizen of this country. In fact, I'm also one of its biggest taxpayers. My annual taxes alone add up to nearly ten billion dollars."
He gently rotated the wine glass in his hand while speaking.
"So don't insult me with baseless accusations. Your little intimidation tactics aren't going to scare me."
He took another small sip before continuing.
"Second, you claim you suspect I can transform ordinary humans into mutants. Fine, let's say I admit that for the sake of argument." Ethan shrugged lightly. "Even then, I still haven't broken any law."
His gaze locked onto Phil.
"You say I'm endangering national security. Then tell me—what law specifically prohibits turning ordinary people into mutants?"
Phil opened his mouth slightly but couldn't immediately respond.
Ethan set the wine glass down on the table.
"Finally," he continued, "this is my private residence. Even if you're carrying an arrest warrant, if it's based on fabricated charges, that warrant is legally questionable."
His voice remained calm, but the meaning behind the words was unmistakable.
"Under those circumstances, even if I killed every single one of you, I'd still be within my rights. At worst, I'd just spend some time fighting a few lawsuits."
Ethan pointed casually toward the door.
"Oh, and while you're at it, go back and give a message to that one-eyed dragon of yours."
His eyes glinted slightly.
"If he tries something like this again, I'll personally pay a visit to your headquarters."
After finishing his sentence, Ethan placed the wine glass back on the table and casually gestured toward the exit.
"That's my advice," he said calmly. "Whether it's S.H.I.E.L.D. or any other intelligence agency, it's best if you stop bothering me."
His tone grew colder.
"Because if you really manage to anger me, the consequences won't be something you can afford."
He nodded once toward the door.
"So please. Leave."
Agent Phil's expression shifted repeatedly as he listened. Anger, frustration, and hesitation all flickered across his face. Several times he considered raising the pistol in his hand, but every time he looked into Ethan's eyes, an overwhelming sense of danger pierced through him like a needle.
That instinct had saved his life more than once in the past.
In the end, he forced himself to suppress the urge.
"Are you planning to defy the laws of this country?" he asked stiffly.
Ethan laughed.
"Law?" he said. "That's just a set of rules the strong create to control the weak."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Do I look like the weak to you?"
Phil's expression stiffened.
Ethan continued calmly, "You'd be better off cleaning up your own mess first. As far as I know, S.H.I.E.L.D. is already crawling with Hydra agents."
He looked at Phil with faint amusement.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
"What?"
Agent Phil's entire body stiffened in shock, his face changing dramatically.
Ethan simply shook his head.
He raised one hand and extended it toward Phil.
Phil instinctively stepped back and shouted, "What are you doing?!"
In the very next moment, Agent Phil vanished.
At the same time, the corpses scattered across the floor disappeared as well, along with the pools of blood that had soaked the ground.
Everything was gone.
Ethan looked around the now spotless room and clicked his tongue lightly.
"That guy talked way too much."
.....
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