The wrecked SUV sat silently by the roadside.
Black smoke still rose from its completely mangled hood.
Out of sight, out of mind—as Herman passed the SUV on his way toward Wolverine Logan, he casually lifted a hand and touched the vehicle's body.
In an instant, the SUV—damaged yet seemingly intact—disintegrated into fine dust, scattering in the wind like sand.
Despite its considerable value, Herman felt no remorse in destroying it. It was already broken, and cars from the future couldn't be repaired in this era anyway. Keeping it would only add to his frustration.
"Why do my cars always end up in accidents?" Herman wondered aloud, half-convinced he might be cursed with some kind of "100% Vehicle Accident Rate," like the guy from One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes who always caught blades barehanded.
"That's absurd."
He chuckled at his own ridiculous thought.
Approaching this unconscious, unlucky "younger brother," Herman used his Telekinesis to flip the poor Sabretooth's sibling over.
Sure enough—it was Wolverine, Logan.
Though they shared the same rugged features, Logan was far more handsome than Sabretooth, exuding the air of a mature man.
Earlier, Sabretooth had injured him badly. Although Logan's Healing Factor had already repaired the damage, his clothes and face were still stained with blood.
Without that X-gene Healing Factor, the sheer amount of blood he'd lost could have easily killed him. But for someone with Logan's regeneration, that level of blood loss was hardly worth mentioning.
It was actually quite baffling that Wolverine would end up so poor in the future. With that kind of ability, he could have made a fortune selling blood—or even organs.
Sure, in developed countries he'd risk exposure as a mutant or having his genes harvested for research, but what about remote nations? No such problems there.
The Golden Triangle, for instance—places obsessed with harvesting kidneys probably had quite the shortage of them. One could only say that Deadpool had a much more practical mindset when it came to making money.
"Sleeping soundly, huh."
Herman could sense that Wolverine's vital signs were stable.
The reason Logan hadn't woken yet was simple—his brain had taken some damage, keeping him in a deep unconscious state.
For mutants like Wolverine and Sabretooth, the brain remained their greatest vulnerability. Despite their regeneration, their minds were still as fragile as any ordinary human's.
Though their brains could heal, the process brought unbearable pain. The slightly weaker Wolverine would often enter a "protective" coma to escape it. From that alone, it was clear Logan wasn't as physically strong as Sabretooth.
In the original timeline, Wolverine had fallen into long comas from head injuries more than once. In one case, he even lost large chunks of memory after being struck by a special bullet. It could be said that for all self-healing mutants, the brain was their shared weakness.
Logan only overcame this flaw later, after his body was modified—his bones replaced with indestructible Adamantium.
However, this Wolverine clearly hadn't undergone that "evolution" yet.
In a sense, Stryker—the U.S. military officer who would later turn him into what he became—was his twisted "benefactor." Without Adamantium, Wolverine's combat power wasn't even on par with Sabretooth's.
Just look at him now.
Beaten half to death by Sabretooth and left unconscious on the ground—so far from the unyielding figure who would one day stand against the Phoenix's overwhelming power.
"That must have been the thing that pierced Logan's brain earlier."
Herman raised his hand, and a bloodstained metal shard—still smeared with bits of tissue—floated into his palm. It was a fragment from the SUV's hood.
Clearly, the impact with the vehicle had dealt Wolverine serious injuries.
The current Logan, still unmodified, had a skull made of bone—not yet the unbreakable Adamantium alloy that would one day make him nearly indestructible.
"An Adamantium implant that turned a lone wolf into Wolverine… maybe there's some truth to the idea that flesh is weak and mechanical ascension is the future."
Herman mused to himself as he closed his hand and lightly squeezed. The metal shards in his palm were instantly crushed into a fine dust.
"Roar!"
Just as Herman was about to kick Wolverine Logan awake—to discuss compensation and the rather serious matter of killing his brother—something emerged from the jungle.
This time, it wasn't a person but a massive brown bear, roaring as it burst from the trees.
It had likely caught the scent of blood from Wolverine and Sabretooth. Driven by hunger, it had come looking for an easy meal.
"Looks like tonight's dinner just arrived."
With a thought, Herman immobilized the bear using Telekinesis and swiftly twisted its neck, ending its life in an instant.
The poor creature had come expecting a feast, only to become the main course for tonight's meal.
Bears like this were practically a local delicacy in the Soviet region. Glancing at the darkening sky, Herman casually conjured a campfire beside the road.
"Camping like this... I think it's my first time."
Since he wasn't in a rush to leave, Herman decided to enjoy the serenity of the nighttime forest.
It made sense why so many people back in his previous world loved wilderness survival. Sitting by an open fire, roasting meat under the vast starlit sky, carried a kind of quiet joy—like the soul itself was being cleansed.
"Sizzle... sizzle..."
The flames licked at the chunks of meat, releasing an irresistible aroma that drifted through the forest. Unfortunately, no other animals appeared to expand the menu. Bear meat wasn't exactly ideal for grilling, but with the right technique, it could still taste surprisingly good.
To truly enjoy life in the wild, cooking skills were essential—and that was one area Herman had no trouble with.
He possessed the title of [Genius Chef], and his storage from the otherworld still held plenty of seasonings. Preparing grilled bear meat was hardly a challenge.
In fact, Herman didn't stop there. He used the best cuts of the bear for grilling, then pulled out a large earthen pot and placed all four bear paws inside to simmer.
Before long, the savory scent of roasted meat mixed with the rich fragrance of stewing bear paws, spreading throughout the forest. Even the unconscious Wolverine Logan seemed drawn to it.
His eyes remained shut, but his nose twitched, and his throat moved with an involuntary gulp. A moment later, he slowly began to stir.
"I…"
Logan groaned, clutching his aching head as he pushed himself upright. He looked around at the surrounding forest, his dazed gaze gradually sharpening.
"I… actually made it back?"
...
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