After purchasing the necessary provisions, Richard and Clarice completed their transaction, exited the supermarket, and returned to the alley.
Just as Clarice prepared to generate a portal back to the apartment, Richard's voice halted her.
"Wait. Don't create the portal yet. We have some unwelcome company approaching."
Richard gestured toward the alley entrance.
Following his indication, Clarice spotted the same women who had approached Richard in the supermarket, now accompanied by a group of men.
Though unfamiliar with these individuals, their attire, swagger, and ostentatious metal chains marked them unmistakably as local thugs.
"Give me thirty seconds—this won't take long," Richard said, handing the shopping bags to Clarice.
He strode purposefully toward the scowling men.
The scenario required no explanation. These gangsters had clearly come to avenge the wounded pride of the women Richard had rejected.
Though the women presented themselves as casual and carefree, rejection—particularly from someone they'd assumed would readily accept their advances—had evidently wounded their egos.
From their perspective, Richard should have eagerly embraced their invitation, leading to mutually satisfying activities. Instead, he'd dismissed them without a second thought.
This represented not only an unusual occurrence for them but a profoundly humiliating one. Accustomed to leveraging their attractive appearances and provocative figures, few men ever declined their overtures.
Their entourage of admirers—these very thugs surrounding them—further reinforced their inflated sense of desirability.
While rejection constitutes a common human experience, these women clearly struggled to process it appropriately. In their view, Richard, the shortsighted fool, required correction.
Though lacking telepathic abilities, Richard perfectly understood their psychology. Before his transmigration, he'd encountered countless similar personalities—individuals who believed their physical attributes entitled them to perpetual acquiescence, whether in his previous world or this one.
Reaching the group, Richard dispensed with formalities and initiated immediate action.
A rapid succession of impacts—thud, thud, thud—reverberated through the alley as he dispatched the thugs with minimal effort, using barely a tenth of his actual strength. The men collapsed, howling in pain.
"You have five seconds to vacate the premises," Richard announced coldly to both the fallen gangsters and the stunned women.
Despite their shock, the group departed with remarkable alacrity, vanishing from Richard and Clarice's sight within moments.
Upon their complete withdrawal, Richard rejoined Clarice and reclaimed the shopping bags.
"That's settled. Now you can create the portal back."
"Right!" Clarice nodded, projecting purple spatial energy to manifest their return passage.
Upon arriving at the apartment, Clarice immediately busied herself in the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Richard and Sabretooth occupied the living room sofa, engaged in prolonged, wordless eye contact.
After nearly a full minute of this silent "confrontation," Sabretooth finally broke the standoff, his brow furrowed.
"Do you have feelings for Clarice?" he asked bluntly.
"Didn't you appreciate beautiful women when you were younger?" Richard countered.
What?
Sabretooth momentarily faltered.
Clearly, he hadn't anticipated such a response from Richard.
Though somewhat surprised, he had to admit that Richard's direct temperament aligned with his own sensibilities.
Nevertheless, this didn't mean he welcomed the prospect of Richard—regardless of his handsome features and commanding presence—claiming the "cabbage" he'd so carefully cultivated for years. No father, adoptive or otherwise, relishes witnessing his daughter's affections directed elsewhere.
Though Clarice wasn't his biological offspring, Sabretooth's paternal instincts remained fiercely protective.
"You're unsuitable for Clarice," he stated flatly. "You can't provide the life she deserves."
"You aren't Clarice—how can you presume to know what she wants?" Richard replied promptly.
"Regardless of what you say," Sabretooth continued, suppressing his irritation, "I will never condone a relationship between you and Clarice."
"When this operation concludes, we'll each go our separate ways and never cross paths again."
"I have no objection to parting company," Richard responded calmly. "But whether our paths remain permanently divergent—that's impossible to predict."
As Sabretooth prepared his rebuttal, Clarice emerged from the kitchen.
"Um... do you prefer spicy food?" she asked Richard.
"I'm not particular about cuisine. Whatever you prepare will be fine," he answered.
"Okay." Clarice nodded and returned to continue preparing their meal.
Department of Mutant Affairs
Los Angeles Branch
Intelligence Chief Jack sprinted through the corridors toward the Operations Department, proceeding directly to the department head's office.
Without bothering to knock, he thrust open the door and entered.
"Something's happened to Aiden's team!" he announced urgently, crossing to Operations Director Benjamin and presenting a tablet.
Benjamin accepted the device and began examining its contents.
This is...
As he viewed the footage, Benjamin's expression darkened considerably.
The tablet displayed live video feed from a surveillance drone—specifically, interior footage of the RV camp, now under Los Angeles Police Department jurisdiction.
Forensic technicians were conducting preliminary examinations of Aiden's team's remains.
As Benjamin reviewed the grim scene, Jack provided context:
"The campground manager contacted LAPD, who immediately dispatched units to the location."
"As you can see, Aiden and his entire team are dead."
"The responding officers recognized the incident's severity and escalated to their command structure."
"I've liaised with the on-scene commander, instructing him to preserve the site's integrity as much as possible."
"Additionally, I've deployed our investigators to—"
CRACK!
Before Jack could complete his briefing, Benjamin crushed the tablet in his grip and rose from his chair, his face thunderous.
"Have your people submit their investigative report immediately."
"Once it's complete, accompany me to the Branch Director's office. I'm requesting authorization to deploy the Sentinel robots."
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