The Perfect Run

Chapter 54

“And right in front of us, you can see Rust Town’s famous orphanage, where the most dangerous creatures in the world are raised in the wild,” Ryan said as he finished giving his team a tour of the area, parking the Plymouth near the entrance. “Human children.”

“You exaggerate,” Wardrobe chuckled, looking through the window. Len was waiting with Sarah and another boy near the orphanage’s entrance, the kids playing with a labrador. Unlike the previous loop, the Genius hadn’t put on her diving armor yet, sticking to her brown suit and water rifle.

“I think you underestimate these creatures,” Ryan argued. “They eat baby candies, and they listen to loud music at night.”

“Why are we here exactly?” Atom Cat asked from the back.

“Well, according to my intel, the Meta-Gang intends to target the place today,” Ryan said, though he didn’t mention which source. His words caused everyone to look at him in alarm. “They will abduct the residents unless we drive them off.”

“They intend to attack children?” Wardrobe’s adorable face had turned white from the horror.

“I would like to say I’m surprised, but I’m not,” Felix grumbled.

“Don’t worry, Sifu, we will save them!” The Panda said with enthusiasm, a hand on his chest. “We will break these villains like… like bamboo!”

“We will need to work on your puns, arrogant young disciple,” Ryan said as the group stepped out of the car, instantly catching the children’s attention.

“Oh, it’s Wardrobe!” Little Sarah’s eyes widened upon recognizing the heroine. It seemed that while she wasn’t as well-known as Wyvern, the fashion designer had her fans.

“Where, where?” another child asked, rushing out of the orphanage alongside half a dozen of the tiny devils.

“Riri,” Len whispered softly, while the children swarmed the heroes, most asking for Wardrobe’s autograph. The Panda looked really jealous of her fame, which he coveted for himself.

“Guys, this is Len, alias Underdiver,” Ryan introduced them. “She’s a friend. Shortie, this is Atom Kitty, my new BFF Wardrobe, and Superpanda. He can fly and shoot lasers from his eyes.”

“Atom Kitty, huh? Never heard that one before, Quickie.” Atom Cat crossed his arms while he observed Len. “Isn’t she a criminal though? I heard Vulcan paid the Private Security to have her released.”

Len immediately tensed up, looking at Atom Cat suspiciously. “Your corporate overlords are the real criminals,” she replied harshly, waving a hand at Rust Town. “This… this is their work.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Felix admitted with sheepish embarrassment. “You’re taking care of the place?”

“Someone has to.”

“Quicksave, you monster!” Wardrobe glared at him, having finished writing autographs for the kids. “I’m so disappointed in you.”

“About what?” Ryan asked with a frown.

“You can’t let your friend dress like this!” Wardrobe ranted, as she approached a very surprised Len and touched every part of her outfit with her soft fingers. “Her costume is hideous!”

Clearly, Len didn’t know how to react to this. “I’m, what, what…”

“The colors are all wrong, it stands for nothing, and it’s not even form-fitting!” Wardrobe started touching Len’s breasts, much to her dismay. “Look at her beautiful figure! All that potential, wasted!”

“S-stop please,” Len pleaded, as if attacked by an over-affectionate puppy.

“I’m sorry, darling, I can’t look the other way.” Wardrobe removed her hands from the Genius and adopted a pose reminding Ryan of the Rodin’s Thinker statue. She devoured Len with her eyes, the poor Genius now as red as a tomato. “We need silver and blue, with scales…”

“What’s your power?” Little Sarah asked the Panda.

“Oh, I can become the best creature in the world!” The Green Genome immediately transformed into his animal shape, much to the kids’ delight. “Overpanda overdrive!”

“It’s a bear!” a little girl squealed, as the Panda lifted her on his shoulders. “It’s a bear!”

“So soft and warm,” another boy said, as he touched the beast’s fur.

“Oh!” Little Sarah looked up at Felix. “Can you transform into a cat too?”

with

“But your name—”

like cats, that

back at him, before giving in to the Panda’s

his power’s true purpose. Entertaining

funny, had his mind not been

when they asked details about his power. But he hadn’t used it once in this entire loop! The fact

Somewhere, somebody remembered.

they ended up dashed. For all he knew

an early loop, once to Shroud when he asked his power, and once with Livia. It could have also been

He was also pretty sure she had a second power like her father, one he didn’t fully understand yet. For all the courier knew, it

raised more questions

If it was Livia, Felix would ask why the courier received messages from Augustus’ daughter; he might mistake the time-traveler

Len to escape her clutches. “Riri,” the Genius whispered to the courier. “Do

was a flop,” Ryan admitted. He thought Wardrobe could cosplay as Cancel and finish off the bodyjacker, but clearly, it wouldn’t

hope it will work,” she said, raising her water gun. “I never tried it

Unless of course, Psyshock had an automatic

up mistaking his ‘saves’ as memory manipulation attempts. In another case, a chest bomb kept detonating at inopportune times. Eventually, Ryan gave up on the idea altogether, finding it more

conclusion? He couldn’t tell until they crossed

that long. Ryan noticed Psyshock’s black, rusted minibus drive towards the orphanage,

Meta-Gang had brought

as a smokescreen, the Land probably noticed a large group of Genomes around the orphanage. Hopefully, Adam would keep his heavy hitters in reserve to protect the Junkyard, rather than send them all

without another fight with Acid Rain. Especially since she murdered

Felix guessed, tensing

“Hide in the basement, and don’t

ma—” Little Sarah

the Genius asked more firmly,

worry, sweetie,” Wardrobe said with a reassuring wink. “Heroes

wouldn’t come to that. The children fled into

talking until bullets start flying,” Ryan said, stealthily grabbing a device from the back of his Plymouth Fury and hiding it inside his suit. He also put on the Fisty

said, fidgeting in place. Though he tried to put on a brave

Atom Cat asked, eyeing

that,” Ryan replied, preparing himself for his performance as the Meta-Gang parked in front of

by Mongrel and Mosquito. The other minibus stopped nearby, two

from his suicide run. He had run the lizard over on his way to the bunker, while the jaguar-man, Rakshasa, could

groups were evenly matched, or so

said it always sent a shiver down Ryan’s spine. “And the delightful

a pack of Genomes,” Mosquito said, cracking his knuckles. The other Meta seemed to barely restrain themselves. Mongrel showed his teeth, the lizard guy’s tail whipped the ground,

children in that shelter, this

Hector,” Ryan lied, channeling Blackthorn’s corporate arrogance. “He’s not happy with you already,

sentence made

bluff, but Ryan knew he could still win with a weak hand.

examined Ryan. He sensed something was wrong, but the fact he didn’t immediately call out the courier’s bluff

of meeting

the juice,” Ryan lied as easily as he breathed. “If you don’t deliver results soon, you can say goodbye to your knockoff supply. These crates and the drones were a big investment on the big man’s part, and

no way to know this information. He could have spied on them, but the knockoffs and

which Psypsy found more

them had

we would have to teach you a

a good bluff was confidence. You had to seem so arrogantly sure of yourself that your opponent doubted his own

palpable. Their respective groups prepared themselves for a fight, for now was the moment of truth. The courier stood firm, with the arrogance of someone convinced he

thankfully, Psyshock caved

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