American comic book: An aging Wolverine, doing whatever he wants.

Chapter 6 He is the wanted criminal Wolverine!

Logan sat outside the water tower, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and gazed at the sunset on the horizon.

In the end, he took out his phone and the business card, and dialed the number on the business card.

"It's me, James."

Once the call connected, Logan spoke first.

Chris Lawrence on the other end of the phone was visibly taken aback, but his tone quickly became cheerful again.

"Dude, I knew you'd call. So, have you thought it over? Working with me is definitely more promising than being an Uber driver."

"I need a high salary."

Logan didn't exchange many pleasantries with him.

"As long as it's not too outrageous, I can accept it. I think you know the strength of our Lawrence family. Money is a minor issue."

Chris was clearly satisfied with Logan's abilities and liked Logan's way of doing things.

"What do you need me to do?"

Logan took a drag of his cigarette and spoke indifferently.

"It's hard to say over the phone. Are you free tomorrow? How about we meet at the construction company at 11 a.m.?"

"OK."

Logan hung up the phone and shoved the cigarette butt into the ground.

In the past, he would have disliked having too much contact with these wealthy families, but now he has no choice but to deal with them.

In this world, you can't get anywhere without money. Even if he were Wolverine, he couldn't conjure gold out of thin air.

Whether it's the original plan to sell the ship and retire, or leaving San Antonio to find a sanctuary where mutants gather, both will require a lot of money.

With his current job as an Uber driver, he couldn't raise that much money. If he wanted money, he had no choice but to cooperate with Chris.

Although such cooperation might greatly increase the risk of him being discovered, he had no other choice.

Besides, after so many years as an Uber driver, serving countless passengers, and living in San Antonio for so long without being recognized, perhaps the world has long forgotten him.

It's probably only a low probability event that they'll be discovered.

Logan stood up, dusted himself off, and went back to his room to rest, awaiting his first meeting with the Lawrence family the next day.

Santa Fe is a fairly ordinary city, but it has a history of several hundred years. Due to its geographical location, it has been a desert for many years and mainly relies on agriculture. Before the Civil War, slavery was prevalent here. Many of Santa Fe's wealthy merchants today made their fortunes by profiting from slavery, including the Lawrence family. They were originally plantation owners who controlled a lot of Santa Fe's means of production and made a fortune in Santa Fe along with several other major families.

Later, due to the defeat in the Civil War, policies changed, and the development of the Industrial Revolution accelerated the changes of the times. In just a few decades, this land underwent earth-shattering changes. Railroads and roads connected the whole of the United States, and nearby towns gradually merged, building the present-day Santa Fe City on the wasteland.

After the abolition of slavery, the major families turned to other businesses, relying on investments in emerging industries to continue their lineage to this day.

The Lawrence family did the same; they exploited loopholes in the Prohibition law in the United States, made a fortune in the bootlegging business, and even became the largest family in Santa Fe.

In a way, Logan felt a certain affinity for the Lawrence family, perhaps due to genetics, since they were also ranchers before the family's misfortunes, and he was the rightful heir to a farm.

After the Prohibition laws were reformed, the bootlegging business suffered a major blow. Fortunately, the Lawrence family made a wise choice and successfully transitioned to coal mining with the large fortune they had made from bootlegging.

Currently, the vast majority of coal mining businesses in Santa Fe City are owned by the Lawrence family. Coupled with their recent development in the logistics industry, the Lawrence family holds absolute and unshakeable power.

……

"James, I'm happy to have you here. You made the right decision."

Chris smiled and led Logan into a stately office.

The luxuriously decorated office is practically a palace.

A middle-aged man in a black suit was already waiting on the leather seats behind the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Let me introduce you, this is my father, Mr. Lawrence."

Chris introduced them to Logan with a smile.

Sitting on the leather sofa, with a Montecristo cigar between my fingers, the whole room was filled with the rich aroma of cigars.

When Mr. Lawrence saw Logan, he was visibly taken aback for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face.

"Hello, Mr. Lawrence."

Logan greeted him politely.

"It seems my son was right, Mr. James, you do look like a fierce tiger."

Lawrence stared at Logan, smiled, and gestured to the table and chairs in front of him. "Please sit down."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Logan asked, sitting down on the sofa.

Lawrence placed his cigar on the ashtray, stared at Logan, and asked, "Mr. James, can I trust you?"

"sure."

Logan nodded in response, "And I believe you have investigated me, otherwise you wouldn't have allowed me to set foot here."

He knew these wealthy businessmen were very cautious; they wouldn't let anyone into their hideouts without prior investigation.

Fortunately, Logan also believed in his ability to disguise himself, and in the entire city of Santa Fe, apart from the Professor and Caliban, no one knew his true identity.

So far, he has not been recognized.

"clever."

Lawrence smiled. "We have a shipment that will depart in three days, and the delivery time may take about ten days. The goods are valuable and very special, and there are quite a few people eyeing them. Our current security team lacks a capable leader. I wonder if Mr. James has that much time?"

"remuneration."

Logan spoke calmly, showing that he cared more about money than danger.

Lawrence held up two fingers. "Twenty thousand dollars. I believe that's a reasonable offer."

Logan lowered his head and pondered for a moment.

Earning $20,000 in ten days sounds like a very tempting price, comparable to his salary as an Uber driver for three months.

However, behind this high price, the risk factor is probably not small.

After thinking for a moment, Logan nodded: "Deal."

The high price made Logan willing to take such a risk.

He only needs one more order to earn enough to leave.

"A wise choice."

Lawrence smiled, narrowed his eyes, and took another puff of his cigar. "Come here in three days, and I'll give you detailed instructions."

Logan nodded, said nothing more, got up, closed the door, and left.

As the door clicked shut, Lawrence's previously calm expression instantly darkened. He stared at Chris and demanded in a deep voice, "Where did you find him?"

"You mean James?"

Chris, seeing his father's sudden change in expression, seemed to realize something was wrong and quickly said, "I bumped into him on the road. He saved my life. He's a crazy guy, but also a good fighter, better than anyone in our security team."

Christ paused for a moment, then added, "I checked his file. He came to Santa Fe a few years ago and has been an Uber driver ever since. Apart from his drinking and drunk driving, he has no other problems."

"No!"

Lawrence shook his head and rummaged through the cabinet until he finally found a stack of old newspapers at the very bottom.

"He's Wolverine, Logan!"

Lawrence slammed the steamed bun on the table and pointed to a photograph on it.

That was a headline news story from twenty years ago. A reporter visited Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and the most prominent photo featured a young Wolverine.

And Wolverine's face matched exactly that of James, who had just entered.

"hiss!"

Chris looked down at the photo, his brow furrowing. "It really is him!"

"Although he looks much older now than he did twenty years ago, I'm certain they're the same person. His disgusting stench is just as awful as other mutants—a bunch of lowlifes!"

Lawrence's gaze was icy as he stubbed out his cigar. "Have the servants clean the office again later."

Chris nodded, but still couldn't understand. "Doesn't this guy know he's a wanted criminal? How dare he work as an Uber driver? Isn't he worried about being recognized?"

"The most dangerous jobs are usually the safest."

Lawrence said, "No one could have imagined that the former Wolverine would end up as an Uber driver."

"So, should we replace him now?"

Chris asked.

The government's attitude toward mutants is now very clear. Cooperating with a mutant at this juncture is not a wise choice. If he is discovered by the government, it will likely have a significant impact on the entire Lawrence family.

"No, that's exactly the kind of guys we need. Even though they're all lowlifes, when it comes to fighting, they're a bunch of fearless bastards."

Lawrence shook his head, staring at the office door, and sneered, "Since this guy is taking such a risk, he must have some concerns, especially since he's currently a wanted criminal. As long as we have something on him, he'll be completely at our mercy!"

(End of this chapter)