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

Chapter 80 The Cursed Howlett Family, the Source of the Curse!

"Impossible! How could this be!"

Logan looked at the name in the book with a shocked expression and couldn't help but shake his head.

Although two hundred years have passed, he shouldn't be so bad as to forget his own home.

This villa was completely different from the manor he remembered. In his memory, the Howlett family's manor was in the city, while this was just a farm in the suburbs.

"Perhaps they moved?"

Victor put down his notebook and looked again at the portrait in the cabinet. The woman in the portrait vaguely overlapped with a figure in his memory.

He turned to Logan and said, "Look, these eyes look just like yours."

"Elizabeth..."

Logan stared at the woman in the portrait, momentarily lost in thought.

Two hundred years ago in the Americas, Mr. Howlett proudly became one of the first colonists, using advanced foreign knowledge to open up this wild land.

As time went on, the original Howlett family gradually took shape.

His son, John Howlett, and Elizabeth had another son, James Howlett, who is now Logan Howlett.

But in reality, John Howlett never knew until his death that his beloved son was not a descendant of the Howlett family, but rather the illegitimate child of Elizabeth and the Gardener, a monster with bone claws that was despised by everyone.

Memories of the past kept swirling in his mind, and a strange emotion drove Logan to stare intently at the portrait. The blurry figure in his mind gradually became clearer because of the portrait.

He couldn't help but reach out, but he could only touch the cold glass of the cabinet. In the portrait, she was still beautiful and charming.

She's not worth your sadness.

Seeing this, Victor reached out and patted Logan on the shoulder, gently comforting him.

"Gentlemen, what's wrong? You seem quite interested in this painting?"

James returned to his studio and, seeing the two men gathered around the portrait, asked them a question.

Disturbed, the memories of Wolverine in Logan's mind vanished instantly, and the strange emotions in his heart dissipated, returning him to normal.

Logan smiled at the portrait, then turned and asked, "Is everything resolved? What are those cops doing here?"

"It's nothing, they're just looking for someone."

James chuckled and said nonchalantly, "I heard a few prisoners escaped. Those guys are so annoying. It's their own business if the prisoners escaped, why are they coming to me? Do you think I can conjure them up? Anyway, I sent them away."

Logan frowned as he listened to him, feeling something was off.

If a normal person hears that a criminal has escaped and several strangers happen to have entered their home, their first instinct would be to point it out and call the police.

Besides, that's the police force, a government department that arrests mutants. They're capable of anything to capture mutants.

James managed to dismiss them with just a few words.

"Alright, there's nothing else to disturb our conversation now. I've prepared tea and snacks downstairs. Please follow me."

James smiled and invited the two of them downstairs.

Logan felt a little uneasy, but Victor had already readily accepted the invitation and followed James downstairs. Logan had no choice but to follow behind James.

However, when they went downstairs, James brought up the matter of the curse.

"By the way, gentlemen, I think I need to explain the curse that George mentioned earlier."

As he walked downstairs, he said calmly, "However, this curse is actually just a rumor. I don't know the specifics. The legend is that a monster with wolf claws appeared in the family and killed my great-grandfather, Mr. John Howlett."

"Back then, the news spread like wildfire, and many people dared not approach us, fearing they would become the monster's target. So, my grandfather had no choice but to move the Howlett family to the suburbs, far away from the crowds."

"And that was right when the American economy was booming," James said with a look of regret. "To be honest, if that hadn't happened, the Howlett family would definitely be a prominent family now, instead of just being farmers."

"In those days, there were opportunities everywhere, and they had the capital to invest in any industry. It's just a pity that the curse made many stock markets unable to accept the Howlett family."

James couldn't help but shake his head and sigh repeatedly, feeling that the Howlett family had missed the best opportunity to become a prominent family.

However, he didn't notice that Logan and Victor behind him couldn't help but exchange a glance.

They never imagined that they were the source of the curse, that an event from two hundred years ago would have such an impact on the present day.

As James walked ahead, he continued, "It's because of this curse that many people are unwilling to associate with us. I haven't had any friends for decades. Even if I wanted to explain, I alone couldn't change the rumors that have lasted for two hundred years."

After saying that, he suddenly turned to look at Logan and Victor, and smiled. "You are the only people I have ever met in the last few decades who have dared to approach me. No matter what you think, in my eyes we are already friends, and I welcome you very much."

As they were talking, the three of them returned to the first floor, and James invited Logan and the others to the tea room for tea.

Logan glanced around the first-floor lobby and realized that the entire first floor was quiet, with only Clarice sitting bored on the sofa, swinging her legs aimlessly.

As for James's son, George, no one knows where he's gone.

Seeing Clarice's bored expression, Logan waved to her. "Come on, Mr. James invited us for tea."

Clarice jogged up, grabbed Logan's clothes, and asked with a bored expression, "When are we leaving here?"

Logan was about to answer when James, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around and laughed, "Don't be in such a hurry, kid. I bet you're bored. How about we go have some tea and chat?"

After saying that, he looked around and shook his head helplessly, saying, "George is probably out shopping with the maid again. He doesn't have many friends and is always lonely. He usually stays at home, and going out shopping with the maid is one of the few times he gets to go into town. But don't worry, he'll be back soon. I believe he'll bring you a toy. Let's wait together, okay?"

"I'll just wait in the living room."

Clarice shook her head and walked back to the sofa, lost in thought.

"Since she doesn't like tea, let's go."

James smiled and waved to Logan and Victor.

Logan had no choice but to follow in his footsteps, but he couldn't help but take a closer look at the villa. Some sealed memories slowly surfaced because of the layout of the villa, and the retro decoration gave him an indescribable sense of familiarity.

As Victor passed by a cabinet, he suddenly reached out and stroked it with a dazed expression. "I used to wipe tables like this all the time, but back then I had to stand on a stool and tiptoe to wipe them."

Logan smiled; he knew perfectly well that Victor was referring to his time as a servant in the Aulett family.

He was still very young at that time, and his father often forced him to come and wipe the table, and taught him etiquette such as greeting people from the Howlett family.

Soon, the group arrived at the tea break room, where a fine solid wood tea table was placed. Outside was a floor-to-ceiling window that offered a direct view of the entire farm. The lush green farmland, the dense forests in the distance, and the hazy mountains in the distance created an indescribable sense of beauty.

James invited the two to sit down at the coffee table, where teaware and a pot of boiling water were already laid out.

He pulled out a sealed packet of tea from under the coffee table and said with a smile, "This tea was sent from England. It has a mellow and fragrant taste. I've been reluctant to drink it, but now that you two have had your turn, it can finally be opened."

The seal on the tea bag was torn open, and a faint aroma of tea wafted out.

Logan looked at the simple tea-making tools on the table and the beautifully packaged tea leaves, and couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, "Perhaps Eastern teas taste better. When it comes to drinking tea, no one can compare to their traditions."

James just smiled and didn't say anything, focusing on making tea.

Logan lay comfortably on the sofa, turning his head to look at the floor-to-ceiling window and admiring the beautiful scenery outside.

After watching for a while, he couldn't help but frown. The scenery outside made him feel that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

After looking closely for a while, he suddenly noticed that all the livestock in the sheepfold and horse pen outside were gone, and even the horses in the horse pen had disappeared without a trace. The farm workers who should have been working in the fields were also nowhere to be seen.

The entire area surrounding the villa, a vast farm, was eerily quiet.

Instantly, Logan's brows furrowed, his gaze sweeping over James without leaving a trace, his mind filled with doubt.

On the other hand, Victor on the other side looked on with great interest as he watched James brew the tea, seemingly very interested in the tea.

Soon, James poured the brewed tea into small cups and handed them to Logan and Victor. "It's been a long time since I've brewed tea, so my skills are a bit rusty. Please try it and see if it tastes right."

Victor nodded repeatedly, picked it up, blew on it, and drank it before Logan could even refuse.

After taking a sip of the tea, Victor exclaimed with admiration, "This tea is really good, very fragrant and flavorful."

Logan felt helpless looking at him like this, and took a sip of his tea.

Seeing that the two had drunk their tea, James's face instantly lit up with a smile. Then he patted his head, as if he had remembered something important, and said regretfully, "Damn it, I forgot to prepare some snacks. How can you drink tea without snacks? Gentlemen, please wait a moment, I'll be right back."

After saying that, he got up and left the tea room.

After watching him close the door, Logan quickly spat out the tea in his mouth, trying not to leave a single tea stain on his lips.

Victor looked surprised. "Jimmy, what are you doing? This is quite a good tea."

After finishing the tea in his mouth, Logan hurriedly urged, "Go to the toilet and spit out that tea. There's something wrong here!"

Hearing this, Victor remained calm. "Jimmy, you're overthinking it. Besides, even if there really is a problem, the poison has no effect on us. The healing factor can repair any cells damaged by the poison. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Logan was about to say something when the door was pushed open, and James walked in with several plates of pastries and desserts.

"These are pastries made by the maids; they're very delicious. Please try them."

James placed the desserts on the table; the exquisite desserts looked very appetizing.

Victor couldn't wait to pick up a piece and eat it in big bites, praising it repeatedly.

Logan looked at the exquisite food but made no move to eat it.

"What's wrong? Is it not to your liking?"

James asked with concern, then added, "Besides these, there are some other desserts at home. What do you like to eat? I'll go find them."

Logan waved his hand, "No need to trouble yourself. I just ate and don't have much of an appetite right now. You guys can eat."

James was relieved and said with a smile, "Okay, there are plenty of pastries anyway, we can eat them whenever we want."

Logan was slightly relieved to see that he wasn't urging him to eat the pastries and wasn't behaving strangely. He just hoped that he had indeed been overthinking things.

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Victor across from him suddenly frowned, slammed his teacup down, and his features almost contorted into a grimace.

Upon seeing this, Logan panicked and quickly stepped forward to ask, "Victor, what's wrong?"

Victor's expression was ferocious. At this moment, he felt dizzy and everything in front of him was spinning.

He pointed at the tea on the table and loudly demanded of James, "What did you put in your tea?!"

Upon hearing this, Logan immediately confirmed his suspicions. He glanced at James behind him, then pretended to be extremely dizzy, clutching his head and gritting his teeth in pain.

Seeing the two of them like this, James stopped pretending and slowly stood up, looking at them with a cold smile.

Logan pretended to stumble and fall, lying on the ground clutching his head, and demanded, "Why did you drug us first? Who are you, and what do you want?!"

"Logan Howlett, or should I call you James Howlett?"

James stood before Logan like a victor, smiling, and said, "Doesn't this place seem familiar? Just like the old Howlett Manor?"

"Who exactly are you, from the Howlett family?"

Logan, seemingly enduring excruciating pain, struggled to speak.

James smiled and laid his cards on the table: "The Howlett family is long gone, but this is indeed the legacy left by the Howlett family. Since the Howlett family filed for bankruptcy in the last century, everything has been sealed away."

"And I am not a descendant of the Howlett family. I am an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. In order to lure you out, S.H.I.E.L.D. went to great lengths to have me wait for you here. We believed that you would definitely return here. We just didn't expect to run into you so soon."

After James finished speaking, he let out a long sigh of relief. "Now, I can finally go back and report. It's just a pity that I haven't been able to properly enjoy this huge villa yet."

Logan listened to his words, his brows furrowing, and instantly understood everything.

No wonder James was so enthusiastic towards them, and could easily send the disciplinary team away with just a few words. All of this was to lure them into the cage!

Upon hearing this, Victor's face was filled with not only pain but also rage.

"You despicable bastard, how dare you lie to me!"

He hates nothing more than being deceived in the face of someone's feelings!

Although he didn't have any good memories of the Howlett family manor, those were his memories from his childhood. Yet, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. dared to use those memories to scheme against him!

Anger made Victor struggle to his feet, and he staggered toward James despite the excruciating pain. However, due to the effects of the drugs, he was now powerless and could not even swing his fist.

After taking two steps, his legs gave way and he slumped back into the chair. The excruciating pain in his head intensified, as if his skull were cracking open.

James looked at him and said with a smile, "Don't struggle. What you just drank was the latest product developed in the lab, specially prepared for mutants like you. After taking it, even the strongest X-gene cannot resist it. Besides, your X-genes have already been damaged."

He paused, then chuckled, "But don't worry, these drugs will only damage your bodies, not kill you. Once S.H.I.E.L.D. and the police arrive and put the suppression collars on you, I'll inject you with the antidote. Don't worry, they'll be here very soon."

"Damn it!"

Upon hearing this, Logan flew into a rage. Fortunately, he stopped pretending and jumped up from the ground, grabbing Logan by the neck and lifting him up.

Fortunately, he discovered the flaws in the villa in time and was wary of this so-called James. Otherwise, if he had been like Victor, drinking tea and eating snacks without any restraint, they would probably have been in serious trouble.

However, he never expected that the people from S.H.I.E.L.D. would be so shameless as to use the Howlett family to set a trap for him!

Meanwhile, James stared in astonishment at Logan, the force on his neck making it hard to breathe. He struggled to pry Logan's arm off, but the steel-like hand was beyond his strength to budge.

The feeling of suffocation terrified him. "How...how is this possible? You drank the tea too!"

Logan snorted coldly and did not respond.

Just then, Clarice suddenly rushed in, her petite face filled with panic. "There's a car approaching the farm!"

As she spoke, she also saw Logan choking James, and at the same time, she saw Victor sitting on the sofa with a pained expression, and couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

"Damn it!"

Logan didn't have time to explain and rushed to the window to take a closer look.

Several black SUVs were seen driving into the farm and stopping in front of the villa.

A very familiar figure stepped out of the car—it was Brock Rumlow, fully armed and the head of the S.H.I.E.L.D. task force!

Since he's here, there must be other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents nearby.

(End of this chapter)