The dim sewer lights cast deep shadows on his chiseled face.
"First," he said flatly, "you need a safe enough place to recover. Second, we need to talk about what's on your camera, and... what exactly you saw."
His gaze shifted to Leonardo and Donatello, "I imagine these friends, perhaps, also have some key information to share?"
April's gaze followed Hawk, once again falling on the four silent, massive mutated turtles.
In the silence of the sewer, there was only the faint sound of dripping water in the distance and Emily's nervous breathing.
April swallowed, scanning the scene: a billionaire, several mutated urban guardians, and herself, a reporter dedicated to exposing the truth and upholding justice and peace.
Wait a minute, she looked behind Hawk again, oh, there was also the unremarkable cheerleader captain, Emily Chen.
Clearly—she was a supporting character with no real role!
This lineup was exactly like the online novels she loved to read.
April looked up at Hawk again. In the story, the billionaire overtly assists in obtaining evidence, providing cover for the reporter and urban guardians, ultimately successfully sending the criminals to prison!
At the end of the novel, the billionaire falls in love with the humble reporter, and eventually, the lovers unite, she marries into a wealthy family, becoming a rich socialite.
Hmm... the Lane family... it'll do...
Thinking this, she even let out a little giggle.
Hawk and the turtle-men watched April's suddenly "mercurial" expression, their mouths twitching.
Seemingly sensing their strange gazes, April finally reacted, quickly giving two dry laughs to ease the awkwardness, then got down to business, asking, "A safe place?"
April unconsciously repeated, her gaze sweeping over this strange space filled with graffiti, pipes, and... giant mutated turtles, "Isn't this... safe enough?"
"Temporarily, yes. Long-term, no." Hawk was blunt. "This environment isn't suitable for humans to recuperate for extended periods, and movement is difficult. More importantly, it's too big a target. What we need is a controllable fortress on the surface."
He then turned to Donatello: "Doctor, you mentioned her camera earlier. Can you show us the photos? We need to assess the threat level."
Donatello nodded, skillfully operating the camera connected to his homemade computer screen.
Several blurry but highly impactful photos were projected onto a relatively clean wall.
The photos, taken at night in the dock area, were dimly lit but clear enough to discern:
The Foot Clan's distinctive triangular insignia was clearly printed on several shipping containers.
A group of people in uniform black outfits, moving swiftly and clearly well-trained, were rapidly moving heavy metal crates.
The most crucial shot: a metal crate accidentally opened a crack during transport, revealing a viscous liquid inside, emitting a faint green glow!
On the container wall, a special, unsettling biochemical symbol resembling a twisted tentacle was visible.
Even more chilling, the corner of the photo captured several figures: they were abnormally massive, their movements slightly stiff, their exposed skin appearing non-human, reptilian-like in the dim light, their eyes hollow and ferocious—bio-engineered mutants!
They bore an uncanny resemblance to the rhino and warthog forms from the movies Hawk had seen in his previous life, but they looked even more powerful and intelligent!
Everyone present gasped.
"It's 'Wild Can'!" Michelangelo blurted out, his voice unusually grave. He even forgot to swing his nunchaku.
"Shredder's still messing with this stuff?!"
"'Wild Can'?" Hawk frowned. He had heard legends about this name; it was a dangerous biochemical agent capable of inducing biological mutation or enhancement.
"This stuff is even more unstable than what appeared last time," Donatello said, pointing to the twisted tentacle symbol in the photo, which was a fusion of the Hand's symbol and the Foot Clan's triangular insignia. "Look at this composite mark; the Foot Clan and the Hand are truly deeply allied. They're transporting large quantities of this dangerous hybrid agent! April captured critical evidence!"
"Did they complete the transaction?" Leonardo asked gravely, his tactical core.
April struggled to recall, her head throbbing. "I... I don't know. I just took these pictures when I was discovered. Their people appeared like ghosts... so fast! One of them... wearing a metal mask, almost crushed my camera with just one hand... then I was hit..."
"Metal mask... one hand..." Raphael's voice deepened, filled with bitter hatred. "Shredder! He was there personally?!" His knuckles, gripping his katana, turned white from the force, and the air filled with a violent aura.
Just at this oppressive moment, Donatello's homemade sensors installed throughout the base emitted a piercing, continuous shriek!
On the computer screen, dense red dots, like a bursting dam, rapidly approached from multiple directions!
"Highest level alert! Large number of enemies! Sewer system infiltrated! Surface manholes breached! Objective: Annihilation!!" Donatello's voice was filled with unprecedented tension. "Numbers are three times higher than estimated! And... readings show a dozen high-energy heat sources! It's Shredder's bio-engineered mutant army!!"
"Cowabunga! They're having a party without us?! How rude!" Michelangelo shrieked, jumping up, his nunchaku whirling like a windmill.
"Protect the civilians! Prepare for battle!" Leonardo's twin katanas instantly unsheathed, their blades glinting in the dim light. "Raphael, left flank! Mikey, right flank! Donnie, guard the rear! Hawk, get them both to cover!"
His words were rapid, his gaze sharp as an eagle.
Before he finished speaking!
"Boom! Boom! Boom—!"
Multiple pipe walls above the base were violently blown open!
Rubble and sewage rained down!
Amidst the smoke, dozens of dark figures, like specters, rapidly cut in. Their cold blades reflected a chilling light. These were the fearless elite ninjas of the Foot Clan, coordinating seamlessly, instantly blocking multiple retreat routes.
At the same time, a destructive crashing sound came from the main entrance of the base and several weak points!