Chapter 16: Doggo Is On the News Again

Words : 1079 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Chapter 16 of "Marvelous Mutations" starts here: Even though the soldiers were a bit dazed, they were fairly sure of one thing: They... Discover what happens next!

Even though the soldiers were a bit dazed, they were fairly sure of one thing: They did get everything they came for. "Yeah," Havok nodded confidently from the passenger seat, arms crossed around his newly purchased ashtray. "Mission accomplished. Even if it was expensive... it's still a win." "You're really proud of that ashtray, huh?" the driver muttered, raising an eyebrow. "Damn right. I've been looking for one like this for weeks." With a roar of the engine, their military-grade off-road vehicle sped off toward the New York military base. The suspension screamed under the weight of their haul, and a few questionable purchases. ... Back behind them, Doggo struggled to keep up. Though his transformation had made him braver, stronger, and smarter... one fact remained: He was still, fundamentally, a chubby dog. And the military Jeep was really too fast. Panting, tongue flopping, and ears flapping in the wind, Doggo ran with all the dignity of a fat man trying to catch a greased piglet. But he didn't give up. A good dog always finishes the job... he thought, or whatever the canine equivalent of that sentiment was. And strangely enough... The longer he ran, the easier it seemed to get. The weight in his limbs faded. His movements grew more fluid. Each stride came with a surge of power he hadn't felt before. His eyes began to glow. The eerie green light in them expanded, covering the whites, then bleeding into his fur like ink dropped into water. He didn't realize it yet, but Doggo wasn't just transforming, he was once again mutating. By the time he caught up with those soldiers... there might not be much of the original Doggo left. ... Back at the grocery store, Luke and Wanda had completely forgotten about their furry little avenger. Currently, they were busy with something very important. "We can't just leave the lucky cat by the door like a common decoration," Luke said, arms crossed in mock solemnity. "It deserves a shrine." Wanda nodded gravely, as if they were installing a priceless artifact at the Louvre. "It brought in two waves of high-spending customers. That cat deserves all the care in the world." Luke's eyes lit up as he remembered an old pillow and table gathering dust in the back. With the elegance of a thrift-store interior designer, he dragged the shelf aside, placed the square table beside the entrance, and lovingly laid the soft purple pillow in the center. The lucky cat sat atop the pillow like a smug emperor. "Go buy some fruit or something. Offerings for our deity!" Luke waved a hand like a temple priest assigning ritual duties. "On it," Wanda said, grabbing a few dollars from the drawer. "But if this cat starts asking for sushi, I'm drawing the line." She ran off toward the local market, humming a tune as she went. The system's voice rang out in Luke's head: [Ding~ Your lucky cat felt a strong sense of ritual. After being honored, its paint finish has become more vibrant.] "That's it?" Luke muttered. "Aesthetic enhancement? That's not very... practical, is it?." Still, he didn't complain too much. The cat had already pulled its weight. Now that things had quieted down, Luke finally had time to focus on his most intriguing tool, the mutated smartphone. Compared to the cat's spiritual support, this was the real moneymaker. He unlocked the screen and immediately noticed a new app had appeared: a stock trading platform. Luke frowned. In both his past and current life, he'd never dabbled in stocks. But he was a quick learner if nothing else. "Let's see if this is just a gimmick or the golden goose." After a few minutes of tinkering, he figured out how to register, deposit money, and set up the account. He didn't have much, just a few hundred dollars, but it was nearly all he had. Once the account was funded, the app automatically sprang to life. It didn't ask for input or guidance. It selected stocks, placed orders, and executed trades at lightning speed. Luke watched in awe. But then he noticed the stock name. "Hammer Industries?" The name tickled something in his memory. "Wait... isn't that the sad excuse for a weapons company from the Iron Man movie?" He laughed. "Didn't their drones get taken down like cardboard cutouts at a shooting range?" "And wasn't Justin Hammer sort of a clown in the industry?" Buying their stocks seemed like financial suicide. But then... Wait. His eyes narrowed in thought. 'There was a point when their stock spiked, right after the news of Tony Stark's kidnapping spread. At that point Hammer Industries looked like the next best hope.' Luke's mind raced. 'So... either Tony Stark has already been kidnapped... or this phone can predict the future.' He quickly jumped onto his computer and searched for recent news about Tony Stark. Nothing unusual. Tony was still making public appearances, flirting with models left and right, donating millions to charities, and being a billionaire playboy as usual. No signs of trouble. "If the phone knows something I don't..." Luke murmured, turning the phone over in his hand, "then I need to trust it." He refreshed the news feed, and that's when something else caught his eye. Not Tony. But something even more familiar. [Breaking News: A green monster has appeared on the outskirts of New York, attacking a military base.] [The creature is dog-shaped but massive, rampaging like a wild beast. Local residents are advised to stay away...] [The military has mounted a response, but so far, it appears ineffective...] Luke stared at the screen, jaw hanging slightly open. "No way..." He clicked on the embedded video stream, and sure enough, the blurry footage showed a giant green-furred dog flipping over jeeps and howling at helicopters. His jaw dropped further. "Doggo?!" The creature had glowing green eyes, massive paws, and a snarl that could scare off a tank. And yet... It still wore the collar Wanda had bought from the pet store. Luke slapped a hand over his face. "That idiot! I told him to scare them, not start a war!" He groaned loudly. "He's gonna be on every news channel by morning. They're going to think he's the Hulk's emotional support animal or something!" ...

Chapter 16: Doggo Is On the News Again

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