《New Game+》
Chapter One: The Tide of Death
The ear-piercing crash was the signal for their rushed entry. As the dropship''s door opened, eight soldiers broke through the wreckage of the crash. The metal suits that each wore could withstand the flames of a flamethrower being directed at them and can even block most bullets and armor piercing rounds. Yet death after this mission was the best they all could hope for.
Commander Ivan was the first to exit through the steel cage and blast the panicking soldiers nearby.
"Let''s do it, men!" He cried as the remaining soldiers followed on the assault.
The thick armor and bulletproof helmets were all that they had left to count on as the brave soldiers of the Gryphon Squadron engaged the enemy soldiers. Clothe in his trademark red suit, Commander Ivan continued to direct orders towards his men at the same time shooting at any signs of life other than them.
"General where too?" Ivan asked.
The General he addressed was checking on a hologram screen being projected at his arms.
"Zera''s pings confirmed that the locations of the Star Chamber are where we thought it would be. We continue towards this compartments Star Chamber." The general wore a simple suit that would mistake him for a soldier. The only difference was a pair of thin rods protruding at the back.
"Suarez, any word from the other team?"
¡°Three teams have reported successful entry and are Oscar Mike to the targets." Suarez wore a thin blue crystal ring on his head. This ring appeared like an ordinary headband if viewed from afar. A twinkling glow was seen in this ring as Suarez gave a concentrated look. The glow subsided as he exited that state of concentration.
"Let''s move Commander." The General spoke.
The Gryphon Squadron dashed onwards blitzing and shooting whatever soldier they could find. A blast ultimately hindered their sprint.
Several gunshots erupted from the other side of the hall.
"Back!" Ivan ordered.
A series of explosions arrived and the team hurried to find anything that may shield them from the torrential rain of bullets. Their armors would be pierced through and only the alien metal that made up the ship could withstand the gunshots. Ivan and the team sent their volley of bullets towards the enemy.
The two groups began shooting at each other and soon, several stomping sounds could be heard approaching them.
"Suarez. Any word on the other teams?" the General called as he heard the strange sounds.
¡°Phoenix and Chimera Squadrons reporting successful reconfigurations and are on their way to other compartments! Minotaur and Cerberus have yet to make entry."
"Then we don''t have time for this." The General''s suit detached several layers of what consisted his armor. As the last pieces of steel fell, it revealed a dark synthetic clothing that the General wore. Attached above his elbows and on his heels were small turbine-like objects. The General pulled the pair of rods that was protruding on the detached armor and a pair of transparent crystal blades was unsheathed.
The General immediately wore a blue ring over his head similar to the one Suarez wore. The ring emitted a faint blue light. The two rings on Suarez and the General''s head glowed a faint red and returned to its usual blue.
"Proceed as planned. I''ll divert the enemies. If we split up here it will increase the chance of the compartmental disconnection in this sector. We don''t have much time. This is an order, Ivan." The General ordered as he dashed forward towards the opening and bullets rained on. Yet despite the barrage, none of the bullets hit.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
The speed of this lone soldier who dove at the fray of bullets surpassed the speed a normal human being could accomplish. The transparent blades which look like crystals were slashed towards the soldiers shooting at him.
But the crystal blades weren¡¯t in anyway hindered by the metal armor that the soldiers wore. The blood of these men continued to spill as the General dashed from one soldier to the next leaving only the dead behind.The fearful stomping sounds that Ivan heard also stopped as the General zoomed pass the room.
Another group of enemy soldiers halted from their march as they could hear the silencing of their comrades. The soldiers then went into position and aimed their weapons at the nearby door which led to the other side.
Was one ofthemamong the groups that infiltrated this ship? The sounds of chaos and gunfire on the other side of the room was silenced. Did their friends manage to kill the intruders? Or did an Inhuman manage to enter this ship?
The victor was unclear. Wary of the approaching enemies, their sights locked on the possible gap that the door will create as it opens. And the soldiers were ready to pull the trigger at the slightest of movements.
BOOM!
The door suddenly exploded and bodies of dead soldiers started bursting out through the door. The soldiers started shooting randomly at the piles of bodies that were flying around.
¡°AGGHH!¡±
The other soldiers could only see a blur race by their comrade which left their comrade split in half with his upper torso flying out towards another soldier.
"It''s Death Tide! Death Tide is on this ship! Repeat! Death Tide is on this ship!" This was the last transmission the soldier sent before his entire arm was sliced off. His legs no longer supported him as it too was sliced off.
BOOM!
Explosions rang left and right as the stellar battles over Earth intensified. The tremors felt by the passengers of the Balmung grew worse as more bullet shaped dropships rammed the different compartments.
General Death Tide immediately sent a mental message to Suarez. "Suarez. I moved towards a different compartment. Proceed as planned. The enemy should be focused on killing me. Proceed with caution. I''ll meet up with Chimera Squadron."
The blue light on the ring grew brighter and Death Tide received a mental response.
"Roger. No soldier on sight, Sir! After your rampage, most of the enemy soldiers started dashing off to your platform. As you said, General, you are the priority kill.." Suarez laughed.
Death Tide sent a mental confirmation and went on with his massacre. The speed of his dash exceeded the speed of sound.
The Four Force Accelerator was a jet propelling system designed to allow nimble, fast and flexible maneuvers to its wearers. Two were worn directly above the elbows, and two above the heel. This four small cylindrical tubes emitted a strong blast force which propels the user onwards to its direction.
The FFA, though incapable of long-term flight, allows its users quick and speedy maneuvers allowing one to pass through the harshest forms of obstacles. The speed was so fast that at maximum, the FFA could allow movements beyond the speed of sound.
The only drawback for this godly weapon was the immense requirements for wearing the FFA. In the entirety of the U.N Army, only 13 individuals were allowed to wear them. The requirements involved having a body capable of dealing with physical stress. This meant that the wearer¡¯s body should be strong enough to withstand the immense pressure and stress that accompanies the humanly impossible movements. The second requirement was even more impossible than the first.
A gun was aimed at Death Tide. After seeing how this nimble lone soldier evaded all incoming bullets, the gunman decided to shoot at a closer range. Death Tide was still busy dismembering several soldiers and did not see the encroaching enemy.
Without hesitation, the trigger was pulled.
Bang!
As the bullet exited the barrel of the gun and as the soundwaves vibrated out. Possessing abilities that far exceeded human capacity, sight, vision, hearing and even smell for an inhuman hero like the Death Tide, this attack was extremely trivial. Milliseconds meant nothing and the Death Tide immediately reacted and evaded the bullet according to the position he heard the shot, and the faint vibrations he felt. Unlike normal humans, the General had a superior hearing which allowed him to hear thingsimmediately. It was as if his ears were more than 20 meters from his current position. Much more could be said of his senses. The very triggering of the gun was "felt" by this General. He didn''t need to ¡°see¡± where his shooter was. Seeker gave a quick spin to evade the bullet and upon the execution of the full circle, the sword was slashed.
The sound of the gunshot hadn''t even echoed throughout the room and the gunman was already sliced into two halves.
The second requirement of the FFA?
At a minimum, An Unlocking of at least 48% of the brain. A simple task for an elite soldier like Death Tide. Regarding his current Unlocking, General Seeker "The Death Tide" Carlean had a recorded reach of up to 74% brain Unlocking.
Chapter Two: Full Divide
A single ¡°compartment¡± of the Balmung would be as large as a football stadium. And the number of compartments that the Balmung had were over 30. Yet despite the large size and how each compartment was a maze that leads to other compartments, Death Tide was easily dashing and killing as if he knew exactly where he was going.
The soldiers were in a panic. The speed of Death Tide was unmatched. Even before the soldiers of the next compartment became ready for the threat, Death Tide would already dive right in and kill everyone.
As his killing spree continued, Death Tide finally reached the compartment he was looking for. Sector 19 was the target for the Chimera Squadron. Gunshots and explosions could be heard as the battle ensued. But this time the soldiers expecting Death Tide were ready.
Dozens of soldiers where hold up and took a position on the hallways of the compartment waiting for any moving objects to intercept them. They no longer valued the threat of the foreign squadron who has been moving in this compartment. A bigger threat approached.
But their wariness was useless. All they ever saw was a blur. Before they even heard the loud sounds of a jet throttling towards them, half of them were already dead.
Alarms were heard in the halls of Sector 19. The soldiers had to ensure that Death Tide and Chimera Squadron would not meet.
All soldiers were instructed to stay alive and do their best to kill Seeker. Following these the conflicting instructions, the soldiers ignored the squadron currently holed up in the Star Chamber and focused and the fast and deadly flash that left halved body parts on its wake.
An expressionless woman with black hair stood over the dead bodies of the soldiers in the Star Chamber. She wore no armor like the other soldiers but wore a suit similar to General Carlean. A blue ring also glowed occasionally as she Zera emotionlessly continued to move forward shooting at the corridors just in time to kill the appearing soldiers.
The Chimera Squadrons landing was a disaster. Who would have thought that the compartment where their dropship crashed would hold a number of soldiers? Of the nine soldiers in the dropship, only 5 remained.
Zera and another female soldier reached their positions and started to guard the entrance while the rest scrambled to start their mission.
"Is he here yet?" a soldier asked as he started reconfiguring the settings of the control panel in one of the machines.
"Based on the enemy¡¯s screams, I¡¯d say he should be here in a few minutes at most. Hanson, please tend to your wounds." Zera still displayed no emotion even as she comforted the wounded soldier.
The commander in charge of their squad continued to pump the remaining liquid extract into the storage tanks.
"What was the success rate of this operation?" a female soldier asked. Her gun was steady but the finger holding the trigger was shaking noticeably.
No one responded to the question asked.
A shadow was seen on the edge of the corridor causing her hand to grip tightly with her hand barely pulling the trigger.
"Hold your fire. I think it¡¯s the General." Zera coldly remarked.
"Keep your cool Hansen. It''s me." The voice spoke from the corridor.
Hansen sighed in relief as her hands started to tremble non-stop. She dropped her guard and tears were slowly streaming from her eyes.
Seeker entered the room and patted Hansen''s shoulder. The original synthetic suit was now full of blood splatters. Obviously, none of it was Seeker¡¯s.
"Good work Hansen." Seeker looked at the remaining team and frowned.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"You sure had it rough. The enemy¡¯s numbers should have withered down. When I started moving independently they focused on trying to kill me. Make your report, Commander."
"Sir. We''ve successfully adjusted this binding system. That''s one compartment down and one more to go." After making the last adjustments the Commander immediately retrieved his gun and waited for orders.
"Zera, what should be the enemy¡¯s next movements based on the probabilities?" The General asked immediately.
"Assuming they know of your identity which is about 97 percent, I would either isolate this compartment from the other sectors or maximize my forces to eliminate you. Looking at the state of this compartment I''d say they''re going for the latter."
"Just as I thought." The General concluded.
"Commander Jim, I will lead the way. We have to make it look like we''re headed for the main bridge. Take your forces and follow my path. Once you configure the next compartment hole upon any room and wait for evacuation. I''ll continue towards the center. You guys should meet less resistance if I leave a blood trail. The more we can reconfigure, the higher the chances our mission succeeds. You should have more than enough to adjust at least one more right?" Not waiting for the team¡¯s response Seeker immediately charged out. Commander Jim and his team immediately set out to follow the general.
Zera¡¯s blue light flickered.
"I hope this won''t be the last time we see each other Zeek."
The General smiled as he heard this. A calm smile could be seen on his face as he was charging off into the next rooms. "You know, for a pile of circuits, you weren''t half bad as Zera."
The main bridge of the Balmung no longer cared at the battles over the Earth''s atmosphere. Everyone''s attention was on their ships live video feeds. Despite the various reports about the many soldiers commandeering the different rooms in various compartments of the Balmung, All eyes were focused on what only appeared to be a passing blur and the dead soldiers that were left behind.
"We''ve confirmed it. General Seeker Carlean of the U.N Army. It¡¯s really him, Sir." a soldier on the bridge reported.
"Looks like the UN is really risking a lot. Compartmentalize sectors 7, 16 and 18. Have all the soldiers in sectors 9 to 12 converge on Carlean''s position." The Captain immediately ordered.
"Sir! Several drop-ships with the same bullet-like hull are approaching!" Another soldier cried to the Captain.
"Huh." The Captain scoffed.
"So they plan to take control of our ship. Seems practical. They are undermanned and dwindling in numbers. They take this ship and do a kamikaze style attack to another Orbital ship." The Captain murmured as he turned to the many video feeds and focused on the ones which showed Carlean.
¡°Once a majority of the soldiers in sectors nine to twelve are at Carlean''s sector initiate Full Divide! We must not let any more soldiers board the Balmung!" the Captain thundered.
¡°Sir, Sectors 26 and 32 have all reported opposition. Our forces are on retreat towards the bridge.¡±
¡°Have all forces of that sector retreat to the bridge. I want the Full Divide to be ready in the next minute! Carlean is after us. They plan to take control of this ship. The blueprints of the Balmung has been compromised.¡± The Captain concluded coldly. Despite his calm composure, the Captain could not help but shudder at the sight of Seeker dashing from one camera to another.
The battle continued in the various compartments of the Balmung. The lone soldier Carlean couldn¡¯t be stopped.
Zera''s company continued to pass through the halls. As Carlean predicted, there were no more enemies on their path. All the non-combatant personnel had already evacuated. Then the tremors began.
"This is it. The divide has begun! The bait worked!" Commander Jim grinned.
"Let''s not make the General''s actions fall in vain. Let''s complete the configuration to this compartment." Zera responded coldly.
The stellar war that occurred over the Earth''s atmosphere took a sudden change of flow. In the center of those battle was a large spherical spaceship. It was about seven kilometers in diameter and could even be mistaken for a miniature moon. Several ships which initially were on the offense took a sudden turn and started defending this Gigas Class Orbiter known as the Balmung.
The approaching dropships with bullet-shaped bows flew with immense speed. Guarding them was an escort of the U.N Army''s Stellar-capable Jets, the Spirits.
The stellar battle did little to slow the dropships as it seemed that these dropship pilots didn''t fear death. The Balmung then executed Full Divide.
The Balmung started to disassemble. The compartments were of different shapes and sizes appeared to be getting detached. As the dividing occurred, a miniature, star-like energy could be found on what was once the center of the Balmung. The various parts and pieces of the Balmung were connected by electric-like dark blue energy and maintained the positions of each block as if it were planets orbiting a star. Despite what appeared to be a chaotic rotation, none of the blocks collided with each other as each rotated.
Inside of the floating compartment that was once Sector 9, Seeker Carlean stood amidst the dead soldiers. With the blue ring glowing in steady blue, Seeker continued to send mental signals and suddenly zoomed out of sight as he evaded and hid from the different gunshots.
The number was just too many to handle. Yet despite the hopeless situation of being cornered to a small room, there was a smile in Seekers face. He then sent a mental command to all squads.
"Full Divide Confirmed. Begin operation."
Chapter Three: Mission Star Killer
The stellar wars intensified in space. The Full Divide allowed evasive maneuvers for the compartments minimizing the number of dropships that could penetrate to the different compartments.
¡°Have the fleet focus on defending the Balmung.¡± The captain ordered. Soon he stared in frustration at the one monitor most of the crew drew their attention too.
The thin frame of Seeker Carlean stood confidently amidst the dead bodies and burning metals.
Seeker Carlean¡¯s right arm was fractured. The last battles final seconds ended in what looked like a blur with Carlean on the winning end. The blue ring started glowing again.
¡°This is it, boys. We are about to find out if our intel''s right or we die for nothing.¡± Seeker broadcasted his message to all Link-accomplished soldiers.
¡°Squadrons, in three¡two¡one. Initiate!¡± Seeker commanded. All Link-accomplished soldiers flipped the switch at the same time.
At a push of the buttons, various mechanisms installed on the engines in the different compartments of the Balmung began to light up. The star energy that held all the compartments together started to tremble.
"What''s happening?" The Captain panicked.
The pilots of the Balmung quickly checked all system settings in an attempt to understand the anomaly occurring. On the compartments which the different squads managed to reconfigure, the electrical energy which connected the compartment to the star energy slowly turned red in color. Of the thirty-four compartments, a total of sixteen compartments were configured.
The tremors that rang out on all compartments started increasing. The movement of the star energy and the orbit of the compartments of the Balmung were now getting out of order. Compartments started to crash with one another at the distortion of the star energy.
In the Central Sector, Seeker started dashing and running around the compartment trying to keep his balance. The compartments were in chaos and all on board the Balmung struggled to keep a good footing.
¡°Dropships! Initiate pick up! Squadrons send your pings!¡± Seeker commanded as he dashed towards the nearest window to observe the situation outside.
Several dropships which seemed to be zooming in confusion then started to dash at specific areas of the Balmung. The dropships penetrated through the thick metal and then stabilized the hole which it generated. The surviving members of the different squadrons immediately boarded the ships.
¡°We did it! And we¡¯re alive!¡± Suarez rejoiced.
¡°Commander, the dropship has arrived. We are about to detach and head back home.¡± A report came in.
Seeker stood with a grim expression as he saw the state of the star energy.
"It''s not enough!" Seeker frowned.
A mental response spoke back. "General, the Star Core is slowly increasing in density and energy. By the looks of it, our mission is a success."
"The speed! That''s the problem! The rate of its increase is too slow! If some of the compartments detach themselves from the Star Core our mission will fail!" The General sent back angrily.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Boom!
A sudden crash on the central compartment was felt. A dropship had rammed through the compartment. The bullet-like funnel in its front pierced through the walls but immediately, several panels expanded locking the gaps created from the crash. The pressure in the room immediately stabilized.
"General! I''m here to pick you up!" A mental message spoke directly to Seeker.
Seeker was deep in thought at this point. For a human with an Unlocking of 70%, it was rare for him to have paused and thought.
"General!" The mental message shouted once again.
"Fish, detach from my compartment. Don''t pick me up." Seeker ordered solemnly.
"What?" Various mental messages immediately cried in Seekers thoughts.
"Listen up everyone. Every second count at this point. If any compartments disconnect themselves from the Star Energy, the mission will fail. My Four Force Accelerator is designed as a miniature model of Star Energy. In theory, I can detonate the FFA energy in the core if I undo the compression on each of the FFA. The energy would be similar to having an additional four compartments compartmentalize. I may even immediately overload the energy. It should cause enough increase in the Star Core to accomplish the mission. Every second count! This is my last order. I can only allow 30 seconds before I make my jump. Ensure that you are in space at 15 seconds. No questions." Seeker''s tone was firm and decisive.
No mental messages were sent back to Seeker. A few seconds since the last message the dropship piloted by Fish suddenly detached itself from the central compartment.
"Good." Seeker smiled. He was receiving mental messages from all the surviving teams. Gryphon, Chimera, Basilisk, Wyvern, Phoenix and even his own team reported having successfully boarded the escape dropships which have returned.
"A General could never ask for such a decisive and trusting team such as you." Seeker sent his message with tears in his eyes.
"Zeek." Zera sent back.
"Zera, protect our home." Seeker sent as he dashed towards a door. A mask suddenly covered Seeker¡¯s face as he clicked on a small button near his neck. Oxygen was then released. Once he was a foot away from the door, Seeker stopped. Behind this door was the hole left by the dropships penetration.
Seeker banged the hilt of his sword pushing the button of the door. As the door opened, Seeker was sucked in by the immense change of pressure. As he was sucked out in space, he engaged the Four Force Accelerator and he flew towards the Star energy which held all of the Balmung¡¯s compartment. Seeker tinkered with his suit and the dark blue blast emitted by the Four Force Accelerator started turning to a shade of red.
When he made the jump all the dropships were already fleeing from the Balmung. Seeker closed his eyes as he neared the electrical energy. The burst of the Four Force Accelerator increased to the maximum. And right before Seeker collided with the electrical energy, he smiled.
"Thank you." A short and simple mental message was sent.
The moment Seeker collided with the electrical energy holding Sector Nine, he was immediately sucked in towards the core of the energy holding the Balmungs parts. A miniature red explosion could be seen and the Star energy immediately gave a brighter shade of red.
The trembling throughout the Balmung''s compartments increased. The compartments started to merge into the star energy as if something was sucking everything towards the center. But before all the compartments could merge in the center...
BOOM!
The star energy exploded. A Yellow-green like flame rushed out incinerating everything in its path. The shockwave was so immense that the other Gigas Class orbiters nearby were shaken by the shockwave. All the stellar capable jets of the UN army pushed their ships speed to the max Mach speed it could manage.
Because of the sudden shockwave which shook almost all ships only the UN armies were prepared to get away from the massive flames that continued to envelop the space. The Gigas Class orbiters could only sit and watch as the raging blaze approached and disintegrated them. Some of the U.N''s Armies Stellar-capable ships was also erased from existence. But the losses from this friendly fire was far outweighed by the gain.
The entire Orbital fleet was wiped out of existence.
As stellar-capable jets of the UN¡¯s surviving fleet returned to Earths atmosphere, the whole world was in celebration. They now had achieved peace for the next months or maybe even years to come. Humanity had hope once more. Earth now has more time to prepare and fight for the next battle.
But no sound of victory was heard in the Myth Squadron dropships returning to Earth. For them, this was a pyrrhic victory. They won the war but lost their General.
Mission Star Killer, Codenamed: Super Nova, Successful.
Victory attributed to the brave sacrifice of the 6-Star General, Stellar General Seeker Carlean.
Chapter Four: Charles Lindmitt
Seeker Carlean sat down with eyes that could shut tight at any moment. His teacher was not making the harsh and boring lesson any easier to learn. He stared at the board and tried to force his eyelids to open as wide as it can. How can any normal 16-year-old manage to fight this unassailable battle?
The empowering force of drowsiness was unrelenting.
The rest of the class didn''t seem to face this problem. Obviously, they were not caught up by the mysterious powers that have ensnared Seekers mind.
This was witchcraft.
Something unearthly was forcing Seeker''s eyes to close and the call of dreams sounded so seductive.
As his consciousness started fading, Seeker then heard his own voice speaking.
"Thanks."
As the voice faded, a vast amount of images now erupted in Seeker''s mind.
"Ahhhh!" an immense pain awakened Seeker from his drowsy state. He felt as if his brain was expanding and that something was going to explode in his mind.
Seeker fell from his seat and struggled in pain. Shouting and flailing.
The professor teaching the class was shocked and immediately rushed to Seeker. The nearby students started panicking at Seekers sudden episode.
"Seeker!" various voices called out to Seeker.
But Seeker could not hear the voices in the room as the voices in his head were far more powerful and loud.
Seeker lost all sense of balance and his awareness started fading. Finally, the immense thrashing started to lessen as Seeker''s consciousness faded off towards his dream.
---
The moment Seeker''s eyes opened he immediately sprang up.
The sudden awakening shocked the people in the room. Seeker''s mother immediately hugged the panicking Seeker.
Seeker was gasping for his breath and started looking around the room with a confused face.
"A hospital?" Seeker asked. His voice was trembling and his body could not stop from shaking.
"Zeek, you''re in the hospital. It''s ok now. It''s ok." His mom hugged him as tears that were yet to dry continued to pour out from her eyes.
"What happened Zeek?" His dad was more firm than his Mom. Chris Carlean sat by the bed and gave a worried look towards Seeker. His eyes were filled with relief seeing that his son was alright.
Seeker didn''t know what to say. He just woke up and couldn''t remember the details of his pain.
"I''m not sure. All I remembered was..." Seeker began to murmur. Grace finally parted her hug from Seeker.
The memories he saw started to change. A vast amount of memories started to jumble up as he pushed to recall the facts. The last thing he could remember was being in class struggling to keep his consciousness awake. But the last thing he also remembered was the FFA¡¯s ignition and how it successfully merged towards the core of the star energy ensuring the success of his mission.
Seeker stared at his parents and didn''t know what to say. He looked deeply at his dad and towards his mom. The blue eyes of his dad and the almond eyes of his mom were the only things he stared at.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Seekers panicked expression started to slowly disappear as a confused look began to surface. Then a warm and happy smile emerged. He immediately hugged his parents.
¡°I missed you guys.¡± Seeker cried. ¡°I was so scared.¡±
Chris and Grace comforted their poor child and hugged him even tighter. Chris started telling odd jokes to make Seeker more relaxed.
Amidst the odd jokes and heartwarming sentiments, Seeker appeared to have recalled something.
"Zeek?" Grace asked at Seeker who seemed to have suddenly fallen into a trance.
"Mom, I¡¯m very tired." Seeker spoke as he looked at his mom and dad.
Chris and Grace glanced at each other.
¡°Ok. You need to rest now.¡± Grace gave Seeker a hug and kissed Seeker¡¯s forehead. Seeker laid in his bed and seem to be trying to sleep.
¡°Mr. and Mrs. Carlean?¡± A voice interrupted from beyond the door.
¡°It must be the doctor.¡± Chris hurriedly opened the door. A tall man in a long white coat stood. His gaze was stern. His beard wild. He was like a war hero in a doctor¡¯s outfit.
¡°Doctor Lindmitt?!¡± Grace exclaimed.
The name awakened Seeker. He immediately sat up to stare at the unfamiliar doctor.
Seeker was sure. He was familiar with this doctor that he has never met in his entire life.
¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you. Doctor Plat already reviewed the MRI results and asked me to take a look at the patient.¡±
¡°No problem at all Doctor!¡± Grace excitedly agreed.
¡°Grace, you know Doctor¡?¡±
¡°Doctor Lindmitt! He¡¯s been over the news these past few weeks! A celebrity doctor!¡±
¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t claim to be a celebrity doctor.¡± Lindmitt chuckled.
¡°I came here and requested to take over in caring for Seeker Carlean. If that¡¯s alright with you of course. No additional charges will be given for my services. You will still be paying the same fee as you did with Doctor Plat.¡±
¡°The pleasure is ours! Chris, this is the doctor who was all over the news! The famous neurological doctor who managed to cure Alzheimer¡¯s!¡±
The news shocked Chris. Seeker, however, stared in even more confusion. How did he already know this?
¡°Well, how can we say no to such a generous offer?¡± Chris smiled.
¡°Now that I don¡¯t need to introduce myself, Seeker, I will now be your doctor and I will be sure to put to use a hundred percent of my capabilities-¡°
¡°To ensure that I¡¯ll get back to my 100% right? I¡¯m relieved to be in your hands, Charles.¡± Seeker interrupted.
Charles Lindmitt was surprised. Grace gave Seeker a peculiar look.
¡°Zeek, he¡¯s Doctor Charles. Show some respect!¡±
¡°Haha! It¡¯s alright Mrs. Grace. Looks like little Zeek here has heard of me. Surprisingly he even knows of my catchphrases!¡±
Zeek started to hold his head in agony again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m very uncomfortable at how crowded this place is. My heads starting to throb again.¡±
¡°Alright! Mr. and Mrs. Carlean would you mind if I spend some time with Zeek. I know that it¡¯s getting late and that Zeek is tired but his case requires a bit of haste on my part. If it¡¯s also alright with you Zeek.¡±
¡°No problem at all, Doctor.¡±
Grace and Chris immediately left the room leaving the two alone.
¡°So¡ Right on to business then! Seeker, as you already-¡°
¡°Doctor Charles. I¡¯d like to take a little test if you don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s related to my current state and might even help you on a possible plight you have regarding a neuro-alteration study you might be doing.¡±
Charles was shocked to hear Seeker¡¯s claims.
¡°How did you know about my study? Who-¡°
¡°Relax Charles. I¡¯m just a kid with an intense migraine. However, if what you¡¯ll help me and it proves my assumption then I guess I won¡¯t be an ordinary kid with a migraine.¡±
Charles stood there wondering what the peculiar teenager was talking about.
¡°I¡¯m not sure if I follow. Who are you and-¡°
¡°Charles. Please. I am as confused as you are. I don¡¯t believe what my mind is telling me. But so far, it has proven to be true. How did I know you when I¡¯ve never met you? Why am I so familiar with your expressions, your habits, your favorites? Why do I possess knowledge which exceeds what I should have? Help me.¡±
Seeker wasn¡¯t even looking at Charles but continued massaging his temple. Charles didn¡¯t know how to respond.
¡°Alright. Let¡¯s make this simple.¡± Seeker finally decided. He continued to massage his head but gazed straight to Charles.
¡°Flip a coin and catch it. I¡¯ll call what it is the moment it lands. Try to be quick though and not make me know what the result was.¡±
Charles stared in confusion. But if Seeker knew something about the neuro-alteration project he had to humor the teen. Charles rummaged on his pocket and took out a coin. He stared at Seeker waiting for any signal.
Seeker gave a casual nod as he continued to massage his temples. He didn¡¯t look as interested as he should. Charles flipped the coin and caught the coin with his right hand.
¡°Tails.¡± Seeker said casually.
Charles opened his palm and found the side which displayed the proud Sydian symbol. This was, of course, the ¡°tails¡± of the coin.
Chapter Five: The Unlocking
¡°Am I right?¡± Seeker inquired. Charles was sure that Seeker wasn¡¯t paying attention to the coin as he seemed to be more concerned of massaging his head. Charles nodded back to confirm.
¡°Let¡¯s keep at it until I make a mistake.¡±
Charles and Seeker continued to play the game. Seeker called all coin flips correctly. He was simply glancing at Charles the exact moment he would catch the coin in his palm. The more they did it the more amazed Charles was.
¡°Alright. I have to ask. How do you do it?¡± Charles asked at the eleventh coin flip.
Seeker finally stopped massaging his head. And gave a sigh.
¡°Through a successful application of your neuro-alteration theory. My brains are stronger than most. I can control the time of how I perceive things. I would estimate that I can turn 10 milliseconds to feel like one second. I could clearly see how the coin would land. Not a magic trick Doctor. This was pure perception.¡±
Charles was shocked at those words. This was one of the theoretical results of his study! The brain is capable of being upgraded!
¡°Who exactly are you? How did you end up with that migraine? Do you realize what you just said?¡±
¡°Calm down Charles. Oh sorry. Doctor Charles. My memories are used to calling you, Charles.¡± Seeker smirked.
Charles ignored Seeker and continued questioning Seeker and later applied a more aggressive tone as Seeker was ignoring him. In fact, it appeared that Seeker was lost in thoughts.
¡°Seeker!¡± Charles grabbed hold of Seeker. He glared angrily at Seeker. There was a kid claiming to have the totality of his current life¡¯s work! Has the government been spying on him? Charles lost his patient and calm smile which he presents to the public. Now here he was holding and shaking a kid who just suffered an intense migraine that left him in the hospital.
¡°Tell me,Doctor. How far has your neuro-alteration research progressed? Now that you discovered the cure for Alzheimer¡¯s you should have at least started on brain regeneration right?¡¯
¡°Obviously you read my research. You look pretty smart for a kid but unless you tell me what I want to know now you better give me a straight answer!¡± Charles demanded.
¡°I haven¡¯t read your works, Doctor. I am very versed at it since you applied this to me.¡± Seeker remarked.
¡°What?!¡±
¡°Technically you will apply it to me. I don¡¯t understand how. But I believed I¡¯ve already undergone an Unlocking.¡±
¡°Unlocking?¡±
Seeker stared at Charles with a surprised expression. This was his first expression other than the tired and annoyed look he once had.
¡°Ugh. It¡¯s a term you coined to describe the current capacity a person¡¯s brain can do.¡±
¡°A term? What are you talking about?¡±
¡°Unlocking the extent of how a person can use his brain. To be precise, the percentage of its uses.¡±
¡°What? You mean that 10% brain using theory? Kid, I¡¯m a neurosurgeon. One of the best this world has to offer. And I know that that 10% brain crap was just some stupid theory used as a plot for an aged old movie.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Seeker started laughing. This angered Charles even more.
¡°Why are you laughing?¡± Charles demanded.
Seeker tossed an apple towards Charles. Charles instinctively caught it.
¡°What is this? An apple a day crap?¡± The angry Charles was about to toss the apple in the trash when Seeker interrupted him.
¡°How many percent of your muscles did you use, Doctor? To be precise, if 100% is the total amount of force your right arm can possibly perform, what was the percentage of force did you use to catch the apple?¡±
Charles paused for a bit. He was confused by Seeker¡¯s question.
¡°I don¡¯t know. Five percent? I don¡¯t care what-¡°
¡°This is what I meant doctor. Not the percentage of the parts that the brain use, but the percentage of the extent, the effort, if you will, that the brain can use. The whole not using 10 percent of your brain is proven to be false. But the question is, how strong can a brain work?¡±
Charles was stunned at this statement. This was something he had been studying and researching on.
¡°The brain like any muscle can exert a percentage of its true capability. Think of computers. Does it always run at its 100%?¡± Seeker asked casually. He was now on a relaxed mood and decided to rest his head on the beds'' pillow.
¡°Well¡ No. Unless you run a program that demands more memory.¡±
¡°And to go beyond this on an active basis is if you overclock it. The brain as a muscle is also capable of this. It can be forced to work harder. Of course, like any muscle, overworking it could result in a strain. Which is why the body defaults its usage to at least 7-10% like an ordinary computer. Sooner or later, you will prove this to the world. Pushing the brains capacity to work harder is possible. It will explain the phenomenon of why people experience life reviews near their moments of death, tachypsychia, and even those alleged ¡®out of body experiences.¡¯¡±
¡°I will prove..? What are you getting at?¡±
¡°It looks like your research hasn¡¯t gone this far yet. Then let me point you in the right direction. Tachypsychia, the phenomenon where people claim time has slowed down. On what occasion do those generally happen?¡±
¡°Life-threatening situations. Other than that, athletes, martial artist or basically anyone doing extreme sports claim to have these moments.¡±
¡°At that point, the brain functioned beyond its 10% norm. All those whom you mentioned encountered extreme stimulants or reasons which led them to push the percentage of their brain usage. The Life Review, where people claim that their life flashed before their eyes is another experience caused by their brain functioning beyond the 10% norm. During their life-threatening episodes, they quickly thought about their past. But due to their brain being in overclocked mode, they remembered far too many things that they should have.¡±
Charles was silent. He was excited. Looks like his research was right!
¡°And the OOBE? How can out of body experience fall into the mix of all these?¡±
¡°An overclocked brain heightens the senses. Sound, taste, and smell combined with a heightened sense of touch are easily converted into a totally different way of perceiving the world. At that point, their perception was so strong that they thought their spirit was looking from above. But the truth the totality of their senses just allowed them to see things perfectly even when their eyes were closed.¡±
Charles was silent once again. What if this kid does indeed have what he is claiming to have?
¡°So you have Unlocked¡ how many percent of your brain?¡±
Seeker gazed towards the ceiling contemplating the question.
¡°I¡¯d guess I¡¯m at the Unbecoming stage. My unlocking should be around 15-18% based on the symptoms I¡¯m displaying.¡±
¡°Unbecoming? What symptoms?¡±
¡°Millisecond perception, Advanced Recall, Heightened senses, Improved Motor Reaction and um¡ yeah¡ light migraines.¡±
¡°You call your migraines light? You passed out!¡±
¡°I meant now. Me having that episode was caused by a different¡ erm.. reason. Unless that happened again I¡¯m confident I won¡¯t be having those fainting episodes anymore.¡± Seeker gave another exasperated look to Charles.
¡°What happens beyond this Unbecoming phase?
¡°Above it is the Inhuman Stage. Symptoms include a finer millisecond perception, Advanced Motor Reaction, Inhuman Senses, and Total Recall.¡±
¡°So no more migraines?¡± Charles joked.
¡°The brain would be fried if a person maintains Inhuman Unlocking at full capacity for more than 5 minutes. You need a stronger brain to maintain that stage.¡±
Charles was shocked at Seekers claims.
¡°As for the next stages, Ranked Hero and World Champion, we¡¯d have to save it for next time. I wouldn¡¯t want to give all the secrets away to your doctor. I think telling you what you will soon discover would be detrimental to your potential. It¡¯s best if you find the answers yourself. Again, I¡¯m just pointing you in the right direction.¡± Seeker smirked and started relaxing.
¡°I think I slept 10 hours yesterday. But at the same time, my memory tells me that I¡¯ve haven¡¯t slept that long in nearly four years. Funny how things turn out.¡±
Chapter Six: A New Game +
Seeker paced towards his classroom. Everyone passed by Seeker not paying heed to this familiar figure. Seeker was a regular student who studied, laughed, played hooky at times, tried and failed at flirting with the hottest girls in school.
No known achievements, no great contributions to society, not even a name on the school papers for any notable accomplishments and comical adventures. He didn¡¯t even join any clubs but would head home immediately or hang out with his dear friends.
The average of the average. That was Seeker Carlean.
¡°Seek! You alright? What happened?¡± Lynd Peters ran towards Seeker. He was a tall tanned young man with jet black hair. His head was a near perfect circular shape and adding to his innocent look, one would mistake him to be related to troll. His tall and huge frame adding to his clumsy and slightly awkward movements made his worried dash a comical scene.
¡°I¡¯m fine. Sheesh. Don¡¯t do that in public! It¡¯s really embarrassing!¡± Seeker laughed but his heart warmed up seeing this concerned giant.
¡°Well, you should have seen yourself! You look like one of those demons-possessed people in the movies! Screaming so loud and your eyes were almost popping out!¡± As Lynd approached, Seeker could see the tears in his eyes.
¡°I¡¯m alright now.¡± Seeker comforted.
¡°You really had me worried there Seek. You were screaming some weird stuff the other day we thought you really lost it!¡± Lynd walked at Seeker¡¯s pace slowly adjusting his long steps.
¡°Really? Couldn¡¯t remember much of what I was shouting. I just remembered the pain.¡± Seeker gave a casual smile.
¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t remember all of it. I was too busy holding you down and screaming as well!¡± Lynd laughed.
¡°But from what I heard after you were sent to the hospital, you were screaming strange things.¡±
The pair walked onwards towards the room. Lynd continued to bombard Seeker with questions and Seeker kept repeating the fact that he remembered nothing. As they entered, the group was immediately met with applause.There gathered in the room were Seeker¡¯s classmates.
The senior class that Seeker was assigned was not a high ranking class. Their school grouped students according to their academic performances and grades per year level. Though Seeker¡¯s class weren¡¯t as dreadful as the ¡°Regulars¡± ranked classes, the ¡°Rising¡± rank was not as prestigious as the ¡°Royal¡± rank.
Devoid of extreme talents and extreme dullness, life was carefree and easy in the Rising rank. Students of this class have no outlying students who were smart and so dull. Everyone accepted their grades and would always perform for the sake of passing. From school plays, performances, and studies, their culture was a very happy-go-lucky group.
¡°Congratulations on recovering Seek!¡± Meryl clapped as she paced towards Seeker. Meryl¡¯s long braided hair swung as she walked towards and gave Seeker a meaningful hugged. After which she began to scan him trying to find any defects or surgical scars. Meryl was a bright girl with an innocent smile. She had a well-rounded face and white skin. She smiled as she looked with worried eyes to her dear friend.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°I¡¯m fine Meryl.¡± Seeker playfully patted her braided head.
¡°Fine? Some of us thought you were possessed by a demon! You started screaming and flailing and even shouted something about being on fire! Was a demon trying to drag you to hell?¡± Meryl grumpily argued.
Seeker laughed.
¡°No such incident! I promise you. Anyways I¡¯m glad I¡¯m back with you guys.¡± Seeker stared dearly at his two friends. Lynd and Meryl were his two best friends. Lynd was his awkward compatriot who would always be there no matter what and Meryl his beloved little-older sister who would berate them of their stupidity but always join in to either help them get out of trouble and occasionally put them into deeper trouble.
The class was now bombarding Seeker with many questions. Seeker casually addressed all concerns from his classmates. As he talked with them, tears would unexpectedly gather in his eyes. Meryl stared at Lynd in the wonder of what was happening. Seeker later sat down at his seat as the bell rung. Meryl and Lynd sat next to Seeker. As the teacher went in, life in the Rising 3-B class began.
The class paid the usualnoncommittal attitude it had. Seeker was however still lost in thoughts.
¡°I can¡¯t believe that I would be here once more.¡± The emotions started surging and Seeker¡¯s eyes were tearing up once more. He confirmed his existence, his memory and other unbelievable things last night. He isn¡¯t dreaming. He isn¡¯t dead. He is alive. Back to his Junior Years at the West Phil-Pangea High.
The emotions that he felt was one of both joy and relief. He could be with his friends, talk with his parents and enjoy the fact that the remaining three-fourths of the Earth is habitable and not a heaping wasteland or a metal graveyard.
It felt like an impossible dream.
¡°Seek?¡± Meryl called out.
¡°Hmm?¡±
¡°You Ok? Are you¡ crying?¡± Meryl noticed the teary-eyed Seeker.
¡°I¡¯m ok Meryl. It¡¯s just that ever since the attack my heads been throbbing a bit every now and then.¡±
¡°Oh my! You sure it¡¯s alright to go to school? What if the attack happens again?¡±
Lynd gave an alarmed stare at Meryl and Seeker.
¡°Mr. Carlean!¡± The teacher suddenly barked.
Ms. Cipril called out. Alean Cipril was fiery hot, and the white woman who despite her very alluring beauty, was still single. Her strict military upbringing paired with the fact that her father takes her wherever he is assigned made Alean¡¯s career a very diverse one.
¡°It is not an excuse for you to idle around in my class even if you had a little headache episode. If you wish to fake another panic attack do so in another class because if you do it again, I will throw you out!¡±
The class was silent. Even though Meryl and Lynd wanted to pound this general¡¯s daughters with smart rebuttals, they knew not to awaken this beast.
Seeker merely stared at the teacher. His eyes could not hide the immense hatred he felt towards this wretched beast clothe in womanly splendor. Seeker, however, chose to give a wry smile and nodded to the teacher.
Alean went back to her lessons.
¡°Forget about her Zeek!¡± Lynd whispered.
¡°Wanna go to my place later? Guess what? I booked an order for our favorite game and I finally got it! The sequel to Piercing: Edge! Later we will be in the action-packed the world of Piercing: Bullet! My game data from Edge is ready to go! I just can¡¯t wait to play a New Game+ on Bullet! Depending on your completion rate to the previous game, you would be rewarded with several unlocked skills and even ammunition! This game, we already know what not to waste and what to prepare for. Not to mention, if we managed to complete several secret tasks from Piercing: Edge, we can meet secret characters who will help us with more stuff!¡±
¡°A new game plus huh?¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°I guess this is what it is. This should make the game easier and possibly a hundred times harder.¡±
¡°What?¡± Lynd was lost in Seeker¡¯s response.
¡°As you said, Lynd. We have more unlocked skills than our first game, we have more ammunition, a lot of time for preparations and even secret characters. I''m excited too. Let¡¯s play it.¡± Seeker¡¯s smile grew bigger.
¡°The New Game+.¡±
Chapter Seven: The Aragarians
¡°Where are you taking us, Zeek?¡± Meryl had a confused look as Seeker was navigating them into an unknown lot around a complex they have never been to.
¡°I told you. We¡¯ll have our own personal hang out space. Beats hanging about in the school grounds.¡±
¡°But why would your uncle give this to you?¡± Lynd gave a confused stare.
The trio arrived at a duplex building. Seeker went up and rang the doorbell and waited.
¡°Seeker?¡± A voice called out. The door opened to reveal a tall brutish and bearded man who you would never mistake for a doctor.
¡°Charles. Nice place you got here.¡± Seeker smiled at Charles. Only Charles could see the devil behind the grin.
¡°Doctor Charles Lindmitt!¡± Meryl and Lynd chorused.
¡°And this must be Meryl and Lynd. I¡¯ve heard about you from my dear nephew.¡±
¡°Zeek! You¡¯re related to him?!¡± A surprised cry of Lynd voiced over. Seeker gave a quick nod to affirm.
¡°Anyways, come inside. I got the place ready for you.¡± Charles chuckled over the innocence of Seekers friends. Who would expect this peculiar unbecoming human to have such normal teenage friends?
The duplex offered a well decorated, minimalistic space with a surprisingly spacious area that hosted all the necessary gym equipment for a bodybuilder. There were also bars and boxes that appeared to be used for parkour or gymnastics.
A lounge area was seen on the second floor of the building. The party headed over to the second floor and an array of snacks and drinks awaited them. A high-quality gaming computer was available with a huge screen TV used as its monitor. Lynd nearly drooled at the sight of the computers set up. This was a realm that casual gamers like him could never reach.
¡°Not bad Doctor.¡± Seeker gave a smile impressed at the hospitality and preparation made for them.
¡°Anything for my dear nephew.¡± Charles melancholically smiled back. What does it take to truly impress this little rascal?
¡°I wish to speak with my dear nephew privately. Just the ground rules to this little hideout of yours.¡±
Charles walked downstairs and Seeker followed.
¡°I hope this is to your liking. This is all the equipment¡¯s that should be going to MY gym! Because of this, I probably won¡¯t open the gym until the end of the year!¡±
¡°A rich guy like you? I¡¯m sure you have no sponsors or partners to let down.¡± Seeker chuckled.
¡°Alright Seeker. This time I want the truth. I took a look at the file you compiled last night. Adding to what I can see at the various test results of your brain I¡¯m inclined to believe that you are indeed on that ¡°Unbecoming¡± stage. But what I want to know is who are you exactly? The level of scientific technologies listed on that rough file looked like it was a century ahead in the future! I¡¯ve had my guesses and all I could think of is that you are an alien stuck on this planet. I¡¯m prepared to believe anything so tell me.¡±
¡°Looks like the file convinced you.¡± Seeker gave a relaxed smile.
¡°This makes things easier to explain. So what do you think of the draft I made for the Thought Transmitter?¡±
¡°That was pure science fiction. At least that¡¯s what I would say yesterday. But looking at the other files you sent me, if the Unlocking is possible, then the Thought Transmitter should also be plausible. But what I¡¯m more concerned about is who you are than the inventions you have. Answer that first and I can trust whatever you say afterward.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°The reason I asked you about the Thought Transmitter is that it might explain who I am. I am Seeker Carlean. Born and raised in New Pangea town of the Phil-Pangea Islands of the A.U Nations. Fifteen years of age and all the data you might have gathered from me ought to be true. However, I am also Seeker Carlean of the Thirteenth Brigade, promoted to be General of the Stellar Armies. A Six Star general by all accounts and a Ranked Hero based on the Unlocking Level. You see Charles, I am what you might call a Reincarnator.¡±
¡°A reincarnator?¡±
¡°One who has lived life to his dying breath and by some twist of faith, I reincarnated back to my younger years.¡±
Charles gave a scrutinizing stare to Seeker. ¡°I was ready for alien life forms or a secret America experiment but that was totally unexpected.¡±
Seeker laughed.
¡°I share your sentiments. It¡¯s been two whole days and I still question whether I am real or not. To clarify, I am not exactly a reincarnator, but I inherited the memories of my future self. Five years from now humanity will answer an age-old question that they have asked for so long. ¡®Are we alone?¡¯ And the answer is that we are not. Another race of aliens which share the same genetic makeup, biological features and basically anything that makes us human exist somewhere out there in the stars. They have known our existence for quite some time. But they choose to keep silent and ignore all our calls because they want us to remain ignorant of their existence.¡¯
¡°An alien race that is exactly like humans?¡±
¡°Apparently we are not the only ¡®humans¡¯ in this universe.¡±
¡°Interesting. Another human race. So they aren¡¯t as different from as we¡¯d once imagined. Well, at least I was partially right. You are involved in some intergalactic war.¡± Charles gave an intrigued smile.
¡°Yes. We of Earth, fighting the invasion of the Aragarians.¡±
¡°So what exactly do these Aragarians want?¡±
¡°Our planet. You see, they have lived about a couple of hundred years longer than us on a planet bigger than ours. Planet Aragar is similar to earth in terms of its composition, atmosphere and so on. They are on the edge of extinction. They have reaped the consequences of their own actions. Global Warming in Aragar is reaching critical levels, pollution made there has nearly halved the average lifespan and basically all those typical environmental warnings that we¡¯ve heard are beginning to reach critical levels in their planets.¡±
¡°So they are looking for a new home?¡±
¡°Either that or a temporary place to move their residents while the planet recovers. But that would take decades or hundreds of years. So they relocate temporarily while the scientist of their planet executes the terraforming plans to help return their planet to a green and livable planet. Of course, these plans would leave their home planet at an uninhabitable place.¡±
¡°So they tried to reach out to us and we refused to welcome their people? Kinda rude of us don¡¯t you think?¡±
¡°They never asked. If their full population moves to Earth, then they have another problem.¡±
¡°I see. This planet ain¡¯t big enough for the both of us?¡± Charles realized.
¡°Exactly. One has to go. Hence a war will begin in the next five years.¡±
¡°Five years? So they¡¯ll be arriving within five years?
¡°No. They will arrive in the fifth year of that war. The war that is to come is a world war on our planet.¡±
Charles was lost in thoughts.
¡°So we basically destroyed and killed ourselves and they arrived to reap the rewards?¡±
¡°Most likely they instigated the world war. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised that they already have their spies on our planet now. The Argarians were very careful. They did their best to minimize the cost of their actions. They promised some world leaders a place in their utopia. With their tech, they could have conquered us. But it would cost them an astronomical amount of resources and a lot of lives. So they made ways for us to be weakened. Divided us, made us go against each other. And then they arrived and conquered.¡±
¡°So we were at the brink of extinction?¡± Charles gave a grim stare.
¡°We were. However, the made a big mistake.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°They underestimated us. They had the technology and the means to kill us but they weren¡¯t willing to spend the cost to easily reach that. They ordered the many nations that allied with them to kill us. But that gave us time. At a turning point, they decided to step in. They had the numbers, they were united, they were many. But that was exactly why they lost.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡±
¡°Earthling desperation ushered in a new era for us. When several nations betrayed humanity and us who remained faced extinction, a technology that they couldn¡¯t imagine was opened right in our eyes. And you have been looking at that technology all night Doc.¡±
¡°The Unlocking!¡±
¡°Exactly. At the brink of extinction, humans unlocked the last chains that bounded their limitations. The unlocking made men of renowned. Warriors that could dive in a war zone and halve an army before dying. Heroes that won nations back to humanity. And world champions that saved the Earth multiple times. It was something that even their technology couldn¡¯t stop.¡±
Charles gulped a mouthful of saliva. What he was looking at was the future of his works. And it was that very research that saved humanity.
¡°It¡¯s funny how you concern yourself of who I am Charles. The truth is, my very existence right now of knowing the future is nothing compared to your worth in the future.¡±
Chapter Eight: : The Power of Advance Recall
Charles was astounded by Seeker¡¯s claim. In his palms were the destiny of humanity. His success meant the humanity would have a fighting chance. The boy from the future was indeed as unimportant as him. He would be the man that would change the world and give it weapons to face the enemy.
Charles sat down on one of the chairs nearby and pondered deeply.
¡°I bet this changes your perspectives in life right?¡± Seeker laughed.
Charles continued to think. Was it all real? Would he be the impetus that would save the future? An uneasy weight fell on his heart. He was someone special in this world. Someone who made it the top of his career. But never did he thought that lives would be at stake.
¡°Look, a part of me still doesn¡¯t believe in all this.¡± Charles stared straight into Seeker¡¯s eyes.
¡°At times I¡¯m waiting for the camera to come out and surprise me telling me that I¡¯ve been in some sort of reality TV joke show. I still-¡°
¡°Did you bring the gun?¡± Seeker impatiently interrupted.
¡°Yes. I have it in my holster underneath this coat.¡± The surprised doctor displayed the gun hanging in his holster.
¡°Right then. If you still don¡¯t believe me, load the gun and shoot me.¡± Seeker commanded unemotionally.
Charles shivered at the thought of what Seeker asked.
¡°It¡¯s the only way to know if I¡¯m telling the truth. You brought your own gun, you have real bullets with you, we are standing in a building you own. So no one else could have prepared anything for a prank, a magic trick or whatever. Everything is now in your control. If I evade your bullets would it help you believe?¡±
Charles didn¡¯t respond. He was surprised at Seeker¡¯s sudden offer.
¡°It¡¯s the only way Doc. Now I already have a blindfold with me. I¡¯ll put it on. You walk around me, oh and try to be discreet so I won¡¯t know where you are. After that, simply announce when you are going to shoot. And after a half a second or so. Shoot me. I will evade all bullets.¡±
¡°What?! You will blindfold yourself? And what do you mean all bullets? You want me to shoot while you are blindfolded and you want me to do that several times? Are you insane?¡± Charles cried in surprise. Even his big brutish form seemed to shrink in alarm at Seeker¡¯s statements.
¡°Well yeah. After all, you missing the shot would be well within the possibilities. If you shoot me once shame on me. If you shoot me twice shame on you right? Just like the old saying.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not even close to what the original saying was! Do you think I¡¯m an amateur with guns? And why are you putting on the blindfold?¡± Charles was now screaming at Seeker who used Charles¡¯s moment of hysteric raving to put on the blindfold.
¡°To prove my point. Heightened senses remember? My response time is fairly quick. And besides, there is something that I forgot to mention regarding my Unlocking. I am not just Unlocked. But within my mind are the memories of a Ranked Hero. Because of improved recollection, I can remember things far better than most.¡±
¡°How does good memory help in dodging bullets?¡± Charles shouted.
Seeker comfortably stood there with the blindfold on.
¡°Muscle memory would be the easiest analogy. The human body can react without thinking. When people start practicing to drive they begin to have to concentrate. They watch which pedal to push, which gears to switch to and other newbie-like actions. But later, they begin to do it as if it was natural. In basketball or whatever sports, it¡¯s the same thing. Even simple actions such as dribbling a basketball require concentration. But soon, because of practice, you develop these skills to the point that you do it without thinking. Because of what I am now, I don¡¯t only ¡®remember¡¯ my memories but to a certain extent, I remembered how I moved in it. So don¡¯t worry. Point and shoot Doc.¡± Seeker stood calmly.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°I could kill you!¡± Charles suddenly shouted.
Lynd and Meryl, who were surprised at the sudden shouts, were already eavesdropping.
¡°Lynd, Meryl. Stay where you are. No matter what happens don¡¯t interfere.¡± Seeker shouted.
Charles was surprised. He hadn¡¯t noticed the two kids.
¡°This is insane!¡±
¡°This is Unlocking.¡± Seeker boldly declared as he raised his two hands like a prophet unveiling the glorious truth.
¡°Trust! Doctor! Trust in your work! Trust in the truth and possibilities of the Unlocking. And most importantly trust in me!¡±
Seeker declared confidently.
Charles slowly stood up. He now had a serious face.
He reached for his gun and took a close look at it. He drew it close to his face and started to carefully view the nozzle, the trigger, and even the magazine. This could be the revealer of truth for Charles or the cause of death for the bold boy who stood with his eyes blindfolded.
Meryl and Lynd stood frozen ever since they saw the gun. The development was too strange.
Charles slowly walked around Seeker. He immediately took out the silencer that Seeker asked him to bring.
He immediately attached it. He aimed the gun. His hands were shivering.
¡°Doc-¡°
Before Meryl could even cry Seeker shouted as well.
¡°Meryl! Don¡¯t interfere! Just watch and be amazed at my death-defying act-¡± Before Seeker could even complete the showman declaration Charles made his move.
¡°Now!¡± It wasn¡¯t even half a second later when he started pulling the trigger.
The world slowed down in Seeker¡¯s perception. An average bullet travels at the speed of 1700 feet per second. Seeker was only 8 feet away from Charles. It would¡¯ve been certain death.
But even before the trigger was pulled Seeker already evaded accordingly and immediately removed the blindfold. With his sense, he knew where Charles stood and could even guess where Charles was aiming. The first bullet was fired and it easily missed. But Charles wasn¡¯t finished. Another shot was made after he aimed at Seekers torso.
Seeker saw where he was aiming and dropped his shoulder a bit. The second bullet was fired. It again failed to hit Seeker. Seeker took the time between these passing moments to watch the shell casing of the bullet that was being ejected out as the gun prepared for the next round.
Another bullet was fired. This time Seeker didn¡¯t move. The bullet simply missed Seeker.
To Charles, these few seconds passed by quickly. But the perceptions of those in the Unbecoming stage is different. Things can be perceived as fast or slow. And at Seeker¡¯s level of concentration, a second could feel like 5.
He saw the next aim of Charles. Estimating trajectory to an Unbecoming stage user was easy. Adding to that was the profound memories that were somehow maximized by Advance Recall to provide him the muscle memory that he didn¡¯t have.
Seeker grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled it sideways. The third bullet was fired. Seeker could see the bullet as it flew.
¡°Fast.¡± He thought in those milliseconds.
The bullet ripped a hole through the shirt that Seeker stretched out. He could feel the pressure and resistance as the bullet passed through. He stared intently at Charles. For a few seconds, he saw Charles not putting pressure on his finger which was on the trigger.
Two more seconds passed in Seeker¡¯s view and it seemed that Charles didn¡¯t plan to continue. So he decided to end this state.
¡°-tions.¡± Seeker paused a bit. The entire sequence of firing took less than three seconds.
¡°That was rude. At least you should have made me finish my sentence before shooting.¡±
Charles stared in amazement. He quickly approached Seeker with a dumbfounded expression as the bullet hole in his shirt confirmed that the gun he fired was real as with the bullets he used.
He ran to the back of the room and checked the bullet marks left by his shootout. He found the places where the bullet penetrated deep into the wall.
It wasn¡¯t a magic trick. Everything was real. Despite how crazy things were, it was as Seeker had said.
¡°So I guess I¡¯m going be a hero.¡± Charles sighed. He couldn¡¯t keep the strength to stand. He slid down as he leaned on the wall.
Meryl and Lynd stood frozen stiff. The moment they heard the small silenced shots they knew that something strange has occurred.
¡°Ok. Now that that¡¯s over with. I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s eat!¡±
Charles just stared at Seeker. There was a hint of frustration and wonder at Seeker¡¯s unexpected actions.
¡°I just shot you four times. And your reaction is that you¡¯re feeling hungry?¡±
¡°My dear Doctor, it¡¯s precisely because I can dodge bullets that I need to eat. These delicacies won¡¯t stay around forever you know.¡± Seeker grinned mischievously.
Chapter Nine: The Reincarnator鈥檚 Tale
¡°Are you going to eat that?¡± Seeker asked Charles as the young boy¡¯s hand hovered over the reaming piece of the very greasy back ribs on the table.
Lynd, Meryl, and Charles sat down still unable to completely wrap their heads around what happened. Charles was still shocked on what the future may hold for him. Of course, everybody was silent. Not paying attention to Seeker who comfortably had an extravagant meal. Charles gave a somewhat frustrated stare to Seeker while the two remaining teens stared blankly as they were too afraid to ask questions. This doctor just fired four rounds of live bullet towards their friend and their friends managed to easily dodge it.
¡°Charles? Anyone? Going once. Going twice. Sold to the hungry Seeker Carlean.¡± Seeker didn¡¯t hesitate to grab the remaining piece with his bare hands.
¡°When was the last time you ate back ribs?¡± Charles asked tiredly.
¡°Do you mean in this life or the previous one? Because if it¡¯s the latter one, then I guess, seven years?¡± Seeker took the piece and ate it. It was devoid of all forms of class or grace. Like a caveman discovering how to eat meat. Seeker¡¯s delight in eating this treat was very obvious.
¡°Trust me guys. Horde and enjoy whatever this world has to offer now. Things are going to be different soon. Well unless Doctor Lindmitt here can make something beyond the impossibilities that lie in my mind.¡± Seeker happily devoured the meal.
Charles sighed deeply.
¡°So the world as we know it would soon come to an end.¡±
¡°Yeah. So get your mind loading doctor! You are on the right direction now. This should save a few years in your research. And if you do have time contact all those names you have in that file. Try to convince them to join your team.¡±
Charles opened the document that Seeker compiled. The papers contained several suspicious items such as sketches and drawings of people¡¯s faces. Each name would follow drawings, text and what appeared to be complex calculations.
¡°I don¡¯t understand most of them. Engineering, physics, mathematics, Astro-science and what not. The only things that interested me are all related to biology and anything to do with the unlocking.¡±
¡°And the thought transmitter? How far do you think we are to actually recreate them?¡±
¡°You mean inventing them. We haven¡¯t invented the thought transmitter yet Seeker.¡±
¡°Oh right.¡± Seeker embarrassedly scratched his head.
¡°It all gets fuzzy Doc. I don¡¯t know how to explain it. But I feel that I¡¯ve literally lived two lives. And at some point they just intersected.¡±
¡°There is still one thing you haven¡¯t explained to the three of us. How did you end up here?¡± Charles gave a serious stare at Seeker. This was the most important question that he had.
Seeker, however, had a pile of ribs in his mouth. This was more important to him.
¡°Actually, can somebody explain everything?¡± Lynd finally interrupted.
Seeker took out the piece of bone that he was sucking on.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
¡°Delish! I wonder if there is a way to raise pigs or chickens and stuff. Maybe I should build a farm somewhere.¡± Seeker gazed in wonder.
Charles gave up. Seeker was just so into the moment that he didn¡¯t care for anything else.
¡°Zeek! What¡¯s going on?¡± Meryl finally erupted.
The gun shooting, the whole talk about some worldwide catastrophe, futuristic inventions, these were all the things that weighed upon Meryl and Lynd¡¯s heart.
Seeker smiled.
¡°I¡¯m sorry Meryl. Anyways, let me explain what¡¯s going on for now. Or rather, would the good doctor explain it? I doubt they¡¯d believe me if I told them. Why not give the man who tried to kill me the opportunity?¡±
Charles stared in exasperation. The tale of Charles caused both Lynd and Meryl to look stupidly. However not knowing what else to believe, they seemed flustered but still tried to swallow the hard pill as it was within the context of their previous discussions.
¡°So basically Zeek¡¯s gone and your now future Zeek?¡±
¡°No. I¡¯m still here Meryl. Simply put, I remember two lives. Mine and my future self. But for the sake of not confusing everyone, let¡¯s say I am the collective equal of both of me. The future me is a bit boring, to be honest. Can¡¯t blame him though. Earth was destroyed, the Internet¡¯s gone, and everyone didn¡¯t have anything much to do. All there was, was the battle to survive.¡±
¡°Ok. I told them your tale. Now tell me the rest of yours.¡± Charles wasn¡¯t patient anymore. Like a true adult, he worried.
¡°Fine. Let me tell you this reincarnators tale.¡± Seeker stood up and began his tale.
¡°The future is bleak gentlemen. More than half of the Earth will be our enemies soon. The Aragarian¡¯s is a species similar to humans. Actually, they are a hundred percent human. From their appearance down to their sex organs. Anyway, they first made contact in a very dramatic way. As Charles said, a world war will soon happen. This war would be different than most of the wars we previously encountered. It was a true world war. Several alliances will be made but I¡¯ll not bore you with the details.¡±
¡°I think you should tell us as much as you know Seeker. We need every single information of this coming world war so-¡±
¡°The reason that these things are not needed anymore is because I plan to change them. It would be a very boring scenario if I have to go through the historical facts, most of which won¡¯t even happen in this timeline. Don¡¯t get me wrong Doctor. I did not come here to save the entire world. Only some of it. The rest could burn for all I care.¡±
Seeker¡¯s eyes burned with unexplainable passion. His hatred for those nations that abandoned their earthly humanity disgusted him.
The room was silent. Charles felt a chilling sensation in his spine and even the hairs in his forearms were tingling in fear.
¡°Oh. Sorry.¡± Seeker apologized. Suddenly the deathly sensation everyone felt lightened.
¡°I really need to keep my feelings in check. You see the collective me is complicated. I guess you can think of me as having a split personality? Man future me had one pitiful life.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°Anyways, my point is, most of history will be changed. I won¡¯t burn the rest of the world. Uhhh. Maybe just a tiny portion of it? Of course, we will give them the chance to join us. But moving on, the only important history that you need to know is the African and Russian treaty that will shock the world. Africa would rise as a nation with a formidable military background. Our beloved country, or group of countries, would even take a step down in being a superpower. A string of political events will happen and eventually, Africa and Russia become one nation.¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t they like, several thousand miles away from each other?¡±
¡°Oh don¡¯t worry. Ten years from now they wouldn¡¯t be. They¡¯d be neighbors. Anyway, they named the future capital of their city Araga. At the end of the war, they had a big ceremony there. Now, this was a big thing. Their alliance and political move to be one nation led to the end of that world war. And on that day, the world watched as a new era of peace began. Or at least they thought. It was at that moment that the aliens arrived. As it turned out, the aliens were behind the rise of Africa. The president of Africa was actually an Aragarian.¡±
¡°What?!¡± The three shouted together.
¡°Think about it. They already look like us and have our exact same biology. So it was easy for them to blend into this world. So there you have it, an entire continent belonging to the Aragarians. The world watched in horror as an alien threat easily conquered two of the biggest superpowers in the future. The ceremony on Aragar was actually an announcement to the world.¡±
The spine-chilling sensation once again filled the room. Seeker had an unusually angry glare.
¡°The Aragarian¡¯s only had one thing to say to the whole world. Surrender to our terms or face extinction.¡±
Chapter Ten: The Time-Travelling Reincarnator
The room was quiet. Lynd and Meryl started to look pale. It was difficult to not believe Seeker¡¯s tale as a renowned and respected doctor looked as pale as them. The chilling sensation soon disappeared.
¡°Ugh. Sorry. It seems that I can¡¯t to control it easily.¡± Seeker then resumed his normal happy-go-lucky look.
¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s doing that?¡± Charles asked in surprise.
¡°One of the more complex things an Unlocked person can do. I can emit unique hormones that can cause fear to those nearby. It¡¯s uh¡ well complicated. We will discuss that once your research proceeds further.¡±
¡°You¡¯re kidding right?¡± Lynd found it unbelievable.
¡°Aren¡¯t we just scared because of your look?¡±
¡°Ok then. Let me smile.¡± Seeker smiled a very innocent and sincere smile.
But that smile caused Lynd¡¯s heart to race faster. The three faced fear as if they¡¯ve never faced before. And somehow they knew it all came from the smiling kid before them.
The sensation ended. Meryl started gasping for breath.
¡°Sorry that I have to show off a bit. I¡¯m just making sure I become as believable as possible.¡± Seeker paused for the people in the room to regain their composure.
¡°So the future war with the Aragarians is between us against Russia and Africa?¡± Charles finally broke the silence.
¡°There were other countries in the mix. But again, let¡¯s skip those as we could either kill them or control them.¡± Lynd still cringed at Seeker¡¯s passive thoughts.
¡°So to resume, we defeated them when the Unlocking research was implemented on various soldiers. They were on the run. It was then that we¡¯d get a taste of their serious tech. The Aragarians took a different path than the technological advances we had on Earth. While we were busy perfecting the ways of selfies, they managed to figure out a science which was later dubbed as Stellar Science or Star Science for short.¡±
Seeker grabbed a page from Charles¡¯s pile of papers. And laid it on the table.
Everyone intently studied the paper.
¡°To summarize this science, they basically could recreate the energy of a star¡¯s core. And eventually, they were able to improve on it. This allowed them the capacity to do a lot of incredible things including interstellar travels to finally reach our planet.¡±
¡°This tech was shared to the nations that allied with them and these nations were already developing weapons using stellar science. It was thanks to the efforts of many heroes that these weapons fell on our hands. Our scientist was able to improve on it and used it against them. They were on the run. Literally leaving the planet was their only option. So we gave chase. And we were in for a surprise. Hidden behind our moon, was the Aragarian¡¯s invading flagship. A spaceship so big, that we called them Orbitals.¡±
Seeker took another page in the pile of documents and laid it on the table.
A drawing of a round spaceship was scribbled on the paper.
¡°It was then the battle became to our disadvantage. Their technology was just too advanced. A stellar battle was something that even our forces could barely manage. The orbital attacks were just terrifying. Soon the remaining nations of the United Nations alliance launched a daring gamble in hopes of destroying the stellar forces in space. We called it, Mission Starkiller. And my task was codenamed Supernova.¡±
Seeker smiled. This would have been his greatest contribution to humanity.
¡°I believe this would have been my proudest moments. Destroying one of these suckers.¡±
Seeker sat down and started sketching something on paper.
¡°You see an Orbital is a very very huge ship. The entire world was surprised to see its existence. And the problem was that there were now three of them floating on our space. Star technology allowed this massive spaceship to act as a planet. It had gravity. And that meant a lot. Living long-term in an Orbital is possible."
"So these Aragrian''s may already be hiding near our planet?"
"Most likely. Now to continue..." Seeker easily dismissed Lynd''s serious question as if it wasn''t important.
"An Orbital is divided into many compartments. It is made this way due to several reasons. By compartmentalizing each part, it meant stability for the entire ship. If a compartment is damaged they can simply detach the compartment by controlling the gravity of that compartment. Using star technology, they can make this compartment orbit the ship and repair it.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Seeker then picked up the paper to show his sketch.Electric-Likeenergy was shown to be connecting a portion of the Orbital.
¡°Our scientist was able to make interesting technology by mixing star technology and another technology that we have long mastered. Nuclear technology.¡±
¡°Why didn¡¯t we use nukes to fight them?¡± Meryl asked immediately.
¡°Why wasn¡¯t it used in the world war?¡± Charles asked a different question.
¡°To answer both, nuclear weapons were disabled even before the world war began. No doubt something the Aragarian¡¯s instigated. I figure they didn¡¯t want a nuclear war to happen as they still plan to inhabit this planet. However, the combination of the two technologies gave us a pleasant surprise. We were able to create a nuclear star bomb. Something even the Aragarians didn¡¯t expect. My mission was to attack the Balmung. A smaller Orbital created on Earth and was used by many of Earth¡¯s traitors to escape. We got the plans for the ship and made it look like we were trying to take over the ship. We succeeded with the deception and the Orbital Initiated Full Divide which compartmentalized the entire ship. During that mission, we configured several compartments to utilize the nuclear- stellar tech we developed.¡±
Seeker continued to sketch and displayed his work to make the image of his explanations better.
¡°Now on this mission, the compartments that we manage to configure fell a little off the mark from our estimations. However, I was equipped with this bad boy.¡±
Seeker took the paper which had the Four Force Accelerator.
¡°Because of the Unlocking, weapons that were previously impossible became available to men. And this was on the pinnacle of that! The Four Force Accelerator. Utilizing a fusion of nuclear and star energy, this bad boy can allow movements that go past the speed of sound.¡±
Charles took the paper from Seeker¡¯s hand. He intently read the paper quickly. Surprise shined in his eyes.
¡°I get it. If you who can perceive faster than milliseconds, traveling in the speed of sound is possible!¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. And this particular technology was the reason I died in my mission. Because the star energy of the Balmung wasn¡¯t fully overloaded, I dove straight to the core of the Balmung¡¯s star energy and overloaded my FFA which should have led to the energy going supernova. I don¡¯t know how the mission ended obviously or how big the blast was. But the thing was, we were prepared to sacrifice half of the Earth if the supernova would explode beyond our calculations. And that brings us to the present.¡± Seeker concluded.
¡°But that doesn¡¯t explain how the new you came to be.¡± Charles immediately responded.
¡°Everything that I will speak from here on is pure speculation. And I will need you to clarify this doctor. At that time, my personal unlocking was 74.56%. For the benefit of Meryl and Lynd, my current unlocking is somewhere between 15-18%.¡±
Lynd and Meryl were surprised. If 15-18 could already dodge bullets what could someone beyond 70% do?
Charles was as equally stunned.
¡°At that moment of my death, I remembered having the phenomenon of seeing my life flashed before my eyes. And that was something miraculous.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°How is it miraculous? People at the normal 10% are able to go through it, so why would it be amazing if you did it? You have over 70% unlocked!¡±
¡°It¡¯s precise because I had over 70% unlocked that made it a miracle. It wasn¡¯t just a normal life review. I felt like I literally relived everything I¡¯ve been through! Think about it, a person with 10% unlocking would already have a chance of experiencing a life review, what would happen to someone at 70%? When a regular person undergoes a life-threatening situation, its brain may push itself beyond the 10% norm. it could go from13-18%. But I already had 70%. If you do the math, and I did the minimum 30% increase, what would have been my unlocking?¡±
Charles was silently calculating his brain while Lynd did several finger math tricks to solve the equation.
¡°90.¡± Charles and Meryl answered together.
¡°And that is the minimum. I had a feeling what I got was something nearer to an 80% increase. I reached a realm unreached even by World Champions. I now realize that the highest point of unlocking wouldn¡¯t be at 100%. Because if human muscles can exert strength way beyond its capacity, so can the brain! I probably broke through the 100% limit.¡±
¡°So you managed to time travel to this point because you went beyond 100%?¡± Lynd asked with a confused expression.
¡°No. Of course not. Now that would be science fiction. There are probably two more factors which made me travel back to this time. One, the Thought Transmitter. Only those of high Unlocking can utilize that. The Aragarian¡¯s could hijack and interpret whatever communication devices we have. The Thought Transmitter, however, could send thoughts. It was something which even the Aragarian¡¯s couldn¡¯t interpret. The second cause was the overloading of the star energy. I theorize that at that moment when I overloaded the system, it created something that could alter time and space.¡±
¡°A black hole!¡± Lynd realized immediately.
¡°Exactly. A black hole may have quickly emerged when the star went supernova. Somehow because of that, I was able to transmit the entirety of my thoughts! You see, you have tothinkof the person in order to transmit thoughts. At that moment when I was dying, I started to think about the days when Earth was at peace, this time. Probably the Thought Transmitter worked together with the generated black hole and allowed me to send my thoughts back to me now!¡±
¡°That¡¯s sounds impossible. Why would the black hole know which timeline to send you?¡± Lynd argued. He has watched several Sci-fi movies and TV series and would intently discuss things with Seeker. Somehow the math didn¡¯t just add up.
¡°As I said, I¡¯m speculating. But it¡¯s not impossible. It¡¯s improbable. Right now that¡¯s the best explanation we got.¡±
¡°So you sent your memories to your present self? But how did that push you to Unbecoming?¡± Charles asked as he perused over the thought transmitter.
¡°You forget doctor that I was probably beyond 100% of unlocking. I wasn¡¯t just able to transfer memories, I was able to transfer everything. The massive dump of information pushed my current brain beyond the limits.¡±
¡°I see. Some sort of intense shock therapy?¡±
¡°Yes. And that in turn, gave me an idea of how to increase the number of Unlocked individuals.¡±
Seeker gave a devilish grin.
¡°If things go well, we should have a squadron of Unlocked people by the time the world war begins.¡±
Chapter Eleven: Stage One
¡°So now that you know everything about my past, let¡¯s now build the future! We have kingdoms to claim, people to kill and an army to build. As for you three, you really don¡¯t have any choice in this matter. This war will come and billions and billions will die. Your choice is to join me or die.¡± Seeker sat down and started to munch on some fruits that were still left at the table.
¡°So what should I do?¡± Charles was the first to break the silence.
¡°Do what you can, Charles. The faster you complete your study in neuro-alterations, the brighter the hope for a better tomorrow.¡±
¡°Looks like I have to cancel a few movies and commercials.¡± Charles sighed. His life of prestige and fame wasn¡¯t so important anymore.
¡°Don¡¯t. I need you to make certain trips. Right now I will be initiating Stage One of my plans. When playing any real-time strategy game, we start by gathering resources right? That¡¯s going to be our immediate focus. But what I need is not just money, but power and influence to shape this world into a better place. That requires you to travel and meet certain people. You are already a celebrity anyway. That makes it easier. However, I haven¡¯t decided who to go to first. It really depends on how fast your research progresses. Right now, what I need from you is the free use of this little hideout and 3000 credits. The gang and I will have our hands full.¡±
¡°Exactly what are we going to do Zeek? You might be Unlocked but the rest of us are only human.¡± Meryl was worried. With Zeek¡¯s new behavior she now had apprehensions towards the plans of their best friend.
¡°Oh don¡¯t worry Meryl. We won¡¯t be doing anything dangerous. Well, at least not enough that could kill us. Stage One is the safest stage. We just need to get money and accomplish a certain level of fame. After all, this is the Age of Distrustful Nations. So we need money to fund our expenses and fame to allow us to cross borders easily. If were famous then traveling around the world would be. No more military checks and stuff. Especially when we are entering enemy countries.¡±
¡°Let me guess. You are going to publish future famous songs, movies, and books?¡± Charles inquired with a humored look.
¡°No. I respect those artists and would dare not steal their work.¡±
¡°So singing then?¡± Charles guessed once more.
¡°What? Do I look like a singer?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know! Maybe you could alter your voice and use your hormones to attract countless girls!¡±
Meryl laughed at Charles guesses.
¡°Nah. I need to be a Ranked Hero to pull that off.¡±
¡°Wait! It¡¯s possible?!¡± Meryl asked in surprise.
¡°It is. But I need more unlocking and it would be too tiring. Plus I would need to eat a lot to recover.¡± Seeker lamented.
¡°Why not start a business! With your memories you easily become rich!¡± Lynd snapped.
¡°Bad idea. It¡¯s too much hassle.¡± Seeker countered without hesitation.
¡°Ok. That¡¯s where you have it wrong Zeek.¡±
The three friends stared at Charles, who called Seeker, Zeek. Even Seeker found it uncomfortable that someone was calling his nickname casually.
¡°Uh¡ Too soon?¡±
¡°Way too soon Charles.¡± Meryl shook her head.
¡°You guys call me Charles and I can¡¯t call him Zeek? Where is the respect in that? I¡¯m a famed neurosurgeon!¡±
Even Lynd started to shake his head in disapproval of Charles¡¯s actions.
Frustrated, Charles ignored the two and talked directly to Seeker.
¡°Anyways, I¡¯m into a lot of businesses and I would recommend you to-¡±
¡°Let me just interrupt you there, Doc. Right now I need to earn millions. And I need to earn it quickly. Setting up a business takes a lot of time. Not to mention since I¡¯m aiming for something that earns daily, a fast-growing business like that would create a lot of competitions, possible assassinations and not to mention I could alter history if my company gets bigger. Plus if I¡¯m in a business that successful and huge, the government is sure to watch over me and even take a lot of my taxes. You see, one priority that I need to manage is our team being inconspicuous and not affecting the general timeline.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡°What? So slaughtering nations isn¡¯t inconspicuous but setting up a coffee shop is evil?¡± Charles mused.
¡°I won¡¯t start killing people until the world war you know? Right now, I must minimize the changes I make in the future. If I start a huge, and growing business, then I would create a series of chain reactions that might change the world that I¡¯ve come to know. Imagine, one fast and incredible company grows, it would bring unnecessary attention to me and will lead to an infinite amount of unknown variables that could affect the general timeline that I remember. A simple coffee meeting in the future could already create infinitely new possibilities if it didn¡¯t go through. People who were there that shouldn¡¯t have been or people who weren¡¯t there that should have been may already have altered their very fate! A missed coffee shop may mean a missed event or failure to meet a certain person. Who knows how it will affect the future!¡±
¡°How can that be possible? I miss a coffee meeting; I end up a lesbian in the future?¡± Meryl objected.
¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Charles realized.
¡°Are you calling me a lesbian?¡±
¡°No not that! What Seeker means is that a small act could create ripples of changes in the world. The time you spent on this would be spent on something else, you meet new people, encounter events and whatever. And that is just one coffee meeting! If Seeker built a business which would be successful on a national level, it would change a lot of things!¡±
Meryl and Lynd thought deeply about Charles¡¯s explanation.
¡°Nutterballs. Didn¡¯t know it would be that complicated. If we think that way, what can we do to make money? Even stealing money would have that same level of impact!¡±
¡°It¡¯s actually easy to accomplish that. Take over an organization. Make the CEO a puppet and have him act normally. That way apart from the future fate of the CEO no major alterations and changes will happen.¡±
¡°I see. That¡¯s brilliant!¡± Charles commended.
¡°Which company are you eyeing?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know the name. Basically, I¡¯m going to go after the strongest drug and human trafficking organization in the Pangean Nations.¡±
A condemning look immediately replaced Charles'' face. Meryl and Lynd were surprised as well.
¡°What?! Are you insane?¡± Charles was flushed in anger.
¡°Why not? The money I earn is kept off the record, meaning it can be spent on a lot of things. Its normal for cartels to purchase weapons and the like so no flag is raised, but most importantly, it¡¯s actually in connection with a specific requirement that I need to prepare for in the upcoming stages of my plan. I need to get connected to the drug cartels in order to shake some trees in their organization. Otherwise, the big boss won¡¯t come out.¡±
¡°Oh. Well let¡¯s say you have the best intentions for doing that, how do you intend to do that? You¡¯d be putting everybody at risk if you do that now!¡±
¡°I know. Which is why, in preparation to take over that organization, I need to earn enough money to purchase a few weapons, ammunition and stuff.¡±
¡°And where are you going to get enough funds for that? I thought you weren¡¯t going to ask for money from me?¡±
¡°I never planned on asking money from you Charles. I need to start a career that could generate a lot of money but at the same time create minimal changes for the future. Something that will influence a lot of people to spend money, but not enough that would change their overall life.¡±
¡°So its prostitution then. I knew it.¡± Meryl facepalmed. ¡°It all makes sense now! It would generate a lot of money and minimize its effects in the timeline.¡±
¡°What?¡± Lynd reacted. Was he about to become a gigolo or will Seeker carry this heavy burden alone?
Charles had a very ugly expression. Seeker gaped in wonder at Meryl¡¯s deduction. He pondered for a bit.
¡°Hmmm. You know, I¡¯ve never thought about that.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°But that¡¯s not it.¡±
Lynd sighed in relief while Meryl was laughing.
¡°Then what job could fulfill each criteria, Zeek?¡±
¡°Professional gamers!¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°With that, I can easily ask for payment for streams and donations. Also, you forget the advent of the Gambling Den! That app would be a potential area for us to earn a lot. Regardless, there would virtually be no life-changing ripple effects if I get a lot of money from gamers. I mean, the people who would watch these streams are all avid gamers who spend countless hours behind the computer screen. At most, they probably would have spent their time and money on other games instead of watching me. The ripple effects drastically minimized. And I could get a certain level of fame. Maybe enough to travel around the world. Including enemy countries.¡±
Lynd and Meryl¡¯s face brightened up. Finally, something that is up to their alley.
Charles smiled at the ingenious calculations of Seeker.
¡°Virtually be no life-changing ripple effects? Pun intended?¡± Charles laughed.
¡°But I¡¯m impressed. Looks like you¡¯re all set for Stage One.¡±
¡°Of course! Once I have enough money from my gaming career, I would buy the necessary stuff, meet the key people and kidnap Miss Alean Cipril in order to blackmail her father!¡±
It took a few seconds for Seeker¡¯s sentence to sink in before Lynd shouted exasperatedly. ¡°Wait. One of those doesn¡¯t seem to make any sense!¡±
¡°Alean Cipril¡¯s dad, General Harker Cipril is involved in some drug and human trafficking operations. So we¡¯ll start with him as an entry point to the world of cartels.¡± Seeker casually responded as he started peeling a mango.
Lynd and Meryl gulped in fear. Looks like they won¡¯t be returning to a fun and monotonous life of a Rising student in their school. They gulped at the thought of their future.
¡°All this trouble to shake a big boss out of his nest. Who¡¯s this big boss that you need to take care off?¡±
¡°All in good time my dear Lynd. The less you know about him the better. This guy¡¯s extremely dangerous. If I fight him now I¡¯d definitely die.¡±
The trio looked at Seeker in surprise. Was there someone on Earth that could kill a man with Unlocking?
¡°How? You can dodge bullets!¡±
¡°Yeah? Well, this guy wouldn¡¯t need to dodge anything. He¡¯s practically bulletproof.¡±
Chapter Twelve: The Game Gambler
Meryl laid half dead on the floor. She could no longer find the strength to even lift herself to help Lynd who was screaming.
Lynd was grasping his leg. The pain was unbearable. He started to panic. So this was the price for his allegiance to Seeker.
Seeker stood there alone. Unfazed at the harsh enemy that was before them.
The gym had a complete set of all the needed equipment¡¯s that could suit the needs of a muscle freak.
After discussing their plans and bidding farewell to Charles, the three friends immediately pursued the necessary acts in order to begin their journey to richness.
Calling their parents.
They were teenagers after all. They informed their respective parents of their late return home. Lynd had a peculiar look when he was getting an earful from her mom about how playing games would amount to nothing in the future. If she only knew that their gaming could save the world.
After a tiring talk of berating condescension from their parents, they started to immediately prepare the laptops and computers to stream their game. Seeker then initiated what came to be the harshest time for Meryl and Lynd. The trio started to work-out.
As the two remained paralyzed in agony cursing Seeker and vowing to cut ties with this inhuman drillmaster, Seeker began his next set of exercises.
Seeker soon ended his routine. He was sweating profusely. His hands were visibly shaking.
¡°Ugh. Looks like this is the limit. Luckily I am able to block off the pain thanks to my Unbecoming instinct. But if I exerted more I would strain my muscles.¡± Seeker grumbled.
¡°I guess I have to give this a rest. Having a level one body sucks!¡± Seeker sat down to rest.
Lynd finally was able to ease the pain of his cramps.
¡°This will be our routine daily. After school, we¡¯ll continue with an hour of work out then stream a game guide.¡±
Lynd¡¯s cramps returned. That simple statement that Seeker said was the most terrifying statement he has made so far.
Meryl wanted to just kill herself now. Why was it that a small, timid, and bookish girl was forced to do pushups, squats and all forms of exercises that left her body broken? The evil Seeker acted like a drill master forcing them to continue. And tomorrow would be another grueling day with this demon possessed friend of theirs.
¡°There is an old saying that says that a prophet in his hometown is not a prophet. It means that the familiarity that people have towards him would make them less likely to believe or respect him. Thankfully. I¡¯m not a prophet. In the future, you are both dead. I¡¯m doing you guys a favor so you can live and even have the strength to save your family. So suck it up, guys. We have more things to take care of.¡± Seeker pointed at the laptops that were ready to be used.
Slowly, the dying pair crawled towards their assigned positions.
¡°Now let¡¯s play Piercing: Bullet.¡± Seeker looked excited.
Lynd was enlightened. Of course! If there were days of peace, then Seeker would have had completed Piercing: Bullet with him!
Three computers were booted up. Seeker turned on the computer which he would use to play on. Meryl logged on to Seeker¡¯s account and prepared the video stream. She moved the detachable computer camera to directly view the computer screen. Another camera was mounted on the side showing Seeker facing the screen.
¡°This is a weird position for the camera Zeek. Shouldn¡¯t it be facing you?¡± Lynd complained.
¡°We need it there. I need to show people that I am not cheating. Hence my hand movements and reactions must be shown real-time. This allows us to have proof that we are actually playing the game.¡±
¡°A cheat? Why would people accuse you of cheating?¡± Meryl asked in confusion.
¡°Microsecond perception and advanced motor coordination, Meryl.¡± Seeker responded with anit¡¯s-so-obvious look.
¡°You mean you can play the game at pro-level?¡± Lynd realized how good Seeker is at this game now.
¡°That would be an understatement. Adding to my already inherited skills is my memory of this game. Do you know how long the three of us played this game in that past life?¡± Seeker smiled. Lynd looked excited. As if he forgot the intense workout he just had.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
¡°Let¡¯s have a test run to see if I still got it.¡±
Piercing: Bullet was a third person style, hack and slash video game which became the hallmark games for testing the hands and wrist of gamer¡¯s worldwide. It boasted as one of the most difficult games created in the past decades. But here was Seeker doing what he claims to be a test run.
Lynd¡¯s eyes were wide open. In a matter of minutes Seeker already cleared the first boss and what was even more amazing was that his character did not receive any damages or hits from the enemy. As the hack and slash genre evolved, speed became the priority. Game developers aimed to push player skills to the peak with complicated rules of blocking, evasion and attacking. This was why Piercing: Edge, the predecessor of Piercing: Bullet was so successful. In fact, it was so successful that it created a new generation of e-sport gamers and became one of the most anticipated e-sport game seconds only to Generals.
¡°Looks like we''re good to go. Meryl, tell me if Charles has already loaded the 3000 credits to my account. And start the stream once the game is rebooted. We''re about to make a lot of money. Let¡¯s hope that this stream would be my one shot to fame! Let¡¯s start! Meryl, start the stream! Lynd, use that computer to advertise this stream. Be bold. In fact, share the link at Precept Gaming''s official social site. Do the same to the micro-blogging sites. I¡¯ll leave the titles to you. Be creative.¡±
Having received the link from Meryl, Lynd started sharing the link on all related gaming sites he knew. The audacious title was sure to get the attention of Piercing fans. Since it was a live stream, its credibility would immediately be confirmed.
Seeker returned with a brand new set of clothes. He took a quick look at Meryl¡¯s streaming configurations.
¡°Add a donation box, enable the Gambling Den and close the voice feature too. I¡¯ll leave chatting to you. Oh, and I¡¯ll need an extended monitor so I can look at the chat as well.¡±
Seeker connected another monitor and attached it to Meryl¡¯s computer. Then he immediately positioned himself ready to play the game.
The live stream began. The audacious title that Lynd used ¡°Miracle No-Hit Piercing: Bullet walkthrough¡± brought people in to immediately view it. Upon starting the live stream already catered over 30 curios viewers.
¡°Now I know what you are all thinking.¡± Seeker began and he stared on the screen.
¡°Is this a troll? Well, you are about to find out. First, let me show you how to clear the first stage without getting a single hit.¡±
And Seeker delivered. The first boss was cleared faster than how he did it on his test run.
The chat room went wild! The first boss was already a hurdle that many had a hard time defeating. This was Piercing: Bullet! The harshest games that made you die a hundred times before you would get it right. And yet here was a student who took less than 24 hours to master and beat the first boss without even getting a scratch.
¡°And that little kiddies are how you kill a boss without getting hit!¡± Seeker smirked. Lynd and Meryl watched with eyes that wondered who it was before them. This wasn¡¯t their humble and low key friend, Seeker Carlean. Nor was this the nation burning, bullet dodging friend they just met. What they had now was a natural showman.
Seeker kept responding to some of the chats as people were amazed at his quick progression. Seeker¡¯s charismatic behavior and playful use of gamer competitiveness was a hit. More and more people started viewing the stream. Some cheering for Seeker while others were accusing Seeker of hacking or cheating.
Lynd continued to advertise on the site. The comments that could be seen on the social media sites attracted more viewers as its credibility was soon verified on the net. Meryl was heated up in the chat group arguments as he defended Seeker from his haters. Seeker on the other hand just went on with the gameplay answering several questions thrown at him.
¡°Seeker! We got the 3000 credits from Dr. Charles!¡± Meryl joyfully reported.
Seeker smirked. Now it¡¯s time to make some money.
¡°How about this. In the next room is a fairly difficult area. I won¡¯t use blocks and only evade. But I¡¯ll defeat all the enemies, including the mini-boss, without getting a single hit. Anyone willing to bet? I''ll set it with a buy-in of 30 credits.¡± Seeker smirked.
The chat group was in intense discussion. A game that is skill dependent would never be perfect. Even pro-gamers in the Piercing world wouldn¡¯t dare make such a gamble.
Several people started to throw in their credits in the Gambling Den option. There were now 150 credits on the opposing table.
¡°Meryl set the gambling rules to divided exchange and throw 3000 credits in the Den.¡± Seeker smiled.
Meryl and Lynd had an evil smile on their face. They knew with Seeker¡¯s powers a no-hit walkthrough was very possible.
When the viewers saw that there were now 3000 credits, people scrambled to throw in their share. Right now there were only five who dared gamble. If they won, the 3000 credit would be divided equally among them.
The credits on the opposition immediately went to 1620 credits.
¡°Close the betting,¡± Seeker ordered. After which he controlled his avatar to immediately rush into the room.
A lot of cries continued in the chat group. They were just about to throw in their share for the gamble.
Even though Lynd and Meryl were confident they couldn¡¯t help but cringe at Seeker¡¯s death-defying acts. He was unable to block and would only evade. But in the end, the miracle happened right before their eyes.
A lot of viewers were cursing. Several even accused Seeker of hacking. The problem was that they could clearly see Seeker playing the game. But because they lost, they immediately made accusations of Seeker¡¯s play calling him a fraud.
¡°Ok then. Let me prove to you that this is not a hack. I¡¯ll allow myself to get hit.¡± Seeker went to a nearby enemy and allowed the enemy to hit him. He then started evading as another blow could kill him.
¡°As you can see it¡¯s not hacked.¡± Seeker smiled.
The game went on strangely as Seeker accepted any challenge from the accusations of several viewers. Seeker even followed various request to prove his authenticity as a gamer.
¡°Alright. I believe I¡¯ve humored you enough. At this point, I don''t care what you say about my play. I already did many things you guys asked to prove my innocence.¡± Seeker paused and started crunching his fingers.
¡°Alright. Next, I¡¯m going to gamble all the credits I have, all 4620 of them. I won¡¯t block, I¡¯ll only evade but I¡¯ll kill the next boss without getting a single hit. Meryl set buy into 50 credits.¡± Seeker commanded with a look full of arrogance.
Chapter Thirteen: A Power Walkthrough
As the credit on Seeker¡¯s side rose to 4260, people started to join in the bet. It was just too huge of a gamble for Seeker and the rewards of those who participated were just too much.
¡°Meryl put a paywall for those joining the room. Set it to 20 credits.¡± Seeker ordered. This stopped the constant flow of viewers. But later on, the numbers of viewers started to increase.
¡°Alright, guys. The Den is closed! Now let¡¯s see who will win! As you can see, I¡¯m all in.¡± Seeker gave another arrogant laugh. Meryl immediately closed the Den at Seeker¡¯s queue.
Seeker immediately went in to face the boss. A cutscene initiated as Seeker¡¯s avatar went into a warehouse.
Inside the warehouse stood several soldiers with what appeared to be specialized gear. The team immediately started flying using a jet propelling backpack. The game continued and the battle then initiated.
Seeker controlled his avatar to perform in deadly maneuvers of evasion. The viewers were at awe at what they were seeing. Seeker utilized the environment well to hide from the bullets that rained down on the avatar. But when he dove into the open field, he carefully evaded each enemy attack and would occasionally make attacks of his own.
The main character in Piercing: Bullet was equipped with a long rifle which he used as a pole in close range. Seeker utilized both close and ranged combat to inflict damage on the several soldiers zooming around the warehouse.
As Seeker promised, no blocks were used. He evaded every single attack and managed to already kill 5 of the 9 flying soldiers. The chatroom was filled with berserk comments of rage, amazement, and curses.
¡°He must be pro! He¡¯s definitely pro!¡± a viewer chatted.
¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s pro. I don¡¯t know him or recognize his voice.¡±
¡°This is definitely a hack! He¡¯s cheating!¡±
¡°Cheating? Right. With everything Zeek did to prove that he¡¯s not? Don¡¯t be a baby, loser.¡± Meryl haughtily countered.
The Gambling Den was affiliated with various gaming companies and would even utilize intense security protocols to ensure that no hackers would win in scenarios such as this. As such, their credibility when a bet involving their systems was at the highest level. No one questioned a bet if it was held in Gambling Den.
It ended as was expected. Seeker won the battle without getting a single hit. The complaints couldn¡¯t do anything. Various viewers who participated in the bet already reported the game to Gambling Den. However, no actions were made to Seeker¡¯s account.
After the defeat of the boss, Seeker continued with the walkthrough. Several viewers were hooked at the many secrets that Seeker showed them. Seeker would occasionally bribe others for donations which caused him to receive more credits.
Various viewers would suddenly challenge him to a no-hit challenge or a no-block bet hoping to catch Seeker of the guard. Whenever a challenge would be made, Seeker immediately agree. Seeker acted reserved by placing only a third of all his credits causing others to think he wasn¡¯t confident. Of course, Seeker continued to win more using these tricks.
People grumbled at Seeker¡¯s shameless money-grabbing behavior. He already had over 10,000 credits due to his gambling spree and another 1440 from the entry fee¡¯s but he would still ask for donations.
Soon, Seeker finally decided to end the stream.
¡°Alright, guys. I¡¯ll leave a poll behind which would decide the future direction of the stream. I could continue with this game and complete it at around 47 hours. I assure you that this is the fastest full walkthrough out there. But as you can see, I am just about 4 hours in. So I¡¯ll be making a poll. Should I continue in this full walkthrough, or do something else? Something no one could confidently create now. A power walkthrough. With this, I can complete the game in 19 hours at most. The choice is yours.¡± Seeker smiled.
The chat room went wild. Nineteen hours was a record-breaking time! The world record for fastest completion time for Piercing: Edge was 22 hours. Seeker claimed he could manage a completion time which was 3 hours earlier. Several viewers who had lost a lot of credits in gambling against Seeker, naturally they felt an inclination to believe Seeker when he claimed he could challenge a world record
¡°Please share this video and let¡¯s make history together! My future streams will require a 50 credit buy in. This is because I will be revealing how to form the strongest weapons early on in the game, and how to exploit boss fights. Even if you are new to this game, it would save you about 10-15 hours¡¯ worth of gameplay. Not to mention you can also take part in the bets and could even dare me any challenge along the way. For tomorrow¡¯s game, I will start an All-In rule meaning I will dump all my credits for whatever bets you challenge me. Provided it is within reason of course.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
The chats continued to discuss further. Everyone wanted to see a power walkthrough. Especially when the one playing has yet to receive any damage since he started.
¡°So that¡¯s all for tonight guys. Good night!¡±
Without even waiting for any signal from Seeker, Meryl immediately closed the stream.
¡°That was amazing Zeek! We have about 16,000 credits now! That¡¯s enough for a roundtrip all-expense paid the trip to another country!¡± Meryl excitedly calculated.
¡°Zeek, you should check online. We caused quite a sensation! Even Precept Gaming has released a statement in which they were monitoring your gameplay!¡± Lynd excitedly reported.
¡°Things are going as planned.¡± Seeker grinned.
¡°Anyways we should hurry and go home. We have a busy day tomorrow. More important than the stream is that you rest your sore muscles. Put some ice in it or something. Oh and don¡¯t forget to tell your parents that you¡¯d be going home late starting tomorrow.¡± Seeker started packing.
¡°Do we have to do the workout?¡± Meryl complained.
Lynd simply stared at Seeker with a pleading look.
Seeker frowned and look at them irritably.
¡°We have to guys. You know¡¡± Seeker was about to say something but he stopped.
¡°What?¡± Meryl asked.
¡°Never mind. Now¡¯s not the right time to convince you.¡± Seeker grumbled.
¡°Convince us? With what? We believe you! You don¡¯t have to convince us with anything!¡±
¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s talk again tomorrow.¡± The trio later started packing and later left for home.
Seeker arrived home and immediately dashed into his parents¡¯ bedroom and hugged his parents tightly.
Chris and Grace were surprised at how their son started acting more intimately towards them. Grace simply smiled and looked dotingly upon her only son. Seeker smiled and talked casually with them saying that he was hooked in the new Piercing game.
Seeker gave an excuse and went to his room. Upon entering, Seeker started calling Charles.
¡°Seeker! I¡¯ve seen the stream! I heard you earned a lot of Credits!¡± Charles exclaimed as he picked up the phone. Earning 16,000 credits was something he could only earn if he performed surgeries. Yet Seeker managed to earn in a very unconventional way.
¡°Yeah. Things are going great. Listen, I recalled that you¡¯re a collector of weapons. Do you have some now?¡±
¡°Oh. So it means this crazy collection of mine managed to reach the future! That¡¯s relieving. Yes. I already served in different tours across enemy countries. I tend to buy whatever swords, axes and other weapons that are explicit on these nations.¡±
¡°Are these weapons sturdy?¡±
¡°If you¡¯re asking me whether or not these weapons can kill a man, then yes.¡± Charles seriously answered. He never thought that these weapons would be used for assassinations.
Seeker laughed.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not planning to kill people with that. Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s going to be part of the training I have in store for all of you.¡±
¡°Oh? Don¡¯t take this the wrong way Seeker, you may be faster than me, but in terms of raw strength, I¡¯m definitely better than you. I don¡¯t think I need training on that matter. I have my own routine.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not just a physical training session, Charles. It¡¯s more of handling weapons.¡±
¡°Then it that case, I¡¯ll join.¡± The weapon crazed collector immediately agreed.
¡°Great. I¡¯ll tell you when to join us. Right now I need to do a crash course physical workout for the guys and for myself. The weapon training will require us to do some extreme and intense routines. So I need to prepare our muscles.¡±
¡°Zeek, are you sure it¡¯s the right thing to bring those two in all of this?¡±
There was silence on the other line. Charles waited for Seeker to respond. But then he realized something.
¡°Still too soon to call you by your nickname huh?¡± Charles complained.
¡°Anyways, I don¡¯t think it was wise to get your two friends involved. They¡¯re not mature enough for these kinds of things. They¡¯re still kids. I feel that they¡¯re not serious about this.¡±
¡°I noticed. But don¡¯t worry Charles, I¡¯ll handle that. Talk to you later.¡± Seeker ended the call. He dove back to bed and enjoyed a good night¡¯s sleep.
The next day, Seeker was standing at the entrance of the school waiting for his friends to arrive. Meryl arrived first.
¡°Looks like you overstrained yourself.¡± Seeker laughed.
Meryl stared angrily at Seeker as she was slowly dragged her legs. She couldn¡¯t walk properly with the intense one-hour workout she experienced.
¡°We shouldn¡¯t do anymore later Zeek! Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m a girl? Look at what I got because you treated me like some macho soldier boy!¡± Meryl was practically angry at Seeker. It was very hard for her to commute to the school as people would be rushing while she would be crawling.
Soon the two spotted a tall teen walking like he was a zombie on his lower half. His pace was extremely slow.
Meryl and Seeker laughed at the sight of Lynd.
¡°Zeek, I don¡¯t think we should do another workout later. My body is too tired and too sore.¡± Lynd had a pleading look.
Seeker laughed again. Lynd was one of the tallest students in the school. His pleading eyes didn¡¯t suit his large stature.
¡°Don¡¯t worry guys. Our workout later will focus on the upper body.¡± Seeker grinned.
Meryl and Lynd shivered at what Seeker said.
¡°Can¡¯t you give us a rest day? We can¡¯t freakin block the pain like you can, you know!¡± Meryl angrily chastised. Her timid look was naturally unseen at this moment.
¡°Hey, little kiddies!¡± A malicious laughing and almost mocking voice sounded.
Seeker and the two turned to witness one of the most feared delinquents in school.
Cliff Fangwood was the leader of a delinquent group which was rumored to be involved in many shady activities.
¡°Hey there Baby Giant!¡± Cliff teased Lynd with a mocking tone.
Though he was not as tall as Lynd, he was still feared by the students in the school. His pitch black hair and his rebel image undoubtedly caused many teen girls to fall in attraction. He had a well-built frame which he would showcase to the girls around the school and used it to intimidate others. And of course, there were the brass knuckles that he would always wear. This brass knuckles had tasted the blood of a number of students. No one would dare fight this menace.
¡°A little birdy told me, that you earned a lot of Credits last night!¡± His smile terrified Lynd and Meryl.
Seeker, however, looked angry.
Chapter Fourteen: The Smell of Fear
Lynd and Meryl felt terrified. Who would have thought that their internet exposure would draw in the Brass Fist?
¡°I have a business proposal for you Seeker Carlean.¡± Cliff laughed.
Seeker¡¯s angry frowned slowly turned into a happy smile.
¡°What a coincidence! Now that I think about it, I have a proposal for you too!¡± Seeker returned with a smile that was devoid of all fear.
Cliff was surprised at Seeker¡¯s reaction. He expected shivering, silence or pleading. But this kid actually looked happy?
¡°I think we should find a more secretive place to discuss this. Do you know of any other places that are more conducive than the open grounds of school?¡± Seeker asked innocently.
¡°Well of course! Anything for my business partner! In fact, I know the perfect place! Let¡¯s go together after school! It would be a shame if my partners would get lost.¡±
¡°See you later then. Let¡¯s go.¡± Seeker led his two friends away.
Cliff ignored Seeker¡¯s nonchalant attitude. He knew that this was the kid who experienced a manic breakdown two days ago.
Lynd and Meryl tried to match Seeker¡¯s pace. After an intense discussion with the most dangerous person in school, the two tried to walk as fast as they could to get away from Cliff but their ailing leg prevented them from doing so.
Students couldn¡¯t help but stare at the odd pace the three walked.
¡°Zeek? Do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Lynd worriedly asked.
¡°Oh geez don¡¯t be a baby Lynd! You¡¯ve seen how Zeek could dodge a bullet! Zeek would be sure to give that Cliff Fangwood something that his fangs couldn¡¯t scratch! Right, Zeek?¡± Meryl¡¯s confident tone changed to an inquiringly worried voice at the end of the sentence.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. I just thought of a good way to use him.¡± Seeker smiled.
Lynd and Meryl were relieved. Things were easier when you¡¯re with a super teen.
¡°Anyways Zeek, what about the workout? I don¡¯t think I could type if we push through with it later on. Can¡¯t we give it a rest?¡± Meryl complained once more.
¡°No. We need to get you guys used to extreme movements. Otherwise, we can¡¯t dive into phase two of your workouts. Once you guys are ready I¡¯ll even have Charles join us.¡±
¡°Wait. Charles is going to join us? Have you seen his abs?¡±
¡°No Meryl. I don¡¯t search for images of his abs.¡± Seeker sardonically replied.
¡°I¡¯m just saying, you can¡¯t group me and Lynd with him to do whatever exercises you want.¡± Meryl then blushed.
¡°And man his abs are yummy. Are you going to have abs like him, Zeek?¡±
Seeker gave a disgusted look at Meryl.
¡°Well sure you will. I can¡¯t wait to get my hands on those delightful rocks!¡± Meryl stared greedily at Seeker.
¡°When I signed the contract of our friendship, I was sure that there was no clause indicating that I have to reveal my abs to you and have you touch it.¡±
¡°I¡¯m adding a clause right now!¡± Meryl joyfully countered.
¡°Umm¡ Yeah. Going back to the workout Zeek.¡± Lynd inquired pleadingly.
Seeker gave an exasperated sigh.
¡°You don¡¯t have a choice, guys. I need to ensure you guys get into the first steps of unlocking.¡±
¡°Unlock us? Why would you need to unlock us?¡± Meryl gave a surprised cry.
¡°If I can¡¯t unlock you guys, then the future would probably remain as bleak as it was. I can¡¯t do everything by myself, you guys should know that by now.¡± Seeker started getting more and more frustrated.
¡°Zeek, Why are you trying to unlock us? It¡¯s not as if we¡¯d be soldiers like you right?¡± Lynd asked with a confused expression.
¡°You aren¡¯t but that¡¯s not the point.¡± Seeker waved his hands in anger.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
The two was startled at Seeker¡¯s sudden rage and remained silent.
¡°Sorry, Zeek. It¡¯s just that we don¡¯t have the memories that you have. We aren¡¯t soldiers. Were students. You know how capable we are. It would be not right if you demanded more from us.¡± Meryl calmly spoke.
Seeker remained silent.
The bell rang and students started to shuffle towards the class. Seeker¡¯s pace started to increase as he rushed to class. But Lynd and Meryl continued with their snail-paced walk.
The class carried on as usual. Lynd and Meryl gave a curious stare when Ms. Alean Cipril arrived to teach her usual lesson. Who would have thought that her father would be involved in something terrible as human trafficking? They couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she is involved as well.
The classes for that day had no unusual occurrences. Seeker remained passive in everything while Meryl and Lynd wondered how long they will experience peaceful days like this.
Class later ended and the trio walked out of school to meet a group of eight students. Leading the eight was the delinquent that they just met earlier, Cliff Fangwood. The group smiled at a distance. They knew that with the many watchful eyes around, they couldn¡¯t touch Seeker. Cliff casually nodded his head indicating that Seeker was to follow.
Seeker merely smiled. Lynd and Meryl were no longer afraid. They knew that if Seeker could display this confident smile, no harm would befall them. They slowly followed the group of eight.
Cliff led the gang towards a small park which was no longer maintained by the city. The park used to have beautiful flowers and was regularly maintained as many visitors would relax at this place thanks to the serene sounds caused by the nearby river. However, as the water slowly became more and more polluted, fewer people visited the park and soon it was abandoned by the government.
Seeker knew that they would be led here. This was the known hideout for Cliff and his gang.
¡°So Seeker¡¡± Cliff began. He stared at Seeker with a haughty expression.
¡°Now that you are here, I hope you can enjoy our hospitality.¡± The seven teens who followed Cliff started to stand around Seeker and his group.
¡°My business proposal is simple. I want all your Credits. Everything that you earn from your game guide is now mine.¡± Cliff arrogantly demanded.
¡°And what do I get in return?¡± Seeker calmly asked.
¡°You don¡¯t get punched by me. You think I¡¯m scared of your mom? So what if she works in this school?¡± Cliff mocked.
Seeker laughed.
¡°That¡¯s a very unfair proposal. Why should I accept?¡±
Cliff looked angry.
¡°Let me get this into your brain-damaged head. Because I will beat the crap out of you! See this?¡± Cliff took out the Brass Fist.
¡°Do you want to get punched by this? Brass Fist is always looking for some stupid nerd to hit! You should fear me!¡± Cliff arrogantly clenched his fist with the brass knuckles.
¡°Fear you?¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Do you even know what fear is?¡± As soon as they heard Seeker, Cliff and his gang felt as if the air itself disappeared. They couldn¡¯t breathe. An unexplainable dread started to clutch their hearts.
¡°Fear is caused by a number of factors.¡± Seeker calmly walked around Cliff. Cliff started shivering as he saw this.
Seeker approached one of Cliff¡¯s gang members. The student started to back away in fear at the sight of Seeker approaching.
¡°When you see a tiger slowly approach you, your brain interprets that as a threat. That is fear.¡± Seeker smiled as he approached closer. The teen couldn¡¯t even speak or cry out. His fears were escalating as Seeker¡¯s steps drew nearer.
¡°But how does the brain do that? The answer? Sometimes it deduces what to fear is based on your knowledge. If you don¡¯t know if something is poisonous, you won¡¯t be afraid of eating it.¡± Seeker smiled at the terrorized teen.
The teen stumbled back. Except for Meryl and Lynd, none of the other students could move. They were scared stiff at the unthreatening sight of Seeker walking.
¡°The brain may also instinctively know what to fear. This is because the brain may interpret an unfamiliar object, person or idea as something to fear.¡±
Seeker turned around and returned to the center of the circle. Every one of Cliff¡¯s gang tried to back away but somehow they felt that their body wasn¡¯t responding.
¡°Both knowledge and ignorance may lead to fear.¡± Seeker stood in the center and started clacking his knuckles.
At the sound of the unremarkable cracks of Seeker¡¯s knuckles, several of the students flinched.
¡°As you can see, fear can also be heightened based on the circumstance and scenarios present. The brain takes into consideration sight, sounds and senses. This is why the sound of a gunshot is interpreted as a threat and people panic when they hear that sound.¡±
After saying this sentence Seeker immediately dashed towards another student. The poor student couldn¡¯t react at Seeker¡¯s sudden acceleration.
CLAP!
Seeker clapped his hands directly in front of the teen¡¯s face. The shock of Seeker¡¯s sudden movement paired with the loud clap caused the student to immediately stumble. The student started to convulse as he lay on the grassy earth.
Everyone, including Lynd and Meryl, started to sweat in fear. A mere clap caused this person to faint.
¡°There is another method to induce fear. And it¡¯s that very method that¡¯s causing you to be intensely frightened right now.¡±
Seeker slowly approached Cliff.
¡°And that method is through smell.¡± Seeker smiled. That smile was etched deep into Cliff¡¯s memories.
POW!
A tooth-shattering uppercut was delivered and Cliff stumbled down. The jolt of pain awakened him from his paralyzed state. However, Seeker¡¯s uppercut shook his entire being. His vision was blurry, he tried to stand but he was too dizzy. Cliff started to crawl and the moment he finally regained a bit of sense as to where he was and what was happening around, he saw several of his friends on the ground beaten and bleeding. As he gazed upward he was even more horrified. Seeker was using another teen as a human log and smashed this teen to another.
Seeker tossed the pummeled body of the teen-log and then Seeker dashed towards Cliff. A white blur was all that Cliff could see and then he felt a sudden pain in his face as Seeker smashed his kneecap towards Cliff¡¯s face.
Cliff stumbled back facing the sky. He couldn¡¯t move anymore. He gazed at the vast sky and could hear various screams of pain. He had no doubt that those were his friends pleading for their lives. But despite the hysterical screams, Cliff allowed peace to take over. Slowly his consciousness left him.
Chapter Fifteen: Those Afraid of the Future
¡°That was scary.¡± Lynd wiped the sweat off his brow. Seeker made easy work with the paralyzed students. Lynd stared in amazement at Seeker who was now positioning Cliff to an inclined position.
¡°Zeek! Stop! You did enough!¡± Meryl cried.
¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt him, Meryl. I need to wake him up. I still have a business proposal remember?¡± Seeker then proceeded to perform an ancient method of awakening a sleeping soul.
SLAP!
¡°Hey wake up!¡±
A ringing slap was delivered and awoken Cliff from his stupor.
Cliff panicked and started to struggle but couldn¡¯t move as Seeker was pressing his hands on him. Seeker lifted his hands once more.
SLAP!
¡°Please don¡¯t kill me!¡± Cliff cried.
¡°Relax. I¡¯m not going to hurt you. I have a business proposal for you Cliff.¡±
Meryl and Lynd stared dryly. Seeker wasn''t going to hurt him? What about the Muay Thai knee strike he just did?
Cliff was shaking but listened carefully at Seeker.
¡°Answer me honestly, do you sell drugs?¡± Seeker¡¯s asked the leader of the gang.
Cliff gulped. He slowly nodded his head in confirmation.
¡°Great! That makes it easier.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Where do you get your drugs and why haven¡¯t the school taken any action to deal with you despite the circulating rumors?¡±
Cliff was sweating profusely.
¡°It¡¯s Mr. Yun! Mr. Yun is my supplier!¡±
¡°Professor Yun.¡± Seeker corrected.
¡°What?¡± Meryl was shocked.
¡°Nutterballs! Of all the teachers it¡¯s that timid International Language professor?¡±
¡°Well, what did you guys expect? Ms. Cipril won¡¯t dirty her hands in doing this. Remember that she is a general¡¯s daughter. If anyone fishes out information about her activities, it would create a riot in the Pangean Nations military.¡±
¡°Now little Cliffy, you will contact Professor Yun and tell him that you just had a contact who plans on purchasing in bulk. You have to get the contact details of his supplier. Do you understand?¡±
Cliff stared at Seeker with a confused expression. Seeker then took out a piece of paper in his pocket.
¡°I need you to accomplish this by the end of this week. Go to this address if you have the information. Oh and Cliff.¡±
Seeker then immediately choked Cliff with one hand and carried him high.
Cliff was gasping for breath. The intense emotions of terror and fear returned.
¡°Fail to do so, and I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Seeker threw Cliff down to the ground.
Cliff was gasping for breath and was crawling away from Seeker.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Seeker calmly called out to his two friends as he walked away.
Seeker didn¡¯t even turn back to take a look at Cliff. Meryl and Lynd, on the other hand, kept turning their heads to observe Seeker and the crawling Cliff.
¡°I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s get something good to eat.¡± Seeker casually mentioned. He led his two friends to the nearby food district and went to the more prestigious shops in the district.
¡°Seeker, where are we eating?¡± Meryl wondered. She was not used to the dishes being served at the area they went to as her allowance could only afford cheap meals.
¡°Trust me guys. I¡¯m doing you a favor. You better list down which dishes you want to eat as most of these may not be available in the future.¡± Seeker smiled.
The two silently followed making Seeker decide which restaurant they were to dine in. Seeker led the two to a classy buffet restaurant.
¡°This looks promising. I could eat all those long-lost dishes.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°We¡¯re eating here?¡± Lynd asked in shock. He had no experienced of dining at such a restaurant.
¡°Yeah. Might as well right? If I want to eat the variety of foods that this world has to offer, this place is a great place to start. Western, Eastern, Mediterranean, you name it!¡± Seeker immediately dove in without waiting for the two.
Meryl and Lynd looked at each other and followed excitedly.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Seeker immediately went to gather the delicacies he aimed to devour as soon as their seat was assigned. The two followed ignorantly as they experienced what they felt to be paradise.
Seeker¡¯s dishes covered the majority of the table. Lynd and Meryl only had less than a fourth of the table for their own.
¡°Are you sure you can eat all of that Zeek?¡± Meryl asked worriedly.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. I need to take in more food. It may not seem much, but I burned a lot of energy earlier. Plus, I need to prepare for the planned activities that I have scheduled.¡± Seeker continued to munch in the various dishes around his seat.
Meryl stared in wonder at Seeker who happily devoured the meals before him.
¡°You know its times like these that I think the future won¡¯t be as bad as you say it will be.¡± Lynd sighed.
¡°How bad is the future?¡± Meryl asked with a serious expression.
¡°Pretty grim. It was very hopeless.¡± Seeker recollected.
¡°How? We had people like you right? I mean, nutterballs Zeek! You mowed those bullies like they were rodents!¡±
¡°A shot at victory? Wrong. What we had, was simply the capacity to strike back. That didn¡¯t mean we were winning. So what if we can dodge bullets? Lightspeed weapons, strange biological gases, cloaking technology, advanced computer hacking, and weapons hijacking. Those were the least of our worries.¡±
¡°Sounds pretty bad.¡± Meryl looked grim.
¡°It¡¯s worse than it sounds. We had problems in almost everything. Food, water, manpower, weapons, you name it. Everything was lacking. This is why every small thing we accomplish now could vastly change the future.¡±
¡°Is that why you¡¯re turning us into Unlocked humans?¡± Meryl finally had the courage to ask.
¡°Obviously. And it won¡¯t end with you.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Why not start with someone else Zeek? We can¡¯t do what you do!¡±
¡°Of course you can! If I can do it, you can!¡± Zeek confidently boasted and started munching over his meals.
Lynd had an angry glare. Meryl also shared a frustrated grunt. Those words were what Seeker would usually say to give them a boost of confidence. However, those words never managed to accomplish that.
¡°You can! But WE can¡¯t! Here we go again!¡± Meryl angrily grunted once more.
Seeker was surprised at the sudden turn of emotions of his friends.
¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys! Of course, you can!¡±
¡°You really don¡¯t know do you?¡± Lynd asked with an exasperated expression.
¡°Know what?¡±
¡°We aren¡¯t like you! You¡¯re not even supposed to be a Rising! Heck, for all we know you could even do better than those chummy Royals!¡±
¡°What are you talking about?¡± Seeker stopped his dining and paid full attention to his friends.
¡°Zeek, I¡¯ve known you for about two years. And it didn¡¯t take me long to notice what Lynd, who has been your friend for ages, noticed long ago!¡±
¡°Noticed what?¡± Seeker stared at Lynd.
¡°You¡¯re a genius, Zeek. You always were. You don¡¯t belong in the Rising classes.¡±
¡°What are you talking about? My grades were always subpar.¡±
¡°Really? Was it? Or did you intentionally do that? You¡¯re always asleep at classes, you always don¡¯t listen, yet if you chose to, you could have aced all those tests. You would even intentionally make a few mistakes in order to get a low grade.¡±
¡°Zeek. Let me put it this way.¡± Meryl interrupted before Seeker could even start to defend himself.
¡°We¡¯re not on the same level. You have always been ahead of us but chose to slow down for our sakes. And we were always fine with that. Until now. You say we can do it. We can be like you. Unlocked. But that is not true. We were never on the same level. If you push forward and give it your all, we won¡¯t be able to catch up.¡±
¡°I can help you-¡±
¡°No, you can¡¯t Zeek.¡± This time it was Lynd who drew the line.
¡°Not this time. You never understood how I and Meryl would do our best but always remain mediocre. We know. We¡¯ve seen it in your eyes all these years. You claimed to be mediocre but we knew, you were doing it because you are confident that you could easily surpass everyone. Even the best of the Royals. You never understood what it meant to fail.¡±
Seeker was silent. Things started to make sense for him. His untapped potential, him being one of the very few people on Earth that could achieve the unlocking, even his capabilities to stand to support the World Champions. He was a genius.
¡°Looks like you finally get it huh? You can¡¯t push us, Zeek. Not this time. Not because we are unwilling. But simply because we can¡¯t. Don¡¯t put us on the same level as you.¡± Meryl harshly spoke what was a revelation to Seeker.
¡°Especially now. You¡¯re no longer the Zeek we knew. You¡¯re far more powerful and far more amazing. Yet the standards you hold towards us didn¡¯t change. We¡¯d break Zeek. So please don¡¯t burden us.¡±
Seeker eyes suddenly sparked a different light. There was intense raging anger hidden deep in his eyes.
¡°You are right. I am no longer the Zeek you knew. That Zeek encountered a world of terror. Those memories did change me and that''s why I''m trying to change you! But let me ask you two something. Is this why you are afraid of the future?¡±
Meryl and Lynd avoided Seeker''s eyes at the question.
¡°Why is it, that out of all the questions that you have or could ask me, you never once bothered to ask if the two of you are alive in the future?¡± Seeker glared back.
There was silence. The eyes of Seeker''s two friends grew more and more depressed.
¡°We know we died, Zeek.¡± Meryl started to cry.
¡°We didn¡¯t ask because we already knew. We can¡¯t live in that kind of world.¡± Lynd continued.
¡°What I don¡¯t get is why the two of you don¡¯t want to take any actions to change that future,¡± Seeker responded calmly. But an angry storm was behind his soft voice.
¡°We¡¯re not like you. Even if we tried, we would fail.¡± Meryl sobbed started to grow stronger. People around the room were noticing the crying looks in the eyes of two students in this table.
Lynd chose to remain silent. But tears were also filling his eyes.
¡°So instead of fighting, you simply accepted your fate?¡± Seeker stopped observing the two and turned his attention one of the dishes in the table.
Meryl and Lynd couldn¡¯t look Seeker in the eye. They were helpless.
¡°You¡¯re not the only ones afraid. Will I be able to protect you two this time? Will I be able to save my family? Will I be able to save her?¡± Seeker gave a frustrated laugh.
¡°In this table, the one whose most afraid of the future is me.¡± Seeker paused as he continued to smash open his delicacies.
¡°But despite my fear, I was willing to fight. But now, now that even you can¡¯t have confidence in yourself. Then I guess I really won¡¯t be able to protect you.¡± Seeker started to angrily crush open a lobster.
¡°If you want to give up, you may.¡±
Lynd and Meryl silently stared at their plates. Tears continued to gather in their eyes.
¡°I¡¯ll let you quit.¡± Seeker finally broke the silence.
¡°But only after the power walkthrough. I still need you to help.¡±
It was a strange moment for Meryl and Lynd. Though Seeker spoke of abandoning them, the intense burden and fear were finally lifted from their hearts. They gazed back at Seeker with an apologetic look. This was who they were. Rising¡¯s to their very blood. And at that moment of intense emotional depression, the weak ones lost the appetite to eat while the strong remained undaunted from the overflowing emotionally stinging pain.
They gazed at Seeker who continued to eat. Truly he was as they always knew. A champion amongst weak men. He always has been. And the intense memories that he has inherited only served to make him stronger.
¡°But we¡¯ll still do the workouts. At least I could say I tried.¡±
Meryl and Lynd cringed as they heard that statement.
Chapter Sixteen: An Unconventional Power Walkthrough
The trio traveled to the duplex apartment silently. Seeker had a slightly grumpy aura while the two would only follow their leader with a guilty and almost pleading look.
They arrived at the duplex and no words were uttered as they immediately started to prepare for the stream.
Seeker ignored the pleading looks his friends gave and continued with a harsh upper body work out. Meryl could barely move her arms. Lynd was lying on the floor not moving. Seeker changed his clothes and started to prepare for the stream. When Meryl and Lynd recovered from their near-death workout, they mounted their assigned position.
Seeker nodded to Meryl who immediately started the stream.
As the room went online, the number of viewers immediately reached up to 87. And slowly more and more people started to dive in.
Seeker smiled.
¡°Looks like we managed to get a lot of attention.¡± Lynd laughed softly. Things were still awkward between them. Meryl even had a melancholic look as she started chatting to the viewers of the stream.
¡°Alright, guys! Let¡¯s finally get rolling!¡± Seeker sat at his chair as the stream started.
¡°As many viewers requested this, I mounted a camera on my head which is overlooking the controllers.¡± Seeker demonstrated.
The camera was now split into three screens. The stream for the actual game was broadcasted along with two small windows, one showing Seeker and another showing his hands and how he operated the controller.
¡°Without further ado, let¡¯s start the new game. The timer starts now!
The stream began with the new game.
The protagonist of Piercing: Bullet was seen riding an elevator whistling happily.
The elevators opened and the Piercing Agent casually walked out of the elevators which alarmed the guards.
¡°Piercing Bullet?¡±
¡°Yeah yeah¡. I¡¯m here to talk to Hollow. Can you let me in?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry sir. But we can¡¯t-¡°
BANG!
Bullet casually shot the guard with his trademark Rifle. The alarm went off and people started rushing out from the rooms and started to shoot at Bullet.
¡°Hollow! I¡¯m here for my brother¡¯s gun!¡± Bullet happily shouted. The game began. Seeker controlled Bullet and started attacking the guards.
¡°Now since we are aiming for a power walkthrough, the first thing that we should do is spend about an hour in this particular stage.¡±
Seeker continued to attack the various guards utilizing various attack skills and combos. He rarely used his ranged skills but continued to dash and strike the guards using the rifle as a melee weapon.
The chat room was now flooded with questions.
¡°Why?¡± This was the common questions that most viewers asked.
Seeker kept attacking and attacking as the enemies continued to pour in.
¡°Piercing games prioritize skill as the most important trait when playing the game. However, many of Bullet¡¯s skills can only be used once you have reached a certain level of proficiency by using his basic skills. Now the best place to train for skill points is in fact in this stage.¡± Seeker smiled as he quickly eliminated the guards.
More guards would appear as soon as some would die. What was impressive was how Seeker managed to eliminate the unending enemies without taking a single hit!
¡°Wait! It¡¯s infinite?¡± Lynd was shocked to find this development. He played that but knew for a fact that the enemies stopped spawning after a few kills.
¡°Now you may be wondering why the enemies are infinitely spawned. The answer is; it¡¯s not infinite. The game would immediately trigger the spawning of units every 15 seconds until there is a maximum of seven enemies. But what if you managed to kill a lot them before the 15 seconds end?¡± Seeker smiled as he continued to kill several guards using intense attacks.
There the viewers were shocked as they witnessed an endless amount of enemies constantly spawning and coming through the doors near the elevator.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Trying it now! It¡¯s really hard!¡±
¡°I¡¯m trying it too! How does he do that? How can he not get hit?¡±
The discussion became more interesting as several viewers tried Seeker¡¯s technique.
Seeker calmly controlled his avatar and did not lose focus despite the chaotic speeds of his play.
¡°The general idea is to farm as much as you can in this stage and move on. This is the fastest place to farm for skills because we all know that enemy respawns only happen when we reset the game. So I suggest to farm as much as you can in this stage and move on if you¡¯ve farmed enough.¡±
Seeker casually said not even bothering to read whatever discussions the chat room now had. Those who attempted to apply the trick failed after four or five minutes of playing. However, the trick was proven to be true.
Nearly an hour has passed in Seeker¡¯s game and his progress continued to remain in the exact same stage. However, several skills were now unlocked. The speed and intensity of Seeker¡¯s control over his avatar evolved to a speed that many would feel dizzy. In fact, several viewers stopped watching and planned to return after Seeker would end his farming.
¡°Alright. Now that the skills are set, let¡¯s go kill the boss. I think I can defeat the boss within twenty seconds.¡± Seeker grinned and immediately zipped through the stage as he moved from room to room and finally reached a door which triggered a cutscene.
¡°Ohhhhh Hallow! Are you home?¡± Bullet came in the door with a smile on his face.
¡°Bullet. You are aware that you¡¯d be a priority target for Piercing if you attack me.¡± Hallow stood wearing his dashingly formal attire.
¡°Ah, well what can I say. I want my brothers gun that much!¡± Bullet smiled. The cutscene ended and the fight immediately began.
Hallow unveiled his scythe and started to slash quickly. Seeker calmly controlled his avatars to back away and be outside of Hallow¡¯s scythe. At the third strike, Seeker immediately utilized a dashing skill he unlocked to dive right towards Hollow then an unbreakable chain of attacks followed.
Dashing, slashing upwards, downwards, zipping up and down, the series of attacks surprised all viewers.
Piercing: Bullet was a game that featured Piercing Agent, Bullet. He held a rifle as the main weapon so everyone assumed that the gameplay would be focused on ranged attacks unlike its predecessor Piercing: Edge. Seeker did not invest even a single second in using Bullet¡¯s ranged attacks but invested heavily on melee attacks. Most players would invest as the damage of ranged attack far surpassed the damage of a simple melee attack.
As the torrent of attacks continued, most of what the viewers could see was a blur. Barely 15 seconds has passed and a cutscene was revealed.
Hollow was somersaulting backward and used his scythe to block a gunshot. He landed gracefully and stared angrily at Bullet.
¡°Fine. You win. Take this stupid gun. But next time I¡¯ll fight seriously to kill you.¡±
Hallow walked over to a complex container nearby. He opened it and angrily took out a large handgun and tossed it over to Bullet.
¡°Much obliged. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t go look for you after this. I mean once it¡¯s out, you¡¯d fight to kill me.¡± Bullet smiled and ran towards the balcony and jumped down. He continued to fall from the skyscraper. The cutscene ended and Bullet stood on one of the many rooftops of the city.
The game continued.
¡°Wait! The boss fight ended so quickly?!¡± Several viewers only reacted after the cutscene ended.
Seeker controlled Bullet to run as several soldiers would come up to him and fight him. The battles were intensely easier than it was on Seeker¡¯s first play through.
Enemies would just die within five seconds once Seeker began his attacks. He quickly paced up and immediately went to eliminate the bosses. Seeker gained nothing in terms of experience pointsas this stage acted as a mini tutorial. Skills attack experience points, however, depended on its proficiency of use. So as long as a skill attack connects with an enemy, experience points could be earned for that particular skill.
¡°At this point of the game, it¡¯s quite useless to gather experience points. If you¡¯re skilled enough, just go for the bosses. We need to open the new areas of this game to progress faster.¡± Seeker casually reported.
¡°I thought this game would be about ranged attacks?¡±
¡°I thought too. Looks like it¡¯s still going to be a melee massacre. I was so wrong.¡±
¡°But what about the aerial enemies? How can he defeat those?¡±
The commotion in the chat was far from over as various veteran players started to rethink their game strategy in Piercing: Bullet.
Noticing the commotion, Seeker once again stared at the camera and smiled.
¡°As you noticed, I didn¡¯t allocate any points in my range attacks. Now going by this, the bosses on the next stage are either aerial or would position themselves as far as possible from the player. So I guess it¡¯s about time to bet! I have 20,000 credits. And I¡¯m going to bet it that I can beat each boss in less than two minutes and not get hit from this point until I stop playing later. The last boss that I will fight tonight will be the Penetrating Sky bosses on the warehouse. Minimum buy-in of 100 credits.¡±
Seeker gave his bold declaration. Meryl immediately followed as ordered by Seeker and dumped all of his credits in the Gambling Den.
The discussion on the chat group grew wild. Almost immediately when the Den was open did the credits flow in. Initially, there were only seven players who placed their bets against Seeker but it slowly increased over time.
Seeker continued with his play through and like this, two hours passed. Seeker would intentionally allow himself to almost get hit at times which caused others to dive in and throw their credits in the Den.
The chat room continued to buzz with activities as more and more viewers willingly gambled their fortune.
¡°You idiots! Can¡¯t you see his taking your money? Haven¡¯t you learned anything from last night¡¯s stream?¡±
¡°Just you wait! An unconventional build like that is sure to fail when he reaches the aerial enemies! You¡¯ll be sorry you didn¡¯t bet against him!¡± Another viewer responded.
¡°Idiot. He obviously has thought everything through. His unconventional play style could probably be the standard for all players in the future! And look! He¡¯s intentionally allowing himself to almost get hit! Can¡¯t you see how he would delay his movements? Look at how he¡¯s handling the controller!¡±
Seeker fought another boss and his attacks weren¡¯t connecting as fast as that particular boss had a small frame and could easily get out of the attack range of Seeker. The fight continued and once 1 minute and 30 seconds passed, more viewers started to invest their credits in the Den. Sadly they lost. Seeker immediately made quick work of the boss and it ended in 1 minute and 51 seconds.
Chapter Seventeen: Casual Carlean
Seeker¡¯s gameplay continued for another hour. And later, people were anticipating yet another challenge. The aerial bosses. Soon Seeker¡¯s travels reached a large military base on the outskirts of the thriving city. Seeker controlled his character to attack the base.
¡°Piercing Agent! This is an Impact owned military base. Turn away or we will attack!¡±
A warning was heard but Seeker paid no heed to this warning and controlled Bullet to continue on towards the base.
In the middle of the base, the mechanical floor gave way and several huge man-shaped robots dashed out and zipped towards Seeker with intense speed. Shoulder launchers appeared by the side of these robots and several missiles were fired.
Seeker casually used an attacking skill to dash forward and Seeker would immediately prematurely end the dash with another attack and once the quick attack would end, Seeker would use the dash skill again. This cycle was expertly delivered and led to a fast-paced movement technique which could do damage. Seeker could now catch up with the dashing robots and would pummel it with a variety of melee attacks. Like this, the mechanical Titans were demolished.
Seeker slowly approached the base and a cutscene started.
A reddish Titan with a large engine in the back appeared and started flying in the air.
The chat room was cheering! How could Seeker kill this boss as it was in mid-air? This was why several gamblers were confident of their win.
¡°Now here comes the painful part.¡± Seeker¡¯s eyes grew serious. Those who placed their bets looked in glee. This was the first time that Seeker had a serious expression.
The bets slowly increased as some players who were shocked at Seeker¡¯s expression decided to enter the last minute. Right now with over 50 people joining in the bet, everyone would receive a share of over 3 times of their 100 credit buy in.
¡°A PIERCING AGENT?¡± A loud and painful voice echoed out as the Red Titan hovered over unleashing a series of missiles.
One of Bullet¡¯s skill was a missile defense system wherein Bullet would use his gun to destroy missiles that are approaching him. However, Seeker made no investment on any ranged skills. Therefore, he had no defenses to stop the missiles. On his previous play through, he had those skills with him which made the battle easier.
Seeker controlled Bullet to run towards the missiles and started dashing evading the torrent of missiles easily.
¡°HOW ABOUT THIS?¡± The painful voice screamed again.
Seeker frowned and continued to control Bullet to dash and drew closer and closer to the enemy.
Two more viewers entered the Den. If this demigod of gamers frowned, then it could mean he was not confident.
However, Seeker pushed on. Seeker used the dashing attack to launch himself in the air. It was just enough to connect to the hovering Titan. However, Bullet stated to fall down and only managed to connect one attack.
Many who gambled were smiling in amusement. Seeker could not use the quick attack and relaunch another aerial dash as it was a ground-based attack.
¡°DIE YOU PIERCING TRASH!¡± The painful voice shouted again as it launched a different attack pattern. A salvo of missiles erupted and flew towards Bullet¡¯s position. Seeker used the aerial dashing attack to escape the arriving salvo and as he was in mid-air. The red Titan drew closer to the aerial Bullet and was about to launch an attack.
Just before the attack could commence, Seeker used a skill which used the Rifle as a pole and struck the enemy. As the attack connected, Seeker used the attack as a foothold to propel him further upwards and then Seeker immediately used the aerial dash again.
Seeker¡¯s avatar zipped through the Red Titan inflicting small damage. But after Seeker dashed through the Red Titan, Seeker then used the same attack skill which propelled him upwards once more. Seeker then used another dash. Seeker continued with this cycle in a very precise and fast manner.
The Red Titan continued to shout painful screams that made Seeker look annoyed. Seeker¡¯s attacks continued. The missiles that the Titan launched were of no use. They continued to travel downwards and Seeker was always right beside or above the red Titan.
None of the viewers could type a message as they saw Seeker¡¯s fast and unusual techniques. Seeker zipped to-and-fro until the Red Titan¡¯s hit points shot down below its halfway mark.
¡°NOOOOOO! THEN TRY THIS!¡± the painful voice was heard once again.
¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯ve had enough of this.¡± Seeker stood up and picked up the remote in the corner table and tried to mute the audio. He kept pressing random buttons as the sounds had not died down. As his right hand was doing that, he controlled his avatar using his left hand. Bullet was seen running around evading the incoming missiles. Seeker, however, seemed focus on muting the television.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Meryl and Lynd had to contain the urge to urinate at the stressful situation that Seeker placed himself in.
¡°SEEKER!¡± Lynd was about to run to grab the controllers.
¡°I¡¯ll get the remote! Geez!¡± Meryl complained as she stomped off and snatched the remote from Seeker.
¡°It¡¯s not that one! It¡¯s this!¡± Meryl shouted angrily. She took a different remote controller and muted the sounds.
Seeker sat down once more. He looked very relaxed. ¡°I hate that voice. Ugh. Whoever suggested that I play with the volume on is an idiot. Hey Meryl, what are we having for dinner? Here, take my card and order some pizza.¡± Seeker then stood back up and rummaged to his back pocket. His left hand continued to control Bullet in parrying missiles and other attacks.
¡°SEEKER!¡± Lynd shouted again. He wanted to just pinch and crush that frustrating nonchalant face of Seeker. All it took was to receive a single hit from those missiles and they would be 20,000 credits poorer.
Seeker finally managed to take out his wallet. He then used the thumb and index fingers of his left hand to pick a credit card out of the card slots while his middle finger continued to move the analog joystick.
Meryl and Lynd looked very frightened and continued to cringe as their view turned back and forth from Seeker''s controls and the screen. As Seeker took out the card and attempted to give it to Meryl, Meryl dashed angrily at Seeker and took the card. She could hardly contain the urge to dropkick her friend then and there.
Seeker sat down and relaxed at the inclination of his chair. He controlled Bullet to dive in and started his aerial combos which instantly killed the boss. It took 1 minute and 46 seconds for Seeker to kill this boss. And that included 10 seconds worth of delay since Seeker had to move away from the Titan as he made Bullet run around in circles.
The chat room was buzzing with chats when Meryl went back to her seat.
¡°MAH HEART! MAH KIDNEY!¡±
"Oh look! I don''t need to use the toilet anymore."
¡°SON OF A!¡±
¡°That¡¯s exactly what I do whenever I¡¯m betting twenty freakin¡¯ thousand credits to do a no-hit walkthrough with a boss-beating time limit of two minutes. Mute the TV and order dinner with one hand while I play with the other!¡±
¡°HAIL THE NEW PIERCING PRODIGY CASUAL CARLEAN!¡±
¡°I''m watching this in the toilet. I''ve been having problems relieving myself due to chronic constipation. But I tell you, my constipation is cured now! Thank you Casual Carlean!"
"The doctor didn''t need to defibrillate my uncle who was suffering fromcardiac arrest. Watching Casual Carlean proved to be more effective. Thanks, Casual Carlean!"
Several similar comments were made that night and several of which were featured online. This later created a mountain of curious viewers who accessed Seeker''s streams later on.
Lynd and Meryl watched in exasperation. It was just as if they¡¯ve just undergone another round of Seeker''s exercise. It was just too much. The standing, the one-handed control, the muting, the wallet. Why the hell did he do that in the middle of the boss fight? Isn¡¯t there a pause button?
As various thoughts continued to plague Lynd and Meryl, the source of their plague, Seeker was having a very nonchalant time as he happily controlled Bullet to dive towards a group of enemies and instantly made scrap metal of them.
The game progressed on and soon, Seeker reached the warehouse where the Penetrating Sky soldiers reside.
The cutscene began. A group of soldiers was waiting for Bullet to enter. They jumped up and started to fly. The Elite group of soldiers known as Penetrating Sky was a mockery of the Piercing name. The soldiers used weapons and ammunition similar to various Piercing soldiers.
Penetrating Sky used specialized guns that fired bullets at an incredibly fast speed. However, just as it was with the slow-moving missiles, Seeker had no problems evading everything. He dashed and dashed around and once he would be directly below one of the soldiers, Seeker would utilize the same aerial combo to immediately kill the soldier.
Once everyone saw how easily a soldier died, they knew that Seeker had won the bet. Seeker dashed and went to pursue another soldier. And he instantly killed it with a blur of combos. Then another soldier died, and then another. As the soldiers slowly perished one by one, there were curses and strange voodoo chants filling the chat logs. Naturally, the source of these messages were the frustrated gamblers who placed their bets.
None of their chants worked. Seeker managed to defeat the last soldier with ease.
Seeker smiled and simply stared straight at the camera.
¡°Thank you for your generous donations!¡± Seeker smiled.
The processing of the Gambling Den immediately initiated and Seeker was deemed the winner of the bet. Just like that Seeker earned 4300 credits through the Den.
¡°Tomorrow I will continue my Power Walkthrough same time.¡± Seeker announced.
There were lots of complaints as they wanted Seeker to continue to play. The impossibility displayed by Seeker was a tremendous lesson to many.
¡°I¡¯m sorry guys. I¡¯m still a student. After all, I can¡¯t live off playing games. I mean, how do I sustain myself?¡± Seeker shamefully asked.
At this time, Seeker was to earn a total of 10950 credits from people viewing the stream and 5700 credits from the Den.
Several pained emotions were expressed at Seeker¡¯s very shameful statement.
¡°See you tomorrow guys! Same time! Remember to share this vid! Bye now!¡±
Just like that, the stream ended.
The stream became the most talked about topic amongst gamers that night. Almost every gaming website talked about Seeker¡¯s stream.
On the twentieth floor of a tall skyscraper, five teens were watching the stream.
¡°Impressive.¡± A short teen with thick glasses and dark hair spoke. He watched earnestly at how Seeker controlled Bullet to evade and attack. At the same time, he seemed to be counting something and he continued to mumble numbers under his breath.
¡°We should join the stream tomorrow. This will definitely get their attention.¡± The only female of the group spoke. She had pink hair, thin glasses, and a very white complexion and beauty that would match movie stars. She smiled and started giggling as she saw Seeker stand and started using the remote. The others, however, were cringing at what Seeker did.
Everyone held their breath as they watched Seeker pick his card whilst controlling Bullet with his middle finger.
¡°Well no matter what they offer him, he¡¯d most likely join us. Kris, you should join the stream alone tomorrow. A personal touch from you should be enough.¡± The short teen ordered unaffected by what he saw. He carried on counting under his breath.
The pink haired girl smiled and nodded. Her eyes were full of anticipation.
Chapter Eighteen: The Blue and the Yellow
A huge light beam flashed across the city. Several skyscrapers were halved and the upper half started to collapse.
Several of the UN soldiers were still running as they saw the collapsing skyscrapers. Though they were directly under it, they didn¡¯t display even a hint of fear.
The soldiers suddenly stopped running and gazed at the falling debris.
¡°Commander, we can¡¯t make it there on time!¡± The soldier screamed. A blue gem embedded on a silver ring started glowing as the soldier screamed.
Another soldier continued to gaze at the debris of the skyscrapers continued to fall towards them. For some, it was imminent death. But to Inhumans such as themselves, this would simply amount to an obstacle course. Death was the most unlikely result of evading falling buildings.
¡°I wished I paid more attention to General Humphreys math lessons.¡± A certain soldier sighed.
As the debris were 30 meters from the ground the squad immediately used their Force Boosters and soared towards the debris. What followed next was expert maneuvering of acrobatic actions paired by timely boost. They would kick and use debris as a foothold and dash higher towards the sky as they evaded and dodged the steel beams and broken concrete.
Suddenly a light flashed far on their east side.
¡°EVADE!¡± A soldier cried.
A large dark blueish electrical beam blasted towards them. Two soldiers were unable to react on time and were engulfed by the beam and incinerated them.
The wind pressure that followed from the powerful blast affected the rising soldiers and disoriented them. Some managed to maintain focus and continued to rise across the debris but three more succumbed to the disorientation.
¡°Will!¡± A soldier attempted to dive back down to save them but another soldier tackled him upwards.
¡°We can¡¯t! It¡¯s too dangerous!¡±
The remaining soldiers continued to rise through the falling debris and finally made it out of the falling half of the skyscraper.
The soldiers landed on what remains of the upper half and the soldier who attempted to dive down fell to his knees.
¡°No. Not Will!¡± The soldier started to cry.
¡°Get up.¡± Another ordered.
¡°Now¡¯s not the time to cry. Will¡¯s not dead. Look! Commander Carlean¡¯s here!¡±
The soldier looked up in hope and true enough, there stood one of the strongest soldiers in the Gryphon Army. Commander Seeker Carlean was using the Four Force Accelerator to evade even more of the electrical blast. He was handling three of the fallen soldiers and was throwing them to safe positions.
¡°He can see light speed attacks!¡±
¡°He broke through! He must be on the Surmounting Stage!¡±
¡°We still have hope team! Come on! We have to head down. On me!¡± The soldier bravely announced and dashed towards an area where explosions and gunfire continued to hail.
Seeker was now blasting and zipping through the city. He used buildings as footholds and would dash towards another. His speed continually broke through the sound barrier. The electric blast managed to aim precisely at Seeker but Seeker was able to dodge the attack at hairbreadth.
¡°I WILL KILL YOU!¡± Seeker dashed faster. His falling tears would immediately be whipped out of the wind pressure that Seeker continually faced. His heart was heavy. His body was wounded on various places but all these pains were no longer something that Seeker paid attention too. He would kill that damned spaceship even if he would give half of his body to entropy.
On the other side of the battle stood a huge spherical ship. The ship continued to emit electrical energies that would fry anything that touches it. Occasionally it would concentrate the electrical energy and blast it off to a direction. Some smaller electrical blast was used to attack various areas where enemy soldiers were detected. A majority of the electrical charges, however, were aimed at the flying and evading Ranked Hero.
Several missiles managed to hit this spherical ship and it the ship trembled. The damage that this Gargantuan had taken was immense that it was only a miracle that it could continue to utilize its star technology to keep it afloat. On the upper half of this ship was a large hole that penetrated deep within. The damage it received at that point disabled its electrical shields allowing missiles and rockets to inflict damage towards it.
Seeker would dash behind buildings and The intermittent blast would carve holes into these buildings but no matter how many times the ship fired, Seeker would evade it.
As Seeker neared the floating ship, he dashed on top of a building and waited for the ship to shoot him. Seeker down the building as an electrical beam blasted through the building in half. Seeker then jumped on the many falling debris and used it as a foothold. He gave one strong dash and shot through the air onto the roof of this spherical ship. The Gargantuan emitted a powerful shockwave of electrical currents that surged around the ship. Arcs of lighting and beams continued to shoot out of it. Almost every side of the ship was emitting these lightning attacks.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
But this didn¡¯t stop Seeker. He continued to force through and evaded the electrical beams and reached the upper portion of the ship. Seeker quickly zipped through and dove down the hole.
¡°Checkmate.¡±
The Captain of the Gargantuan sighed.
¡°It looks like, we gambled too quickly boys. See you if there¡¯s an ¡®other side.¡¯¡±
He sat down with a grave expression and tried to accept his death.
Apart from the people in the main bridge of the Gargantuan, no one else knew of the monster that was now in the ship. Most of the ship¡¯s crew were caught unprepared. It was as if a gentle breeze passed by. A breeze that caused death.
Men, and women and even some young teens and kids on board the Gargantuan all met the blade of the Death Tide.
A loud sound similar to a loud rocket launching echoed through the hallways of the ship. Masked within this rocketing sound was an angry howl of a man. Once someone would hear this loud shout, it was too late. Blood and gore were all that would be left behind as Seeker dashed.
Everyone on the bridge was prepared. They had accepted their death the moment Seeker dove in. No one could even use the self-destruct sequence as the immense suicidal attack of the enemy Commander has penetrated deep and even damaged the Star Controller.
As the crew peacefully sat there, some of them would be halved, some beheaded. The captain stood there witnessing the death of his crew.
¡°What rage.¡± The captain thought. Everyone on the bridge was either halved or dismembered into three or four pieces but he simply received a stab. He would die. But it would be slow. In his dying moments, he experienced the slowing of time. He saw the hole on his chest and reminisced how his actions led to the death of everyone on board.
Seeker reached for the main controls and used it to move the Gargantuan towards the main forces of the African army.
He controlled the ship and initiated a kamikaze attack on the remaining enemy forces directly under it. The ship continued to emit electrical surges which killed several soldiers and destroyed several large humanoid robots.
BOOM!
The crashing sound echoed loudly. Several of Earth¡¯s soldiers then started to come out and shot at the survivors of the crash. The soldiers of Earth were cheering. Victory was assured.
Seeker dashed out of the wreckage and landed in the nearby area where some of the soldiers were cheering. After confirming their victory, he fell down in fatigue. His attire was pitiful. He had several wounds and burnt marks. His synthetic clothing was in tatters.
Several soldiers immediately ran to Seeker.
Seeker looked at them and smiled. Tears, however, continued to flow in Seeker¡¯s eyes.
¡°Commander.¡± A soldier immediately reached out to help Seeker stand.
Several soldiers assisted in carrying Seeker. People were cheering. Ranked Hero Seeker Carlean finally managed to eliminate the remaining threats in the sector.
An echoing sound was heard on the skies above. A small flying object could be noticed as it approached in tremendous speed. As the figure drew near, people started recognizing it.
¡°World Champion!¡± Some of the soldiers exclaimed excitedly.
The blurring image immediately locked on towards where Seeker was and zoomed towards the area.
In just a matter of seconds, the small figure was already standing in front of the limping Seeker Carlean who was being supported by two soldiers.
The figure was an Asian man of average build and height. He wore a black synthetic clothing similar to what Seeker wore. He wore a slightly larger version of the Four Force Accelerator that Seeker also had. He had a strict face and a pair of red eyes that looked like that of a demon.
¡°Report.¡± The man commanded.
¡°Commander Seeker Carlean reporting Sir.¡± Seeker did not even bother to salute. Rather, he had no strength to do so.
¡°Carlean? Report. What is the status of your mission? What happened to your General?¡±
¡°General has received tremendous damage and is currently incapacitated.¡±
¡°What? The Realm King is incapacitated?¡± The man quickly observed the surrounding wreckage and realized the intensity of the battle.
¡°Gargantuan''s and Titans huh? How bad is it?¡±
¡°His life is not in danger. But it might take a while for him to recover.¡±
¡°That¡¯s both good and bad! We can¡¯t afford an incapacitated World Champion! Where is the commanding officer next in line to take command?¡±
Seeker was silent for a few seconds.
¡°He is right in front of you, Sir.¡± Seeker answered.
The man frowned.
¡°I see.¡± The man solemnly replied. There was dread and even regret in his voice.
¡°Alright. As of this moment, you will stand as the acting General. Make your report General.¡±
¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Seeker paused as tears continued to flow down his eyes. He, however, maintained his fierce gaze and serious look.
¡°We have succeeded in destroying their main Orbital ship and acquired the plans and location of another Gigas Class Orbital scheduled to launch. However, they were expecting us. The Aragarians deployed several Gargantuan in an attempt to ambush us. We managed to destroy all of it. Not even one managed to retreat but¡¡± Seeker paused. He tried to contain his crying and sobbing voice.
¡°Commander Indigo and Commander Mikado has fallen in battle.¡±
The man frowned again. He had expected this but hoped that his expectations were wrong. He turned around and did not respond to Seeker. The surrounding soldiers were shocked to hear Seeker¡¯s sentence. Some even fell on their knees and started crying.
Seeker gripped his fist in frustration. The synthetic gloves did not hinder the force which caused his palms to bleed. The tears could no longer be stopped. Seeker, who had the capability to master his own emotions with his Unlocked powers, started to cry.
The blue gem embedded on the back of the World Champions head started glowing.
¡°Head Quarters. Reporting the situation here in South East Asia. Mission Moon Seizer is a success however General Realm King is injured. He may not recover in time for the next mission. Also¡¡± the man stared at the crying soldiers around him. He sighed.
¡°This mission¡¯s success is attributed to the brave sacrifices of World Champion, Commander Lynd Indigo and Ranked Hero, Commander Meryl Mikado. I am handing the mantle of command of the Realm King¡¯s armies to Surmounting Ranked Hero, Seeker Carlean.¡±
The man dashed out and flew to the high skies racing towards another battlefield.
Seeker continued to cry. Even the soldiers around him were tearing up. In the eyes of most soldiers, they were victorious, but as of that moment, only a few soldiers knew about what they lost in this battle. They lost two great leaders that day. Hope became a far fleeting thing only to dream of but never within their grasps.
Seeker woke up. There were tears in his eyes. He was about to massage his head but remembered that Charles had connected several high-tech probes and wires to his cranium regions.
¡°The cons of the Unlocked mind.¡± Seeker sighed as he rubbed his eyes.
¡°What an accurate nightmare.¡± Seeker laughed bitterly.
Chapter Nineteen: Faith of a Believer
Seeker continued to lie down as the machines connected to him ran several tests. Seeker started closing his eyes as if he was meditating. After a few minutes, the door opened.
¡°Charles.¡± Seeker addressed as his eyes were closed.
¡°Sorry for the trouble. We should be done in a few minutes. Meryl and Lynd told me about what happened in the restaurant. You sure you know what you¡¯re doing?¡±
Seeker just smiled and nodded.
¡°Look, I agree with their point of view. I didn¡¯t know that you guys are from the Rising group. I thought you¡¯d be a Royal.¡±
¡°Seems like you guys had a lot to talk about.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Well yeah¡ I did warn you that I thought these guys are well¡ weak, for the lack of a better word.¡±
Seeker laughed.
¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Seeker bitterly laughed. Weak? If they are weak, what was he?
¡°Well I mean, they died in the future didn¡¯t they?¡±
¡°World Champions died in the future. That doesn¡¯t make them any weaker than me.¡± Seeker sarcastically stared.
Charles was silent for a moment.
¡°Wait. Exactly who would Lynd and Meryl be in the future?¡±
Seeker was silent. He gave a deep sigh.
¡°Meryl Mikado. Did you notice anything special about her?¡±
Charles gave a peculiar look.
¡°I don¡¯t know. She seemed timid and brave I guess?¡± Charles shrugged.
¡°She has a talent at looking at bright things longer than others.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°We would even spend some days at the bright park having a contest at who could stare at the sun the longest. She would always win.¡±
Charles stood there and wondered.
¡°Great! Good for her.¡± Charles commended with a doubtful expression.
¡°Right. A weird talent. We never thought it would amount to anything.¡±
¡°Well, probably in some fields of science it would.¡±
¡°What about in warfare?¡± Seeker grinned.
¡°I¡¯m not sure. Unless she could keep her eyes open in front of a flashbang and withstand it.¡±
Seeker smiled.
¡°Of course she can¡¯t. Well, that was until she was unlocked.¡±
Charles was surprised at Seeker¡¯s revelation.
¡°You see, apparently her tolerance towards light is vastly different from others. And because she was proud of it, she kept developing this useless talent and once she attained the Unlocking she transformed it into a weapon of warfare.¡±
¡°How can that be used?¡±
¡°By combining stellar and nuclear science, our scientist managed to create a powerful form of the flashbang. It could create bright light so immense that nothing could see through it.¡±
¡°How is that possible? Won¡¯t there be technologies that could use different forms of vision to see through this light?¡±
¡°Not when it''s facing the Sun Flash. We all know that the sun produces different waves of light. Light which can be seen by the naked eye, and light that couldn¡¯t. The combination of the two technologies created a light that no form of vision could see through. Well, except¡¡±
¡°Meryl¡¯s eyes.¡± Charles was shocked at the revelation.
¡°That¡¯s right. Imagine fighting something you couldn¡¯t even look at. Something that could make everything around a few kilometers as bright as the sun. No technology could see through her. But she would walk and see in it. It won¡¯t even hurt her eyes.¡±
¡°You sound as if you admire her greatly.¡±
¡°I do. They called me Seeker ¡°the Death Tide¡± Carlean. Do you know why?¡±
Charles shook his head.
¡°I managed to cause what appeared to be a tide of dead bodies in one of the major battles on Earth. Stop flinching. It wasn¡¯t that great. People exaggerated it. Picture about thirty to forty human bodies sliced and hacked up and would just roll out of the broken doors and windows of an evacuating spaceship.¡± Seeker grinned.
¡°I don¡¯t want to picture that,¡± Charles replied unamused.
¡°But you see, I wasn¡¯t known for any special trait or skill. Truth be told, among those who reached Ranked Hero, I wasn¡¯t anyone special. I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold my candle around other Ranked Heroes. People like Meryl, they were different. The moment she debuted her first Ranked Hero battle, her nickname was set. Ranked Hero Meryl Mikado, Empress of the Sun.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
Charles gulped. That timid short girl was actually a weapon of great power.
¡°In fact, she was next in line with the highest potentials to be one of the World Champions.
¡°How is that possible? Meryl and Lynd were earlier insisting that you are a genius! And she¡¯s actually better than you?!¡±
¡°Yeah about that. I guess I was surrounded by geniuses that I never considered myself as one. But you see, it¡¯s not about being a genius. In terms of unlocking, you can¡¯t reach Ranked Hero or higher by sheer knowledge, skill, or talent alone.¡±
¡°Then what do you need?¡±
¡°Faith? Basically the power of a believing mind.¡±
¡°What?¡± Charles looked surprised.
¡°I guess we could call it by a terminology you¡¯re more familiar with. The Placebo effect.¡±
¡°Placebo?¡±
¡°Did they tell you about what happened with Cliff?¡±
¡°That drug addict? Yeah. Meryl said you used some strange trick to make them be very afraid. It petrified them.¡±
¡°You see that¡¯s interesting. They saw how it affected Cliff and his gang but did not even flinch.¡±
¡°Wait. You mean you didn¡¯t intend that? I thought you were only aiming for those delinquents!¡±
¡°I can¡¯t. Or I don¡¯t know how. You see, to achieve that I would have to push my brain to activate a certain form of hormones. Ones that could trigger fear. Anyone who would be able to smell it would have been affected.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve seen studies and attempts to prove how a certain scent could cause fear that but I didn¡¯t know-¡±
CRASH!
Charles immediately stumbled. He could no longer stand. An empowering fear covered him. Unlike the spine-chilling sensation he once felt, this didn¡¯t even allow him to move or breathe.
Suddenly the sensation ended. Charles was gasping and slowly stood up.
He knew what he felt. Scared. He was scared of the teen who was lying down on a bed with several machines attached to the teen''s brain. How did that happen?
¡°Convinced?¡± Seeker stared with a non-committal attitude. Charles nodded his head vigorously. He never wanted to feel that way again.
¡°And yet, Meryl wasn¡¯t affected by that smell. Disgusting monsters.¡±
¡°What?! How? Didn¡¯t she feel the spine-chilling sensation the other day when we were discussing the plans?¡±
¡°Well, I think it was doubt. I mean, they learned of my memories and how I¡¯m a Reincarnator. Maybe they were suspicious of me. But I guess by the next day, they somehow accepted me and treated me as a friend once more.¡±
¡°How would that be able to make Meryl immune to fear?! I¡¯m an army doctor for Christ sake! I should at least have some resistance but she did because she thought of you as her friend?¡± Charles demanded. He felt a bit insulted that the overpowering sensation was just like a breeze of wind to two teenagers.
¡°Frustrating right? I feel you.¡± Seeker smiled. Finally, someone could share his insecurities with his friends.
¡°She believed that I¡¯m her friend. She believed I wouldn¡¯t hurt her no matter what. So when the hormones I released was transmitted into her brain, her brain simply refused to interpret me as a threat.¡±
¡°That¡¯s the most absurd thing I¡¯ve ever heard! The brain receives signals be it from sight, scent, or whatever and you¡¯re telling me that for Meryl, her their brain simply disregarded those signals it like some piece of note from a suggestion box?¡± Charles complained.
¡°Oh, ye of little faith.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°Think about how the placebo effect managed to cure and heal various kinds of diseases across the world. It¡¯s a proven fact. The mind can do powerful things. Because the mind controls the entire body. Down to its very cells and DNA.¡±
¡°How is that possible?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±
¡°What? You don¡¯t know?¡±
¡°I really don¡¯t. Those two are special. A simple faith that transformed into a power of will that can convince the mind. Even I can¡¯t do that. It¡¯s actually one of the necessary elements to reach World Champion.¡±
¡°So in order to Unlock someone, they need the power of believing?¡±
¡°Well, you could reach Inhuman and possibly Ranked Hero without these. But going beyond there, you need it. Take Meryl for example. She believed and as was accredited to her faith, her brain evolved. It morphed into something that could simply cancel light or limit it to a vast extent. I don¡¯t really get the science but that¡¯s basically the gist of it. I just can¡¯t do that. I never managed too even when I knew the theory behind it.¡±
¡°So just because she believed that you are his friend with all her heart and soul, she managed to negate a type of fear that could send someone like me to my knees?¡±
¡°Disgusting right. At that time, I poured out enough hormones that could paralyze a veteran soldier and they just stood like I was a plush teddy bear!¡± Seeker complained.
¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell Meryl about this? This could¡¯ve helped her to be more confident!¡±
¡°Wrong. It wouldn¡¯t clear her fears. It might even hinder her. Think Charles, the power of suggestion is a powerful weapon when it comes to inducing placebo but only if the recipient truly believes it! For Meryl, it wouldn¡¯t help. This is because of my existence. Even you right now, at this very moment, still struggle with disbelief at the facts of my existence. If I told Meryl that she could reach Ranked hero, at the back of her mind, she¡¯d probably think that I¡¯m lying in order to motivate her and it may even hinder the unlocking.¡±
Charles couldn¡¯t argue with Seeker¡¯s explanation. Seeker was right.
¡°I see. At worst, she may never achieve the Unlocking towards Ranked Hero or World Champion.¡±
¡°Exactly.¡± Seeker sighed.
¡°You see, I¡¯m in a bit of a dilemma here. I¡¯m not sure how to motivate her without altering her simple faith." Seeker started to rub his forehead in frustration.
"I miscalculated. I can¡¯t believe that my very existence could alter the course of history this devastatingly.¡± Seeker lamented.
¡°The ripples you make in this continuum are far bigger than we first imagined. Looks like you are right. Missing a simple coffee meeting could change the world as uh¡ well, as you know it.¡±
¡°In any case, I¡¯m very sure that I must never reveal her true capabilities. She must believe on herself through her own methods.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell Meryl of her capabilities. What about Lynd? What level of Unlocking did he reach?¡±
Seeker smiled.
¡°I was blessed to be their friends you know? I was very proud of them. Most of the battles I fought had them beside me. Lynd was far greater than me and Meryl.¡± Seeker sighed. His heart would ache every time he would remember the last moments of his friends.
¡°The World Champions called people like Meryl ¡®Believers.¡¯ This is because with their simple and innocent faith they had the highest potential to reach World Champion. However, they had a different term for Lynd when he became Ranked Hero. His belief system was so powerful that it didn¡¯t make sense even to those in the World Champion realm.¡±
¡°Even World Champions couldn¡¯t understand Lynd?¡±
Seeker nodded.
¡°He was a prodigy amongst Ranked Heroes. He could even emulate skills only World Champions have. And upon reaching World Champion, several scientific breakthroughs about the Unlocking were made. It was as if his Unlocking held the very potential on how to break through past the World Champion realm.¡±
Charles gapped. If he would be the starting science that could bring hope to the world, then Lynd potential held the very power to save it.
¡°What was he called?¡±
¡°He had many names in his career as a soldier. But amongst World Champion, he was called the Prophet Elijah. The One Who Prepares the Way.¡±
Chapter Twenty: The Celebrity鈥檚 Arrival
A strange scene occurred at school the next day. Even the teachers noticed the commotion and wondered why there was building crowd at the gates of the school.
It was as if a celebrity arrived.
Dozens of students, with themale gender being the majority, were huddled up and was excitingly talking with someone. Some students were confused as to who was the person standing in the middle of the crowd!
¡°It¡¯s a celebrity!¡± A female student exclaimed. Her fanatic appearance and reactions had drawn more to gather in the middle.
Several of the students who saw who it was that arrived, all gasped in surprised and started running towards the crowd in an attempt to talk to the arriving celebrity. Others who were caught in the flow decided to go along despite not knowing who it was that arrived.
The entire school quickly noticed the ongoing commotions at the gate causing many to flock in curiosity.
The shocked cry of several males and a few female students confused those nearby. However, the fanatic rush towards the apparent figure made them not voice out their unfamiliarity to this passing figure.
People even started taking pictures and asked for selfies from the strolling person. Most of the fans were male with a few fanatic females who seemed in love. This confused the onlookers even more.
¡°Get out of the way!¡± A voice ordered.
Ted Zycron was one of the more influential Royals in school. His reputation in school was something that not many would attempt to mess with. A Royal with deep pockets and a very arrogant and selfish personality. A pity, that he had the strength and smarts to carry this lofty manner. Aside from being the source of victories that the school has, he also hails from an influential family.
¡°Regulars and Risings, get away from the celebrity!¡± He ordered strongly.
¡°The arriving celebrity must receive this schools best. So move away now.¡±
A lot of Rising and Regular students were secretly murdering Ted in their thoughts. But they left this crime enclosed in their imaginations. The crowd slowly parted and gave way to the arrogant parade of Royals.
The slow movements made by some of the Rising students made Ted angrier.
¡°Get out quickly! You Rising¡¯s don¡¯t need to mingle with the Star. It¡¯s not like any of you will amount to anything anyway!¡± Ted moved quickly to the middle of the crowd. Soon he was at the center of the parting people.
Three lone students stood in the center. They were of the Rising group.
¡°What are you doing here? Can¡¯t you see the Royals have business with the celebrity who arrived?¡± Ted angrily chastised.
¡°Alright. Sorry for the intrusion.¡± The teen in the middle urged his two companions to join the crowd in the background of this gathering.
Ted stood confused. There was no one left in the center of the circle.
¡°Where did the celebrity go?¡± The confused Ted asked.
People started to laugh. No one knew who started the giggling but it became louder.
Ted was angered beyond measure. But he tried to contain it as to not embarrass himself from their visitor.
Ted talked to a nearby Royal student.
¡°Where¡¯s the celebrity? I don¡¯t see her!¡±
The Royal student shrugged off and was just as confused as him.
He gazed at the other student standing beside him with a stare that demanded answers.
The Royal student gulped. This was not the first time that he became the recipient of Ted¡¯s temper flares.
¡°I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t see any female celebrity here!¡± The poor youth cried.
The laughing became even stronger when they heard the cry of the poor youth. Who told them that it was a female celebrity?
¡°Where is she?!¡± Ted roared!
There were some who also could not spot any celebrity around. Yet a vast majority of the males in the crowd were laughing.
Ted glared once more at the poor youth. The youth was panicking and searched every inch of his surroundings. He surveyed the location making sure not to miss any faces. None. There were no celebrities even if he searched through the horizon. Just then, he came to a familiar face. It took him a few seconds and then it struck him.
¡°CASUAL CARLEAN?!¡± The youth shouted in shock.
Right in front of the laughing Rising students was Seeker Carlean. He was shaking his head in pity towards Ted.Stolen novel; please report.
¡°You study here?¡± The youth was unable to hide his surprise and reacted immediately. He was in awe at the gameplay of Seeker and spent the night studying every movement, technique, and timing that this genius presented.
After the power walkthrough, Seeker¡¯s video was shared online and reached a worldwide trend. Any gamer worth their hit points knew the name Casual Carlean now. The insanely impossible stunts and the perfectly accurate power walkthrough throttled Seeker¡¯s rise to fame easily.
The video was also supported with various trending memes and comedic screenshots which gave people outside the gaming community something to laugh about as well.
Gamers where sharing it, pros were sharing it, celebrity gamers and even celebrities who weres fans of the Piercing franchise also shared it. In fact, documentaries and in-depth analysis of Seeker¡¯s gameplay were even made by Precept Gaming as it was agreed that his speed and accuracy in playing the game would definitely conquer the world record for beating the game. It was not a speculation. People were already accepting it as fact.
Casual Carlean. It was a domineering name that every serious gamer would talk about.
¡°Where is the celebrity?¡± Ted demanded as he noticed the youth stare in awe at a random Rising student.
¡°Bu-but Ted, I think he¡¯s the celebrity!¡± The poor youth pointed at Seeker.
¡°He¡¯s known as Casual Carlean. The current undisputed best handler of Bullet in the Piercing series.¡± The youth was sweating in fear.
There was a lot of cheers as this youth made the compliment. People started chanting.
¡°Casual Carlean! Casual Carlean!¡±
Ted realized that Seeker was the person that everyone was chanting as the crowd started to regroup towards Seeker.
¡°QUIET!¡± Ted angrily roared.
¡°You¡¯re the one who is causing all this?¡± Ted glared angrily.
¡°It would be falsehood to claim that my existence in this very locus isn¡¯t the impetus for this congregation¡¯s festivities.¡± Seeker mocked.
Ted was becoming angrier. Seeker was clearly attacking his intelligence. But who could blame him? After arrogantly clearing the path, Ted already spoke to the celebrated figure who arrived but immediately shooed him away.
¡°Then I order you to stop this! You are causing a disturbance in this school, you Rising Rat!¡±
¡°Probably. But I wonder why? You said that no Rising student could ever amount to anything. I wonder why even some Royals know me. Oh well.¡± Seeker casually left the scene without even paying any mind to the angered Royal.
The crowd started to disperse as many immediately left after finding out it was just a game celebrity.
Ted stood there with angry eyes. But he could not do anything towards Seeker.
Most Rising and Regular students were happy at the misfortune of Ted. It was rare for someone of his power and arrogance to receive their just desserts like that.
After that, the class continued naturally with a full day of learning.
Ted, however, was very frustrated at his current status. People would secretly laugh when he walked by. He went online and searched what made Seeker Carlean so successful. As he started to watch the video, a malicious idea surfaced. There was a way to punish Seeker. He turned to the one person who he knew could help him.
¡°Miss Cipril. I have something to report, a student of the Rising classes is participating in online gambling. It''s Seeker Carlean.¡± Ted approached the walking teacher.
The teacher stopped and smiled. It was Alean Cipril. Though she was wearing a thin dark-framed glasses today and not her usual contact lens, her beauty remained unmatched within the school.
¡°Carlean? You mean the son of Detective Carlean? Interesting.¡± She smiled.
While a dark scheme was being formed, Seeker himself continued to walk around and talked to several students who inquired of his success.
¡°How did you do it, Seeker?¡± A fan-driven female arrived.
¡°Can you teach me how?¡± She teased.
Lynd was tongue-tied. This was one of the prettiest Royal in school.
Seeker simply laughed and casually talked with the girl. There were several Royals who were lining up to talk to Seeker. When their turn to talk came, they immediately talked business to Seeker. They offered a business proposal to let Seeker stream on their site, while another offered to pay him for advertising a line of business he was starting.
The Royals were the elite in their school. Many already owned a business.
Lynd and Meryl were flustered as Seeker would immediately point to the two and instruct the prominent Royal students to¡
¡°Talk to my manager.¡±
¡°Oh. Ok then. Miss Meryl and Mister Lynd right?¡± A knowledgeable Royal immediately reacted. Some of the Royals around him cursed. They didn¡¯t know the name of Seeker¡¯s two friends. Who would have thought that they would be the key?
For Lynd and Meryl who has never received attention from such groups of people, this was very startling.
Another Royal approached them.
¡°Miss Meryl, I would presume you to be the manager of Seeker Carlean. How about I invite you to coffee to discuss a proposal I have for your stream.¡± This tall, dark, and suave Royal approached Meryl and bent down with flirtatious eyes.
The woman who was previously conversing with Seeker frowned. She had gone no-where with her talk to Seeker. So she approached Lynd.
¡°Haha. You must Lynd, right? You must be as good as Seeker when playing right? When are you planning to stream your own play?¡± She teased.
Meryl and Lynd were panicking. Two people who they considered to be way out of their league were now flirting with them. Meryl was blabbering something about Seeker¡¯s schedule while Lynd was simply stuttering and doing his best to not suffer from a sudden panic attack.
They kept gazing at Seeker who in turn would just look back and enjoyed the scene of their suffering.
¡°Mr. Carlean!¡± An angry and strict, sweet voice sounded.
Seeker smiled. He already knew whose voice was this.
Seeker turned around and there stood the secret puppet master who controlled all the puppets in school.
Alean Cipril gazed with a haughty and proud look. Behind her was the Royal who fell from grace, Ted Zyrcon.
¡°I have received certain reports that you are participating in various illegal activities here in school.¡± She smiled sweetly. If only she wasn¡¯t a demon cloth in angelic grace, then Seeker might even appreciate that smile.
¡°Miss Cipril. I have no clue as to what you are talking about.¡± Seeker casually shrugged.
The Royals talking to Meryl and Lynd made excuses and started running. They knew things were going badly for the three.
¡°Come with me. We will be meeting with the Principal to discuss your punishment.¡± Alean smiled wickedly. She turned and walked.
Ted was grinning ear to ear. Meryl and Lynd had an angry look at Ted. They knew he was behind this.
¡°That¡¯s what you get for messing with me Rising Rat!¡± Ted gloated and followed Alean.
Lynd and Meryl didn¡¯t know what to do but then Seeker immediately walked.
The two was startled and quickly followed Seeker.
¡°Zeek.¡± Meryl worriedly whispered.
¡°Don¡¯t worry Meryl. It¡¯s all taken care off. I knew something like this would happen and made the necessary precautions.¡±
Seeker took out his phone and dialed a number.
¡°Oh, You just woke up? Sorry for this, but you need to get here quick. It¡¯s earlier than I anticipated.¡± Without waiting for a reply, Seeker immediately hung up the phone.
The two wondered at the sudden actions that Seeker made. He, however, displayed no fear as to what was transpiring. Because of this, they sighed in relief. How can these mere dramas be of any obstacle to Seeker?
Chapter Twenty One: An Excuse for Gambling
The group reached the Principals office. A tanned short man with a thick beard and a rather stylish outfit sat down and stared in surprise at the arriving group. As soon as the Principal noticed Alean, he fidgeted subtly. Seeker who saw that frowned slightly. Was there more to this school that what the eyes see?
¡°Miss Cirpil! How may I help you today?¡± He asked courteously.
¡°Principal Decker, I have received reports from Ted Zyrcon here, that this student, Seeker Carlean, is engaged in various gambling activities and has even promoted this vice to the school.¡± Cipril smiled sweetly as she delivered her sentence.
The Principal was shocked to hear that. However, he knew what the necessary actions he needed to take to please this puppet master.
¡°What? Is that true?¡± He glared angrily towards Seeker.
Before Seeker could even utter a word, the teacher continued.
¡°Gambling is among the illegal activities that the school takes a firm stand in! We do not allow and encourage students to gamble!¡±
At this moment Seeker started to chuckle.
This was a surprising twist. The Principal was berating Seeker, but Seeker simply laughed.
¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± The Principal roared angrily.
¡°First of all, good afternoon to you Honored Principal. Second of all, I believe we have not yet heard about the issue and yet judgment has already been passed. Miss Cirpil has just received this report from Teddy here and has yet to verify the truth of these claims. So I don¡¯t really know on what grounds am I being charged.¡± Seeker smiled.
Ted was surprised. Anger started building up. He hated the nickname Teddy.
Alean was just as surprised. She did not expect that timid student who just lazed around the room would ever be this bold.
The Principal was surprised as well. This student clearly held no fear in their current situation.
¡°Nonsense! Miss Cipril is one of the most respected teachers that has graced this institute, of course, she would check and verify before bringing this accusation towards me!¡±
¡°Alright. Then what is the exact nature of my so-called ¡®gambling activities?¡¯¡± Seeker turned to Alean with a smile that matched her deviously angelic smile.
Alean was flustered and angry at the same time. She only received the report that Seeker was gambling as to what Ted reported.
¡°Ted? Would you mind elaborating it once more? I might convey it differently.¡± Alean smiled sweetly towards Ted.
Lynd and Meryl clutched their fist in frustration. It was obvious that this was just a random act to entrap Seeker but the Principal was ignoring it.
¡°Principal Decker, I was shocked to discover why people were flocking towards Seeker earlier today. He was apparently the celebrity who caused a commotion at the gates. It is because he is a skilled online gambler. This is why he is famous. Worst still, people are praising him. My hope that the school will not become a den of gamblers if students like Seeker are left unchecked.¡±
Meryl had to contain the urge to shout back at Ted. Even the meek Lynd was silently gripping his hands. A rare look of anger flashed in the eyes of Lynd.
Seeker, who observed everything around him was smiling. In fact, he was happy.
He stared back at Ted and shook himself as if he pitied the fool.
¡°What an idiot.¡± Seeker voiced out in pity.
Ted had to control the shaking of his hands. No one had ever called him that to his face.
¡°What did you say you Rising Rat?¡± Ted angrily cursed.
¡°Obviously you both know nothing of what it is I am doing. Gambling? It was an online stream and was receiving donations from my viewers and fans. Haven¡¯t you heard of the phrase online celebrity? Look it up. I¡¯m sure a Royal and a teacher could easily access the internet!¡± Seeker laughed.
Ted and Alean glared towards Seeker. This was the first time that Alean lost her composure and revealed her true face. The President gulped as he saw the face of Alean.
¡°Seeker! Your behavior is rebellious and this is a clear act of insubordination!¡± The Principal raged.
¡°Why?¡± Meryl could no longer remain silent.
¡°Seeker is right! No one has even investigated Seeker¡¯s actions! Sure there was a feature where people could place bets on but what he did was after school!¡± Meryl complained without giving the Principal and Alean any ounce of respect.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
¡°Oh, so there is gambling! There you have it, Principal Decker! A claim that Seeker is gambling!¡± Alean immediately responded.
Meryl paled once she realized what she did.
¡°No, it¡¯s not!¡± Lynd finally shouted.
Ted, Alean and Principal Decker were startled at Lynd¡¯s sudden roar. They looked at the tall teen and a hint of fear emerged in their heart.
¡°Seriously?¡± A complaining sigh was heard but no one paid any attention to it.
Meryl took the opportunity at this momentary silence.
¡°The only betting that took place involved Seeker challenging the demands of the viewers whether or not he can or cannot fulfill a certain challenge! This is in no way similar to gambling activities that the school bans!¡±
¡°Wait! Don¡¯t Royal¡¯s host a betting challenge during school plays?¡± Lynd added.
¡°Yes! That¡¯s right! Doesn¡¯t the Summer Slam event of our school use bet boxes? And aren¡¯t they organized by the Royals?¡± Meryl challenged Ted.
¡°Yeah! How is that allowed and Seeker not allowed?¡±
Ted was surprised at the sudden switch.
¡°That- That is not- We don¡¯t¡¡± Ted started to stutter and could not provide an accurate response.
¡°That is different!¡± The Principal frowned.
¡°No, it¡¯s not! It¡¯s similar. There¡¯s a contest, for Zeek, there¡¯s a challenge. People bet on which side they think will win! If that is allowed on school, why can¡¯t Seeker do the same online?¡±
Ted was quickly rummaging through his phone hoping to find more things which he could use against Seeker. But then, the Principal came to the rescue.
¡°The Summer Slam bets are used to foster a competitive spirit across the year levels so that they will be further motivated to perform! What Seeker is doing, is just plain gambling!¡±
¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Ted finally spoke.
¡°We do it so that the entire school can take it seriously! Not to mention that it¡¯s a legitimate school fundraising activity! We give 20 percent of our earnings to the school! Seeker is just gambling!¡±
¡°That is correct. Seeker has no excuse or reason to gamble. Especially when he is gambling the money that his parents clearly gave him to pay for tuition!¡± The Principal accused.
Meryl was frustrated. Why was the Principal so keen on defending Ted and Alean Cipril? She once believed this Principal to be fair and kind. This was not who he was now. Is their school involved in the dark nature of their homeroom teacher¡¯s secret drug business?
¡°MISS! PRINCIPAL DECKER!¡± Ted shouted in shock.
The two were startled and turned to Ted.
¡°Seeker has earned up to 35,000 Credits in just two days!¡± The revelation was too shocking for Ted. No wonder Seeker reached online-celebrity level. He was indeed capable.
¡°WHAT?!¡± The two chorused.
Greed filled the eyes of Alean.
¡°Looks like your gambling spree has reached a terribly dangerous level.¡±
¡°Indeed. Miss Cipril is right. As I suspected, he is even stealing from his parents! Shame on you Seeker!¡± The Principal glared at Seeker. But a hint of anticipation was left in his eyes.
¡°NO! Seeker didn¡¯t get all that through gambling! More than half of that was earned through donations and the paywall on his stream!¡± Meryl angrily reacted.
¡°That¡¯s right! People pay to watch Seeker! That¡¯s why he¡¯s a celebrity!¡±
Cipril took the phone from Ted and browsed through the stream.
Seeker remained silent. He looked as if he was waiting for something. In fact, he had a very detached look as if he did not care what would happen to him. The only things that interested him are the anger that his two friends would display.
¡°Seeker is doing a legitimate act! Hundreds of people in the stream can testify that Seeker was not gambling!¡± Meryl erupted once more.
¡°Seeker is no gambler!¡± Lynd roared as well.
The three accusers suddenly flinched. The Principal took the initiative to step forward meeting the rage of Lynd.
¡°Lies. You three are in line for expulsion.¡± The Principal declared righteously as he approached the angered Lynd.
¡°This is a blatant breach and a disgrace to the integrity and characters that a student of West Phil-Pangea High should have!¡±
¡°Alright, I¡¯ve had enough of this.¡± Seeker finally spoke.
¡°Principal Decker, you said that the ¡®gambling¡¯ done during the Summer Slam was allowed because it has a specific purpose or goal to reach correct?¡±
¡°Yes! To foster and build-¡±
¡°So if I have a legitimate reason for doing my said ¡®gambling¡¯ then will it also be allowed?¡± Seeker interrupted with a smile.
¡°Legitimate reason? We, your teachers are the ones responsible for approving and denying legitimate reasons!¡± The Principal shouted.
¡°What if it¡¯s a medical excuse. You allow the use of medical marijuana in this school. So if I have a medical excuse for gambling will I be allowed?¡± Seeker smiled once more.
The Principal and Ted started to laugh. Even Alean stopped perusing the stream to give a soft chuckle at Seeker¡¯s claim.
¡°And what authority would provide you with a legitimate medical excuse for gambling?¡±
¡°Not what, but who. And he should be outside.¡± Seeker smiled and pointed out the window.
Outside the window was a flock of students who were once again forming a fan circle. Principal Decker and Alean frowned and immediately went out of the room to have a closer look.
They went to the hall outside of the office and observed the commotions through the parapet of the second-floor hall. They were shocked.
¡°Dr. Charles Lindmitt! Marry me!¡± A disgraced teacher shouted.
Several other female teachers shouted the same thing.
The female flock of students also cried similar sentiments. They continued to encircle the famous doctor but received no form of special treatment as the doctor seemed preoccupied and tried to squeeze through the crowd. In fact, he seemed to be in a hurry. He paid little attention to the cheers, cries, and proposals around him.
A single, rich and handsome doctor was in their midst. But more than that, he was even more famous than most stars in their country. In fact, there were rumors that Charles Lindmitt is to receive a title making him equal to National Heroes.
¡°Dr. Charles Lindmitt!¡± Principal Decker exclaimed.
Alean had a look of lust in her eyes. Before her, was one of the most handsome, rich and famous men in the entire Pangean Nations.
¡°You better hurry, Principal Decker. I called him here to discuss my medical condition which can exempt me from the penalties of your so-called gambling crusade.¡± Seeker stood confidently and started waving towards Charles.
Principal Decker was about to angrily bash Seeker when shock appeared before his eyes.
Dr. Charles Lindmitt, to name a few of his credentials; is the leading figure in Neuro-Alteration science, attributed for the discovery and application of the cure for Alzheimer''s disease, a famous model and actor, and a potential National Hero of the Pangean Nations. And despite all of these incredible titles, Dr. Charles Lindmitt was waving back at Seeker Carlean.
Chapter Twenty-Two: A Simple Method to Resolve Conflicts
Charles paid no heed to the crowd and raced quickly towards the building where he saw Seeker stood. Time was of the essence. The screaming crowd tried to follow and some were even holding on to Charles¡¯s clothes.
¡°I¡¯m sorry- would you please¡¡± Charles lamented.
¡°Students! Teachers behave yourselves!¡± A loud shout was heard. The Principal arrived on the first floor and berated the fanatic students.
The crowd jolted awake as the Principal arrived.
¡°Get away from him! He is a distinguished guest on our campus!¡± The Principal shouted once more.
The crowd was backing away. But some students and even teachers were glaring angrily at the Principal. What a killjoy.
¡°Don¡¯t worry guys. Charles and I would do a quick autograph signing and a meet-and-greet later. Right Charles?¡± Seeker announced.
¡°Seeker!¡± The Principal angrily shouted but before he could continue¡
¡°Right!¡± Charles confirmed though there was a painful look in his eyes.
The Principal was startled. He didn¡¯t know how to continue.
¡°Alright, everyone. Dr. Charles has to discuss something with the Principal. Please wait for us in a bit.¡± Seeker smiled.
Seeker immediately went upstairs and Charles immediately followed.
The Principal paled in fright. Seeker was serious when he said Charles would give him an excuse! He appeared to be very close to Charles. It even appeared that Seeker could order him around!
What was going on? He¡¯s the Charles Lindmitt! Yet he seems to be at the beck and call of a Rising student who they were trying to punish!
The Principal rushed to follow the two who were on their way back to the office.
As Seeker and Charles arrived at the Principal¡¯s office Alean immediately walked forward.
¡°Doctor Charles Lindmitt! I am a huge, huge fan of-¡±
¡°Cut the crap! Charles, this teacher is trying to expel Seeker!¡± Meryl interrupted angrily. After the great oppression now was their time to reverse the situation.
Alean was surprised that Charles didn''t mind the casual use of his first name! No famous doctor would! But Meryl could! If looks could kill, Meryl would need to reincarnate a hundred times now.
Charles immediately frowned. As the Principal was just to walk in the office, Charles immediately addressed him.
¡°Mister Principal I believe that there has been a misunderstanding.¡± Charles frowned.
¡°Misunderstanding? This is not a misunderstanding Charles! They were trying to kick Seeker out!¡± There was rage in Lynd¡¯s eyes. The accusers were surprised at Lynd¡¯s sudden temperament. They even backed away from Lynd unconsciously. Of course, all except Seeker and Meryl.
Charles stared at Lynd in surprise. He knew what this was. He gazed at Seeker and Seeker simply had an ¡°I-told-you-so¡± look.
The three accusers were scared. They observed how these three would talk to Charles as if they were close friends!
¡°This is really a misunderstanding!¡± The Principal immediately voiced out in fear.
¡°Doctor Charles, I am the Principal of this school, Jonathan Decker. We are here because of the reports of which Seeker has been gambling online, spending thousands of Sydians! We, as his teacher, has to take the necessary actions to discipline and instruct him otherwise we would have failed as a teacher!¡± The Principal immediately pleaded.
¡°Principal Jonathan. Allow me to explain Zeek''s situation. As you know, Zeek was hospitalized a few days ago. I took over the case and observed that Zeek is actually suffering from a unique neurological disorder. This was why he suddenly suffered from a fainting episode a few days ago. His ailment is something which I believe can push my studies in neuro-alteration to a whole new level. Seeker is my priority patient. You could say that my career is in line with his health.¡±
The three accusers were shocked to find out of Seeker¡¯s connection with Charles.
¡°However, his ailment is very unique. I had no choice but to put Seeker through an experimental treatment which as of now is currently in effect. This treatment, however, requires Zeek to frequently produce adrenaline. However, doing physically strenuous activities or any physically stimulating means to push his brain to pump adrenaline may further damage his health.¡± Charles pointed to Seeker¡¯s thin frame.
¡°Still too soon in calling him Zeek, Charles,¡± Meryl commented.
¡°Anyway¡¡± Charles sighed.
¡°We realized that gambling would be a good way to constantly let Seeker¡¯s brain¡¡± Charles paused and glanced over the approving nods of Meryl and Lynd.
¡°... to constantly let Seeker''s brain pump adrenaline. It''s a mental exercise but the excitement and stress are real. So I funded his initial capital for his streaming which surprisingly turned out to be very popular.¡± Charles summarized.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
¡°I have deemed Seeker fit for school provided he can constantly produce adrenaline every day. Even now, his progressing recovery has aided my studies greatly.¡±
The three accusers stared blankly.
The thoughts of Alean and Jonathan were in chaos. There was actually a legitimate medical excuse for Seeker to gamble? They could not contest that! He was a world-renowned doctor! Who would go against his claims?
Ted¡¯s mind was in shock. Seeker had the right to gamble thousands of Sydians just like that? And no one should judge or reprimand him? Why don¡¯t you give Seeker an excuse for stealing while you¡¯re at it! Or make him medically approved to be an exhibitionist!
¡°Honestly, Seeker could occasionally attempt to steal and run away from people or run around naked to make his brain pump adrenaline but I¡¯m sure you wouldn''t like that.¡± Charles joked.
WHAT THE HELL? THAT WAS REALLY AN OPTION?
The thoughts of the three were in a mess now. They thought they could bully this poor group of Rising students but now had to curve to their actions.
Ted was looking very grim. His intended payback was now in shambles. He stared at the video and realized something.
¡°Miss!¡± He jolted and pointed to the phone.
Alean almost dropped Ted¡¯s phone due to the surprise so she immediately gripped it. As she did she saw the video. There it was, Meryl and Lynd within plain view of the camera struggling with the remote and wallet. But it was their attire that gave Alean an enlightening idea.
Alean smiled. Her quick thinking and being a natural scammer was aiding her. She regained her composure.
¡°Doctor Charles, while we can naturally allow Seeker this excuse as per your recommendation, we fear that the school will receive negative feedback from the community at large.¡±
¡°How is that?¡± Charles asked. He was starting to get impatient from this troop. It wasn¡¯t difficult for him to piece the puzzle of their aim to discredit Seeker.
¡°If Seeker is allowed to continue in his gambling spree, it might raise several questions from parents especially if it appears that the school itself is supporting Seeker¡¯s gambling tendencies. After all, we are all well aware of how much Seekerhas earned. With Seeker raking up that amount of money, it will naturally invite trouble.¡±
Charles glared impatiently at the teacher.
¡°His earnings are due to his skill. I¡¯ve watched the stream from beginning to end. I can assure you that the game and its connected communities are not like the ones in casinos which propagate gambling. They all challenge Seeker to pursue a certain task and offers Seeker a prize if Seeker accomplishes it.¡±
¡°Nevertheless, parents will be concerned. People already know that Seeker studies here. After all, Meryl and Lynd appeared wearing their school uniforms in this video.¡± Alean smiled. He turned the phone displaying Meryl and Lynd standing in the frame.
Lynd and Meryl had grave looks. They could not deny that accusation.
¡°So, we cannot escape the public¡¯s knowledge and connection to this school. So how about this, we make Seeker¡¯s stream a legitimate fund-raising program for the school. That way we can provide a justified stand alongside you.¡±
Seeker looked angry. His casual and uncaring look finally changed.
¡°And I presume that I am to return a percentage to the school?¡±
¡°Of course. School rules, Seeker. You are to give 20 percent of whatever you earn in your stream.¡± Alean smiled.
At the same time, the flustered Principal also smiled.
¡°NO! Seeker will be earning millions of credit soon and we are supposed to give you twenty percent?¡± Meryl erupted in anger once more. This was a robbery. They were attempting to expel Seeker and now they¡¯re making money out of him!
¡°I agree. That sounds like robbery or blackmail.¡± Charles answered gravely.
¡°Millions? What an exaggeration. But of course, I¡¯m not the expert here. It will be very beneficial. You could support the school, allow your Alma Matter to be a part of a very anticipating study, and even earn money. Surely that is not a problem!¡± Alean¡¯s smile grew wider.
¡°And if we refuse this proposal and let Doctor Charles appear in my stream independently?¡± Seeker glared.
¡°You may do that but to be on the safe side, we will expel you. As you know, my father, General Cipril is fairly strict in terms of gambling policies. He may pursue to shut you down. But if you are under my- er- the school''s umbrella, he will recognize my allegiance towards your campaign and may even support it.¡± Alean spoke as if she was contemplating a dire dilemma.
"So basically, you will have your father to shut us down if Charles is to appear independently on my streams, but you will allow me to continue with my stream if we make this a school fundraising program." Seeker was not entertained.
Jonathan smiled wickedly as well.
"That is correct. Think of how this may affect the school. If we promote it as a fund-raising program, various institutes may even help you! This is a win-win situation!"
¡°This is blackmail!¡± Charles was even angrier. How could someone like these two,be teachers?
¡°Doctor Charles, you have to understand. Seeker¡¯s identity is already out. Even right now, the students outside are undoubtedly posting pictures and post online about Seeker. Also, they are already aware of your connection with him. Especially since you have visited this school. If word gets out that gambling can be a cure for whatever Seeker is going through, it would probably be used in the wrong context and my father may pursue it as well. Ultimately it may damage your own reputation, Seeker¡¯s reputation and this schools reputation. Surely you don¡¯t want that right?¡±
It was one thing to blackmail Seeker, but to blackmail a National Hero?
Seeker sighed.
¡°I can¡¯t believe that an Unbecoming person like me would be outsmarted by you Miss Cirpil.¡± Seeker¡¯s eyes were full of rage.
¡°Zeek?¡± Meryl was surprised at Seeker¡¯s reaction.
¡°Sorry Charles. I underestimated her resourcefulness. We are caught in a corner. I can¡¯t leave school now. It may seem selfish but I have plans to make my parents proud through my studying. And you Miss." Seeker turned to Alean.
"Genius. You really are a genius. Even I have to admire your control and quick turn of the situation. I thought I got this in the bag. But we would be risking too many things if we would deny your request.¡± Seeker sighed once more.
¡°So does that mean that you accept our proposal?¡±
Seeker turned around and paced towards the entrance of the door.
¡°Of course not. I can¡¯t afford wasting twenty percent of my money to you guys. You¡¯re insane to think if we agree.¡±
CLICK.
Seeker locked the door.
¡°Charles, sit down.¡± Seeker said as he drew a chair closer to Charles.
Charles immediately sat down as Seeker was forcing the chair on his back.
¡°What are you doing?¡± Jonathan stared in confusion.
¡°I¡¯m about to do the simplest method on how to resolve conflicts such as these.¡± Seeker smiled.
Charles, who was sitting down immediately felt a sudden shock of emotions. Intense fear gripped him. He couldn¡¯t breathe, he couldn¡¯t even stand.
The three accusers felt the same strength paralyzing fear. Alean was the first target.
POW!
An intense punch was delivered to her stomach. Alean who already couldn¡¯t breathe felt as if her stomach blown to bits. Before she could fall down, Seeker grabbed her by the hair and smashed her pretty face to the ground.
SMASH!
¡°If you can¡¯t beat them, pulverize them.¡± Seeker¡¯s devilish grin appeared once more.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Save-The-World Club
The sudden attack was swift, decisive and brutal. Alean Cipril laid unconscious with her face hard pressed on the floor. Jonathan and Ted wanted to shout but an unusual terror filled their heart causing to be unable to even breathe much less shout.
Seeker smiled and took his time. He slowly walked towards Ted as he was cracking his fist.
Ted wanted to move but every step that Seeker took laid an intense burden over his entire body.
Seeker stood right in front of Ted and stared him straight in the eye.
¡°You know, I¡¯ve always wanted to do this to a Royal. Never got the chance though.¡± Seeker¡¯s devilish grin grew wider. Who said hopes and dreams could not be achieved? Seeker was about to succeed in doing one of the most abominable things he wanted to do in his past life.
Seeker started with the stomach. His punch dove deep within Ted¡¯s stomach as if it was about to pierce through it.
Ted vomited a lot of saliva at the immense punch. His consciousness was leaving him. But before his spirit could leave, another smashing sensation vibrated on his jaw.
Seeker continued with another power hook which spun Ted¡¯s world. A tooth flew out of his mouth. He crashed down to the ground with saliva and blood spilling out of his mouth.
¡°Principal Decker.¡± Seeker grinned as he approached the last person who wanted to condemn him.
Jonathan was shivering and lost his strength to stand. As he was stumbling over in fear, Seeker jumped, grabbed his head and smashed it on the nearby desk.
SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!
The three were now unconscious.
¡°That felt good!¡± Seeker exclaimed happily as he held on Jonathan''s head.
Meryl and Lynd were shocked at the development. Their mouths were wide open.
Charles was now gasping for air. A mix of emotions filled his heart; the recovering state of his mind from the intense fear that Seeker created, the surprise and confusion of Seeker¡¯s sudden attack, and his frustration on Seeker¡¯s claim about Meryl and Lynd.
¡°WHAT THE HELL ZEEK?¡± Meryl cried in surprise.
Lynd immediately rushed for their beloved homeroom teacher. Her once flawless face was smashed on the floor. Blood was oozing out of her mouth. The thin-framed glasses were bent in an odd fashion.
¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?¡± Meryl demanded angrily.
¡°Taking care of the problem.¡± Seeker grinned as he was smashing Principals face on the surface of the table.
¡°Seeker.¡± Charles, he called out. The sudden shock of fear remained as his hands were shivering but he tried to remain calm.
¡°I don¡¯t think that violence is the best way to- STOP SLAMMING YOUR PRINCIPALS FACE!¡± Charles shouted as Seeker seemed to be having fun.
¡°Alright, alright! Calm down will you?¡± Seeker allowed Jonathan¡¯s body to slide down the table and unto the floor.
¡°What the hell happened to ''keep your actions low-key to not change the future?!''¡±
¡°That went down the drain the moment she tried to blackmail me.¡± Seeker shrugged.
¡°Do you realize the possible consequences of what you have done?¡±
¡°Relax! Everything¡¯s fine!¡±
¡°That¡¯s what you told me last night and we almost got blackmailed by your homeroom teacher!¡± Charles complained.
¡°Ok, Ok. So I miscalculated! I know my actions may seem drastic but I really had no choice. I can¡¯t afford to give them 20 percent of our cash. Besides everything is within the scope of manageable control!¡±
¡°Zeek, please explain how smashing our Principals face on the table is within a scope of manageable control?¡± Meryl was also flustered. Lynd also had a pleading look to make Seeker explain.
¡°Alright. Let me explain. As I said earlier, we really didn¡¯t have a choice. We need to earn as fast as we can. I originally wanted to continue this little game of intrigue and keep it as low-key as possible but they pushed me over the limit. Have you noticed how Principal Decker was supporting Miss Cipril? It¡¯s clear indication that General Cipril¡¯s drug connection in this school is very strong.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Yeah. The moment we entered his office, Principal Decker would just go and do whatever Miss Cipril would say¡¡± Lynd contemplated.
¡°That¡¯s right. There is something strange about this school. I have a feeling that General Cipril¡¯s not just selling drugs here. I believe that this school is the main base of his drug operation!¡± Seeker declared solemnly.
¡°What?¡± The three chorused.
¡°All things will be made clear soon. For now, we have to interrogate them. So here¡¯s what we need to do. Charles and I will go outside and hold a meet-and-greet. We can gather every student to get to the Auditorium hall. Meryl, stay here and make sure no one gets in aside from us. You have to tie these three and gag them in case they wake up. Lynd, look for Cliff. You two sneak out and get his car, drive here and carry these three to the car discreetly. Have him drive straight to the duplex and wait for us there.¡±
Lynd¡¯s face was flushed white.
¡°Why does it feel like we trying to get away from murder?¡± Meryl sighed.
¡°Charles, I¡¯ll go out first. There are teachers outside. Let me deal with them. Give me about five minutes.
¡°When you say, deal with them you mean¡?¡±
¡°Talk with them, Charles. Why would I go out and start beating everyone in school?¡± Seeker gave a sarcastic stare.
¡°Just making sure that we are on the right page.¡± Charles sighed in relief.
¡°For now you guys tie up and gag these three.¡±
Meryl went straight and used the various duct tapes that were lying around in the office to tie up and gag the three. Lynd and Charles helped her.
Seeker slowly opened the door and swiftly went out not giving the outsiders any chance to see what was going on inside.
There were several teachers waiting. Before any of them got to voice out their concerns, Seeker spoke.
¡°Sorry for the excitement guys. We were so excited about the news that they were stomping and clapping inside! As was proposed by Principal Decker, Doctor Charles has agreed to hold several lectures and talks here and will temporarily be an associate teacher in this school!¡± Seeker announced with great joy.
There was immediate applause once the crowd heard that.
¡°They are still working over the details but Principal Decker asked me to inform you to suspend the remaining classes this afternoon. Everyone is to gather in the main auditorium for a quick meet and greet with Doctor Charles! He will also be explaining his partnership with this school as well as the experimental studies he currently handling!¡± Seeker excitedly announced.
The teacher¡¯s applauded once more. No one bothered with the strange sounds they heard earlier and immediately started to rush in order to organize the sudden event.
Seeker returned inside once the teachers left.
¡°Oh yeah. Charles, cancel whatever appointments you have for the next three days. I told everyone you are going to be an associate teacher at this school. Later, give a short talk on how you are helping me recover and ask the school for support. Act under the pretense that we are going to follow Miss Cipril¡¯s suggestion.¡±
¡°What! Didn¡¯t you just smashed your teachers face on the ground because you didn¡¯t want to go with that and now you want me to announce that we¡¯re going to make it official?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t want to give them 20% of my earnings. But the benefits they mentioned are tempting. So we¡¯re going with it. Obviously, we won¡¯t be giving them the money.¡± Seeker grinned.
¡°Lynd, be careful that no one else will see you. Alright, guys. Time is of the essence. Let¡¯s move out!¡± Seeker commanded.
There was excitement in the school. A chance to meet and talk to one of the most famous personalities on Earth was something that not even a school as prestigious as theirs could afford. Everyone was rushing to the main auditorium.
¡°Cliff.¡± Lynd chased the said student who was walking towards the auditorium.
The group staggered and stared in fear towards this gentle giant.
¡°Wha-what do you want? He said that I have until the end of the week! I¡¯m working on it! Give me more time!¡± Young Cliff pleaded with his life.
Lynd gave a depressed smile. Since when did he become a dangerous thug who would kill without batting an eye?
¡°Uhhh. Change of plans. I don¡¯t think you need to do that anymore. Anyway, we need to get your car.¡±
Cliff had a scared expression as he looked with pleading eyes to his gang. His gang dared not help him. There was something they feared more than their leader. The wounds in their body haven¡¯t even healed yet. These painful sores were a fearful reminder of the man Lynd Indigo called ¡®friend.¡¯
Cliff slowly walked towards Lynd indicating his intent to follow Lynd¡¯s orders. After taking a quick detour to the parking lot, the two drove towards the building where the Principal¡¯s office was.
The two walked upstairs. As they reached the door, Charles had a contemplating look and gazed at Cliff as he was staring at the most pitiful person on the planet.
¡°What am I here for?¡± Cliff asked hesitantly.
¡°I feel sorry for you.¡± Lynd shook his head.
¡°Wha-what?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry Cliff. Once I open the door, you have no choice but to help us. He will kill you if you back away now.¡± Lynd immediately swung the door wide open. There sat three of the schools most respected figures; gagged up, wounded and unconscious. Meryl had a sheet of cloth which she was trying to wrap around Alean.
¡°What are you doing?¡± Lynd reacted.
¡°Nothing dangerous Lynd! Why are you worried? After everything she¡¯s done to us you¡¯re still holding on your little attraction towards her? Disgusting!¡±
While the two friends were bickering with Lynd shouting in the negatory, Cliff¡¯s brain melted and he started to feel that everything was wrong in this world. He knew Seeker was a demon but now he realized that his two friends weren¡¯t any angels either.
¡°Oh man! No! No! No! I don¡¯t want anything to do with this!¡± Cliff stumbled backward as what he saw terrified him. Great fear filled his heart.
¡°He¡¯ll kill you if you back out now. You know too much.¡± Meryl took the initiative and stated the fact.
Cliff stumbled once more at that statement. He turned around and pleaded with Meryl.
¡°Wait, Man! I don¡¯t want to be a part of this! Please let me go! Please-¡±
¡°Seeker will kill you if you run. You should have backed out earlier when you had the chance.¡±
Cliff started sobbing. He wanted to complain but knew that these two would only make things more difficult if he did.
¡°Now enough whining. These three are still alive, let¡¯s get them to the car and get out of school while no one¡¯s here to notice it.¡±
Cliff turned to Lynd. Maybe this gentle giant would pity him and allow him to return to his normal delinquent life.
¡°Welcome to Seeker¡¯s Save the World Club!¡± Lynd announced with a pitying smile.
Chapter Twenty-Four: The School鈥檚 Secret
A confident and unmatched figure stood on the stage. His eyes stared softly. As if he was the most tender man alive. But his huge and well-built frame showed power, strength, and might. Adding to this was the medical reputation that caused the world to turn to him.
He is Doctor Charles Lindmitt. Model, Actor, world-renowned doctor and a nominated candidate for the Pangean-Nation¡¯s Heroes of Today.
¡°As you all know, Seeker Carlean had an intense migraine attack a few days back. I handled the case and discovered a new type of neurological disorder where Seeker¡¯s brain is in constant regeneration and degeneration. It caused quite a panic at the hospital. However, after undergoing experimental treatment, Seeker¡¯ health started to stabilize. This treatment, however, requires Seeker to constantly produce adrenaline on a daily basis.¡±
Charles already had the charisma of a superstar and with the eloquence of a doctor in his speech, it simply drew listeners like moths to a flame.
¡°As such, dear friends, I have approached Principal Decker and discussed Seeker¡¯s condition. Some of you may be familiar with an online stream that Seeker has been hosting in the past two days. In fact, it has caused quite a sensation. You may remember that Seeker has participated in several transactions that some of you may consider being gambling. I appeal to everyone in this school to see this in a different light.¡± Charles smiled and walked over towards Seeker. They stood on the high stage which everyone continued to observe with great passion.
¡°Seeker is gambling because he needs to pump adrenaline. The excitement, the thrill, the adversity and the stress of putting money on the line allows this to happen. You may ask, then, why gambling? Are there not other means to accomplish such an event? I have concluded that though physically strenuous activities may induce his brain to pump, it may ultimately damage his brain and health. We do not know what possible side effects that may spring out if we pursue this route, especially when he is taking a variety of medication. Also, given Seeker¡¯s small frame, he may not be able to do this on a daily basis.¡±
Several students who experienced the weakness of Seeker¡¯s thin and small frame smiled wryly. This small frame of his was lifting their bodies and tossed them around as if they were pillows.
"Of course, I could allow Seeker to run around naked or pilfer items from his classmates every now and then but I''m sure many may not enjoy this." Charles grinned.
The audience laughed and applauded. Somehow a seemingly innocent statement when delivered by this man transformed into a memorable punchline.
¡°The necessity of his gambling was an experiment which delivered great success in aiding his recovery as well as my studies.¡± Charles patted Seeker in the shoulder.
¡°So I ask everyone to not view his acts as evil. Principal Decker has shown nothing but the best of support when we hammered and laid the details on him and on his table. He will support Seeker in his recovery and me and my research. Thank you so much for your understanding and cooperation! Let history be made today!¡± Charles announced happily.
The school was ecstatic. People were clapping and rejoicing. History was indeed made. The media club made sure to record the entirety of the speech. In fact, they made a lot of money when several news channels arrived later. Charles met and took pictures with several of his fans and when all was said and done, Seeker and Charles soon walked out of school.
The news started to circulate online and shocked both the medical and the gaming world. People started to talk about the latest developments of Charles¡¯ neuro-alteration program while the gaming world was shocked to see that Seeker had such a supporter. Even non-gamers started to watch Seeker¡¯s trend. Even while the talk was happening the photos that the students posted were already flooding the internet.
While all of this was happening, a group of three students was busy dragging three unconscious bodies through the garage at the back of the duplex.
¡°You sure no one saw us?¡± Meryl asked worriedly.
¡°I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ve checked again and again. No ones in the vicinity. It¡¯s a good thing that this duplex is on the outskirts of the city. Cliff, you did a good job.¡± Lynd commended.
The third student was sitting down in the couch drained of all life. It was an adrenaline pumping hour. They were driving all over the city in an attempt to shake off imaginary pursuers and waiting for nearly an hour outside of Charles duplex to make sure the coast was clear. And during this entire time, they kept checking if any of the three were awake or were feigning unconsciousness. Eventually, after much bickering they finally got the courage to quickly drag the bodies inside.
The three bodies they dragged were now tied up in a chair with an excessive amount of ropes and duct tapes around them. Their mouths were gagged excessively. Duct tapes over cloths, over duct tapes. It was clear that the three were amateurs to these sorts of things.
Meryl looked at the three figures. She laughed. Lynd gave a strange glance at her.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
¡°Sorry. It¡¯s just, Seeker promised us to keep us out of dangerous situations but look where we are right now! We¡¯ve beaten up and kidnapped three people! Ted, whose father is a major business mogul, Miss Cipril, the daughter of a General who has God knows what kind of connections, and there''s Principal Decker.¡± Meryl sighed.
¡°What about Principal Decker?¡± Cliff interrupted the conversation with a worried look. The reality of the titles that his victims carried scared him.
¡°Nothing scary. He¡¯s just a scared Principal caught in the cobwebs of what possibly could be a very scandalous drug trade in the entire history of drug trades ever.¡± Meryl sighed. She went off to get herself a drink from the refrigerator.
¡°What exactly is going on?¡± Cliff finally demanded.
¡°I put through everything you said because you said Seeker would kill me! But it looks like I¡¯m going to die anyway!¡± Cliff started to complain angrily.
¡°MMMMHHHHH!!!¡± A groaning sound was heard. Cliff and Lynd jolted in surprise and turned to find Alean Cipril struggling to break free.
¡°Quick! Hit her!¡± Meryl shouted.
¡°What? I can¡¯t do that!¡± Lynd retorted.
¡°Oh for crying out loud, Lynd! Get over this stupid attraction you have for our damned teacher and smack her! Cliff, you do it!¡±
¡°Hell no! You still haven¡¯t explained to me what exactly is going on!¡±
¡°Just hit her or I¡¯ll ask Zeek to kill you!¡± Meryl gave an irritated reply.
Meryl scoffed seeing his hesitation and paced for Alean.
Alean was squirming in fear.
¡°Relax guys. I¡¯m here.¡± A voice called out stopping Meryl. Seeker was walking inside the door.
¡°Seeker! Thank God you¡¯re here!¡± Meryl ran and gave Seeker a tight hug.
¡°Looks like Miss Cipril is awake. Good afternoon miss!¡± Seeker grinned.
¡°MMMHHHHHHHH! MMMMHHHH!¡± The struggling teacher tried her best to break free from her bindings but it was to no avail.
¡°Looks like you went a bit overboard in the gagging of these three.¡± Seeker chuckled. Just after chuckling Seeker sudden sent a powerful punch to the stomach of Alean.
¡°GUH!¡± Alean gasped underneath the duct tapes.
¡°ZEEK!¡± Lynd couldn¡¯t help but cry.
Seeker gave a surprised look at Lynd.
¡°Even now Lynd? I thought you¡¯d be over her after everything.¡± Seeker sighed.
¡°Fine. I¡¯ll humor you. Looks like I¡¯ll have to exert other methods to make this beloved teacher of our''s squeal.
Seeker walked closer and turned to another youth.
¡°You two better find a seat.¡± Seeker said as he looked at Cliff and Charles.
He then walked back and stood in front of Ted. Alean who was to Ted¡¯s right was now struggling more intensely.
¡°Alright, Miss. This is what¡¯s going to happen if you shout or make any noise.¡± Seeker grinned.
An empowering wave of fear was once again clutching the hearts of everyone except Meryl and Lynd.
¡°It¡¯s happening again!¡± Cliff exclaimed. Luckily he was already seated down. He clutched the hand of Charles who was also clutching back.
At this moment, Seeker smiled and winked two times towards Meryl and Lynd. After that, he pushed Ted¡¯s head upwards revealing his neck and Seeker then did a quick slash on Ted¡¯s neck.
A bright red liquid splashed on Alean¡¯s face. At that moment blood was tricking down of Ted¡¯s neck and the blade that Seeker held.
Alean started to struggle and was shouting.
¡°OH MY GOD!¡± Cliff shouted. The two clutched their hands all the tighter. Charles couldn¡¯t believe what he saw.
¡°MMMHHHHHH! MMMMHHHH!¡±
¡°Oh. So you still want to shout huh? Guess I¡¯ll have to kill you too.¡± Seeker smiled and pushed her head backward.
Alean was struggling to keep her neck covered. At this moment she gripped the handles of the chair to which she was tied to and bit her own tongue to stop screaming.
¡°Very good!¡± Seeker smiled and patted her head.
¡°Lynd, Take Ted¡¯s body out to the back. We can¡¯t have him bleed here. Meryl, start recording.¡±
Lynd immediately sprung and dragged the body out of sight and Meryl ran to take a camera and focused it on Alean''s face.
Seeker used the knife to masterfully cut the excessive tapes on Alean¡¯s mouth. And he ripped the last piece of duct tapes to reveal Alean¡¯s mouth.
¡°Why are you doing this? Please stop!¡± Alean was trembling in fear.
¡°You forced my hand, dear teacher. I would¡¯ve loved to play the innocent and simple Seeker Carlean but you really got greedy there. Now tell me. Why the school? Don¡¯t play games with me, Miss. I could easily kill you and head over to your father and kill him. We know you are using the school as a front for selling drugs. What I want to know is how and why.¡± Seeker playfully pointed the edge of the bloody knife on Alean¡¯s forehead.
¡°It has never been my hobbies to dismember stubborn hostages especially ones that are as beautiful as you.¡± Seeker smiled. The fear in Alean¡¯s heart continued to fester.
¡°The school is a perfect cover for selling drugs.¡±
¡°Is that¡¯s why you selected this school? A school in Phil-Central would allow easier distribution of drugs across the nation right?¡±
Seeker¡¯s deduction caused everyone to be surprised.
¡°Wait! The entire Phil-Pangean nations?¡± Charles exclaimed.
¡°Of course. His father¡¯s a general after all. He¡¯d definitely be using this strategic position to attract buyers from the island north and south.¡±
At this moment Seeker has undone his deathly aura. Alean, however, was still shivering in fear. Having a sharp bloodied knife moving through her skin had already petrified her.
¡°Oh my God! You were right Zeek!¡± Lynd exclaimed.
¡°Why a school though?¡±
Seeker pressed his blade deeper into Alean¡¯s skin. She gripped the chair and closed her eyes.
¡°It¡¯s the safest place for my dad to conduct trades! No federal institution would think that a school would become the hub of the main cartels! People come and go to school and no one would suspect anything!¡± Alean finally confessed.
The room was silent as she explained this. Behind the innocent fa?ade of a growing school with high educational training, was a den of illegal drug trades.
"So it is as I suspected." Seeker commended.
"The student''s become the perfect courier. And some in this school could easily bypass most security. For example, any Royal student." Seeker smiled.
"Am I correct Miss?" The blade pushed hard at her chest.
"Yes."
"Is Ted''s parents one of your biggest client?"
"Yes." Alean gravely replied.
Lynd and Meryl stared gravely at each other. Their Alma Matter had such a dark secret.
¡°Wait a minute! If the school is a hub for the biggest drug trades in this nation...? Could it also be...?¡± Charles began as he recalled Seeker¡¯s initial discourse.
¡°You finally caught up Charles. Yes. It¡¯s also a hub for the biggest human trafficking transactions in the Phil-Pangean nations.¡±
Chapter Twenty-Five: A Deal with the Devil
Ted was panicking when he woke up. At first, he thought he was bleeding but realized that it was ketchup. He couldn¡¯t move as there was an exaggerated amount of duct tapes tying him which could easily immobilize three full-grown adults.
He glanced across the kitchen hoping to find anything which he could use to break free. It was clear that no one knew of his awakening. He struggled to move but the chair which he was tied to was very stable and no matter how he threw his weight around, the chair won¡¯t move.
¡°Are most Royal¡¯s involved in drug trafficking?¡± A chillingly familiar voice was heard.
Ted tried to clutched his bound fist to calm himself down. He couldn¡¯t see Seeker as he was positioned in the corner, out of view of the other people in the other room.
¡°Not all. But most of the top Royals are. The status that they carry allows them to move around Phil-Pangea easily without being suspected of anything.¡±
Alean Cipril was pretty calm now. She no longer panicked or answered in fear as the interrogation continued.
¡°How do you get the drugs? It¡¯s hard to fathom how drugs could ever enter this country with its security detail.¡± Charles spoke angrily.
¡°I¡¯ve served in the military and I know how the measures are taken to ensure that no drug comes in! It¡¯s basically impossible to import drugs into this country!¡±
¡°My dear Charles, remember what Sherlock Holmes would say? ¡®Eliminate the impossible and all that¡¯s left however improbable must be the truth.¡¯¡± Seeker imitated with a British accent.
¡°The reason why I believe the school is the central hub for distributing drugs is that it is the perfect place with the perfect hideout to develop these drugs.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°But Zeek, I¡¯ve seen the news. The drugs that the government has managed to confiscate are all foreign-made!¡± Meryl recalled several newsreports.
¡°Think Meryl! General Cipril is part of the government! It would be easy for him to make such claims and the government along with the masses will easily believe that these drugs were foreign-made! But let me ask you this, exactly how did they determine that it is foreign made?¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°I don¡¯t know. It was very technical when it was explained on TV.¡±
¡°Exactly! Most won¡¯t bother to examine it. And people who might want to examine it would have to go against the array of experts that were paid to say it was foreign. Those people left with the guts to study it are weird people who spend their days reading conspiracy theories and the like. And these people are rarely taken seriously.¡±
¡°So it really is made in school¡?¡± Meryl was dismal. The school that she loved so much had such a background.
¡°It¡¯s the perfect cover. In fact, this secret never managed to reach the light even up to the great wars. Blaming foreigners for bringing drugs into this country served as a convenient claim, especially in this era, dubbed the Age of Distrustful Nations. By simply blaming foreign or international corporations, the ongoing bandwagon mentality of rage against foreigners easily pushes the General¡¯s secret agenda. Even if General Cipril produces a claim that the foreign corporations who are being blamed could prove wrong, who would the masses believe in; the foreigners who could cause another war or the people in charge of defending this country?¡±
Meryl was silent. It really made sense.
¡°Who are you?¡± Alean finally asked.
¡°How do you know all this? We were sure that no one could trace things back to me!¡±
¡°I know. Bravo Miss. Bravo.¡± Seeker applauded.
¡°Leading the trails back to Professor Yun. Poor guy. He¡¯s your fall guy correct? You probably have his kids kidnapped or something of that extent. Hence, small-time drug dealers like little Cliffy here would point at the Language Professor interrogated.¡±
Cliff sat in shock. He knew drugs circulated in campus but the reach was more than what he had expected.
¡°Who are you? Are you with the PUI?¡± Alean had a calm demeanor as she asked.
Seeker smiled and admired Alean¡¯s courage and adaption to the situation.
¡°Let¡¯s just say I had a glimpse of the future and know these things, Miss. So let me check if I¡¯m right. The school, under the great cause of education, would request the very ingredients necessary to make these drugs. Of course, to avoid suspicion, the ingredients are all provided by your loyal partners who coincidentally are the parents of many Royal students.¡±
Alean nodded helplessly.
¡°Woah! So the Royals are all drug pushers?¡± Lynd was surprised. Was that Royal girl who tried to flirt with him in on all this?¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
¡°Not all. It would be too suspicious. But I would say most of the prominent ones are.¡± Seeker stared at Alean to confirm. Alean gave another helpless nod.
¡°Oh. Lynd, kindly getTed back here. He¡¯s awake. And Meryl, Shut the recording. We¡¯ve gotten enough from her confession.¡±
Alean was surprised. Wasn¡¯t Ted already dead? She stared at the room where Lynd went off to,
¡°MMMMHHHHH!¡± A muffled shout could be heard on the other room. Lynd ran and dragged the bounded Ted back.
¡°He¡¯s alive!¡± Charles was relieved.
¡°Of course. I never killed him.¡± Seeker immediately went and punch Ted in the stomach. It looked very relaxed however Seeker¡¯s fist was reaching deep into Ted¡¯s stomach. Alean felt as if her stomach pained as she recalled Seeker¡¯s harassment.
¡°But the blood!¡± Cliff shouted in surprise.
Seeker stood and slashed the knife and at the same time, squeezed the sachets of ketchup which squirted out.
¡°It¡¯s a good thing that this particular brand appears very similar to blood.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°YOU TRICKED ME!¡± Alean shouted in anger.
¡°Oh shut up will you!¡± Seeker suddenly delivered a powerful slap on Alean¡¯s unguarded face. Lynd controlled his urge by clutching his fist.
The fear along with the painful slap silenced the teacher once more.
¡°We have recorded every detail of our talk. Think of the headlines. Heroes of Today candidate, Dr. Lindmitt, unmasks Pangean Nations biggest drug cartel!¡± Seeker motioned to form an imaginary banner.
¡°If this tape gets out, your father would be finished. The credibility of Charles isn¡¯t something to be underestimated. The media will kill your father and the government will be forced to investigate it. Not to mention the unknown responses of all the corporations connected to your drug exchange. No matter what, your father¡¯s empire will easily crumble.¡±
Alean glared angrily at Seeker.
¡°I¡¯m sure you know that the best course of action is to follow whatever I say.¡±
¡°So you¡¯re not going to kill me, nor do you seem to have any intentions of exposing my father. Then what is it that you want?¡±
¡°Oh, goody good response! As expected with the General¡¯s daughter. Your calm bearing proves that you are more than a foot soldier in his schemes. I bet you¡¯re probably one of the bigshots in your father¡¯s team! You¡¯re right. I have no intention of exposing your father.¡±
¡°Wait. We¡¯re not going to expose them?¡± Charles asked in surprise.
¡°Of course not. I did want too at first though. Her family has always been a bane to mine. In fact, my dad had several close calls with General Cipril¡¯s goons. That¡¯s probably why you hate me. Right, Miss Cipril?¡±
Alean glared angrily. There have been occasions when Detective Chris Carlean meddled with their operations that it nearly exposed everything. Every time this would happen, Alean would then be tasked to fix it.
¡°You see, earlier today I realized that the General was cooking something big when good ol¡¯ Principal Decker here revealed his bias and fear towards Alean. I was sure he was connected.¡± Seeker patted the unconscious Principal.
¡°Principal Decker, you do realize that pretending to be unconscious won¡¯t work with me.¡± Seeker whispered on Jonathan¡¯s ear. The latter could not help but shiver. However, he chose to continue in his exposed fa?ade of pretending to be asleep.
¡°You see when I realized that if Principal Decker himself was involved, then the drug trade in our school wasn¡¯t just an ordinary small-time branch which is used to sell drugs to students. Principal Decker¡¯s adamant reactions and decisiveness to immediately obey Miss Cipril demand with blind faith indicated that they clearly had a boss-subordinate relationship.¡±
Alean glared angrily towards Jonathan. So he was the one who spilled the beans.
¡°So you had this hunch and decided to pound all three of them?¡± Meryl asked in sarcasm.
¡°Of course not. I was sure of my guess. Miss Cipril¡¯s colorful experience was the last piece that allowed me to deduce their schemes. Let¡¯s review her life story. She has worked around the country always accompanying her father to wherever island or region he is assigned to. She¡¯s a natural genius who even managed to attain her Master¡¯s Degree at the young age of 24. Yet despite all of these, why did she decide to work as a teacher in our school? She could have worked in the military. But no, she took a very drastic change in occupation.¡± Seeker gave a scrutinizing stare at Alean.
¡°She had everything. The looks, the brains, the charisma, and capabilities. And once she masterfully countered my own schemes to legitimate my gambling crusade, I was thoroughly convinced that her father won¡¯t leave this talent unused for his empire. She¡¯s definitely a critical piece in his plans.¡±
¡°So you figured that my father had something big going on in this school. Bravo. But who are you really? If you¡¯re not PUI then what are you?¡±
¡°I already told you. A kid who glanced the future.¡± Seeker shrugged casually. After that Seeker moved with incredible speed and slashed the duct tapes and ropes that bounded Alean¡¯s right hand.
Alean was shivering in fear. The slash was so sudden and so close to her skin that she thought that her hand was halved along with the duct tapes. She immediately yanked her hand free from its bondage to the chair¡¯s armrest and quickly examined it.
¡°Monster.¡± Alean gazed in fear. No ordinary human could pull this off. Even the soldiers she trained with did not have the same expert control that Seeker has handling a knife. A regular kitchen knife couldn¡¯t cleanly cut through layers of duct tape like that. And what was even more amazing, Seeker knew when to stop to leave the skin unscathed.
She looked in fear at Seeker. The same chilling sensation returned. Her hands were shivering. She knew that Seeker could easily kill her. In fact, Seeker could probably easily handle most of the ¡®monsters¡¯ that she has met in the course of accompanying his father.
¡°So, are you ready to listen? I don¡¯t enjoy having a deal with the devil you know. The effort one must put is too taxing!¡±
¡°What do you want from me?¡±
¡°Not from you Miss. From your father. I want to make him my money-making puppet!¡± Seeker grinned evilly.
Alean was shocked at Seeker¡¯s demand.
¡°So you¡¯re not only going to expose them, but you plan to actually take control of his empire!?¡± Cliff couldn¡¯t help but interject now. It was just too absurd. Just when he could calmly relax as he thought that Seeker was some sort of secret police spy sent to shut down a drug cartel, it turned out he was a worse hooligan who was greedier than the General!
¡°This is crazy!¡± Cliff appealed to Charles.
¡°Oh right. That was the plan huh.¡± Charles sighed as he recalled the plan.
¡°Wha-what?¡±
¡°Brilliant Zeek!¡± Meryl commended. Cliff, however, was getting more frantic.
¡°I didn¡¯t expect that we could easily take control of a drug cartel this easily!¡± Lynd smiled.
The three were rejoicing. Their plans were quickly moving forward.
Poor Cliff felt as if his world has ended. He had witnessed a deal made with the devil. But in Cliff¡¯s eyes, the devil was definitely not Alean Cipril.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Programmed Slaves
Three figures walked out of the car. They had several bandages wrapped around the different sides of their faces.
¡°Looks like this is goodbye for now. I won¡¯t say anything other than that if you betray us, your life and everyone around you will suffer.¡± Charles smiled happily. Unlike his flustered and confused expressions earlier, there was now a suave of confidence and even joy.
The car immediately sped off leaving the three figures on the outskirts of the school grounds.
¡°What are we going to do now?¡± Jonathan sighed. It was a nightmare. Who would¡¯ve thought that their deep dark secret would be easily exposed by a random Rising student?
Alean frowned and walked towards Ted.
POW!
A power punch was delivered and dove deeply in Ted¡¯s stomach. The sudden attack left Ted unprepared to harden his muscles. He fell down and curled down like a ball.
¡°That¡¯s for convincing me to mess with Seeker.¡± Alean glared at the boy and gave him another quick kick on the face.
¡°You two better not do anything idiotic in the next days. Our lives are at stake. My father would put all the blame on me if word gets out and the three of us would definitely die.¡±
¡°What? Surely the General won¡¯t-¡°
Alean quickly kicked Jonathan in the groin. Just like Ted, Jonathan lost the strength to stand and was kneeling as he was covering his genitals.
¡°That¡¯s for your poor acting! If not for you, Seeker wouldn¡¯t have deduced everything! You don¡¯t know my father! He¡¯d trade me if he has something to gain! Why did you think I did everything to get where I am now! It¡¯s because I know what my father will do to me if I¡¯m useless!¡± Alean spoke angrily.
¡°Get up!¡± Alean gave another kick to the two curling men.
¡°I¡¯ll talk to my father now. Decker, stop whatever operations we have in school now. Ted, contact all the Royal Reps and inform them that all operations are to be put on hold.¡±
The two forced themselves to stand up. The most they could manage was a bending stand. They however nodded and each went their own way.¡±
As the two departed, Alean sighed. She clutched her fist in frustration. Everything was ruined now. Who would die tonight? Will it be Ted or Decker? She could not help but fear even for her own life. She took out her phone and stared at it for a few minutes.
She took a deep breath and called her father. The phone rang. She prayed to God that her father would not pick up.
¡°What is it?¡± A cold voice sounded from the other end of the phone.
Alean sighed.
¡°We need to talk. Something has happened.¡±
Back at the duplex, Seeker had just finished eating his dinner. He had his fill from the various delicacies that they ordered in three different restaurants. Of course, a majority of what they ordered was for Seeker.
Cliff who was ¡®invited¡¯ to stay for dinner was shocked at how Seeker devoured three different dishes from different restaurants. Lynd sighed in envy. His stomach wasn¡¯t as strong as Seeker. He could only manage one dish. Meryl, on the other hand, had a disgusting look at Seeker¡¯s ungraceful act.
Cliff had no appetite. He had lived a life of danger. He was always confident on himself but right now someone who could even blackmail and beat up the biggest and most dangerous cartel in their country was right in front of him.
¡°What do you want from me?¡± Cliff weakly asked. He had been asking Seeker this same question again and again but Seeker kept ignoring him and munched on his gourmet.
¡°I have a job for you and your gang. I want you to secretly corner and torture the following people.¡± Seeker finally answered and handed Cliff a piece of paper.
Cliff swallowed a mouthful of his saliva at the much-exaggerated request of his new owner.
He took the paper and said nothing. He didn¡¯t have the will to even read the paper.
Meryl took the paper and casually browsed on the names on the list. Lynd was curiously peeking behind Meryl.
¡°Zeek, why is everyone here an exchange student?¡± Meryl wondered.
¡°It¡¯s connected to how the school is a hub for human trafficking.¡± Seeker continued to munch an Asian dim sum.
¡°Human trafficking? I thought even Alean didn¡¯t know much about her father¡¯s plan on that area.¡± Meryl wondered.
¡°Yeah, Zeek. That¡¯s the part which I don¡¯t get. Why hide it from her? I mean, Miss Cipril is pretty efficient.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
¡°Is she pretty efficient? Or just pretty?¡± Seeker teased.
Lynd blushed and quickly brushed it off.
¡°I¡¯m serious, Zeek! Could there be someone else in school with Miss Cipril¡¯s authority and command?¡±
¡°No. You have to take into account the General¡¯s personality. You see, he views his daughter as a good chess piece. But at the same time, he fears her greatly. If her command and authority rise to a level that can pose a threat to him, then he would kill her. A General who is this paranoid and went to great lengths to hide his empire is someone who doesn¡¯t want to share in power.¡±
¡°Why would this have anything to do with human trafficking?¡±
¡°Actually, I knew a tiny portion of this from my memories of the future. But after connecting the dots, I realized that I had greatly underestimated the power and reach that this General has. It looks like he would play quite a dangerous role in the future. One reason why the future was bleak was the abundance of traitors who managed to creep its way in our ranks. But later, we found out that they weren¡¯t just spies. They were slaves. It was later revealed that they were a product of a new form of human trafficking.¡±
¡°A new form?
¡°It¡¯s pretty complicated. As you know, this era hates human trafficking with a vengeance. Countries even collapsed when they found out their leaders were involved in this. You might remember the revolutions in One China and India.¡±
¡°So?¡± Lynd asked curiously.
¡°Well, this world has an intense need for err-sexuallabor. But it¡¯s almost impossible to do so today. So a new form of human trafficking that only a very small percentage of the world knows about was developed. Instead of taking or abducting someone and force them to do labor or sexual acts and leave them with no identity, they took a whole new approach.¡±
¡°How?¡± Meryl interest was now piqued. What other forms of human trafficking could there possibly be?
¡°Selling people with identities. Meaning these people have jobs, career and sometimes even a family! This is extremely costly to do but this is also extremely profitable if you do manage it. People as rich as General Cipril are now using people with identity and selling them off as slaves. These new slaves are almost untraceable.¡±
¡°Slaves with jobs? I can¡¯t imagine that.¡±
¡°Alright, let¡¯s take a look at the list. Are there anyone on this list that you particularly find attractive?¡± Seeker asked Lynd.
Seekerfrowned and turned to Cliff.
¡°Umm¡ You Cliff. I doubt Lynd would have an answer to that unless Miss Cipril is in this list.¡±
Meryl laughed while Lynd was cursing.
Cliff, who was surprised at the sudden question, jolted up and was panicking.
¡°Boy, he¡¯s really scared of you huh?¡± Meryl giggled.
Seeker smiled but was sighing inside. ¡°You should be scared of me too Meryl, but my pressures doing nothing to you!¡± Seeker complained in his head.
¡°This one.¡± Cliff pointed on a name.
¡°Ohh! Good pick! Eva Ivanov smart and beautiful!¡± Meryl smiled. She was good friends with this person.
¡°Wait! Zeek! Why is she in this list? And why are you asking Cliff to beat her up?¡± Meryl angrily complained.
¡°I hope I¡¯m wrong. But she¡¯s probably one of these slaves. You see, General Cipril is very paranoid. So I calculated that he wouldn¡¯t dare make slaves in this country. My guess is that they abduct people from different countries, make the necessary implants, and use the school''s exchange program to make these slaves willingly go here. No one will suspect anything that way.¡±
¡°How will they do that? What do you mean make the slaves go here willingly?¡±
¡°Let me explain the process of how they do it. They implant two devices in a person¡¯s body. One implanted near their hearts. This chip can cause a heart attack should the person controlling it wishes to.¡±
The three was surprised at this revelation.
¡°The first chip is meant to provide the threat of death. If an implanted slave disobeys the owner, he or she could die at a flip of the button. The second chip is implanted in the brain. And this chip is far more insidious than the first one. This chip is programmed to emit something that induces the brain to release several hormones that make the slave extremely happy. It¡¯s very interesting. At a push of a button, a slave will biologically reach the highest state of happiness possible.¡±
The three stared in confusion. Why make a slave happy?
¡°Think! A¡®Programmed Servants¡¯ is a slave who would willingly and happily serve his or her owner. This slave would do anything that the owner wishes because it not only keeps them alive but makes them happy. That¡¯s why I selected the most beautiful and handsome exchange students on campus. They are the most probable candidates to be slaves. It makes no sense for the General to create a slave for political reasons or make them a spy! I''m sure the government is not involved in this. So these are probably high-end sex slaves. Exclusively yours, exclusively for your bidding. And worst of all, these slaves are extremely happy if they serve you.¡± Seeker explained.
¡°I see... The owners could marry these Programmed Servants as they make best husbands and wives.¡± Meryl sighed.
¡°Of course. The slave would probably be happier if they get married. You see, no matter how dignified a man or woman is if perfect happiness is easily achieved through pleasing, or in this case, sexually pleasing their partners, then they would probably do it to their best. After all, a simple switch and they are in heaven.¡±
¡°And everyone in this list could be one of them?¡± Lynd sat silently and had a disgusted look. Meryl, on the other hand, could not resist but make a pun.
¡°So to them, the root word of ¡®Happiness¡¯ is no longer ¡®Happy¡¯ but it becomes ¡®piness¡¯ right?¡± Meryl chuckled.
Seeker and Lynd stared in shock at how Meryl was reacting. She was a woman after all and she found this funny?
¡°Oh don¡¯t give me that look. We have you, Zeek. You¡¯d surely fix this. Still, it sounds like the perfect false religion and the owner becomes a false god to these slaves. Death and Joy in the hands of this owner. Such a dreadful combination.¡±
¡°So why do you want me to beat up these folks?¡± Cliff who was silent the entire time suddenly spoke.
¡°The reason why I want you to beat them up is to verify which is one of in this list are Programmed Slaves. One slave would cost millions of Sydians. General Cipril can''t afford to lose these slaves now. If they are Programmed Slaves and you beat them up, General Cipril will immediately ensure that these people are treated with the best treatment. Since I can¡¯t find the trail through Alean, then I¡¯ll find these slaves through this method.¡± Seeker grinned with his trademark devilish smile.
Cliff nodded. Looks like there were dignity and honor in his quest. He took the list back and could not help but gaze at Eva¡¯s name once more. He didn¡¯t know her, but he didn¡¯t like the idea that such a beautiful student to become a sex slave. Then his thoughts drifted to an idea. If he was the owner of Eva then¡
Seeker stood up and stretched.
¡°Time for the stream guys. Let¡¯s go. I won¡¯t see you out, Cliff.¡± Seeker walked out of the table and paced towards the stairs.
¡°I can¡¯t wait to be the owner of these slaves! Think of the possibilities!¡± Seeker shouted with intense anticipation. He was even happily skipping up the stairs like a little joyful girl.
It took a few seconds for the people remaining to analyze what Seeker had just said.
¡°What?!¡± The three chorused.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Reaper鈥檚 Breath
¡°What do I need to know about this student?¡± A tall and dark man stood as he watched a stream through a huge T.V. He was not entertained and had a very strict stare towards his daughter.
¡°That is Seeker Carlean. A Rising student in school.¡± Alean stood at the corner of the room. She was trying to hide her shaking hands as she nervously reported.
General Cipril was a giant compared to the rest of the natives in the Pangean Nations. He stood nearly at 7 feet tall and had a large and sturdy build. His arms were almost twice as huge as most men. He had a glass eye on his left and what appeared to be a burn scar. His temperance was strict and silent.
¡°So he¡¯s able to earn quite a bit through his stream. Why do I need to pay attention to him?¡± General
¡°Let me begin with my plans. His earning potential could reach about 10% of our monthly income if pushed to the limits. That game his playing has about a billion fans. Almost everyone who plays video games knows about that and he is expected to be a record winner. That garnered my interest. I tried to uh¡ persuade him into tying up with our school but apparently, his connections are not to be underestimated. I recently discovered that he is connected with Doctor Charles Lindmitt.¡±
¡°The Hero-Doctor. I¡¯ll admit that this is a formidable connection but-¡±
¡°General, he isn¡¯t just connected to the Hero-Doctor but I believe that the Hero-Doctor is his subordinate. Dr. Lindmitt is known for his rare appearances and his crazed focus on his research. But the impression that I got from how they interacted is that Doctor Lindmitt is someone who Seeker can order around.¡±
The left brow of the General was raised. It was the first time that he was intrigued by this figure.
¡°So you tried to take advantage of his background and money-making capabilities. But I take it you failed as you are here now.¡± The General¡¯s tone was very calm but a surging disappointment could be felt.
¡°I didn¡¯t just fail. We were talking in the Principal Decker¡¯s office along with Ted Zyrcon. He knocked all three of us unconscious and interrogated us about our operations. He used some strange form of the drug that made us all incredibly afraid. It was a numb-¡±
BANG!
Alean felt the pressure of the bullet pass by her hair. The sudden trigger was shocking but Alean only frowned.
¡°You still aren¡¯t easily scared. Are you telling me that he has a drug that managed to turn you into a pitiful creature? That out of all the things he could have used to force you to confess, he used fear?¡± The General¡¯s eyes remained calm and relaxed as ever.
¡°Yes. As I was saying before you rudely interrupted me, it was no use. The fear made me shiver and I even confessed a bit when I panicked. After realizing how this fear could easily get Jonathan and Ted to squeal I took advantage and confessed to some things that we could afford to reveal.¡±
¡°Which organization is he working with?¡± General stood up with an indifferent face and walked towards a small table full of liquors and glasses.
¡°I don¡¯t know. He acted as if he was working alone.¡±
¡°What did you tell him?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t ¡®tell¡¯ him anything. He deduced everything. He was merely asking me to confirm his suspicions.¡±
The General frowned again.
¡°How?¡±
¡°He already knew I was involved in selling drugs. He had one of the small-time pushers working for him. Cliff Fangwood, if I remember. He deduced everything from our reactions, my career and even taking into account your personality. But I do not know exactly how much he knows.¡±
The General was silently pouring himself wine. He took a sip and walked nearer to Alean.
¡°What are his demands?¡±
¡°To meet with you. He has a business proposal.¡±
¡°Not Interested. Kill him.¡± The General turned around and started walking when Alean sighed.
¡°He was asking for something about the human trafficking operations in this country. He said that you are probably using the school for its main hub as well as the drug operations.¡±
The General stopped. He turned around and gave an indifferent stare at his daughter. He took another sip and placed the glass on a nearby table.
The General suddenly moved towards Alean and aimed a powerful straight punch towards her stomach.
Alean immediately used her two hands to cover her stomach. The punch forced Alean backward. She could barely maintain her balance and it felt as if her forearms were fractured from the punch. The General¡¯s eyes suddenly glared and gave Alean a strong right hook to the face.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
POW!
Alean stumbled back and spat out blood.
The General continued to glare angrily at her daughter.
¡°Apologies, General. Seeker has already punched me twice in that area. I could not afford another hit.¡± Alean stood up and wiped off the blood trickling down her mouth.
The glare subsided. And the General walked and took another sip from the glass.
¡°Looks like you¡¯ve caused quite a problem for me.¡± The General remained to look indifferent but there was some anger in his voice.
¡°Now, what to do? The best option is to kill you three. Whatever evidences he has, is only related to you three. What do you have to say to that suggestion?¡±
Alean started to rummage on her purse that she placed on a nearby table.
¡°Seeker said that if things start to get out of hand, that I¡¯d open this in front of you.¡± Alean pulled out a small glass tube that was shut tight. The glass tube was empty.
The General gave a curious stare at the test tube. Alean opened it.
CRASH!
The two individuals in the room stumbled as a paralyzing fear filled the room. Alean dropped face front while the General barely managed to keep one leg firmly rooted as he knelt to the ground. The indifferent face disappeared. He now wore a face that could only be displayed in extreme terror.
Alean was gasping for air but had difficulty in breathing. Soon the paralyzing sensation started to disappear as the two managed to slowly regain control of their bodies.
Alean was shivering. She was slowly lifting herself up.
¡°It wasn¡¯t a drug! It was Seeker! Oh my God! It was Seeker¡¯s breath!¡± She couldn¡¯t believe it.
¡°ALEAN!¡± Harker shouted angrily. The once indifferent and calm temperament was now replaced with an angry and impatient attitude.
¡°WHAT HAPPENED?¡± Harker growled.
¡°Seeker! He did that! It was the same drug that I told you about! But that one was more terrifying than the one I felt!¡± She continued to gasp for breath as she slowly stood up and leaned on the wall.
¡°What did he put into that tube?¡±
¡°It was empty! I was sure it was. He took it and blew into that glass and immediately closed it!
¡°His breath?¡±
The General frowned and slowly walked towards Alean and picked up the glass tube. He stared at it cautiously. He held it close and took a whiff at the insides of the tube.
The moment Harker inhaled the remaining air that was locked inside the test tube his mind went blank.
Harker suddenly gripped tightly and the glass tube shattered. He almost lost his balance but Alean managed to catch him as he fell.
Harker was gasping for breath. Great fear fell into Alean¡¯s heart. It was the first time he ever saw his father this afraid. She held her up tightly and waited until he could stand on his own.
Moments later, Harker¡¯s breathing stabilized and he stood up and stared at the glass tube. He wiped the blood on his wounded palm and went to drink all the wine in the glass nearby. It wasn¡¯t enough. He never experienced fear or helplessness of this level in his entire life.
He walked towards the wine table and started to concoct a drink for himself. His mind, however, was still processing everything that he has experienced. How could that be a teenager¡¯s breath? He was certain that whatever he sniffed was the cause of his fear.
He kept looking at Alean and took note of her flustered and shocked expression. She was telling the truth. Harker clutched his fist. That was a Reaper¡¯s Breath. The moment he sniffed the breath he thought he would die.
What kind of man is this Seeker Carlean? What trickery did he use? Was this a new form of biological warfare? Bad breath which was so horrible that it could paralyze two individuals who were usually fearless?
He started drinking and soon managed to calm his shaken form.
¡°I¡¯ll agree to the meeting. Get out.¡± The General calmly ordered.
Alean walked out of the room and sighed as she closed the door.
¡°I guess I have to thank Seeker for this.¡± Alean sighed and started to walk home.
Back at the duplex, Cliff was struggling to control his excitement.
Seeker earned over 25,000 credits from his viewers alone. There were several factors to why his earnings manage to reach this level. Once news of Seeker and Doctor Lindmitt¡¯s collaboration with Seeker came to light, it immediately reached national news. Several people who were interested in Seeker despite not being a gamer decided to watch the stream and even paid for it.
Then suddenly a celebrity gamer joined the stream.
¡°Please, Seeker! Am I not good enough? Join us! I¡¯d even let me take me out on a date.¡± This feminine voice chuckled as she spoke teasingly. For the first time, Seeker allowed a third-party to join in through a video call.
Carrying one of the most famous usernames in the gaming world, LordChokeMeSenpai joined their call.
Seeker grinned. This was yet another time for him to make easy money from gambling.
¡°Tempting offer. Kristine. Can I call you Kristine?¡± Seeker smiled once more.
¡°If you join us, you¡¯d have the chance to call me bae.¡± Kristine smiled.
The chatroom was exploding. Kristine Sythia was a beauty that could match superstars and models. Her trademark pink hair was a sensation amongst gamers. Among all the existing pro-steamers on Earth, it was without a doubt that Kristine Sythia was the highest compensated. Not only was she beautiful, but her skills in Piercing managed to get her to join the Piercing Battle Arena¡¯s official team which represented the Pangean Nations, the Covenant of the Strongest.
In fact, right at the background of Kristine¡¯s video was the Covenant¡¯s official banner. The fact that this world-renowned gamer was flirting with Seeker and seducing him to join the stream spoke miles for Seeker¡¯s true worth.
The chatroom was in chaos. People were cursing in jealousy, attempting to get Kristine¡¯s attention. No one could call Kristine by her name. Everyone usually referred to her by her famous game handle.
¡°That is a very tempting offer. However, Kristine, I might sound arrogant but I know for a fact that I¡¯m better than you. Too bad the Piercing: Bullet Battle Arena hasn¡¯t been released yet. I can¡¯t prove my worth.¡± Seeker sighed.
Kristine wasn¡¯t flustered or angry at Seeker¡¯s claim. In fact, a part of her believed Seeker¡¯s claim.
¡°Oh, I know that Zeek. Is it alright to call you Zeek? I heard that that¡¯s what your two friends call you.¡± Kristine smiled.
¡°Of course. That sounds even more intimate.¡± Seeker grinned devilishly.
On a high-tech laboratory, Charles was cursing at how easy it was for a beautiful girl to call Seeker, ¡®Zeek.¡¯
¡°Look, Zeek, we want you to join our team. Even Danny wants you on our team. Come on. You are a Pangean native. Isn¡¯t it patriotic for you to join and represent your country like that?¡±
¡°As I said, I will only join if I get at least the same compensation that Precision is getting.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Oh, you were serious? Quite a bold demand Zeek. Even I wouldn¡¯t dare to make that demand.¡± Kristine smiled. But her eyes looked mockingly at Seeker.
¡°How about we make a bet Kris.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Let¡¯s bet that before this Sunday ends, your company will be offering me a salary that will either match or surpass Precision''s. I am willing to bet 70,000 credits.¡± Seeker smiled.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: What Just Happened?
The chat room exploded in surprise. This was a bold gamble. Although Seeker managed to earn a few thousand more credits through gambling with the newbies in the room, 70,000 amounted to almost all of his current earnings.
Seventy thousand credits were enough money to purchase two new cars. This was not a gamble that you would do. Unlike his previous gambles, Seeker would bet with his solely his skills on the line. Now he was betting something that involved the decision of other people. Who knew how the company which sponsored the Covenant of the Strongest would react?
Kristine had a curious look on her face. She was still smiling but her surprise was clearly seen.
Precision is not only their team leader but he is the best player in the Covenant of the Strongest. He is a world-renowned player not only in Piercing but several other games. Because of this, whoever held Precision held a paragon gamer of several famous competitive games. As such, his price was normally twice as much than other e-sport players. Even among those who could rival Precision in skill, none of them could rival his compensation.
¡°That¡¯s quite a bold gamble.¡± Kristine smiled.
¡°And I assume you¡¯ll be threatening us that you will join other teams?¡± Kristine controlled her face to not reveal the anger inside. This was quite an insult.
¡°Well, I can¡¯t promise that I would reserve myself for you. I am sure that by the time this Sunday ends, other international teams will be offering me that same pay. And of course, although I love my country, I can still represent it as an individual. Think about it, Let¡¯s say the team I join in, and will ultimately be the captain of, manages to steal the championship from you guys. It¡¯s a win-win for the country. A Pangean native would still hold the title.¡± Seeker smirked.
Kristine¡¯s charming and pleasant attitude disappeared. She gazed straight at her screen and watched the casual glances that Seeker gave as he waited for her answer. Of course, despite glancing now and then to Kristine, Seeker has yet to receive one hit from any enemies.
¡°You are very confident that they will rush to you.¡±
¡°Well, I am pushing my luck. I estimate that I should be able to get an offer me that is at least twice of yours. However, it wouldn¡¯t be a gamble. Doctor Lindmitt said to keep those adrenaline pumping. Having this threat of losing 70,000 credits for the next two days should do the trick.¡± Seeker smiled.
Kristine frowned. If she was the world¡¯s most popular streamer, at the top of the e-sports paychecks were the best players of every country. Precision who has successfully led The Covenant of the Strongest into 3 world championship in Piercing and held several championships on other e-sport games was the highest paid e-sport player in the world.
The Prometheus of Games was someone who could visit any country in their world including the enemy countries of the Pangean Nations. And Seeker claimed that before four days will pass, he will receive that compensation.
Kristine¡¯s eyes went wide. But a devilish smile appeared.
¡°So let me get this straight, you want to gamble 70,000 credits that before Sunday ends, you will receive an offer that could reach twice of what I¡¯m being paid at? So something that would match or top Precision¡¯s paycheck?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°And you won¡¯t join other teams during this period who is unwilling to pay you that same amount.¡±
¡°You¡¯re two for two.¡± Seeker nodded once more.
¡°Interesting gamble.¡± Kristine smiled a cute smile again.
¡°This will be a bet that will span four days. Meryl set it up. Set buy-in to 500 credits.¡±
Meryl made the necessary configurations and a Gambling Den room was opened. She was not afraid or hesitant. Her blind faith in Seeker caused her to move swiftly as if Seeker was asking her to pass him some ketchup.
Kristine was the first to wager against Seeker on the Den.
People were shocked. Seeker was at it again. Betting on himself against the whole world. How will that happen? What could Seeker do that could shake and move people to even offer Seeker such payments! He had the fame, but his reputation was far from the Prometheus of Games.
¡°You¡¯re on. Not only will I bet against that, but I want to bet that if you do win, I¡¯ll immediately be your girlfriend. In fact, I¡¯ll treat you to a high classy date on a hotel of your choosing in any country in the world. A two-night all-expense paid trip.¡± Kristine smirked. Somehow, Seeker¡¯s bold and daring actions made her feel a jolt of attraction towards this Casual Carlean.
The chat room went wild. Several males were cursing at the obscene luck that Seeker had. A two-night trip with one of the most attracted women in the world? And everything would be paid for by Kristine?The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°What a generous offer Kristine.¡± Seeker smiled. He wasn¡¯t affected by such a tempting offer.
¡°You are gambling something which you probably have no chance of winning. Might as well make this a sensational thing. After all, this could easily increase your viewership. Think of it as me helping out. From one streamer to another.¡± Kristine smiled cutely.
¡°Before I accept that, can I add another clause? I would add 10,000 or more credits to my wager depending on my future earnings.¡±
¡°Oh? Another clause? As long as it¡¯s not anything that will physically harm me, I¡¯m all for it.¡± Kristine smiled.
The chat room burned with angry comments. People were calling Seeker a hacker and was in no way worthy of this. Others were making obscene jokes about how they were willing to pay that amount to get Kristine for two nights.
Kristine ignored everyone. She knew that she would win this bet. Once Seeker lost, she would prove that his worth was far from his actual estimation. And with that crushing blow and the fact that he would lose more than 70,000 credits, she would then offer Seeker the discussed price that her sponsors asked her to offer.
Kristine was also sure that since she would ultimately win, she deliberately spiced up the bets to make Seeker greedy. For someone as famous as her, she knew how debauched men could become. She took a sip through a straw and happily drank the milkshake she had nearby her computer. Oh, the sweet taste of victory.
¡°The other clause is that instead of you going with me on that trip, I¡¯d like Precision to go with me on a two-night all-expense paid trip to any country I want.¡± Seeker casually remarked as he focused on the game.
Kristine spat out the milkshake and some of it was now running through her nose. The desk was now drenched with the milkshake as Kristine instinctively aimed for it to avoid drenching her beloved computer.
Charles Lindmitt spat out his coffee as he heard Seeker¡¯s added clause. The piles of paper and research notes surrounding him were drenched in his coffee.
General Harker Cipril spat out his wine as he heard Seeker¡¯s request. The monitor on the front of him was now drenched withexpensive wine.
Alean Cipril spat out the bourbon she drank from a small glass. Her phone was now drenched with the pale yellow drink she had and even the bed sheets that were, wrapped around her legs had spray marks of her drink.
Meryl and Lynd had a strange look at Seeker. Cliff, on the other hand, had a fearful look. There was the terror that pierced through his heart like never before. Would Seeker soon pierce him with fear on a different and far more terrifying method?
The chat room suddenly went quiet. No one knew what to say. Viewers around the world felt as if their world stopped.
On the other room in the building where Kristine was viewing Seeker¡¯s stream. A small teen with thick glasses was holding a practice game against two other members of the Covenant. While the three were fighting, Seeker¡¯s stream was playing on a huge screen hung high on the wall.
Arthur Humphrey continued to mumble random numbers as if he was counting something or several things. Just then Seeker¡¯s revision to Kristine¡¯s offer was broadcasted.
The three stopped playing. Arthur frowned with a look that surpassed his already rude appearance and stared angrily at the television. Even the random counting he did was stopped.
His two opponents immediately logged off the game and quietly left the room. If they continued to play they would lose their dignity as Arthur Humphrey would end his training mode and start massacring them leaving them less confident as a pro-player and even as a human being.
¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. You want what?¡± Kristine felt fear like never before.
The Covenant of the Strongest was a happy and friendly team in general. They were quite close as a team and even if the team would be dissolved it was unquestionable that their friendship would remain. However, throughout their career, they never dared to do anything that would make Arthur Humphrey angry. It wasn¡¯t because he was strict or impatient as a leader. Despite his cold exterior and somewhat rude looks, he treated his team members with respect and patience. The reason why no member would dare irritate Arthur was simply because they didn¡¯t want to see Arthur angry. Who knew what he could do if ever he got angry?
A cold sweat started to surface on Kristine¡¯s back. She was willing to be her own body for fun but then Seeker made a hasty change of preference. Some strange teen was professing his love and his preference on the internet. While this would normally have been fun or romantic, in this particular scenario, it wasn¡¯t. Not when Arthur Humphrey¡¯s the recipient of this love. She could already see the headlines. "Arthur Humphrey to spend a two-night romantic getaway with Medical Wonder, Seeker Carlean."
¡°Well, you could join us if you like, Kristine.¡±
The fear in Kristine¡¯s heart took a deeper and scarier dive. At the back of her mind, she just wished for Seeker to shut up.
¡°So, is the bet on?¡±
Kristine couldn¡¯t answer she was flustered. Just then the door opened. Arthur Humphrey walked in. Kristine was petrified. She dared not moved and simply looked at the approaching person. She slowly slid her chair backward.
Arthur pushed Kristine¡¯s seat away while dragging another. He sat down right in front of the computer. His gaze was strict and angry.
¡°Wow! Arthur Humphrey himself! That¡¯s nice.¡±
¡°I appreciate your sentiments but I refuse to take part in such a stupid gamble,¡± Arthur spoke rigidly.
¡°Ehh? Ok. It was worth a shot. Then I¡¯m fine with the original conditions. But if you have time, I would love to talk to you.¡± Seeker smiled casually.
Arthur gazed angrily at Seeker but suddenly he stood up and walked away. Moments after Arthur left the room, Kristine slowly dragged her chair back to face the monitor. She looked as if she saw a ghost.
Seeker smiled at her as she reentered the screen.
¡°Anyways guys, this is all the time I have for you today. Two more sessions and I should be able to complete the entire game. Please join me on my stream tomorrow for more of this action-packed and mind-boggling walkthrough. Also, if you are confident that I will lose, the room remains open! I might increase the bet again tomorrow! So feel free to donate- I mean to bet against me!¡± Seeker casually remarked and immediately motioned for Meryl to end the stream.
Just like that, the stream ended. Most of the viewers were caught off-guard from the sudden turn of events and remained in shock at what just happened. Several even went online to ask what just happened. Those who would read the news late at night were befuddled and also asked what just happened. It was chaos. One article spoke of how Dr. Lindmitt partnered with Seeker for a program that could shape Neuro-Alterations. Another article spoke of the gambling and overnight success of a rising star and another article which talked about how LordChokeMeSenpai, the world¡¯s most successful streamer placed her own body as a bet. And finally, a news article surfaced that asked one simple question.
¡°What just happened?¡±
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Odds of the Gamble
Seeker relaxed and rested his eyes.
¡°What a very profitable and beneficial day!¡± Seeker sighed satisfied with his progress for the day.
His two friends continued to give him a peculiar look.
Seeker looked back.
¡°I¡¯m not gay.¡± Seeker finally spoke.
¡°So what was that all about?¡± Lynd asked suspiciously.
¡°Arthur Humphrey¡¯s a potential Ranked Hero. Normally, I planned to keep myself away from those who had the potential to reach Ranked Hero or beyond because of the possible ripple effects that I might cause. This one, however, is different. He¡¯s the same as I am. So I think it would offer no threats but pure benefits. Such is the man called Arthur Humprey.¡±
¡°Oh. No wonder you wanted him. I was surprised that you could easily reject Kristine¡¯s offer.¡±
¡°Oh trust me, I wouldn¡¯t dare have herright now.¡± Seeker smiled mysteriously.
¡°Now that I think about it, you never did tell us if you managed to land a hot one in the future Zeek.¡± Meryl smiled mischievously.
Seeker¡¯s eyes looked towards the heavens.
¡°She¡¯s¡ complicated Meryl.¡± Seeker spoke with a very detached tone.
Meryl suddenly stopped her teasing. With the future that Seeker had, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising that Seeker would meet and say goodbye to several friends. Meryl even had a very embarrassed look.
¡°Uh Zeek.¡± Lynd spoke as he was rummaging Seeker¡¯s bag.
¡°Your phones got like thirty missed calls!¡±
¡°Must be Mom and Dad. It¡¯s not surprising that they¡¯d get word of everything that has been going on.¡±
¡°You sure it¡¯s alright? Auntie Grace hates gambling after all.¡± Meryl had a grave look.
¡°Relax. I¡¯ll deal with them.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Cliff, I want you to beat up anyone on that list if you have a chance. Just enough to get them to the hospital. Don¡¯t make it too life-threatening.¡±
Cliff jolted as Seeker spoke to him.
¡°And while you¡¯re beating them, make sure to put on some mask or something and make it look like you¡¯re one of those foreigner haters.¡± Seeker stood up and started walking.
The group left the duplex immediately. The strange and action-packed night finally ended.
The next day classes resumed. Seeker and his two friends were now being treated like superstars. They were like a bunch of superstars at school. People would wave and attempt to talk with Seeker.
Seeker¡¯s rise of prestige was so dramatic compared to before. Not even Royal¡¯s felt that they had the qualifications to meet and talk with Seeker. Their level of connection paled compared the worth of Seeker in both the gaming and the medical world.
Despite the increase in fame, there were very few girls who attempted to make contact with Seeker.
Lynd had an exasperated look.
¡°Zeek, you got to do something to clear this misunderstanding,¡± Lynd begged.
¡°Leave it, Lynd. If anything, it might be better this way. A lot of annoying things would pop up if I were to meet Arthur in any other way.¡± Seeker rejected immediately.
¡°Could you properly define annoying?¡± Meryl asked as she gave a bland look at Seeker.
¡°Possible assassinations from professional hitmen or getting abducted by some intelligence agency from enemy countries.¡± Seeker easily responded.
The two gave a surprised look. How would meeting an e-sport gamer end with such drastic results?
¡°Ok. Then it looks like I¡¯ll have to put up with this for a bit.¡± Lynd sighed.
¡°How did your parents take the news? My mom and dad were asking me a lot of questions and even asking me if I can invite you and Charles over dinner.¡± Meryl asked Lynd.
¡°Basically the same as you. It was annoying. They also asked me if I knew if Seeker was gay.¡± Lynd sighed.
¡°What about you Zeek? What did Aunt Grace have to say with your gambling?¡± Meryl laughed.
¡°Well at first she was mad when I came home. She started yelling, telling me that she doesn¡¯t care about my medication and how gambling is off the table. Dad just had a serious look. No doubt he was angry about the whole Arthur thing.¡± Seeker explained.
¡°Then I explained how I needed to meet with Arthur for a secret meeting to discuss the terms of my contract and the future of the Covenant. I told them that I wanted Kristine. So that calmed my dad down.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
¡°What about Aunt Grace?¡±
¡°She calmed down when I gave the two of them tickets to a 7-day cruise on the Bahamas. In fact, I think she was encouraging me to continue saying that my health is more important than her standards.¡±
¡°Typical for Auntie.¡± Meryl laughed.
The three met Alean Cipril later on in class. Her face showed signs of being hit and the students were panicking and asking her what happened. Lynd and Meryl had a confused look since they while they knew that of the wounds on her face were caused by Seeker''s smash, there were some that were clearly not inflicted by Seeker.
Seeker seemed to have not found this surprising and continued yawning in class.
Alean brushed addressed the asking students saying that it was due to her spars with some of the soldiers under her father¡¯s command. Several male students felt jealous as they daydreamed of wrestling with this hot teacher of theirs.
The class eventually came to an end.
¡°Seeker, I would like to talk to you for a bit.¡± Alean suddenly asked in a very courteous tone.
Several of the class was confused. They knew of Alean¡¯s unexplainable hatred towards Seeker and how she would be very biased. But now there was courtesy in her voice. Some even thought it was respected.
The three remained as the other students shuffled out of the room.
¡°Miss Cipril, I think it would be to everyone¡¯s benefit if you acted as if you hated me. Try to do what you usually do. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make it harder for you on account of Lynd.¡± Seeker stood with a boorish look.
Alean glanced at Lynd for a moment. Lynd was blushing to the extremes but Alean gave a sweet smile to Lynd.
¡°Then thank you.¡± She smiled. Lynd¡¯s heart was pumping faster than the normal heart rate of a man being chased by three werewolves.
¡°My father agreed to the meeting. Thank you for that insurance.¡± Alean spoke as she rubbed her chin.
¡°This was the only punishment I got from General. Whatever that was, it brought him to his knees.¡± Alean gave another smile. It looked like a smile one would give when encountering true happiness. Lynd¡¯s heart was beating so fast it could¡¯ve caused a heart attack.
¡°Must have been a satisfying site for you considering how happy you look recalling that.¡± Seeker chuckled.
¡°Also, as a future partner in this business, I would urge you to stay away from Arthur Humphrey.¡± Alean had a serious look on her face.
¡°If you¡¯re talking about how dangerous Lennox is, I already know.¡± Seeker shrugged.
A surprised look flashed on Alean¡¯s face.
¡°Lennox?¡± Meryl had a confused look.
Before Seeker could elaborate, Alean spoke.
¡°Lennox Humphrey. Arthur¡¯s father. The most dangerous mathematician on this planet. Even my father is afraid of him. So you knew, but you still want to take Arthur on a two-day trip? Are you crazy?¡± Alean was controlling her urge to shout. There was fear painted across her face. Lynd and Meryl were surprised to see the scared look of this woman.
A mathematician would leave a General and a drug-lord scared? How?
¡°It isn¡¯t a date trip. It¡¯s business. I plan to strike a deal with Arthur and this is the fastest, easiest and least suspicious path that I could take. You probably have an idea as to how many eyes are watching that man. Pulling off a publicity stunt like this would quench all doubts and give me the chance to talk to him privately and maybe even get the opportunity to meet Lennox.¡±
Alean had a look of true horror in her face. If Seeker was attracted to Arthur, it would have been potentially scary. But if Seeker wanted to meet Lennox then it was terrifying.
Alean¡¯s horrified face started to calm down. She remembered that in front of her was someone who managed to get her father to his knees without being in the same room.
¡°Can you kill him?¡± Alean suddenly asked. Killing Lennox would give his father and his empire a lot of benefits.
¡°Are you stupid? He¡¯s one of the few people on this Earth who can kill me. I have business proposals to offer him. But don¡¯t worry. It will only benefit your father¡¯s kingdom.¡± Seeker walked out of the room.
The remaining three stood in shock at Seeker¡¯s statement.
Meryl slowly followed. Lynd was about to leave when Alean called him.
¡°Lynd. Wait.¡± She called out softly.
Lynd was petrified. He slowly turned back to look at me.
Alean gave a warm smile.
¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that you¡¯d be able to help me of all people. Thank you.¡± She smiled.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t take advantage of your feelings towards me to make you betray Seeker. I¡¯m not that stupid anyway. But since he didn¡¯t give a directive, could you just tell me who Seeker Carlean is.¡± Alean stared pleadingly.
Lynd felt as if heaven was touching him. That kind smile, that soft stare. If only time would stop. Lynd smiled but shook his head.
¡°He has always been honest in answering you, Miss.¡± Lynd smiled back.
¡°He really is a kid who just knows about the future.¡± Lynd turned around and walked out of the room.
As classes ended, Seeker and his friends went straight to the duplex to host another stream. Seeker earned 30,000 credits on stream views alone. Kristine joined the call again. But instead of a casual viewer, Seeker pushed his skills up another notch.
¡°That¡¯s impossible! Counting? That¡¯s how you do it?¡± Kristine shouted in surprise.
¡°That¡¯s how Precision does it. Right? In fact, I think he¡¯s better at it than I am.¡± Seeker shrugged.
Bullet was facing five different Titan¡¯s this time. Unlike the former Titan¡¯s, this one had what appeared to be an electronic charge that generated around their bodies. As Bullet had next to no ranged attacks, Seeker continued to parry and dodge and would only attack whenever the electronic charge of these robots would disappear after initiating an attack.
¡°But that¡¯s impossible! Each of these Titans has different timing and sequence of attack. You¡¯d need a machine to keep track of all of their sequences to tell you when to attack!¡± Kristine complained. But against her statement, Seeker was controlling Bullet with expert control. Evade about three of the Titan''s attack and dash to inflict three or four hits to the surrounding Titans without the electric current and back out.
The gamble this time was that Seeker would complete the boss without getting a single hit. The boss was dubbed undefeatable unless the players would utilize the environmental advantages to stun and paralyze the Titans. But Seeker claimed he could without using the environmental advantages. Seeker was set to win 4700 credits from some unbelieving fools.
Kristine was angry and in shock at what she could see.
¡°I see. So that¡¯s the counting.¡± A detached voice spoke from behind of Kristine.
She jolted and turned to see Arthur watching.
¡°Precision!¡± Seeker called out happily. His attention no longer was on the screen. But his avatar continued to evade and attack as beautifully as before.
¡°Interesting You managed to calculate the counting perfectly for this boss.¡± A rare smile emerged from Arthur¡¯s face. It was very rare for someone of his prestige to be impressed.
¡°I¡¯m happy that I¡¯ve impressed you.¡±
¡°Indeed. It could be said that your counting skills are on par with mine." Arthur adjusted his glasses as he continued to observe Seeker''s counting.
"Simple enough." Arthur sighed.
"However, this is not enough to make the teams move to treat you like me.¡± Arthur sneered.
¡°Ok. Then why not bet it if you¡¯re so confident? I bet that I can manage a payslip better than yours by Friday. If I win, you go with me and Kristine on this two-night get-away. If I lose then I¡¯ll join your team free of charge. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen my accurate counting. If I could team up with you and the Covenant, no one on this planet could match us.¡± Seeker smiled.
Arthur frowned at Seeker¡¯s taunt.
¡°Unless the great Precision cannot calculate the odds of this bet.¡± Seeker smiled.
Arthur¡¯s frown turned into an angry glare.
Chapter Thirty: Enter the Dragon
Several military vans were parked in a factory at the outskirts of the city. The military base was miles away from this place, yet the soldiers guarded this place as if it was a fortress that guarded several military secrets.
The high wall surrounding this factory stood at over 10 meters tall. And posted on certain key points of the wall stood several soldiers that guarded it at the dark of the night.
A car was stealthily parked a few blocks away from this factory.
A group of teens and one adult stood and were whispering quietly.
¡°Are you sure she didn¡¯t see you follow her?¡± Seeker asked.
¡°No. I was sure. She really looked disturbed. So I doubt that she noticed.¡± Cliff responded with a bit of frustration.
¡°Because if she did see you, you¡¯d probably get killed tonight.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°Are you really going to attack their base?¡± Meryl looked with a doubtful expression.
¡°Yes, Meryl. For the thousand times, yes.¡±
¡°But how?¡± I don¡¯t think they¡¯d let you in.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why I asked the good doctor to lend me his stuff.¡± Seeker smiled.
Lynd got excited.
¡°Cool! What is it? Grappling hooks? Hi-tech wall-climbing gears? A hover pad?¡±
¡°I brought a pair of mountain climbing pickaxe.¡± Charles sighed.
Lynd¡¯s mouth was wide open.
¡°What are you going to do with that?¡± Lynd barely managed to contain his frustration.
¡°Scale the wall.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Now stay here and be good kiddies. I¡¯ll call you when it¡¯s over.¡± Seeker smiled.
Meryl and Lynd gave a worried look. Seeker insisted that they didn¡¯t need to come but they wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer.
Seeker started to dash off towards the factory. His sudden movements would be compared to a ninja who knew how to utilize the darkness and was soon out of sight from Meryl and Lynd¡¯s.
¡°Amazing. He just disappeared like that.¡± Cliff couldn¡¯t help but comment.
¡°See? I told you there¡¯s nothing to get all worried about. Seeker could easily handle this situation.¡± Charles gave a comforting pat to Meryl.
¡°Are you serious? We didn¡¯t come here because we were worried you know? We were curious and we wanted to see a good show.¡± Meryl scoffed.
Seeker finally reached a shaded area near the tall wall. He positioned himself right on the bottom where several guards were stationed on a platform on top of the wall.
Seeker, observed for the soldier¡¯s line-of-sight. When the soldier moved to observe a different area, Seeker dashed towards the wall.
Seeker executed a very complex wall run which pushed him high above the 3-meter mark. He smashed the two pickaxes to cling to the wall. Strangely the penetration of the pickaxe was very discreet as it only penetrated barely an inch from the surface. This however managed to provide Seeker support. Without wasting any time, Seeker kicked his two legs to propel him higher as he unhooked the pickaxes and smashed it once more on a higher area of the wall. Seeker repeated this movement and in just less than 10 seconds, he reached the top of the wall. His pickaxes were now hanging on the edge of the wall. Thankfully, the darkness of the night wouldn¡¯t make the hangings pickaxe visible if viewed from afar.
Seeker paused for a bit and closed his eyes. He could feel the soldier walking nearer towards his location as the muffled sounds may have attracted him.
Seeker immediately kicked once more and jumped to reach the top of the wall. Seeker immediately thrustthe pickaxe to the surprised soldier''s throat.
The blunt top of the pickaxe struck the soldiers throat who was now choking. Seeker immediately proceeded to deliver an intense uppercut knocking the soldier unconscious.
Seeker stealthily dashed towards the stairs leading to the bottom and took note of the building which had several lights lit on.
Soldiers were caught off guard as Seeker would attack them from their blind spots. Seeker used a variety of tricks to ensure they wouldn¡¯t let out a sound whenever Seeker would attack them.
Three soldiers were just being pummeled by Seeker when another guard walked in and immediately pulled the gun out of his holster.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
¡°Idiot. Your safety¡¯s on.¡± Seeker shook his head.
The soldier immediately turned his gun sideways to check his gun. This one-second gap was enough for Seeker to throw his pickaxe to disarm the solider and deliver a crushing kick on the soldier¡¯s throat.
Seeker sighed.
¡°Why does this trick always work?¡± Seeker wondered and started to rush on towards the main building.
Seeker stood right outside the door and closed his eyes.
¡°Seven huh?¡± Seeker sighed once more.
Seeker immediately opened the door and dashed inside. There were seven soldiers on this area each doing their own thing.
Seeker was dashing towards the nearest guard but turned his attention to another guard on the other end of the room carrying a gun with a silencer equipped. Seeker threw his pickaxes as if they were boomerangs and started to dash towards the soldier with the silencer.
The other soldiers hadn¡¯t even noticed Seeker come into the room due to the speed that Seeker was moving. Time was very slow in Seeker¡¯s perspective. He reached the soldier, who was still in the process of reaching for his gun holster, and penetrating punch to the stomach was delivered.
It was as if the stomach acid was rising up his throat. The soldier was about to vomit whatever spit or food out when another terrifying punch shocked his jaw. He was out for the count.
The trajectory of the pickaxe flew in a curving motion which evaded several obstacles. The blunt end of the pickaxe smashed towards the heads of two unwary soldiers.
Seeker immediately reached for the silencer and started to shoot around. He aimed for all the triggers of the guns that the soldiers were currentlyholding as he was running towards another surprised soldier.
In less than 10 seconds all the soldiers in the room were defeated with no one managing to shoot a single bullet.
In a dark room inside the main building, a huge man stood carrying a large whip.
¡°Tell me what I need to know, and you can leave.¡± The man ordered.
Bounded in a chair in front of him was an Asian man who had a lot of burn wounds in his eyes.
¡°I don¡¯t know anything! I am blind! Why would you think that I have it?¡±
The huge man whipped the blind man. Blood was coming out of the blind man¡¯s teeth.
¡°Wrong answer. Blind my ass. You took out those three soldiers right?¡±
¡°I really don¡¯t know! All I heard was some commotion and then you guys suddenly jumped on me! It wasn¡¯t me! I swear!¡± The blind man pleaded.
The huge man tore the shirt of the blind man.
¡°You know what I¡¯m going to do?¡± The huge man laughed.
The blind man had a sudden strange expression but immediately tried to look afraid.
¡°Mark, tell him what we are going to do with him?¡±
¡°We¡¯re going to dress you up like a cute Barbie doll.¡± A sneering voice returned.
The huge man laughed.
¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re going to¡ Wait... what?¡± The huge man turned and met a strong high kick which dislocated his jaw.
Before the man could lose his balance, the assailant grabbed his head as a knee strike smashed to his face. The huge men fell down unconscious. Behind the assailant, there laid an unconscious soldier that could only be Mark.
The blind man nervously listened.
¡°Who¡¯s there? What¡¯s going on?¡±
The blind man kept tossing and turning.
¡°Interesting.¡± A causal voice spoke as this figure started to walk around the blind man. Seeker gazed at a peculiar tattoo on the left side of the bounded man¡¯s chest. It was a faint dragon coiling which formed a circle. In the middle of this dragon was a dark red sun.
¡°I¡¯m almost sure that that¡¯s the mark of the Dragon. Do you work for him? I don¡¯t remember you.¡± Seeker had met all of the Dragon¡¯s best subordinates. This one wasn¡¯t in his memories.
¡°What? I don¡¯t understand?¡± The blind man answered back as he struggled in fear. He kept following where the voice was calling.
¡°Please help me! Get me out of this place! I was brought here by mistake!¡± The blind man called out.
Seeker chuckled.
¡°Yeah right. You are.¡± Seeker ignored the helpless cries of the bound man but continued to observe him. After a few seconds Seeker shrugged off the thought of this person being a top warrior in the Dragon¡¯s army.
¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t want to put my nose where it doesn¡¯t belong. If you don¡¯t work for him then I must have guessed wrong. I thought you were Mister Meng¡¯s subordinates.¡± Seeker shrugged off as he walked towards the door.
Just then, Seeker stopped and turned around and clapped his hand to block an arm thrust.
The blind man was no longer bounded and his thick arms were immediately struggling to move. Seeker managed to block the arm just on time. The blind man frowned.
¡°Oh. So I was right. This is annoying.¡± Seeker sighed dryly.
The blind man moved with quick and precise actions as he tried to use his bare hands like a sword and continued several thrusting attacks.
Seeker would either dodge or parry the attacks and would even use his arms to redirect the attacks.
¡°I am not your enemy.¡± Seeker sighed as he kept evading the flurry of thrust.
As the attacks started to increase with intensity, Seeker suddenly jumped back and stood a few meters away from the blind man. Some parts of Seeker¡¯s clothes were torn. And a very rare sight was seen. Seeker Carlean had a small wound on his right arm.
The blind man was furious. He used the best of his abilities and could only scratch this young teen.
¡°Listen, pal, I¡¯m busy. I don¡¯t have any intentions to blow your cover. Keep this up and I¡¯ll give you a beating so bad that you¡¯d wish you were facing the Dragon instead of me.¡± Seeker spoke angrily.
The blind man took a readied stance. His enemy was worthy of hi utilizing all his martial prowess on.
¡°I do not know who you are, but you must die. You have jeopardized my mission.¡±
¡°Taking advantage of your long reach huh?¡± Seeker sighed once more. This encounter was causing more trouble than he had originally bargained for.
The blind man ran forward and aimed a punch towards Seeker.
Seeker concentrated and time started to slow down. A second felt like seven.
Seeker stared at the approaching arm thrust. He could see the unnatural hardness of the blind man¡¯s fingers.
The thrust slowly approached Seeker. But just then, Seeker clench ed his fist with his middle finger slightly protruding. Three punch were immediately delivered on the forearms of the blind man. The flurry of fists were so fast.
The blind man immediately backed away and was clutching his right arm as if he was in pain.
¡°As Meng would always advice. When facing someone with a longer reach, then it¡¯s simple. Aim for his hands.¡± Seeker smiled.
The blind man frowned and dashed once more. But as he drew closer a crushing sensation gripped his heart. He stopped attacking and immediately knelt down on one leg.
¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t realize you are Master''s student.¡± The blind man respectfully answered. His hands and legs were shivering in fear.
Seeker who just released his indomitable aura had a very peculiar look on his face.
Chapter Thirty-One: A Pill for Hypertension
Seeker stared in confusion at the immediate change of tone of this blind man. However, what surprised Seeker the more was how this blind man managed to keep his head cool despite the heavy aura Seeker had just released.
¡°Umm... Yeah. About that¡ I¡¯m one of Meng¡¯s¡ son?¡± Seeker guessed.
The shivering blind man shivered all the more. He just attacked his master¡¯s son!
¡°Forgive my presumptuousness! Had I known you would be one of Master¡¯s heir¡¯s I would not have attacked!¡± The blind man continued to maintain his respectful tone but Seeker could see how pale he was of fright.
¡°I understand the confusion.¡± Seeker sighed in relief. Thank God this assassin was not very bright.
¡°I am one of his prodigal sons. We left father after we finished training. Ugh. You just made me call him father.¡±
The tension in the air just grew tighter. The blind man was clutching his fist tightly trying to maintain his respectful position despite the heart-gripping sensation.
¡°Forgive me.¡± The blind man apologized once more.
¡°I wonder how is Mister Meng¡¯s killing intent now?¡± Seeker asked curiously.
¡°About twice as Young Master.¡± The blind man immediately answered.
Seeker sighed.
¡°Damned monster. Anyways, go home. Don¡¯t tell Mister Meng we¡¯d met. It would only make your life more miserable if he asked you to bring me back.¡± Seeker started to walk for the door.
¡°As you wish, Young Master.¡± The blind man remained in a respectful position.
Seeker hesitated to open the door. He thought for a bit and suddenly turned around.
¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±
¡°This blind one is called Sting.¡± The blind man respectfully responded. The sensation was gone but his heart was beating faster than ever. The aura of fear blinded his thinking process. Now that his sense and thoughts were finally getting in order, he was more afraid.
¡°I have a prophecy for you Sting.¡± Seeker sighed.
¡°If you remain only as strong as this, you will die in the future. Probably within the next seven years.¡± Seeker spoke harshly.
Sting had a surprised look but dared not raised his head to face Seeker.
¡°Your path is wrong. I believe you relied on your ears to see, correct? It¡¯s a wrong path. It¡¯s very inefficient. Look, I¡¯ll put on these ear plugs and cover my eyes. Toss these pickaxes to me with the intent to kill.¡± Seeker threw the two pickaxes on the floor and wrapped his eyes with a black bandana he carried. He took the pair of earplugs he was wearing earlier and put them on again.
Sting had a confused look. He was sure that Seeker did cover his eyes and plugged his ears. He hesitantly took the pickaxe. With wary eyes, he gazed at the casual teen who stood before him.
¡°Don¡¯t hold back. I order you to attack me. If you fail to impress me, I will kill you.¡± Seeker spoke harshly once more.
Sting no longer hesitated. This was just like his master. Sting took out a hidden blade which he kept on his shoes He immediately threw two pickaxes in a curving motion and threw the blade discreetly All of his attacks were aimed to hit an empty area barely which would lead all the three flying weapons to graze on Seeker¡¯s skin.
Unlike his expected outcome, Seeker casually caught the pickaxes which weren¡¯t going to hit him and knocked off the blade with the pickaxe.
¡°You¡¯re very respectful aren¡¯t you? I like that.¡± Seeker smiled as he took off his blindfold and the earplugs.
Sting stood in shock at Seeker¡¯s skill.
¡°That¡¯s all the time I have for you. Leave this place. Report that a mysterious attacker raided this place which allowed you to escape.¡±
Seeker then turned to leave.
Sting was still in dazed with the skill Seeker had displayed. Was it true? Did he follow the wrong path to strength?
As Seeker opened the door he turned once more to Sting. A hesitant face surfaced once more.
¡°Do you know about out-of-body experiences? Aim to experience those. The key is not to hear it but feel it. Feel the area as if you can see it. Bye now.¡± Seeker waved and walked out.
Two individuals were viewing Seeker¡¯s stream on a huge monitor.
¡°I¡¯m not interested in anything that you have and the reason why I am not betting against you isn¡¯t fear. But pride. Why would I bet against you and ruin my own prestige by entertaining a monkey?¡± Arthur¡¯s tone was harsh.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
¡°Ok. Then let¡¯s change the bet. By your estimations, what is the fastest time a person could complete Piercing: Edge?¡± Seeker smiled.
This surprised Arthur. He didn¡¯t expect this question to come up. He gave a casual glance at Seeker¡¯s character. And sneered.
¡°Your build is inefficient. By your current progression, it would take you about 18 hours and 35 minutes give or take. An efficient build that follows my calculations would allow a 15-hour completion.¡± Arthur smiled. He wasn¡¯t giving room for courtesies anymore. Someone was trampling his reputation. He was amused at first at Seeker¡¯s skills but now wasn¡¯t the time to act in humility.
Everyone viewing the stream was either typing so fast or listening so intently at this conversation. The entire game world was led to believe that a melee-based Edge was the way to go. The masses followed in blindly as they witnessed a game progression faster than they could manage and soon Seeker¡¯s build was the model build. Precept Gaming hadn¡¯t even had the chance to release a video depicting the glories of ranged combat as it had just been a few days since Seeker¡¯s rise to fame.
¡°Correct. This isn¡¯t the fastest way to pass the game. Oh, how I just love to have a dip in that brain of yours.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°But what if I can complete this game under 8 hours while using this exact build?¡±
Arthur laughed as he heard Seeker¡¯s bold declaration.
¡°Impossible. There would be no way that you can do that.¡± Arthur sneered.
¡°So you calculate that it is impossible for this build to complete the game under eight hours?¡±
¡°Yes. I don¡¯t need to run the numbers. Any idiot would know that by now. The overall animations and cutscenes in this game along with the mandatory text sequences would already take you over an hour. Much more beating bosses.¡± Arthur scoffed.
¡°Then bet with me. If I win, you agree with the meeting. You pay for everything on a two-night romantic getaway. I prove that you are not the best gamer on this Earth and how severely lacking your estimations are. If you win, you prove everything that I am trying to disprove and I will join your team for free.¡± Seeker smiled.
The eyes of Arthur once again had a fit of blazing anger growing within.
¡°If I win, you will forever stop gaming. You will also sign a contract to which if you ever play or use your gaming skills to earn, be it directly or indirectly, if you do, you will relinquish everything you own to an establishment or person of my selection!¡±
The chatroom was suddenly devoid of activity. Everyone was shocked at Arthur¡¯s demands.
¡°Deal!¡± Seeker smiled and gleefully nodded.
Kristine had a shocked looked at Seeker¡¯s immediate agreement and Arthur was frowning.
¡°Ladies and gents, I will hold a special stream on Saturday. After all, I did promise to show everyone a power walkthrough with zero hits. So I¡¯ll end this walkthrough on tomorrows stream. But by Saturday, I¡¯ll start on an 8-hour special stream. I will complete Piercing: Bullet with an all melee build and prove Precision wrong! Is that a deal Precision?¡± Seeker returned the question.
Arthur stared angrily at Seeker. He gave a small smirk.
¡°Deal.¡±
¡°Get your lawyers ready. I don¡¯t want to start the stream until I have it on paper. Let¡¯s make this business deal as professional as possible.¡± Seeker returned a smirk.
¡°They¡¯ll visit you at school tomorrow.¡± Arthur walked out of the screen. Not even bothering to give Seeker another look.
Kristine looked awkwardly as she remained. She immediately disconnected after a bit of pondering.
The stream continued with Seeker silently playing through the game. No one was interested in talking about Seeker¡¯s walkthrough. Even Seeker¡¯s believers were now doubting the sanity of their idol. They knew Seeker made bold gambles that he managed to complete but now a more impossible gamble was set.
Seeker didn¡¯t answer any questions in relation to his Saturday stream. He later ended the stream as he usually did, abrupt and anti-climactic. Viewers were disappointed at Seeker¡¯s indifferent reactions. Everyone wanted the day to quickly pass and for Saturday to start.
The two individuals who were watching had a grim expression on their face.
¡°Why is he doing this? Despite knowing about Lennox he still has these unknown intentions towards Arthur?¡± Harker frowned.
Alean stood by the side and was sighing.
¡°Seeker claimed it¡¯s a business proposal.¡±
¡°Just who is he?¡± Harker frowned. He wasn¡¯t one to panic or lose patience. But the fear of knowing and the looming threat that has arrived were starting to get to make him feel the very emotions he hasn¡¯t felt for a long time.
¡°General, will Lennox go after Seeker because of this?¡±
¡°No. Unless Arthur¡¯s life is threatened I doubt Lennox would get involved. If anything, Lennox would want his son to get rapped by some sick teenager. That could send the prodigal son home.¡±
Alean had a confused look at his father.
¡°Then why are you worried about a possible interaction with Lennox?¡±
¡°Do you remember the time I pretended to have been severely wounded?¡± Harper spoke with an impatient voice.
¡°Of course I did. You were in the middle of a war and in the middle of our biggest deals yet. I had a hard time covering for you.¡± Alean¡¯s tone had no respect as she answered her father back. Alean frowned as she recalled that terrifying ordeal.
¡°The reason why I did that, was because of an invitation from Lennox. When we arrived at his estate on Britain, I was shocked to see who was also invited. Gathered in one roof was the Underworld itself. Everyone who was anyone in the underworld was there.¡±
Alean was surprised. He had been in this business for too long to know the names of these underworld criminals. But someone managed to gather them into one house? There were two possible reasons that will bring the underworld together; extreme profit that would make the heads of these organizations to make a personal trip, or fear of losing their empire should they anger this man.
¡°Lennox prepared quite a banquet for us. When he finally appeared, we finally got our answer to this mysterious invitation.¡± Harker frowned
¡°What was it for?
¡°He had nothing much to say. No proposals. No deals. He just stood there and stared at everyone and said, ¡®if anything happens to my son, say goodbye to your empires.¡¯¡±
Harker recalled the indifferent look that Lennox gave as he addressed the underworld. It was as if Satan himself had the authority that could not match this man.
¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Alean was surprised. He could gather the entire underworld just to warn them?
¡°Alean, if ever you get to where I am, you¡¯d know not to mess with these men! That¡¯s why we¡¯ve always kept an eye for Arthur. And now, that teen you brought over wants Arthur! We could die if Seeker would kill or cause Arthur¡¯s death!¡±
CRASH!
The doors burst open as several men came flying in.
A figure walked in. He stood with a pair of pickaxes that were used by mountain climbers. He wore casual clothes. Nothing about what he wore could describe his very purpose of visiting this factory.
¡°Ohhh. I wouldn¡¯t worry about ol¡¯ Arthur.¡± Seeker greeted happily. He stepped on the unconscious soldiers that lay flat on the ground.
¡°Seeker!¡¯ Alean cried in surprise.
¡°What are you doing here?¡±
¡°High-blood pressure. I need to take my meds.¡± Seeker chuckled.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Dance with the Dragon
Harker quickly drew the gun in his holster but a pickaxe was sent flying into his arms. The pickaxes blunt top smashed Harker¡¯s hand and stopped him from reaching his guns.
¡°The next pickaxe won¡¯t hit you with the blunt end, General.¡± Seeker smiled.
Harker frowned. He didn¡¯t expect Seeker to have made the visit tonight.
¡°I thought we agreed to meet tomorrow.¡± Harker¡¯s tone was indifferent and flat. He took a look at the unconscious soldiers.
¡°What can I say? I¡¯m a man of surprises.¡± Seeker giggled.
¡°Now let¡¯s get down to business General. As you can see, I can easily kill you.¡± Seeker pointed to his unconscious guards.
These were soldiers who were the elite in Harker¡¯s mini-army, yet this teen could easily conquer them.
¡°But do you know why I went through all the trouble to do this?¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°To make me fear you?¡± Harker asked with an indifferent expression.
¡°Now why would I do that? Have you noticed that I haven¡¯t killed anyone of your soldiers? What kind of fear would I pass to you if I act all merciful?¡±
Harker glanced at the unconscious soldiers. It was true. None of them were dead.
¡°Then what?¡±
¡°To prove a point. I don¡¯t need you. I don¡¯t need your help. But, right now, an alliance with you it is the most convenient way to achieve my goal.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°And how can I help you?¡± Harker walked over and started pouring himself a bottle of whiskey.
Harker offered a glass to Seeker.
¡°No thanks. I¡¯m still under-aged.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°So a seventeen-year-old can come in, beat the crap of all my soldiers, and refuse to drink wine since he is underage. I wonder why is it, that all that my hardboiled and striped elites could manage, is to scratch you... What kind of world am I living in?¡±
¡°Oh, this wound wasn¡¯t inflicted by one of yours. A blind guy did this.¡±
Harker and Alean stared at each other.
¡°You have a weird sense of humor, Mister Carlean. How can I help you?¡± The impatient General reiterated.
¡°Partner with me. I¡¯ve got a lot of things to do and it requires quite a bit of funding. Not to mention manpower, facilities and a secret base of operations. Also, your influence in the government and military would also prove useful.¡± Seeker spoke easily.
¡°So you want me to allocate all of my time and resource for your little projects?¡± Harker¡¯s raised his eyebrows.
¡°Well, not all. I will require you to commit on some tasks but as for resources, about 30 percent of your income would do.¡± Seeker smiled.
Harker stood in silence. He honestly expected worse.
¡°And what would I gain in this uh¡ partnership?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll make you the leader of the Pangean Nations.¡± Seeker spoke with confidence.
Harker sneered.
¡°And why would I want to be the leader of this nation? If you haven¡¯t noticed, I thrive in secrecy. Being in that position would only harm my operations.¡±
¡°Because the Dragon is planning to conquer your empire. You need all the power and authority you could get to survive.¡± Seeker gave a devilish grin.
The sneer turned into a sudden shocked look.
¡°The-the Dragon?¡± Harker could not help but stutter.
¡°Yes. The Dragon. You might know him as Robertson Meng. The reason I want to get chummy with Arthur is to make sure his dad won¡¯t get in between this dance with the Dragon. If Lennox would join me in this battle, then it would assure my victory. Of course, that¡¯s a hopeless cause. So at most, I want Lennox to not meddle in this dance with Meng. Facing one of them is already frustrating enough. If the other decides to join in the commotion, then all hope for victory is lost.¡± Seeker gave a depressed sigh.
Harker clutched his fist in fear. Seeker was talking about the same Dragon that he knew.
¡°Oh, and you really don¡¯t have a choice on this matter. Originally, I came here to just make a proposal. But I don¡¯t know if you know about the blind guy that you or your men abducted. Now, this battle is definitely underway.¡±
¡°The blind man? Our men caught him in the middle of one of our operations earlier.¡± Harker had a confused look.
Seeker pointed to his wound.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡°Which blind guy did you think did this? The blind man who your men were interrogating is Sting. One of Meng¡¯s most skilled warriors.¡±
¡°WHAT?!¡± Harker knew of Sting by name. An assassin of deadly repute. Never in Harker¡¯s imagination would that known assassin be a blind man.
¡°I don¡¯t know if he was sent here to kill you. That is the most probable cause though. Luckily I chased him off. This, however, would be to your favor. Now the Dragon thinks that we are not on the same side considering the state in which I left your men in.¡±
Harker walked over to his desk and sat down. The whiskey was trembling in his hand. Why would Dragon aim to kill him? It didn¡¯t make sense.
¡°What could the Dragon possibly want with me?!¡± Harker shouted at Seeker. His once fearful state was replaced with a confused and panicked expression.
Seeker pointed to Alean.
¡°What else, General? That thing in your daughter¡¯s heart.¡± Seeker smiled.
Harker was shocked silent. The Dragon was one of his main buyers. But who would have thought that he would yearn for his Programmed Slave technology?
Alean had a confused look at Seeker.
¡°What thing?¡± Alean asked.
¡°The Programmed Slave chips.¡± Seeker responded flatly.
Alean felt as if her entire body was floating. She stood petrified. She never really could get out of her father¡¯s grasp.
¡°Why would the Dragon want my technology?¡± Harker asked ignoring her daughter''s surprise.
¡°What are the most amazing traits of the Programmed Slave chip? Let¡¯s see, it''s nigh untraceable even with the most advanced technologies on earth, it¡¯s impossible to reverse engineer, and the materials used should only be native to the Pangean Nations. Gee. This is a tough one. Why would Dragon want this tech?¡±
A deeper sense of terror clutched Harker¡¯s heart. Who would¡¯ve thought that his most frequent buyer had other motives for buying this item?
¡°If you want me to answer this very obvious question, then I shall. The way you¡¯ve been using this technology was wasteful because of your cautious nature, General.¡± Seeker walked over and sat down at the chair adjacent to the chair that Harker sat on. Seeker disrespectfully propped his feet op Harker¡¯s desk.
¡°If used properly, the Programmed Slave could allow its owner to rule the world. Perhaps even become a god. A god who could give them happiness at the flip of a switch. Maybe Dragon wants that.¡± Seeker relaxed at the seat''s incline.
Harker slowly lifted his glass and drank.
¡°So what are you going to do now?¡±
¡°How confident are you in stopping him?¡± Harker glared.
¡°Well¡ For now, he¡¯s probably twice as strong as me physically speaking. The array of my abilities would prove¡ helpless in front of his. So I don¡¯t think I stand a chance.¡± Seeker laughed.
Harker was brimming with anger. Just when he thought he was saved, Casual Carlean declared that he doesn¡¯t stand a chance towards the Dragon.
Seeing Harker¡¯s descent to anger made Seeker laughed out once more.
¡°Relax. I said ¡®for now.¡¯ I could easily get stronger and stand toe to toe with him. My main issue is his subordinates. Right now some could keep me busy. I mean that blind guy managed to scratch me. That should speak miles for his skills. Your poor soldiers couldn¡¯t even make me flinch.¡±
Harker sat down and had a very serious expression.
¡°Agree to partner with me and I¡¯ll agree to help you out of this dilemma.¡± Seeker smiled.
Harker slowly nodded.
¡°Great!¡± Seeker extended his hand.
Harker slowly reached out and shook it.
¡°Now, in order to prove your sincerity, I¡¯ll need a couple of things. Five million Sydian¡¯s transferred to my account immediately, the biggest red emerald jewel on your collection, a set of weapons and ammo, military intel on the following items, and a lifetime free pass to all of those Buffet restaurants you own.¡± Seeker handed out a piece of paper. He had a look that anticipated the awaiting dishes.
Harker gave an angry glare. But somewhere in this glare was a trace of confusion.
Buffet restaurants?
¡°Alean. Transfer the money to his account now. I¡¯ll take a look at your list once you secured my safety from the Dragon.¡± Harker was about to keep the paper in his pocket.
¡°Wait. I¡¯ll tell you what to do now. It isn¡¯t that complicated honestly.¡± Seeker laughed.
Harker frowned.
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Let¡¯s review the facts. Dragon sent an assassin to kill you. But his assassin met a formidable warrior with dashing good looks and a wicked set of pickaxes. So, logically, since his assassin retreated with only managing to scratch this warrior, Dragon would have to act cautiously.¡±
Harker gave a stupid look at Seeker. He was right. It was simple.
¡°His guess would be someone equal to his level must have sent this assassin. Probably Lennox or Eagle or even The Great Common Man.¡±
¡°How did you-?¡± Harker shivered at the mention of Eagle. How did this teen know about so many terrifying personalities? Seeker however simply ignored this.
¡°After all, who would have the resource or connection to get someone like me right? Basically, whoever the Dragon thinks is trying to get to you isn¡¯t someone he can casually mess with.¡±
Harker¡¯s fear was subsiding. He was right. The Dragon has always been a cautiousman. Trouble like this would definitely be avoided.
¡°However, that isn¡¯t enough. Something has to occur on our meeting. The most likely expectation is that you¡¯d wind up dead due to a master assassin.¡± Seeker spoke with a dreadful tone.
The fear was slowly returning as Harker¡¯s heart started pumping faster again.
¡°BUT!¡± Seeker teased.
¡°But what?¡± Harker followed.
Seeker grinned confidently. He stood up and started to crack his fists. There was confidence in his look, pride in his posture, dignity in his smile and terrifying power in his cracking fist.
Harker slowly leaned forward awaiting Seeker¡¯s reply. He was at the edge of his seat. He was saved. What did he need to do?
¡°I really haven¡¯t thought about it that far.¡± Seeker sighed.
Harker angrily smashed the table.
¡°Quit playing around!¡± Harker screamed.
Alean couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at Seeker¡¯s casual remark.
Seeker gave a loud laugh as he saw Harker¡¯s expression.
¡°Relax! I¡¯m just teasing you! For a General you sure are uptight. Oh, wait. Generals are supposed to be this uptight.¡± Seeker nodded in realization.
¡°TELL ME!¡± Harker shouted once more.
¡°I already did right from the start!¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Be a politician. Aim for the presidential seat of Phil-Pangea. And once you do that, aim for the Prime Director of the Pangean Nations! This sudden change of behavior would confuse the Dragon and make him think that you really are connected with any of these men. He¡¯ll set out to uncover who it is that is pulling the strings behind your show. But since there is none, he¡¯d be wasting a lot of time and resource. And that equals enough time for me to get ready.¡± Seeker smiled.
Harker stood silently. His hands still remained planted on the table. It really was that easy.
¡°So, will you carry out your end of the bargain?¡± Seeker asked once more.
¡°I will.¡± Harker resumed his usual indifferent expression.
¡°Oh. And one more thing.¡± Seeker immediately snatched a medal pinned on Harker¡¯s shirt.
Harker¡¯s immediate expression was confusion. But after he realized what had just happened he panicked. But Seeker rammed the blunt top of his pickaxe to Harker¡¯s throat.
¡°Alean will be working for me now. Thank you.¡± Seeker curtly turned back after doing the light thrust. He then tossed the medal over to Alean.
Alean had a confused look and stared at the medal.
¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± Alean asked in surprise.
¡°What do you think?¡± Seeker smiled.
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Planted Seeds
Harker was coughing at the sudden strike. He glared angrily at Seeker once he recovered from the suffocating experience.
¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Alean gave an even more confused look. Why was his father so mad? Seeker turned back to Harker ignoring the odd look of Alean.
¡°Oh, and General, the red gemstone, please. This very thing could just save your life.¡±
Harker glared angrily at Seeker. But said nothing. He rubbed his throat as he tried to soothe the pain. Harker immediately opened his desk drawer and slid a part of the board to reveal a secret compartment containing three large gemstones in a glass container.
¡°How did you even find out about these gemstones?¡± Harker asked candidly as he opened the containers.
¡°You have more than one? Call it a lucky guess. I just need the red one.¡± Seeker smiled.
A large beautiful crimson red jewel as taken out of the container and Harker tossed it to Seeker.
¡°Thank you, General. See you tomorrow.¡± Seeker turned around to leave.
¡°See you tomorrow, Miss.¡± Seeker smiled as he sped off to the exit.
Only then did Alean realize what Seeker had done. Alean quickly turned and threw the medal back to Seeker¡¯s departing figure. Harker frowned at this action.
Seeker caught it without looking.
¡°It¡¯s better if that¡¯s with you.¡± Alean smiled. Seeker waved back as he walked towards the end of the hallway.
Seeker slowly disappeared at the turn of the corner.
A man stood at the roof of an abandoned building near the factory. He noticed four other individuals in the area and seemed to be waiting. If these were the Young Master¡¯s friends, then he¡¯d be dead if he hurt them. He sighed and waited.
All his life, he feared only two individuals. A terrifying assassin that made his skills look like that of a child and his master, the Dragon. Now, however, a third person rose from the shadows that instilled fear in his heart. This person was definitely weaker than his master or the assassin but all that Sting could do was a scratch this person. And that was taking into account that this person never intended to kill him.
Sting heard an unusual sound at the edge of the factory. He readied his senses to identify the direction of the fleeing figure.
Sting frowned. The movement of this footsteps outdid even his own techniques. Perhaps only his master and the assassin could match this person¡¯s foot technique.
Strangely, this fleeing figure was headed straight to him. Sting sighed in depression. He was about a decade older than this person, but this person¡¯s sensing technique far outclassed his.
¡°Truly worthy of being Master¡¯s son.¡± Sting smiled. He was sitting in a meditative position but stood up. Before him, stood the very figure he was locking on to.
¡°Sting. It¡¯s a good thing you waited for me. Actually, it¡¯s a bad thing. I should kill you. But considering this would make my life so much easier, I guess it¡¯s a good thing.¡± Seeker smiled calmly as he approached the sitting assassin.
Sting¡¯s calm face suddenly turned to one with horror.
¡°How has this one offended Young Master?¡± He gave a respectful bow immediately.
¡°I told you not to follow me and yet you waited for me here. No doubt to observe my movements. Have you been eavesdropping at my friends?¡± Seeker smiled.
A chilling sensation started to build up. Sting knew this was Seeker¡¯s aura.
¡°Young Master, please forgive me!¡± He knew he couldn¡¯t lie his way out of this.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. As I said, with the recent turn of events, it looks like this will help me. Is this what you came for?¡± Seeker held out a bright red gemstone and smiled.
The Dragon was a collector of bright red gemstones. Could it be, that Harker managed to acquire one gemstone that Meng had been looking for and sent Sting to retrieve it? Sting was not only a skilled assassin but he was a master of concealment. He could have sneaked out of the torture chamber and pilfer the gemstone without alerting anybody.
Seeker continued to extend and reveal the gemstone. Seconds pass. And later a minute has passed and Sting continued to prostrate himself as Seeker held the bright stone.
Seeker frowned.
¡°Sting? Answer me.¡± A commanding tone came out of the impatient Seeker.
Sting started to shiver.
¡°Young Master, forgive me. I cannot see what that is. So I don¡¯t know what that is.¡± Sting gave an embarrassed and at the same time a terrorized plea.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Seeker facepalmed himself.
Of course, Sting couldn''t tell what this object was! He was blind!
Seeker had a lifetime worth of memories, the training and teachings from the best and the brightest, and the power known as the Unlocking. Yet all of these still couldn''t cure Seeker from the lapses of stupidity he had from time to time.
¡°This is a crimson red gemstone. Did Mister Meng send you to steal this?" Seeker continued to ask.
Sting was shocked and look excitedly at the gem Seeker held.
¡°Young Master, would your grace allow, please bestow that gemstone upon your humble servant.¡±
¡°Of course. That way you would have completed your mission and you don¡¯t need to report on my interruption. Report that someone was attacking the factory which allowed you to sneak in and steal this.¡±
¡°Young Master, forgive me. This isn¡¯t a mission. I had known that he had been seeking beautiful gemstones recently. And so I decided that after I completed my mission in this country, I¡¯d steal a gemstone and offer it as a gift when I returned. I learned of three gemstones that General Harker had acquired illegally since already stolen gemstones can¡¯t be reported it would not go against the no-exposure rule that my Master has set.¡±
Seeker had a confused look after hearing the explanation.
¡°Then why were you caught?¡±
¡°I tried to take it by force and knocked out the men but later more soldiers arrived.¡±
Seeker raised an eyebrow.
¡°How could you have not have heard the arriving soldiers?¡±
Sting sighed with an embarrassed look.
¡°The location had great acoustics so I couldn¡¯t hear what was going on outside of the building. When the soldiers came in, I knew that I would need to kill in order to left. So I pretended to be a helpless blind man and steal all the gemstones later.¡± Sting explained.
¡°Now that¡¯s just pitiful and embarrassing. And to think that you call yourself an assassin.¡± Seeker shook his head in disappointment.
Sting sat down silently.
"Still, that''s one heck of an acoustic setup." Seeker commended.
"Indeed it was." The frustrated assassin could not help but agree.
¡°So you weren¡¯t in some secret mission but out to get your boss a good present huh?¡± Seeker gave a frustrated sigh. And here Seeker was thinking that Dragon had personally sent the man. And then, it hit Seeker.
"Wait. All gemstones?" Seeker asked in surprise.
"Yes."
"Not just the red one? Or is it a matter of you being blind?"
"I have heard that Master collects gemstones of all colors." Sting bowed.
Seeker thought for a bit. This just didn''t make any sense. After a bit of contemplation, Seeker then smiled. The creation of the grand picture surfaced in Seeker¡¯s mind. If Seeker took advantage of this, then he would reap a lot of benefits.
¡°I think I know why your boss has been out seeking beautiful gems. Alright. I have a message for your boss. But don¡¯t tell your boss that it came from his son. It would be troublesome if this dear ol¡¯ dad of mine would chase me. Understand?¡± Seeker immediately released a wave of killing intent.
¡°Yes, Young Master!¡± Sting immediately answered.
¡°You are to report everything else to dad except my identity. Tell dad, that an agent working for Lennox needed the other two jewels. Your master will only need the red one. Also, be sure to inform him, that based on my observations, all he needs is that red jewel. Craft it in the necessary gold and silver ornaments and it should suffice.¡± Seeker instructed.
Sting nodded. He was sighing in his mind. His Master would definitely punish him. Who would have thought that Young Master was a subordinate of Lennox? What if some misunderstanding would occur and cause the Dragon and Lennox to clash? After all, Sting knew his master was avoiding this at all cost but didn¡¯t really understand why.
¡°Young Master, if I may speak. You can take the jewel. Master didn¡¯t need it in the first place and I have done this by my own volition.¡±
¡°No. It¡¯s you who don¡¯t understand, Sting. What I¡¯m saying is it¡¯s this very jewel that your Master needs. He will definitely praise you soon. He just doesn¡¯t know it yet. Remember, I am your Master¡¯s son. I know what he plans to do with that jewel So I¡¯m doing you a favor. It will also greatly aid your master. The only concern is if he will listen. But if he finds out I work for Lennox, he definitely will listen. Also, when the time comes, and you will know when that will be, you will tell your master that it was me who gave you this jewel.¡±
Sting nodded despite his confusion.
¡°Now go. And please don¡¯t try to follow me or my friends. I will found out if you do.¡± Seeker tossed the jewel.
Sting caught it and bowed once more.
¡°As you command Young Master. Farewell.¡±
A blur could be seen as Sting started moving with accurate ninja-like speed and sneak.
Seeker smiled as Sting disappeared. He had planted the seeds. When harvest time comes, he would reap a lot of benefits. Seeker returned to the car to meet up with his friends.
¡°Well? How was it?¡± Charles spoke as he noticed Seeker coming out of the darkness.
¡°Just call me a master seed-planter.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Zeek! You got wounded!¡± Lynd exclaimed.
¡°Relax. It¡¯s not from Harker¡¯s men. This one came from an assassin who was already in the building.¡±
¡°An assassin? Who was the target of this assassin?¡± Meryl worriedly grasped Seeker¡¯s arm.
¡°Its¡ complicated. A big misunderstanding really. But all these misunderstandings have aided me greatly. Now Harker will obediently listen to me. I didn¡¯t really need to make an effort to make him believe my lies.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°Sounds like you had a good night.¡± Charles smiled.
¡°It is. With the way things are now, I don¡¯t need to act subtly on Harker¡¯s Programmed Slaves. Oh. Right. Here you go, Lynd.¡± Seeker tossed a medal to Lynd.
Lynd caught it and observed it. He wiped the medal clean and was observing every detail of it.
¡°What is this?¡± Lynd asked.
¡°You didn¡¯t press it did you? That¡¯s Alean¡¯s Programmed Slave kill switch. One wrong move and Alean would have a heart failure.¡± Seeker casually remarked as he sat on the front seat of the car.
Immense fear jolted Lynd¡¯s casual temperament.
¡°WHAT! ZEEK! I PRESSED IT!¡± Lynd shouted.
Seeker laughed.
¡°Just kidding. No need to worry.¡±
¡°Zeek! I hate you! I thought this really was the kill switch!¡±
¡°Oh, it really is a kill switch. Harker probably set it to a voice command which only he could trigger. Otherwise, a careless press could kill his daughter.¡± Seeker started munching on the burgers that were prepared for Seeker¡¯s post-adventure.
Lynd¡¯s hand was petrified and didn¡¯t know what to do with the kill switch.
¡°Lucky you Lynd. You now have direct access to Alean¡¯s heart.¡± Meryl teased in glee.
¡°Alright, enough of that. Cliff, any word on your little errand?¡±
Cliff always had a weary and alert expression. Listening to the discussions of the three gave him confusion except for one clear reality. Don''t mess with Seeker Carlean.
¡°Yes. They confirmed your suspicions. All eight were sent to one hospital. The Meglonila Hospital." Cliff reported.
¡°All? Interesting. That raises the possibility that all foreign exchanged students are Programmed Slaves.¡± Seeker had a devilishly pleasant smile.
¡°What?¡± Charles was alarmed at the number.
¡°But-but that¡¯s over a hundred students!¡± Meryl exclaimed.
¡°Yes. And soon they will all be mine.¡± Seeker then gave a creepy laugh that a mad, evil villain in TV would do.
Chapter Thirty-Four: To Feel and Hear
Seeker was whistling a happy tune. He entered the dark halls of an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. He would shout at times to hear the echoes of the building. He moved out of the halls in into the open field of the building.
The building was one of Harker¡¯s former drug labs. As suspicions arose to the use of the building, Harker immediately abandoned it. Now all that remains are empty halls and what could only be described as a labyrinth of halls and passages.
¡°Nice place. This will do for today¡¯s activity.¡± Seeker smiled. On his waist was a pair the mountain climber¡¯s pickaxes. Seeker slowly held it.
Alean stood there with a frowning expression. With just a simple call, she had to organize a field trip which excused Seeker and his gang along with Cliff. Charles also arrived with an almost dead expression.
¡°Seeker. I¡¯m at the brink of a discovery in my research. Are you sure that this little exercise will help me finish this faster?¡± Charles frowned. He clearly hadn¡¯t slept much last night.
Meryl, Lynd, and Cliff wondered why they were included in this trip.
¡°Of course. If anything it could speed the research twice as fast. For now, please gather and put all the weapons out here.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°The guns or my weapon collection?¡± Charles asked.
¡°Both of them.¡±
Seeker then started to do several stretching movements. He grasped the mountain climbing pickaxes and started to run towards the wall of the building.
The same scaling technique was applied and in less than a minute, Seeker reached the top of the building.
Everyone stared in shock at Seeker¡¯s fast movements. No one saw how Seeker managed to infiltrate the factory last night. And now they knew.
¡°What are you doing? I need you to get the weapons out now!¡± Seeker ordered.
The group below stood for a while and started to move as they shook their heads. They couldn¡¯t believe how easy it was for Seeker to do that.
Seeker sat down on the roof and gazed at the view of the city. There were other buildings nearby, however, as this was mainly contained industrial buildings used during the Colonist Wars, the buildings were now mainly used as storage for various companies. There was virtually no one nearby on this part of the city.
Seeker sat down and dove deep into his memories. He envisioned the past in his mind.
¡°Realm King.¡± Seeker sighed.
Seeker watched his memory as if he was watching a movie.
Before him stood the Realm King. The World Champion in which he served under for the majority of his tenure as a soldier.
¡°50 meters with hearing and 30 with feeling huh?¡± The Realm king smiled.
¡°This is the best I can do General.¡± Seeker saluted.
¡°It¡¯s not the best. The Inhuman stage could allow users to maximize their senses to a point that you can theoretically reach a hundred meters alone in feeling.¡± The Realm King laughed.
Seeker grumbled. What was he compared to a monster?
¡°General, isn¡¯t it a bit unreasonable to set your standard on me?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not unreasonable. It¡¯s possible. What is it that the men called me these days?¡±
¡°Omnipresent within two kilometers, Sir,¡± Seeker responded.
¡°What do you think I use to reach that?¡±
¡°Hearing?¡±
¡°Feeling Seeker.¡±
Seeker had a shocked look.
¡°So you feel the presences of everyone using feeling? But how can you determine their plans and action?¡±
¡°At my stage, I can interpret sounds based on the vibrations into hearing. You see sounds can be blocked. At some point, no matter how good you are at hearing, you will fail to comprehend the meaning of these muffled sounds.¡±
¡°So you feel sounds?¡± Seeker asked in confusion.
¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t you listen to Charles¡¯ lecture? He called it Realm Somatotopy. The ability to feel everything within a given area.¡±
¡°I know about Realm Somatotopy. Anyone in the Inhuman stage could do that at about 5 meters. But none of them can detect sounds General. Even Ranked Heroes.¡± Seeker gave a depressed sigh.
The Realm King laughed.
¡°Well, some Ranked Heroes can.¡± The Realm King teased.
Seeker just frowned and just gave an impatient look to the Realm King.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
¡°The trick is to master the Echolocation and master Realm Somatotopy. And then you need to find a way to connect the echolocation map to the Somatotopic map. Once you combine these two, then you would finally have a chance at becoming like me.¡±
Seeker continued to give the impatient look at the Realm King¡¯s teases.
¡°You see, in the end, sounds can be blocked but its vibrations could still resound. Even if it strikes a wall, it vibrates. If you are sensitive enough, you could feel the vibrations and echoes of sound and interpret it.¡±
¡°Interpret vibrations? You can understand what people say when all that you could hear are vibrations?¡± Seeker asked again. Seeker then paused and quickly scrutinized the logical correctness of his statement.
¡°Didn¡¯t Beethoven did it? He used his sense of touch to feel the vibrations of each key, and he later managed to produce masterpieces. Imagine the possibilities if an Unlocked mind could master this. I wonder what kind of Champion Beethoven would have been if he was alive now.¡± The Realm King laughed.
¡°So I need to feel the sound and try to find a way to interpret it?¡± Seeker asked.
The Realm King gave a happy nod.
Seeker sighed. This task was hard to reach. They had no time to train.
¡°Too bad I¡¯m not one of them Believers. If I was, it would have been possible and this talk would have more usefulness.¡±
¡°It would. But I don¡¯t like the idea of you being a Believer. You enjoy the climb more than the peak. That is your strength, Seeker. Someday, I¡¯m sure it will prove useful to you.¡±
Seeker smiled once more and his consciousness returned him to his present self-standing on the roof.
He had reached the Surmounting stage of the Ranked Hero then and had the experience to understand how echolocation works and could use Realm Somatotopy at an experienced level. But at the moment that Seeker died, as his Unlocking soared to uncharted levels, for a brief second, managed to experience the fusion of these two.
Experience leads to understanding, and understanding to knowledge and knowledge to control.
¡°General, I can finally walk on your footsteps. Seeker smiled softly.
Seeker closed his eyes and focused his senses. He was subtly closing the senses of his smell, his sight, and even his touch. His hearing senses were pushed to the maximum. Using his memories as the foundation Seeker recalled how his hearing would reach an impressive range of nearly 20 meters.
He could hear and even make a mental map of what was happening down the building. The sounds mapped out the movements of Cliff who carried several weapons which Seeker could make out as axes and swords.
The objects that Lynd was carrying with caution was an assault rifle that was exclusively used by the military. Seeker could make out the design based on the shape of the gun.
¡°This is it. Echolocation.¡± Seeker took a deep breath as he struggled to maintain this state.
Seeker then stopped using Echolocation and blocked his sense of hearing.
He slowly blocked all his senses leaving the sense of touch active.
¡°Realm Somatotopy.¡± Seeker started to push his sense of touch to the maximum.
Seeker could feel everything within 10 meters. Occasionally some of his friends would enter this range and Seeker could feel their presence. He knew where they were and what they were doing. He could barely make a mental map. But with the experience of his memories, he could immediately interpret it into a clearer image.
Seeker ended his state. He gripped his fist in preparation for the merging of these two. He remembered the feeling but now he would try to combine these two.
Seeker opened his sense of hearing and sense of touch and pushed both to the maximum.
It was chaos. Seeker convulsed at the strange sensation he felt. He felt as if he wasn¡¯t in his current position any longer. Unlike the experience of having an out-of-body experience where he could ¡®see¡¯ the area around him, Seeker felt as if he was everywhere within 10 meters.
His convulsion almost made Seeker faint. Seeker stopped the merging of these two and to his horror, he was falling down.
Seeker immediately took the pickaxe he held and smashed it on the wall. Seeker almost reached the ground when he was clinging to it.
¡°ZEEK!¡± Lynd and Meryl cried as they rushed to their friend.
Seeker let go of the pickaxe and fell to the ground. He lay flat on the ground and was gasping for breath. He managed to feel the sensation of the fuse but his head was now throbbing in pain.
¡°What happened?¡± Charles ran and asked Seeker.
¡°Don¡¯t worry guys.¡± Seeker spoke as he tried to catch his breath.
¡°I¡¯m alright. I just did something reckless.¡± Seeker smiled as he tried to sit up.
His head continued to spin. He could occasionally feel the area through his hearing and his touch.
Seeker laid on his back once again. His world was spinning.
He opened his eyes and gazed tiredly at the clouds.
It was then he saw it.
¡°What the?¡± Seeker reacted. He continued to fix his eyes on the sky as if trying to find something.
Everyone around him turned and gazed to the sky at the direction that Seeker was looking.
Seeker frowned.
¡°Is something wrong?¡± Charles asked with a worried tone.
¡°I can¡¯t see it. But I¡¯m sure it¡¯s there. Alean, giveme a sniper rifle.¡± Seeker commanded angrily.
Alean was startled at Seeker¡¯s angry tone and rushed to grab the gun.
Seeker closed his eyes once more and started to breathe deeply. He relaxed his entire body. Soon he managed to stabilize his sensation.
Seeker stood up and reached for the gun that Alean carried. Seeker took the pickaxe that still hung on the floor. With one hand he carried the rifle and with the other, he used the same scaling technique. This time, Seeker was hitting for the holes that he already made. Since he didn''t have to strike hard, Seeker was able to easily manage the rise with only one pickaxe.
Seeker swiftly reached the roof of the building.
He then positioned himself far into the middle area in case he would convulse again. Seeker continued to keep his eyes open.
Seeker then aimed the gun high. It didn¡¯t look like he was aiming for anything.
¡°What are you doing Zeek?¡± Meryl shouted.
Seeker looked around the area as if he was looking for something. Seeker was shivering. He could barely manage this state.
¡°Found ya!¡± Seeker aimed at an elevated position and fired three bullets at the sky. It was a strange sight for the group below. Seeker didn¡¯t even use the scope.
Inside a building a few blocks away from where Seeker and his team was, two men were observing Seeker through a computer.
¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. He seems to be aiming at something.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t He look directly at the drone?¡±
¡°Idiot. Look where he¡¯s aiming!¡±
¡°His shooting! Just what is he aiming at?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know-¡±
PENG! PENG! PENG!
Three bullets pierced through the slightly opened window. One bullet pierced through the computer and destroyed it. Another pierced through the first soldiers left leg while the other pierced through the soldier¡¯s right arm.
¡°AHHH!¡± The first soldier cried in surprise.
The second showed his tenure as he quickly dashed for cover and grabbed a radio-like device.
¡°General! We are under attack! Seeker is shooting at us!¡± The panicked soldier reported.
Seeker reached the ground as he used his left hand to hook himself and to disrupt his free fall.
¡°Alean. Tell your dad I won¡¯t be so generous next time.¡± Seeker spoke as he walked towards the weapon shack.
A crashing sound was then heard near their area.
The group turned near the south side of the building and could now see an object that would blink intermittently to reveal itself.
¡°It¡¯s a military grade drone!¡± Alean cried in shock.
Chapter Thirty-Five: Forced Unlocking
The fallen drone had a sophisticated pseudo-cloaking technology made possible through innovative camouflaging features.
¡°Cloaking-level camouflage eh?¡± Charles shook his head seeing how the fallen drone would blink from being visible to invisible. He knew drones like these were expensive.
Alean immediately shuffled to call her father.
¡°General-¡±
¡°Thank Seeker for sparing my men¡¯s lives. Ask if we can retrieve the drone.¡± Harker immediately spoke.
¡°He can send his men to pick it up after we are finished here. It¡¯s not damaged beyond repair.¡± Seeker responded loudly as if he heard what Harker was saying over the phone.
¡°Thank you,¡± Harker responded as he could overhear Seeker¡¯s cold voice.
¡°And if you do spy on me again, I won¡¯t be so generous.¡± Seeker angrily spoke.
Harker was silent on the other line.
Alean abruptly hangs up the phone and stood silently.
¡°You managed to see something that is practically invisible!¡± Charles commended.
¡°I couldn¡¯t ¡®see.¡¯ It was more of seeing and feeling I guess. Whatever¡ that was very unsettling. I better not enter that state with my current level.¡± Seeker sighed.
¡°Geez Zeek. You almost died there. Be more careful when you try things like those!¡± Meryl scolded.
¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t expect it would be that bad. Ugh. I can¡¯t believe the Realm King could easily do that without getting all queasy.¡± Seeker frowned. It was almost impossible for him to remain in that state.
¡°I guess it¡¯s not that easy to follow on the footsteps of a World Champion. Here I am with all my advantages, and I¡¯m not even sure if I can make it to that realm.¡± Seeker sighed.
¡°What are you talking about?¡± Alean interjected.
¡°You¡¯ll find out in a bit.¡± Seeker smiled.
Everyone had a confused look.
¡°Alright, Zeek. I think it¡¯s about time you tell us why we had to come here. The weapons are all in place. I can¡¯t help but worry with all the military surveillance and the weapon we have here.¡± Meryl spoke bluntly.
¡°Right now, what we need to do is to Unlock.¡±
¡°What do you mean to Unlock?¡± Lynd had a curious look.
¡°You see, in preparation of the coming battles, we need two things, First, I need to push my Unlocking further.¡±
¡°How? I thought that my research would be the key to improving your Unlocking.¡± Charles asked immediately.
¡°You are right. We need your tech to open the Unlocking to everyone. It is almost impossible for people to reach the Unbecoming stage in their entire life, much less the Inhuman stage. you can¡¯t train to reach that position. But because of my unique circumstance, I can.¡± Seeker asked.
Cliff and Alean had a confused look at the question but noticing that this hasn¡¯t startled the rest, they kept quiet.
¡°So how do you improve your Unlocking?¡±
¡°Constant use. I need to improve my foundation on almost everything. I realized that forcing higher levels of the Unlocking could be detrimental to my overall potential. In the future, what we needed were more Unlocked individuals. We rushed into things. But now, I have the opportunity to hone my skills. So I need to constantly allow myself to use these skills in actual battle.¡±
¡°I see. It¡¯s like your rebuilding your foundation.¡± Charles analyzed.
Seeker nodded. He then went towards the guns and ammo.
¡°However, being in this state offers a lot of responsibilities. It means that I have to understand how to effectively use all weapons. After all, I can¡¯t build an army if I don¡¯t know how to train them.¡±
Seeker immediately took an assault rifle and started to observe every inch of it.
¡°The second thing I need; is to experiment how I can stimulate the Unlocking without relying on your research Charles. I believe that people who have been Unlocked prior to having you rework their brain would allow them to have a higher chance of reaching Ranked Hero.¡± Seeker started selecting from the guns displayed.
¡°So you mean to stimulate peoples brain to which they can reach beyond the ten percent norm?¡±
¡°Yes. The question is, how do we force a person to reach this state?¡±
The group was silently contemplating. Alean and Cliff listened intently to their discussion although they couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of where this discussion was about.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
¡°Maybe have them fight a lot? Martial artist and athletes have this right? So why not do what they do?¡± Lynd suggested.
¡°That would take years though. And the increase is too small. Not to mention it will only aid in some parts of their perception.¡± Seeker shook his head.
¡°What I need is something that will push the brain to an extreme level of stress.¡± Seeker smiled.
Charles frowned at this suggestion.
¡°I got it! What if they encounter life-threatening situations? Didn¡¯t you mention stuff about OOBE and life reviews a result of pushing their brains beyond the ten percent?¡± Meryl shouted.
¡°That is true but it¡¯s almost impossible to achieve that.¡± Charles countered.
Meryl frowned.
¡°How is it impossible?¡±
¡°Charles is correct. Doing what you suggest is difficult.¡± Seeker said as he removed the silencer from the gun barrel.
¡°How is that difficult? We can scare them or something. Let¡¯s just have them face a lot of dangerous situations and they should have those.¡±
Charles shook his head.
¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. It isn¡¯t as simple as putting them in a dangerous situation. I served on several tours during my days as an army doctor. I had a lot of close calls but I never experienced either of those.¡±
¡°Then what could cause that?¡± Lynd asked curiously.
¡°It has to be a feeling where they would genuinely think that they would die. If their brains are pushed to that point of mortality they would probably push beyond the norm.¡±
¡°Oh. That sounds reckless. What could make them think that they are sure to die? We¡¯d have to do something really bad to them to make them think that.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not only reckless but it¡¯s dangerous. Unless we have a way to ensure that no one would die while performing this experiment then we cannot use that.¡±
¡°Oh. So we can¡¯t do that...¡± Meryl sighed.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A bullet flew and grazed Lynd¡¯s left cheek,
A bullet grazed Charles¡¯ left arm.
And Meryl stumbled in shock when he heard an ear-piercing gunshot right at her ears.
Before anyone of them could shout a strange choking sensation stopped them from doing it.
Everyone looked at the source of the gunshots. And they froze when they saw Seeker.
He was holding several guns and a lot of weapons were protruding through a small bag he was wearing. What was scary was that he shot the three with blindfolds on.
¡°Actually we can.¡±
A terrifying sensation overcame Meryl and she almost fell to the floor in fear.
Seeker had an almost demonic grin.
Everyone was gripped with fear. Lynd saw the wound on his cheek and gazed at Seeker who was now wearing blindfolds, he felt a spine-chilling sensation.
Finally, the sensations that he or Meryl never felt, were now experienced in a horrifying level.
¡°I can create fear as well as imitate a life-threatening situation. I can make it that it would look so believable, that the said lab rats will either achieve a state of Unlocking or die from a heart attack.¡± Seeker laughed as he placed the silencer back to the handgun.
¡°And most importantly, I can also ensure that no one will die in this situation.¡±
Seeker was slowly approaching Meryl.
Meryl wanted to shout but Seeker¡¯s aura was too strong.
She slowly crawled backward as Seeker approached.
¡°I hope none of you will suffer from post-traumatic stress after this. Oh well, it¡¯s a risk I¡¯m willing to take. I don¡¯t need weakness in the upcoming battles. I¡¯ll count to five. After that, I begin my massacre. Use whatever weapons against me.¡± Seeker ordered as he posed to a stance which was ready to shoot.
Charles and Alean were the first to scramble towards the weapon.
¡°GET UP!¡± Charles shouted towards Meryl.
¡°Five.¡±
Lynd was petrified and couldn¡¯t move. He turned around to see Cliff limping towards the weapon shack. He was too far from the guns and that was also too near from the devil incarnate.
¡°HELP ME!¡± Meryl cried hysterically.
¡°Four.¡±
Alean took the gun and without warning opened fire. Seeker didn¡¯t even have to move as Alean¡¯s shaking hands couldn¡¯t aim properly.
¡°Three.¡±
Meryl was lifted up by a slow-moving Lynd. Charles also started to shoot at Seeker.
Seeker was easily evading the bullets despite being blindfolded. He was using both Echolocation and Realm Somatotopy at the same time. However, he did not merge the two.
¡°Two. You got to try harder guys. I need a more stimulating practice.¡± Seeker smiled.
Lynd and Meryl were struggling to get inside the building.
Cliff now had a long steel bat but was also rushing for the door.
¡°One.¡±
Alean¡¯s cry was the first thing that Lynd heard. He struggled to move faster. Meryl managed to jolt her mind back in order and managed to get control of her body. She then started running faster. Lynd started running faster as he noticed Meryl¡¯s recovery.
Several gunshots continued to resound as the pair dashed for the door. Cliff was just about to reach it ahead when a bullet pierced through the ground he was about to step on. The surprise caused Cliff to lose his balance and he stumbled and rolled on the dirt.
Two bullets grazed the legs of Lynd and Meryl and the sheer fright they felt to the grazing bullet caused them to stumble.
¡°Weak. I guess I¡¯ll just kill you.¡± Seeker roared insanely as he shot more rounds across the place.
An hour later, Seeker finally removed the blindfold.
¡°That was a very helpful exercise. I think I managed to improve my use of both Echolocation and Realm Somatotopy.¡± A carefree tune followed as Seeker happily whistled. He started to return the guns to its proper place, making sure to check that it was not damaged.
¡°Excuse me, Meryl.¡± Seeker spoke in passing as he walked over a hysterically crying Meryl who was clutching one leg of the table where the guns were placed.
¡°Mama¡ Mama¡¡± Meryl continued to sob.
On the table, the guns were in a mess. Seeker started to slowly arrange it in order. On the right side of the table, Charles was lying flat staring up the skies.
Seeker had jumped over him and drove a large knife down his face but would stop just in time. However, each time he did that, Charles could feel the wind piercing through. Seeker then continued to stab on him barely scraping the skin of his neck. The sensation of experiencing the moment of his death over twenty times left him dull and unmoving.
¡°You alright Charles? I figured since you¡¯re the most experienced in this group, I should give you special treatment.¡± Seeker laughed.
Around the corner of the building, Alean lay unconscious. She rested quite peacefully. Unlike Charles who managed to stay conscious, she lost hers on the third time Seeker blasted a gun at her face. Seeker¡¯s handling was precise. He would thrust the gun as close as he can towards Alean¡¯s face and at the last second would change the angle of the gun to ensure that Alean wouldn¡¯t get hit.
Lynd was vomiting at an area beside Alean. When he saw Seeker holding Alean by the hair and was about to shoot at her face, he ran and tried to impale Seeker with a large pike he got from the weapon shack. Seeker used a strange technique and managed to snatch the pike away from Lynd. Lynd thought that Seeker had impaled him twice and shot him in the chest twice. But for some reason, though his chest hurt he had no wounds.
Cliff was barely keeping his consciousness. His pants were wet. He thought Seeker shot him at the head so he remained lifeless waiting for his death with an empty bladder.
¡°Alright, guys. Let¡¯s have a fifteen-minute water break. I¡¯ll just reload these guns and repair whatever damage there is to the surrounding weapons and we will start again.¡± Seeker smiled.
All who were conscious fainted at Seeker¡¯s declaration.
Chapter Thirty-Six: The Taste of Dying
Seeker was dripping with sweat. There were several gun holes around the area. Tables were overturned, windows shattered and a lot of swords, knives and even axes was scattered throughout the area.
¡°I guess we should call it a day. I need to eat a lot of food before we start today¡¯s stream.¡± Seeker finally said as he removed the blindfolds.
His companions weren¡¯t as well of as Seeker was.
Lynd and Meryl lay unconscious on the floor. This time Alean was conscious as she was gripping a handgun tightly. She dared not let it go. Though it had been empty for about 10 minutes the continuous fear just made her grip it and pull the trigger relentlessly.
Charles and Cliff were lying directly in front of Seeker. Cliff carried an assault rifle while Charles had a handgun and a large knife on hand. Both of them continued to shiver.
Seeker hadn¡¯t been using his aura but after what was 4 hours of continuous fighting the fear never seemed to leave them.
Seeker relaxed and started to clean up the mess that they had left. The place clearly looked like it went through a war zone.
After ten minutes Alean finally rose and slowly crept towards Seeker. Her steps were very unstable, like a newborn baby who just learned how to walk. Cliff and Charles did not make any effort to move. They just laid there as if they knew death was imminent.
¡°Who are you?!¡± Alean cried out. She was turning hysterical. She had quite a lot of dangerous moments considering her job dealt with the military and her father¡¯s business. But those moments were nothing to the four-hour fighting she had just experienced again and again.
Their training encompassed several ¡°sessions.¡± Each session began with a time limit of 10 minutes. But Seeker kept continuously increasing the time after several sessions. The last sessions were 30 minutes long. Each succeeding sessions brought more satisfactory results. At first, Lynd and Meryl would just pass out or run away at the first attacks but they were later able to fight back.
¡°You should ask Charles when he¡¯s alright.¡± Seeker answered casually as he continued to pick up the weapons.
Charles slowly stood up and was walking towards Lynd and Meryl. It was his job to check on the psychological and mental states of each other.
As he approached the two, to his surprise they were already awake. Lynd just continued to close his eyes to calm himself. Meryl, however, was looking directly at the bright sun. It didn¡¯t seem to bother her.
¡°They look alright,¡± Charles concluded. He turned back to Cliff and observed him.
Cliff just gave a sad nod.
¡°Did you manage to see it?¡± Seeker finally asked.
¡°You could have asked that question the first time. I saw it at that moment you tried to stab me. Your blade seemed slower. I could think faster and I was able to recall events that even I have forgotten.¡± Charles spoke.
¡°But you could only see it right? You haven¡¯t developed a way to make your mind move your body. Time has slowed down but your body can¡¯t keep up. It means you broke through up to the twelfth percent. What we need is 13 in order to be considered at the Unbecoming. Hopefully, you¡¯d be able to emulate it after a few more session. Perhaps another set of sessions will allow you to control it. Be here on Sunday.¡±
¡°So I get a day off because you have to stream huh? Lucky me.¡± Charles sighed as he sat down on the ground. His clothes were already a mess so it didn¡¯t bother him.
¡°Why do I need to be here anyway? Shouldn¡¯t I work on my research?¡±
¡°If you reach the first Unlocked state, then you should progress at least two times faster in your research. The mental state that an Advent Unbecoming allows you to stay at your mental peak. Regardless if you are sleepy, tired or bent out of shape, your mind will function as if it was at its optimum state.¡±
Charles stared in greed. If he could manage that state, then he wouldn¡¯t need to drink all those coffees and could stay awake longer to finish his research!
¡°Advent?¡±
¡°Yes. Each stage of the Unlocking is further divided into three ranks. Advent, Proficient and Surmounting. Advent is at a minimum 13 percent with a 15 percent max reach. Proficient in at 15 minimum, and 18 maximum. Surmounting requires a minimum of 18 and 23 at max. As you can see, the time you increase in rank is when your maximum becomes the minimum. ¡°
¡°How far are you at again?¡± Charles asked.
¡°I would guess that I could reach twenty-six at my maximum state. But my minimum should be around ten or eleven.¡± Seeker shrugged.
¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±
¡°I know. I guess this is the effect of my memories. I assume that my real state should barely touch the Proficient rank. But Advance Recall seems to be allowing me to reach higher ranks. Truth be told I don¡¯t know the maximum state I can reach. But if I push myself I would probably die.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL YOU TWO ARE TALKING ABOUT?!¡± Alean screamed after being ignored for too long.
Everyone except Seeker jolted at the sudden scream.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Charles, I guess it¡¯s time to let these two into what¡¯s been going on. Don¡¯t worry. We can trust Alean. I have the keys to her heart. I¡¯ll talk to my two friends for a bit.¡± Seeker smiled and walked off.
Charles sighed and motioned for Alean and Cliff to follow him. He decided to change venues as he could tell what Seeker intended based on his serious expressions.
Seeker approached his two friends who gave him a curious look. They were still laying down on the ground lifelessly. They seemed to have no intention of moving.
¡°So how were the near-death experiences?¡± Seeker smiled.
The two gave an angry gaze at Seeker.
¡°You promised that you wouldn¡¯t get us involved in anything dangerous.¡± Lynd breathed in anger.
¡°I never promised that. I just told you that you can quit being my helper.¡± Seeker smiled.
The two were silent at Seeker¡¯s response.
Meryl started to cry again.
¡°I don¡¯t want this.¡± Meryl sobbed.
¡°You don¡¯t want what? The training? Or the fact that you almost died?¡± Seeker asked again with a smiling expression.
¡°Because if it¡¯s the first one, I can stop. If it¡¯s the second one, you¡¯d encounter it sooner or later. Things are just going to get downhill from here, Meryl. People will die left and right. Heck, even World Champions died.¡±
¡°We have you don¡¯t we?¡± Meryl argued.
A strange gripping sensation once again enveloped the two. Seeker¡¯s expression took a drastic turn. Seeker¡¯s angry look caused the two to shudder.
¡°You think that just because I¡¯ve gotten a hold of a set of awesome memories that we are all set right? You¡¯re wrong. Were pressed with time. So far, what we have are weapons and funding. But let me tell you right here and then, that wouldn¡¯t mean anything! You think these weapons can damage the technology the Aragarians will deploy?¡± Seeker held the rifle in his hands.
¡°These were nothing! Their metal is unbreakable, their weapons, unimaginable, and their numbers, uncountable. What can these puny weapons do in the face of their onslaught?¡±
Seeker threw the weapons towards the lying two in anger.
¡°What we really need are Unlocked individuals. And we don¡¯t have the time to wait for Charles. We were dying! I died! Me, a Ranked Hero! And you two just want to ride along with my wave and think you¡¯ll be safe? That¡¯s stupid!¡±
¡°I never asked to be a part of this!¡± Lynd erupted in anger.
¡°We aren¡¯t fighters! We told you! We aren¡¯t like you Royals! If we die, then we die! We¡¯ve long accepted it! We are fine with dying!¡± Lynd shouted.
SMASH!
Seeker buried his foot in Lynd¡¯s stomach. He raised his foot ready to strike again.
¡°Then let me kill you now!¡± Seeker shouted back.
Lynd shivered in fear and didn¡¯t even react to the pain. The amount of fear he felt surpassed any of his previous moments during the training. He started to crawl away. The only thing in his mind was to escape Seeker.
¡°WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?!¡±
Seeker jumped on the path that Lynd was headed and stomped on Lynd¡¯s back. Lynd¡¯s face was buried in the ground.
Seeker withdrew his aura.
Lynd couldn¡¯t move as Seeker pressed hard on his foot. Meryl had a shocked expression on her face. She too felt the same fear that Seeker gave.
¡°You think dying is such a simple thing? Look at you. When I tried to kill you, you ran away. It isn¡¯t that easy, Lynd. Dying isn¡¯t an easy escape. If you die, then your parents could die, your friends could die. Even Alean could die. Who knows? Meryl might die right in front of you and you will just gnash your teeth and weep because you are weak.¡± Seeker stomped once more.
Lynd was struggling to get up but Seeker¡¯s stomp anchored him.
¡°I hope you see Meryl¡¯s brains splattered right in front of you so you would know how it felt for me to see you die the first time!¡±
Seeker turned to Meryl who continued crying.
¡°You too. You think that because you¡¯re a small little girl you get a pass at these things right? Well, I hope that excuse would be useful once you carry your mom and dad¡¯s arms and fingers not knowing what happened to the rest!¡±
Seeker jumped over and kicked Meryl in the stomach.
She clutched her stomach in pain, but her tears were continued pouring like a fountain. Of course, she wasn¡¯t crying about the pain.
¡°I already told you of my fears of the future. We aren¡¯t any closer to winning even with all this New Game advantage. Especially now, with the Dragon looming on my horizon. I¡¯m good as dead if I face him on my own. The people under him are as strong as those in the Unbecoming stage. I might not even make it trying to meet the Dragon!¡±
Seeker took Lynd by the hair and threw him towards Meryl.
¡°Get up you worthless giant!¡±
Lynd¡¯s eyes were red. Red in anger and in tears. He gazed at Seeker with an angry expression.
¡°Why are you angry? I¡¯m supposed to be the one that¡¯s angry! I have to face off with one of the most dangerous criminals this world has produced with his team of assassins and killers, and what do I have? Two weak friends who would rather die. Are you still using your Regular status as an excuse? It doesn¡¯t matter if your Regular, Rising, or Royal! You will all die!¡±
Seeker spoke harshly.
Lynd continued to glare while Meryl continued to sob.
¡°Maybe now that you¡¯ve gotten a taste of what it feels like to die you would understand. Dying is not an escape. It is not a release. It doesn¡¯t take away all the worries you had of this world. It actually accomplishes the very thing you are worried about. Because you won¡¯t be there to stop it!¡± Seeker punched Lynd on the face flatly.
¡°And those who you leave behind will suffer.¡± Seeker met Lynd¡¯s glare. He then grabbed on Lynd¡¯s collar and lifted Lynd towards himself.
¡°So is this how you repay my good graces in trying to turn you into warriors? Wishing you were dead? Then if that¡¯s what you want, cut off our friendship so I wouldn¡¯t care when you die! Make me hate you so much that when you die, I¡¯d smile and laugh it off. Because I¡¯ve suffered enough in watching you two die, I¡¯d rather kill myself now than see you two die again!¡± Seeker shouted angrily. Tears were falling from his eyes.
As Lynd stared at Seeker¡¯s eyes, he could see the pain that his friend felt. This wasn¡¯t Seeker being inconsiderate. This was Seeker being scared.
Meryl continued to cry at Seeker¡¯s painful remarks. But the sight of the unmovable Seeker crying made her clutch her heart in pain.
Seeker gazed at Lynd¡¯s softening expression and at Meryl¡¯s controlled hysteria.
¡°I need you guys to succeed in the Unlocking. I can¡¯t do the next missions alone. Someone has to keep the Dragon¡¯s men busy while I face that monster. Can I count on you?¡± Seeker asked calmly.
The two was silent at first. But then Meryl and Lynd slowly nodded.
Lynd sighed.
¡°I¡¯m sorry for being such a useless friend Zeek. I¡¯ll do my best to meet your expectations.¡± Lynd mumbled softly.
Meryl simply nodded. If she tried to speak she would simply just cry and make unintelligible cries.
Seeker smiled at his two friends. His plans worked. The exposure to fear managed to shake his friends into a good and trainable state. Seeker gave them a moment of silence to get their emotions in order.
¡°Have either of you experienced any of those Unlocked sensations during our training?¡± Seeker asked after a long pause.
Meryl nodded while Lynd shook his head.
Seeker gave a peculiar look at Lynd.
Lynd looked away as he was embarrassed at the outcome.
Seeker just sighed and turned to Meryl.
¡°Meryl, you always boasted about how you can tolerate bright light. Has it improved?¡±
Meryl gave a curious look. She stared at the sun for a while.
Seeker continued to observe Meryl.
Meryl was shocked.
¡°It¡¯s strange. The sun¡¯s brightness doesn¡¯t seem to hurt anymore.¡±
Seeker smiled. Things were advancing smoothly.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Pangean Politics
Harker took one look at the surroundings and frowned. He had heard reports that there were sounds of weapons being fired at this area. Thankfully his soldiers managed to contain the commotion with claims that it was some practice.
He immediately spotted his main concern. The drone was placed on the table and it looked like it didn¡¯t receive much damage from the crash apart from the damaged wing. Harker sighed in relief.
¡°Now Harker, let¡¯s get down to business. I¡¯ll ignore your spying attempts and hope that that served as a valuable lesson.¡± Seeker smiled.
Harker clutched his fist. The last thing that the drone captured was Seeker firing three rounds of bullets which wounded his men. What was interesting was how Seeker didn¡¯t use the scope of the gun.
¡°Now General, on to business. You know about Pangean Politics more than I do. Who¡¯s who in the political arena?¡± Seeker asked.
¡°Every politician in this damned country. That¡¯s why I never meddled with politics. Generals, National Managers, Vice-National Managers. We all know that the Pangean Nations has the most unique government system. Even I wouldn¡¯t know where to start or who to deal with. I was never interested in having that kind of power anyway.¡±
¡°Your advantage is your silence in this matter. Given your very cautious nature, no one would expect you, the silent and headstrong General to aim for the Presidential Seat. So who has the highest chances of being President if President Colestar is voted out?¡±
¡°Hyron of the Indo-Pangean.¡± Harker answered without missing a beat.
¡°But it¡¯s impossible. Granted the nature of our country, he needs to hold at least more than half of the Senator¡¯s in each Pangean Nation in order to have a shot at winning.¡±
¡°As I said, your disinterest makes it the most appealing nature. Prove yourself as a man of this Pangean Nation. If you reach a status similar to that of a hero when Colestar gets voted out, you¡¯d probably be nominated by Hyron, should you accept.¡±
¡°A hero? War¡¯s like that don¡¯t come easily Seeker.¡±
¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. The best way to temporarily halt Dragon¡¯s advances is to start a war. If he sees strange movement within this nation, he will have to think twice before rallying his forces in. Especially if you get deployed on foreign land to fight the war.¡±
¡°But there are no wars.¡± Harker answered again trying to sound as respectful as he can.
¡°I said don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll start one. If things go according to plan, then by this time next week, we should be having one.¡±
There was silence.
Everyone present continued to stare at Seeker.
¡°It¡¯s none of your concern.¡± Seeker laughed as he noticed the silence.
¡°We¡¯ll just have to play it by ear. I¡¯m not perfectly sure things will go as intended after all. For now, our main concern is how to get our current President evicted.¡±
¡°And how do you propose to do that?¡±
¡°Kidnap all media heads of these three countries. Turn them into Programmed Slaves. Once we have that we can kill his image.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t get it, Zeek. Why the media heads? Why not kidnap the Senators and leaders directly?¡±
¡°Too risky. If we aim for the media heads, we would be aiming for only five individuals. Going with the senators would take us quite a bit of time and effort. Not to mention the risk of discovery.¡±
¡°That¡¯s all? Just the media?¡± Meryl asked unsure of the plan.
¡°The media is the making or the breaking of a nation.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Regardless of how good or reputable a persons character is; it is subject to public opinion. Imagine hearing and reading news about Colestar every day about his mistakes and blunders?¡±
¡°Colestar has an almost impeccable reputation. He literally is one of the best presidents our countries ever had.¡± Charles voiced out.
¡°And yet, because of my plans, hemustfall. Doubt, Doctor. That is the main goal for now.
¡°How can doubt be helpful?¡± Harker asked immediately. He expected a far more complicated plan.
¡°Doubt is the ultimate feller of leaders, General. Doubt is the most important ingredient to win the country. Right now the whole country sees Colestar as this great President. But mark my words, he isn¡¯t the first great President to ever be done in by the media and the horrifying effects of doubt.¡±
¡°So let¡¯s say we manage to take over these media outlets. What happens then?¡± Harker listened.
¡°The media does its magic. Any news event regarding the President can be switched to have a subtle title or presentation which can damage his character.¡±
¡°How?¡± Meryl asked with a confused expression.Stolen story; please report.
¡°Let¡¯s take the current event. The President just denied the ongoing legislative movement concerning to remove the mandatory 13th-month pay and make it optional. Almost every news outlet praise this and gave positive news title.¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t they just reporting it as it is?¡± Lynd asked in confusion.
¡°President denies appeals for optional 13thMonth Pay. Urges companies to promote family time for workers.¡± Seeker recited a title.
¡°It¡¯s positive news reporting. They shifted the focus on how the President wants to encourage companies to give proper compensation for their workers to have time for their families especially on the holidays.¡±
¡°Right. Because that¡¯s what it is.¡± Meryl nodded.
¡°Really? What If I changed the title to; President denies appeals for optional 13thMonth Pay, January Resignations at an all-time high? Now I shifted the point of view of this article to show the cons of the article and not its pros.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°But I¡¯m sure the people will see the benefits if they read the whole article!¡± Meryl argued.
¡°Ifthey read it.That¡¯s the beauty of the media. The government or specifically the President, cannot charge libel against the media. The whole article may contain it, but how many, amongst all readers will read the article? Some will just glance at the title page and create their own interpretation.¡±
Meryl couldn¡¯t retort after this. She had been doing the same thing after all.
¡°The first article title was very positive. In fact, it¡¯s hard to find any negative arguments to counter that. But the second article reveals the flaws of the President¡¯s move and does not provide anything positive that readers will have to say. And the worst thing is, both news doesn¡¯t seem to be biased as it appears to just be reporting the truth.¡±
Meryl remained silent at Seeker¡¯s example.
¡°A simple news article like that will make people question the validity of his move. That¡¯s how powerful the media is. It can make something positive look negative or something negative look positive. Only those with high levels of critical thinking will catch on in this attempt to badmouth the president. But let¡¯s be honest. That¡¯s not common nowadays.¡±
Charles gave a light chuckle agreeing with Seeker.
¡°And that¡¯s what we¡¯ll have all the media do. If one media outlet does it, it can be buffered by another who presents the positive. But imagine if all media outlets present these negative subtle attacks. And the trick is, they don¡¯t attack the President directly. They attack his regime. If any of those under him or supports him makes a blunder, they capitalize on that. Put it on the headlines and slap the President¡¯s name on board even if he really has nothing to do with it.¡±
¡°Will that work?¡±
¡°It worked for the previous President. It was comical really. A problem at the main highway which caused great traffic and delayed thousands of workers. And then they slap the President¡¯s name on the report. I mean, what has the President have to do with anything in that? Shouldn¡¯t the news focus on the Traffic and Land Development organizations?¡±
¡°I remember those! But I really hadn¡¯t thought about it like that.¡± Meryl contemplated.
Harker ignored the casual joining of these other teens. For such a serious topic, Seeker took his time to explain it to these youths. But because Seeker valued their input he just stood quietly. He noticed Alean has been awfully quiet during this entire discussion.
¡°The President may or may not address the issue. A little negative presentation of a good news and do it constantly and you can build up the hate for the President. Once that settles in, it would be your time to shine General.¡±
Harker simply nodded.
¡°I agree to your estimations. But will ¡®doubt¡¯ be enough to make the people ride on the hate train?¡±
¡°It will. By making people doubt his character, it will make those who hate him, hate him all the more.¡±
¡°Our main concern is how to make the masses hate him then. After all, his current reforms are all quite noble.¡± Charles added.
¡°Indeed it is. But any action regardless of its noble nature will always cause reactions. He has been focusing on eliminating three things within the Pangean Nations. Foreign hating culture, the division between the three nations, and lastly poverty. So what do you think would be the possible groups that will rally against him?¡±
¡°Will anyone want to go against those? They are noble causes after all.¡± Meryl frowned at such a stupid question.
¡°Na?ve.¡± Alean finally spoke.
¡°Seeker¡¯s right. These three agendas have agitated a large group of people. Indo-Pangea, who has long been the least progressive of the three Pangean nation, hate how they always get the low end of the deal. With Colestar''s attempts in uniting the three nations, the political and rich groups who control Indo-Pangea will undoubtedly be against this. In fact, we are already seeing several politicians in Indo-Pangea who has revealed their disdain in this movement. Seeker, you plan to use those groups against Colestar to stir the fire, correct?¡±
Seeker nodded.
¡°Malay-Pangea who had taken the brunt of the damage during the Colonist war is the most fearful and hateful among the three in regards to foreigners. No doubt there are active enemies of Colestar in that Nation. And our country, the Phil-Pangea has the most poverty-stricken area. By increasing wages, businessman in this country may want another president in.¡± Lynd interjected before Alean could speak.
Everyone was shocked at Lynd¡¯s sudden analysis. They looked at him strangely.
¡°Wow. I bet that was what Alean was going to say.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°More or less.¡± Alean gave a charming look at Lynd.
Lynd blushed as he too was surprised at his own monologue.
¡°We have groups in each country who can fuel the fire that can start the bandwagon of hate. If the media subtly introduces a series of bad news about him, then doubt will surely appear. There will be people who will fight for his cause though and attempt their own counter-reforms to uplift the image of the president.¡±
¡°That is the problem. The masses love him.¡± Harker interjected.
¡°Wrong. The masses areentertainedby him. Only a few love him. Once people see several newsreports of poor service their entertainment will turn to disgust. The masses are an easily controlled group of people. If they see a trend in politics, they follow that. If we control all media outlets in the three Pangean Nations, we can mind-control the masses. Trust in the stupidity and shallowness of the masses, General.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Alean nodded.
¡°I¡¯m not convinced.¡± Meryl spoke once more.
¡°Having these groups wouldn¡¯t do much Zeek. I mean, they are the minority.¡±
¡°You forget the political opponents of the President. Politics is a game of patience. They have to know when and how to strike. There are only two politicians who are actively pushing their campaign against the President. It does not signify that the President has many allies. It only means, that to most of his enemies, it isn¡¯t the right time to strike.¡±
Harker and Alean smiled at Seeker''s words.
¡°How sure are you that the President has many enemies?¡± Meryl frowned.
¡°Na?ve little girl.¡± It was Harker who spoke this time.
¡°As long as the concept of ¡®Self-gain¡¯ exists, any king of this world will always have enemies. These politicians will follow and pursue the path that greatly benefits themselves. Seeker does not mean enemies who hate the President. But enemies who will turn against the President should the right opportunity present itself giving them more to gain.¡± Harker turned to Seeker and laughed.
¡°Who would have thought that your manipulative and scheming nature would be as strong as your physical skills...¡±
Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Great Gamble Begins
Seeker was alone in the apartment for the stream that night. Due to the exhausted appearances of Lynd and Meryl, Seeker agreed to do it alone. The last stream was barely two hours long when Seeker completed the game.
Seeker once again rose to internet fame as he defeated the game in less than 19 hours. It wasn¡¯t far from Arthur¡¯s predicted time. This was already a record which even Precept Gaming had to acknowledge. No one was able to beat the current game at this time. Even among the pros, the estimate was about 22-33 hours excluding the top brass like Precision.
After the stream, Seeker went home and gave his parents a delightful surprise.
¡°Five hundred thousand Sydians?!¡± Grace cried out in excitement.
Chris was just looking at the amount of money that Seeker casually handed over as ¡®pocket money¡¯ for their trip.
¡°This is too much Zeek. We could afford the trip of ourselves. No need to give me those¡¡± Chris never had this much money in their bank account.
¡°Mom, Dad. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t need this much. I really don¡¯t. I already earn a lot with my online celebrity status. So take the money. You can go on a shopping spree or travel the world or something. I¡¯ll probably be leaving too. After tomorrow I could be on my way to Australia for the Nations of the World E-Sport Meet. Principal Decker was just kind enough to approve about a week-long leave at school.¡± Seeker calmly explained.
Grace and Chris looked at each other and smiled.
¡°You know what, use the money to go elsewhere. I can probably earn enough to pay for whatever we need by the time you get back. If we win the tournament, which I am confident of, I should be able to take home about two hundred to five hundred thousand Sydians.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°No, we just can¡¯t. Seeker, you are an adult now. And with this building career of yours, we want you to grow and to learn how to properly manage your funds. And I believe that letting you have a free reign over your money would be a better teacher than having me and your mom manage your funds. Right now, I think a little personal experience with that money can help you grow.¡± Chris instructed.
¡°Of course, we appreciate this gesture of having us hold on to your money but it¡¯s better if we discuss your plans now and just give you advice,¡± Grace spoke dearly to the son who he was extremely proud of.
¡°Who said anything about giving you all my money? I have more. I even gave Lynd and Meryl the roughly a two hundred thousand so they can send their parents on an all-expense paid vacation.¡± Seeker interrupted.
The two parents stood silently. It was as if they tried to analyze Seeker''s statement like it was a profound riddle or a difficult math problem.
¡°You gave your two friends two hundred thousand Sydians?¡± Grace calmly asked.
¡°Two hundred each. So four hundred.¡± Seeker nodded.
¡°Seeker. Have you lost your mind?¡± Grace tried to control her voice.
¡°What? No. I did what I felt I should do with my money. Like what you just said.¡± Seeker shrugged.
¡°I gave away some of my money to my friends and some to you. Think of it as a thank you to them for helping me. But I will be managing my money from here on.¡±
¡°You gave away FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND?¡± Grace¡¯s tone rose drastically.
¡°Yeah. They earned it. They¡¯ve been helping me, you know. Both in advertising and all the technical help. They deserve it.¡±
¡°How much money do you have left?¡± Chris interrupted.
¡°Including this five hundred thousand? About 4.5 million give or take. I earned quite a lot with all the advertising and stuff. Meryl and Lynd really outdid themselves. Not to mention I got a lot of investors now who hold me in high regard.¡± Seeker smiled. It helped that his parents weren¡¯t well-versed in gaming jargons.
¡°Give us One Million- Two million Sydians.¡± Chris demanded. He was about to demand one million when he felt his wife giving him a strong pinch.
¡°Ok. I¡¯ll just withdraw some more tomorrow. Go wild on your trip guys. Love you.¡± Seeker kissed his parent¡¯s goodnight.
¡°Typical of mom.¡± Seeker mumbled happily under his breath as he walked back to his room.
Seeker¡¯s parents took the money and quietly walked towards their room. Howls of demented shouts and excited cries were heard as the late hours passed.
Seeker was the first to arrive at the apartment the very next day.
He was already setting up his computer for the big game.
Lynd and Meryl arrived together.
¡°You guys alright?¡± Seeker smiled as he looked at the tired eyes of his two assistants.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Lynd gave an obvious look at Seeker.
Meryl had a worried one.
¡°Are we going to do that training later?¡± Meryl asked sheepishly.
¡°A different kind this time. Yesterday I needed to work on my gun skills. Tonight, it¡¯s going to be a close combat bonanza.¡± Seeker smiled.
Meryl was in tears.
¡°So, any signs of improvement?¡±
The two shook their heads helplessly.
Seeker laughed.
¡°It¡¯s alright. We have a lot of time to prepare. I bet another day or two and you can somehow touch on the basics of pushing your brain to a higher level of Unlocking.¡±
The two sighed as they heard Seeker.
¡°Is there a trick? How does it feel when you try to push your brain harder?¡± Meryl asked.
¡°Yeah, Zeek? What¡¯s the trick? I tried to concentrate so hard that my face turned red but nothing happened.¡±
Seeker laughed as he remembered his ¡®younger¡¯ days.
¡°Are you sure you were concentrating and not contracting all the muscles you can control in your general head area? Were you holding your breath as you tried to contract your muscles?¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°I was uh... trying something.¡± Lynd gave n embarrassed response.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. The more you experience it, the more you get the hang of it.¡±
¡°How sure are you this will work? Was this done on you?¡± Meryl asked.
¡°No of course not. The scenarios of my unlocking involved Charles. Due to the war, we were forced to evacuate this country. I met Charles during the escape and at that time Charles already had developed a serum that was untested. One thing led to another and eventually got exposed to these drugs which pushed my brain straight to the Unbecoming stage.¡±
¡°If that''s how you got unlocked, then how sure are you that this will work?¡±
¡°Because there were records of people getting Unlocked during the war. Some even Unlocked themselves without getting into life-threatening situations.¡±
¡°How? We even went through hell and couldn¡¯t do that, then how can others do that?¡± Meryl had a curious look.
¡°I don¡¯t know. Even I can¡¯t even comprehend how some managed to do so.¡± Seeker shrugged.
The group continued on to prepare for the stream. It was time for Seeker to rule the gaming world.
Seeker wasn¡¯t lying about the sponsorship. Three international studios purchased the rights to air Seeker¡¯s stream on their channels for a pay-per-view set-up. Aside from that several local cable channels also did the same. It was pure hype. On the Internet, it was known as the Gamble of the Ages.
It was an arrogant claim. Even Precept Gaming has announced that it was virtually impossible to complete the game in less than eight hours. The theoretical minimum would be the previous record that Seeker did. Although Precisions claim was even shorter, it still fell within the scope of possibilities that Precept Gaming announced.
The moment the room opened a gushing number of viewers immediately joined in. The room had over a thousand viewers almost instantly. But despite this number, the room remained quiet. In this room, the list of names of online viewers contained names that any gamer in the world would know.
The Covenant of the Strongest had their complete line up logged in for the stream. Competing Piercing e-sport celebrities were also present.
Git Godlike of the Australian Oceana was also present. This caused the unusual silence in the room. Two of the most competitive Piercing teams who were also basically mortal enemies were here.
¡°Begin.¡± A commanding message displayed when the room was deathly silent.
He was also another reason why the room was silent.
Arthur coldly commanded. It was clear he was here to see the demise of Seeker. Various fans of Seeker didn¡¯t have the heart to even congratulate Seeker. They knew that doing so would display irreverence to Precision.
¡°Haha. Chill Arts! Just sit back and enjoy what you paid for!¡±
If that message just came from anyone, he would have felt the wrath of fans who was disrespectful from their fans. But the game handle of this person had a simple, yet very domineering name. Cronus, the commander of Git Godlike.
Arthur didn¡¯t even bother to respond and just watched the screen.
¡°Hahaha.¡± Seeker laughed as he finally broke the silence.
¡°My oh my. So much tension in the room. Well, here we are. Is it my ¡®judgment¡¯ day? Or my day of triumph? Many may have well-remembered that I just completed Piercing: Bullet last night. But today, I will do it again in a little over seven hours. I see many people here to watch my awesome skills. And also another group who came to see me bury my gaming career. Quite a gamble I¡¯ve placed here and Arthur really made me tie my hands.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°If I fail, I end my career which means I have no way of joining Git Godlike even if they did offer me something. I signed the papers and the lawyers have made the necessary preparations to set up this amazing gamble.¡± Seeker took out a piece of paper. It was a legal document which formalized everything.
¡°I just hope that Arthur won¡¯t be mad at me for wrecking his prophecies. Now. Let us begin.¡± Seeker immediately started a new game in Piercing: Bullet.
The same cut sc¨¨ne appeared where Bullet was happily whistling and later started massacring his enemies.
Seeker didn¡¯t bother to stay too long and immediately went ahead on to the next room to face the boss.
As Seeker continued to attack and evade, a peculiar trend was seen.
¡°He¡¯s still using the melee build but abandoned the skill training?¡± Arthur frowned. In all his calculations of trying to pass the game at record speed, this was the way to go. Skill and proficiency training was the best way.
People then noticed it when Seeker was fighting the boss.
An avalanche of comments started to pour out on the room.
Seeker smiled as he saw this.
¡°I understand your surprise friends. But if I want to beat this game at that time, I have no time for skill training. You¡¯ll understand how I will compensate for this.¡± Seeker smiled mysteriously and continued to attack the boss.
The boss fight took longer than his first playthrough. Without the skills and added damage from the proficiency of the attacks, Seeker spent more than 2 minutes facing the boss. As was already a standard, Seeker had yet to receive one hit.
Seeker looked like he was casually playing. But his viewers were excited. Almost every attack that Seeker used was skill based. It was killing two birds with one stone. Seeker was slowly building the proficiency levels of his current skill as he progressed in the game.
Various comments about Seeker¡¯s antics continued. However, most of the pros or well-known figures of the gaming world kept silent. There was nothing new in Seeker¡¯s progression. If anything, he sacrificed quite a bit of time by doing this. This was vastly noticed as Seeker progressed. Every boss fights were longer than usual.
Arthur didn¡¯t look worried. He gazed straight at the screen and even looked like he expected Seeker to follow this route.
The game continued to progress and soon, over an hour passed.
Arthur was now smirking as time passed. The speed of Seeker wasn¡¯t anything special.
¡°Now. Some may have noticed that my speed, although it is pretty fast, this won¡¯t be enough for me to pass the entire game to win the bet. But after this boss, I should be able to skip overten hours of gameplay.¡± Seeker smiled.
Arthur had a shocked expression.
Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Two Skills Needed
The boss battle began. Seeker had already increased proficiency on many skills and the battle proceeded easily. As the boss health¡¯s decreased to zero, the cut-scene appeared. Bullet, who in the middle of fighting a brawny man with bright shining bracelets, suddenly took out one large handgun. He held that handgun like a tonfa. At the push of a button, a sharp curved blade protruded from the rear sight of the handgun and extended at an exaggerated length. Bullet, who held the handgun like a tonfa now had a short blade.
Bullet ran and thrust his rifle first which were then blocked by something that looked like force fields.
Bullet smiled and rammed the handgun¡¯s blade on the force field and pierced through it.
The brawny man evaded the blade but was met with Bullet¡¯s rifle.
SMASH!
The brawny man somersaulted backward and gazed angrily at Bullet.
¡°You have his weapon?¡±
¡°Why? It¡¯s not cheating. He¡¯s my brother. It¡¯s only natural I get to use it.¡± Bullet smiled. He took a stance which indicated he was ready for another clash.
¡°Boring.¡± The brawny man responded and a large force field emitted under his fist. The man was then catapulted to the air and successfully escaped.
¡°Coward.¡± Bullet laughed as he took a look at the handgun.
¡°Ah screw it. He did give it to me. What¡¯s wrong in using it?¡±
The cutscene faded and the game continued.
Seeker then controlled Bullet to move at a fast speed. Along the way, Seeker would use new combos as he had a new weapon to play around with. A mixture of melee and simple ranged attacks appeared as Bullet was now dual wielding his weapons. One hand carried his trusted Rifle, and another held the unique handgun which could also be used as a blade. However, keeping true to his promise, Seeker didn¡¯t add any skills on his ranged attacks and kept these attacks at basic shots.
As Seeker continued to go along on his journey, the chat room was oddly quiet. Everyone was watching intently at what Seeker would do.
¡°There are two things that are necessary in order to beat this game at record speed.¡± Seeker began to talk mysteriously.
The direction which he was traveling was going towards a very familiar base. It was the base which Piercing used as its main area for storing and developing weapons. Because of this, it was heavily guarded. Throughout the majority of the game, this base was a suicide zone for most players. It was impossible to attack the base. The damage of the enemies in this area was overpowered that for most of the game, one hit was enough to kill Bullet regardless of what armors that Bullet could wear. The entire base used Piercing ammunitions and complex tracking systems that would give headaches to every player.
¡°He¡¯s heading for the Main Base!¡± A viewer typed immediately as he realized Seeker¡¯s direction.
Arthur watched as Seeker continued to move. He was frowning. This was pointless. The base contained high-leveled enemies and even if Seeker did manage to kill one, it had an unlimited respawn rate. At this point, there is nothing to do at that base. The base was usually attacked late-game when Bullet''s level would be high enough and missions would be completed to drastically lower the base¡¯s defense.
¡°The first thing that is necessary, is a calm mind that can keep track of the enemy¡¯s attack.¡± Seeker announced as he finally reached the base area. Despite being far from the main entrance, some missiles and laser-like attacks were reaching his area. Seeker was able to casually avoid these attacks.
¡°This base has a total of 27 active enemies all of which, can kill me in one hit. Each has their own timing and attack pattern.¡± On the far end of the screen, several enemy soldiers with a unique set of clothes were moving to the frontline. Piercing Fans immediately identified them as Pierce Soldiers.
The soldiers started to shoot at Bullet. The enemy used simple guns but the odd thing was, the bullet attacks had no animations to tell the players were the attacks where.
These soldiers were also the reason who no one dared to attack the base. Players would die at these attacks and couldn''t even reach the base.
Seeker however smiled. His face slowly turned serious. Time began to slow down in his perception.
¡°Two more seconds, and that one attacks, that missile should reach be a low attack. Must evade to the left as the Pierce should attack now.¡± Seeker thought to himself.
Everyone who watched the screen could only see a blur of commands as if Seeker was randomly mashing his controller. However, on the screen, Bullet kept dodging the attacks cleanly.
Arthur gazed in surprise. He dared not blink as to skip even a second of Seeker¡¯s performance.
On another city, located at the heart of Australia, a group of teens gathered around one computer to observe Seeker¡¯s performance.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°IMPOSSIBLE!¡± A tall and very good-looking Caucasian with blue eyes shouted in surprise.
¡°How good is the boss?¡± A timid Asian woman asked by his side.
¡°He¡¯s as fast as I am!¡± The blue-eyed man responded immediately.
Seeker¡¯s approach was getting slower and slower. There were moments when Seeker had to retreat a couple of steps back in order to evade the attacks.
¡°The main turrets of the base fire two types of attack. One aimed to hit your current location and another to hit the area directly in front of you. The Pierce soldiers all shoot aiming at your current direction. The mortars either hit your current location or the area directly behind you. So you need to be able to count the attacks of all these soldiers. Now the troublesome attacks are the ones that the Pierce soldiers do. They attack almost randomly. Your only cue is to move once you see the gunshot. So the trick is to actually have them in your screens at all time.¡± Seeker narrated as he focused on evading and moving.
Arthur frowned. He couldn¡¯t have replicated what Seeker was doing. The attacks were too diverse and its conditions too harsh.
¡°That is the second requirement is speed, accuracy, and control. Since the random attacks of all these Pierce soldiers come almost instantly, you need to be able to react immediately and push the right buttons. However, be careful to move in the right direction to avoid the turrets, missiles, lasers, and stuff. Evading in the wrong direction can get you killed.¡±
¡®CHEAT! THIS IS DEFINITELY A CHEAT!¡± A chat appeared breaking the silence of the chat room.
¡°Are you an idiot? Can¡¯t you see everything happening real-time? This is pure skill!¡± a fan defended.
Seeker¡¯s movement of moving forward and backward took time. Eventually, nearly twenty minutes had passed and Seeker was nearing the actual gates of the base.
Everyone was hyped at Seeker¡¯s beautiful execution of skills. It was over twenty minutes of pure concentration and expert maneuvering.
¡°This was just like Precision and Cronus¡¯ battle back then!¡± Several chats comparing Seeker¡¯s actions with another well-known event were made. People were continuously excited. Many cringed at the near-deaths of Seeker. If any of these attacks landed, Seeker would immediately die.
As he drew closer. The attacks of the enemy were getting faster as the turrets and mortar attacks had very little distance to cover. Seeker pushed his Unlocking to the middle of the Proficient rank of the Unbecoming stage. Time was getting even slower than ever.
This allowed Seeker to think where to evade as he would calculate the attacks and of the following enemies.
Seeker controlled Bullet to jump backward and the very moment Bullet''s feet would touch the ground, Seeker immediately pressed the button to make another jump to the left. A gunshot from a Pierce soldier could be seen so Seeker moved sideways and dashed forward as he saw an incoming missile.
All three attacks happened almost instantly. But Seeker managed to evade everything.
¡°That¡¯s impossible! How did he know where to jump! He must have definitely cheated somehow!¡± An angry viewer voiced out. Several were just about to insult this player but recognized his name and knew he was a pro player.
Seeker smiled. He turned to and looked directly at the camera. His focus was not on his screen. Even if it was Arthur, this reckless act of turning away from the screen for a second would mean death.
¡°And that¡¯s why you will forever be unable to defeat Arthur.¡± Seeker smiled and turned his gaze back at the screen and easily maneuvered another set of jumping and dashing movements which evaded all attacks.
¡°I already told you the two skills needed to accomplish this. You say it¡¯s impossible? You are wrong. Two people viewing this stream has these two skills. The first one is Instant Calculation.¡±
The Covenant of the Strongest gasped at Seeker¡¯s mention.
Arthur frowned. Instant Calculation was what he called his precise calculating skills. He could instantly calculate the time, speed, and even memorize the sequence or the enemies A.I at one look. This was what made him a king among many games.
¡°How did he know about Instant Calculation!¡± Kristine asked in an alarmed voice.
¡°Does he have it?¡± Another pro player asked the frowning Arthur.
¡°Yes. But not¡¯s all he has.¡± Arthur concluded.
Seeker continued to control Bullet precisely dodging and evading the myriad attacks. People viewing his screen seemed to be getting dizzy at Seeker¡¯s movements.
¡°Calculating the attacks, however, is not enough at this case. Thanks to the presence of those five Pierce soldiers, we need Cronus¡¯ skill. Millisecond Reaction.¡± Seeker smirked as he finally passed the area where the mortars and the turrets couldn¡¯t hit him any longer.
The remaining soldiers along with the Pierce soldiers started attacking Bullet with long and close range attacks. The blurring screen started to move faster.
Every time Seeker would evade a soldier would already be around him. Seeker would immediately jump to evade. It seemed fast but on Seeker¡¯s perspective, he was carefully looking at his avatar¡¯s body. The moment the foot would land; he would immediately do another jump or dash. Not a millisecond was wasted in Seeker¡¯s movements.
Cronus stared with mouths agape.
The Guinness record for the longest Piercing one-on-one fight came from the great Piercing Commando¡¯s event two years ago. Precision and Cronus faced off one-on-one in what seemed like an endless battle. None of each other¡¯s attacks worked. Even at the speeding attacks of Precision, Cronus managed to evade every single attack thanks to his skill which he dubbed as Millisecond Reaction.
Precision always maintained his distance, far from the reach of Cronus. Precision had the entire map on his mind. A cat and mouse battle which lasted over 2 hours until Cronus slipped up and got done in by Precision¡¯s combo. It was later revealed that Precision¡¯s arm was strained at overstressing himself. Had Cronus manage to hold on, Precision would have lost.
Cronus¡¯ eyes were focused on Seeker¡¯s hand.
¡°Precision has the eyes and can tell the exact second when an attack will hit and the precise angle he needs to take to avoid the hit. I, on the other hand, can react quickly. I can hit the right keys, at the right time to make the right moves. In short, Precision has the eyes, and I have the hands. But Seeker has both.¡± Cronus explained.
Everyone on Git Godlike gazed in astonishment at Seeker''s control.
Seeker controlled Bullet to run at the back area of the base. The discussion in the chat room shifted from Seeker¡¯s skill to Seeker¡¯s purpose of raiding the base. The base had nothing for Seeker. He couldn¡¯t enter, he couldn¡¯t fight any bosses.
Seeker then reached a hangar and started attacking the door of the hangar.
People were confused. These doors were of no surprise to them. The Piercing series used such doors to hide secret passages or was used to unlock secret weapons.
Seeker used the handgun and slashed at the door and suddenly he paused the game.
Everyone was confused.
¡°Now guys. Pay close attention. Once I¡¯m finished with this I¡¯ll immediately be thrown late game.¡± Seeker smiled.
Chapter Forty: The Climax of the Bet
The game was paused. Seeker just used the first strike of a four-hit-combo basic attack using Edge¡¯s handgun.
¡°Alright. Now a little question and answer. In this game, these doors are Piercing-proof and the only way to damage it is to use weapons that deal True Piercing damage. Now, Bullet has no way of doing that but Edge¡¯s weapon can.¡±
Seeker then unpaused the game and did another slash and paused it again. Seeker then smiled and looked back to the camera.
¡°When does the True Piercing damage of Edge¡¯s weapon occur when it is used?¡± Seeker asked.
The more knowledgeable players started typing. But the first to give the answer was Arthur.
¡°The first strike. However, that weapon''s True Piercing capabilities is too weak. At this point, it is impossible to destroy that door no matter how hard you try.¡±
¡°You¡¯re wrong again Arthur.¡± Seeker mocked. He unpaused the game and did another strike and paused it again.
¡°The truth is, it was made with that intention, but this specific game version of Piercing: Bullet has a flaw.¡± Seeker did his routine of unpausing, striking and pausing. Seeker then pointed at the at an enemy Pierce soldier nearby. The soldier was dressed in its trademark blue uniform but had a thicker set of armor. Veterans of the game knew this was an Anti-Piercing armor.
¡°What most don¡¯t know that the way these doors are set up is that it has its own set of hit points. Of course, we never get to see it in-game. So we assume that the way to break this is by using Edge¡¯s upgraded handgun which we get later in the game. However, the truth is it is similar to the other enemies in this base.¡±
Seeker unpaused the game and did a quick evade from the enemy soldiers attack while attacking the door and paused the game once more.
¡°The hint we get is from the other enemies or turrets that this base has. I don¡¯t have the time to show you but the reason why it would be impossible to destroy this base right now is that the True Piercing damage of my current weapon cannot match the regen of the enemies hit points.¡±
Seeker paused the game once more and did another strike and evaded some attacks from the surrounding enemies and then paused it.
¡°The problem is that the hit points of these doors regenerate at a fast speed. Arthur, how do you propose I destroy it?¡± Seeker smirked.
Arthurs response immediately was displayed.
¡°It¡¯s impossible. The True Piercing attack on that handgun only happens on the first attack. You need to stop attacking for about three seconds in order to do another first attack or it will combo. By the time you finish a set of attacks or wait for three seconds, the door would return to full health.¡±
¡°Very precise. As expected of Precision.¡± Seeker did his regular pausing routine.
¡°But you made one miscalculation. The truth is, the True Piercing attack doesn¡¯t happen on the first attack. But it has a cooldown of three seconds. It¡¯s just a coincidence that the four-hit combo, as well as the wait time, is three seconds.¡± Seeker smiled and did his pausing, unpausing routine.
Arthur and Kristine were the first to realize it. But it was Cronus who managed to say it.
¡°A BUG!¡± Cronus typed. The viewers were confused.
¡°That¡¯s right. You finally caught on. This release version has a bug. The cooldown of three seconds applies even when the game is paused.¡± Seeker did his last attack and the door broke open.
Immediately a cut scene occurred.
Bullet was using Edge¡¯s handgun and was about to break the door open when a large blade protruded out of the door. Bullet barely dodged it as the attack nearly took out Bullet¡¯s eyes. The hangar was sliced opened as Hollow appeared with his trademark scythe.
¡°Bullet! I¡¯m here to get the gun back!¡±
¡°You mean this gun?¡± Seeker held the gun and switched it to its ranged form and started shooting. The game continued.
Seeker kept dodging the attacks of Hollow. Worst still was how the surrounding soldiers continued to attack Seeker.
¡°This game is full of bugs. But that¡¯s exactly how I¡¯ll win this bet, Arthur.¡± Seeker laughed.
Seeker didn¡¯t attack Hollow but attacked the nearest soldier. Surprisingly the first combo immediately inflicted damage equal to a quarter of the soldiers¡¯ life!
¡°WHAT!?¡± Arthur screamed in surprise.
Seeker continued to attack the soldiers and finally killed one. The experience points of killing this enemy caused Seeker¡¯s level to increase by ten!
¡°Confused? Think. The last cutscene showed how Bullet used the handgun of Edge. If you were careful to notice, it wasn¡¯t the old handgun. You see, at this point of the game, you must have the upgraded handgun to open up this area. That¡¯s how the game is supposed to work. So what happens if I don¡¯t have that weapon but a cutscene requires Bullet to force equip that weapon?¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Seeker then continued on attacking with ranged attacks. Even the range attacks did tremendous damage to the soldier.
"He got an upgrade! It really is a bug!" A viewer typed out. instantly, an avalanche of comments followed.
Seeker did another kill and managed several level ups immediately. Seeker continued to avoid Hollow but used his weapons to inflict damage on the surrounding soldiers. After 10 minutes of this soldier-killing-spree, Seeker finally focused on attacking Hollow.
As Seeker had already presented an almost impossible array of skills, the battle didn¡¯t impress its viewers. People were just waiting for Seeker to kill the boss and move on. Seeker¡¯s damage was relatively small. People finally understood why Seeker did a quick power-leveling training.
The boss died and Seeker managed to unlock newer weapon upgrades and ammunition. Seeker immediately left the base. The exit was faster than the entrance as the turrets were all destroyed.
¡°Now that we have this weapon, I now can destroy the main hangar. That should catapult me into somewhere late-game now.¡± Seeker smiled.
Everyone was shocked at Seeker¡¯s casual mention.
¡°HE CAN DO IT GUYS! A RECORD OF EIGHT FREAKIN HOURS BY CASUAL CARLEAN!¡± A crazed fan was the first one to announce.
With Seeker¡¯s new weapon, he now can kill enemies and inflict damage to bosses. By destroying the main hangar, Seeker advance in the storyline skipping ten or so hours of gameplay. Seeker had just spent barely three hours of gameplay and he was already at the late-game stage.
Suddenly, the angry gamblers who realized that they picked on the wrong side of the bet started complaining. Seeker ignored the argument and continued to press forward. Since Arthur wasn¡¯t complaining, he didn¡¯t care.
Seeker¡¯s progression continued at a fast pace. However, every boss fight was a chore. As Seeker¡¯s skill proficiency was so low, the attack speed was slow and the damage wasn¡¯t very huge. Since Seeker skipped through a lot of the story¡¯s parts, he had limited unlocked skills and his rifle was next to useless. Most of the succeeding bosses took nearly an hour of fighting before Seeker would manage to defeat it.
Soon over six hours has passed and Seeker was approaching the area where the last boss was.
Seeker¡¯s head was throbbing. Throughout the game, also had been eating a lot of food and would take some pain relievers to minimize the throbbing pain of his head. He knew he had somehow overused his Unlocking when he attacked the base.
Seeker suddenly paused the game.
¡°Um. Lynd. Could you like, give me a message? My head hurts.¡± Seeker shyly asked.
Lynd gave Seeker a peculiar look. He didn¡¯t move or make any indication that he planned to follow Seeker¡¯s orders.
Seeker then turned to Meryl.
¡°Are you serious?¡±
¡°Yes, Meryl. I am. I have been spending the last seven hours playing this game and it required a bit of concentration. So will you massage my head?¡± Seeker spoke with a sarcastic tone.
Meryl scoffed and hurriedly positioned herself behind Seeker and started to do the massage. Thankfully, the three of them would habitually massage each other and due to that, the three knew a little bit about massaging. Meryl started to massage and Seeker continued the game.
Seeker controlled Bullet to enter the final room and a cutscene occurred.
¡°Nope. I don¡¯t think I can. I overstressed my brain. Instant Calculation and Millisecond Reaction really put a number on you. Lynd, could you take over?¡± Seeker held the controllers straight at Lynd.
Lynd was dumbfounded.
¡°Look, Lynd, If I play, then I¡¯m dead. You know of my condition. I really can¡¯t. You have to play on my behalf. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll tutor you.¡± Seeker stood up and allowed Lynd to seat down at his location.
Meryl was tongue-tied. They were losing time and now Seeker wanted Lynd to take over.
¡°Seeker!¡± Meryl cried.
¡°I¡¯m serious Meryl. I still need you to give me a massage. Lynd, take over. We are running out of time. Just do what I do.¡± Seeker arranged his seat and sat down with his seat inclined backward.
Lynd took the controller. It was clear that his hands were shaking.
The game continued with Lynd controlling Bullet. The cutscene ended just in time and the battle began.
The final boss was a small frail man who looked like a teen. He had a very bored expression. Surrounding him were several floating orbs which would either shoot out laser beams or created a force field similar to the brawny man with the bracelets.
Lynd immediately panicked and started evading.
¡°Evade to the left. Run off the side. Now continuously jump and dash towards the furthest orb on the left and attack it. Good. Now, stop attacking. Oh. Be careful. One hit and half of your life would be gone. We are severely under leveled.¡± Seeker was casually instructing Lynd as he received a massage from Meryl who would occasionally shriek in terror.
¡°Relax Lynd. The gamble didn¡¯t include a no-hit clause. You can get hit. Of course, you¡¯d probably die in two or three strikes.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Oh, that was close. Back off a bit. You¡¯re getting to a bad position. Keep evading and return to the original spot you were when the fight started.¡±
Lynd was paling in fright. It was almost a miracle that he could control Bullet correctly.
¡°Relax Lynd. We¡¯ve been playing Piercing for so long. And you were even better than me at one point. Just follow my directions ok? Meryl, apply more pressure.¡±
Meryl was angry. She looked like she could just yank Seeker¡¯s head off. It was one thing for him to ask her for a massage during one of the biggest gambles the world has ever seen, but now, handling the controllers over to Lynd.
¡°Alright. Let¡¯s start again. Try to keep up with my instructions. We¡¯re a little pressed with time here and we could still lose.¡± Seeker smiled.
Lynd¡¯s palm was sweating like crazy now.
Seeker gave a series of instructions which Lynd continued to follow. He managed to avoid getting hit a single time.
Meanwhile, the chants and messages seen on the chat rooms were from those who placed their bets against Seeker. They knew if Seeker won this gamble, then people will definitely offer Seeker money double of Arthur¡¯s pay. The only choice was for Seeker to lose this gamble so he can never play again.
Seeing the prayers of curses and ridicule, Seeker laughed.
¡°Alright. Lynd, I think you got the basic. Just do what I would do. I¡¯ll stop instructing you. How about a last gamble? Since I¡¯m betting everything onto Lynd, I bet that Lynd can defeat this boss without getting a single hit. I¡¯m betting 100,000 credits for this.¡± Seeker smiled. He walked over to the computer and opened the Gambling Den once more.
There it was, a Den with 100,000 credits wagered. Without skipping a beat all of those who gambled against Seeker poured in their money. Seeker placed it on a 500 credit buy in. There were even some who were loyal to Seeker who placed their bets. After all, they didn¡¯t know who this Lynd was.
Meryl looked worried. She looked at Lynd who also looked worried. But strangely enough, Lynd felt calm despite this strange situation.
¡°Wake me up once you beat it, Lynd. Meryl, please continue with the massage.¡± Seeker sat back down and continued to enjoy Meryl¡¯s massage without any care for the world.
Chapter Forty-One: A Message for Arthur
Lynd couldn¡¯t believe it. He just did the impossible. The battle took a harsher turn. Luckily he watched Seeker''s stream on the previous boss-fight and remembered all the patterns and attacks that Seeker did. He also remembered the basic attack patterns which the enemy also did. There were several close calls as Lynd would even shout in fear. There were even times when Lynd would pause the game as he was panicking and would resume the game when he calmed down. Seeker was sleeping soundly in all of these. Various cries of anger and complaints were voiced in the chat room but Meryl was mercilessly berating the haters.
Luckily LordChokeMeSenpai came to Meryl¡¯s rescue and defended Lynd on his game.
Kristine¡¯s constant cheering and commendation for Lynd was enough to push Lynd to pass his limits and concentrate to the extreme. Even when Lynd was almost hysterical in his fear and panic, Seeker provided no help. He was, in fact, sound asleep and was even snoring.
The last boss, who had an anticlimactic name of ¡®Dave¡¯, continued to attack with a variety of patterns that would confuse first-time players. The majority of the time of this battle was spent in evading. Lynd knew that one hit would kill him and crush Seeker¡¯s career down to the ground. The pressure that Lynd felt was great but he would occasionally feel a strange calming sensation and reacted accordingly on the most dangerous moments.
Lynd was well-aware of the harshness of facing this ''Dave''. Seeker said that in the future, Dave would be classified as the hardest boss on any game ever made. Its attack patterns were designed to be almost random. This was why the bets made against him rose all the way to 25,000 credits. But Lynd managed to persevere and got Dave''s hit points down to half. It was then that the attack patterns became more intense. More viewers placed their bets at seeing the ruthless attacks. They expected Lynd to slip up and die at these attacks. But Lynd persevered. Slowly he managed to attack Dave and later, the number of his attacks started to increase. Nearly an hour later, the hearts of these gamblers were shredded.
They wouldn''t have dared to agree to this gamble against Casual Carlean but since it was this stranger was a nobody. Who would have expected that this Lyndiculous man proved to be almost as skilled as Seeker?
¡°He could be pro.¡± Cronus commended as Dave¡¯s hit points became critical.
¡°Join us, Lynd. Do you forever want to be under Seeker¡¯s wings? Best friends are also the best rivals.¡±
Cronus offered. Everyone was shocked to see this offer.
¡°No way! Lynd would definitely join us!¡± LordChokeMeSenpai countered. Of course, she didn¡¯t do it because she wanted Lynd to join but because Arthur motioned that she tried to take Lynd as well.
¡°We don¡¯t know about that Meryl. But this Lynd is also a monster. Pseudo Instant Calculation and Pseudo Millisecond Reaction. He has both.¡± Arthur smiled. If honed, Lynd would be another figure that would rule the gaming world.
¡°The world isn¡¯t as small as it was after all.¡± Arthur smiled.
As Dave¡¯s hit points fell to critical, Seeker¡¯s fans were cheering while those who placed their bet against Lynd were cursing.
The ending is as what Seeker expected. This was no gamble for him.
News reports of it circulated around the globe. The biggest gaming upset that has ever been streamed live concluded with the winning side being a young teen, Seeker Carlean. His official Gaming Handle was set at this victory. Every gamer knew of the name Casual Carlean.
Precept Gaming was blamed by many of the fans who concluded that Precept Gaming was collaborating with Seeker Carlean and was using him as an instrument to promote their game. Right now, Piercing: Bullet broke several world records. Some of the most known records included;game with highest recorded bet, game with the most purchases within one week, most talked-about game on social media and several others.
Precept Gaming released a public statement denying to have any involvement with Seeker Carlean. They denied even knowing of the bug that Seeker Carlean revealed during his stream and that they are immediately working on a patch to fix these errors.
When asked for a statement regarding Seeker¡¯s victory, Precept Gaming¡¯s President Hisashi Suzuki applauded Seeker¡¯s skill.
¡°We at Precept Gaming accept the faults that our game has. If Seeker Carlean was able to take advantage and exploit the bugs that were even unknown to us, then his victory is justified. Seeker¡¯s stream was monitored by our own dedicated servers and we can assure the public that there were no cheats or hacks detected. Much so, on the impressive gameplay by that Lynd Indigo.¡±
While the world erupted in this news, a certain video call was happening to formalize the deals between Seeker and Covenant of the Strongest.
Seeker was happily tapping his fingers like a drum and had a glee smile on his face.
¡°Well?¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°We are willing to offer you two times my pay,¡± Arthur spoke blankly.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Seeker continued to drum his fingers on the edge of the table as he sat down. Lynd and Meryl could be seen sitting on the back.
¡°Not a bad start. I¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡± Seeker smiled.
Kristine was surprised.
¡°I was expecting you to demand more.¡±
¡°Oh. I can. I bet Git Godlike would offer me something close to four times Arthur¡¯s. Not to mention since whoever gets me, gets little ol¡¯ Lynd here. But I¡¯m not greedy.¡± Seeker smiled.
Arthur had a slightly grave look.
¡°So about the trip¡¡± Kristine began.
¡°We¡¯ll talk about it after the Nations of the World E-Sport Meet. For now, the priority is joining your team and learning to play together as a team.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Alright.¡± Kristine nodded. A spark of excitement was in her eyes. They were sure to bring home the championship this year.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about our travel expenses. We¡¯ll go there on our own.¡± Seeker grinned.
¡°That¡¯s good. If convenient, we would like to meet you on Monday.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine. Just send us the full details of our meeting and we¡¯ll be there by Monday.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Let¡¯s talk more then. The gang and I have a party to celebrate.¡± Seeker waved goodbye.
The video call immediately ended.
Kristine sighed. Luckily Seeker didn¡¯t make things hard for her and Arthur.
¡°You alright Arthur? I was expecting you to umm... talk.¡±
Arthur shook his head.
¡°He was tapping his fingers¡¡±
¡°I was curious about that Lynd though. He seemed like a nice kid.¡± Kristine turned and noticed that Arthur¡¯s look was very serious.
¡°He was tapping Morse code. He was clearly altering the speed of his taps to make it look normal.¡±
Kristine was shocked at this. Arthur was a master of many things. Morse code was one of them.
¡°You sure? What if he was just tapping playfully? I mean, remember the time you thought you were hearing some code and it turned out to be a baby banging his rattle?¡±
¡°Not this time. I was sure his message was ¡®Lennox Danger.¡±
Kristine was shocked at the message.
Arthur opened the computer and replayed the video call. They recorded it in case any legal discussions would arise amidst the negotiations.
Arthur listened to the first part of the call.
¡°It¡¯s really it. I¡¯m not being crazy this time.¡± Arthur frowned.
¡°He knows your father?
¡°If he does, he should know the absurdity of what he just said. But the manner in which he said it was too precise. It¡¯s as if everything he did so far, was to get that message to me.¡± Arthur frowned.
Kristine sat there silently. Her heart was in turmoil.
¡°Well at least we know now he¡¯s not after your body.¡± Kristine smiled.
Arthur simply shook his head.
¡°I¡¯m not sure whether I should be relieved or terrified. If what he just said is true, then the worlds about to change.¡± Arthur copied the file and deleted the one in the computer.
¡°Tell our sponsors that Seeker accepted and no legal issues were discussed. The fewer people who know about this video, the better.¡± Arthur commanded.
News of the deal emerged online. Casual Carlean had officially joined the Covenant of the Strongest.
This news made its way to mainstream media as Seeker became the highest paid E-sport player of all times without competing in any arena.
While the whole world was shaken by this, Seeker and his team continued with the celebratory party. It was late in the afternoon that they dined at Harker''s restaurant and ate to their heart''s content. But this wasn¡¯t the celebration.
Upon arriving at the abandoned factory, Alean, Charles and a very depressed Cliff awaited the three.
¡°Congratulations on getting in the team.¡± Alean greeted Seeker. She then turned and gave Lynd a sweet smile.
Lynd blushed and nodded.
¡°Did you get the weapons?¡± Seeker immediately asked.
Alean sighed.
¡°It¡¯s inside. But first, I have questions about everything.¡±
¡°Of course you have.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°This Unlocking thing. Is that how you did it? Your sudden rise to the top in the gaming world. If it is as Charles says, then if one second felt like five or more, you could easily dominate most sports.¡±
¡°Yes. That¡¯s how I do it. Of course, I may have overstrained myself a bit earlier.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°Then why are you Unlocking me and Cliff?¡± Alean asked seriously.
¡°Well for you, Lynd likes you. So it¡¯s best to save you. After all, you do have quite a pitiful life growing up under your father. For Cliff, it¡¯s more of a whim I guess? I mean, I need someone to do the dirty work if you and Charles are busy.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°Save us?¡± Alean asked in confusion.
¡°These are troubling times Miss. The world will soon change. A war will occur and throw this world in chaos. No doubt you¡¯ve heard of the reports. The secret wars between Africa and Russia.¡± Seeker smiled.
A grave look surfaced in Alean¡¯s expression.
¡°So you know even about that, huh?¡±
¡°Dragon is the least of our problems. Why do you think Dragon¡¯s after your dad¡¯s tech? He¡¯s preparing for it. It¡¯s going to be a world where the unlocking would be your only option in order to survive.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Now let¡¯s go see that weapon collection.¡± Seeker strode into the main building to find a collection of weapons hanging on various stands and laid out on a table.
Swords, spears, axes, maces, flails. It was an assortment of weapons. It was as if they entered a gladiators ring.
¡°Sweet. Looks like your contacts are very helpful. This collection pales from Charles¡¯ set. Be sure to give Charles some. He''s got a thing for collecting weapons.
Charles gave a slight smile. He didn¡¯t dislike that suggestion.
Alean sighed and shook her head.
¡°Shall we get on with it then? The faster we get over this the better.¡±
¡°Pick a spot and pick your weapons. First, I¡¯ll have one-on-one sessions with each of you. After that, we¡¯ll do what we did last night.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Cliff. You¡¯re up first.¡± Charles ordered.
Cliff¡¯s face paled at Charles¡¯ order.
Charles gave Cliff an ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ look. He dared not make the ladies go first. Nor did he have the courage to order Lynd who is a potential World Champion.
Cliff walked right in the center. His feet were shaking.
¡°Select a weapon, man.¡± Seeker grinned.
Cliff went and got a spiked club. He was a baseball player and he was confident of using it as a weapon. He turned to Cliff and had a questioning look.
¡°Really? That one? I hope you¡¯re ready.¡± Seeker picked a large halberd. It was so large that people would assume that no normal teen could carry it. But Seeker picked it up and dashed towards Cliff with an unbelievable speed. He lifted the halberd and just the sight of it made Cliff lose his wits. The halberd that Seeker carried was nearly two meters long with an obscenely large ax head.
Seeker hacked his gigantic weapon downwards on Cliff.
Cliff was paralyzed as he saw the falling halberd. Everyone watching unconsciously closed their eyes. They didn¡¯t want to see a halved Cliff. It was a grim reminder for them. Another night of terror was to come.
Chapter Forty-Two: Meeting the Covenant
A sudden pressure enveloped Cliff which further increased the weight of his body. However, unlike the previous sensation, this time, Cliff could now somehow control his body. Time slowed down as he stared at the terrifying ax head. Cliff stared at it and turned to look at his puny spiked club. It was like an ant compared to the two-meter-long halberd with a large sharp edge. The familiar sensation of fear enveloped him but this time, Cliff knew, somehow he could move.
He could see it more clearly. In fact, somehow he thought he could see the immediate environment around him. He could see his body standing and Seeker right in front of him who was about to attack him. He has had similar sensations and experiences on the previous sessions, but this time, Cliff felt that he could move.
Cliff forced his feet up and finally managed to jerk it awake. He took a sidestep and the sharp ax head crashed down on his previous location. The amount of force that Cliff exerted somehow catapulted him as if he exerted all his strength to jump. Cliff crashed on the ground to the side. Sweat was dripping all over Cliff¡¯s body. From the perspective of others, Cliff made a ridiculously fast dodge on the last second of the hit.
Everyone stood amazed at the sight.
Cliff clutched his foot as he could feel he somehow sprained his muscles. However, he realized something and a happy smile surface.
¡°I did it! I saw it! I could see it!¡± Cliff shouted excitedly.
¡°Not bad. Looks like this training is effective after all.¡± Seeker smiled.
Cliff laid back down in relief. He finally managed to do the impossible.
¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡± Seeker said as he dashed towards Cliff with the ax head held up in the sky.
¡°WAIT!¡± Cliff wailed in fright as he saw Seeker not giving him any moment to breathe.
The session continued for ten more minutes.
Cliff was trembling in fear as he lay flat on the back. His sweat spilled forth from his clothes and made the immediate dry pavement beneath him covered in his sweat.
¡°Next,¡± Seeker ordered.
No one took the initiative to step forward.
¡°Fine. I¡¯ll choose.¡± Seeker immediately dashed on towards Charles who also ran towards the nearest weapon shack.
The round robin of repulsion continued until everyone had their session with Seeker. Like Cliff, everyone managed to adapt to the situation and make basic evasive maneuvers. However, an unexpected surprise was seen when it was Lynd¡¯s and Meryl¡¯s turn.
Alean and Cliff stared in shock at how the two teens managed to easily adapt despite the increasing harshness of Seeker¡¯s training regime.
Meryl managed to continue evading Seeker¡¯s attack for a full three minutes. It was only when Seeker attacked her with harsher techniques did she finally manage to succumb to the fear. Lynd¡¯s battle was even better. Unlike everyone else, he managed to defend against Seeker¡¯s attack and even had the opportunity to attack. However, he also received the most beatings from Seeker as a result to this.
Charles was impressed. Future World Champions do have such terrifying potential.
¡°Monsters.¡± Charles shook his head as he voiced out unintentionally.
Alean who heard Charles sigh gave the two a meaningful stare.
¡°So that¡¯s why Seeker keeps them.¡± She mumbled to herself and decided to look at these two in a different light.
Seeker and Lynd continued on with Lynd escaping and doing an occasional attack. Suddenly Seeker dove in and abandoned his weapon. His speed increased to a point that although he could see Seeker¡¯s approach, he couldn¡¯t do anything. Seeker ducked down and gave Lynd a strong punch at the stomach and as Lynd bent over on Seeker¡¯s shoulders, Seeker immediately did ashoulder toss. Lynd crashed on Charles and Alean.
¡°Now it¡¯s time for the group session.¡± Seeker announced. He walked towards the side and dropped the halberd. He then eyed a magnificent silver broadsword. Seeker smiled before picking it up. He then turned to his friends and started marching towards the group who was still recovering from Lynd¡¯s crash. The sudden change of events gave the group quite a panic as they ran to grab whatever weapons they could manage.
A scene that can only be explained as a massacre occurred. Only in this massacre, no one was dying. They were just being beaten up. Seeker who carried a blade that bigger taller than the wielder was a very intimidating scene for the group.
The night continued with a set of round robin followed by a group session. There were relatively no other improvements other than Lynd and Meryl being able to keep up on the relentless attacks of Seeker.
While the night of terrors passed by for the group, the world was celebrating the rise of yet another world-famous figure that was birthed in the humble islands of the Phil-Pangea nation.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Seeker¡¯s stream continued to circulate around the world as media groups covered and talked about this phenomenon. It created such a huge impact on the world¡¯s culture that strange trends started. Experts on various fields of sports, arts and other odd jobs would stream themselves getting a massage while instructing a random Joe to perform the very skills that they were good at. The phenomenon was known as "Carleaning."
The term Lyndiculous found its way to the Internet and became a popular meme. Lyndiculous was used to describe a miraculous event or performance from the most unexpected person. Lynd¡¯s image started to circulate around the globe as well. A random stranger who defeated the last boss with severe disadvantages such as weak weapons, low-leveled character, and no prior practice.
It was Monday and a group of four walked out of the Arrivals bay in the airport. There were several guards who walked in front of them to prevent others from running towards them. Most of the people would scream the name of the adult of the group.
¡°Charles! Marry me!¡± Several berserker cries from crazed fan-girls were made. Others spotted the team right behind them. And recognized them immediately. They have been circulating all over the news and net. Some of the gamers among the crowd ran immediately and wanted to get a picture of the most famous and highly paid pro-gamer. The Casual Legend, Seeker Carlean had arrived on Malay-Pangean soil.
A group of well-dressed professionals awaited their arrival and began to wave. They were the escort service hired to get the group.
At the very front of the group stood a tall, blonde woman. She was shocked to see Charles Lindmit together with Seeker.
¡°Dr. Lindmitt! What a nice surprise! I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be going together with Seeker!¡± A tall woman with blonde hair and a very stylish sense of fashion walked forward to shake Charles¡¯ hand.
¡°It a last minute decision. So I didn¡¯t bother to announce it.¡± Charles replied with humility.
¡°Please don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be sure to accommodate you with the finest service. We insist! It would be our pleasure to serve a Pangean hero.¡± The woman smiled.
¡°Then I guess I¡¯d have to trouble you.¡± Charles smiled.
¡°And of course, the Legend himself. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Carlean, Mr. Indigo, and Ms. Mikado.¡± The woman greeted.
¡°The pleasure is ours.¡± Seeker stepped forward and shook the hand of the woman.
¡°I am Halley Vagrant. The team manager of the Covenant of the Strongest. It¡¯s a pleasure to have you on board.¡±
¡°Nice name. I bet people call you the Wandering Comet.¡± Seeker chuckled.
¡°Oh not at all.¡± The woman laughed.
¡°I¡¯ve had other names, but that probably is the best one yet.¡± She smiled.
¡°You aren¡¯t related to Stanley Vagrant of WarFreakz are you?¡± Seeker asked.
¡°Actually, I am. He¡¯s my nephew.¡± She smiled.
¡°Huh. Small world.¡± Seeker smiled as he entered the car.
The trip took them around the many famous sites around the Malay-Pangean area. Lynd and Meryl stared excitedly as they gazed on the many sites. It was there first time visiting a neighboring country.
Seeker had a nonchalant attitude but was secretly impressed at the beauty of this country. It looked beautiful considering it wasn¡¯t a wasteland of fallen tanks as he remembered in his memories. The tall buildings would be halved buildings and surroundings would be littered corpses or body parts.
¡°Are you a fan of the WarFreakz? With your status, I¡¯m sure you can join them. They would probably be happy to have an Arthur-level player join them.¡± Halley smiled.
¡°Nah. I don¡¯t want to be too busy. I¡¯m doing all these for the fun of it after all. But I do want to meet him. The famed General himself.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Casual as ever I see.¡± Halley laughed.
The group eventually arrived at a very tall rotating building with a very eccentric design.
¡°The Gorde Tower. The first Malay-Pangean building to adopt a Supra-Modern design. Impressive.¡± Seeker smiled as he saw the unique tower.
¡°Our office is on the 35th floor. Arthur and his group should be waiting. More than the initial meeting with you, several of them want to have a one-on-one battle with you.¡±
¡°I am as well. I am hoping that my friends here can humor them and display their own talent in the game.¡±
"Of course! Mr. Indigo made quite an impact!" Halley smiled.
The group immediately arrived at the 35th floor and the elevators where opened.
¡°Nutterballs!¡± Lynd cried out in excitement.
The gaming area where the Covenant would practice, study and basically live was an impressive room. It had several bathrooms, state-of-the-art computers, a very high-tech ambiance in the room. The room was even better than most 5-star hotel rooms.
As the doors towards the office were opened, they were greeted with a group of seven teens. Arthur and Kristine stood at the middle. Surrounding them was the remaining members of the covenant.
The most good-looking youth stood at the far right. He was Danny. The most famous member of the Covenant and the only one who used his real name as his game-handle. Next to him stood a plain-looking man. He was the most silent member of the Covenant, the Range Master, Asterisxx. The official tank of the team stood next to him, a petite woman with a very heavy amount of make-up. She was the famed tiny warrior, MaliciousUnicorn.The last member of their group was an odd looking youth with buckteeth. His face was as odd as his name. Strawberry_Sit-ups.
¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, the newest addition to our team. Seeker ¡®the Casual¡¯ Carlean.¡± Arthur announced blankly.
¡°Wait! Is that Charles Lindmit?¡± Kristine exclaimed.
The members of the Covenant immediately rushed towards Charles excitedly. The petite woman even went to hug Charles intimately as there was unexplainable fanaticism on her eyes.
¡°Haha. Calm down. I¡¯ll be hanging around here for a long time. Miss Halley, is it possible for me to request a room somewhere near this floor? I do need to keep an eye out for Seeker.¡± Charles was politely trying to get the crazed woman off her sides.
¡°No need. Doctor Lindmitt can stay with me.¡± The petite girl gleefully announced.
¡°Dara. Please calm down.¡± Kristine frowned.
¡°No way. You¡¯re just saying that because you want to be together with Doctor Charles.¡±
¡°Oh? Not at all. If anything, I¡¯d rather have Seeker in my room.¡± Kristine gave a soft giggle.
Lynd was blushing to the extreme.
¡°You¡¯re interested in him?¡± MaliciuosUnicorn laughed.
Seeker gave a confused look.
¡°Let me tell you something newbie. I made my way up this ladder giving everything I have. I conquered pros after pros until I reached this place. And now, someone like you could just pop out of nowhere and become a Covenant?¡±
¡°I understand. You reached these heights through your skill. So you look down on me for my method of getting here. Well, don''t worry. Like you, it is also because of my skills. In fact, its skills that far surpass yours.¡± Seeker smiled.
"What are you saying, newbie?" Dara glared.
¡°How about a bet? You, and two other members except for Arthur, versus me my friends.¡± Seekers trademark devilish grin appeared once more.
Chapter Forty-Three: A Clash with the Covenant
MaliciousUnicorn gave a very angry frown.
¡°Seeker¡¡± Meryl quietly tugged Seeker¡¯s shirt.
¡°Umm¡ I think we all got off at the wrong foot.¡± Kristine began.
¡°No. It¡¯s clear that some of your members don¡¯t approve of how we got to where we are.¡± Seeker interrupted.
¡°Especially Ms. MaliciousUnicorn. I know the eccentric path I took. And it¡¯s understandable that you won¡¯t respect me because of this. Then allow us to prove you wrong. You pick any members of the Covenant excluding Arthur and we can have a three on three matches.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°I¡¯m in!¡± Danny laughingly announced.
Asterisxx raised his hand up high as well.
¡°Alright. Then it''s settled a three on three matches.¡± Dara didn¡¯t even look back as she stormed off to the game room.
¡°Arthur¡¡± Kristine whispered.
¡°Leave it. This is good for the team. It¡¯s also a chance to see how good Seeker and his two friends are.¡±
Meryl and Lynd was shocked. While everybody was walking in towards their respective rooms, the two stood where they are petrified. They were going to fight the Covenant of the Strongest?
¡°Seeker,¡± Charles whispered.
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°Is this a good idea? Can you win if you fight against the three of them?¡±
¡°No. I can¡¯t. I¡¯m fighting actual players here, not sequenced attacks. Not to mention you did tell me to cut down on my Unlocking at around 15%.¡±
¡°Exactly. You already fainted after the last fight. You cannot exceed 15%!¡±
¡°I won¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry.¡±
¡°Then why are you challenging them?¡±
¡°Because I¡¯m certain we will win.¡±
¡°You just said you can¡¯t handle them!¡±
¡°I just said that we will win.¡± Seeker smirked.
¡°Do me a favor and drag those two in the room.¡± Seeker pointed to Lynd and Meryl.
Charles sighed and went back to give the two paralyzed teens a little push.
¡°So what do we bet?¡± Seeker asked as he entered the lounge room. There was two separate gaming room. No doubt used by the Covenant for a practice match.
¡°Credits of course. How about 50,000 credits?¡± Dara dared.
¡°Nah. A little too boring if you ask me. How about this, if we win I get your spot at the 5-on-5 Championship matchup.¡± Seeker smirked.
Dara glared angrily.
¡°That way we know the Covenant is sending their best for the 5-on-5 Championship matchup.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°What gives you the right to challenge me with that? Not even your sad credits can make up for that position.¡± Dara scoffed.
Seeker pondered for a bit. Then a devious smile emerged.
¡°How about this. I bet 30,000 Credits and if you win, Charles will be your boyfriend for a month. He¡¯ll take you on as many dates as you want in that time period and is required to earnestly respond to you.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°What?!¡± Charles asked in shock.
¡°What?!¡± Halley shouted in anger.
¡°What?!¡± Danny and Kristine exclaimed in surprise.
¡°What?!¡± Dara cried in delight.
¡°What?¡± Seeker asked in confusion.
¡°Are you serious?!¡± Dara asked immediately. Clearly, the unreasonable gamble awakened a beast hiding within her petite frame.
¡°Of course not! Charles is a respected Doctor! He doesn¡¯t have time to spend with you, little kids!¡± Halley announced in anger.
¡°Charles, Agree to this.¡± Seeker commanded.
¡°Alright.¡± Charles sighed.
¡°What?!¡± Even Arthur was surprised at Charles sudden surrender. Everyone stared with mouth agape at how Seeker could control Charles.
¡°Zeek. This isn¡¯t a good idea.¡± Meryl pleaded.
¡°Since we''re putting relationships on the line, Danny, why not go out with Meryl if we win?¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Seeing as how Doctor Lindmitt is agreeing, how can I disagree?¡± Danny gave a carefree laugh.
¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± Meryl announced as she positioned herself on the seat. The colors of her eyes started to have a subtle change in color. Seeker smiled as he noticed the very almost unapparent change. It was no secret to Lynd and Seeker that Meryl had a poster of Danny on her bedroom.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Lynd gasped at Meryl¡¯s sudden change of character. He was alone. There were tears in his eyes and he looked pleadingly to Seeker.
¡°I¡¯ll have Miss Alean take you out on a date if we win, Lynd. I think I can even make her kiss you on the cheeks.¡± Seeker smiled.
Lynd nodded with determination. There were tears of joy as he hoped for the best in this battle. His Unlocking immediately soared to Unbecoming Advent.
Everyone else stood in great surprise at the sudden turn of events.
Charles was chuckling at the sight of the two friends. Then his chuckled turned to a gulp of fear as he noticed an eerie look from his sides.
Dara looked at Charles like she was eyeing a cake coated and overflowing with chocolates and all the sweetness of life.
¡°Let¡¯s go, guys!¡± Dara announced as she excitedly paced towards the first gaming room.
¡°Aren¡¯t you worried? I must warn you Dr. Lindmitt, that Dara is not kidding. She¡¯s a huge fan of yours and I¡¯m afraid this could complicate your reputation! You shouldn¡¯t have agreed to this!¡± Halley spoke to Charles with eyes full of worry.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. Seeker seems confident that his team would win. I do have a feeling that his two friends would give you a nice surprise.¡± Charles smiled.
¡°Look. Even if Seeker could beat the game at record speed, any one of the Covenant could do just about the same. They are worlds apart from these students. I¡¯ve seen Seeker¡¯s stream and when Lynd played. I know he¡¯s good but only that. They are both nowhere near a pro! It¡¯s different when you fight the A.I and fight against players!¡± Halley continued to warn.
¡°Let¡¯s just look at how this battle progresses,¡± Charles smirked.
¡°Lynd, use a tank build of Blade. Meryl, use whoever you feel using.¡± Seeker ordered.
¡°Oh. So Meryl knows how to play?¡± Charles asked curiously.
¡°You haven¡¯t seen her play?¡± Halley asked in surprise.
¡°Yes. I assumed only Lynd and Seeker knew how to play.¡±
The worry on Halley¡¯s face grew more.
¡°Doctor Charles. You need to talk to Seeker to stop this bet. This is crazy! You¡¯re putting too much at stake here.¡±
¡°Seeker knows what he''s doing.¡± Charles sighed.
The Piercing series was so famous as an RPG that when it released a multiplayer online battle arena version, it immediately became the top e-sport that everyone followed.
The standard competitive game style was the 5-on-5 deathmatch with the goal of destroying the enemies main supply building. However, its popularity rose as the amazing game features a very complex set of controls and diverse freedom of control. Due to this, Precept Gaming even released a specialized controller having 12 buttons, a d-pad, and two analog sticks. This very complex set of commands allowed players to control their characters precisely.
All characters of the Piercing series had specialized weapons, its own playing style. Adding from that was how players can assign the skills of their selected character to create a build. This ensured that no single character was similar. Even if two players used one character, its general playing style may be vastly different as players could tweak the skills of the character itself.
Lynd selected a character wielding a large broadsword. Meryl selected a female character wielding a pair of Sai which emitted electrical sparks. Seeker used the leading character of Piercing: Edge who carried two large handguns which could turn into a blade.
The fight began.
¡°Let¡¯s kill the two first and focus and Seeker later!¡± Dara announced.
Their characters dashed towards the main base of Seeker¡¯s team. And very soon the avatars of the Seeker¡¯s team were on sight.
¡°Let¡¯s show these twats what it¡¯s like to mess with pros!¡± Dara screamed.
The battle didn¡¯t take long. It was a one-sided massacre. Barely 10 minutes since the game started, Seeker¡¯s team had already won.
Lynd was unhittable. Not even the fast hands of Asterrisxx worked against Lynd as the harassment of Seeker¡¯s handguns kept him from synching with Danny and Dara. Meryl played her usual playstyle which Seeker and Lynd were very comfortable with. Meryl kept ambushing and continued with her sneak attack as the three were already busy with Lynd and Seeker¡¯s combo.
The clashes and battles eventually moved towards the base of Dara¡¯s team and eventually, the main supply line was destroyed.
Halley was tongue-tied in her surprise. He never expected her team to lose so badly against Seeker.
Seeker stood up from his feet and started flexing.
¡°That was easy. Let¡¯s go and have lunch somewhere.¡± Seeker smiled.
Arthur and Kristine was in their room the entire game. Kristine had a bewildered look on her face while Arthur looked as if he expected this result.
¡°Amazing! The three of you are so good!¡± Kristine exclaimed.
¡°Indeed. I knew Lynd had pseudo Millisecond Reaction, but now I¡¯ve met another one.¡± Arthur stared at Meryl.
¡°Looks like bringing Seeker into this team is a good thing. We paid for the price of three.¡± Arthur spoke candidly.
¡°I trust, that you will put me on the Champions match.¡± Seeker smiled as he spoke to Arthur.
¡°We will need to sort some things out first. I request a private meeting.¡± Arthur announced.
¡°I believe that my two friends and the good doctor should join.¡±
Arthur¡¯s eyebrow raised. But consented.
¡°Alright. Kristine, please join us as well. Would you be so kind as to keep everyone out of the room, for now, Miss Halley?¡± Arthur asked blankly.
Halley nodded and went out of the room. Arthur closed it and locked it
¡°This place is soundproof. We can talk openly.¡± Arthur immediately spoke with a serious tone.
¡°Who are you and what exactly is it that you want?¡±
¡°Down to business I see. Just like my old pal little Arthy.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°I¡¯m from the future Arthy. And I bring tidings of terror. Right now, with the way you are, you will die. You need to run back home and train with your old man if you want a shot at surviving.¡± Seeker spoke plainly.
Arthur frowned.
¡°This is a waste of time.¡± Arthur turned around and was about to leave the room.
¡°You haven¡¯t found your sister yet, have you? I know where she is.¡± Seeker smiled.
Arthur froze. Suddenly, Arthur immediately dashed towards Seeker. He punched out his hand but his fingers we stiff and straight as if his very arm was a blade and wanted to pierce Seeker with it.
¡°Relax.¡± Seeker spoke. A massive pressure enveloped the room.
Kristine dropped to the floor and was gasping for breath.
Arthur managed to keep his footing though his movements drastically fell down. Seeker casually evaded the thrust and delivered a powerful punch on Arthur¡¯s chest.
Arthur was sent flying back but managed o remain to stand and immediately adopted a fighting pose.
¡°Disgusting monster. I see what you mean, Zeek.¡± Charles spoke jealously. His legs were shaking but he managed to withstand the pressure.
¡°Wow. He managed to stand after all that.¡± Meryl admired.
The fear that gripped Arthur¡¯s heart clenched his throat. But despite the danger, Arthur did his best to turn his head around and check on Kristine.
¡°Will you behave now? If you do, I¡¯ll stop this and Kristine will feel better.¡± Seeker smiled.
Arthur did his best to open his mouth. But to no avail. After a bit of struggling Arthur then nodded his head.
Immediately the pressure disappeared.
Kristine and Arthur were now gasping for breath. Kristine couldn¡¯t stand up. She remained on the floor shivering. Arthur, on the other hand, kept breathing until he stabilized his condition.
Arthur stood and glared angrily at Seeker.
¡°Nutterballs. Ranked Heroes are awesome. He¡¯s got to be on the Advent rank now!¡± Lynd admired.
¡°No. He¡¯s not yet on the Advent rank.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°How? I had to get used to your pressure and this is Arthur¡¯s first time! How did he manage to remain standing at the full force of your pressure?¡± Charles spoke angrily.
¡°You haven¡¯t met his father.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°Anyways Charles, the reason I asked you to join, is precisely because of Arthur. One of three eccentrics of the unlocking. Those who broke through by studying and reading books. One of three people allowed to use a Nuke Emitter. Ranked Hero Arthur Humphrey. The Atomic Thresher."
Chapter Forty-Four: He Who treads the Threshing Floor
Arthur stood on the sandy beach as he gazed at the mountain range. Three Gargantuants could be seen hovering over the mountain range. The array of ships that floated in the sky as well as the enemy soldiers that rode huge mechs by the cliffs of the mountains seemed to blot out the light of the setting sun.
¡°You sure about this?¡± Seeker solemnly spoke.
¡°Yes. Thank you for not telling her.¡± Arthur replied with a smile.
¡°I¡¯m not used to seeing you smile.¡±
¡°This will be the last time. I assure you.¡± Arthur continued smiling.
Seeker gave a sad glance at Arthur.
¡°You know, I never liked you.¡±
¡°The pleasure is mine Seeker. It¡¯s funny how you get to love someone because you need them.¡±
The two silently stared at the army that could be their doom.
¡°There¡¯s got to be another way. Your father said that-¡±
¡°My father knows that there is no time. If this army manages to break through then not even three World Champions can pull back the wave without getting killed. It¡¯s still too early. We can¡¯t afford to lose all our Queens.¡±
¡°So we sacrifice one Bishop?¡± Seeker asked slowly.
¡°Yes. You and I both know that we stand at the bottom among the Heroes. And of the two of us, only I can pull off this task.¡± Arthur smiled once more.
¡°At the bottom? Come on. At least you rank second to the bottom.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°Well don¡¯t beat yourself up. I always thought you didn¡¯t belong among the Heroes. But seeing you that day, as you dove fearlessly into the fray risking your own life proved that you were better than me. If it was me, I wouldn¡¯t have done it.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Seeker asked in confusion.
¡°Yes. You see on your debut as the Death Tide, there were too many factors in that little dive of yours. I¡¯ve watched the video countless times.¡±
¡°Countless? Was the math that hard?¡±
¡°It wasn¡¯t. Over ninety percent chance that you¡¯d die. It was a stupid move.¡±
¡°I appreciate your calculations.¡± Seeker laughed sarcastically.
¡°And that¡¯s why I wouldn¡¯t have done it. It¡¯s also the reason why I have confidence in taking this dive. It¡¯s a twenty percent success rate by the way.¡±
Seeker¡¯s eyes went wide open.
¡°Only twenty percent? Then why are you doing this anyway?¡±
¡°The same reason why you did what you did. You were confident. You were determined. You had to win." Arthur smiled as he recalled Seeker''s attack.
"Trust me, Zeek. I will succeed.¡± A bright smile was displayed on Arthur''s face as he said that.
Seeker sighed. Tears started to roll down his eyes.
¡°What will your precious team think? Their Commander, the Death Tide shedding tears.¡± Arthur mocked.
Seeker took a deep breath. He calmed down and controlled his emotions.
¡°You know; you never did tell me why you used a mace as your weapon.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°The mace seemed to be the most convenient. You see, I don¡¯t want to use a sword or any blade. It cuts. I can¡¯t determine the theoretical hit point of an enemy. If I cut off an arm or slice of a part, the calculations I need to make are frustrating.¡± Arthur laughed.
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°It¡¯s another one of my math habits. You see if I cut off a part of a limb, I have to change the theoretical 100% of the enemy.¡±
¡°Because it¡¯s no longer attached to the enemy you have to reevaluate the theoretical 100%?¡±
¡°Yes. Hahaha.¡± Arthur laughed with a carefree expression. While Seeker had a bewildered look.
¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone. You see, unlike the sword that cuts off the parts, the mace damages the enemy I can feel its vibrations and it can tell me how much damage I inflicted. Cutting off a limb or a part causes a lot of potentially unbalanced calculations. What if the users dominant arm was the other arm? How does he adjust to the circumstance? In the end, it¡¯s easier for me to deduct the theoretical hit points rather than recalculate the theoretical 100%.¡±
¡°But that¡¯s- I mean-you still damaged-¡± Seeker who could easily memorize and mentally read a 200-word essay within 5 seconds was fumbling in his words.
¡°Leave it, Zeek!¡± Arthur laughed once more.
¡°It¡¯s just a part of my obsessive-compulsive behavior. When I used the sword it was so frustrating and annoying that I almost got hit. I switched to a mace and life was easy.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Seeker was shaking his head out of disbelief. So this was why the most calculative Hero used the most inefficient of weapons.
¡°Sir.¡± A soldier suddenly arrived.
¡°They are ready.¡±
Seeker and Arthur¡¯s expression returned to a solemn one.
¡°Get into position Commander. The war will begin on my first attack. Stick to the plan.¡± Arthur ordered as he walked out.
Seeker stared at the departing figure.
¡°Tell her I¡¯m sorry,¡± Arthur spoke calmly.
¡°Are you?¡± Seeker asked.
¡°Not really. The tears on her eyes wouldn¡¯t be enough to sway me. As long as she can smile long after we win, it would all be worth it.¡± Arthur smiled. The four cylinders attached on his back started to glow.
The next second he was gone.
Arthur sped as low as he could go and approached the guarding forces. But before they could even react at the sudden bleep that appeared on their radar, the attack had already begun.
A mini- nuclear blast exploded on the East side of the mountain. The nuclear explosion itself looked contained. As if an invisible barrier prevented it from spreading out. The shockwaves of the blast, however, was as strong as ever.
A battle immediately began. The enemy soldiers started moving and the Three Gargantuants that had long look to be on hibernation started to move towards the army. Several ports were opened and more ships started swarming out of the Gargantuant.
Huge electric sparks could be seen arcing all over the ship. Then suddenly the arc of lightning danced through the sky zipping through the swarm of flying allies and thundered on the UN Armies base.
¡°LIGHT SPEED ATTACKS!¡± A soldier warned as the three Gargantuants started sending out rains of thunder. It was blindingly fast. Even Inhumans would die without being able to make attempts of evading.
The swarm of enemies that descended on the U.N Armies arrived near the base and a chaotic battle began. People were dying left and right and the U.N Armies slowly dwindled in numbers.
Every now and then, a light-speed attack would shoot through the gaps of the battlefield. Though the African forces were as many as a locust swarm, the beams could still zip through the swarm and kill UN soldiers.
It was a massacre. The UN Armies took a lot of hits and its army was dwindling by the second.
Several attacks from the Champions and other Ranked Heroes were executed to damage the Gargantuants but it was no avail as they could not zip through the swarm and evade the light-speed attacks.
Three Gargantuants, when positioned in the right way, could create a gravity field. With this, light speed auto-attacks could be made as it used gravity to map the area and ascertain the possibilities of attacking without causing friendly fire. Anything deemed as an enemy within this zone would automatically be shot at if the system determines that no friendly fire would be incurred. When three Gargantuants would form this formation, it would be something that even a World Champion would not recklessly dive into.
The light-speed attacks continued to rain down whenever a gap was made in the midst of the swarm. Thisshower of protection maximized the attacking potentials of the African army with the Aragarian fleet behind them.
A soldier was using his Force Boosters to retreat when a light-speed attack struck the location in front of him, killing his ally. A huge Titan immediately reached down to cleave the soldier in half. But before the sharp strike reached the soldier was pulled to safety.
¡°Commander!¡± The soldier cried in relief as he was saved from the clutches of the huge Titan.
Seeker took him by the hand and was zooming to the north side of the battle.
¡°We can¡¯t hold on!¡±
¡°Relax. Trust in your General. He¡¯s just about to set the stage.¡± Seeker frowned.
Immediately after Seeker finished his sentence, several nuclear blasts exploded in various areas of the battlefield. The sudden blast killed enemies and left several others disoriented by the shockwave. As the ring of explosions began, the enemy troops were thrown into disarray. Chaos ensued as the ships and mechs shuffled to regain their formation. Amidst this chaos was an arising order.
This order was achieved through the application of various mathematical variables. It took into account the possible behaviors, reactions, and the very psychology of the enemy. In the midst of the swarm of enemies, a path was made leading to the three Gargantuants.
The ¡®path¡¯ which was aboutfour miles long, had a lot of enemy ships and mechs. In fact, it didn¡¯t look like a path. But for Arthur it was.
The path would exist barely a second long. If there were any more enemies in this path, Arthur would be unable to thread this path. But despite the long length and the short time that this path would remain open, it was enough. Especially since Arthur has Selective Unlocking.
Unlike all Ranked Heroes who used the Four Force Accelerator, Arthur used the gear that was granted only to World Champions. The Four Stellar Threads. Through Arthur¡¯s amazing calculation skills, he could navigate through the skies with speeds that far surpass what the Four Force Accelerator could provide.
Arthur looked at the path before him and smiled. Large ships and huge titans stood between him and his destination. It looked impossible, but in Arthur¡¯s eyes, he never felt so sure of his math.
¡°Time to start threshing on the Threshing Floor.¡± It was now time for Arthur to attack.
A reading from the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 41, verse 15.
¡°Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.¡±
ZOOOOOOM!!
A sonic boom blasted through the path. Mechs of metal and ships of steel stood in front of him, but carved metals and splintered steel lay before him.
The Threshing Floor.
This was Arthur¡¯s most powerful attack. With speeds that only a World Champion could control, Arthur pierced through the swarm of enemies grinding anything along its path to dust.
The moment Arthur pierced through the last enemy ship, light-speed attacks pierced through his torso. A large hole could be seen as the light-speed attack ended.
Without a doubt, Arthur would die.
Time seemed to stop for Arthur. He looked in disdain towards the three Gargantuants.
¡°Hmp! Idiots. We''ve already won.¡± Arthur clutched the Nuke Emitter on his hand and it self-destructed.
A powerful nuclear explosion shook the three Gargantuants. The explosion was so big that it seemed to cover the entire mountain range. The explosion caused the three ships to move away from each other. Sadly, its hard armor plating resisted the blast and did not critically damage the ship. But what Arthur did was enough.
The World Champions made their move when the Threshing Floor started and even before the flames of the nuclear blast could recede, the World Champions pierced through and boarded they''re assigned Gargantuant.
The rage of the Champions could not be easily quenched during that battle. For in the entire history of the war, there was only one recorded instance that several World Champions manage to win a battle by deliberately sacrificing a Ranked Hero.
Seeker¡¯s eyes grew red as he saw the powerful blast. It was beautiful. Arthur¡¯s artistic side was clearly displayed as the explosion formed what looked like a gold crown in the sky. No doubt, a work of Arthur¡¯s calculations. The UN Armies morale soared.
¡°There it is men! The last gift of your General! The Stephanos! The Victors Crown! We have won! Let us claim it!¡± Seeker roared.
He clutched his sword and flew towards the enemies with a berserker expression and the army followed.
Without the support of the Gargantuant''sthe African army was easily subdued.
Mission Hundred Mountain Hunt Successful.
The UN Armies of Asia successfully eliminated a third of the African forces. Victory attributed to the brave sacrifice of Ranked Hero, General Arthur Humphrey.
Chapter Forty-Five: The First Prophet
Charles sat down and listened as Seeker gave the summary of who he was, what he saw, as well as the future of Arthur. Seeker, who remembered the painful memories of how Arthur died contained his emotions. Seeker made no mention of that battle which he had just unconsciously remembered.
¡°What exactly is Selective Unlocking?¡± Charles finally interrupted at the conclusion of Seeker¡¯s tale.
¡°It¡¯s a state wherein the unlock individual managed to increase their Unlocking¡¯s in certain specific areas.¡± Seeker explained.
Arthur and Kristine were now seated on the couch with hot teas served for them to calm down.
Arthur had a peculiar look on his face.
¡°Let¡¯s take Arthur¡¯s case as an example. Right now, by measuring the capacity of his brain, it definitely can go beyond the normal function, he isn¡¯t Unlocked at all. He probably has about 12 percent of his unlocking complete and wouldn¡¯t even qualify as an Unbecoming Advent.¡± Seeker sat down in front of Arthur.
¡°But this increase in 2 percent is specifically locked in certain areas. I''d say overall Mental fortitude. This means he cannot accomplish the usual things an Unlocked mind can. No improvement in sight, hearing, and all the other benefits that generally follow once you Unlock the limits of your brain.¡±
¡°What do you mean by mental fortitude?¡± Meryl asked as she served the remaining teas.
¡°Thinking of course. He can analyze data faster than normal people. That is why he has Instant Calculation. I can calculate things because of how my perception is faster than a normal person¡¯s perception. Because of that, I have enough time to make the necessary calculation. For Arthur, it¡¯s different. He can calculate things almost instantly.¡±
Arthur was silent. He continued to ponder Seeker¡¯s words.
Kristine still had a very apprehensive look towards Seeker. She could still recall the deep fear that gripped her heart.
¡°Impressive.¡± Charles commended.
¡°And you¡¯re saying that he managed to reach this far just by studying?¡±
¡°Yes. I¡¯m assuming that Lennox managed to do the same. I¡¯m pretty certain Lennox¡¯s unlocking should probably be somewhere in between Unbecoming Proficient to Inhuman Proficient. Seeing as Arthur¡¯s familiar with the pressure and stress I can release means he has been thoroughly baptized in that.¡±
Arthur¡¯s eyebrow raised.
¡°You mean what my old man can do, is something these Unlocked can do?¡±
¡°No. It¡¯s much more complicated than that. There will be only a few individuals who could do what you¡¯re your father can do.¡± Seeker shook his head.
¡°I thought everyone could do that.¡± Charles reacted.
¡°If that were true, then we would have had more chances in fighting the war. Some would only manage to release this scent when they reached Ranked Hero.¡±
¡°So there are others who are far worse than my dad?¡± Arthur asked again.
¡°Not really. At most, they would probably be on par with your dad.¡±
¡°Then why did you say ¡®Danger?¡¯¡±
¡°To get your attention of course. Although there are some who can kill Lennox, myself included, it would probably a close fight or a pyrrhic victory. No one wants that. My intentions for saying that was to warn you. You''d probably ignore it if my message to you was simply ''danger.'' So I had to say something as strange as that to make you want to meet me and allow a private conversation.¡±
¡°So the reason why you wanted to meet with me isn¡¯t that of my father, but just to give me this message?¡±
¡°Yes. You are a rare case after all. If you do manage to break through to higher ranks, it would hasten the research of Charles. If we could improve the chances of directly creating an Inhuman without sacrificing hundreds. The procedure for creating Unlocked individuals have a high mortality rate after all. But if Charles can improve on it, then the chances of our winning the war may improve.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Exactly how can his Unlocking help me?¡± Charles asked immediately. His eyes sparkled with rich desire.
BEEP!
Seeker took a look at his phone.
¡°Oh. Just in time. Lynd, Meryl please ask Miss Halley to go down with you. Alean has just arrived. Go pick her up.¡± Seeker smiled.
Lynd hastily walked out the door while Meryl was laughing at Lynd¡¯s sudden disinterest at the current unveiling news.
¡°Poor Kristine. And she seemed quite interested in you Lynd. Too bad you already have Miss Alean.¡± Meryl teased on her way out.
The door closed once again and Seeker¡¯s smile faded into a serious one.
¡°Alright. Now that those two are out, I¡¯ll be explaining this crucial principle to you Charles and why Arthur is important.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Charles was surprised at the sudden seriousness of Seeker¡¯s discussion.
¡°Are you familiar with the concept of Intuitive versus Sensing?¡± Seeker asked.
¡°Yes. The theory which states the two categories on how people perceives information.¡± Charles nodded.
¡°Good. You see, we have identified that there are three types of individuals who can reach World Champion. That stage is so hard, that it was said to be scientifically impossible to do so. Even among those who reached Ranked Hero, there were only a few who showed the potential to actually be a World Champion.¡±
¡°Like Lynd." Charles murmured in disgust.
Arthur¡¯s eyebrows were raised.
¡°Interesting.¡± Arthur voiced out. Seeker ignored Arthur¡¯s sudden interest.
¡°Generally, most of those who have broken through to World Champion belonged to the Sensing category. But not to say that all who belong in that group had a chance to reach it, rather, among those who managed to reach Ranked Hero, those with the potential to break through all were sensing types.¡±
¡°The Believers.¡± Charles realized.
¡°Yes. The Unlocking is a mysterious phenomenon. The problem with intuitive types is that they have to ¡®think¡¯ their way of understanding how to push the unlocking. But you can¡¯t crunch numbers and achieve the Unlocking. How do you command your cells to alter your very brain? You can¡¯t do that nor can that be taught. So only those with extreme sensing, like those two happy-go-lucky friends of mine can alter their brain naturally. Even I, at the peak of Ranked Hero, couldn¡¯t do that.¡±
¡°Because you need to understand ¡®how¡¯ that happens...¡± Arthur added.
¡°Exactly. Though this seems like a little problem, it¡¯s actually a huge one. Unless one has this ¡®faith,¡¯ the brain won¡¯t ever change on its own. Thus many of those Unlocked would face a wall when they reach the higher ranks of Inhuman. And those who manage to conquer it are faced with the incredible impossibilities of breaking through Ranked Hero.¡±
¡°Is this why Meryl managed to awaken her Unhindered Sight?¡± Charles asked.
¡°Yes. Everyone who reached the World Champion stage had their own ¡®path¡¯ of growth. Each Champion had things that no other Champion could do. And it was because of this that we believe only those who have those specific ''path'' can reach World Champion."
¡°You aren¡¯t seriously listening to this Arthur?¡± Kristine finally interrupted. She kept quiet during the strange talks that they had but when Arthur started joining in, she felt as if she had to voice out her thoughts.
¡°Yes, I am. It makes perfect sense. I¡¯m skeptical about Seeker¡¯s prophecies of the future, just as everyone should. But I do believe the Unlocking. It thoroughly explains the state of my father.¡± Arthur stood up and signaled Kristine to be quiet.
¡°This means that my father should fit into the other group of those who reached this so-called World Champion, correct?¡±
¡°Yes. Three people were recorded to have Selective Unlocking. You and your father belong to that group. If we can save your sister, then it¡¯s possible that we would have a forth.¡± Seeker smiled.
Arthur gave a smile as well. Kristine was shocked when Arthur revealed a smile.
¡°Does that mean you will help me save my sister?¡±
¡°Of course. Why wouldn¡¯t we? But we can¡¯t be too hasty. Your sister is caught up with some very troublesome people. At the heart of our enemies to be in fact.¡±
Arthur frowned.
¡°So those Aragarian¡¯s are holding my sister captive?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Seeker quietly responded.
Arthur''s face turned angrier.
¡°Is my father responsible for my sister¡¯s demise?¡±
Seeker simply shook his head.
¡°I don¡¯t know. It''s possible that he had a hand to play. He never spoke of it. But what I do know is that when your sister died, your father brought Egypt to her knees, he went on a rampage and massacred over a million people.¡±
Arthur¡¯s face finally relaxed a bit while Charles swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He hoped that Seeker was exaggerating the number.
¡°So my suspicions seemed misplaced.¡±
¡°There are forces at work on this planet that even your father fears Arthur. They are your true enemy. Your father may have a hand at how your sister was taken, but he isn¡¯t your enemy.¡±
Arthur nodded.
¡°Then what do I need to do?¡±
¡°For now, we play along with the immediate events. We have a couple of things to do. I''ll need your help in some matters and Charles needs to run his test on you." Seeker turned to Charles.
¡°Let me get this straight, you want me to take a look at Arthur because he¡¯s one of the rare cases where a person with intuitive perception has the potential to reach World Champion?¡±
¡°Yes. On the Sensing side, we have the Believers, on the Intuitive side, are the rare cases of Selective Unlocking such as Arthur here.¡±
¡°What about you? Which one are you?¡±
¡°I¡¯m an Intuitive, but I''m not a Prophet."
"A what?"
"A Prophet. I don¡¯t have Arthur''s potential. We call them ¡®Prophets¡¯ since they could teach others while Believers can¡¯t.¡±
¡°What do you mean by teaching?¡±
¡°Teach how to Unlock the brain further. Everything that I''ve been doing was actually based on a rough theory that Arthur developed."
Charles gave Arthur an angry glare. So he was the culprit.
"But what we''ve been doing won''t help when you reach a certain stage. There has to be a scientific explanation and a step by step guide to help others push their unlocking. Believers were basically clueless about how they would teach others. It¡¯s like asking musical advice from a prodigy. They can¡¯t explain it even if they wanted to since these things come very naturally to them.¡±
¡°So that leaves us? The Intuitive types who can explain the very process.¡± Arthur murmured.
¡°Yes. Thankfully your dad was one among the Champions. He will be your best teacher. Hopefully, if you break through World Champion and once you develop the road of your ¡®path¡¯ then maybe more World Champions will appear.¡± Seeker smiled.
"Why not have my father teach?" Arthur frowned.
¡°You see, the problem is that your dad isn¡¯t exactly a Prophet like you who broke through by studying. He is also a part of the third group of World Champions. Being part of that group drastically limited the things your father could teach.¡±
¡°The third type that reached World Champion?¡±
Seeker gave an exasperated sigh. It gave Charles and Arthur the impression that Seeker was actually depressed.
¡°The third group of Unlocked individuals was originally believed to be the only group that could reach the World Champion stage. They rose to that heights just after a few battles when they were unlocked. People who reached the World champion stage without facing any bottlenecks or problems whatsoever.¡±
¡°Impossible!¡± Charles was taken aback. They had just been discussing at length of the impossibilities in reaching World Champion and a set of individuals achieved it easily?
¡°Yes. These are people who were born with the very potential, experience, talent, and skill to easily reach World Champion. This group made up all the World Champions until Lynd managed to break through.¡± Seeker gave a depressed laugh.
¡°Which is to say, the World Champion title was given exclusively to them as it was deemed humanly impossible to reach that stage. The Unlocking allowed them to maximize their almost demonic capabilities. It''s as if they were the Unlocked among Unlocked individuals.¡±
¡°So they''re just incomparable and vastly more powerful from the rest of humanity?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t consider them humans. Arthur would agree.¡± Seeker laughed. Arthur nodded as he thought of his father.
¡°When Lynd broke through, we finally realized that ''humans'' could reach an Unlocking that they have. So when we finally had a World Champion who isn''t like them, we changed the term to address this monstrous group. They are the overlords of the Rebellion. We call them... the Overcomers.¡±
Chapter Forty-Six: A Humbled Seeker Carlean
It was total humiliation.
As soon as her team reached Seeker, they were met with Lynd¡¯s tank version of Blade. Yet despite the slow movements of this build, they could barely attack Lynd as he moved precisely on time using minimal movements to dodge the attacks.
Blade used the AOE attacks to disrupt the team from moving forward. Seeker¡¯s player, Edge, was seen sniping them at a short distance behind Blade and kept shooting stun attacks. Though it had an 8-second cooldown, every shot would hit them squarely. And Seeker knew who to attack, and when to attack. Dara was the first to fall.
In fact, every time she would engage the opposing team, a similar scenario would play. She would receive the stun attacks from Seeker, get smacked with all the attacks that Blade had and lastly, Meryl¡¯s agile Piercing: Dagger build would strike at the most critical of moments. Dara was undoubtedly the most useless player in that battle. Of their team¡¯s total damage percentage, Asterisxx had 67 percent, Danny took the remaining 33 percent. Dara did not manage to do a single attack on Seeker¡¯s team.
Danny was laughing his head off after the battle. Being humbled by Arthur caused him not to worry about these trivial stats. But beyond this numb sensation to losing, was the most embarrassing stats he has ever seen from the profile of a Pro. A post-battle score of zero percent damage contribution.
Not even fighting against Arthur would give her this kind of score. This train of thought led Dara to consider one possibility.
During the battle, she realized that Seeker¡¯s attacks were all timely and on the mark. Meryl¡¯s attacks were terrifying, reckless and executed perfectly that she didn¡¯t even manage to do a single strike. This was how people described LordChokeMeSenpai.
She argued with Danny and Asterisxx that it wasn¡¯t Seeker, Lynd and Meryl they were fighting, but Seeker, Arthur, and Kristine.
Edge was played by Arthur who made precise control and memorized the timing of all attacks and knew when to disrupt them! Meryl was definitely Kristine! And Seeker, being a renowned evasive player would easily fit into as Blade!
Danny and Asterisxx did not agree as there was a clear difference in their playstyle.
But an innocent sigh drove Dara of the edge when Danny murmured that he had to date Meryl now. It was there that Dara realized that she has lost the bet.
Her dreams would no longer come true. Their date on the Sky Garden, the couples massage room plans she dreamt, the wine, candles, and whips. It was all gone.
The most frustrating thing to ever experience is to see a giant ray of hope that you thought you would have, only to disappear as the clouds of reality came to shade its rays.
This great frustration turned into anger. And so she did the only thing she could do. She took out her phone and used her secret weapon.
¡°Dad. I need your help.¡±
¡°Dara? What happened?¡±
¡°It¡¯s this newbie that joined our team. He humiliated me and even replaced me as the main roster for the 5-on-5 battle!¡±
¡°WHAT?!¡± The voice in the other line took a sudden angry tone.
¡°It¡¯s that Casual Carlean! He managed to trick us all and replaced three of the main roster. Even Danny¡¯s off the team!¡± Dara complained.
¡°Even Danny? No way. The fans will go crazy! And Arthur knows that! Why isn¡¯t he doing anything?¡±
¡°Probably blackmail! Arthur is definitely being used! Daddy do something! My career is on the line!¡±
¡°I¡¯ll see if I can talk with Feltrick. He had his misgivings towards this Seeker person. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll find a way to kick him out of the team.¡±
¡°It¡¯s impossible! Arthur won¡¯t agree to it! I¡¯m sure! He¡¯s even using Doctor Lindmitt to seduce Halley!¡±
¡°Doctor Lindmitt¡¯s there?!¡± A surprised voice continued.
¡°Yes! I have this strange feeling that Seeker has been blackmailing him. And now he¡¯s doing that to Arthur! You have to do something!¡±
¡°I¡¯ll call Feltrick. He should be on his way right now!¡±
¡°Tell him to hurry. That Seeker¡¯s on to something! I¡¯m sure of it!¡± Dara abruptly ended the call. The anger in her eyes had not disappeared.
Meanwhile, back in the room, Seeker had just updated their new found ally of the current situation.
¡°I see. So you aim to start a Continental war. This could lead to a world war you know.¡± Arthur was deeply pondering the situation.
¡°Impressive. What gave you that impression?¡± Seeker smiled. He expected Arthur to predict this move.
¡°War is the only avenue for you to be able to sneak in and meet high-ranking officials. If you¡¯re going to try to meet people like my father, then no doubt you will need to travel to enemy countries. War¡¯s the perfect cover. Also, no doubt that you will use this opportunity to gather more resources and pilfer technology from the various armies across the world.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Exactly. Since a world war will soon happen, I¡¯ll just cause one. Besides, it has to disrupt the Aragarian¡¯s plan. A Continental war should be big enough to surprise the Aragarians. If that could disrupt their plans even by a few months, then it can give us even more advantages.
¡°But you¡¯re diverting too much from the original timeline, things won¡¯t go according to your memories.¡±
¡°It¡¯s alright. Those high-ranking people that I need to meet are potential Overcomers. Several of the World Champions have often voiced out their lament when these ¡®peers¡¯ of theirs died during the early stages of the war. If we gain three to four new overcomers, then it¡¯s definitely worth the trouble.¡±
¡°If these Overcomers are anything like my father, then I¡¯d risk that change even for just one addition. However, you caused quite a ruckus with your actions tonight.¡± Arthur stared straight at Seeker.
¡°What? Why?¡± A confused Seeker stared back.
¡°Dara. She¡¯s the problem. Your overwhelming victory was too showy. She would never believe that you three fought against them. She probably thinks that Kristine and I played instead of Meryl and Lynd. Also, considering her loss to a bet that would have fulfilled all her wildest fantasy, she''s bound to do something... immature.¡±
¡°Eh? I¡¯m too bored with a little child¡¯s game. I¡¯ll fix it just like I did Alean.¡± Seeker shrugged.
¡°Seeker! She¡¯s a child!¡±
¡°You know that it is written, Doc. Spare the rod, spoil the child.¡± Seeker gave a malicious reply.
¡°I¡¯m not talking about her. Her father is well affiliated with one of the Board members of our company. And that board member''s a scrooge. He was initially against you joining our team considering your demanded salary.¡±
¡°Eh? It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve blackmailed a corrupt General back in Phil-Pangea. I can handle this corporate scrooge.¡±
¡°That scrooge is Feltrick Ung-glaive. His secret background is the head of an internationally wanted criminal syndicate and weapons dealer. You cannot intimidate him.¡± Arthur spoke plainly.
Seeker frowned.
Even Charles felt his palms sweat. This background was not something they could easily mess with.
¡°I can do my best to water down the trouble. He won¡¯t kick you out of the team, but he¡¯ll do his best to intimidate you. Even my father refuses to cause problems towards his organization as it would lead to quite a troublesome task.¡±
Seeker was in deep contemplation.
¡°I swear I know that name. Ugh. Alright. I''ll keep it low-key.¡± Seeker sighed.
A knock was heard.
¡°Arthur! Feltrick is here!¡± Halley spoke with a worried tone.
Seeker frowned.
¡°Speaking of the devil. I¡¯ll deal with him. He will insult you and even resort to physically hurting you. You have to act humble. Don¡¯t even dare to intimidate him, Seeker. He has full authority to kick you out of the team. It will cause too many problems for you and even more so for me.¡± Arthur glared.
¡°Alright. I promise I won¡¯t intimidate him.¡± Seeker sighed.
The group went out to see a slightly chubby man with a strict face. He wore a brown tux and had a large walking stick. Surrounding him were his bodyguards. But everyone in that room knew they were Feltrick¡¯s henchmen.
¡°So¡ You are the arrogant one who¡¯s causing problems in my organization.¡± The fat man walked arrogantly towards Seeker.
Dara¡¯s smile was beaming. This was quite a sight for her eyes.
¡°Out of respect to Doctor Charles, I won¡¯t make it difficult for you. Confess to whatever crimes, Seeker. Blackmailing Arthur Humphrey and even cheating on your fights to win here. If you confess now, it will be simple. We will announce that you met a freak accident and that you fractured your arm. Outwardly, you will be treated as a part of the Covenant so as not to break our contract. Do we have a deal?¡± Feltrick¡¯s smile was a wicked one.
¡°Mr. Feltrick, with all due respect, Seeker didn¡¯t cheat. I was there in the room and witnessed it. He is as good as the rumors have him to be.¡±
¡°Arthur. It¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to put up with his nonsense. We can get you out of this contract legally. Think of what your poor father will do if he finds out you are caught in the bad end of this deal.¡± Feltrick gave a ¡®sincere¡¯ smile.
DING!
The elevator opened a happy pair of teens walked out of the door.
¡°Hi, guys! We¡¯re back! Alean¡¯s downstairs fixing up Charles room.¡± Meryl walked over. She looked at the fat man and immediately recognized him.
¡°Oh my! You¡¯re Mr. Feltrick! I recognized you on the big picture on the lobby! It¡¯s a pleasure, Sir! My name is Meryl!¡± Meryl happily approached the fat man with a hand extended forward.
Without warning, Feltrick suddenly threw a strong slap towards Meryl.
Meryl was about to evade the slap then she noticed Seeker shaking his head as he gazed straight at Meryl¡¯s eyes. The confused Meryl stopped evading and allowed the slap to reach her.
SMACK!
Meryl stumbled sideward as the slap echoed through the room. Seeker gripped his fist tightly. He had to control it.
¡°He¡¯s someone even Lennox wouldn¡¯t touch... He¡¯s someone even Lennox wouldn¡¯t touch...¡± Seeker chanted under his breath.
Dara was laughing happily. This made Seeker clench his fist tighter.
¡°Don¡¯t think you can fool me with all your acts! ¡± Feltrick screamed angrily. He walked towards Meryl and was about to deliver another kick while she was on the ground when Seeker suddenly appeared at the gap.
¡°Mr. Feltrick. There is no need to use violence in resolving this.¡± Seeker spoke righteously.
Feltrick gave an angry stare at Seeker.
¡°You faked your skills, blackmailed our team captain and you''re even trying to turn my team against each other! Get out!¡± A sharp slap was made against but Seeker stood firmly in his spot.
The slap echoed throughout the room. Lynd was gripping his fist in anger. Charles glared angrily at this fat man. Dara laughed again.
Seeker, however, stood firmly with his eyes full of surprise.
Seeker stared deeply into the eyes of Feltrick and an unusual anger surfaced on his face. Everyone could see that Seeker was trying his best to contain his anger.
¡°What are you looking at?¡± Feltrick moved closer, challenging the scornful gaze of Seeker.
¡°I¡¯m sorry for the angry stare. It was¡ instinct.¡± Seeker spoke slowly.
¡°To prove my humility, my master always told me, that when I am slapped on the right cheek, I should turn the other way to offer my left cheek.¡± Seeker turned and offered his left cheek.
¡°My pleasure!¡± The fat man stepped back and poised to slap Seeker. A powerful slap was then sent towards Seeker¡¯s face. The large chubby hands moved with speeds that exceeded his first slap.
Seeker stood firmly determined to meet the velocity of this slap.
SMACK!
The strong slapped echoed once more.
Seeker stood undaunted from the slap. He turned his eyes towards Feltrick¡¯s.
¡°What? You want more?¡± Feltrick angrily readied his slap, but before he could throw it, Seeker extended his right arm. A small glass-like blade extended from a small stick Seeker carried.
The next second, Feltrick¡¯s arm was seen flying in the air as Seeker slashed mercilessly.
¡°Don¡¯t worry Arthur. I won¡¯t intimidate him. I¡¯ll just kill him. Charles, Lynd, Meryl. Kill the guards.¡± Seeker announced as an overpowering pressure filled the room.
Chapter Forty-Seven: A Night to Remember
Feltrick was the last one to notice it. He first gave a confused look as he wondered why his slap didn''t hit. An odd sound of something falling off made him turn and realized the horror of his situation. It was only then that he realized his arm was cut off. An indescribable terror and a heart-clenching sensation immediately followed.
Pain crippled him. Feltrick fell down on the ground and started screaming.
Dara was the next one to react. The amount of dripping blood that started to pour out added to Seeker¡¯s pressure made her vomit.
Everybody else started falling on the ground as the immense pressure covered the room.
¡°DON¡¯T KILL ME! I¡¯ll DO ANYTHING!¡± Feltrick pleaded as he crawled slowly away from where Seeker stood.
Before the guards could reach for their guns, they were immediately attacked.
Charles immediately stole the gun on the holster of the nearest guard and shot the guard on the head.
BANG!
A muffled shot resounded and everyone immediately watched in horror as a respected and renowned hero were executing two other guards.
BANG! BANG!
Lynd and Meryl also acted by attacking the nearest guards.
Meryl immediately aimed for the throat and then the groin. Taking advantage of the staggering foe, Meryl used several jujutsu techniques to break the joints of the enemy.
Lynd was more primitive. Imitating the same stomach-penetrating punch that he experienced on several occasions, Lynd¡¯s mighty punch that made the enemy guard spit out a mouthful of saliva. As the guard bent over in pain, Lynd delivered a powerful knee strike and knocked the guard out.
An increase of overall strength followed their Unlocking. On the last training sessions, any one of them could carry the large halberd as if it wasa simple long sword.
Everyone in the room except Seeker¡¯s friends shouted in fear. But no one could move due to the immense and heavy sensation that pulled them closer to the ground.
Lynd and Meryl stood over their respective guards and watched them in order to make sure that they wouldn¡¯t do anything dangerous.
¡°I said kill the guards!¡± Seeker¡¯s cold voice reverberated once more. This caused Lynd and Meryl to shake slightly at Seeker¡¯s voice.
Unlike his happy-go-lucky smile which he would usually show, there was an unusual harshness around Seeker that even brought fear to Meryl and Lynd.
¡°Zeek¡¡± Meryl slowly asked.
¡°You will be killing more people tonight, Meryl. So show me your resolve!¡± Seeker demanded.
What gripped Seeker¡¯s two friends wasn¡¯t the normal fear they felt towards Seeker. It wasn¡¯t intimidation, it wasn¡¯t a fear of having their life threatened. It was a fear that shook their hearts because their minds have suggested something.
¡°This isn¡¯t Seeker.¡±
This simple thought overpowered the fear which tied their morals and their very humanity to uphold certain principles. Almost acting in synch, Meryl and Lynd reached for the gun that these guards had, aimed at their temple, and with fearful hearts and a tearful eye, they pulled the trigger which not only killed the guards in front of them but killed a part of their own soul.
BANG! BANG!
The two guards were now dead.
Lynd and Meryl looked as if they were drained of life. A numbing sensation flooded the two. They did not shake, they did not move, their Unlocking allowed them this fortitude. But they stood there knowing that their morals have forever changed.
Charles looked with grim eyes towards the two teens. Charles disagreed with the timing but knew this was a trial that these two must face.
¡°NO! NO! NO! PLEASE!I¡¯LLDO ANYTHING! HELP! CALL THE POLICE! ARTHUR DO SOMETHING!¡± Feltrick pleaded to Arthur as Seeker started to draw near towards him.
¡°Relax Arthur. There¡¯s a perfectly sound explanation as to why I am killing this scum.¡±
¡°And that being?¡± Arthur demanded.
¡°I hate the sound of his heartbeat.¡± Seeker smirked evilly.
Arthur was enraged and attempted to move towards Seeker. But the pressure increased as he drew closer which almost sent Arthur stumbling down to the ground.
DING!
The elevator doors opened and a frowning Alean walked out.
¡°Charles. Good to see- oh¡¡± Alean then felt the familiar sensation of Seeker¡¯s killing intent. She then noticed the blood and dead soldiers.
¡°CIPRIIL!¡± Feltrick recognized the face of Harker¡¯s daughter.
¡°SAVE ME! THIS MAN IS A LUNATIC!¡± Feltrick crawled towards the Alean.
Alean sighed and walked pass Feltrick.
¡°Here are the lollipops you wanted.¡± Alean handed a pack of lollipop treats to Seeker.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Even Arthur was stunned at the development.
¡°Really now¡ We¡¯ve barely been here for 5 hours and you¡¯re already causing a mess.¡± Alean sighed.
Despite the lack of limbs and the constant dripping of blood, Feltrick was tongue-tied. Why would the daughter of a renowned General, who held such prominence in the underworld, delivered a pack of lollipops to this young teen?
¡°Could you relax a little? This pressure¡¯s quite annoying you know?¡± Alean insensitively berated.
Seeker frowned but realized that Alean was right.
Everyone else on the Covenant could now breath. They stumbled down on the floor and started gasping for breath. Dara continued to shake in fear as she gazed at Seeker and his friends. Even her dreamful gaze at Charles was replaced with that of horror.
¡°Anyone who attempts to escape will be stabbed.¡± Seeker announced. No one dared move towards the elevator doors. Dara vomited once more. She remained on the floor convulsing in fear.
¡°Exactly what is going on anyway?¡± Alean impatiently asked.
¡°I¡¯ll leave the other details to Lynd. You owe him a date and a kiss. For now, let''s deal with the people here, shall we?¡±
Alean was shocked at Seeker¡¯s statement. Lynd however, continued to stare at the dead guard he just shot.
Alean gave a small smirk.
¡°Looks like little Lynd is growing up.¡± She sighed.
¡°Please¡ Don¡¯t kill me¡¡± Feltrick begged.
Seeker kicked Feltrick on the face and then pinned his face on the ground.
¡°Move and I¡¯ll kill you!" Seeker warned as he stabbed the sword right in front of Feltrick.
Feltrick was wailing and convulsing but dared not to move or to agitate the angry Seeker.
¡°Charles, check his heart.¡±
Charles had an unusual look but immediately went to feel Feltrick¡¯s chest.
After a few seconds of checking, Charles frowned then moved immediately to check the right side of Feltrick¡¯s chest.
¡°Sitrus Inversus.¡± Charles immediately announced.
¡°Meaning?¡± Arthur frowned.
¡°His heart. It¡¯s not on the left side, but on the right. He has a rare medical condition where his major organs are mirrored. So basically his hearts on the right side and his organs are positioned on its mirrored location. Why is this significant Seeker?¡± Charles turned questioningly to Seeker.
¡°It¡¯s significant because he doesn¡¯t have Sitrus Inversus, Charles.¡± Seeker calmly responded.
¡°No. I¡¯m sure he has.¡± Charles countered with a slightly confused expression.
¡°He doesn¡¯t,¡± Seeker responded flatly.
The two stared at each other in silence. Then it hit Charles.
¡°Aragarian!¡± Charles exclaimed.
Arthur¡¯s eyes went wide open.
¡°What did you say?¡± The pinned Feltrick immediately reacted. A trace of fear in Feltrick¡¯s voice surfaced.
¡°Exactly. Aragarians have their heart and organs arranged in the exact mirrored opposite of ours. It will look like Sitrus Inversus. When he slapped me, I felt his heartbeat and that¡¯s when I remembered where I¡¯ve heard his name.¡±
Seeker unceremoniously stabbed the blade into Feltrick¡¯s heart. After a few seconds of struggling, Feltrick died.
The sudden stab surprised everyone. Arthur glared at Seeker because of his sudden actions.
¡°You used Realm Somatotopy to map out his body when he slapped you?¡± Charles asked immediately as he realized how Seeker knew of the strange anatomy of the person before him.
Seeker had already explained the theory of Realm Somatotopy to the rest of his team. However, the lessons they¡¯ve had were fruitless. Not even Lynd and Meryl could do the basics of Realm Somatotopy.
¡°Since I am limiting my Unlocking as you have prescribed, I could only use it if I were physically connected to him. The slaps he did gave the right vibrations for me to feel his whole body.¡±
¡°Then why two slaps?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t know he was Aragarian. I was planning on doing what Arthur suggested. But when he slapped me, I accidentally used Realm Somatotopy and there I realized that his heartbeat was on his right side. Of course, he really could just have one of those rare heart disorders. So I asked him to slap me again. This time I mapped his entire anatomy and identified the other medical differences between their anatomy and ours.¡±
¡°So you weren¡¯t just acting immature in slicing his arm off after that second slap.¡± Arthur raised an eyebrow.
¡°Don¡¯t put me on your level of impatience, Arthur.¡± Seeker sneered.
¡°His name must have been mentioned in passing in one of the reports we¡¯ve had in the future. That¡¯s why his name didn¡¯t ring any bells initially. He was so unimportant in the reports that it didn¡¯t cross my mind. But looks like he played a larger role during the pre-war era.¡±
¡°Then why did you kill him? He could have been connected to the group that kidnapped my sister.¡± Arthur demanded.
¡°Now is not the time, Arthur. If we manage to connect the dots and find your sister, it will arouse suspicion. Right now, we can all cover this up by making it look like that Harker Cirpril is trying to take over Feltirck¡¯s organization.¡±
¡°Is that why you killed him immediately? So I can¡¯t interrogate him?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Seeker responded coldly.
¡°If you want your sister alive you will act in patience. Chasing after her now will lead the Aragarian¡¯s to increase their caution. You could rescue your sister now, but she¡¯ll die in the future.¡±
Arthur remained silent at Seeker¡¯s explanation.
¡°Are these guards Aragarian¡¯s?¡± Meryl softly inquired as she stared at the dead soldier near her.
¡°Probably not. He¡¯s probably the only Aragarian among them here. But we¡¯ll have to kill his family. Their definitely Aragarian. A few of his closest associates should also be as well.¡±
An uncomfortable sensation clutched Meryl¡¯s stomach once again. Her hands remained tainted.
¡°Arthur, tell us everything you know about Feltrick¡¯s organization. We need to cut off the head of the organization tonight.¡±
¡°Are you serious? With just the five of you?¡±
¡°Six. Cliff¡¯s downstairs. Alean has a small group of soldiers too. But don¡¯t underestimate the Unlocking, Arthur. An Unbecoming is someone who essentially cannot die at the hands of normal humans. The added strengths of perception and reaction allow them to do impossible things. More so for my team. Despite the limited time and training, they are all capable of killing assassins and trained soldiers. This because they perceive time differently. They are three to five times faster than a normal human. That''s how they could match a Covenant in the game.¡±
Meryl and Lynd had an unsettling look on their faces.
¡°Alean, have some of your men detain the Covenant. No news of this must be reported. Also, we¡¯ll need to clean up this place. We must make it look like Feltrick died on his territory.¡±
Alean sighed but immediately took her phone to call her father.
¡°Tonight will be your first field exam, students. We will split up into three groups to attack the known base of operations of the Filtrick¡¯s organization. Alean, you¡¯re with Lynd. Charles, take Meryl and Arthur with you. I¡¯ll bring Cliff and Kristine with me.¡±
¡°This is crazy Zeek,¡± Meryl complained.
¡°We don¡¯t have a choice. This organization must die tonight. The faster we destroy it and scavenge the remains, the more beneficial this will be when the war begins. You know the math Arthur, what do you think?¡±
Arthur was silent but sighed in contemplation.
¡°Seeker¡¯s right. An organization this massive might have been providing the necessary weapons to start the wars that aim to benefit the Aragarians. We also don¡¯t know where Feltrick used his funds on. He must have been using it to aid Aragarian¡¯s around the world.¡±
¡°See? Even Precision understands.¡± Seeker smiled.
Charles gave a depressed laugh while Alean rolled her eyes in annoyance.
Lynd and Meryl had a conflicted look. They just killed for the first time, and now they were forced to walk the bloodied road.
That night was a monumental night for the people in the Pangean Nations. The horrors hidden within the darkest depths of their country would be put to light. A criminal syndicate which was tied to several terrorist groups crumbled and its spoils laid out in the open. The world was shocked at the existence of such an organization and that night became a night to be remembered in Pangea.
But who would have thought that at the epicenter of this disaster which led to the deaths of 214 criminals, were simple teenagers who massacred their way while enjoying watermelon-flavored lollipops?
Chapter Forty-Eight: Midnight Massacres
It was midnight. Several men in white coats were observing the status of the samples on the large room below. Various machines and computers were used to maintain and monitor every sample in the room directly below.
The main control room overlooked a larger room full of glass chambers with kids inside. Each glass chamber listed the age of the boy and each had a ticking timer. Some showed hours, while others already indicated a few days.
It was clear that those who had more days and hours looked sicklier than the ones with shorter times. Those who exceeded five days were even showing signs of rotting arms and legs.
¡°Interesting. Chamber 5-O is clearly resisting the drug.¡± The head scientist looked intently at the displayed status of the boy.
¡°That child was taken from the Maldives right?¡± He asked his subordinates.
¡°Yes. Is it because of the radiation levels there?¡± His assistant suggested.
¡°Probably. But we have three other samples which were born there. And none of them have that!¡±
¡°Should we report it to the boss?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the Unlocking.¡± Seeker suddenly interrupted.
The two scientists were surprised at Seeker presence but lost the capability to scream as their throat were no longer attached to their heads.
Seeker was drenched in blood. Cliff stood beside him but had a cleaner attire since he used guns.
Kristine felt as if her stomach continued to clenched at the grotesque display of murders that these two teens did on the way to this room.
¡°Sickening. So this is how they created it.¡± An angry look once again surfaced on Seeker¡¯s face.
Kristine and Cliff watched silently. Cliff had long observed that Seeker wasn¡¯t his usual playful self. There was a spark of rage on his face. After having spent so long with him, and trained to the death with him, Cliff knew that the Seeker tonight was vastly different from the Seeker before.
Kristine soon noticed the poor rotting youths on the screen and gasped.
¡°The Plague of Locust.¡± Seeker started to operate the complex computers before him and observed the status of the children.
¡°The Plague of Locust?¡± Kristine wondered.
¡°As the war against the Aragarians began, this chemical warfare slowly made its debut. Those affected would slowly decay to the point that most of the person body part would rot. It was a painful and gruesome disease. The enemy used locust to carry and spread this disease across the world. Hence its name, the Plague of Locust.¡±
¡°How many did it kill?¡±
¡°It couldn¡¯t kill. Rather it was designed not to kill.¡±
¡°Why would they develop a drug that couldn¡¯t kill?¡±
¡°Simple. This drug was made to weaken all opposing countries. It weakened our armies in two ways. First, though it couldn¡¯t kill, it greatly weakened our offensive power. As for the second reason, it explains why they chose to test it on children.¡± Seeker asked.
Cliff suddenly confirmed that what Seeker said was true. He gazed at the several chambers and not one were adults.
¡°How cruel¡¡± Kristine was shocked. Especially after carefully observing the rotting bodies of the kids as displayed on the computer. They seemed to be constantly crying in pain. Scratching their arms as pus and blood would come out. Still, despite the wounds, the kids would continue to scratch it drenching their arms with blood.
¡°Because of this plague, it forced us to use up a lot of our medical provisions. There were very few fatalities from these diseases. With constant treatment, it would almost be impossible to die. But that was the point.¡± Seeker continued to read various reports on the computer.
¡°They were bleeding us dry. We would continually expand our resources to provide medical support¡¡± Kristine realized the Aragarian¡¯s plot.
¡°But why kids?¡± Cliff couldn¡¯t help but be shocked at the brutality. It made his guilty heart grew lighter. Perhaps massacring those soldiers wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing.
¡°Because of their immune system. If the virus manages to cause this decay for a long time without killing these kids, then the drug is successful. It seems that the development is still in the earlier stages. Over a hundred fatalities according to this report.¡± Seeker grimly reported.
¡°A hundred kids¡?¡± Kristine was shocked.
Cliff stared at the various kids in the chamber.
¡°They¡¯re as old as my younger brother.¡¯ Cliff clenched his fist in anger.
¡°Cliff, secure this building. Massacre everyone. No exemptions.¡±
¡°My pleasure.¡± Cliff walked out angrily. He readied his handguns and dashed off to eliminate everyone in this den of evil.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Now do you understand why we have to kill?¡± Seeker asked Kristine coldly.
¡°How did we ever survive this¡?¡± Kristine asked as tears fell down her eyes.
¡°This plague actually brought more blessings than curses.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°A blessing?¡±
¡°You see, the Unlocking is a very expensive and dangerous procedure. The success ratio was 1 in 30. But when this plague happened, we could finally identify who had the potential to be Unlocked.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°How?¡±
¡°Do you know that Meryl and Lynd just began their physical training a few days ago?¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°What?¡± Kristine was confused at the sudden shift of topics.
¡°The Unlocking has a tremendous impact on one physical body. For some reason, an Unlocked brain would also ¡®awaken¡¯ the cells of a person. They have faster regeneration, faster muscle development, and would therefore easily make them physically formidable. That is why, Lynd, Meryl, and Cliff could easily pull off killing enemies bigger and stronger than them even though they only started training a few days ago.¡±
Seeker selected three chambers from the list and had it displayed on the screen.
¡°In other words, those who manage to show significant resistance towards this plague had the mental fortitude and potential to be Unlocked.¡± Seeker smiled as he stared lovingly at the three kids on the screen.
As these three kids continued to lay on their chambers with a helpless and depressed expression, three other kids were showing the exact opposite of this.
In a mansion at the edge of a hill, on the outskirts of the city, three kids were huddled up in their room as they continued to play on their respective handheld console.
¡°These games are awesome! They even beat the games that we had at home!¡± The youngest was a boy of ten years. He had a happy smile as he continued to control his avatar run across the grassy fields in order to catch more monsters.
¡°Yeah. If only we got this much earlier! Just look at all the versions they have out here!¡± The middle child was a cute girl of 12 years of age and was endowed in what could only be explained as a princess outfit.
¡°Papa said that he can make a lot of money if he sells these games back home.¡± The eldest was laid back boy who just reached his teens.
¡°Kids!¡± A shout was heard downstairs.
¡°It¡¯s dinner time!¡¯ The mother lovingly cried.
¡°Oh great! I wonder what country we get to try today?¡± The middle child excitedly walked down still holding on to the game console.
¡°I wonder if Papa¡¯s home.¡± The youngest followed.
Several chefs stood at the side as the waiters served the array of dishes from all over the world.
¡°Oh! Italian!¡± The eldest excitedly ran and sat at his usual position.
¡°Mom! Can I have Japanese?¡± The youngest begged.
¡°You heard my son.¡± The woman turned to the chefs at the side.
Suddenly, a small glass cylinder was thrown right in the middle of the large dining hall. An immense pressure paralyzed everyone.
Meryl coldly walked towards the table. Tears continued to fall from her eyes. Blood dripped down her dress as she walked towards the center. She carried a glass blade which was also dripping with blood.
Everyone could only look in shock at the raging steps of the girl. They couldn¡¯t scream as the deathly piercing pressure made them unable to breathe.
¡°Hello. Sorry for dropping in unexpectedly.¡± Charles suddenly greeted.
¡°We just had to visit your house after finding your little operation down the mountain. Impressive operation by the way. I counted about 300 organs harvested tonight! I wonder what the monthly quota is.¡± A sweet smile on Charles face appeared but a raging anger and disgust hid behind it.
¡°Your dad¡¯s home.¡± Meryl then rummaged the white sack she carried and took out Feltrick¡¯s head.
¡°I just had to take him along to show you what we¡¯ve done to him after witnessing what you¡¯ve been up to.¡± Meryl was smiling as she placed the head right at the center of the table.
Everyone else around the house was already killed off by Charles. He silently shot the heads of everyone other than the Aragarians in front of them.
The middle child had already fainted upon seeing the head of her father. The two others were trembling in fear. The wife could only stare in disbelief.
¡°Cruel? Not as cruel as you. We probably look like livestock to you guys.¡± Meryl slowly pressed the blade towards the right chest of the eldest child.
Meryl was not hasty in her push. She slowly and smoothly pressed.
It was as if it delighted her to feel the blade penetrate through the skin, tissues and finally the heart.
It took around five long seconds until the sword pierced through the back of the boy. The boy was gasping and struggling at first. But his life slowly dwindled until he couldn''t struggle anymore.
The trembling mother couldn¡¯t shout in horror but tears were falling down her eyes. She tried to slowly reach for her children but couldn¡¯t.
Meryl slashed off the head of the middle child as it did not please her to slowly kill someone who already fainted. The youngest, however, experienced the same thing his brother did.
Even Arthur had to turn around when Meryl started to slowly torture the mother.
¡°Sorry Arthur. Seeker¡¯s orders.¡± Charles patted Arthur¡¯s back who looked disappointed at the deaths of the family.
¡°You alright Meryl?¡±
Meryl remained silent. She sat down and stared at the lifeless bodies of the once happy family.
¡°Don¡¯t think about the dead. Think of how many we saved.¡± Arthur comforted.
There was silence in the room. Tonight was just a surprise. Seeker was the first to report his findings and now Meryl¡¯s team witnessed a nauseating scene of kids and adults slowly dying as their organs were harvested.
¡°Were they reserving this for their own army?¡± Meryl suddenly broke the silence.
¡°No. If Seeker¡¯s story is correct, and they never planned to participate in the war but have us kill each other, then this family was harvesting organs and blood for their own pockets. Feltrick was probably planning on selling these organs towards the allied countries when the war starts.¡± Arthur said coldly.
¡°So, his reason for that massacre was so that he can make money during the war?¡± Meryl started to slowly sob.
Soon she started to cry.
The horrors she saw today weighed heavily upon her heart. The guilt of murder no longer remained but was replaced with a sense of guilt that she could have saved him.
A small boy was tied on a complex machine when they arrived. Meryl did her best to reach him, but it was too late. The boy died as the machine drained its blood. Everyone in the building who conducted the harvesting of organs was brutally murdered by Meryl.
Her anger was not easily satisfied as she saw hundreds of adults and kids in the mix. Charles later calculated that there were over three hundred bodies in that room whose organs were harvested.
Meryl couldn¡¯t help but remember the clear look that little boy gave her. Her Unlocking made her capture that moment accurately. And Meryl could have saved him if she was stronger.
Meryl sat on the chair with no intention of moving.
Tonight, she killed plenty. But her enemy clearly massacred more.
Amidst the silence of the room, Charles phone began to ring.
Charles quickly answered
¡°Zeek?¡±
¡°Charles. Head for Lynd¡¯s location.¡± Seeker commanded immediately
¡°Is he alright?¡± Charles was surprised.
¡°No. He went berserk and lost it.¡± Seeker spoke grimly.
¡°Was he shot?¡± Charles immediately signaled everyone to rush out. Meryl awoke from her stupor and immediately followed.
¡°Worse. I think he broke through and reached Inhuman!¡±
Chapter Forty-Nine: The Gentle Giant
¡°I couldn¡¯t believe I would hear Lennox¡¯s voice tonight.¡± Alean sighed.
¡°Tonight¡¯s clearly a night of surprises. Are you OK?¡±
Lynd continued to gaze out the window of the passenger seat.
¡°I¡¯m alright. Thanks, Miss.¡±
¡°How did you hear what Lennox was doing?¡±
¡°You didn¡¯t hear it? I thought you guys would be done with Sense training.¡± Lynd asked in confusion.
¡°Of course not. We haven¡¯t had Sense training yet! Only Surmounting Unbecoming could do that right? We¡¯ve barely reached the edge of Advent. How could you do that?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t really know.¡± Lynd shrugged.
Alean laughed happily at Lynd¡¯s response.
¡°And a minute ago you were asking if you belong in this world of killers. If you could easily maximize your senses, you ought to be better at being a cold killer than me.¡± Alean smirked.
Lynd remained silent.
Alean could now see the port from the top of the mountain where they were driving.
¡°That¡¯s the port. They should be on the north side as Lennox indicated.¡± Alean turned serious.
¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m driving towards one of the most dangerous organizations on this planet, with a 17-year-old whose friend with someone from the future.¡± Alean laughed.
Lynd¡¯s story gave Alean quite a shock. But after everything she¡¯s witnessed, it didn¡¯t take long for her to accept it.
Alean parked the car a long way from the port and the pair started to quietly move towards the buildings.
The pair kept on reaching the inner areas of the warehouse. As Seeker instructed, their priority is to kill the head. This person could flee if they caused a ruckus. So the pair decided stealthily infiltrate the warehouse.
The display of strength by Alean and Lynd outmatched normal human beings. The slowing of time allowed them to easily execute ninja-like moves of climbing jumping accurately through small gaps.
¡°Lynd. Be careful. I think I hear voices.¡± Alean whispered as they reached through an empty corridor.
They carefully observed the halls for any sign of humans.
¡°You know, you should show-off a bit more.¡±
¡°What?¡± Lynd gave a confused expression.
¡°Your skills. No need to be humble. You have to show people how strong you are. If you managed to almost hit Seeker, then you are probably ahead of me and Charles by a mile.¡±
Lynd didn¡¯t know what to say and gave a shy smile, avoiding Alean¡¯s stare.
¡°Seeker¡¯s just being nice to me.¡± Lynd shyly replied.
¡°Really? Your too humble Lynd. That will be a problem.¡± Alean laughed.
¡°You should really show off once in a while. That way you¡¯d be able to scare my dad.¡± Alean smiled.
Lynd had a confused look on his face.
¡°Why do I need to scare your dad?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the easiest way to ask for my hand in marriage.¡± Alean chuckled.
Lynd gave a surprised stare towards Alean. Her smile was so sweet. Her lips, so ripe of moisture. It was intoxicating. Lynd suddenly desired to touch those, even to kiss those. In that brief moment, Lynd could feel time stop.
Lynd had seen Seeker do it on several occasions.
The area around Lynd then started to act in synch with his own senses.
He could feel her. The being of Alean who stood not more than a foot in front of her. Lynd¡¯s senses took a full evolution. He could not only feel Alean but his sense of sound took a whole new level of transformation.
That¡¯s when he heard it. Their cries.
Lynd awakened from his stupor. He was sure of what he heard.
¡°My God! Was that real?¡± An alarmed Lynd spoke out. His voice was loud. As if he wasn¡¯t trying to hide anymore.
Alean was confused at first but before she could react, Lynd turned around and sprinted across the building.
His footsteps were loud but the closer he moved towards the source of the sound, the faster he started moving.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Lynd rushed towards that direction and zoomed towards the hallways. The surprised Alean could only follow.
A tall man went to the hallways to check on the strange sound he heard. He saw Lynd sprinting and was surprised.
The sprinting Lynd suddenly accelerated faster. He saw Cliff do it once. A sudden jolt and kick that went way beyond the norms of his muscles. Lynd zipped closer almost in an instant and punched the throat of the enemy and took the gun from him.
Alean did her best to run but her speed wasn¡¯t anywhere near Lynd¡¯s.
She dared not call out to Lynd for fear that it would call on more guards.
Lynd continued to run and took a sharp turn on the corner and started shooting.
Two men who guarded the door were shot in their hands and before they could even react, Lynd gave a strong uppercut to one and punched the throat of another. He kicked the door wide open and saw the horrors.
Several girls were in the room crying. Some were hung up on chains as blood continued to pour out of their genitals. The youngest in the room looked like they were about 10 years old while the oldest looked about 15. Some were unconscious while others continued to cry as they held on to cover whichever hole the three men used. The conscious ones kept crying in fear and kept pleading to their three captors.
Three men stood naked while having their way with the little girls. Each man had a girl to which they were intertwined. Continuing the depraved sexual acts on their current girls, they hadn¡¯t even noticed that Lynd already entered the room.
They were laughing excitedly and one of the naked men started stabbing the girl he was having fun with using an ice pick.
Realm Somatotopy remained activated. Lynd¡¯s domain invaded the room and hovered over the girls held captive.
Among those who could use Realm Somatotopy, there have been a few managed to create a new phenomenon of sensation. Through the combination of sight, sound and feel, the viewer would be able to ¡®feel¡¯ what another one was feeling. Of course, not everyone had this ability. In the entire history of the unlocking, only one managed to accomplish this.
The Gentle Giant. Before he became known as Elijah, this was his title. He would always stand for the cause of the innocent and would avenge the blood of the weak. He was a terror to his enemies, but a benevolent angel to his friends. The Realm King once joked that out of everyone who was unlocked, he pitied the man who would enrage the Gentle Giant.
Everyone on that port that night was very unlucky. Out of all the people that could have barged in that room that night, the one that entered was this same person.
Lynd took one look and met the eyes of the little girl who was barely twelve years old. Realm Somatotopy made Lynd feel it. The harsh emotional pain of this girl was unimaginable. Not only was she disgraced beyond measure, but her rapist clearly drove an ice pick like weapon that punctured deep within her chest. She would die within the next few minutes.
There were several factors that could induce the Unlocking. Fear was only one of them.
A few minutes ago, Alean¡¯s sudden display of interest already pushed Lynd¡¯s Unlocking to the edge of Unbecoming Proficient. But now, a rage so huge and so ferocious erupted and Lynd could actually feel physical pain that weighed heavily on his chest.
It would have been impossible for Lynd to break through any more given his physiological, and mental state. However, the one thing that Seeker failed to calculate is how he still underestimated Lynd¡¯s potential. Lynd had seen Seeker in a state that went beyond the Unbecoming. And given the brutal scene before him, this was enough.
That memory was the only thing that Lynd could think of. The strongest moment that Seeker had ever displayed. Almost instantly, Lynd¡¯s Realm evolved further. His heart was in so much pain as he started to feel the pain of the other girls who were raped and killed within that room.
Lynd could no longer think straight. He just wanted to kill everybody in this port.
Lynd¡¯s angry stomp left a huge crack on the marble floor. He zoomed quickly and reached the first man and gave a strong punch with the pistol still in his hand.
The pistol broke at the sudden punch, the barrel fractured the right rib of the first man before the barrel bent out of shape. The force was so strong that it left a hollow point on the right chest of the man.
Lynd wasn¡¯t finished. Using the force of the impact, he pushed back and readied himself to deliver another punch. Lynd stomped forward once more and punched the exact same area.
The chest of the man caved in on the second punch. Lynd confirmed it. The man¡¯s heart was on the right side of the chest.
The remaining two started to panic at the sudden appearance of Lynd. The man that Lynd just punched was gasping for breath and blood continued to pour out. Lynd managed to punch right through his ribs and beat the man¡¯s heart. He was dying.
¡°Please¡ help¡.¡± The poor little girl who the punched man was raping voiced out once last time. Her wounds were too fatal.
She died.
The two started to panic and run towards the other room where they kept their guns.
Lynd stayed on the first room and looked at the little girls around. It dawned on him now, that the girls who he thought were unconscious were actually dead.
¡°Girls,¡± Lynd spoke as soft as he can to contain the rage that was bursting forth.
¡°Take a deep breath and cover your eyes.¡± Lynd smiled.
The girls who were unwounded did what Lynd said and took a deep breath as they shut their innocent eyes.
The two Aragarians rushed out of the small room at the back. They aimed their guns toward Lynd.
But then a shockingly powerful pressure filled the room.
Lynd jumped towards the first man and drove the man¡¯s head towards the wall behind him. The man¡¯s head was embedded in the thick pavement behind him.
The other man could only scream as he witnessed the brains of his friend being painted on the wall.
Lynd remembered the laugh of joy that this man had when he was raping the other poor 10-year-old. The only thing that Lynd wanted was to wipe that smile off his face.
Lynd angrily swooped his arm grabbing the man by the lips and Lynd pulled.
The entire skin on the lower jaw was ripped off cleanly.
¡°AHHH!¡± The painful scream of the man vibrated across the building.
Lynd grabbed the man and slammed him down the floor. Lynd took the enemy by the legs and smashed him on another side of the floor. Lynd kept doing that until bloody pulps are what you could see as the man¡¯s blood was scattered across the room.
Several men reached the room and were horrified by what they saw. Their three bosses were beaten dead as a madman was smashing one of their bosses around like a hammer.
Lynd stared at the guards and roared once more.
The three guards couldn¡¯t aim their guns as a powerful fear paralyzed them.
Lynd took one man by the arm and smashed him towards another. While still holding on to this man Lynd smashed him to the remaining guard. Lynd went back and forth using the man-made hammer to smash the other two guards.
The speed of Lynd¡¯s hammering was getting faster and faster as his rage could no longer be contained.
Eventually, the arm of the man couldn¡¯t handle the stress and his arm was torn off and the remaining dead body flew across the corridor.
Alean stood in terror at the sides not daring to even talk to Lynd. She quickly took out her phone and dialed.
Lynd dashed off towards another area and started a killing rampage that was gory as his first. Gunshots were heard but it was clear that they couldn¡¯t kill this rampaging beast.
¡°Seeker! Lynd went berserk!¡± Alean shouted.
Chapter Fifty: The Way
Seeker was quickly tailing General Indigo as they walked through the piles of rubble around them.
The battle was a success. Three of the cities in the South-East Asian regions have been liberated. Soon their attack would finally return to the main Pangean nations.
The appearance of Ranked Hero¡¯s shocked the enemy. Soon, more and more cities joined in the revolution.
¡°So much for Taiwan. You really need to control your attacks, Lynd.¡± Seeker laughed.
Lynd turned at Seeker, he wore an outfit that was similar to him. He gave a confused look at Seeker.
¡°Zeek. I thought you told me that you have to address me as General when we are around soldiers.¡± Lynd laughed.
¡°What? But there is no one around!¡±
¡°Come on! You really need to train more!¡± Lynd joked.
Seeker had a confused look.
¡°Alight. Enough joking around. Sorry. Colonel Irvana. I assume you¡¯re here to report.¡± Lynd immediately spoke in a serious tone.
Seeker gave an empty glance at Lynd and suddenly slashed the area to his right even utilizing the fast movements of his Four Force Accelerator.
DING!
A metallic sound echoed as a figure appeared blocking Seeker¡¯s attack.
¡°Colonel Irvana. Why would the Thief in the Night be sneaking around allies?¡± Seeker stared with a grim expression.
A red-haired woman donning the same synthetic outfit appeared resisting Seeker¡¯s blades. She was barely in her twenties and had a white complexion. Her blue eyes continued to give off a cold look at Seeker.
¡°Colonel Carlean and General Indigo. I¡¯m here to deliver my reports.¡± She stared at Seeker with an angry frowned before turning to Lynd and gave a respectful look.
A bluish glow appeared on Lynd¡¯s Thought Transmitter.
¡°Colonel Carlean, please receive the reports. The General has summoned me.¡± Lynd gave Seeker a light tap and then suddenly disappeared with incredible speed.
¡°What exactly is the Thief in the Night doing here?¡± Seeker then removed all formalities as soon as Lynd left.
¡°I¡¯m surprised that you are this friendly with the General. Considering you have this complicated relationship with-¡±
¡°Just give me the damn report Irvana.¡± Seeker gave an exasperated sigh.
¡°Well, quite honestly there¡¯s nothing much to report other than the casualties of this battle.¡±
¡°How many?¡±
¡°None. General Lynd assisted us in today¡¯s battle.¡±
¡°So you were really just looking for a reason to fawn after him? Please just accept the fact that he¡¯s already with someone!¡± Seeker shook his head.
¡°This war will kill many. If she dies, I¡¯ll be there to swoop him up.¡±
¡°Right... Good luck with that. Tyrant Empress is also after him you know? And with her around, You¡¯d have a better chance at killing a World Champion Advent before you get to Lynd. If that¡¯s all then you should go.¡± Seeker turned around to follow Lynd.
¡°Wait. There¡¯s something else. You¡¯re very close to him. Do you know what his path is?¡± Irvana asked before Seeker could activate his Four Force Accelerator.
¡°You know its classified to discuss his path of all people. Ranked Heroes cannot divulge their paths to another.¡±
She gave an angry stare at Seeker.
¡°Alright fine. I just think that it would be more beneficial for General Indigo to personally train me. Considering he could do what I could.¡± She suddenly asked.
Seeker laughed.
¡°Oh. Right. If it¡¯s that, then I have permission to talk about it.¡±
¡°If it¡¯s what?¡±
¡°Issues with insecurity. Did he manage to hide his presence better than you can?¡±
Irvana gave a surprised look.
¡°He did. He was right next to me and not even my Realm detected him.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t get your panties in a knot. Amongst Champions only the Realm King could clearly detect him.¡±
¡°What?!¡± Irvana reacted.
¡°How is that possible? All World Champions could easily find me! And only the Realm King can detect Lynd?¡±
¡°It¡¯s simple math really. You walk the path of the wind. When you accelerate at high speed, you are almost undetectable. Unseen, unheard and unknown.¡±
¡°I know. That¡¯s why I am ranked four places above you. What¡¯s this got to do with General Indigo¡¯s path?¡± Irvana voiced out impatiently.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Everything. This is the same reason why he¡¯s called the Prophet Elijah. He Who Prepares the Way. He walks several paths, but then again, he walks one path. His unlocking is the path of two things. The first is what the Realm King called Incredible Sympathy.¡±
¡°Sympathy? How¡¯s that any helpful?¡±
¡°Right. Coming from the woman whose path was formed by hiding herself in different parts of the house so she could hide from her abusive father.¡± Seeker gave a sarcastic smirk.
Irvana glared angrily at Seeker.
¡°We all know that all paths, regardless of their apparently worthless use, would result in incredible things. Colonel Meryl would be a good illustration. The General¡¯s ability to somehow be able to sympathize with another in terms of emotions and feelings is remarkable. At his level now, he can literally feel the way you feel just by looking at you.¡±
¡°Wait. You mean¡ he knows that I like him?¡± Irvana cried in terror.
Seeker laughed.
¡°You¡¯re such a child. You do realize, that the Realm King is here and he likes to tease his disciples right?¡±
Irvana almost choked as she forced her breath back down and used her technique. Almost suddenly, she turned invisible.
Seeker shook his head.
¡°Of course Lynd does. But don¡¯t let it bother you. I mean, I¡¯m around him all the time. Imagine how he feels?¡± Seeker laughed.
Irvana reappeared once again and gave Seeker a strange look.
¡°Anyway, the second path that Lynd has, is as annoying as the first. Observation.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Observation. He has a knack for observing things. Back when before we were even Unlocked, he could always beat me after a few rounds of Piercing: Bullet. He could imitate the very skills that I have. It¡¯s as if his mirroring me.¡±
A crazed look appeared on Irvana as Seeker explained.
¡°Looks like you got it. If he can sympathize with your heart and he observes things in a manner that no one else could, what would his path be?¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°The path of Imitation! He could imitate all the paths of Ranked Hero¡¯s!¡± Irvana¡¯s smile of delight suddenly appeared. Her idolatry and lust towards Lynd skyrocketed to World Champion level.
¡°Ugh. Sickening.¡± Seeker shook his head.
¡°But you¡¯re wrong.¡±
¡°He can¡¯t copy a Ranked Hero¡¯s path?¡±
¡°Not just a Ranked Hero. That¡¯s why all the World Champions value him. If he breaks through, then theoretically it would be possible to reverse engineer Lynd¡¯s path and we could just have the ability to produce several Omni Champions. One who walks all the paths to form-¡±
¡°The Way.¡±
¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why we call him the Prophet Elijah. The One Who Prepares the Way.¡± Seeker smiled.
This memory started to fade away as Seeker gripped the steering wheel tighter.
¡°I messed up.¡± Seeker voiced out unconsciously.
Kristine and Cliff continued to wonder why Seeker acted this way.
Seeker was thoroughly awakened from his recollection of the future as he saw the state of the port.
Kristine and Cliff stared in shock as they saw the port as if it was a war zone.
Seeker frowned.
¡°I hope Lynd''s alright.¡±
¡°Don''t worry. The destruction you are seeing must have been caused by him.¡± Seeker pushed the pedal harder as their car zoomed on.
Meanwhile, at the center of the war zone, Lynd was moving at speeds that couldn¡¯t be considered human.
¡°How¡¯s he doing that?¡± Meryl asked Charles as they just arrived at the port.
¡°I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s moving almost exactly like Seeker!¡±
¡°But how? Seeker said we can¡¯t do that unless-¡±
¡°Unless we have the same physical attribute that Seeker has.¡± Alean immediately cut in as she jumped down towards the area Meryl and Charles were heading to.
¡°Alean!¡± Charles cried.
¡°What happened? How did Lynd end up like this?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know! He suddenly just went crazy! I tried to stop him but he threw me and attacked the soldiers!¡±
Another explosion went off and Lynd was seen charging at impossible speeds.
Three soldiers kept shooting at Lynd but Lynd¡¯s speed was just too much.
Lynd easily avoided the aim of the soldiers. He could easily map out the area and feel what the soldiers around him were doing through echolocation and his increased perception of time.
The torrential rain of bullets could do nothing to Lynd.
¡°What did Seeker say?¡± Alean asked Charles.
¡°We have to kill everyone first. Seeker will take care of Lynd!¡±
Lynd hurled himself towards the location of several armed men. Lynd stomped on the head of one of the enemy effectively breaking the neck of the enemy. The neck was bent in a weird way with the head almost touching the back.
Lynd thrust his hand towards the neck of another soldier and his fingers pierced right through the neck. He grabbed the enemy by the spine of the neck and used the dead enemy like a shield. The Kevlar blocked most of the bullets while Lynd evaded the rest.
Lynd tall figure moved with incredible speed despite his large stature and the dead man he carried by the spine.
Meryl, Alean, and Charles were also moving stealthily around the base. The commotion Lynd caused took all the attention of the soldiers. With that, Meryl, Charles, and Alean sneakily killed soldiers that were shooting at Lynd.
Suddenly, a car broke through the ports barrier and went straight to the center of the war zone.
¡°Cliff, I¡¯ll pin Lynd to the ground. When you see him down, throw Kristine towards us. Kristine, try to calm Lynd down.¡± Seeker ordered.
¡°What?!¡±
¡°Just do it. Get ready to jump out of the vehicle and close your eyes for five seconds. Then get ready to throw Kristine.¡±
The two hadn¡¯t managed to react when Seeker suddenly turned the wheel and stepped off the car.
The car drifted sideways towards a concrete wall.
Cliff cursed and immediately grabbed Kristine and exited the spinning vehicle. The two jumped off and landed.
Seeker finally brought out a flash bang and tossed it right in the middle of the battlefield.
¡°MERYL! KILL EVERYONE!¡± Seeker ordered.
The sudden entrance of this car took the attention of everybody. And while everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed at the center¡
BANG!
The flashbang exploded. Everybody was blinded. Even Charles and Alean were affected by the light.
Lynd was startled at the sudden brightness and could not see.
Meryl however, took this opportunity and grabbed the gun of a nearby soldier and started shooting all the enemies in the area.
Seeker approached Lynd and delivered a strong punch. Lynd used his human shield to block it but at the last second, Seeker stomped his foot and threw himself sideways. While in midair, he continued his punch and it smacked Lynd right at the jaw.
Seeker took the opportunity to exploit Lynd¡¯s groggy state and gave a sweeping kick to make Lynd stumble.
Lynd tried to regain his balance as he stumbled backward but was met with Seeker¡¯s elbow strike which pummeled him down to the ground.
Cliff finally tossed Kristine after opening his eyes.
Seeker kicked the dead soldier off of Lynd¡¯s hand while punching Lynd right in the chest to keep him down.
Kristine was flying over and Seeker gracefully caught Kristine to lessen the force of her fall while delivering her right on top of Lynd.
Seeker then started to pin Lynd¡¯s arms to keep him from hurting Kristine.
¡°DO IT!¡±
The staggered state of Kristine was awakened by Seeker shout.
She stared at the angry Lynd and calmly talked to him.
¡°Hey, hotshot. It¡¯s ok. It¡¯s just us. You need to calm down. Your friends are here. We¡¯re here to help you. It''s ok.¡±
Kristine continued to soothe Lynd who was calming down.
Meryl continued to shoot around the base killing off the remaining blind soldiers.
Seeker gave a long look at Lynd and frowned.
¡°Alean!¡± Seeker shouted.
¡°Tell your dad to get his army ready. We need to invade a nearby military base tomorrow.¡±
Alean had a numbing feeling at Seeker¡¯s orders.
¡°Do it.¡± Seeker emphasized.
¡°Why did I ever try to blackmail him?¡± Alean sighed as she took out her phone.
Chapter Fifty-One: General Of the Heroes Army
General Harker was overlooking a very important operation in his secret base.
Three of the leaders of the strongest media groups in the Pangean Nations were being operated on.
¡°I guess this isn¡¯t so bad.¡± Harker sighed.
¡°Sir. The operations are commencing.¡± A soldier reported.
¡°Also, we have managed to secure a meeting with the remaining two targets.¡±
¡°Good. Looks like, with this, we can finally move forward with little problems. We will be ready, Dragon.¡± Harker smiled confidently.
Suddenly his phone rang.
¡°Alean?¡±
¡°General. We¡¯ve just attacked three main bases of operations of Feltrick. You should know him as the head of the Malay-Pangean criminal syndicate group-¡±
¡°You attacked the Annals?!¡± Harker felt like his heart was jolted with a Defibrillator.
The Annals was a terrifying group in the Pangean Nations. If Harker ruled the underground of the Phil-Pangean, then the Annals were equal to a tri-nation criminal syndicate. The worst in South-East Asia.
¡°You¡¯re crazy! We cannot afford to infuriate him! His organization is too strong! He¡¯s in control with several military factions even on Phil-Pangea!¡±
¡°Relax. We already killed Feltrick. All his known officials are also dead. Whatever remnant remains will be confused and lost. We¡¯ve already cut off the head and we¡¯ve destroyed three of their main base of operations.¡±
¡°What?!¡± Harker exclaimed.
¡°You¡¯ve barely spent a day at Malay-Pangea! How the hell did you guys kill him?¡±
¡°He came to us. It¡¯s a long story. Listen, General. We¡¯re very busy tonight. There are two more bases of operations that we need to take care off. I called because Seeker asked for you to prepare an army to attack Fort New Birth.¡±
¡°Why are we attacking New Birth?! You¡¯ve already raised hell in Malaysia now were attacking Australia?¡± Harker shouted in anger.
¡°Just do it. I will be taking over command of all military forces loyal to you here. Send a written command to promote me as Major so I can gain approval. We have a lot more to do. Also, play along with whatever you see in the news tomorrow. Seeker already has a plan to take advantage of this attack. He said you should be the new President of the Pangean Nations within a few days. Just make sure that your army is ready to attack by 11 pm tomorrow evening.¡±
Harker was about to shout back when the call disconnected.
His face looked like he aged a decade.
Seeker stormed straight to the room where Alean prepared Charles devices.
Meryl, Charles, and Lynd were still inside as Cliff and Seeker returned.
¡°Zeek. Lynd health is stabilized. But his brain activity is off the charts! Even when he¡¯s unconscious it¡¯s still acting crazy!¡±
¡°His wounds were never my concern Doctor.¡±
¡°Lynd tore several muscles, broke several bones and you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re not worried?¡±
¡°Yes. An Unlocked person can heal his body to a greater extent. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve felt it. Your muscles don¡¯t sore as much after our sessions. The increase of the brain will naturally improve the body. You called it the Neuro-transcellular phenomenon. At the Inhuman stage, it is even possible for humans to regrow limbs.¡±
Charles was tongue tied at this random medical reveal that Seeker gave.
¡°Right now, it¡¯s his brain that we should worry about. Once he stepped on the Inhuman stage it¡¯s hard to revert back and his brain cannot take the stress! We need to get a certain coolant liquid that is used on modified humans.¡± Seeker announced.
¡°Is that why you¡¯re attacking Australia?¡± Arthur interrupted.
¡°Yes. The Australians have yet to unveil their super-soldiers. They have been developing a technology that is aimed at creating super-humans. They¡¯ve succeeded to a certain degree but the problem is that the entire body of the soldier would heat up too much. So a cooling liquid was created to counter this.¡±
¡°How sure are you that this technology is already developed?¡± Charles asked immediately.
¡°Almost a hundred. This coolant was supposed to be one of the first things which they successfully developed. And right now it¡¯s our only shot. We need this to cool Lynd¡¯s brain.¡±
¡°This will cause more ripples than you originally intend.¡± Arthur coldly answered.
¡°It¡¯s not a problem. We already have a free ticket to Australia for the Nations of the World E-Sport Meet. This will make it easier. We infiltrate the base and disable the systems before Harker¡¯s attacks starts. We can use today and tomorrows events to start a war with Australia.¡± Seeker smiled.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
¡°What!¡± the group chorused. Arthur had a curious expression on his face.
¡°Tomorrow is a special day, even in my past life. If we take advantage of the coming waves, we can make Harker President, start a war, and declare martial law all in one go.¡± Seeker greedily smiled.
¡°Right now, we wait for Alean to do her job and pray that tomorrow will be a good day.¡±
The night soon ended and shocking news reports circulated the globe.
The news channels around the Malay-Pangean region all received unanimous tips and the news about the attacks on the five bases of Annals immediately caught media attention.
Harker watched in gripping tension at the very first news report.
A news reporter gave a hideous look as he looked directly at the camera.
¡°Ladies and Gentleman, we who report the news do so every day and are often numb to the vast abundance of crimes that are being held in this country. But this crime is so different, that the once numb sensations started to feel immense pain. The once dead heart started to beat due to the shocking nature of this news.¡± The man announced solemnly.
¡°Feltrick Ung-glaive, one of the richest man in the South Asian regions, was unmasked to be the head leading a criminal syndicate which was responsible for the worst known acts of human trafficking that this world has seen. The pictures that we will show all have contents of gore, violence and grave indecency that shouldn¡¯t exist in this time of the world. Viewer discretion is advised.¡±
The news reporter then started to slowly and dramatically unveil the operations of Feltrick Ung-Glaive. Viewership to the news on that day skyrocketed. The entire world was shocked
One of the most inhuman organ trafficking centers was revealed. A total of 336 human beings were having their organs harvested. Less than half of them remained as the others were already harvested.
¡°Three hundred and thirty-six in one night ladies and gentlemen. Imagine how many lives were wasted in this sick operation. It is well-known that Feltrick Ung-Glaive is associated with many of the world¡¯s richest and influential companies and medical organizations who are now being suspected of being in collaboration with these deals.¡± The reporter heartlessly accused.
¡°But there is more to this than just organ farming friends. The reason why we have this is all thanks to the brave efforts of General Harker Cipril of the Phil-Pangean nations.¡± The reporter boldly declared.
Harker¡¯s mouth went wide open as he heard the reporter announce with fanaticism.
¡°Under the orders of General Harker Cipril, a special task force of soldiers attacked several organizations ignoring all the national and international laws imposed to crush this cruel and wicked criminal syndicate. Harker promoted his very own daughter, now Major Alean Cipril to take charge of the secret attacks against five rumored base of operations of this criminal syndicate, now revealed to be known as the ¡®Annals.¡¯ The first base revealed the first series of videos but I beg you to listen, friends. It¡¯s far from over.¡±
A series of photos describing the location of yet another base was shown soon followed by pictures of rotting children who were used as experiments in a base. The reporter was shouting and describing with sheer hate at the brutality of this organization as the video of the children being rescued and escorted was being displayed live on the air.
¡°The ages of these children are from ten to fifteen. These are our children, our little angels, our little brothers and sisters and they were all used as experiments.¡±
The video switched to show Alean Cipril in full military gear.
¡°Our mission was to capture the base and ensure the survival of the children. But what we saw drove us to anger. Let the world forgive how we executed and tortured these men who stood to watch and experimented with these children.¡± Alean gave an impassioned speech which gave the reporter a teary-eyed look.
The video ended and the reporter continued.
¡°You will receive nothing but thanks for killing those demons, Major Cipril. But our sad news does not end here folks. More awaits.¡± The reporter glanced.
The news continued to show how Feltrick has managed to create a human-sex trade industry which was secretly at works. Soon, the videos displayed the weapons depot that Feltrick built. Several weapons of mass destruction were found. But of all these news, what gripped the world was the last base that was attacked.
¡°Ladies and gentlemen, what you have witnessed is the work of the devil. So much so in regards to the last base that General Harker attacked. My heart is personally crushed because I have an eight-year-old girl. I¡¯ll just show you the videos and pictures.¡± The reporter announced with a fainting expression.
A series of videos and pictures were revealed showing a group of young girls who were being treated as the reporter announced that they were being used as sex toys by three men who were closely associated to Feltrick. It was with that, that the world cried out in terror and disgust.
It was only when Alean explained what was happening in the room that the world was jolted awake. The saw the faces and bruised bodies of the girl and also the dead ones who were killed in the depraved ecstasy of the three men.
Alean Cipril once again appeared on the screen.
¡°I personally led the attack in this building. When I entered that room, I was so shocked. One of General¡¯s trusted men, who I will leave unnamed, went to such a rage that he immediately killed those three men in the most brutal harshest form possible.¡± Alean announced.
¡°This operation was not sanctioned by the Phil-Pangean government. We only knew that there were human-trafficking operations being performed here and in a flash of moral rage, my father, General Harker Cipril ordered his elite team, to charge in here and save the ones we could save disregarding the military code we vowed ourselves in. He said our vow is to the people!¡± Alean¡¯s passionate speech caught the hearts of many.
¡°But let me tell you this! After what we¡¯ve seen and who we have saved, I am proud that my father did that! I am proud that my father had the guts to stand up when no one else would! I¡¯m glad that this country has General Harker Cipril!¡± Alean announced boldly.
Harker watched in surprise as the news continued displaying several of Harker¡¯s achievements. Time slowly passed and Harker just sat there watching every detail of the news. He knew what Seeker wanted him to do.
¡°Sir! A crowd of reporters is outside demanding to have an interview!¡± A soldier excitedly reported.
Harker sat down and continued to remain silent as he was contemplating his actions.
BEEP!
His phone vibrated and he stared at the simple message.
You¡¯re a hero now. Act cool.
¨CSeeker
Harker got up and wore his uniform.
He boldly walked out of his mansion and stared at the rushing reporters. But there was something in Harker¡¯s stride that made him look larger. There was something in his expression that made the reporters silent.
There was a solemn spark that seemed to mix intensity and moral righteousness in Harker¡¯s eyes.
The entire crowd was silent but everyone had their microphones on and their cameras taping.
Harker stood boldly, unafraid of the questions and gazed at the reporters one by one.
¡°This is a hero¡¡± one reporter unconsciously voiced out when Harker met his gaze.
¡°No. The real heroes are my soldiers." Harker slowly responded.
The crowd was gripped with deep respect.
"Then who are you?" the reporter unconsciously replied.
"I¡¡± Harker paused and took off his cap for dramatic effect.
¡°¡am the General of the Heroes Army.¡±
Chapter Fifty-Two: An Unexpected Guest
The Nations of the World E-Sport meet is an event which is held once a year to host the most competitive e-sport competitions. As online gaming continued to gain highlight, a worldwide online competition easily emerged as E-sports could not be held in the Olympics.
Piercing: Bullet wasn¡¯t the most popular game in the world. War of the Generals is an online shooter game which took the world by storm. The simple shooter game was so phenomenal that it was estimated that about 62% of the entire world plays this game.
War of the Generals had several distinct features that made it so different from other shooter games.
The game was designed to imitate an actual war. If one dies in a game, the player remains dead until the end of the game. It had the most realistic simulators on using tanks, helicopters and jet planes.
War of the Generals allowed over 300,000 players per team. The game was literally an army against another army. And at maximum, six teams were allowed to play an all-out melee or a cooperative alliance.
Each team would play on large maps that imitated actual terrains in the real world. The game became so attractive that its vast number of players led players of various origins and even non-professionals to have the chance to join the prestigious games even on the NoW.
The teams are was to assign the very same ranks assigned in an army. Private¡¯s who made up the soldiers, and a squad would have a Lieutenants, Captains, Majors and eventually a General.
The game immersion was so great that it was even used in the army to train Generals in creating tactics.
With the support from the government, this game was taken very seriously. Whenever an event as huge as the NoW E-sport meet would be held, some schools would even suspend classes to give way for their armies to form. Later students would take turns controlling their soldiers in instances that the war would last days. The longest recorded fight for War of the Generals was three weeks long.
The top teams of this war game were United America¡¯s and the New Republic of China and India. The reason behind these team¡¯s constant victory is largely attributed to their number. These three countries could easily employ millions of players with above average skills in-game. But the best player from the humble lands of the Pangean Nation. His intellect and strategical skills were so eccentric and effective that he was primarily the reason why these three nations experienced defeat from the Pangean Nations even when the Pangean Nations was barely half of the enemy nations in terms of number.
Located in the most prominent city in Australia, a large tower stood towering above every other building.
A team of five people just checked in on the Stormson Tower. But the paces of these rowdy teenagers garnered respect towards all the staffs of the building. They were the highest ranking members of Team WarFreakz. Because of the amazing skills that this team has displayed, they held on to this prestige and continued to act as the official Generals of every National-level War of the Generals competition. For the last five years, this team continued to remain unchallenged. In that group, was Halley¡¯s nephew, Stanley Vagrant, commonly known for his game handle. ¡°NoMoreSpice!¡±
Stanley continued to talk and berate people on the phone as his other team members did. Only their team leader did nothing but silently pace the hall towards their lodging.
¡°Boss! The teams under my regions are all ready to go. We¡¯ve exceeded the initial count. My team has an 8000 strong army and-¡±
¡°How many could be considered special forces?¡±
¡°Two hundred and eighteen.¡±
¡°Good. Tell them to join a room I¡¯ll create, to listen to the plans.¡± The leader coldly replied.
¡°Roger!¡± Stanley smiled and continued to call on the phone.
At the second floor, overlooking the lobby was Seeker and Arthur.
¡°There he is. Lowengren.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Is he strong?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Not really. He couldn¡¯t go over the Inhuman hurdle. But that doesn¡¯t mean he isn¡¯t important. No Inhuman would ever compare to the worth of Lowengren.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°He''s that good as a General huh?¡± Arthur almost smiled.
¡°Yes. Although he was immediately overshadowed when World Champions started appearing, no one would doubt his worth during the war. He stood in equal standing with World Champions in terms of respect. His efforts on the initial stages of the wars led to many victories which allowed the United Earth Armies to be formed.¡±
¡°I always thought he was good. My father is particularly interested in him more than his father.¡±
¡°Well, right now Lowengren¡¯s only of secondary importance. Our mission is to meet and talk that father of his alone.¡±
¡°Malay-Pangean President Albert Hoross. So this is what we need to do in order to kill time before invading Fort New Birth?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
¡°This is an important step to ensure that our actions in New Birth won¡¯t leave problems in the future.¡±
¡°I take it you¡¯ll be trying to recruit Lowengren?¡±
¡°I¡¯m still thinking about it. I do have plans to have him taken by Harker. After all, he can try out his skills in a real war soon.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°The world falls into disorder because of your schemes. You don¡¯t feel bothered by that?¡±
¡°I¡¯d feel bothered if I give the Aragarian¡¯s more opportunities to grow powerful. We still have more than half of the world to fight against us. As long as I don¡¯t harm the nations that will aid us, I couldn¡¯t care less about the disorders and deaths I cause.¡±
¡°Harsh. Fitting for a leader. My father expressed that he would like to meet you. Though I¡¯m not sure why he cannot meet you immediately. I imagined him to come running here if he knew about you.¡± Arthur frowned.
¡°Don¡¯t blame your dad. He wasn¡¯t as free as you think he was. If I¡¯m not wrong, he must have been killing people as you talked.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°What?¡±
¡°Realm Somatotopy remember? Although I couldn¡¯t mimic the Realm King, I could still hear and thereby have a rough understanding of what your father was doing. At the start of the call he probably was bound and was undergoing interrogation but when he picked up the phone and talked to you he started untying himself and proceeded to silently kill his captors.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°You¡¯re kidding right?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure of what I¡¯ve heard. So don¡¯t blame him for his apparent apathy at your report. He must have his hands full right now. But enough of that. We got our hands full as well. Look.¡± Seeker pointed to a group of well-dressed businessman.
¡°It¡¯s a cover. All of them except the man in the middle has guns. He must be our target. What a doting father. He is the president, yet he secretly comes over to an enemy country just to wish his son good luck.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°Zeek. We have movement here. There seemed to be suspicious looking janitors arriving in the queue.¡± Charles reported over the intercom.
¡°Alright. Keep them busy for a while so I can talk to the President. Remember, you cannot kill anyone.¡±
¡°Not allowed to kill anyone? That doesn¡¯t sound like the sweet Seeker I know.¡± Alean laughed on the other line.
¡°You should have met my past self. He was sweet. Oh, wait. You did and you made his life a living hell. Be glad that I¡¯m not getting back at you for that.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°How do you still cause dread to my heart despite being so far away?¡±
¡°Advance sound technique. My very voice could cause fear.¡± Seeker casually remarked.
¡°Seriously?¡±
¡°Get in position. We¡¯re moving Arthy.¡± Seeker ordered.
Seeker and Arthur immediately rode the escalator.
¡°Send us to the penthouse,¡± Seeker ordered.
¡°Roger sir.¡± A voice responded on the other end of the intercom.
¡°I wonder if I should start training these soldiers that Alean brought? Nah. Can¡¯t trust them yet.¡± Seeker spoke to himself.
¡°Half of the troops would be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder if your training is anything like last night.¡±
¡°Was I too rough? Come on Arty. I know it wasn¡¯t your first time.¡± Seeker perversely laughed.
¡°Still, it¡¯s impressive that you easily reached the Unbecoming Stage, Arty.¡± Seeker smiled.
¡°Thanks for your¡ help. But I wished you were more gentle with Kristine.¡± Arthur clenched his fist containing the deep rage within.
¡°Relax. I needed to be that harsh. Unlike you who have a freakish dad, she needed to be thoroughly baptized in it. She¡¯s not any closer to being unlocked. Although I¡¯m sure I pushed her brain a bit last night.¡± Seeker calmly answered.
¡°Who is she to you?¡± Arthur asked directly.
¡°Where is that coming from?¡±
¡°You¡¯re from the future, you tell me. I¡¯ve spent a greater half of my life being with her. I know what her path will be if she becomes Unlocked.¡±
¡°Oh. So that¡¯s where it comes from. Emotional Discernment right? She must have been feeling queasy every time I look at her.¡± Seeker took a more serious look.
¡°She said she can¡¯t tell what. As if regret, pain, and longing are mixed into one.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t tell even after what she explained? Or is it that you don¡¯t want to admit it?¡± Seeker sneered.
¡°She¡¯s my sister. And you know how heavily I weigh upon that.¡± Arthur glared at Seeker.
Seeker paused in silence and stared back at the serious Arthur.
Seeker finally sighed.
¡°She¡¯s mine.¡±
Arthur froze at that statement.
¡°And what does that mean?¡±
¡°What it means Arthur. We¡¯re here.¡±
The elevator doors opened. Seeker moved out and saw several dead bodies in the hall. These were the same men who guarded the Malay-Pangean President.
Slightly ahead of them was a group of soldiers who were forcibly taking the President.
¡°Are we too late?¡± Arthur immediately inquired.
¡°Relax. They wouldn¡¯t kill him. Let¡¯s go look for him.¡± Seeker smiled.
Seeker and Arthur took the guns belonging to the dead guards and continued down to the main door to which was the entrance to the penthouse.
¡°Five enemies. Will you do the honors?¡± Seeker asked Arthur.
¡°Fine.¡± Arthur dashed forward and immediately kicked the door open.
The armed guards were surprised at the sudden entrance of Arthur. At the center of the room was a bound man who Arthur recognized to be the president.
The enemies wore a padded armor over their chest but it meant nothing to the reborn Arthur.
The moment Arthur caught sight of the enemies, he immediately unloaded five shots that pierced through the skulls of the enemies.
¡°Done. Seeker, the President awaits.¡± Arthur coldly announced.
Seeker remained unmoving. He continued to gaze back to the elevator shafts to which they came from.
¡°Seeker?¡± Arthur called out once more and turned to check on Seeker.
Arthur then realized that at the very end of the hall, a figure was walking out of another elevator.
He was a skinny man. He wore a stylish tuxedo. He looked at Arthur and Seeker and had a disappointed expression. But then he saw the dead soldiers and an impressed smile appeared on his face. Behind him was another person. He looked like a simple businessman and didn¡¯t even have any armor on.
Seeker was frowning.
¡°Everyone, change of plans. Knock all the enemy soldiers out and immediately head towards the penthouse. I need you all here in four minutes. Extraction team, maintain a distance of about two kilometers from this building. Cliff, I need you holding a sniping rifle. Prepare to back me and Arthur up.¡± Seeker immediately ordered.
Arthur was surprised at Seeker¡¯s orders.
¡°I take it that we are in danger with the appearance of these new guests of ours. Who is he?¡± Arthur aimed his gun at the approaching man.
¡°The businessman should be an Aragarian. But it¡¯s his bodyguard that I¡¯m worried about. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be here.¡± Dread appeared in Seeker¡¯s eyes as his glass sword immediately extended out.
¡°This serious huh? A powerful enemy of the future?¡± Arthur aimed his gun at the walking man.
¡°Worse. Arthur, if anything happens to me, you take command. That¡¯s not just any random bodyguard.¡± Seeker readied the gun with his left hand.
¡°That¡¯s an Overcomer.¡±
Chapter Fifty-Three: The Terror of the Overcomer鈥檚 Name
Arthur¡¯s expression suddenly changed. Another being just like his father stood not far from him. Only this one would definitely try to kill him. The thought alone caused Arthur¡¯s spine to chill.
The skinny man had a tall frame. As tall as Lynd and had very pale blue eyes. He held a scabbard with a sword that had the handle similar to a curiously small broadsword.
Seeker fixed his gaze at the monster approaching.
¡°Hey there. I take it you guys want to threaten this Pangean President?¡± Seeker smiled.
The businessman had a confused stare. He then noticed that his other henchmen are dead.
¡°Who are you? What are two kids doing up here?¡± The businessman frowned.
¡°Careful Gary. Those two is the reason why your men are dead. The one with the glasses killed them. Entered the room and shot five rounds, one round for each head of your men.¡± The tall man smiled.
Arthur frowned.
¡°And why do you say that? We¡¯re just kids who''re at the wrong place at the wrong time.¡±
¡°I trust my instinct. So mind telling me who you are and how you managed to kill five trained men in what might have been less than a second?¡± The tall man smiled.
Arthur was shocked. How did he know the manner of Arthur¡¯s attack?
¡°What else can you expect from Lennox¡¯s own flesh and blood?¡± Seeker interjected.
The tall man had a surprised look.
¡°You¡¯re Arthur? No wonder you looked familiar. And who might you be, my young brave friend?¡± The tall man turned to Seeker as he was impressed with Seeker¡¯s demeanor.
¡°You somehow feel more dangerous than Lennox¡¯s son.
¡°Casual Carlean?¡± The businessman gave a surprising stare as he recognized Seeker.
¡°The gamer?¡± The tall man gave another surprised look.
¡°So exactly why is the Covenant here?¡± The businessman asked with a confused face.
¡°We¡¯re here to save the President of course. General Harker sends his regards.¡± Seeker declared immediately.
The businessman who was called Gary suddenly had an angry expression.
¡°That guy again?¡± Gary roared.
¡°Kill them!¡± He ordered the tall man.
¡°Give me a sec, Gary. You¡¯ll be in a lot of trouble if we don¡¯t deal with this situation carefully. Lennox is strong. Even I don¡¯t want to face him.¡± The tall man laughed.
Gary was shocked at this simple sentence. There was someone in this world that he wouldn¡¯t cross?
¡°Listen, kids, we just want the President. I suggest you retreat. You are no match for me. I¡¯m doing you a favor. Don¡¯t get in between me and my mission. I¡¯m sure even your father would want you to retreat.¡±
¡°What¡¯s his path, Seeker?¡± Arthur asked seriously.
¡°Six Sense.¡± Seeker immediately replied.
¡°What does that mean?¡± Arthur replied coldly.
¡°You see a tiger lying down on the ground, in a zoo. Does it scare you?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°You see a crouching tiger approaching. Ready to pounce on you. Are you scared now?¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°Why? And I¡¯m not asking this on a philosophical level.¡±
¡°The information I¡¯ve processed has alerted my brain of the impending danger which results in fear, caution and other corresponding emotions that naturally appears in that given scenario.¡±
¡°You sound just like your old man.¡± The tall man chuckled.
¡°Alright Arty, take that process but imagine your brain being able to process these dangers on a different level. You feel things instinctively. A bomb disguised as a simple toy somehow gets your attention. You feel unexplainable fear from it because somehow your senses instinctively warn you that it is dangerous. That¡¯s this guy¡¯s path. Perfect Prediction.¡±
Arthur¡¯s eyes went wide open.
¡°His prediction is so precise, it¡¯s like your father¡¯s calculation skill. The only difference is that your father calculates, but this guy knows what to do by instinct. This means-¡±
¡°This is bad. Of all the Overcomer¡¯s we actually are faced with someone who can negate all our surprising advantages?¡± Arthur was deeply worried. A surprise display of skill won''t be effective.
Seeker laughed.
¡°Funny right? We¡¯re really screwed big time.¡±
¡°Perfect Prediction, huh?¡± The tall man stroked his chin.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡°I like the name. You are very informed. And I thought Arthur would be the smart one of you two.¡± The tall man laughed.
¡°Alright. Before we begin this deadly dance, what¡¯s his World Champion Title, Seeker?¡± Arthur took a serious stance. He knew that he could die in this battle. But even in these last moments, Arthur still yearned for knowledge. And at this point, he simply wanted to know the terrifying name of this Overcomer.
¡°Richie.¡± Seeker replied solemnly.
Arthur paused for a bit to process the information.
Did he hear the name correctly? Richie?
¡°Who¡¯s Richie?¡± Arthur asked with a confused expression.
¡°That guy over there! Who else?¡± Seeker gave a why-wasn¡¯t-it-so-obvious reaction as he pointed to the tall man.
¡°Richie? That¡¯s his World Champion name? Richie?¡± Arthur replied angrily.
¡°Yes, Arthur! That man¡¯s name is Richie!¡± Seeker replied with an angrier tone.
¡°I didn¡¯t want his name! I wanted the name he is known as!¡±
¡°That¡¯s what he¡¯s really known as!¡±
¡°You¡¯re telling me that whenever the most powerful and cruel men of the underworld need someone to assassinate someone with impossible chances of success, they open their phone contacts and they dial the number registered under the name Richie?¡± Arthur expressed in frustration.
¡°What can I say? That¡¯s what people call him!¡±
¡°He¡¯s a world-famous assassin! How can he not have a domineering name?!¡± Arthur demanded.
¡°If an assassin is famous, he¡¯s not a very good assassin is he?¡± Seeker argued.
¡°Ahem.¡± Richie gave a cough to interrupt the conversation of the two.
¡°I was clearly asking for his Overcomer Title! His World Champion name!¡± Arthur ignored Richie¡¯s attempt.
¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Seeker gave another angry and sarcastic reply.
¡°He really just goes by the name ¡®Richie!¡¯¡± Seeker countered.
¡°Guys¡¡± Richie interrupted once more.
Seeker and Arthur turned back to Richie.
¡°First of all, it¡¯s surprising that you know even my real name. But why the rude response, Arthur?¡± Richie gave a very displeased reply.
¡°It¡¯s not the name. It¡¯s just that with everything I¡¯ve been hearing from him, there¡¯s always a domineering title or name. So when he unveiled your name, it was very anti-climactic and given the very dangerous situation we are in right now, it caught me off guard. I apologize.¡± Arthur gave an apologetic look at Richie.
Seeker just stared at Arthur with a look whose anger was building.
¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve mentioned the names Eagle and Hermes and you didn¡¯t bat an eye at those names!¡±
¡°Those names had qualities of being domineering in the first place! So forgive me for not taking this entire Richie fiasco seriously!¡±
¡°Alright. Enough.¡± Richie interrupted once more.
¡°Moving to my second point of interest, I know of Hermes, but I haven¡¯t heard of Eagle. Is he as strong as Hermes or Lennox? The only Eagle I know is that American Pastor, Calvin Luther Eagle.¡±
¡°That¡¯s the one. That very same Eagle. You should try and kill him. You¡¯re into one big delightful surprise.¡± Seeker smiled wickedly.
Richie¡¯s gave a curious expression as his eyes opened wider. It looked like he was excited at the thought of fighting Eagle.
¡°Duly noted. I¡¯ll take that advice.¡± Richie paused as if he was waiting for something.
Arthur¡¯s heart was throbbing. They managed on time. It looks like Seeker has finished delivering his coded message.
¡°Thirdly, I know you¡¯ve been wasting my time so you can deliver that Morse code signal to the sniper on the chopper on how to kill me discreetly. So let¡¯s just start the dance since I know of the plan already.¡± Richie smiled mischievously.
Arthur''s face was flustered. Richie could hear the silent taps that Seeker made on the Intercom?
¡°Dammit, Richie!¡± Seeker cursed.
¡°Alright, Cliff. That was a stupid plan. As expected of a freaking Overcomer. Maybe I should just order you to shoot me instead to send me to the afterlife painlessly. Ugh! Just fire at will, Cliff.¡± Seeker was about to dash towards Richie when Richie held his hand forward.
¡°Hold on. You sure you want to do this? Even with that sniper, I can easily kill you. You seem to like to have understood my skills. Do you know how I feel towards you three?¡± Richie sneered.
¡°Cautious?¡± Seeker hoped.
¡°Unless your Lennox or Hermes, then maybe I¡¯ll be.¡± Richie laughed.
¡°I don¡¯t feel threatened.¡± Richie unsheathed his sword. It was a broadsword which had a unique design. Its handle followed the typical broadsword, but its blade looked more like a katana.
¡°I¡¯ll give you one more chance to escape since you two are associated with Lennox and Hermes. But this is you¡¯re last warning. I do have a job to finish after all.¡±
¡°Whatever, Richie. Now that I know your name, you don¡¯t seem that scary.¡± Arthur stood bravely.
¡°Arthur, support me. I''ll attack him head-on. Keep distance and continue shooting. Cliff, fire at will.¡± Seeker immediately pushed his Unlocking as high as he possibly could. His perception and sense improved as he reached the Inhuman Proficient stage.
Immediately, Seeker sprinted and fired several rounds as he was running.
Richie carefully tugged the businessman sideways using the sword sheath he carried when Seeker started dashing. The man was safely pushed towards the inside of the elevator where he was safe from all the gunshots and possible sniping attacks aimed at him.
Richie then smiled at the array of bullets sent out by Seeker, Arthur, and Cliff.
With his perception, evading bullets was like a game of dodgeball. His perception was at best, on par with Arthur¡¯s. His movement, however, was a different story.
Richie swung his sword to redirect and block the array of bullets. His movements were graceful and he smiled in delight at the dance. Finally, a group of friends that made him enjoy the battle.
Seeker continued to shoot with his left hand while his right hand was holding the sword. The sword was heldwith his left arm as Seeker extended it overhead in preparation of a powerful slash.
Cliff had fired several shots but as Seeker drew closer, his concentration pushed to the extremes. He heard the entire discussion and knew what they were facing was a monster. Within the milliseconds in which Seeker was drawing closer and closer towards Richie, Cliff aimed for Seeker¡¯s head and without hesitation, he fired.
Faithful and reliable Cliff got the message hidden in their odd conversations and shot around, aiming to pierce through Seeker¡¯s head. Cliff had no knowledge of Morse code, however, he understood Seeker¡¯s reference when Seeker expressed a though of Cliff to ¡®shoot¡¯ Seeker.
Seeker¡¯s head was already getting lower and lower as the demand of his forward sprint allowed it to naturally happen.
Arthur understood this plan as well. They both made sure to fire the few shots that the very little time they had to corner Richie into receiving Cliff¡¯s shot. If they could wound Richie, this battle would be easier when the rest of their team arrived.
Seeker blocked the view of Cliff¡¯s fired bullet with his head. As he drew closer Seeker delivered a powerful slash aiming for Richie¡¯s leg. Seeker also fired another round at Richie. Arthur had long anticipated Seeker¡¯s attack and was shot at various locations to pin Richie in this position.
Like a helpless King who had no other place to go, Richie stood and had to meet Seeker¡¯s slash and his gunshots.
The final chess piece was also moving in. Utilizing the highest stable state of Realm Somatotopy that he could manage, Seeker adjusted his head to make sure that the passing bullet would be buried in his thick hair, unseen until the last possible moment.
The bullet was passing through Seeker¡¯s hair now. Even an Inhuman wouldn¡¯t be able to evade an attack as fast as this bullet that would suddenly appear without warning.
Richie, after all, was only an Unbecoming. What chance could he have to evade this attack?
Sadly, they were facing Richie.
Richie simply smiled. He didn¡¯t feel any form of threat even in this situation. Somehow, he knew that a surprise attack would appear from an unlikely place. Knowing that there was such an attack was enough for the Overcomer.
But then, he caught a glimpse at Seeker¡¯s serious gaze.
Strange.
Why was Seeker¡¯s gaze as calm as his?
Chapter Fifty-Four: To Overcome an Overcomer
General Lennox theorized that an average Unlocked individual would be able to evade and initiate high-speed attacks based on two factors; perception and their skill. The common ratio to an average Unlocked follows that 70% of their total evasive capabilities are based on Perception. The remaining 30% relies on the individual¡¯s skill and techniques.
The odd-ones-out in this theory, are individuals with Selective Unlocking, like Arthur, who through their unique state can allow improving their reliance on skill to a greater extent.
Another group who do not apply to this theory, are Overcomers. Lennox believes that to be an Overcomer, the individual must have at least 50% of their evasive capabilities dependent on skill.
And amongst all Overcomers, there was one who had the highest skill-dependent, evasive capabilities. The more his Perception grew, it would be multiplied by his high skills and technique.
That Overcomer brought terror towards his enemies.
Gargantuant¡¯s would even gather together and form a gravity field to maximize their light-speed attacks but use this immense firepower only as a defensive measure. It was reckless for them to attack as this Overcomer could ¡°dance¡± in the midst of light-speed attacks.
Lennox, who constantly clashed and sparred with this Overcomer, estimated that nearly 80% of this Overcomer¡¯s evasive capabilities is based on skill alone.
Seeker knew of this Overcomer¡¯s strength. Simply put, an Unbecoming Advent Richie, can face an average Inhuman Proficient in battle and evade attacks.
The hidden bullet zipping through his own hair wasn¡¯t Seeker''s trump card.
The bullet zoomed quickly towards Richie¡¯s face, but with a simple raise of his blade, Richie made the bullet ¡®slide¡¯ on the blade and redirected the trajectory of the bullet. As he was used the blade of his sword to redirect the bullet, he was already moving this same sword to slash Seeker.
Seeker stomped his right food hard the moment the sniping bullet came into view and evaded the quick slash attack by jumping towards the left. Seeker then used his own sword to stab the nearest door to halt his flight.
The sword penetrated through the locking mechanism of the door and pierced through it. Richie was just behind him and was readying an upward slash as a combo to his previous downward slash which Seeker had just evaded.
Seeker stomped his left foot on the wall to stop the force of his jump and with another strong push Seeker was now jumping upwards and was hurled nearly an inch away from the ceiling. He left his sword to remain lodged through the door. There was no time to retrieve it. However, Seeker was able to recover his balance from the piercing thrust and his kick made him soar higher.
This sudden change of direction made Richie miss yet another attack. His rising slash had to redirect some gunfire along the way and these milliseconds allowed Seeker to stay alive.
But this midair evasion was more than reckless. Seeker was sure to die this time. Cliff and Arthur¡¯s attacks would not be enough to hinder this certain-kill strike.
Richie readied his blade to slash. He wouldn''t need to look back at Seeker. He was confident Seeker would be sliced.
Seeker turned midair and aimed his gun at Richie. These attacks would mean nothing.
Just then, the door where the sword was lodged in suddenly burst wide open.
Strangely, the sword that was once stuck also gave out and flew to the side as the door itself also opened.
Richie glared at the figure that stood behind this suddenly opening door and had one simple thought.
¡°That¡¯s one hell of a shotgun.¡±
Charles had entered this room through the window. But knowing that Richie had an absurd sense of hearing, Charles made a strong jump from the window towards the door. He shoved the shotgun onwards to push the protruding blade off the door. And thanks to the powerful thrust that Seeker did to destroy the locking mechanism, the door could easily give way when Charles kicked the door.
Without missing a single second, Charles opened fire.
The pellets of the shotgun were zooming in towards Richie. Even Richie wouldn¡¯t be able to evade all of these bullets or use his sword to redirect every single pellet.
Or so they thought.
They weren¡¯t called Overcomers for nothing. Whatever the challenge, they would overcome. The moment the Richie heard the door opening, he knew he would die if things remained the same. It had been a very long time that he reached this level of danger.
Richie was so angry. He underestimated his enemies and he would have died. But this raging pride and the desire to live allowed him to reach what Seeker and his friends called the Unbecoming Proficient stage.
The sudden increase of his capabilities surprised Richie. He knew what to do if he needed to survive this surrounding barrage of bullets.
The moment he heard the door opened, Richie had already stepped back instinctively.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
As if acting in synch with Charles'' attack, everyone else were firing gunshots at the same time.
Richie frowned. Despite his new unlocked potential, he was still in a pinch. The bullets were traveling in a direction which anticipated his moves. Seeker had shot a bullet at his location. If he remained there he would deal with the shotgun pellets and Seeker¡¯s attack.
Richie jumped headlong towards the incoming shotgun pellets. He used his sword and with a rotating sweep, he redirected the bullets that would meet him in the trajectory of his dive. The sweeping attack redirected the bullets and created a small gap which in the middle and allowed him to dive through the shotgun attack unscathed.
Charles was already backing away to ready his shotgun for another attack. Seeker was preparing his footing to kick the wall and maintain his aerial advantage.
As he landed on the ground he easily dodged the incoming bullets that were sent by Arthur and Cliff.
Richie¡¯s speed was faster than ever. His adaption to his new speed was so disgusting that it made even the midair Seeker feel so frustrated at his own skills.
Richie swiped the last incoming bullet away and was one step closer to killing Charles. The last step was to deal with Seeker¡¯s second gunshot.
He turned around to peek at Seeker¡¯s attack readying his sword to swipe the bullet that he expected to be one foot away from him. But as he turned, no bullet could be seen. He quickly observed Seeker and noticed that Seeker¡¯s second shot wasn¡¯t aimed at him, but the door opposite of where Charles entered.
The shotgun pellets had shot through the middle of the door leaving a circle of bullet holes since Richie redirected the ones in the center of the shot radius. Seeker was executing a back dive as he shot the remaining parts of the door to complete this circle of holes.
Richie felt a chilling sensation on his spine. This was something new for an Overcomer. The smell of fear usually does not affect Overcomers. Even Seeker¡¯s full-blown scent would have not been helpful.
The sensation Richie felt was simply, fear. True fear brought about by worries and uncertainty. His Perfect Prediction had always allowed him to be wary of any dangers. But somehow, when facing these group of kids, Richie felt uncertainty and even confusion. Even on the onset, Perfect Prediction did not work. His instincts kept telling him that these kids wouldn¡¯t be a threat to him.
And his building fears came through. The circle of bullets had already weakened the integrity of the door and Seeker¡¯s finishing touches were just enough for her to enter.
SMASH!
A figure smashed through the circular wreckage. It was a small girl who held a sword and a handgun.
She was using the hilt of her sword to break through the door and aimed her gun towards Richie.
She opened fire immediately. Seeker was falling towards the location where his sword was thrown to and Charles continued to keep his distance. Ready to shoot at Seeker''s command.
Richie stood at the center dodging and slashing the attacks, it was then he noticed that the girl who just entered had thrown away her gun and ran towards Richie with a slashing attack.
Richie frowned. It was one thing for these kids to shoot him, but to challenge him in close combat?
Richie launched himself to meet the girl''s slash. However, Seeker suddenly appeared on his peripheral vision. Seeker was holding his sword with both of his hands. His left hand continued to clutch the gun with his left forefinger on the trigger with the edge of his other fingers clutching the sword handle.
¡°A gun-blade huh?¡± Richie laughed as he recalled his younger days.
Seeker slashed and pulled the trigger at the same time. Meryl also slashed her sword to cut Richie¡¯s head off.
Arthur stopped his rush and started shooting at Richie¡¯s leg.
While all of these were happening, Seeker winked signaling Charles to prepare for his attack.
Richie immediately knew that staying in this position would lead to another shotgun attack.
Richie used the tip of his sword to push Meryl¡¯s slash upwards allowing him to evade the slash as he jumped back to evade Arthur¡¯s attacks on his legs.
Richie executed a mid-air twist to evade Seeker¡¯s slash-and-shoot attack. Using the inertia of his thrust which redirected Meryl¡¯s slash, he thrust his sword downwards as he turned towards Seeker.
Seeker tried to dodge the falling thrust, but he was too late. The thrust slashed downwards on Seeker''s chest leaving a large wound. Seeker''s ribs could even be seen.
Richie was confident that this was enough to make Seeker relatively weaker and unable to fight properly. Richie landed and he then set his eyes on Charles who was inside the room.
He moved carefully avoiding the gunshots and sprinted towards the inside of the room.
That¡¯s when he noticed it.
A grenade was happily rolling towards the door of the room''s entrance.
¡°Carlean¡¡± Richie thought as he deduced that Seeker must have rolled this grenade discretely on the floor when he landed. The grenade rolled inside the room and was out of Richie''s sight.
Seekers rushed attack was to redirect his attention. The rolling sound of the grenade which bumped on the nearby lamp and rolled back towards the entrance was not noticed by Richie. Never did Richie expect that this group would willingly put their life on the line by exposing themselves in the radius of a grenade''s explosion. Seeker even deliberately allowed himself to be wounded to make Richie dive onwards and aim for Charles.
The grenade exploded. But instead of fire and shrapnel, what came out was a bright blinding light. It was a flashbang. This was once again, out of Richie¡¯s calculation. Why would they blind themselves? It made more sense for them to use a grenade!
Richie failed close his eyes and was engulfed in the blinding sensation that the flashbang gave.
Richie had no time to be disoriented. He tried his best to make a decent landing and jumped to the side as a precaution in case his enemies would shoot through the open door.
As he dove and rolled on the floor, a painful stab was felt as a sword pierced through his right leg while in midair.
Meryl kept her eyes wide open during the explosion and rushed to stab through the wall and pierced through Richie¡¯s leg on the other side of the wall.
With his right leg pierced mid-jump, Richie''s immediately used his sword to stop the force of his jump by latching it on Meryl''s sword.
As the rest of his body fell, Richie used his left hand to hold him up high as the slightest twist in his position could add more wounds to his pierced leg. His right hand was just about to stab through the wall when several gunshots were heard.
Richie''s right arm was wounded and another bullet pierced through his palms.
The sword dropped on the floor.
¡°Give up, Richie.¡± Arthur ordered.
Richie continued to use his left arm to keep him up in midair.
"I can shoot your head anytime and Meryl can slice your leg too."
"Impressive. Did you calculate my position like your father? Is that girl your long lost sister?"
"Yes. And no. This is Meryl. She has a unique talent for being unaffected by bright lights."
Richie laughed.
"That''s new. Oh well. I guess the younger generation has bested the older."
The door of the elevators opened once more. But instead of Gary the Aragarian, Alean walked out holding Gary¡¯s head.
¡°Your boss is dead.¡± She calmly explained as she tossed Gary¡¯s head into the room for Richie to see.
¡°Well¡ I guess I should stop trying to kill you. Lucky you.¡± Richie laughed.
Chapter Fifty-Five: Epilogue Of Act One
Meryl unceremoniously pulled the sword out of the wall. Richie grunted as he fell down the floor. He sat upright and stared at everyone who entered the room.
Charles had already rushed towards Seeker¡¯ to tend to his wounds.
¡°So this is why I never felt threatened by you. You kids never wanted to kill me. If anything, I feel that you¡. value me.¡± Richie laughed.
¡°Yes. That¡¯s exactly why Perfect Prediction failed you for the first time.¡± Arthur answered coldly.
¡°I get it. You value me. And you know my capabilities. Therefore, trying to kill me isn¡¯t really killing me? So I can¡¯t perceive the threat if you guys know that you can¡¯t kill me.¡± Richie laughed.
¡°Yes. And that¡¯s precisely why you failed. Our Commander had to sacrifice himself though.¡± Arthur shook his head.
¡°Change of plans guys.¡± Seeker struggled as he slowly walked into the room with Charles assisting him.
¡°Seeker? You alright? Your eyes look empty.¡± Alean noticed.
¡°I¡¯ve cut off all senses except hearing. My brain overloaded in that fight back there. And I¡¯m about to put myself in a forced coma.¡±
¡°What?!¡± The team asked in surprise.
¡°He sensed your entries at the windows and made the necessary preparations to make you and Charles enter at the most necessary moments. We neither had any prior plans nor communicated with each other yet we somehow managed to beat Richie. Seeker was obviously pushing his Realm Somatotopy to its limits. Your entrance, your very attacks, and how he set the stage of the battle was part of a meticulous plan.¡± Arthur explained.
¡°Thanks for the documentary Arty.¡± Seeker responded sarcastically. Charles positioned Seeker down on the floor.
¡°As you suspect Arty, I might have gone a bit over the Proficient level. Thankfully my brain¡¯s physiology has already been changed which allows me to reach levels higher than what Lynd could reach.¡±
¡°So you¡¯ll be alright?¡±
¡°No Meryl. I¡¯ll just leave a few instructions and will force myself into a coma. You need to get the coolant liquid otherwise my brain will fry if I awaken.
The team looked grim.
¡°Enough of that grim face. I could hear your heart rate changing.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°Richie. I bet you have a lot of questions but I won¡¯t answer any of it.¡±
¡°Smart.¡± Arthur reacted softly.
¡°But you need to answer mine. Who are Gary Corners¡¯s closest associates?¡±
¡°Gary Corners?¡± Alean gave a curious look.
¡°He¡¯s an Aragarian. Seeker felt it when he pushed his Unlocking the moment he laid his eyes on Richie.¡± Arthur responded again.
¡°I¡¯m a professional, kid. I don¡¯t talk about the people who hire me.¡± Richie smiled.
¡°Fine then¡ Guys, push your unlocking to your highest capacity and get your weapons ready just in case.¡±
The entire team immediately went on full alert and readied their weapons.
¡°Using torture? How pathetic. As if death can make me squeal. You will kill me but don¡¯t think I can¡¯t give you hell even when I¡¯m in this state.¡±
¡°This isn¡¯t for them to kill or torture you but to protect me because of what you might do with what I¡¯m about to say next.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Richie had a curious look.
¡°Before I say it, know that I¡¯m extremely frail right now and if your anger causes any¡ uncanny results I might go into an unwanted coma and you¡¯d only have yourself to blame for losing it.¡± Seeker spoke strictly.
Richie¡¯s now had a confused look.
¡°I know a way to beat Tyrant Empress.¡± Seeker spoke loud and clearly. He then braced himself for the pressure.
Richie sat down looking straight at Seeker. His confused look suddenly turned into an angry glare.
His face didn¡¯t reveal a speck of this anger. But his eyes carried the entirety of his emotion.
¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Richie slowly spoke.
His voice was like a light breeze of air that paralyzed whoever heard it.
Arthur collapsed as he heard this voice. It was unlike the sensation that Seeker brought.
His mind went blank. His control over his senses weakened.
Alean, Charles, and Meryl were barely able to maintain their stand. Their guns and swords were held with shivering hands.
Seeker seemed like he was struggling with something. But he managed to withstand it.
¡°Still the short-tempered Richie, eh? ¡° Seeker tried to bring out a smile.
¡°Try to kill Meng the Dragon. He has an ability similar to that of the Tyrant Empress. But his skills are also similar to yours. It¡¯s just a difference in how you apply it.¡± Seeker finally managed to smile as he spoke. Sweat was pouring over his face. Even the wound on his chest didn¡¯t make him fidget, but Richie¡¯s voice penetrated deep into his hearts and clenched it.
¡°Skill?¡± Richie then asked once more.
The pressure slowly disappeared. Arthur came back to his senses while the three standing were gasping for air.
¡°What? Is it gone? Oh no. You haven¡¯t mastered it yet. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have said what I said.¡± Seeker just had a panicked expression. Then his expression immediately turned into a mischievous smile.
¡°Oh¡ never mind. That could work too.¡± Seeker had a confusing worried look which then turned into a mischievous smile. Seeker took out his phone and began typing something.
"Arthur decode this and send this message to Richie in three days time."
For some odd reason, Richie had an even more confused look. He couldn''t understand what Seeker was typing and due to the lack of senses, his Perfect Prediction couldn''t pick up any information.
¡°Now, answer my question, Richie.¡± Seeker then laughed.
¡°Meng is not an easy guy to find. Even Arty¡¯s father can¡¯t bring him out of his cave.¡±
¡°Tell him Rosa says ¡®hi¡¯ and he¡¯ll try to kill you.¡± Seeker laughed.
Richie maintained his deadly gaze. He sat there silently as a few seconds passed.
¡°Richie. I only have about 3 minutes left. Tell me who Gary¡¯s associates are.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll tell you if I can fight Meng.¡± Richie responded coldly.
¡°That¡¯ll work too. Alright, guys. I don¡¯t have much time left. So Arthy, you¡¯re in charge.
¡°What?¡± Meryl suddenly interjected with a surprised expression.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
¡°Trust me, Meryl. Right now what you need is strategy and I don¡¯t have time to explain things. Arthur take charge of this team. I trust you can manage the upcoming battles?¡±
¡°No problem.¡± Arthur nodded.
¡°My recovery process might take a bit of a time. I¡¯ll try to break through and get a permanent seating in the Surmounting level and this could take weeks. So other than the obvious task, make sure to gather intel so that you can protect the Jews.¡±
¡°The Jews?¡± Charles was bewildered at this order.
Alean and Meryl looked at each other.
¡°I see. Of course. Why didn¡¯t I think of that? Makes sense.¡±
¡°What?!¡± Meryl shouted in frustration.
¡°All my earnings from my streams, use it to buy a convertible. It should be just enough. Look for the ones with-¡±
¡°The ones with the best handling.¡± Arthur interrupted.
¡°That¡¯s my Arty. Always quick on the uptake. If you¡¯re confident, you can use it on the next battle. Lastly, things haven¡¯t been going exactly as planned.¡± Seeker smirked.
¡°Oh. Whatever gave you that idea?¡± Charles remarked sarcastically. Almost every plan they had gone sideways thanks to unexpected situations.
¡°My mistake is that I was so fixed on events that I know of, that I never expected those happy revelations to cause things to escalate this quickly. But it was all worth it. When I¡¯m out, I¡¯m not sure what could happen. Killing those Aragarian¡¯s might have caused a ripple of events that even I cannot foresee and you might fall into little surprises like when we met Richie here. So I don¡¯t want you guys to make any regrets in the choices you make while I¡¯m out. I can¡¯t protect you all. So right now, fearing the future, I¡¯ll just leave you with these tidings from the future.¡±
Seeker then faced Alean¡¯s direction.
¡°Alean. You better take advantage of this freakin¡¯ chance I¡¯ve given you with Lynd. He might wake up sooner than I will so make the most of every moment. Use seduction if you must.¡±
¡°What do I need to do? How will this benefit his Unlocking?¡±
¡°His Unlocking? There¡¯s nothing you can do to help him with that. Just do that to make him happier. Now, Meryl.¡±
¡°What? That¡¯s it?¡± Alean complained.
¡°You¡¯ll be in charge of training. I need you to build a special task force. Our special task force. Take only those who you can trust with your life. A few of the Programmed Slaves should do. Once Lynd is awake train together with him.¡±
Meryl was surprised.
¡°Me?¡± She voiced out hesitantly.
¡°No need to be surprised. Among all of you, Lynd was always first with you tailing a close second. So you¡¯re the best person for the job.¡± Seeker commended.
¡°Arthur. You¡¯ll be in charge of this group for a bit. So while I¡¯m gone I¡¯ll leave you with an important reminder.¡±
Arthur listened attentively.
¡°You know who the most important people in this team are. But for you, there is someone whom you should consider to be more important than the rest. I do not want you to have any regrets. You¡¯ve had quite a lot in the future. So should the situation arise, protect Meryl at all cost. You don¡¯t know it yet, but you will fall desperately in love with her.¡±
Everyone was shocked at Seeker¡¯s statement.
¡°What?!¡± Meryl cried in surprise.
Arthur just wore a frown. He then started to look at Meryl.
¡°I don¡¯t feel it yet,¡± Arthur responded.
¡°I know. Just trust me in this, Ok Arty? I might have altered the progression of your developing romance but knowing that you should be keeping her alive is important as it may help you reach World Champion. At least now you know what not to risk.¡±
Seeker then faced Charles.
¡°Charles, there¡¯s something you should also know about your future love life. In a world without hope, you will need that love to be stronger. And so because I don¡¯t want you to have any regrets¡ remember¡¡± Seeker began.
Charles was listening attentively. Romance had never been Charles strong suit. His strings of relationships left him broken and confused. It was a series of betrayal that led him to his books, to the army and even to his now accomplished fame. But out of all the girls in his life, who would it be that would be the remaining joy in a dark world?
¡°Protect Ricardo at all cost.¡± With the crucial information passed, Seeker then forced his brain to shut down. Seeker¡¯s eyes which were opened slowly closed as he entered his peaceful comatose state.
Charles looked at the feinted Seeker. He did not know what to do. Suddenly the urge to slap Seeker awake appeared and he lifted his hands.
¡°NO! Charles! Seeker¡¯s already unconscious!¡± Meryl grappled Charles arm to prevent the downward bitch slap.
¡°WHO THE HELL IS RICARDO?!¡± Charles shouted in anger.
¡°I see. It all makes sense¡± Arthur seemed to understand.
¡°You know what he means?¡± Charles turned to Arthur. Arthur has been able to understand Seeker¡¯s minimal instruction. Hope rekindled as Charles begged with his eyes on this ice cold being birthed for information.
¡°It makes sense. Your careful attention to your good looks, the modeling jobs you do, your perfectly smooth skin¡ You have latent homosexual tendencies.¡±
Agony, confusion, and fear crept into Charles'' heart. Was this his end?
¡°Great. I just lost to a prophet of the future, some army Major who is about to get into some major pedophilia, two kids in puberty, and a potentially gay national treasure.¡± Richie laughed in the background.
¡°That¡¯s why I love life. It¡¯s things like this that makes you want to live for it.¡±
About an hour after the attack on Stormson Tower, the world was shocked at the events that occurred that day. The Malay-Pangean President was attacked on Australian soil and met the worst kind of opposition. The Australian government revealed it was done by an extremist military group which was tied with several international crime syndicates.
The Australian Secret Service pulled no stops in revealing their suspicions to stop a possible war between two countries. Gary Corner was one of the possible leaders behind to this syndicate and was even connected with Feltrick Ung-glaive¡¯s organization.
President Colestar immediately addressed the nation and believed that it would be a terrible mistake to immediately begin a war.
¡°A Continental war is not the answer. We have all seen its dangers and the damage it creates. It leaves families desolate, our landscape changed and the very way of life altered. I urge the masses to not make hasty assumptions and not take any critical actions towards Australia. We must strive for peace and resolve this issue without causing massive deaths on both nations!¡± President Colestar announced with a grave expression. The entire Pangean Nations watched and observed this broadcast. But then a sudden twist occurred.
All major media station stopped broadcasting the address and started airing an emergency broadcast coming from the Military office of Harker Cipril.
¡°Citizens of the Pangean Nations! I come to you now in what is the darkest moment of our history since its founding alliance. I have discovered a malicious plot aimed to take over our nations!¡± Harker announced with terror in his eyes.
¡°Everything which you have witnessed these past days, the horrors of Feltrick Ung-Glaive¡¯s organization were all linked to Australia. They have been using our country as a harvesting ground and even utilized one of our nations as its main base. This was done to shift international attention if ever their operations would be discovered.¡±
The world was shocked at the sudden development. The State of the Nation Address of President Colestar was cut short and a new broadcast was playing. The poor President was not aware of this development and failed to realize that the eyes of the world were no longer on him.
The media reporters present did not even inform the President of what had occurred. Station managers claimed that their system was hacked. And while many of the most prestigious reporters knew that the company had intentionally stopped airing the State of the Nation Address, they did nothing to inform the President or other government officials while the speech continued. They simply acted as was ordered of them.
¡°Early today, I had received reports of an attempt to kidnap Malay-Pangean President, Albert Hoross. Luckily, the Heroes Army was able to stop the plan. President Hoross who secretly went to Australia to show support to his son who is known as Lowengren were faced with assassins aiming to blackmail him or possibly kill him. The Stormson Tower were infiltrated with various military soldiers as you can see in this clip.¡±
Suddenly a video clip of the military surrounding the Stormson Tower was shown as several armed forces were entering the building.
¡°We managed to save the President who is now with my daughter, Major Alean Cipril. She also confirmed my suspicion. Gary Corner, President of L-Corp has been using his companies influence to support the human, sex, and organ trafficking operations are done in the Pangean Nations. Australia wanted to protect him. To bad. We have his head with us. Enjoy what remains of his body, Australia!¡± Harker spat in disgust.
The broadcast continued with most of the Pangean Nation getting enraged at what had been happening.
Harker then expressed his disgust at how the President is still pushing for peace when one of the Presidents of their nation had just escaped death. This was considered an act of war and should be reciprocated with war. The entire nation was reacting to this sudden news. Many were enraged and urged Harker to attack Australia immediately while others feared for their lives for a possible war that could destroy their very home.
As the world shattering news continued to broadcast creating forth a wave of unknown reactions, Arthur was already strapped in full military gear and was already explaining the plan of the attack. They used one of the home appliance factories which secretly belonged to General Cipril. Despite the loud sounds of the military equipment¡¯s being built the none of its surrounding neighbors found it suspicious.
Arthur stared at the satellite images that were being displayed on a large screen and started to mumble numbers under his breath. Soldiers were moving back and forth in this building. Some carrying weapons, others tinkering with devices and others locked on their computers. Charles, Meryl, Alean, and Cliff stood in the background awaiting the orders of their new commander.
¡°So Act Two begins huh?¡± Charles sighed as he looked at the detailed maps produced on the screen.
¡°Act Two of New Game+. And Chapter One opens with a war.¡± Meryl gave a worried sigh.
¡°New Game+? Is this what Seeker called it?¡± Arthur asked.
Meryl just nodded at Arthur. She couldn¡¯t maintain eye contact for even a second. Arthur however, had no problems to peer deep into Meryl¡¯s face.
¡°You''re not that bad. I guess it''s alright.¡± Arthur mumbled carelessly while Meryl was blushing red.
¡°Alright Commander. I¡¯ve told my soldiers that you are the acting leader now. How do you plan to act on this?¡±
¡°First, but me this convertible. I have decided we are ready to use this to attack the military base.¡±
¡°Well, you sound as crazy as Seeker. So I guess it¡¯s a relief. " Charles laughed as he saw the image of the convertible in Arthur''s smart device.
"Without Seeker¡ things are bound to get harder. I hope we all live through whatever hell awaits.¡±
¡°We can only hope, Doctor. For now, let¡¯s hope that Seeker¡¯s trust in me was well-placed. New Game+, Act Two, Chapter One: Arthur¡¯s Acts, begins.¡±
Chapter Fifty-Six: A New Commanding Officer
Olax Industries took a large bulk of this block. It was a simple factory but had a dark secret. Harker Cipril used this as a base to hold every kidnapped child that his human trafficking business could manage. But what once was a simple ploy to hide a terrible secret was now transformed into a military base.
Deep inside the large warehouses of these buildings, weapons, rockets, and ammo were carefully placed in order as soldiers continued to gear up or tinker with new weapons.
¡°Have you met the new Colonel? I can¡¯t believe that he¡¯s in command!¡± A soldier asked his fellow platoon member.
¡°You don¡¯t know who Colonel Arthur is? He¡¯s kind of like a star in the gaming world!¡±
¡°Oh! So that¡¯s why looked familiar!¡±
¡°Still¡ I couldn¡¯t believe that he carried with him such acommandingaura.¡±
¡°Tell me about it! It felt like I couldn¡¯t breathe!¡±
¡°Enough.¡±
¡°Lieutenant!¡± The two soldiers saluted.
¡°I advise you to stop talking about Colonel Arthur. I just saw him questioning several Australian soldiers. He¡¯s far scarier than that. I don¡¯t want any trouble.¡± The Lieutenant could not help but sweat at the memory of what he just witnessed.
High up on the buildings top floor, several Australian soldiers were laying on the ground. What once was a simple office, was now transformed into a torture chamber. Blood and limbs were laid all around the room. Some of the Australian soldiers had several limbs missing while those with their bodies intact had a very traumatic look in their eyes. and somewhere even whimpering in tears.
Albert Hoross, the Malay-Pangean President stood in shock. But his shock wasn¡¯t due to the site of Arthur torturing the soldiers and one particularly stubborn scientist. It was due to the revelation of Australia¡¯s technology.
Human enhancement programs? EMP Satellite attacks? With these two things, the Pangean Nations do not stand a chance of winning if Australia declares a Continental War.
New Birth Fort was not just a military base; it was a national treasure. During the previous Continental War, Australia was at its last leg and was about to be conquered by the One South Asian army. After several pseudo-nuclear attacks that penetrated deep in their territory, most of Australia was turned into a heaping wasteland.
But on its last retreat, at their last stand, Australia decided to rename Sydney into New Birth City. A victorious declaration even on the brink of extinction. That was the start of their counter-attack. After several key battles, Australia was able to push back the enemies and even began their counter-attack.
At the aftermath of the Continental Wars, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea fell into a leaderless state and was later absorbed by Australia. Australia was then considered a superpower and the neighboring countries feared the powers of the nation¡¯s surrounding them and this led to the unification of the three South-East Asian countries which is now known as the Pangean Nations.
With its new standing as a powerful nation, New Birth Fort later extended its borders and now it was a megalopolis with a huge chunk of its territory part of the city.
¡°This is crazy!¡± President Hoross sighed. He glanced at the torturer who didn¡¯t seem afraid of their enemies.
¡°Alright. Now let me present to you what I think is our best option. This is only a draft plan and I cannot take command of the entire battalion. Lowengren. You have to take control of this army.¡±
Sabastian Hoross sat there with a panicking expression. He always had a cold and unwelcoming appearance but the very things that he just witnessed within the last few hours drove him to a very scared and nervous state.
¡°What?¡± Sebastian Hoross looked at the crazy declaration of Arthur.
¡°This is crazy. Why are you involving my son in this?¡± Albert Hoross voiced out.
¡°Because if there¡¯s any hope for us to leave this country alive, then he has to hold command. I need to take part in this battle. My team is the only ones capable of killing those modified humans.¡±
¡°We had the chance to escape! But the planes and ships you sent didn¡¯t have us aboard!¡± Albert roared in anger.
SLAM!
Arthur slammed a large sledgehammer on the ground. This was the same device used for torturing.
¡°I suggest you calm down. Keep in mind that you are not needed back in the country but this is where you are needed, Mr. President.¡± Arthur glared. A familiar pressure enveloped the room.
Cold sweat started to fill Albert¡¯s back.
¡°That¡¯s right! I am the President! General Harker falls under my-¡±
¡°General Harker is not the commander of this army. OurrealGeneral is out cold and right now, I am in charge. General Harker answers to me. And I won¡¯t take no for an answer. War is on the horizon President. So it''s better that we take the first strike rather than have them attack us. You will do the video shoot and Lowengren will become the commanding officer of this army.¡± Arthur declared coldly.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Albert and Sebastian could not even whimper in response as the bloodlust of Arthur made them shiver in place.
¡°Interesting pressure. Strong as Meryl.¡± Alean finally entered the room.
¡°Seeker?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Stable. Meryl¡¯s also started doing one session per squad. Though I cannot say how that will help. I doubt any of them will be unlocked after one session. Also, the training Meryl does is a lot weaker than Seeker''s training. These soldiers can still stand and talk after each session. Seeker''s would leave you in a state of shock." Alean shivered as she recalled Seeker''s training.
¡°I¡¯m making them go through that not to Unlock them but to have them experience a bit of hell before they dive into a real one.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°The modified humans of Australia could be stronger than Seeker anticipated. Most of your soldierswilldie. So they''ll need to experience a little bit of what it means to fight against monsters like these. Steel your heart, Cepril. You yourself might even die.¡±
¡°It¡¯s that bad?¡± Alean frowned.
¡°Yes. Seeker¡¯s out of the count so invading and destroying this base will be impossible. We just need to draw the battle out and have someone sneak in while all the ruckus continues.¡±
¡°So the army will be the diversion while we sneak in?¡±
¡°No. The army will probably be dead too soon before we manage our objectives. We will be fighting alongside the army. Meryl will be tasked to get the coolant.¡±
¡°Is that wise?¡±
¡°If all things work out, then everything outside of that base will be more dangerous than the things inside it.¡±
"Haven''t you just heard their report? Cybernetic humans and modified ones? EMP satellite blast? No matter what this is a lost battle!" Albert yelled angrily.
¡°It is. But it¡¯s a necessary battle. We need to get our General and our strongest man back. Alean, show the President and Lowengren Meryl¡¯s training so that they can get a rough idea of what we can do.¡±
On the other side of the building, a battalion of soldiers presented themselves with their respective platoon. But with all the soldiers standing, there was silence.
Right in the middle of the wide hall was a room fortified with bulletproof concrete. The soldiers would be thrown into this room and try to wound a small timid Asian girl.
All the soldiers could see through the video feed was the image of the girl, which then would be followed by a blur of movements leaving all the soldiers down.
This girl carried a variety of weapons. Some even bigger than herself and would use these humongous weapons to attack and slash the soldiers who tried to use all their tactics to kill the girl. But it was pointless. The girl would easily sneak up on them and demolish their formation followed by what looked like a massacre. It was amazing how no one would be critically wounded or found dead at the heart-clenching attacks this girl would make.
The next three squads who was in line for a pre-battle training session was walking towards the room. All of them had petrified faces. The previous squads hadn¡¯t even managed to scratch or graze Meryl. And all of them experienced hell inside.
As the platoon entered, Meryl did something totally different. She stood right in the middle of the room exposing herself.
¡°I¡¯ll give you ten seconds. Try to kill me.¡± Meryl sweetly announced.
A heart clutching sensation gripped the soldiers who immediately reacted by reaching for their guns and aiming at Meryl.
Meryl sighed as the soldiers aimed their guns. Time was slower than ever.
Unbecoming Proficient was a totally new sensation for Meryl. Her reactions were more concrete. Her initial response when faced with guns, was to ensure that the nozzle wasn¡¯t aimed at her. But now, she could evade bullets at a more efficient speed.
She waited for the soldiers to pull the trigger.
Three of the soldiers managed to reach for their guns and started shooting.
¡°My timings getting better.¡± Meryl smiled.
The moment she saw these soldiers were about to pull the trigger she moved her body immediately. The fast motions that Meryl made, gave the illusion that she was evading the bullets.
As more and more soldiers managed to start shooting, Meryl started to run around. Each of her strides made her leap several meters. Her speed, paired with her drastic movements allowed her to easily take down all the soldiers while giving them the maximum fear she could do.
Charles continued to observe Meryl from the camera feeds. Nearby were two pods holding two special bodies.
Charles had a monitor up which was typing down everything that Charles was saying.
¡°Each stage of the Unlocking seems to improve the overall physical capabilities of a person by over a hundred percent from its original form. The effect is extremely fast. Within a day of being Unlocked, the human body seems to be enhanced as well. Muscle density seems to improve as well over time.¡±
Charles then smashed his right hand with a small hammer.
SMASH!
Charles observed his right hand and saw a reddish spot.
¡°Third hammer test reveals astonishing results. The third test is dated three days after test two. In that short time, my muscle density has improved once more. I barely felt any pain with this strike. It looks like my overall body can endure up to four times what a normal human being can endure. But training muscles are harder. No wonder Seeker still remained thin even though he eats and workout a lot. No significant muscle gains...¡±
Charles gazed back at Meryl¡¯s screen.
The ten seconds were long over and the soldiers were being tossed and slammed like pieces of ragdolls.
Meryl slashed her sword towards the neck of one soldier. As the blade approached, Meryl quickly turned the blade so that the blunt side would hit the soldier. The speed was fast that all the soldier could see was a blade rushing towards his neck. So when he felt the hit, he could only conclude that the blade pierced through his neck.
The next sensation that he felt was being turned and tossed away like a piece of rag. The soldier fell on the floor and could only think of his home.
¡°Goodbye.¡± He cried in his thoughts.
¡°Next!¡± Meryl announced.
All the soldiers who were down the found themselves alive. They touched the vital parts which they thought Meryl attacked and was confused to find that it wasn¡¯t wounded.
The team left the room groggy and confused. Others limping while others couldn¡¯t stand and had to be assisted out of the room.
Albert was tongue-tied with what he saw. Sebastian''s eyes were shining.
¡°What was that game? Piercing something? I guess you could say that we can do what the people in that Piercing game can do.¡± Alean laughed as he saw Sebastian¡¯s expression.
¡°Of course, Meryl¡¯s probably the strongest among us. Either that or Arthur is.¡±
Alean smiled but she was tightly clenching her fist. She knew she was at the very bottom in terms of strength in this team.
¡°And those two at Doctor Lindmitt¡¯s office?¡± Sebastian could not help but ask.
¡°If any of them wake up, they should be stronger than all of us combined.¡±
Sebastian could not help but grin. Something sparked within him. He then witnessed Meryl carrying a large halberd and was using it to attack the soldiers. Meryl seemed to be recklessly thrusting the halberd but it would only cut through the clothes. Meryl would then pick up and toss these soldiers.
A once hopeless battle was now turning into a game that Lowengren was so desperate to play.
¡°Who are you? No! What are you? What inhuman creatures are you?¡± Albert stared in terror at Alean.
¡°Not Inhumans. Were just Unbecoming.¡± Alean laughed.
Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Opening Salvo
The meeting was finally underway.
Several soldiers stood by. Sebastian was also among the participants along with a group of teenagers.
Right at the very center of the room stood Arthur and his team.
¡°Ladies and gentleman. Allow me to formally introduce myself and my team. I am Colonel Arthur Humphrey and next in command is Major Alean Cipril.¡±
Arthur carried a domineering pressure. The soldiers had already witnessed how this small teen tortured the Australian soldiers to get what he needed. They knew that this wasn¡¯t a normal kid. And with Major Cipril bowing to his every whim, they knew that this was someone they should respect.
¡°You are all gathered here so that we can discuss the plans of our attack at New Fort Base.¡±
A hologram displays of the entire city appeared in the middle.
¡°Obviously, one brigade is not enough to conquer this city. Our mission is not to destroy this base but to infiltrate it. There is a key technology that we must retrieve. Once we accomplish that, our victory is secured.¡±
¡°The problem is, infiltrating this base is extremely hard. The technology that defends it is not to be underestimated. We have received reports that Australia is now capable of creating an EMP satellite attack. Rendering most of our technologies useless.¡±
¡°Won¡¯t that also be bad for them Major?¡± A Lieutenant Colonel inquired.
¡°We can¡¯t be too sure. We must attack under the assumption that they have the means to resist it.¡±
¡°That is why we will be taking part in this battle. I will also lead the attack along with Major Cipril, Doctor Charles, Cliff Fangwood and of course, Meryl Mikado.¡±
Meryl and Charles gave a slight nod while Cliff silently stood by observing everyone in the room.
The soldiers in the room gazed in surprise.
¡°This battle is a suicide mission. This is why my team will start the attack. Leading this army will be President Hoross¡¯ own son, Sebastian Hoross or Lowengren as you may know him.¡±
The soldiers gave a confusing look at the set of teams.
¡°Lowengren, what are your plans.¡± Arthur immediately asked seriously.
The team leaders of Warfreakz was in the room. Each of them had a scared expression.
¡°We¡¯ve discussed it in our team.¡± Lowengren began. Sweat continued to pour out on his back. It was his first time talking to such an elite group of warriors.
¡°The best way to infiltrate the enemy base is to create a massive distraction that will draw out a bulk of its forces leaving fewer obstacles for your team to face.¡±
¡°So an old-fashioned surprise attack?¡± Charles immediately asked.
¡°Well¡ No. We don¡¯t want that. If we do that, the army will overwhelm us. What we need is to do, is make smaller bits of distractions. This will draw out either the police force or a few soldiers which we can overpower.¡±
¡°We maintain a level of discretion in our attacks and slowly build up as they continuously send more forces.¡± Arthur summarized.
¡°I see. So by the time they know that it¡¯s an actual battle, they would have already lost too much and we would have established our foothold.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s the first step.¡± Lowengren nodded.
¡°Create a distraction that would draw out the police and possibly the military. We also use the chaos to immediately secure key areas of the city. These places are marked on your individual files.¡± Alean started handing out small digital chips to the Lieutenant Colonels in the room.
¡°Distractions? Like what? Fire?¡± Meryl innocently suggested.
¡°Too small. Maybe a bomb threat will do.¡± Charles mumbled.
¡°Terrorist attacks?¡± Cliff immediately remarked.
¡°Public shootouts?¡± Charles joked.
¡°As we are deep in the Network of Australia, using comm systems would be dangerous. That is why some of you are tasked with setting up our own Comm Arrays. These must be completed as soon as possible. Until we can set those up and reconfigure the communication towers within the city, we cannot communicate with each other.¡± Arthur explained.
¡°After you complete your individual task, a ping will be sent out to all your devices which will tell you when you can freely use the comm systems. Commander Lowengren will then assign you your next task once we set up the communication array.¡±
¡°Sir! I question the credentials of our new Commander.¡± A soldier couldn¡¯t help but interject. He knows what Alean and her team could do. But doubt was in the hearts of this new face.
¡°He¡¯s the best general we have here. Don¡¯t underestimate his skills just because he has been using it in games. At this point in time, we don¡¯t need a proper commander but someone who can think outside the box.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
The soldiers stared at Lowengren and his team. Most of the soldiers knew who Lowengren was. War of the Generals was such a popular game that many in the army actually play the game.
¡°Lowengren and his team have been considered the best generals in the War of the Generals. And as you may know, some even use actual army General¡¯s to tutor and guide teams while in other countries, real Generals play the game. Yet of all the names that could easily have reached the top, Lowengren is still considered to be the best in the game. So believe in your Commander. Colonel Arthur and I have also discussed the plans together with Lowengren and I can vouch for his skills.¡±
The soldier gave a quick look at his commander and immediately nodded.
¡°We¡¯re in your hands, Commander.¡±
¡°You will receive further specific instructions once the comm system is set up. Dismissed.¡±
The soldiers slowly went out of the room and were looking grim as they were to set out what would possibly take away their humanity.
¡°Are you sure you want your team to be your assistants in this battle, Lowengren?¡± Arthur asked as he scanned by each member of the Warfreakz.
¡°They¡¯re not ready.¡± Cliff softly spoke.
¡°They know my plans better than anyone else¡¯s. If you trust in my skill, then having this hesitant team would still be better than any other soldier in this building.¡±
¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get ready for battle. Warfreakz, please follow me upstairs for the last briefing session.¡± Arthur then signaled Meryl to follow as well.
Meryl followed obediently and went with Lowengren and his team.
¡°Where are they going?¡± Cliff asked as he watched the group walk out the door.
¡°What else? That last briefing must be a little scare tactic to get the Warfreakz''s hearts in order. I pity them. The soldiers only had to deal with Meryl¡¡± Charles shook his head.
¡°At least Seeker was gentle with girls. That Arthur really doesn¡¯t show mercy.¡± Alean sighed.
Cliff then offered a silent prayer to the Warfreakz. Sounds of screams and terror filled the room above as Meryl and Arthur utilized every scare tactic they have. As the session continued, Arthur started reminding the group of Australia¡¯s sin.
¡°I hope with this; you realize the weight of the Australian¡¯s crimes. And if they were willing to do that, what more will they do to you? You live in a different world now. If you fail in this mission, you will all die. I can only hope that you won¡¯t experience hell before you die.¡± Arthur strode out the door and threw the pickaxe towards one of the Warfreakz. The pickaxed was pinned on the wall and was not an inch further from this member¡¯s face.
¡°Ummm¡ You better get ready. We¡¯ll be heading out to proceed with the mission.¡± Meryl gave a respectful bow before leaving.
Meryl and Arthur soon reached the basement where several armored vehicles were parked. As it was in all places of the factory, soldiers were running around this area and many were configuring and adding more specific configurations to their car.
¡°Took you guys long enough.¡± Charles greeted.
¡°Is that the car?¡±
¡°Yes. As you ordered, a blue Marex Convertible. The engineers just finished tinkering with it. This could easily go three kilometers in ten seconds.¡± Alean opened the hood.
¡°It¡¯s got the speed and the handling you requested. It can zoom in and out and with our perception, we could easily evade mortars and missiles.¡±
¡°I¡¯m no expert. But I¡¯m pretty sure that the engine of this car¡¯s pretty flammable.¡± Charles worriedly pointed to the engine.
¡°It is. With the nitro device, any stray bullet could set this entire car on fire.¡± Arthur immediately jumped into the car.
¡°And we''re using this?¡± Meryl gave a worried reply.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. With the equipment¡¯s I¡¯ve prepared, this car will probably not get a single scratch on it.¡± Arthur then signaled for everyone to jump in.
¡°Does everybody understand each of your mission?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Wait. I haven¡¯t received any yet.¡± Meryl panicked.
¡°You¡¯re with me.¡± Arthur pulled Meryl in and then started driving out.
¡°Was it you who came up with that crazy plan?¡± Cliff asked.
¡°No. I explained what we needed and Lowengren immediately came up with it.¡±
¡°What a cruel man.¡± Meryl shook her head.
¡°Not cruel. He¡¯s just a gamer. He is approaching this war just as how I hoped he would. A gamer with no morals to bind him. Just victory in mind.¡±
Meryl had a worried look.
¡°What exactly is the plan?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± Arthur immediately answered before anyone else could.
Alean and Charles had a complicated look on their faces.
Arthur drove out of the warehouse and zoomed towards the heart of the city.
Arthur continued to drive and dropped Alean, Cliff, and Charles in different parts of the city. Meryl continued to look in amazement at the sights of New Birth City.
She also wondered what it would look like by the time tomorrow arrives.
New Birth Memorial Park.
It was one of the biggest tourist spots in the entire nation. It was an outdoor park with lush green trees and shrubs and was a popular picnic spot for families to go and enjoy the day. The park was even more popular at night as the light show in that park would continue all evening to the break of dawn. It was because of this that it was a popular place for concerts to be held at.
Meryl could not help but admire the park. She looked in pain at the people who were here and was secretly apologizing for the war that they will bring.
¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Meryl finally got the nerve to ask. After Seeker¡¯s revelation, Meryl found it extremely awkward to talk to Arthur.
Arthur kept quiet and took out a pair of the mask and tossed one to Meryl.
¡°Wear this.¡± Arthur then parked the car deep in the park¡¯s parking grounds. He then grabbed his suitcase and started walking towards the center of the park.
The park had a huge crowd at a concert was currently underway. A barrier was set at the entrance where people would pay to enter.
¡°We''re the opening salvo. It will be the first distraction that will get the media and the polices attention.¡± Arthur explained as they neared the concert grounds.
¡°But how? You or Lowengren didn¡¯t explain what to do back then.¡±
"There was no need to. You already discussed the answers.¡±
Meryl was surprised.
¡°What? Which one? I remember us talking about a fire, then a bomb threat, a terrorist act, and Charles even said something about a shootout! Which one of those is the right one?¡±
¡°All of them.¡±
Meryl gasped in surprise.
¡°So what do we do? Start a fire? Or is it a bomb threat?¡±
¡°Lowengren¡¯s already prepared for setting up bomb threats all throughout the city. And Charles and Cliff are out starting fires. But only after our act. If we start one fire after another, the military could get suspicious and send their forces immediately.¡±
¡°So what¡¯s our opening act?¡±
Arthur then suddenly stopped walking. The security guarding the entrance gave a curious stare at the two masked teens. Arthur opened the suitcase.
¡°I kept quiet because I didn¡¯t want to spend my time arguing with you on the way here. But this is the plan. If you do not follow my orders, we will lose Seeker and Lynd. So show me your resolve now.¡±
Arthur took out two sub-machine guns from the suitcase and tossed it to Meryl. Arthur quickly picked up the remaining guns in the case.
The guards were panicking at the sight of the guns. They started shouting and warning Arthur.
"Let''s begin."
With that Arthur immediately unloaded a full magazine of bullets on to the guards at the gate and then suddenly started shooting everyone else in the vicinity.
Chapter Fifty-Eight: Death and Distraction
¡°Here! We get a good shot here!¡± The cameraman pointed towards an open area.
The news reporter hurriedly took his position and the broadcast started.
¡°We are here live in New Birth Park to witness one of history¡¯s worst mass shootings. There was over a thousand crowd gathered to witness Algonites first concert when two armed men started a shootout.¡±
Several gunshots were heard in the distance as the news reporter ducked in surprised.
¡°As you can see, the shootout continues as the police have tried to reason with the two armed men. After the death of three policemen, the police have then since used force as the order to kill the two armed men as dozens of civilians were either wounded or killed since thirty minutes ago.¡±
The news reporter on the main office had a shocked expression at the shootout.
¡°That¡¯s just horrible Bill. Any idea on who the shooters are?¡±
¡°The police have yet to identify the two shooters. They have a relatively small build. It is even suspected that one of them is a woman. But as of now, we are all in the dark in who they are.¡±
¡°Bill, can you clarify the number of dead civilians?¡±
¡°There are about thirty civilians outside the barricade but we know the shooters continued their massacre towards the inside of the concert ground. We can only estimate that more than a hundred were caught in the crossfire.¡±
¡°Bill, you mentioned that there were some cops killed during the shootout, are we to assume that these two armed men are experts?¡±
¡°Yes! The shooters are clearly experts at handling the gun. The first officer was killed with a headshot when the armed man shot from a distance of more than 20 meters. We actually positioned ourselves a bit further away in fear of getting shot.¡±
¡°How far away are you from the barricade?¡±
¡°The police created a parameter about 50 meters from the entrance while I am about a hundred and twenty meters out from the main barricade which should-¡±
A bullet pierced through the head of the reporter and then the camera immediately shut down.
It was Arthur wearing a different mask. He was hiding in the shade of the dark.
As the civilians who were huddled at the area panicked and started running away, Arthur immediately unloaded a barrage of bullets on all the media reporters and cameramen.
Despite using an automatic sub-machine gun, Arthur was able to ensure that every single shot would kill someone or would destroy a camera.
The police immediately panicked and started running back towards the reporters to shoot Arthur. But Meryl also resurfaced from the barricades and immediately started shooting. Just like Arthur, not a single bullet was wasted.
All the police officers in the area were killed within a minute.
After killing all the cops in the area, Meryl and Arthur immediately sprinted shooting the night lights and the CCTV cameras to hide in the shade of darkness.
Arthur immediately jumped on the convertible and drove away. He took out the mask he was wearing. It was a different mask from the first mask he wore when he started the shooting.
Meryl jumped on to the seat next to him and removed the mask she was wearing. In her hand was another mask. It was the first mask that Arthur was wearing.
¡°Good acting. The cops really believed that they were facing the two of us.¡±
Arthur had removed his mask and sneaked out after the chaos of the first shootout. Meryl switched from one mask to another in order to make the police believe that they were still facing the two of them. Arthur had actually sneaked out of the barricade during the panicked exodus. He walked over to the media and waited until the opportune time.
¡°Why did you wait for the media to arrive before killing them?¡±
¡°We can¡¯t kill the police yet if the media is there. If they get a hold of a single video, the military might send out their forces. It¡¯s better to keep the enemy guessing on how good we are. So I waited for all the media to arrive so I can kill them. That way, no clear video could be used to describe our appearances or how we left the scene.¡±
Meryl sat quietly. As the seconds passed tears started to fall down her cheeks.
¡°We still have more task to do. This won¡¯t be the first time you will be killing innocent lives. Better brace yourself. And you better start changing now.¡± Arthur opened a small bag at the bottom revealing a jacket. Meryl remained unmoved.
¡°How do you do it?¡±
¡°The truth is; their lives are expendable. If we want the human race to live on, we should be this brutal. The lives of Lynd and Seeker far outweigh their life.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
¡°With just that you can easily kill a hundred innocent lives?¡±
¡°One hundred fifteen. Most were over 20¡¯s, some teenagers and a few mid 30¡¯s. I killed all with a headshot. They felt no pain when they left this Earth. That¡¯s about the only thing I can do. And no, that truth is not enough. Those hundred and fifteen souls will haunt me for the rest of my life¡¡±
Meryl was surprised at Arthur¡¯s response.
Arthur continued to drive with the speed of their car zooming through the city. Arthur looked straight ahead. And his gaze seemed to avoid the faces of every human he would meet on the cold street ahead.
¡°How many did you kill?¡± Arthur finally asked.
¡°Twenty-seven civilians, and all fourteen cops.¡± Meryl slowly answered.
Tears continued to fall as Arthur paused for a while as the traffic light blinked red.
¡°I killed twenty of your targets.¡±
¡°I know. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice you giving them a headshot. I didn¡¯t count those twenty on my list.¡± Meryl sobbed.
Arthur sat there silently and finally turned to Meryl.
¡°Much is at stake here. You cannot hesitate. No one who clearly saw us can be allowed to live. When I ask you to kill, you should kill.¡±
¡°I know.¡±
The traffic light went green and Arthur continued to drive off towards their destination. Meryl slowly started wearing the clothes that Arthur offered. It was then she realized where they were heading.
¡°The police station!¡± Meryl realized.
¡°Our next act will be here. We just need to wait for the signal.¡±
¡°What signal? And why here?¡±
¡°This is police headquarters and is also where the Comm team of the entire Australian Police is based. We take that down, then the cops in the city would have a hard time organizing themselves. What we are waiting for is the next step of our plan which will create massive panic. Once a bulk of the forces here move out, we rush in, pretend we need help. Once inside the police station, we discreetly massacre our way to the Comm Office.¡±
Meryl frowned.
¡°You can¡¯t put discreet and massacre in one sentence, Arthur.¡±
¡°But we have to.¡±
Arthur parked the car a few blocks away from the station. They waited in the car and Arthur started browsing through the international news.
Meryl sat quietly. Her hands were visibly shaking. She kept staring at Arthur who seemed to be acting as if nothing happened.
¡°You¡¯re strong.¡± Meryl smiled.
¡°Not strong enough.¡± Arthur sighed.
Meryl then noticed that Arthur was doing his best to stop his hands from shaking.
¡°Still, you¡¯re mighty strong.¡± Meryl smiled.
¡°Here it is. Looks like it has begun.¡±
President Hoross appeared on an emergency broadcast channel in the Pangean networks. He was seated behind a desk in what looked like a small office.
¡°People of the Pangean Nations. This is Malay-Pangean President Albert Hoross. I have just been rescued by Major Cipril¡¯s team and is now on my way back to our country.¡± Albert spoke calmly.
¡°I have to address these issues in case anything else would happen to me or my people. Australia has sent several of their best elites to kidnap me. I feared they were going to implant me with a certain device in order to blackmail me or control me. Regardless of the case, it is clear that Australia has evil intentions towards our country. I plead to all my fellow leaders, protect our country. I may not know what-¡±
The broadcast abruptly ended. The screen flickered and went black almost immediately.
¡°What happened?¡± Meryl asked in confusion.
¡°The second act. Wouldn¡¯t it be suspicious if several terrorist related events were to appear one after another in this city?¡±
¡°Of course. A fire and a bomb threat happening in different places would cause the government to consider an attack! ¡±
¡°That''s why we need to downplay the threat. We present a false reason for all this chaos.¡±
¡°How?¡±
¡°Just wait for it.¡± Arthur smiled.
Immediately a broadcast appeared with General Harker sitting down with a grave expression. Unlike his previous broadcasts, Harker was now seated in a command center. Several computers and high-end devices could be seen in the background.
¡°Fellow citizens of the Pangean Nation. I regret to inform you that we lost contact with the plane that Albert Hoross was flying on. Our team is busy investigating the status of the plane. Albert Hoross¡¯ state remains unknown as of now. We cannot say for certain if this attack was caused by Australia. But if so, then that¡¯s the last straw. My army won¡¯t keep quiet.¡± The broadcast immediately ended.
Meryl was confused all the more after seeing the broadcast.
¡°Won¡¯t that make the military all the more suspicious?¡± Meryl asked in confusion.
¡°You¡¯ll see. That¡¯s not the broadcast we are waiting for.¡± Arthur laughed wickedly.
The pair continued to browse through the news. Arthur continued to remain silent about the plans.
Meryl continued to scour through looking for anything that could cause widespread panic.
The world itself was falling into chaos. The One World Ambassadors of the different regions were pleading with the Pangean Nations to withhold their plans for war.
Australia continued to insist that the scandals found in Malay-Pangean grounds were linked to several powerful organizations and although have its roots in Australia, is not directly connected to the government. The Australian ambassadors even speculated that these were all done by a possible third party that wished for the two nations to fight it out.
News about the mass shootout continued to circulate the local news. New Fort City was in a state of alert. The mass killings which killed all the media reporters and the police on-scene led to the dispatch of several military personnel.
After about an hour of waiting, it finally happened.
On several commercial jumbo screens that stood on several prominent parts of the city, the broadcast was hijacked and revealed an angry face. Most gamers recognized the face. It was none other than the General of Warfreakz, Sebastian Hoross.
¡°My father came to this nation, bypassing all security protocols because he wanted to support me. Support my stupid game. Before being the president, he was my father. But thanks to that, he¡¯s now dead. Australia, you are to be blamed. I¡¯ve lost my father and a country has lost its president. But you? You continue to live your life in peace without the care of this world. It¡¯s unfair. So I decided to make this day as memorable for you as it is for me. I¡¯ve placed a bomb somewhere in this city. At least in this way, thousands will mourn just as I have. Good luck finding it.¡±
The broadcast then ended.
Meryl looked in shock at the broadcast.
¡°I didn¡¯t expect that. Faking the president¡¯s death then making Lowengren a terrorist?¡±
"That''s right. That is a probable cause for everything that will happen soon."
¡°So after the police in the station scramble out, we go in to kill everyone who remains inside right? But won¡¯t our resurfacing inside a police station still make things look suspicious?¡±
¡°You haven¡¯t figured out why we did everything to ensure no-one could describe our appearance? Alean should be meeting with Cliff after starting a few fires. They will then reveal themselves somewhere near our first shootout and start another mass shooting. This time, in full view of the media."
"So everyone will think that that''s us!"
"Right. in the distraction of the bomb threats and the shootouts, we can cripple the headquarters.¡±
Meryl was stunned silent.
¡°A distraction to hide deaths. What a plan...¡± Meryl commended.
¡°You haven¡¯t seen half of it.¡± Arthur grinned mischievously.
Chapter Fifty-Nine: Convenient Truths
Right in the corner of New Birth City, was the military base New Birth Fort. It looked like a huge modernized castle which overlooked the city and towered by the seas. New Birth Fort was one of the most sophisticated bases that the world has ever seen.
During the Continental Wars which nearly destroyed the nation of Australia, New Birth Fort proved to be an unconquerable fort. Its anti-missile, anti-mortar, and anti-stellar systems were unquestionable. No jet managed to drop a bomb on this fort, no missile ever penetrated through its sophisticated system and even the rain of mortar bombardments from the seas could not damage it.
New Birth City felt safe with this goliath nearby. But tonight, terror and chaos reigned like never before.
Deep within the confines behind the thick walls of this fort, a tall and black soldier paced the walls and had an angry look on his face. He wore a black bulletproof vest and had several men following him.
All the soldiers who he would pass by would stop and salute. A deep sense of respect filled their eyes.
The soldier soon reached a room which had tighter security. Several soldiers guarded the entrance and even a military gate pass was required to undo the electrical fields which barred the entrance.
Unlike others, however, the soldiers guarding this gate immediately turned the electrical field off and gave a respectful salute as the soldier responded and continued to walk towards the main door.
¡°General Garland.¡± The soldier saluted as he addressed the man who sat in the middle of the room.
The room was a command center which acted as the heart and soul of the New Birth Fort. Only the highest ranking officials could enter this room. It was because of the soldier¡¯s special traits and status that he could freely enter this room despite his Lieutenant rank.
¡°To what pleasure do I owe the visit from the Hero of Helion¡¯s Tragedy?¡± The General smiled.
The General was a man in his late 30¡¯s. He wore a standard Australian General¡¯s outfit but was too lazy to button the coat of his jacket to the very top. He looked undignified, lazy and even had facial hairs that made him like a slob. Yet despite this appearance, he was one of Australia¡¯s youngest and most terrifying General.
¡°Send me out there, General. I feel that something¡¯s up. It wouldn¡¯t be this simple. Not with Lowengren.¡±
¡°I know. That little punk¡¯s beaten our country so many times that even when I was secretly playing against him, our country still lost. I already sent out several teams. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t treat him like the other General¡¯s.¡± Garland laughed as he kept on scratching the back of his head.
¡°Still, with respect, I would like to request to have my platoon do a full sweep on the city.¡±
¡°Alright. I know when not to argue with the insistent Hero of Helion¡¯s Tragedy.¡± The General gaze a lazy stretch and sat down on the General¡¯s View.
¡°Take whatever you need.¡±
¡°Thank you, General.¡± The soldier gave a respectful salute.
¡°And Lieutenant Lander¡ Try to catch Lowengren alive.¡±
¡°I understand General.¡±
The city was now in chaos. The police were scrambling across the city. There was an emergency broadcast which requested that the people were to evacuate malls and all prominent buildings were also asked to ensure their security.
Various office buildings conducted a quick sweep through the building to ensure that no bomb has been planted in the building.
The Octagon Square was now a busy place full of people. The offices of many skyscrapers near the area had to do their security protocols to ensure that the bomb wasn¡¯t planted in their building.
On the roadside stood several limousines. There were a group of armed men protecting several important persons of the various company which towered around the Octagon Square.
¡°This is stupid! Why should we evacuate over some threat coming from an angry nineteen-year-old?¡± A tall businessman complained to his guards.
¡°We can never be too safe Sir. After all, that¡¯s Lowengren. Who knows what he could do. Despite being a kid, he¡¯s a genius with one of the highest IQ in this world. And he is the son of a Pangean Nation¡¯s president¡ He could be serious with his threats.¡±
¡°If you ask me he¡¯s just bluffing! Where the hell would that kid get a bomb anyway? He¡¯s just making us panic.¡±
¡°The security team will confirm if there is a bomb in the building and we can safely return, Sir.¡±
¡°Of all the days for this to happen.¡± The man grunted and gripped his fist in anger.
¡°I can¡¯t believe Gary¡¯s dead.¡±
The surrounding bodyguards stood silently. They knew that the moods of their bosses were terrible at the death of their boss¡¯s friend.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Not too far away from the cars, were water fountains. The water fountain was surrounded with marble tiles which the people usually used as benches. On one of its sides, sat Alean and Cliff.
¡°Well? Your reaction seems nice.¡± Alean smirked.
¡°Yes, Miss. It¡¯s confirmed. He is associated with Gary Corner.¡± Cliff shook his head still in disbelief.
¡°I can¡¯t believe that Arthur¡¯s simple hypothesis would actually be correct. If Gary Corner is associated with that guy, and that guy owns most of the buildings here, then the good thing is that what we are about to do is aimed towards the Aragarian¡¯s or their supporters.¡± Alean did her best to smile.
Cliff sat silent.
¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to sleep on the next days. This is just¡ too many people.¡±
¡°I know. Even for me.¡± Alean shook her head.
¡°I¡¯ve killed quite a few you know? But they weren¡¯t innocent or helpless. But this will be the first time. It¡¯s funny. I finally am doing something that I know will help the future, and I should be happy. Instead, I¡¯ve never been more uncertain of something in my life.¡±
¡°I can go first if you want,¡± Cliff suggested.
¡°It¡¯s alright. I should be the one taking care of you guys. You still are my students, after all.¡±
¡°I wonder how Meryl felt.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure even Arthur felt this pain. Honestly, you seemed awfully calm for a student who is about to massacre and kill people. What are you thinking at this time?¡± Alean laughed.
Cliff sighed.
¡°I¡ I just imagine myself as Seeker. How he would feel, or how I think he feels. I just kind of like- imagine his face. His expressions. How he would look when he¡¯s shooting these guys. I try to imitate that. Somehow it helps. I really think I¡¯m doing something for the future.¡±
Alean was silent.
¡°Well¡ Our future is doomed to war. So I guess, you can¡¯t say that karma will get to us.¡± Alean then pulled out a mask from her pockets.
¡°Get ready.¡±
A small metallic ball rolled from the ground and went directly to the center of the Octagon Square.
A bright light blasted on the middle which shocked everyone. The sudden blast caught every one of guarded and panic ensued.
People were stumbling down while others were screaming. In the middle of this chaos, Alean sprinted towards the limousines and unloaded a magazine of bullets.
Upon hearing the gunshots the blinded crowd started panicking and started blindly rushing and stampeding against each other.
Cliff was already standing on the other end of the square. His guns were aimed at another group of businessmen.
The bodyguards could only shoot blindly. Many were blinded at the flashbang and the remaining few who were able to turn their backs on the bright light were the first to die.
As the shouts and scream continued, Alean gave a curious look at the main streets which connected to Octagon Square.
¡°That was fast.¡± Alean readied her gun as the first set of police officers approached.
Arthur and Meryl continued to wait and check the news.
¡°Strange. Alean and Cliff should be starting now.¡± Arthur frowned as he noticed several cops rushing outside.
¡°Did you notice?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Yes. Those police officers looked more worried than the other officers who rushed out of there.¡± Meryl wondered.
¡°Something¡¯s wrong. Even the bomb threat didn¡¯t make them panic.¡±
¡°Maybe they found the bomb?¡±
¡°Unlikely. But that¡¯s none of our concern. We¡¯ll take this shot.¡±
Arthur and Meryl finally entered the police station.
People were screaming and fighting, demanding things from the police.
¡°Wow. I didn¡¯t expect it would be this chaotic.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not just because of us. Remember, we have a battalion of soldiers in this city. Lowengren assigned them special tasks for each squad. Most of which involve breaking the law.¡± Arthur smiled.
¡°I have to ask. Between him and you, who¡¯s smarter?¡±
¡°I¡¯m smarter, but Lowengren¡¯s wiser.¡± Arthur then strode towards the hallways connected to the deeper parts of the police station.
As the pair walked deeper into the police station they witnessed more complaints and unruly people screaming at the top of their lungs.
¡°Shouldn¡¯t we supposed to be massacring are way in by now?¡±
¡°No. Something¡¯s wrong. It would be unwise to proceed with haste and recklessness.¡± Arthur then found the door which led to the restricted section.
Arthur approached nearby police.
¡°I am Arthur Humphrey of the Covenant of the Strongest. I have important information regarding the whereabouts of Lowengren. I will only talk to the highest official present.¡± Arthur spoke softly to which only the officer he spoke to could hear. But there a strict demand in Arthur¡¯s tone.
The police stared in shock. But the familiar face of Arthur prompted him to act quickly.
¡°Follow me.¡±
The police officer immediately opened the door which led to the restricted area.
The officer walked in haste and led the pair directly towards the commissioner¡¯s office.
¡°Commissioner!¡± the officer barged in without even knocking.
The Commissioner was in the middle of a heated discussion with several other officers.
¡°What now?¡± The Commissioner roared.
Arthur quickly closed the door and immediately dashed towards the middle of the table and started beheading people.
Meryl quickly followed suit and started aiming for the throats and necks of everyone inside. In a manner of seconds, eight officers were dead.
Arthur carefully positioned the last officer in a slanting position before killing the officer with a thrust through the skull.
¡°What are we doing here?¡± Meryl frowned.
¡°We just killed the leaders of the police force. This should give us more time to cause chaos. But the main reason why I had him lead us here is that this should be the only room that is not under surveillance. Let¡¯s go.¡± Arthur quickly removed the coat of the officer and checked to see if there was any blood on it.
Arthur walked out of the room while holding Meryl by the hand as if he was an officer who was leading a prisoner or criminal.
¡°Make sure not to damage anything in the Comm room,¡± Arthur warned.
The pair walked towards the Communication¡¯s office without garnering attention from the rest of the officers on the floor.
Arthur strode in and the exact moment the doors were closed, Meryl and Arthur started killing the officers watching the room.
Meryl glanced at the various screens being displayed in a huge monitor.
The screens displayed various places in the city. Some were residential mansions while others were corporate offices. But the one that caught attention is a live stream of the Octagon Square. Alean and Cliff could be seen shooting everyone around the area.
¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Meryl was confused. Was this why they witnessed panicked police officers who sprinted out of the station earlier? They immediately found out about the shoot-out?
¡°I do. That screen over there. That one, and these screens here.¡± Arthur pointed to several parts of the monitor.
¡°Those are businesses that are known to be in association with Gary Corner¡¯s and Feltrick Ung-glaive. And those are the known residences of the CEO of these companies and organizations.¡±
¡°What do you¡?¡±
¡°No wonder Seeker didn¡¯t show any remorse when he planned on attacking Australia. He probably already knew about it.¡±
¡°About what?¡±
¡°This country has already sold itself to the Aragarians.¡± Arthur declared. A hint of joy surfaced on Arthur¡¯s once gloomy eyes.
Chapter Sixty: Concert of Chaos
¡°What do you mean?¡± Meryl wondered.
Arthur¡¯s phone started ringing.
¡°It¡¯s me. Three Comm Uplinks are up. It should be safe to communicate for now."
¡°Perfect timing, Lowengren! Hypothetically speaking, if you are an alien race who wants to take over this world, and you plan to weaken it through making the natives fight each other, how would you do it?¡± Arthur immediately asked.
Lowengren was surprised at the sudden question.
¡°If it was me, then I¡¯d level the playing field. I¡¯d aid some of the countries and make them strong.¡±
¡°Just as I suspected. Anyway, I¡¯m in the Police Comm office. I want you to take note of the following locations and I want you to find a way to attack these places. Make sure to make it look random.¡±
Arthur then immediately began listing all the locations that were displayed on the monitors.
¡°You got all that?¡±
¡°You¡¯re asking me to attack the most influential and powerful men in this region!¡± Lowengren frowned.
¡°You have to. These guys are in collaboration with Gary Corner. Think of them as people who are in the same fold as Feltrick Ung-glaive.¡±
¡°Then they have to die.¡±
¡°These locations were being monitored. The police have been immediately dispatched to Alean¡¯s position the moment they started the shoot-out. It seems the police are protecting these people with high-priority.¡±
¡°Then we have a problem. If what you say is true then the military may have been dispatched to Alean¡¯s position. The Hero of Helion¡¯s Tragedy is based here.¡±
Arthur frowned.
¡°Have them retreat. Now that we¡¯re inside the Comm office, their mission is already accomplished.¡±
¡°On it.¡± Lowengren abruptly ended the call.
¡°It is as I suspected. Even Lowengren had the same idea.¡±
¡°What did he mean by level the playing field?¡±
¡°Make many nations stronger. If this world has only one or two superpowers, then it would be unlikely for a war to happen because everyone would be afraid to offend them.¡±
¡°So they made other nations stronger to take away that fear?¡±
¡°Yes. Seeker knew about this. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t show any moral dilemma with attacking Australia. Australia is already under Aragarian control. The fact that they are protecting these places proves it! This nation was doomed to destruction in Seeker¡¯s eyes since the beginning.¡±
¡°But isn¡¯t it that our final enemies would be African-Russian union?¡±
¡°It could¡¯ve been any nation. The Aragarian¡¯s divided their resources and sent different spies on different countries to improve it with a limited set of technology. Whoever won this game would be the nation that they would control.¡±
Suddenly Arthur paused as he realized the urgency of Seeker¡¯s command.
¡°Of course! Even Seeker can¡¯t tell which nations belong to the Aragarian¡¯s. And if we attack Australia then the future changes! It¡¯s no wonder Seeker asked me to protect them.¡± Arthur continued to contemplate.
Meryl gave a curious look.
¡°Protect who?¡±
Arthur then sat down on the chair and started working on the computer. Several of the displayed screens were enlarged and Arthur started writing down instructions on to a piece of paper.
¡°Meryl, go over to these locations. I need you to raid these places and check if there are activities of human trafficking. Save as many of them as you can.¡± Arthur handed the paper to Meryl. He then took off the coat belonging to one of the dead officers in the room and gave it to Meryl.
Meryl didn¡¯t argue and simply took the paper and wore the coat.
¡°Contact Lowengren and have him send you some of his men to help you with the extraction. Ask Lowengren to hide them somewhere safe. I won¡¯t be there to protect you so be careful.¡±
¡°Wow. So romantic.¡± Meryl gave a sarcastic laugh.
¡°What are you going to do?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll stay here. I¡¯ll be the conductor of this concert.¡±
¡°Concert?¡±
¡°The Concert of Chaos.¡± Arthur grinned. Immediately, Arthur started typing commands and orders and sent them out on the various police officers around the city.
Meryl gave a light smile as she looked at the serious Arthur. She quietly left and gave a long stare at Arthur before closing the door.
¡°I guess he¡¯s not that bad.¡± Meryl chuckled and started sprinting out of the room.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
The chaos at the Octagon Square started to escalate. The sudden and quick response of the police made Alean and Cliff retreat into one of the buildings nearby.
¡°Damn! That was fast!¡± Cliff complained as he crouched over to hide from the view of the windows.
¡°It¡¯s like they immediately saw what happened!¡± Alean cried in frustration.
¡°We¡¯re not safe here.¡± Alean then started to sprint further inside and Cliff followed.
Several gunshots were heard outside as the police noticed the two fleeing further inside the building.
Several bullets started piercing through the concrete walls and surprised the two.
¡°Concrete piercing rounds.¡± Alean frowned.
BEEP!
Alean immediately answered.
¡°Kind of busy here, Lowengren!¡±
¡°I noticed. Get ready to jump on the eastern window.¡±
¡°What? There¡¯s a lot of cops there! They¡¯d shoot us and with that many bullets we¡¯d be dead for sure!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. Charles is already there. I¡¯ve prepared a huge distraction. Use that to escape.¡± Lowengren then ended the call.
Alean immediately started running for the eastern side.
The Australian Special Operations Police team finally started moving in. Each officer wore full body armor that could render Alean and Cliff¡¯s guns ineffective.
The team entered the building tossing smoke grenades and flashbangs at the entrance.
Alean finally reached the eastern side of the building. She dared not peak outside in case people would notice her.
¡°What now?¡± Cliff inquired.
¡°Lowengren¡¯s planning something. Get ready to take off your mask and change your disguise.¡±
Overlooking the northern building near the Octagon Square, the large screen monitor that was held high by the building suddenly turned itself on and the image that appeared was a familiar face.
Lowengren stood alone in a dark room.
¡°Did you really expect me to announce my plans? Idiots! Why would I give you the chance to disarm my bomb? Also, to the two nut jobs is ruining my night¡ This is my concert and I won¡¯t have you two shooters ruin it! So get ready to run because hell is about to hit you! Australia, remember tonight! Enjoy this Concert of Chaos! For President Albert Hoross!¡± Lowengren immediately pushed the button of a small device he was holding.
BOOOM!
The mall on the opposite end of the building where Alean and Cliff were exploded.
A series of explosions then followed and devoured everything that was in the mall. The mall was not a prominent commercial building. It was a small-time mall which was only two stories high. And so, there was no evacuation order given to that mall.
The explosions caused panic and everyone around the mall started screaming. Several bystanders who simply stood in front of the building were burnt to death at the massive explosion. The entire building collapsed and all that remained was fire and rubble.
Alean and Cliff took the opportunity to jump outside of the building as the ring of explosions began. They sprinted off towards an area where the police were most affected and distracted. As they approached the police cars, they noticed Charles holding a miniature rocket launcher.
Charles fired the rocket towards the open window where Alean and Cliff jumped out off.
The missile zoomed in.
Back in the main headquarters, Lowengren was overlooking the monitor of one of his team members.
¡°Failure is not an option, Stanley.¡± Lowengren¡¯s cold voice instructed.
The person manning the computer was navigating the very rocket that Charles launched. With expert skills, he navigated the missile through the narrow windows and through the doors and corridors and eventually it reached the lobby.
¡°What¡¯s that?¡± An officer screamed as he witnessed the approaching rocket.
¡°Perfect.¡± Lowengren gave a satisfied smile and pressed on a detonator.
The rocket was strapped with several plastic explosives and was a world-renowned bomb. A masterpiece found only in the Pangean Nation. Of the Eradicating series, this was known as the Area-Eradicating Bomb.
Alean and Cliff waited beside Charles right in the middle of the police cars. The police were so distracted that they didn¡¯t notice the three who were crouching near them. And right before any of the officers could take notice, it happened.
BOOM!
The building which Alean and Cliff just jumped out of exploded with the same terrifying force which reduced the small mall into a pile of debris. The first level of the building was burned and even the concrete started to deteriorate fast but the Adamant metal frame which held the building resisted the blast and continued to hold the building up.
The three snuck away in the midst of the confusion. The changed appearance of the two and with the fact that people were running around in fear allowed them to easily disappear into the crowd.
¡°That was a little too much, don¡¯t you think?¡± Alean laughed as they finally found a place to hide.
¡°If Lowengren hadn¡¯t acted quickly, you¡¯d probably have a lot in your hands. The Hero of Helion¡¯s Tragedy was on his way. And he was wearing a Torque Series Exoskeleton.¡±
¡°That guy''s famous!¡± Cliff mumbled.
¡°You should listen more in class,¡± Alean grumbled.
¡°If he''s wearing that Exoskeleton, then his Armor should be on one of those trucks.¡± Charles shook his head.
¡°At the very least, we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance fighting him. Not with these weapons. Looks like our tasks end here.¡± Alean sighed.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. You didn¡¯t fail. Arthur¡¯s in position. He should be starting hell soon..¡±
The military was finally dispatched. The entire city fell into martial law and soldiers started appearing in almost every corner of the street.
Lieutenant Lander overlooked the quick action of his platoon. Of all the soldiers there, only three wore the same Exoskeleton that he wore though lander had a distinct design and manned his trademark Purple suit.
The Exoskeleton was a 3-meter tall metal armor. It allowed its users to maintain human movements
¡°I knew he¡¯d do something out of the box. He really got us.¡± General Garland sighed.
Lander stared at the video projection displayed on the right arm of the Exoskeleton.
¡°I never thought that Lowengren would be this cruel outside of the game.¡±
¡°He¡¯s far crueler than you give him credit for. He just lost his father. And if the Malay-Pangean President was willing to go all the way to an enemy country to watch his son play then you could only imagine how close those two were.¡±
¡°What do we know of the attack on the Pangean President?¡±
¡°The Malay-Pangean President escaped after the fiasco with Gary. There were three planes that escaped this country all of which, sank. We¡¯ve already found the crash sites. No one survived.¡±
¡°Whoever¡¯s planning this wants to start a war.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll deal with that later. For now, dealing with Lowengren should be our priority. If he wants death, he¡¯ll aim for residential buildings. He doesn¡¯t seem to have any problem killing innocent lives. However, he could also want to blow up more commercial buildings. Bring Australia down through an economic crisis.¡±
Lander frowned.
¡°Requesting for backup.¡±
¡°I already sent them. Work with the police. We need all the help we can get.¡±
The call ended and Lander immediately called the police through a direct line to the Main Comm Office of the police.
¡°This is Lieutenant Lander of the Australian Military. I need all the information you have.¡±
¡°The Hero of Helion¡¯s tragedy himself! It¡¯s an honor to talk to you, sir! What information do you need? It¡¯s chaos out there sir. Reports of arson, robberies, and break-ins are piling up around the city.¡±
¡°Send me the residential and commercial zones which you haven¡¯t secured yet. The priority is to ensure that no other bomb blows up in this city. I¡¯ll send you the coordinates of our men so that you can fill the gaps. That is all for now.¡±
¡°Sir, Yes sir!¡±
Lander immediately disconnected the call and sent the GPS tracking of all soldiers in the city.
On the other end of the call, Arthur could not help but smile.
¡°This makes things a lot easier.¡±
Chapter Sixty-One: Central Police Bomb Squads
Lowengren walked down the main halls and went into the last functioning room in the building.
As Lowengren entered, a startled girl immediately stood up from her seat.
¡°Kristine?¡± Lowengren was startled as he identified the girl.
¡°Hey there, Sebastian! Arthur must have forgotten to inform you.¡± Kristine answered back. They have always been acquainted with one another and have even shared interviews together. But now Kristine had a wary look in her eyes.
¡°You were watching the news?¡± Lowengren noticed the television and then realized Kristine¡¯s cautious attitude.
¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Kristine. Arthur planned about half of everything that¡¯s been going on!¡± Lowengren shook his head.
¡°Must be easy for you. I bet the moment you step out this room you would be in full game mode. The cold calculating leader of Warfreakz.¡±
¡°It isn¡¯t like I have a split personality! I had to get out of that room to take a break! I¡¯ve already ordered the death of hundreds!¡± Lowengren¡¯s shouted.
Kristine was startled at the angry face of Sebastian. He had never shown his angry side to her.
¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t imagine how it feels. It¡¯s just. Arthur¡¯s out there. And I just can¡¯t imagine that he¡¯s living the life he swore to run away from.¡±
Lowengren stood there and clench his fist.
¡°I¡¯m sorry. Things have been too much for me. You¡¯re right. The moment I walk out that door, I¡¯d get back to my game mode. At least I calmed down after seeing you.¡±
¡°Arthur probably didn¡¯t tell you that I tag along so that you wouldn¡¯t see me.¡± Kristine giggled.
Lowengren was silent.
¡°Even if I knew you were here, I probably wouldn¡¯t have gone to see you despite my clear intentions. In fact, I believe, it¡¯s time for me to just cut my losses and stop running after you.¡±
¡°Did Arthur threatened you? I¡¯m sorry if he made you feel a little uncomfortable. He¡¯s like my big brother. So, he does have a tendency to act a little bit overprotective.¡±
¡°A little uncomfortable? Didn¡¯t you hear our screams from the room above? I basically converted to five different religions with Arthur¡¯s mace tricks!¡± Lowengren vented out in anger. The horrors he experienced a few hours ago continued to leave him shaking every time it comes back to memory.
¡°Those were your screams?¡± Kristine questioned but she carried an irritated look.
¡°Yes! That was my entire team! And it took nearly an hour to get everybody up back and running?¡±
¡°With what? Arthur¡¯s little tricks! You¡¯ve just had one session and that was with Arthur! I¡¯ve had three of those and it was with that little demon over there! You¡¯ve changed religions? I¡¯ve tried summoning the devil in my mind to keep me away from one of the devils brothers! So don¡¯t you dare have that tone with me when talking about that session I¡¯ve had worst!¡± Kristine screamed in anger.
Lowengren was surprised that Kristine went through a similar experience. He then turned to the direction which Kristine pointed at.
¡°Is that him?¡± Lowengren then slowly approached a huge pop which stood upright. The small glass window in the front revealed a young teen wearing an oxygen mask and was floated amidst a greenish liquid.
Kristine gazed at the pod. Apart from her memories from Seeker¡¯s nightmares, was the shocking scenes of death she witnessed a few nights ago.
¡°Yes. And the pod next to him holds Lynd Indigo.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll be moving them. I¡¯m just waiting for the team to enter this room. As per Arthur¡¯s instruction, this would be the last room to clear out.¡±
¡°We¡¯re moving?¡±
¡°Just transferring to the basement.¡± Lowengren sighed.
¡°I have to get out there. Thanks for the small chat. It really managed to calm my nerves.¡± Lowengren smiled.
¡°I¡¯d do a friendly side-hug, but I¡¯m too scared to do it now.¡±
Kristine and Lowengren laughed.
¡°Scared of my big brother?¡±
¡°No. After our session upstairs, he told me to keep my distance from you. Apparently, Seeker¡¯s got a thing for you. And Arthur warned me, that Seeker¡¯s far crazier than he can ever be.¡±
Kristine was shocked at Lowengrens¡¯ statement and couldn¡¯t help but stare at Seeker¡¯s figure.
The door immediately opened as several soldiers rushed in.
¡°Sir. We are ready to clear this room.¡±
Lowengren sighed.
¡°You know Kristine, it would¡¯ve been so much easier if I did have a split personality. At least I won''t remember everything I¡¯ll be doing tonight.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
Immediately Lowengren turned towards the soldiers and a serious expression appeared. He was back to the cold and distant commander of the Heroes Army.
¡°Do it. Kristine. I need you to clarify things for me. I want the full story behind Seeker Carlean and this war.¡± Unlike his previous tone, Lowengren was now commanding Kristine.
Kristine was startled at the sudden shift.
¡°You probably won¡¯t believe it.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve seen a petite, Asian girl wipe out an entire brigade of soldiers. I¡¯m prepared to believe anything right now. Let¡¯s go. Tell me along the way.¡± Lowengren walked out of the room. This time, he walked with the dignity of a commander.
In the main entrance of one of the most prominent buildings, the overseeing lieutenant assigned in the area waited outside the building and noticed several police officers rushing towards the building wearing bomb suits.
¡°Sir!¡± The police saluted.
¡°What are you doing here? We¡¯ve already finished checking this building.¡±
¡°Orders from Central Police. We¡¯ve brought bomb-detecting gear. The Commissioner suspects that a special bomb was used which bypassed all security protocols during the first attack. If Lowengren has access to Pangean bombs, then anything is possible.¡±
¡°I see. Then go ahead. Our forces should be done sweeping the building and will be moving on to the next assigned destination.¡±
¡°Affirmative. Team, let¡¯s move.¡±
The Lieutenant gave a curious look at the smallest officer on the team.
¡°Aren¡¯t you a little too young or¡ too small for this job?¡±
The officer just gave a blank stare at the questioning lieutenant.
¡°I¡¯m not sure how to respond to that, sir.¡± The officer replied.
The lieutenant shook his head.
¡°Right. I¡¯m sorry for discriminating. Carry on, Miss.¡±
The team of police officers entered the building and immediately went their own ways upon entering.
The leader of the team along with the smallest officer went to meet the head of security who was overseeing the exit of the military forces at the lobby.
¡°More of you?¡±
¡°Orders from Central. We have orders to check each and every floor of this building, including the restricted areas.¡±
¡°Denied. No bomb could have gone to the restricted areas. Under no circumstances-¡±
¡°Gary Corner is dead. Will you forgive Central for being a little too paranoid? A Pangean Eradicating bomb can go down to the size of a cellphone. Are you sure that nothing went through the bags and pockets of anyone who went into that room?¡± The small officer interrupted.
The head of security was silent.
¡°Alright. I¡¯ll call the boss. Follow me.¡±
The trio went to meet the CEO of the company. He wore a black business suit and had a strict stare.
¡°I understand Central¡¯s concern. But that classified room holds classified technology. We cannot let you-¡±
¡°Pardon for the interruption Sir, but we really have a lot in our hands. We don¡¯t need to enter the room. Take us to the floor and we¡¯ll use our devices to check the area. Our devices should be able to cover more than 80 percent of the floor.¡± The small officer quickly spoke.
¡°Fine.¡± The man immediately responded.
¡°Follow me then.¡± The man walked towards the exit and four of his bodyguards immediately followed.
The group quickly left for the elevator and the CEO immediately used a special key. The elevator moved at the turn of the key.
The group quickly went out of the elevator and was greeted with a large steel door.
¡°This should be a problem. That metal door will block the signal. Could you open the door, Sir? We don¡¯t have to enter the room.¡±
The man frowned but immediately signaled to one of the bodyguards.
The bodyguard used a retinal scan and the door immediately opened. A large plastic curtain was immediately seen preventing anyone to view what was inside.
¡°I hope that that won¡¯t be a hindrance?¡± The man spoke in frustration.
¡°Not at all, Sir. Thank you.¡± The small officer smiled.
The two officers immediately dropped their bags and started shuffling through their belongings.
The small officer immediately stood up with two handguns with silencers on hand.
Immediately, the four bodyguards and the head of security received a headshot before they even realized what was happening.
The small officer shot the throat of the CEO. The man fell down and blood poured out as he started struggling. He couldn¡¯t scream as his wound prevented him from doing so.
The other officer took out a small cylinder rod and tossed it to the small officer.
The small officer caught it and immediately it expanded and became a glass sword.
Meryl took off her mask and immediately thrust the sword on the right side of the man¡¯s chest.
The man squirmed and struggled but as the pool of blood below him started to grow, his struggles slowly turned to peace.
¡°Aragarian. So Arthur was right.¡± Meryl frowned.
¡°Orders Captain?¡± The soldier asked.
¡°Ummm. Let¡¯s just do as planned, I guess. Make sure no one¡¯s around the basement area and get ready to pick up the folks I rescue. I¡¯ll go in now and see if there are any more enemies.¡± Meryl struggled.
¡°You mean we are to secure the extraction point while you eliminate all tangos in that room?¡±
¡°Look, if I knew how to speak military, I wouldn¡¯t have rehearsed everything! Geez, give me a break!¡± Meryl immediately sprinted towards the room.
On the wide parking areas of yet another prominent commercial complex, a purple Exoskeleton stood.
¡°Sir! The bomb squad from Central has just entered the building.¡±
Lieutenant Lander nodded as he gazed at the other buildings in the area.
Suddenly his attention turned to the sky as a rocket zoomed out of an open window of the building which the bomb squad just entered.
The rocket was aiming for the adjacent building which was the residence of yet another prominent businessmen.
Immediately, the Australian anti-missile defense system sprang into action.
Spread out in New Birth City, were tall black steel post. These post had a small camera-like device attached to its very top. The camera-like device shot a small reddish ray of light which struck the rocket''s warhead.
BOOM!
The rocket exploded in mid-air causing no damage.
¡°Whoever did that underestimated our city¡¯s anti-rocket capabilities¡± The soldier boasted.
¡°I want a full lockdown of that building. The enemy couldn¡¯t have gotten far.¡± Lieutenant Lander immediately ordered.
¡°Sir! We found the bomb squad in the main lobby of the first floor. They appear to have been attacked. They managed to hide from the enemy assault but some of them are wounded.¡±
¡°Get them to the paramedics.¡± Lander started to walk towards the main complex.
¡°Sir! Our platoon wasn¡¯t able to find anything! The other platoons couldn¡¯t find the attacker as well."
Lander observed the entire complex and was dissecting each end of the building for any escape paths that the assailant could have made.
As he slowly approached the building, it happened.
Above the Area Eradicating bomb, is a much more potent and powerful explosive. Of the Eradicating series, it was known as the Zone Eradicating bomb.
BOOM!
Lander was thrown back from the strong explosion. If he wasn¡¯t wearing his Exoskeleton then he would have been dead.
Confused and in disarray, Lander slowly stood and witnessed the entire complex falling down on itself.
The bomb squad was already driving away in the ambulance.
A bomb squad member gazed at the desolation they had just caused.
¡°Arming the rocket with a miniature gun to shoot windows open and using the glass elevator shaft as a quick and undetectable route¡¡± A soldier voiced out as he shook his head. He has never seen such precise navigation on a controlled rocket. The rocket they fired was near the entrance of the lobby. Yet it reached all the way to the ninth floor.
¡°No wonder Warfreakz is considered the best.¡±
Back in headquarters, Stanley¡¯s hands were covered in sweat.
¡°Sir. Per-permission to pee.¡± Stanley finally squeaked.
Chapter Sixty-Two: Lowengren鈥檚 Madness
¡°My entire platoon is dead,¡± Lander reported.
¡°At least you¡¯re alive. You should have noticed by now. With the equipment¡¯s they have, this is more than just an ordinary terrorist attack. How do you think they did it?¡±
¡°The enemy should have easily snuck in and out of the building without being noticed. The only group of people that could do that are the military and the police. So it should be the Central Bomb Squads.¡±
¡°Correct. Then you already know your next mission.¡± Garland gave a lazy reply.
Deep anger was surfacing in Lander¡¯s eyes.
¡°You are now promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Lowengren sure has a lot of weapons.¡±
¡°Yes, sir. It¡¯s as if he already had an army here.¡±
¡°Maybe that¡¯s how he did it. The Pangean Nations have always been wary of us. What if they¡¯ve been sending immigrants who would travel here to be a part of a secret army?¡±
¡°That would explain the organized attacks and access of weapons.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll send an order to detain all Pangean natives.¡±
Garland immediately ended the call.
The military received orders to round up all citizens who have Pangean blood and started raiding residences and using their detailed network to capture all Pangean natives.
While the chaos increased, a bus was slowly traveling on its usual route while being escorted by two police cars. One police car led the way while another was on the back of the bus.
A military blockade was seen on the front and the first police car approached an awaiting soldier.
¡°Officer. Who¡¯s on the bus?¡±
¡°Sir! These are the relatives of Mark Haulfed! We were instructed by Central to escort these group to a safe house.¡±
¡°Alright. We¡¯ll do a quick check and identify the people-¡±
¡°INCOMING ATTACK!¡±
BOOM!
The police car behind the bus exploded. The bus immediately moved to the left side in an attempt to move through the blockade and the police car in front. As the bus moved out of the way, another rocket was seen approaching. The two officers bailed out of the police car and jumped behind the military convoy as the rocket blasted their car.
Several gunshots were heard and several passengers of the bus were seen to have been shot.
The driver panicked and accelerated.
¡°Move! Go! Go! Go!¡± The soldier commanded and ordered the military to give way to the escaping bus.
The soldiers immediately guarded the bus ensuring to cover its tail.
¡°Find them! HQ!The BOC¡¯s and their relatives are in danger! Enemy attacks have been directed towards them!¡±
The bus continued to drive at fast speed.
¡°Looks like they bought it.¡± Alean sighed.
¡°Lowengren sure knows how to make a plan.¡±
While Alean and Charles talked to the soldier, Cliff, who was the driver of the other police car shouted and immediately detonated the explosives which destroyed the police car at the back.
At the immediate moment of the explosion, Charles, who feigned to have ducked under the police car during the explosion, launched another miniature rocket at the bottom of the police car. The rocket zoomed below the police car and went under the bus. Stanley¡¯s quick control turned the rocket around after it passed by the bus and the moment the bus moved away, the rocket appeared to have been zooming towards the bus with the intent to hit it.
The Pangean soldiers hidden inside the bus shot at the dead bodies they¡¯ve recently acquired to make it look like the bus was under attack.
Alean then turned to look at the other passengers. Many of them had grateful looks while others still had a fearful expression.
¡°Who would have thought that Seeker¡¯s strange orders would surface this early? To think that most Aragarian human trafficking operations were targeting the Jews?¡±
A purple Exoskeleton was zooming on the skies of Australia. It finally found its destination. It zoomed towards the building and shot several rounds of its Propulsion Rounds and broke the walls of the building.
¡°Where is the Commissioner?¡± Lander demanded at the surprised expression of the officers in the building.
¡°The Hero of Helion¡¯s Tragedy?¡±
¡°Where is the Commissioner?¡± Lander shouted in anger once more.
¡°He¡¯s in a meeting Sir! In that office!¡± The officer pointed.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
Lander dashed towards the room and did not slow down as his Exoskeleton came crashing through the wall.
He immediately found the Commissioner¡¯s body along with several other high-ranking officers.
¡°Commissioner!¡± The police officer shrieked in horror.
Lander frowned. Seeing the surprised expressions of all the officers around him, he knew that they were unaware that their Commissioner¡¯s been dead for some time.
¡°Where is the Communication¡¯s office?¡± He demanded.
The officers jolted at the shout of Lander.
¡°Where is it?¡± Lander shouted once more.
¡°Over there!¡± The officer pointed to another room.
Lander immediately dashed and came crashing through the wall once more.
Once again, he witnessed dead bodies around the room. And there standing next to the exit, stood a masked man.
¡°The Hero of Helion¡¯s Tragedy himself!¡± A crazy laughed resounded.
¡°That voice... Lowengren.¡±
¡°How do you like the send-off party of my dad?¡± Lowengren then gave a manic laugh.
¡°You¡¯re insane. You¡¯ve killed hundreds for the sake of your revenge!¡±
¡°HE WAS MY FATHER!¡± Lowengren screamed once more.
¡°We didn¡¯t kill him! Stop this now!¡± Lander extended his metallic arm and several small holes opened up.
¡°Go ahead and shoot! Death is what I await after this party! Even my entire team was willing to blow themselves up for this! So go ahead, Hero. Kill me!¡±
¡°You have eight members in your team. If you¡¯ve made them suicide bombers then there should be six more bombs set to blow up in the city. Tell us where the others are. Think of your mother! Do you want her to feel the pain of losing her son? What about your friend''s parents? Stop this now!¡±
¡°HAHAHAHA¡± Lowengren gave another manic laugh.
¡°My mother would be proud if she knew what I did! Oh, wasn¡¯t it brilliant, Hero? My best play yet! Father? Did you see it? How I infiltrated the police and used their communication devices to get the needed bombs? Did you see how I fooled everyone by mixing my team in their bomb squads? My team did you proud!¡± Lowengren gave another crazy laugh.
Lander looked at Lowengren and couldn¡¯t help but feel pity. He pitied this deranged kid who fell into depravity because of the loss of his father. Lander clenched his fist and vowed to make whoever is trying to make the two nations start a war.
Lander lowered his arm.
¡°Lowengren! Stop this. If you order your team, they will stop. Kill yourself if you must, but don¡¯t kill your teammates who trusted you and believed in you! Don¡¯t send them down that path!¡±
¡°Shut up! Shut up!¡± Lowengren gave a berserk cry.
¡°Lowengren. Tell us where your other team members are. They don¡¯t have to die. This was all a misunderstanding. We did not attack the plane your father was on. Stop this game!¡±
¡°Game? You wanta game? Then let¡¯s play Pok¨¦mon!¡± Lowengren immediately took out a red and white ball.
¡°Go Arceus!¡± Lowengren tossed the ball which simply fell below and rolled on Lander¡¯s feet. Lowengren then did a deranged laugh.
Lander continued to look at Lowengren in pity.
¡°Stop this Lowengren. This has to stop!¡±
Suddenly Lowengren¡¯s movement¡¯s changed.
¡°You had your chance to kill me. That was stupid of you.¡± Lowengren¡¯s voice suddenly turned serious. A hint of pride could be heard in his voice.
Lander gave a strange look at the sudden change of Lowengren¡¯s mood.
¡°Lowengren! Stop this stupidity! You¡¯re delusional! Look at yourself? The once world-renowned gamer now a crazy kid with a Pok¨¦ball! Tell us where your friends are and stop this madness!¡±
¡°Madness? This isn¡¯t madness, Hero.¡± Lowengren spoke in a calm expression.
¡°This was a well-thought-out plan. Your hesitation allowed me to live longer. My team will continue to sacrifice themselves and I myself will be the final grand bang. And lastly, Hero. That¡¯s not a Pok¨¦ball. That¡¯s Voltorb.¡± Lowengren pointed.
¡°Voltorb?¡± Lander looked at the Pok¨¦ball.
Lowengren took this opportunity to jump behind the wall. A faint laugh was heard as Lowengren softly commanded.
¡°Voltorb¡ Self-destruct.¡±
BOOM!
Lander was caught in the blast and was thrown backward. He was once again, thrown into confusion and disarray.
Lander felt intense discomfort as a strong whiplash made his sensation go all haywire. The Exoskeleton, however, was well equipped to prevent such damage. Lander immediately checked the state of the Exoskeleton before moving.
Lander stood up and was about to ask the surrounding officers for Lowengren¡¯s route but noticed everyone else on was also thrown off from the blast.
Lander cursed in frustration. He immediately dashed out of the building and began looking around for any signs of Lowengren.
The crowd below were of no use to Lander. None of them saw what had happened after the explosion as they saw a powerful bright light coupled with an intense sound which disoriented them.
Meanwhile, in the sewers directly under the police station, Arthur finally removed his mask.
Several soldiers were already waiting for Arthur.
¡°Let¡¯s move,¡± Arthur ordered and they started to sprint.
¡°Great acting Arthur. You managed to match my voice perfectly.¡± Lowengren commended. His tone, however, returned to his usual serious voice.
¡°Speak for yourself. Still, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re stupid Pok¨¦ball plan worked.¡±
¡°An unexpected attack is always the one that deals the most damage,¡± Lowengren smirked.
¡°I didn¡¯t expect Lander to react that fast though. My lies should buy us more time but its best to assume they¡¯ll immediately figure it out. Meryl managed to rescue another group of Jews. But I ordered her to make them stay there. I think that that facility would be the perfect hiding spot for all rescued Jews.¡±
¡°I see. So that¡¯s where Charles and his team are headed too.¡±
¡°Right. We are pressed with time. You all have to save as much as you can while I cause more distractions.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not hard for you. You should have a lot of tricks up your sleeves.¡±
Lander finally stopped searching for ¡°Lowengren.¡±
¡°General.¡± He finally called.
¡°I was watching your mounted camera but it got trashed right after the bomb. Did you catch him?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry sir. I was deceived.¡±
¡°No. That was pure genius. Feigning insanity and throwing that ball when you lowered your guard. Did you at least see where he went?¡±
¡°He used a flashbang blind everyone outside. No one saw how he escaped.¡±
¡°Oh. So Voltorb used Flash?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Never mind. I want you to maximize the operations in capturing and detaining all Pangean Natives. Give an alert that all who refuses to comply will be shot on sight.¡±
¡°But sir, why would we do that? It¡¯s clear that Lowengren¡¯s acting alone with his team. He took control of the Police station and probably managed to acquire the weapons that the police have procured from the recent weapon smuggling operations they completed!¡±
¡°Wrong. This isn¡¯t a terrorist attack by some crazy kid, Colonel. This is war. He might have fooled you with his antics but that Voltorb wasn¡¯t just an ordinary bomb. That was a Pangean Whiplash bomb. And if he managed to configure it into a Pok¨¦ball, then they not only have people here but a military headquarters as well.¡±
Lander was shocked at the General¡¯s statement.
¡°Gather all the Pangean-Natives and make it look like we''re trying to search for traitors. Place a bomb at the center of the crowd, blow it up and make it look like its Lowengren¡¯s doing. We can use Lowengren¡¯s anger towards these natives for migrating and betraying their country.¡±
¡°We¡¯re killing all those people?¡±
¡°Yes. The enemy soldiers should be Pangean-Natives. With such a large scale spy network established over a long period of time, it¡¯s expected that these spies will only develop relations with one another. So if we kill a large number of them, then we might draw out some angry enemy soldiers.¡±
Lander remained silent.
¡°Prepare yourself, Colonel. We are about to start a war. And I don¡¯t want to start this battle with the enemy in control of the flow.¡±
Chapter Sixty-Three: Arthurs Grand Plan
A total military communication and network blackout was ordered. All devices lost signal to their corresponding networks and even Internet providers were disallowed from providing services.
The Australian military started raiding homes and offices of any Pangean-born citizens. Anyone who had a record of staying on any of the Pangean nations for more than six months was also detained.
Several deaths were already being made. Unresponsive citizens were shot on the legs while others who retaliated were killed on spot. All Pangean-owned business was raided and checked.
All except Olax Industries. A small explosion occurred which tore this building down.
The fires in Olax Industries was so great that it was starting to burn the neighboring buildings and homes. The explosion damaged the very foundation of the main warehouse and the building collapsed.
The fire department could not keep up with the number of fires that the city experienced that night. And so, like many other residential and commercial buildings that caught fire that night, the unimportant businesses and residential places that caught fire were ignored.
But buried deep under the rubble and burning stones of the fallen Olax building was a large metal door on the ground. It would take hours to excavate the buildings in order to reach or see this door. This door led to an underground path, which continued deeper until it reached large rooms with a lot of computers, weapons, and soldiers.
This was the headquarters of the Heroes Army.
¡°Sir, the communication blackout has been sanctioned.¡± A young teen reported to a young teen who stood in the center of the room.
¡°By the looks of things, they seem to be suspicious of an army. Looks like my lies were ineffective.¡± Lowengren frowned.
Three media channels were enabled two of which were privately owned and one which was owned by the government.
A news reporter stood wearing a grave expression.
¡°A Severe-Level command to have been issued by the G.P.A. If you are of Pangean blood or have stayed in any Pangean nation for more than six months, please proceed at the New Birth Fort Entrance Gate 3. Citizens are warned that non-compliance to this command gives authorization for the military or police to shoot offenders. The military will also check all residential and commercial buildings owned by Pangean natives..¡±
The broadcast announcement continued to be reiterated even as the news of fires and other criminal activities filled the news channels.
¡°Shoot on sight? Isn¡¯t that too harsh?¡± Cliff wondered.
¡°Not really. Considering Australia was once on its last leg. All citizens and even tourist are made aware of the military level commands. Severe-level allows military officers to kill anyone at any given time.¡±
¡°But it feels a little too discriminating.¡±
¡°Discriminating? What are you? From the Post-Modern Era?¡±
¡°You really should listen more in school, Cliff.¡± Charles laughed.
¡°I¡¯m a Regular! And one of the most notorious in school!¡± Cliff complained.
¡°True. But who¡¯d expect that a Regular like you would be Unlocked? Whatever made you want to help Seeker in the first place? He didn¡¯t threaten you, did he?¡±
¡°Of course he did!¡± Cliff sighed.
Charles and Alean laughed.
Cliff waited for the laughter to die down.
¡°But I think ever since I met Seeker, I felt curious. What made him strong? I guess that¡¯s what made me stay. I¡¯ve never amounted to anything. I¡¯ve always felt useless. But not anymore. Not when I can save this world.¡± Cliff gave a light smile.
¡°It¡¯s kind of difficult to respect or believe you when you¡¯re stepping down on that Aragarian.¡± Alean laughed.
Cliff was standing with his foot pressed down on an Aragarian¡¯s face pining him to the ground. The Aragarian was tied up and gagged.
¡°Hmm¡¡± The Aragarian whimpered slowly. Tears kept falling down his face.
¡°Oh come on. I just said I would shoot your leg if you made another sound.¡± Cliff immediately shot the leg of the Aragarian.
¡°HMMMM! HMMM!¡± The Aragarian screamed in pain and was struggling.
¡°Don''t shout or I''ll hurt you more. Isn¡¯t that what you kept asking that lady when you were electrifying her to death?¡± Cliff answered in anger.
¡°Why are they like this?¡± Cliff asked the other two.
¡°They came here to rule over us. It¡¯s only natural that they see us as playthings. Creatures for their fun and pleasure.¡± Alean moved closer and stepped on the gunshot wound.
¡°HMMM! HMMM!¡± The Aragarian¡¯s shouted louder.
¡°Too bad he¡¯s out of urine. I wanted to see him in a pool of his own making.¡± Charles spoke in distaste.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°This looks fun.¡± An emotionless response echoed at the back.
¡°Arthur!¡±
Arthur was entering with a group of soldiers. The soldiers with the trio started greeting the new arrivals.
¡°I believe Lowengren ordered you to infiltrate this building to rescue the Jews. However, you decided to massacre everyone in this building.¡± Arthur gazed at the tortured Aragarian that Cliff was stepping on.
¡°Well, it all worked out, didn¡¯t it? When I appeared at their doors and asked for help to hide me while the arrest was being made, this Aragarian''s got hungry and immediately called me to his room.¡± Charles asked in a boastful tone.
"I see. So Lowengren asked you to be a tempting bait to get you to the boss''s room. You destroyed the internal comm system from the inside and massacred everyone."
"Oh stop. You make it sound like I''m a heartless and cruel person. I have always been known for my love of people. That''s what made me a National Treasure of Pangea. Everything I do, I do for the benefit of mankind!" Charles complained. He then turned towards the Aragarian.
BANG!
Charles shot another round at the palm of the Aragarian.
"Sorry. Couldn''t help it. I just don''t like the idea of them using this entire commotion as an excuse for my disappearance. If I weren''t Unlocked I''d probably ended up as one of their torture or sex toys." Charles spoke angrily.
"Truly, you exhibit the traits of showing love towards people." Arthur mocked sarcastically.
"Yeah. Well, you know what they would do to me if I allowed them to take me."
"I doubt they''d allow others to torture you. You''re too good of a material to waste. Unless of course, these clients would be willing to pay top dollar for torturing a national treasure. That is quite stimulating to think about." Arthur casually remarked.
Charles gripped his fist in anger. But then he released it and gave a deep sigh.
"Oh well. I''m glad I rescued more Jews. I just wished we arrived earlier to save more. I don''t know what you plan to do with this one but I''m glad I walked the higher road and didn''t murder him." Charles gave another sigh as he casually shot the toe of the whimpering Aragarian.
"Hey. We told you to keep quiet. Another peep from you and I''ll shoot another toe." Charles ordered.
¡°Why do we need this guy alive anyway?¡±
¡°It¡¯s best that you don¡¯t know the details of the upcoming mission.¡±
¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late!¡± A fast blur could only be seen and Meryl suddenly appeared next to Arthur.
¡°Alright, now that we''re all here, down to business."
Arthur took out a small device and placed it on the ground. A light and hazy hologram started to appear revealing the map of the city.
¡°Alean and Charles, you are to separately attack the buildings here and here. I''ll send a message to indicate when you can start attacking. The military will be too busy to check on these places so just kill everyone inside and get the Jews out quickly."
"Finally, a straightforward command to kill these monsters." Charles grinned.
¡°As for us, we will be entering the Fort through the Third Gate.¡±
"We''re going to attack the base?" Meryl almost shouted in surprise.
"No. We just need to get past the gates."
"How do we get in?" Cliff asked excitedly. He recalled Lowengren''s precise and complex solutions to break through military blockades.
Charles awaited Arthur''s plan with a held breath. He just had witnessed their complex strategies on how he rescued Alean and Cliff.
Alean expected a simple yet cruel plan. Having noted that a group of normal soldiers did the impossible and killed the entire platoon of the Hero of Helion''s Tragedy. What daring and grand plan does Arthur have to break through the military gate?
"Do we use remote-controlled rockets as a distraction?" Cliff asked.
"Do we blow up more commercial buildings?" Alean waited in expectation.
"No. Meryl and I just need to walk right in."
The group remained silent. Everyone gave Arthur a puzzled look.
¡°Alright. Let''s move.¡±
"Wait! That''s it?"
¡°Lieutenant Golderon, you¡¯re with our team. Lieutenants, divide your platoon¡¯s and follow Alean and Charles.¡± Arthur ordered, ignoring Alean''s puzzled expression.
The lieutenants hesitated and looked at each other a bit before finally following Arthur''s orders.
The groups started to move their separate ways with Alean and Charles cursing at the vague orders of Arthur.
Arthur''s group boarded a military truck which looked like what the Australian''s used. Using this disguise, they managed to get through various blockades and approached the Fort.
A large number of people were walking towards the entrance of the gate as military personnel was busy checking and going through security measures. The Pangean natives were held right inside the large open field beyond the walls of the gate.
Arthur and Meryl walked towards the entrance of the gate. Cliff and the other soldiers held their breath as they watched the two enter the gates through their binoculars.
¡°Name?¡± A soldier asked.
¡°Arthur Humphrey.¡±
¡°It¡¯s Arthur from the Covenant!¡± A soldier cried in surprise.
The soldier had a confused look until some of his companions whispered something in his ear and another soldier took over the questioning.
¡°Arthur Humphrey! Such an honor. And this must be the new member! Casual Carlean¡¯s manager and friend, Meryl Mikado! Big fan of the Covenant! Where are your other companions?¡±
¡°We lost them. In fact, we are not sure if they''re alive. We¡¯ve come here as ordered by the government hoping that our friends are here.¡± Arthur gave a cold and impatient response.
¡°I don¡¯t think any members of the Covenant came in. But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be here soon.¡± The soldier immediately comforted.
"Can we finish this? I am in a hurry to look for my friends and other acquaintances who may be inside." Arthur demanded.
The soldier immediately nodded and made the two go inside without further questioning or additional security checks.
¡°That''s it?¡± Meryl asked.
"What''s it?"
"The plan to get in here. I didn''t expect it to be this dull. I thought when you said we would walk right in, it would be between the corpses of Australian soldiers burning from the fires of our weapons."
"You''re disappointed?"
"Kind of. I was expecting a grand plan."
"And that''s why we succeeded. Of all the things that our enemies didn''t expect, is that we would be able to walk through these gates without any resistance. We have a legitimate reason for being in this country and an even more legitimate reason to get inside the base. Sometimes the grandest of plans are those covered in simplicity.¡±
"I guess your right. We got in thanks to the grandeur of simplicity." Meryl giggled.
"What now?"
"We wait. There are still too few people in this place. We need a larger crowd so we can easily move around and start our mission."
"Right! Since we''ve got the time... Why is it that the Aragarians have been targeting the Jews?"
"It''s a long story."
"We''ve got time, Arty."
Arthur gave a curious look at Meryl.
Meryl laughed.
"Sorry. Seeker liked calling you that. I thought I''d just give it a shot."
Arthur remained silent and finally sighed.
"No. I guess you should start calling me things you like. It would be weird for a couple to be on a first-name basis. The early I get used to this the better."
Meryl was surprised at Arthur''s sneak attack and blushed to the extremes. She avoided Arthur''s gaze and started looking for soldiers who could be a threat to two Unbecoming beings.
"The Aragarians plan to obliterate any forms of hope that the future could give birth to. Doing so will preserve the ideology of this era."
Merylinitially had a confused expression on her face but she remained silent and attentive.
"On the other hand, Seeker''s plan is to change the ideology of this world."
Chapter Sixty-Four: To Change an Era
¡°What do you mean?¡± Meryl gave a bewildered look at Arthur.
¡°Do you think that the entire world could be enslaved to one perspective or have one similar opinion on a specific matter?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re asking that.¡±
¡°Because it¡¯s necessary. The world has always followed a general perspective and lives according to the philosophies of an era. In fact, we¡¯ve had many of those in our history and right now, we live in the Supra-Modern era. And along with it, comes a common perspective in things.¡±
¡°I really don¡¯t get why we are talking about ideologies. What¡¯s that have to do with war and an alien race trying to take over this planet?¡±
¡°Everything. You see, it is in the present ideology of this world that can determine the success of the Aragarians plan. Depending on the worldviews that hold this world, nations may or may not ally with the Aragarians.¡±
¡°Ideologies and worldviews can do that?¡±
Arthur pointed to the huge walls that towered over New Birth City.
¡°If the Aragarians revealed themselves now, would Australia join or oppose the Aragarians?¡±
¡°Of course they would oppose it! It¡¯s an alien race after all! Humanity would unite to fight that!¡±
¡°Really? Look around you. The power that Australia has, came from the Aragarians. You sure they would give this up?¡±
Meryl was shocked at Arthur¡¯s statement. She stood silently and gazed at the towering heights.
She recalled all the horrible actions that the Aragarians were doing in this place and remembered that they were still being protected by the police and the military.
¡°But that won¡¯t make this country fight for an alien race! Why would anyone want to exterminate their own kind?¡± Meryl argued.
¡°The benefits of the majority outweigh the survival of the minority. Isn¡¯t this the main thought in our Supra-modern society? If this was the Post-Modern era, we would have because that era brought was a desire for equality and acceptance. But now, our current ideology would drive nations to prioritize themselves rather than their neighbors.¡±
Meryl remained silent. This has been the state of the world after the Continental War. Nations like Australia, the Americas, and the South-States have always had a xenophobic treatment of any other humans which isn¡¯t from their own race. And then it dawned on Meryl.
¡°Wait! Then that means that Continental Wars and the Minority Uprising-¡±
¡°Were probably being controlled by the Aragarians from the background. They are very cautious. They manipulated the world to be so wary of each other and broke the unity that once held that. Soon, they¡¯ll instigate another World War which will drive this world to its knees. And before we could even recover, they appear. And to top it all off, they will use the ideologies of this Earth to make nations pursue their own safety and join the Aragarians.¡±
¡°If that''s true, then in Zeek''s future, who would oppose them? Why didn¡¯t the world just give up?¡±
¡°The world probably did give up. But something must have changed the minds of some countries. I¡¯m not sure what made these countries fight back. I have a guess as to what, but I¡¯m not too sure yet.¡±
¡°So¡ Seeker wants to use the Jews to change this future?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll need to remember your history to understand,¡± Arthur smirked as he took out his mobile device.
Arthur searched and opened a link which revealed pictures of ancient wars.
¡°Changes in ideologies always happened during great events in the history of the world. Way back since the Ancient period all the way to the Medieval period, Theism was the main ideology. Everyone believed there was a god. And through that era, do you know which nation stood out?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. Greek? Rome? Assyria? Babylon?¡±
¡°Those were the most powerful nations. But no. Assyria and Babylon are gone, Rome and Greece have fallen from its original power. I¡¯m talking about the Jews. They continued to exist regardless of the fact that all of those nations you mentioned waged war against them.¡±
Arthur showed Meryl several websites online detailing the exile of the Jews to Babylon and other events that threatened their existence.
¡°So what¡¯s so special about them that the Aragarians got all flustered?¡±
¡°Their existence. Their survival. But most importantly the religion that they brought in. Remember, Theism was the thing during that era. And soon almost all of the known world at that time adopted different forms of this religion especially during the rise of Constantinople.¡±
¡°You mean Christianity? Why is this important? Is Jesus really the answer to everything?¡± Meryl gave a sarcastic remark.
¡°It¡¯s important because that¡¯s not how the world views things anymore. Theism had its run and peaked during that time but then, the Renaissance happened. And it shifted the focus from gods to men. What became important was the good of man and not a belief in god.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Meryl had a slightly impatient expression.
¡°First you tell me that the Jews are important because of religion and now it¡¯s important because religion became outdated?¡±
Arthur unusually gave a light smile.
¡°I didn¡¯t expect that explaining things to someone would be this fun... I guess that¡¯s why I fell for you¡ Humanism, which came out of the Renaissance introduced a new ideology. Rationalism. With the pursuit of man¡¯s greatest good, they found that technology could be the answer. The good of man achieved through science. In fact, we still carry remnants of that belief today. And the pursuit to Rationalize eventually led to Atheism. The very opposite of Theism.¡±
¡°Ok? So what? People stopped believing in the God which the Jews introduced. So how can that help us in an intergalactic showdown?¡± Meryl ignored Arthur¡¯s candid statement and hid her blush with an impatient face.
¡°Let me finish. Rationalism instilled the idea that newer is better. Science made life easy. And this pursuit of the new gave birth to a world of new possibilities. Out with the old and in with the new. Anything for progress. And you know what that progress brought?¡±
¡°People got smarter?¡± Meryl hazard a guess.
Arthur shook his head and presented yet another series of images on his mobile phone. This time it displayed primitive tanks, guns, and other weapons.
¡°Modernism. Which brought revolutions and more wars. Because men continued to progress, the old system was deemed obsolete. Revolutions such as the French and American revolutions occurred. Communism came and various progressive solutions to governance were also invented. This search for progress led to the first two World Wars. The aftermath of those wars led to the abandoning of Modernism and embracing the Post-Modern era.¡±
¡°I remember that in class. Because people were sick of war and the idea brought by the Nazis in being a superior race, we decided that every system and culture had to be too respected.¡±
¡°Exactly. Hitler¡¯s control over men on being the master race gave the world a terrible shock. And so, we stopped pursuing progress on the opinion of each nation and embraced every other views, race, and culture. The idea of a master race was deemed evil. So racial, cultural and sexual discriminations were scorned upon. People who were racist, and who did not value equality for all, became hated. Everyone wanted everyone to accept each other.¡±
¡°But those all ended when¡¡±
¡°Right. The Minority Uprising. That rebellious time led to Supra-modern era. The Aragarians manipulated the world to adopt this new ideology. Lastly, they need to display their power. Make a powerful nation for all to see and offer the choice of joining to a few nations.¡±
¡°Why only a few?¡±
¡°The goal of the Aragarians is to make room in this planet for their people right? So they must push this Earth into a state of war. Offer the alliance to some nations and make them fight the rest.¡±
¡°If you can¡¯t beat them¡ join them¡¡± Meryl unconsciously quoted.
¡°Then how can the Jews help us?¡±
¡°Because of their religion.¡±
¡°I¡¯m confused¡ Didn¡¯t you just explain that religion is an outdated thing?¡± Meryl¡¯s frown resurfaced.
¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I think Seeker intends to take things back to the era when Theism was the thing. Seeker wants to use the acceptance of a worldwide religion to give Earth a better shot at winning.¡±
¡°How can Religion help?¡±
¡°Because it has the capability to create fanatics and instill indomitable zeal to the masses of the Earth. Religion, if used properly can turn the tide and perception of this world. It has in the past, and it can in the future.¡±
¡°Then why the Jews? I mean, there are a lot of religions out there!¡±
¡°Of all world religions, Christianity and Judaism arguably had the most evidence as grounds for their faith. We tie their faith to actual history, preserved literature and even to the accurate prophecies fulfilled in their teachings. I just explained that the Romans, Assyrians, and Babylonians took them into captivity and all the actions of those nations were somehow prophesized forty to a hundred years before it actually happened.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t know that!¡±
¡°That''s because there was a lot of skepticism regarding those prophecies and so, most don¡¯t believe it. But what if something that could endanger the whole world would come and these sketchy prophecies suddenly become a glimmer of hope?¡±
¡°Like an evil alien race! The Aragarians!¡±
¡°Yes. What if the God of the Jews is real? And what if God will help the Jews and Christians? Wouldn¡¯t humans cling to whatever hope they could find? That¡¯s what Seeker is planning. Turning this small string of hope into a grand rope that will unite this world against the Aragarians.¡±
¡°Then that means! The Aragarians had already noticed this!¡±
¡°Yes. They probably studied our history intensively and probably deemed that these two religions had to go because it could be used against them.¡±
¡°But why the Jews and not the Christians?¡±
¡°There are too many Christians all over the world and too many countries holding on to that belief. However, Christianity has its roots in Judaism. Their faith both believed in many similar things and some branches of Christianity still hold the Jews as important evidence of their God¡¯s power. After all, the Jews continued to live on despite the many massacres they faced throughout history. So if the Jews are wiped out, the strongest evidence of Christian faith vanishes as well.¡±
¡°So if you kill the Jews, you kill Christianity as well.¡± Meryl summarized.
¡°Yes. That¡¯s one way to put it. The Book of Revelation holds the strangest prophecies about the Apocalypse. A desperate mind could easily cling to that for hope. However, the book also mentions 144,000 Jews. And since the Aragarians don''t want people to tie an alien invasion as some sort of heavenly prophecy, they take away the Jews. No 144,000, then that book isn¡¯t true.¡±
¡°They are going that far to remove hope?¡± Meryl was horrified at the thought that the Aragarians killed an entire race to simply stop the possibility of religious fanaticism in the future.
¡°That far? No. It makes perfect sense. Morale and hope should be extinguished to win a war. And that¡¯s why we need the Jews.¡±
¡°So that¡¯s why they used human trafficking operations! Israel fell in 2063 and they were all over the world again!¡±
¡°They already were dispersed even before that. The Jews had always been all over the world due to the many times their country was broken apart and sent into exile. So the Aragarians set up their base of operations all over the Earth to accomplish this. All the other benefits, like the experiments, sex trade, were all secondary. The primary purpose had been the extinction of this race.¡±
Meryl was silent. She couldn¡¯t believe the plans that they were involved in. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
¡°The Jews may have been extinct in Seeker¡¯s future. I¡¯m guessing the surviving humans probably clung to the remnants of Christian faith. But that brought no allies. Seeker knew that if he could change things, it would bring more allies.¡±
Arthur gazed at the dark skies above. Arthur gave a deep sigh.
¡°It¡¯s about time for us to move. Once we start this mission, the war will officially begin."
Meryl took a deep breath and displayed a serious expression.
"The Jews can wait. For now, we kill these traitors." Meryl spoke softly.
The time was 11:32 pm AEST.
Twenty minutes from that time, a battle which shook the world began.
Chapter Sixty-Five: Go to Pharaoh and Say
Cliff stood impatiently and gazed at the tall walls that could be seen in a distance. Despite the fact that they were inside the garden of one house, New Birth Fort¡¯s sky-piercing wall could still be seen and seemed to have dwarfed the tall fences and walls of the house. Cliff continued to look at his right arm and would check if the small watch-like device he wore on his right arm would flicker.
¡°Sir!¡± A soldier approached Cliff.
¡°The set-up is complete!¡±
¡°For the millionth time, man! You don¡¯t have to call me, Sir.¡± Cliff gave an angry and exasperated response.
The soldier maintained his serious expression.
¡°I can¡¯t sir. Right now, you have an unofficial rank which is equal to that of a Major. So as of this moment, I have to report to you and address you like this.¡± The soldier gave a frank response.
¡°Whatever.¡± Cliff sighed.
¡°I still don¡¯t get it. We have rockets and missiles, but why do we have to use this junk?¡± Cliff asked again.
¡°New Birth Fort has a system that automatically shoots and destroys incoming rockets and missiles, Sir. It will detect anything with a heat signature and shoot it. This was what made it stand against the armies that surrounded it during the war. Mortars, missiles, and other similar weapons are ineffective against this Fort.¡±
¡°I still don¡¯t get it. Still, I just need to detonate this 2.4 seconds from its launch correct?
¡°Yes Sir. Colonel Arthur specifically instructed for it to be detonated exactly after 2 seconds and 400 milliseconds any lesser, it would be too far and wouldn¡¯t do much damage. Any longer and the impact might destroy it.¡±
Cliff took out his mobile device and opened the timer app. He started it and immediately hit the pause button. It was exactly 2.4 seconds.
¡°Impressive!¡± The young Lieutenant complimented.
¡°This is nothing. Besides Meryl and Alean can do two decimals. Not to mention that Lynd.¡± Cliff complained.
A small light flickered on the armbands of the soldiers.
¡°It¡¯s the signal! Commence Operation Go to Pharaoh and Say!¡± Golderon transmitted.
Cliff and his team then went on to their battle positions.
Several Exoskeletons zooming high on the sky, zooming towards the Gate. One of the Exoskeletons appeared to have been damaged as there were several charred parts on the armor.
Lander continued to zoom faster and faster.
¡°General. I am approaching Gate Three.¡±
¡°Arthur from the Covenant of the Strongest is among the crowd. You must get him.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t play Piercing games. So I don¡¯t know why this is important.¡±
¡°Apparently the BOC¡¯s value him and his dad. They were planning to get him during the Stormson raid but he disappeared. So protecting him is important. Find and get him out of there. Otherwise, we can¡¯t commence the mission.¡±
¡°Several of our men may die in the explosion, General.¡± Lander frowned.
¡°Probably. But if we want to make this look like Lowengren¡¯s work then some of our men have to die. Anyway, I¡¯ll send the order out. The gates will now be closing. It¡¯s time to start this show. Do your job, soldier.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡± Lander sighed and started zooming towards the Fort¡¯s entrance.
Suddenly a voice started to resonate throughout the city.
¡°I will not kill my fellow men!¡± A loud shout was heard.
Everyone stared at the large monitors on the city but noticed that it was all pitch black.
¡°This government is cruel as it is rotten! It has decided to kill all Pangean Natives and blame me for it! It has renounced its morals as a country and pursued wicked ends to achieve their goals! They used the love of a father to deceive and kill him and now they plan to use me as a scapegoat for their plans of massacring innocent civilians!¡±
The transmission this time did not show a clear image but a dark screen with only audio audible. Garland gave a surprised expression as he heard the opening broadcast.
¡°Lowengren!¡± Garland frowned.
A video finally appeared. A gagged man was shown. He had a lot of wounds over his body. His legs and arms just looked worthless. As if it was crushed and shot several times.
¡°Australia! If you kill my people, then I will also kill this person and his entire family! Keep in mind that he isn¡¯t the only Bringer of Change I kidnapped! My countrymen! They are planning to kill you! Get out of that Fort!¡±
Panic ensued as several from the crowd started to rush towards the gate. The soldiers, however, immediately shot anyone who would approach the gate. This caused the crowd to run around in chaos. However, no one could leave the fort as the soldiers kept threatening them.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
¡°Send a ping to all Bringer of Change.¡± Garland ordered.
Several lights appeared on the screen along with pictures of the most prominent personality in Australia. Out of the thirteen, only nine were lit up.¡±
Garland slammed his arm on the desk.
¡°How the hell did Lowengren manage to kill four behind our backs?¡± Garland frowned.
¡°Lander! Move quickly. I¡¯m blowing that place up the moment you get out of the explosion''s range.¡±
¡°What! Sir, he has Grekker!¡± Several of the soldiers next to Garland argued in surprise.
¡°Just do as I tell you! Losing one more B.O.C is better than losing all of them! Saving that one is pointless. Send the nearest platoons to the respective headquarters of the surviving B.O.C!¡±
BOOM!
Several explosions bombarded the top walls of the Fort.
¡°What the?¡± Garland gave an irritated expression.
The added explosions caused the soldiers on the Gate to go on full alert.
The large crowd started rushing chaotically and more risked their lives to run through the soldiers in their panic.
BOOM!
Another series of explosions paraded the upper wall. Several soldiers were immediately killed form the barrage of explosions.
¡°How are we not detecting those!?¡± Garland demanded.
¡°We can¡¯t see anything, Sir! It¡¯s as if those rockets don¡¯t have any heat at all!¡±
¡°Let me see that!¡± Garland rushed towards the monitors which displayed the continuing bombardment of the wall.
¡°General!¡± Lander communicated.
¡°Grenades. Their using grenades to cause those explosions. It won¡¯t break through the wall. They seem to be using some device to throw these grenades.¡±
¡°Catapults!¡± Garland realized. He gnashed his teeth in frustration. The once untouchable wall of New Birth Fort, heavily damaged by some night catapult attacks.
Meanwhile, Cliff enjoyed the fireworks as he stood next to a flat metallic object that would hurl the grenades up reaching the high walls.
¡°Pretty strong for a small dude.¡± Cliff looked impressed.
¡°It¡¯s not just any catapult. It uses magnetic repulsion technology to throw things. Why didn¡¯t our experts think of this?¡±
¡°Cool! So this dudes an X-Men!¡±
¡°Magneto¡¯s not even a part- ugh¡ never mind.¡± Golderon gave up.
¡°Well, I guess we need to move with the next part of the plan!¡± Cliff smiled.
¡°Sewer team! You¡¯re up!¡± Golderon ordered.
In the dark sewers near the fort, soldiers were awaiting their signal. At Golderon¡¯s orders, they fired a larger version of the remote controlled rockets they were using.
Three rockets fired by three different soldiers in three different locations.
The rockets zoomed down the sewers until it finally zoomed out the manholes. Each manhole had a vehicle parked right above it hiding its exposed state.
The rockets swerved with expert precision exiting the manhole and zooming under the car.
The area where they appeared was already near Gate 3.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Large explosions reverberated throughout the city. The sudden appearance of the rocket from under the car did not allow New Birth Fort¡¯s defense system to protect itself.
Soldiers were burned up and even the Exoskeleton could not leave undamaged.
¡°General! Were under attack! We have confirmed three missile hits near Gate Three!¡±
¡°Where did those rockets come from?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know! The system only detected it before it hit our base!¡±
¡°General!¡± Lander once again called out.
¡°The rockets aren¡¯t coming from the sky! I saw a rocket zooming at an extremely low altitude! It was barely touching the ground! It being controlled! I saw it zoom below cars!¡±
¡°It¡¯s them! Warfreakz! Lowengren lied! They were all alive!¡±
Cliff and his team had already switched locations for their next catapult attack. Cliff held the detonator in hand.
¡°Alright. I¡¯m ready.¡±
¡°Release the packages on my mark¡¡± Golderon immediately ordered.
The platoon was divided into three different teams and positioned themselves on three separate locations. Each had a miniature canon ¨Clike object that would throw the grenades towards the Fort.
Golderon waited for another round of missile attacks to hit another sector of the walls.
¡°NOW!¡±
The three teams launched their respective packages together.
The moment the catapults released their load, Cliff watched his timer.
When the timer reached 2.4 seconds, Cliff pushed the button.
BOOM!
A stronger explosion rocked the different parts of the wall. Several large holes could now be seen on the middle of the tall wall.
¡°Dammit! That¡¯s an Area- Eradicating bomb!¡± Garland cursed in anger.
¡°Lander! Retreat! I¡¯m blowing up those stupid Pangeans now!¡±
Lander stopped his rush and went on a full retreat.
¡°Blow that place up!¡±
¡°Sir! But our men!¡±
¡°DO IT!¡± Garland gave an angry scream.
The soldier had no choice but to detonate the bomb.
Turning back time to a few minutes earlier, during the first volley of grenades that shook the wall, Arthur and Meryl were busy making their own preparations. Mixed in between the third salvo of grenades, were two small metallic cases tossed over by their catapults. Due to the commotion as well as the bright explosions and small debris of falling rubble, no one noticed that these small boxes made it over the wall.
It fell towards the large crowd. But before it reached the ground, Meryl caught it.
She tossed one small box to Arthur and immediately the two began to work.
Arthur was wearing a black bag which he found lying in the middle of the crowd. After pretending to be the owner, Arthur confirmed that these were in fact, the planted explosives.
Arthur took out from the metallic box a pair of handguns equipped with silencers. He then dashed towards the entrance while Meryl sniped soldiers from within the crowd.
Their assault was fast and detailed. All shots were headshots. None of the soldiers expected the crowd to be armed and many immediately fell silent without knowing what killed them.
Then the missile attacks rocked the gates further confusing the soldiers. Arthur¡¯s speed surpassed a normal human being¡¯s speed.
Several Exoskeletons noticed Arthur and started moving to confront Arthur. But then a terrifying explosion blasted a hole on the upper-middle region of the huge wall revealing a hole. The rubbles and sudden confused the soldiers. Using his built up velocity, Arthur then flung bag as far as he can. Immediately Arthur started sprinting backward.
Arthur¡¯s sprint was extremely fast and he managed to get out of the blast range.
BOOM!
The large explosion blasted loudly shaking the very ground. The loud rumble sounded and as the dust clears, a large part of the wall was broken down. Soldiers, Exoskeletons and even Tanks lay helpless in the aftershock of the explosion.
The explosion startled everyone. The crowd of Pangean natives looked at the large hole. The blast was just as strong as the Area-Eradicating bomb but did not have the same corrosive effects.
The sudden explosion surprised the soldiers the most. The attacks outside had not shaken them due to the thick and impenetrable wall. But this explosion happened on the inside. The large bang did not happen in the middle of the open field as was planned. It happened right at the very entrance of Gate 3.
The crumbling entrance slowly gave way. The soldiers gazed in shock. In all of their history, this was the first time, their gates were forcefully opened. While the soldiers stared in great shock, the crowd stared at the open gate.
¡°RUN MY COUNTRYMEN! GET OUT THERE!¡±
A loud shout was once again broadcasted.
One started to run sprinting out of the Australian death trap. Others followed. Soon the entire crowd was stampeding out of the area.
Arthur and Meryl went towards the ruins of the Gate entrance. And once they were in position, Arthur held a Comm device on hand and shouted the signal to start the next part of the mission.
¡°Let my people go!¡±
Chapter Sixty-Six: The Light Breaker
The dust and dirt still hadn¡¯t cleared yet as countless spotlights from the main Fort¡¯s building focused on the broken wall. A large crowd was rushing outwards.
Deep in the rushing crowd stood two people. Somehow, people were avoiding them despite the chaotic rush and stampede, none of the rushing people would bump to these two individuals. As if they knew that they should avoid these two.
On the outside of the wall, the rockets that once paraded the entrance started zooming and hitting other directions. Tanks, Exoskeletons and the appearance of Armors were busy avoiding these rockets and even the falling grenades.
Suddenly a pair of rockets suddenly appeared from the dust and rushed just overhead of the rushing crowd.
Arthur and Meryl stood ready for the passing missile. As it zoomed by, Meryl and Arthur used their extreme perception to immediately unlock the lock which held the package.
Two cylindrical bluish tubes were received along with a smaller cylindrical object which was their extendable blades.
Back in the main command room of the Australian army, Garland was very angry. He was the assigned general to hold the Fort and yet, it was broken through. The implications of their poor defense could make the world see that this Fort wasn¡¯t as impregnable as they once believed.
¡°Sir! Multiple platoons have reported to being under fire!¡±
¡°Two BOC¡¯s have triggered the alarm, Sir! They are being attacked!¡±
¡°There¡¯s another salvo of incoming rockets! Some may breach through the entrance!¡±
¡°Fire the Light Breaker!¡± Garland roared.
The soldiers in the command room were all shocked.
¡°Sir¡ We don¡¯t have permission-¡±
¡°Permission?! This country is under a full-scale invasion! New Birth Forth has been breached! Are you saying that we need permission to protect our country? Fire it NOW!¡±
The soldiers immediately shuffled to active Light Breaker.
Up in infinite space beyond the Earth¡¯s atmosphere, one of the satellites that continued to circle the Earth has already repositioned itself, aiming for New Birth City. A large satellite dish on the hull of the satellite started glowing with a reddish hue.
Suddenly a shockwave was released from the dish and it zoomed down towards the Earth. It was as if the space around it was bending. Several of the satellites which circulated nearby suddenly lost all power and some were sent crashing on towards each other while others plummeted down the Earth.
Back down in New Birth City, the powerful shockwave enveloped the entire city. The city itself began to shake from the sudden blast and all electronic devices, gadgets and even wireless signals were lost.
The once bright city turned dark. All that could be seen were the burning buildings and fires spreading throughout the city. The flying rockets soon died down and tumbled to the ground.
The remote-controlled rocket which just passed by Meryl lost all forms of power and smashed towards the wall of the building. No explosions followed afterward.
The attacks that came from all directions ceased almost instantly. The sudden change in the situation resulted in silence. Though they felt a strange force pressing on to them, none were hurt. After a few seconds, chaos returned as the civilians started panicking.
¡°Switch to Source Power!¡± Garland ordered.
The dead fortress suddenly lit up. Spotlights started appearing one after the other. The tanks, Exoskeletons, and Armors that seemed to have lost power suddenly sprung to life with all its technical capabilities brought back to full power.
¡°Trace the source of the attacks and finish them! Use historical heat-tracking to learn the paths of the rockets and trace it back to the source!¡± Garland ordered.
On the main road of the city, a platoon of soldiers was frantically switching to source power. Several of their companions were already dead as three convoys and one tank suddenly exploded due to a surprise attack of grenades, missiles, and planted bombs. The few survivors were then met with a torrent of bullets.
At the firing of the Light Breaker, the attacks stopped and the soldiers managed to regroup.
¡°Move now! Their rockets are ineffective and they have to switch to manual control to use their guns! We kill them before they regroup!¡± The Captain angrily ordered as he gathered the survivors of his platoon and rushed towards the building which was the source of the attacks.
The team of soldiers did not act slowly and used thermal detectors to locate the enemy easily. Without the thermal jammers, hiding was now pointless.
This scenario played on the various locations of the city where a sudden attack against the Australian army occurred causing severe death tolls. But after Light Breaker was activated, the attack followed by a total turning of the tide. The rockets which were used to halt soldiers from recklessly diving into the open fields were gone thanks to the EMP attacks.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
All over the city, the Australian¡¯s finally managed to make their first kills. None of the Pangean soldiers they faced survived or even managed to escape.
The Captain led his team through the stairs. As they reached the floor where the Pangean soldiers were reported to be hiding, he signaled the team and a soldier threw in one magnetic bomb.
This bomb ¡°exploded¡± releasing pulses of electrical arcs which shot at any metallic object the room had. The room became a web of lighting and various mini-explosions sounded out as even the bullets inside the guns started exploding as their gunpowder was heated. Soon, even several grenades exploded.
The Australian team rushed in and started shooting at any moving enemy.
¡°Pseudo-Skeletons!¡± The Captain growled.
¡°To think they¡¯ve had such gear with them!¡±
The soldiers in the room wore suits that made them look like robotic astronauts. They had a thick black glass visor which protected their face and thick heavy metal armors which could prevent even armor piercing rounds.
However, the magnetic bomb had stunned all the soldiers in the room and even disarmed them. In such a scenario, the Australian forces, easily shot at them one by one, aiming for the glass visor.
The thick armor and helmet could not prevent the obvious display of fear that the last Pangean soldier had as the Captain shot him several times in the face.
¡°Open up their helmets and scan their faces. If our intel is right, they should be Pangean natives who are Australian citizens.¡± The Captain coldly ordered.
The soldiers did as command and stripped of the helmets and visors which these enemy soldiers wore. ¡°SIR!¡± An alarmed cry was heard and the Captain immediately turned to the crying soldier.
¡°This is Nathan! He was serving under Captain Lawsons! He¡¯s not a Pangean native!¡±
A shocked look surfaced on the Captain¡¯s face. The soldiers they had just unmasked were all gagged and their arms seemed to have been broken.
Suddenly, shots coming from the ground below penetrated through and killed all the soldiers in the room. The floor was made of both concrete and steel yet bullets pierced through it.
The Captain managed to evade by rushing out but several shots pierced through him maiming his legs.
The Captain reached for his communicator but another shot pierced through his heart.
¡°Rail guns?¡± The bewildered Captain stared as he identified the attacks. The attack came from behind the wall.
The thick should have been able to withstand even armor piercing rounds. But these attacks pierced through it like it was paper.
The Captain could make out person silhouette as his vision started to fail him. But he could clearly see, the soldier wearing thermal visors as well as a thermal jammer. All of which, shouldn¡¯t be working because of the Light Breaker.
The silhouette aimed his gun at the Captain and a bluish light became the last sight the Captain beheld.
The instant massacre of several platoons was left unnoticed by the majority. The soldiers in the city had no time to do a roll call as they have their hands full.
Back in Gate 3, the soldiers were now trying to reorganize and capture the Pangean natives that escaped. However, the series of explosions outside were exploding on very precise locations that allowed the citizens to escape unhindered.
This cover of fire hindered the ground forces while the flying Exoskeletons had settled on the top of the wall in order to switch to Source Energy. By the time they could lift off, most of them ignored the running civilians as they immediately sought out the enemy in the area.
Unnoticed to them, all the soldiers inside who stood near the gate and survived the explosions, were now dead.
¡°Meryl. You¡¯re up. Get ready.¡± Arthur ordered as he was removing a bloodied blade which pierced through an Exoskeleton.¡±
¡°Amazing. This sword¡¯s pretty sharp.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not sharp. It just applies Eradicating technology.¡± Arthur casually responded.
¡°Then why aren¡¯t more of this made?¡±
¡°What can a sword do against guns? Not everyone¡¯s like us Meryl.¡±
¡°Oh right¡¡±
¡°Soldiers coming. Move into position.¡±
A group of soldiers came running inside to check the area and was surprised at the deaths of their fellow men.
¡°Search for the enemy! And be on full alert!¡± The commanding officer shouted as the soldiers from the outside sprinted inside.
¡°Sir! We¡¯ve confirmed it! These are Pangean made weapons!¡± A soldier reported as he stooped down to retrieve the missile which almost blew apart the main doors leading to the main building.
¡°Those damned Pangeans!¡± Another soldier cursed.
¡°Relax Corporal. The Light Breaker has been activated. Whatever army they have here should be dead within minutes. Without their tech, they won¡¯t stand a chance.¡±
¡°Report! Is the Sector clear?¡± A voice spoke through the Comm device.
¡°Sir, Yes sir! No incoming attacks seem to be reaching this area.¡±
Immediately, the large door behind them started to roll up. The entire metal gate was about two meters thick.
A large number of soldiers wearing Exoskeletons and Pseudo-Skeletons marched out.
¡°So Evening came huh?¡± The soldier holding the rocket grumbled.
¡°The Morning light wasn¡¯t enough to win this battle. It¡¯s time for the Darkness to have a shot at the enemy. An Evening commander greeted the grumbling soldier.
The Morning soldier offered a salute.
The Evening commander approached the soldier and took a look at the rocket on the soldier¡¯s hand. It had several dents on its warhead and even some parts of it were badly bent.
¡°Pangean Remote rockets? To think that this little thing here could make Australia send the Night.¡±
¡°Sir! Look! A Pangean native!¡± A soldier pointed to the open field.
Meryl stood at the center of the field. She walked as if she was wounded and limped closer towards the gate.
¡°Should we shoot her?¡± The soldier asked.
¡°Don¡¯t be too heartless. Hey little girl! Come here!¡± The Evening soldier beckoned.
Meryl sighed.
¡°Just as Arthur predicted.¡± She mumbled as she limped closer.
The soldiers around did nothing to this poor Pangean girl as their commander had called her out.
¡°This should be close enough.¡± Meryl then stopped her approach and stood on the field.
¡°Hey, little girl! What are you doing?¡± The Evening commander asked.
¡°Waiting for the signal!¡± Meryl shouted back.
Before the confused look of the commander appeared on his face, a series of strange beeps could be heard.
The soldiers by the gate then searched for the source of the sudden beeps. It was coming from the small rocket in the hands of the Morning soldier.
BOOM!
The rocket exploded.
The sudden explosion created panic as all the surrounding soldiers immediately rushed towards the explosion to check on their comrades.
As the soldiers approached a loud crackling sound echoed loudly, distorting the soldiers nearby and then a bright light blazed forth blinding everyone.
The light wasn¡¯t just an ordinary flash bang but it was one of Pangean¡¯s special-grade, light-blinding explosives designed to provide longer blinding effects for the enemy. The Ever Bright.
Meryl easily entered the through the main door and rushed deep into the facility. She was now wearing an Australian soldier¡¯s attire and had several bloodied parts on her body.
It wasn¡¯t long in her rush inside that she noticed two women and a man blocking her path.
Meryl slowed down on her pace and walked as if she was limping.
"Help me... Please." Meryl pleaded with a saddened expression.
¡°Meryl, I presume?¡± The taller woman asked.
Meryl had a surprised look.
¡°Harker¡¯s Programmed Slaves! I didn''t expect to meet you so soon! Thanks for all your help.¡± Meryl gave a courteous bow.
Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Glass Canon
The Light Breaker was Australia¡¯s secret weapon. The satellite that was launched into space was approved by the World Governing Powers as it was declared to be a network jamming device.
Australia was granted permission for launching this technological marvel due to its unique positioning in South Asia. During the Continental Wars, all of the surrounding nations were Australia¡¯s enemies. North of the Pangean Nations was the group of nations that caused so much devastation to Australia that a deep hatred continued to this day. The South Pacific United was the most aggressive country during the Continental War. And they lead a united front with Pangea, New Zealand, and New India against Australia.
Due to the history of this nation, they appealed to the World Governing Powers to launch several satellites which gave them a network shield. This had the capability of preventing network, wireless and even radio hacking. The xenophobic nation of Australia however, hid a secret in their launch. The satellites were capable of more than just providing a jamming signal for network attacks.
The rest of the world caught word that Australia has officially activated a Comm Blackout. No communications of all sorts could get into Australia. This could only mean that Australia is at war.
The South Pacific United immediately marshaled its forces for a potential attack. President Victor Colestart of Phil-Pangea immediately approved SPU¡¯s entry. But immediately, a political war suddenly emerged.
Various members of the Pangean Senate across all of its nations agreed with General Harker¡¯s opinion in not granting entry to Pangean soil. President Hyron of Indo-Pangea voted against Colestart¡¯s decision and immediately pleaded for martial law to be in place in all three Pangean nations and put General Harker as the temporary President of the country.
The political movements were swiftly decided. The majority voted in favor of Hyron¡¯s suggestion as the masses were in fear of being attacked. Pangea had already lost one of its National Managers and thus, the foreign phobia that laid deep within the roots of this nation sprang out.
As Harker finally grasped complete and total control over all of Pangean military, he threatened that if the SPU were to march into Pangean territory, he would treat it as an act of war and immediately attack the SPU without mercy.
The media caught the attention of their interactions as both countries communicated via live-video feeds.
¡°President Harker! We are only acting in the best interest of both our countries! Australia has always been our enemy after the war and we were always allies!¡±
¡°I will not be deceived!¡± Declared Harker with intense emotions.
¡°Who¡¯s to say that this is all but a plot! Did you not manipulated every nation in this region to wage war against Australia during the Continental wars! Whose to say a Nation as deceptive as yourself isn¡¯t planning to do the same tactics?¡±
¡°And should your paranoia turn out to be wrong? What then Harker? Will you allow Australia to come knocking at your doorstep? Are you ready to face the consequences?¡± The angry president growled at Harker.
¡°I trust my men! Leave it to the Heroes Armies to defend this land!¡± Harker immediately disconnected the call.
When two nations that are at odds with each other need to settle political issues, live video-feeds were the first option in order to ensure no assassinations to take place. But in all of the video-feeds between nation, no country would be so bold as to disconnect the call prematurely. Even the World Governing Powers considered this act as grounds for waging war due to the many elements and implications that that action represented.
Harker had a furious look on his face. His entire body was visibly shaking from the intense argument that he just had. He immediately walked down the prepared platform as the media reporters celebrated in Harker¡¯s actions.
Almost all citizens deemed Harker¡¯s actions as commendable. His arguments made sense. Never was there a time since its conception that the Pangean Nations were so united in spirit and actions.
The Gate Three of New Birth Fort was in a total mess. The Ever Bright continued to blaze out while soldiers prepared for battle.
The Evening soldiers were now on full alert as they immediately created a perimeter in case other attacks would be made.
Meanwhile, just near the mounds of the ruble by the Wall, Arthur was lying down on the ground. No soldier noticed him as he was fairly hidden from view.
Arthur twisted the two bluish tubes together. Slowly, the blueish color started growing.
¡°Are you up for using that one?¡± A voice in the Comm Device inquired.
¡°After everything that you¡¯ve seen you still doubt us?¡± Arthur humored Lowengren with the return question.
¡°It¡¯s because of the device you¡¯re using. One of those cost more than a Pangean battleship.¡±
¡°Of course it should. Pangean technology isn¡¯t cheap. This thing could power up a city and I¡¯m going to use as a bazooka.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
¡°Still¡ that¡¯s too fragile. She practically asked me to deliver the core weapon system without the main armors.¡±
¡°As I¡¯ve said¡ the armor is too heavy for any of us to carry. Relax. I know that a single bullet hole could break this masterpiece. I just need to make sure that I won¡¯t get hit or place this weapon in a compromising position and I¡¯m good.¡± Arthur slowly stood up and mounted the bluish tubes inside the glass cannon.
¡°Looks like there are no cracks made from the drop. The Solarium Eradicator cannon seems to be working fine.¡±
Arthur finally attached a small square box which fitted perfectly in the back of the cannon. Arthur carried the canon over his shoulders.
Arthur took a peak out of the rubble and saw that the soldiers were still on a tight perimeter guarding the entrance while others were waiting for the Ever-Bright to fade. Several Exoskeletons took to the sky and watched for incoming rocket attacks.
Suddenly the entire fortress lit up as sparks of electricity could be seen blasting out in an arc.
¡°There it is. Australia¡¯s perfect defense. Enigmatic Magnetic Field.¡±
Arcs of lightning started zooming out in the immediate outskirts of the building. Shards of metals and other pieces where immediately bolted as the lightning rained down on the nearby buildings. Any metal which was deemed foreign were viciously attacked.
¡°And with that, the soldiers rejoice,¡± Arthur smirked.
The Evening and Morning soldiers were all cheering at the sight. It had been decades since the full potential of the Fort was utilized. And tonight, the Fort reached its true glory.
Yet in this, Seeker came prepared.
"Glass cannons huh? He''s really confident..¡±
Arthur took another look at the area. His vision needed no technological aid. At the dying down of the first Ever Bright, just near it was a round plastic ball that was nearly buried on the ground. It was as if someone planted the ball deep in the ground to avoid being seen.
Arthur pressed a button and another explosion occurred.
The Whiplash bomb produced a thunderous shockwave and people around it stumbled down. The soldiers reacted to the sound and some were thrown by the shockwave.
Arthur ran out of the open and started dashing for the exit. Once he neared it, Arthur pointed his glass bazooka towards the area which held the most soldiers.
A blue laser beam shot out of the canon. Arthur led the rays to and it slashed through the perimeter of soldiers. The beam swiped by quickly and the soldiers who were hit were immediately halved.
The Exoskeletons that were hit were knocked back and screams could be heard. Their suit was burning with intense heat from the passing laser blast.
Arthur then aimed for another Exoskeleton and fired once more.
The beam blasted at the armor and the Eradicating factors came to work and slowly cooked through the armor and then penetrated through it.
Arthur then sprinted out of the gate unleashing a small burst of laser attacks every now and then to the soldiers nearby.
¡°Not bad. Two seconds to penetrate through Exoskeleton armor. I need to try it on an Armor.¡± Arthur smiled as he ran.
Suddenly a rain of bullets fell behind him as several Exoskeletons started to shoot from the sky. But Arthur had already long anticipated their attacks. His speed suddenly increased as a burst through surprising the flying Exoskeletons.
Arthur them jumped forwards and turned his body in midair. He faced the skies and shot a quick blast towards an Exoskeleton. Arthur continued to spin and landed back on his feet to which he continued his sprint.
The Exoskeletons zoomed to chase Arthur but Arthur kept adjusting the speed of his sprint. Every now and then, Arthur would jump and manage to hit yet another Exoskeleton.
The zooming Exoskeleton¡¯s started descending to get a close shot of Arthur.
¡°RETREAT¡± Immediately an order sprang out. The rushing Exoskeletons halted in confusion but followed nonetheless.
Garland stared at the screens with his face carrying an extremely angry expression. The state of the Fort would surely bring down his career.
¡°They even have an anti-EMF plan.¡± Lander frowned. He had long returned back to headquarters at Garland¡¯s orders.
¡°Indeed. Our Intel¡¯s been compromised.¡± Garland frowned.
¡°But how?¡±
¡°No time worrying about that. I¡¯ve already secured all access points within the building to make sure no one enters restricted areas. I called you here to discuss some issues that I feared would be compromised.¡±
¡°What are my orders?¡± Lander asked seriously.
¡°We need to find their headquarters. Having organized attacks means they somehow managed to bypass our network blocking system and established a network of their own..¡±
¡°Impossible.¡±
¡°No. just unlikely. They must have established a Comm Relay within the city. Find them and that will lead you to their headquarters.¡±
¡°I believe my duties lie in protecting this city, Sir. Are you really going to take your best soldier and send him in a reconnaissance mission right in the middle of this war?¡±
¡°Our enemy has yet to reveal the cards up their sleeves. We utilized the best of our Enigmatic Magnetic technology and still, they have cards up their sleeves. I already deployed something that I¡¯m sure they do not have knowledge about.¡± Garland sat down and gave a strange look at a monitor which displayed several soldiers walking towards the exits.
¡°Your mission is just as important, however. These are the areas which seem to be broadcasting a unique signal. Use this signal to trace it back to the source.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡± Lander responded and sprinted out immediately.
¡°Now to find the rat in this building.¡± Garland then frowned and accessed his computer.
On the ground level facilities, Meryl was limping alongside three peculiar individuals who were dressed as a scientist.
¡°So, um¡ who are you guys?¡± Meryl asked innocently.
The tallest of the three was a woman with very thick glasses. She had red flaming hair and a very strict posture while she walked.
¡°I¡¯m Sonia, this is my sister, Saunia.¡± The shorter woman then waved. She had the same fiery red hair as her taller sister but wore no glasses. Unlike her sister, she didn¡¯t have the same strict movements.
¡°And this is one of my batch mate, Eric.¡±
¡°Charmed.¡± The male scientist fiddled with his phone giving no interest to greet Meryl. He was tall, wore glasses with a slim frame and had a darker shade of skin color.
¡°Batch mates since college? Nice!¡±
¡°No. She meant we were captured and turned into Programmed Slaves together.¡± Eric gave a casual response.
Meryl sighed and continued to follow the ¡®cheerful¡¯ bunch.
The group soon passed by several restricted gates and finally entered a heavily confined room.
¡°Boss!¡± a scientist worriedly ran towards Sonia.
¡°The wars progressing for the worst! We¡¯ve received orders to check our database to see who has accessed the latest technology. General Garland believes there¡¯s a spy among the scientist!¡±
¡°I already know who the traitor is.¡± Sonia gave a bland reply.
¡°It was us. Meryl, please kill everyone here.¡± Sonia gave a sweet smile.
¡°Eh?¡± Meryl was surprised at the calm request.
Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Opened Path
The burst of speed that Meryl displayed was astonishing. She zipped and zoomed across the rooms jumping over a ten-meter distance and could decapitate two or three scientists in that leap.
The scene was horrific even for the three Programmed Slaves. They knew this small girl to be a secret weapon of Harker, but they never expected such brutality.
They stared in shock as Meryl finally finished the last of them. A minute barely passed and all thirteen were dead.
¡°Amazing¡¡± Sonia was stunned.
¡°How long have you been working with these scientists?¡± Meryl ignored their curious expressions.
Eric gave a confused look at the question.
¡°About thirteen years.¡± Eric shrugged.
¡°Seriously? You worked with these scientists for thirteen years and you don¡¯t even shed a tear for them?¡± Meryl uttered in disgust.
¡°My dear Meryl, why are you disgusted? What do you expect for people like us?¡± Saunia laughed.
¡°I don¡¯t know! Maybe a bit of concern or even sadness!¡± Meryl shook her head.
¡°Just do what you got to do so that we can get out of here. I can¡¯t believe I have to protect you three.¡± Meryl grumbled.
Sonia nodded to Eric, who turned and walked over to a computer and started working.
¡°You seem a little annoyed at our emotional states.¡± Saunia laughed at Meryl as she approached.
¡°Do you even have emotions?¡±
Saunia and Sonia laughed at Meryl¡¯s disgusted response.
¡°The reason why we aren¡¯t in anyways affected by your actions is that our emotions are being overlapped. It¡¯s not that we didn¡¯t feel sad at their deaths. Of course, we are! But right now, were too happy to be sad!¡±
Meryl gave a strange look and then soon realized.
¡°Wait! Happy? You mean it¡¯s that chip in your head?¡±
¡°Correct. Convenient isn¡¯t it?¡± Saunia gave a smile.
BEEP!¡±
¡°Oh, that must be your boss!¡± Sonia cried excitedly.
¡°Hello?¡± Meryl answered immediately.
¡°Have you met them?¡±
¡°Yes. We¡¯re in.¡±
¡°Good. Continue with the mission.¡±
As soon as the call ended, Sonai, Saunai, and Eric suddenly shivered as immense pangs of delights shook their faces.
The three had maddened faces. Eric continued to tinker with the laptop but it was clear that he was experiencing a delirious state. His smile broadened as he continued to work.
Meryl also noticed Sonia and Saunia¡¯s expressions as they shivered in happiness.
The state of disgust that Meryl had for these three scientists turned into shock.
¡°Just like that?¡±
¡°This is why I love this job! It¡¯s so easy to become happy!¡± Eric smiled as he rushed to a nearby computer and started booting it.
¡°Harker gave the controls to your leader. We fulfilled the first part of the plan. And so he must have flipped our switch.¡± Saunia giggled in delight.
¡°But¡ It¡¯s a lie! You guys aren¡¯t happy! You just think you are!¡±
¡°A lie? That may be true, my dear.¡± Sonia laughed in glee.
¡°But don¡¯t we all live in a lie? Everyone pursues happiness! And they try to imitate or follow a path which they think can make them happy. Some to work, some to love, some to accomplishments. But can those things really make you happy?¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°I mean happiness itself is an illusion! Do you mean to say, my dear, that it¡¯s your path that can make you happy? How many of those end their lives at the end as it couldn¡¯t deliver them happiness? You can pity us, my dear, but the truth is, we are better than you!¡± Sonia¡¯s laughed continued to resonate.
¡°My happiness is an illusion? That¡¯s stupid!¡±
¡°Of course it¡¯s a lie. What is it that you think will give you happiness??¡± Sonia asked.
¡°Let me do it, Sis.¡± Saunia turned and gave a smiling glance at Meryl.
¡°I took the liberty of reading your profile as well as review your sudden rise to fame. At first, I thought it was just cover. After all, how can such an assassin be such a sweet girl? But if what you say is true, then let¡¯s see¡ You follow the one with the most potential in the class among your classmates. Seeker must have always been that diamond in the rough, correct?¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Meryl frowned at Saunia¡¯s assessment.
¡°Oh, don¡¯t give me that look. I may be a Slave, Sweetie, but I¡¯ve got several degrees and masters in human behavior. Tell me honestly, you secretly want to be famous right? But you¡¯re not confident enough. So you decided to stick to someone who can become famous. You love looking at the bright light and yearn for it! If you can¡¯t get it, be around someone who has. So your happiness is found in fame. Ironic for someone as timid as you are.¡±
Meryl was silent.
¡°You followed this lie and it corrupted your will. This illusion of happiness directed your paths. This made you choose your friends and even brought you where you are right now. You accuse us of living a lie and having no will of our own. But how are you any different from us?¡±
¡°These were my choices. I¡¯ve always followed my will. I am the master of my faith! The captain of my soul!¡± Meryl recited the one poem that struck her in school as boldly as she could.
Saunia chuckled.
¡°Are you really? You are guided by whatever childhood upbringings you have and led by whatever psychology applies to you. The thing that you think will make you happy is a subjective opinion! You are not the master of your faith! Your geography, family, culture, and experiences are the master of your faith! You are a ship tossed and led by the waves and wind around you.¡± Sonia laughed in an almost manic manner.
Meryl was silent. Somewhere in her heart, she realized that what Sonia and Saunia were saying was true. She gazed at the bright light on the ceiling of the room.
¡°Is this why I like looking at bright things?¡± Meryl thought to herself.
¡°Don¡¯t you see, child? We far more superior because we can find true, perfect and constant happiness easily!¡± Sonia grinned.
¡°We can be the most generous people who will give our lives for others because we can find perfect happiness in that.¡± Sonia continued with wild gestures.
¡°And at the same time, we can massacre millions at your orders because we can find true and perfect happiness in that as well. We are not bound by morality, conscience, egos or psychology! We may not be the Captain of our ships, but we will always be enjoying the cruise!¡±
¡°What about you? What of this fame that you longed for? Is that the answer to happiness? Is that the truth? Who among the two of us are living in a lie and who is living in truth?¡± Saunia challenged as she laughed.
Meryl continued to remain silent. Seeker had always had it and he was the only person a simple Rising like her could ever be in touch with. This was why Meryl became friends with Seeker. She always believed that Seeker was bright enough to reach the stage she yearned for.
¡°Was this really why I wanted to be friends with him? My will was corrupted?¡± Meryl thought in anguish.
And then it struck her. She recalled the moments when Seeker trained her.
¡°I don¡¯t get it Zeek! That¡¯s impossible! You mean to say that your little body is stronger than a professional bodybuilder?¡±
¡°Of course it is. Should you realize it, you can then easily do what I do.¡± Seeker playfully stroke the large halberd he held with a single arm.
¡°What do you mean by "realize" it? How do I realize myself to that area?¡± Meryl angrily demanded. If she didn¡¯t figure out Seeker¡¯s riddle, then the halberd session with Seeker would be a thousand times scarier. And she was done with that.
¡°It¡¯s kind of hard to explain and explaining things won¡¯t help Believers like you. You have to realize this on your own. If I lead you to it, it won¡¯t help you as your will may limit you.¡± Seeker smiled and started attacking.
¡°My own will limited me?¡± Meryl slowly returned from her recollection.
¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Meryl shouted in surprise.
¡°My will is limited to my knowledge and experience! What I know, what I believe, why I believe¡ But is this really the truth? Everything I know about my own body is a limitation set by my own self which affected my will! But what about now? With my Unlocking?¡± Meryl smiled as she stared at the light.
¡°My first true act of free will was to look at that bright light and believe that it wasn¡¯t bright enough to stop me. And that became a reality! I was no longer bound by the naturals laws! The Will of my Eyes surpassed it!¡±
Sonia had a confused expression. Meryl seemed to be as happy as she was!
Meryl gripped her fist and gazed at it. She then closed her eyes.
¡°Alright, Zeek. I won¡¯t go after your brightness anymore. I¡¯ll be my own brightness. This too will be my own will. Not pursued by happiness but pursued by my own choice.¡± Meryl took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Slowly an interesting change started to occur.
The Believers of the future weren¡¯t simply classified by the quick rate of speed which they manage to push their Unlocking. Seeker Carlean always had the fastest speed and even reached a higher Unlocking than most of his peers. But the one thing that he failed at, was to make his own Path.
A Believer was someone who not only could climb the stages of the Unlocking but would possess abilities which allowed them to make miracles. These miracles would be enough for them to conquer a nation within four days.
When the Thief in the Night awakened her path, Italy was defeated within three days. The undetectable stealth and high speeds gave birth to an almost undetectable cloaking capability which later was used as the foundation of many cloaking techs in the future.
And in the comparison of Paths, the Thief in the Night was vastly inferior to Meryl¡¯s Path.
Meryl¡¯s own skin which was white, started to turn brighter as a mixture of gold started to slowly cover her skin. Her entire appearance seemed to radiate light. A thin layer of heat started to appear on her skin.
¡°Impossible!¡¯ Saunia stared in shock as the golden light enveloped Meryl. She slowly drew closer to Meryl as her curiosity peaked.
¡°Don¡¯t touch her!¡± Sonia cried.
¡°Look! That golden glow is heat!¡±
¡°How¡¯s that possible? Creating fire from nothing?¡±
¡°No! We¡¯ve seen this yet we haven¡¯t proven it. Spontaneous combustion. But what she¡¯s doing is on a very controlled level!¡±
¡°Oh my God! You mean it¡¯s true? Spontaneous combustion is possible! But why isn¡¯t she burning up?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±
¡°Doctor Sonia! Please report! The camera feeds in your office were all cut!¡± A soldier buzzed at the door¡¯s entrance.
¡°Sweetie, they shouldn¡¯t see us.¡± Sonia alerted Meryl.
¡°Even now, you guys are still happy?¡± Meryl giggled as she opened her eyes.
¡°You looked like a changed woman.¡± Sonia smiled.
¡°Wow. So beautiful.¡± Saunia admired.
¡°Not even my happiness can eclipse my jealousy to your flawless and perfect skin.¡± Saunia gazed longingly.
Even Eric could not help but stare with mouths wide open as he stared at Meryl. Her golden glow and flawless skin made her look like a goddess.
¡°Thanks. If it wasn¡¯t for our talk, I may have never reached this level. Anyways, I think I¡¯m bright enough to deal with those soldiers. They shouldn¡¯t be able to see you now.¡± Meryl giggled.
Meryl¡¯s light continued to grow brighter and brighter. The room also started to become warm.
Meryl finally unlocked the door and opened it. A sudden blazing light enveloped the halls blinding the soldiers on the other side of the door. Within seconds, the soldiers were all dead and the mounted cameras on these soldiers were all destroyed.
¡°WHEW!¡± Meryl sighed as the light diminished.
¡°I¡¯m so hungry!¡± Meryl growled in complaint.
Meryl Mikado, the Empress of the Sun, has awakened.
Chapter Sixty-Nine: Dawn
It was a massacre. Traps after traps were set before them. Planted bombs exploded on several key locations in the middle of battle. Those who barricaded the buildings were surprised with underground rocket attacks which utilized the sewers as an entry point to blow up a building from the inside.
Then came a chain reaction of exploding bombs detonating like crazy across the city. Some explosions just rose out of the streets, others from unsuspecting trashcans, and some were even attached to cars. All over the city, explosions could be heard.
¡°To all surviving platoons in Third Quarts, head for LANX Mall!¡± The flying Evening Exoskeletons broadcasted.
They heard the sudden announcement and immediately took out a flare and ignited it.
¡°There! Incoming signals from more survivors! Get them in here!¡± the Captain of the Exoskeletons ordered and pointed to the building.
Several gunshots erupted from the distance and a rocket zoomed from the ground rising quickly.
The Captain evaded with grace as the missile swung pass him off into the skies. The Fort¡¯s defense mechanism¡¯s then made quick work of the rocket.
Several Exoskeleton¡¯s immediately sped towards the source of the rocket.
¡°Retreat! Remember our orders. Save the Morning.¡± The Captain slowly spoke.
The Evening soldiers halted their flight and retreated towards the signal from a Morning survivor. The Morning soldiers were then escorted by the flying troupe who also provided covering fire from the various enemies in the area.
As the surviving Morning soldiers gathered at LANX mall, the Evening troops continued to scout the perimeter.
The medics were already ready. Various devices were positioned on the basement levels and the wounded were escorted to be treated.
Evening came prepared and brought the necessary equipment¡¯s to scan the entire building. The underground paths were blocked and finally, it was activated.
Several metallic pillars were erected on the four corners of the building and finally, an electric spark started to fill the entire area. Arcs of lightning came forth from the pillars which attacked any unidentified metals on the area.
¡°The magnetic field is up!¡± A soldier announced.
The Morning soldiers rejoiced at the sight of it. A miniature magnetic field was deployed. They were finally safe.
The appearance of the field caused other soldiers who were wounded in the area to surface and started sparking their flares for rescue. A safe haven was finally available.
¡°Captain! The magnetic field has been set up!¡± A soldier reported in glee.
The incoming volley of rockets were all blown to bits as an electric field protected the perimeter of the soldiers.
As the army rushed to gather, a Pangean soldier who spied through a binocular whistled in surprise.
¡°A miniature magnetic field huh?¡±
¡°Not even our grenades could break through it now.¡± A soldier stared worriedly.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. Have you ever wondered why we saved our Pure Eradication bombs till now? We just got word from Lowengren. Another daring plan. No metal can get through that, but concrete can.¡±
¡°Concrete?¡±
Golderon pointed to the sky. The soldier stared at the object pointed at and gave a confused look. Golderon then took the cylindrical magnetic catapult and aimed somewhere.
¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± Golderon smirked. He took out the Comm device with his free hand and turned it on.
¡°Make Babel fall. Ready.¡±
¡°Make Babel fall. Ready.¡± A response immediately came back.
¡°Make Babel fall. Ready.¡±
¡°Make Babel fall. Ready.¡±
¡°Make Babel fall. Ready.¡±
¡°Confuse their tongues.¡± Unlike the other responses, the last one came from Lowengren and it was an order.
Golderon took the mini catapult and aimed towards a nearby skyscraper. Various platoon leaders scattered throughout the city did likewise. Some aimed high on the middle portion, while others went for the foundation.
The Pure Eradicating Bomb was a bomb that didn¡¯t have a large explosive radius. But what it lacked in its reach it compensated in terms of its power.
All throughout the city, near the very buildings where the Australian armies secured and activated a magnetic field on, the tall skyscrapers nearby suddenly shook as a part of their foundation where eradicated. Some of this sky suddenly had a large hole right in the center. The loss of foothold caused these tall towers to fall. And the crashing concrete¡¯s path of landing was the very perimeter the Australian¡¯s secured.
The sight of a falling building left the Australian Evening Captain stunned silent. They could ward of bombs, rockets and even had techs that could deal with bullets. But nothing against tons of concrete falling on top of them.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
The crashing concrete fell on the LANX mall and a cloud of dust emerged from the area.
The Evening Exoskeletons could be seen flying away from the building, saving whoever they can along the way.
¡°Evening. Move out. Leave the Morning survivors alone. We¡¯ll have another team to deal with them. Remain airborne and search for the enemy. Ping their locations and do not attempt to engage until Dawn has come.¡± A broadcast was announced towards all Evening soldiers.
¡°Dawn?¡± The Captain had just barely escaped the crashing building and frowned at the strange order.
¡°Captain? That was General Voyager! What did he mean by Dawn?¡±
Golderon frowned at the sight of the Evening lights.
¡°To the mountains,¡± Golderon ordered over the Comm device.
On the high reaches of Fort New Birth, a large hangar opened up as another platoon of Evening soldiers zoomed out and went on the offensive. Behind them, a large group of shiny silver could be seen slowly forming ranks.
They stood over eight-feet tall. They looked like a group of golems from the fantasy tales of old. Pure steel meshed to form a giant man. Deep inside the thick armor, they bore the weight of something that weighed nearly a ton.
Some were slowly walking over several platforms with complex mechanisms that equipped these huge men with the metal gear that their other companions wore.
The men that entered these metal suits had a very huge build. They looked like a mass of muscles with disproportionate heads.
¡°Gentlemen.¡± The strict voice of General Garland sounded.
¡°We are about to use you for the first time in history. Your enemy will not expect you, they will not know what you are, but you must not underestimate them. Evening has made their attacks but it may take some time before they can exterminate our enemies.¡± Garland gripped his fist as he spoke.
¡°But we don¡¯t intend to let this war continue any longer. I want you to go out there and eliminate all of them within the next hour. Evening will support you. So march out and end this darkness! Let these Pangean parasites know that Dawn is coming!¡±
The large hangar opened up as the entire top tower of the Fort opened wide allowing the entire city came to come into full view. Garland glared in anger as his city looked like a war zone.
A large metal platform was rolled out facing the open hangar.
¡°Quite a plan, General.¡± A thin man walked over towards General Garland.
¡°General Voyager. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re here.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve taken command of Evening. Focus on your Dawn soldiers. Still, quite a bold plan. I didn¡¯t know Dawn Creations are so resilient that they can be used like this.¡±
¡°Of course not. Their armors will be equipped with a small rocket upon launch to nullify the landing.¡±
¡°Oh. I thought they¡¯d survive the throw.¡±
¡°Each one of them is worth billions of Roos. You want to risk damaging them for that?¡±
The Dawn soldiers stood on the platform and various mechanic claws started appearing from the ground and equipped the Dawn soldiers with a metallic jetpack. Various sparks then started to appear on the ground as the platform underwent a ¡°charging¡± phase.
The Dawn soldiers then wore the last of their equipment. A large metallic helmet with only a grid of holes in front of their faces to provide them with sight.
ZOOM!
Like a rock thrown from a slingshot, the Dawn soldiers who boarded were thrown out of the Fort and into the city.
The soldiers were thrown like large rocks from catapults. As the Dawn soldiers freefell into the city, the backpacks then started to give a powerful burst which slowed the landing down on top of the air. The soldiers remained midair for a second and then started freefalling again towards the buildings below. The height of their freefall was over thirty feet high.
Golderon stared in shock as he witnessed it. Towering behemoths started falling one after another in different parts of the city. Many of which were the locations where the other Pangean platoons hid.
A Dawn soldier crashed down the building and kept falling down the floors as its heavy weight was too much for the floor. As it crashed on the last floor, the Dawn soldier slowly moved to stand up.
This dramatic entry was then met with a volley of bullets as the Pangean soldiers immediately shot at the downed enemy.
The bullets ricocheted and could not penetrate the thick steels.
Electric shots were then fired. The entire armor could be seen lighting up from the electric shots. But all these did nothing to stop the Dawn.
Suddenly grenade launchers and eradicating blast were fired. The explosions continued as the Pangean soldier carried on with their barrage.
Amidst the explosions and smoke, the figure finally stood and the thick metals on the monster¡¯s forearms suddenly expanded outwards and revealed several holes. The giant aimed at the Pangean troops.
BOOM!
Explosions could be seen from the outsides of the building giving the once confident Golderon a heart-gripping fear.
Several explosions could then be seen from the outside and then, there was silence.
Walking out of the rubble remains of this building was the Dawn soldier. None from the Pangean platoon survived.
¡°Platoons! Do not engage the full metal soldiers! Retreat!¡± Golderon shouted using the comm device. But all that he got back was static.
The standing Dawn monster suddenly turned over to the direction of Golderon.
Golderon paled in fright at the sight of the monster locating him through sound. He rushed back to escape as his men followed. A few seconds when they rushed out of the roof, an explosion took place as the Dawn soldier attacked the building.
Deep in the underground base, Lowengren sat silently as he continued to hear terrible reports coming in from the different platoons all over the city.
¡°Tell me what we know.¡± He ordered.
¡°The enemy appears to be using modified soldiers equipped with Benteriallyon steel. However, its conductive properties seem to be not working as electrical shocks are ineffective against them.¡±
¡°They are immune to most chemical attacks and even whiplash attacks can only do so much.¡±
Several of Lowengren¡¯s assistants immediately reported.
¡°Sir, the battle drawing near the Exodus.
¡°Unbecomings,¡± Lowengren ordered.
¡°I need a diversion. Some of the modified soldiers have been reported near the Exodus.¡±
¡°We¡¯re too far! We¡¯ve just finished the drop!¡± Charles responded.
¡°I can¡¯t help as well! I¡¯m kind of busy here. The crowds moving too slow! I have to use my aura just to get their attention!¡± Cliff shouted back in frustration.
¡°Arthur?¡± Lowengren asked.
¡°I¡¯m on my way.¡± A calm response was heard.
Zooming at a speed of 140km/h was the silver convertible that Arthur was driving.
The military paid no heed to this car as they thought he was merely a civilian running around panicking in the midst of war.
Three Evening Exoskeletons were zooming towards another location with reported Pangean forces.
Arthur held the canon with one hand and aimed for the flying forces.
Moving at such a speed, with an enemy zooming in an airborne fashion, it would have been impossible for humans and extremely difficult for Unbecomings to hit them.
But not for someone with a Pseudo-Path.
¡°I guess it¡¯s time to use Instant Calculation.¡± Arthur gave a sigh.
Three shots with each trigger held down for 0.4 seconds each were made as Arthur drifted to make a sharp right turn.
Arthur then aimed for the gasoline station ahead.
The attacks struck the three and the sudden blast knocked them off the sky and they fell towards the gasoline station.
Arthur then shot another quick blast once more. Aiming for the underground tank which held the gas.
BOOM!
A rare smile of satisfaction surfaced in Arthur¡¯s face.
¡°Looks like I can still play Piercing:Edge tonight.¡±
Chapter Seventy: Chaos Order
Golderon ran across the street as his fellow soldiers sprinted along with him. The airborne enemies continued their pursuit as a stomping sound could be heard from a distance. Suddenly several beams were seen in the sky which blasted the three zooming Exoskeletons straight to the ground. Golderon couldn¡¯t see where the enemy landed but only saw a large explosion erupting from behind.
¡°What was that?¡± A soldier asked.
¡°That was probably the Colonel.¡± Golderon sighed in relief.
A vehicle then turned from the corner and sped towards the soldiers and took a sudden stop.
Suddenly several gunshots could be heard and as Golderon turned and witnessed a giant metallic soldier firing reddish rounds of explosive bullets toward them.
¡°Take cover!¡± Golderon cried but it seemed too late.
A laser blast shot through the explosive rounds and it exploded in midair.
The silver convertible was now seen turning from the corner. It sped fast towards the Dawn soldier.
The Dawn lifted its arms and took aim but Arthur¡¯s barrage of beams kept on striking the arms of the Dawn soldier inhibiting his aim. Each blast drove the Dawn soldier further back.
As Arthur approached, Arthur blasted a long powerful blast right in the center of the armor and the Dawn soldiers blasted through a building. Arthur kept on blasting the enemy as he drove towards the team.
¡°I got rid of the air support. But I have to hurry towards the underground area or all the civilians we just rescued will be killed.¡±
¡°Colonel, that route should be full of those metal monsters and Exoskeletons!¡± Golderon exclaimed.
¡°I know. But I need to keep them busy until the Exodus completes.¡±
¡°How can we help?¡±
¡°If you manage to kill one of those Golems, that would be extremely helpful.¡±
¡°How do we kill those things? We¡¯d need a canon like yours to be able to kill it!¡±
¡°No. My cannon didn''t kill it. I just damage it. That golem¡¯s still alive. Benteriallyon armor as thick as that should require more than 15 seconds of a concentrated blast from my Solarium Eradicator. Not to mention their armor has a strange¡ structure. Solarium Eradicator heats up metal and causes a unique eradicating reaction to all metals. My shot should have burnt and whatever circuits or gadgets that are associated in that armor. But my blasts didn¡¯t seem to have done that. It¡¯s as if that armor doesn¡¯t have a skeletal frame or a power source.
¡°No power source? Then what¡¯s making it move?¡±
¡°The pilot.¡± Arthur shrugged.
¡°What?! That¡¯s impossible!¡±
¡°Observe the facts once more, soldier. Every single metal that that soldier is wearing is purely made with Benteriallyon steel. And that metal is highly conductible and easily heatable. Any small shock of electricity or heat could kill the pilot along with any electrical or magnetic technology it may be using. Why would Australia deploy such a weapon if it has such an obvious weakness?¡±
¡°But¡ Colonel, that¡¯s over a ton of metal! How can a human bear that weight?!¡± A soldier countered
¡°Calm down, Private. The Colonel¡¯s right. Remember what we saw. That same Golem met the entire barrage of one of our platoons. Each of our platoons has a Shocker. The pilot would have been fried from one blast.¡± Golderon gave a grim look towards the ruins of
¡°These are modified, humans. This was exactly why Meryl gave you a session. A pre-taste of the horrors you will face tonight. It would be better to assume that they are immune to shock attacks, burning attacks, and of course if Australia managed to go this far, whiplash attacks.¡±
¡°Then how do we kill it?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve weakened the integrity of the armor. You should be able to disrobe that armor. Try to kill it then. Piercing it with bullets might.¡±
¡°How can we take off that armor?¡±
¡°I haven¡¯t seen the armor up close Sargent. So you just have to play it by ear.¡± Arthur shook his head.
¡°But here¡¯s my advice, that things quite slow and seem to have limited sight. The best way to kill it would be through close-range combat.¡±
¡°That¡¯s crazy! Who would go near that thing?!¡± The soldier cried once more.
¡°That¡¯s exactly what the Australian¡¯s were thinking when they made these golems. And therein lies its weakness. For your eyes only, Sargent. Additional instructions if you manage to kill that one.¡± Arthur handed Golderon a piece of paper.
¡°I can¡¯t afford to waste any more time. Looks like that beast is back on its feet. You guys take care of him. I hope you all survive this.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
Arthur then sped through straight and went right towards the main highway.
The tongue-tied team looked back at the rubble to which the Dawn blasted out off. The slow crunching sound of metal could be heard as the arm of the Dawn soldier was seen climbing up from the hole on the wall that it blasted out of.
¡°Sa-Sargent¡¡± The soldier gave a grim cry.
Golderon looked at the piece of paper and gripped it.
¡°We have our orders, Private. Follow me.¡± Golderon then dashed towards the ruins of the building the Dawn soldier¡¯s blasted through from. The hand of the Dawn soldier could be seen reaching upwards to rise from its fallen rubble.
¡°We¡¯re going to die!¡± A soldier squealed as he charged towards the battle.
¡°Calm down, dude.¡± Another soldier finally spoke up with a giggle.
¡°That things way slower compared to Master Meryl.¡± The soldier smiled as she recalled their battle with Meryl.
¡°She¡¯s right. We¡¯ve faced a speeding devil. We¡¯ve had faced the fastest thing that could kill us. This one''s moving in slow-motion compared to her.¡± Golderon smirked as they approached.
¡°Barrage!¡± Goldenrod ordered as his soldiers unloaded several grenade launchers at the climbing monster.
As Arthur took the sharp curve and reached the main road, a warzone presented itself before him.
The skies looked chaotic as Exoskeletons could be seen zooming to and fro the areas. Buildings were being shot down as some of the poor Pangean platoons tried to fight back from the onslaught brought by the metal monsters aided by the deathly strikes from the sky.
Arthur even saw several metallic monsters crashing on specified locations within the city. Meteors came crashing on buildings and some on homes. Arthur, who helped Lowengren formulate the plan, knew that the golems came crashing right on top of where most of the soldiers were assigned.
Arthur took a deep breath as his perception started to see and think faster. The loud sounds of explosions and screams died out as one second became several.
The Believers of the future weren¡¯t simply classified by the quick rate of speed which they manage to push their Unlocking. Seeker Carlean always had the fastest speed and even reached higher Unlocking rank than most of his peers. He was one of the few who reached Surmounting stage of Ranked Hero. But the one thing that he failed at was to make his own Path.
The Believers were actually identified by the development of a set of strange and unique Skills which either aided in their speed of Unlocking or allowed them to develop super-powers. When a skill or a combination of skills reached a certain level of power or usefulness, it would then be classified as having a ¡°Path.¡±
Although a single skill could be a Path, the general trend among Believers was that a Path was always a collection of several skills. The best way to identify if an Unlocked have manifested their own Path is if they managed to defeat an enemy country, or a force of equal value, in a single clash and end it within 48 hours.
But there is always an exception to the rule.
The Selective Unlocking of Arthur was originally deemed to be ineffective and poor. But the United Nations Army''s was shocked as the wars ragged and found that Arthur Humphrey really lived up to his name. Several battles concluded in victory as the Atomic Thresher manifested his own miracles. These miracles were made possible through his previously looked down upon ¡°Instant Calculation¡±.
It wasn¡¯t technically a Skill. Any Unlocked individual could do Instant Calculation in theory but none but his father could ever compare to Arthur¡¯s mastery.
Soon, his status and prestige slowly lived up to his heritage. Being the son of an Overcomer, it was expected that Arthur would follow on the footsteps of his father in being his own Overcomer or at least reach the World Champion level.
Alas, Arthur''s great potential died out just before it ever manifested.
¡°So this is my Path? A pathless one? I just have to maintain and improve Instant Calculation?¡± Arthur asked Seeker.
¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it Pathless, Arthy. In fact, you never called it that. I always remember you calling it a Path rather than a Pseudo-Path. You would actually constantly correct those who would refer to it as a Pseudo-Path.¡± Seeker laughed.
¡°That may have been true for the future me. But isn¡¯t it possible that the ''me'' of the future pursued that path in pride as I found myself being overshadowed by other Paths? After all, we both haven¡¯t manifested a Path of our own. If time was a problem then, it would be better for me to improve Instant Calculation rather than build a new path. But right now, I have time to figure out or create a new Path.¡±
¡°Probably. But creating one¡¯s path isn¡¯t as simple as you think it is. We aren¡¯t Believers. That¡¯s the issue. We don¡¯t have that level of faith they have. And besides, I didn¡¯t get that impression from you.¡±
¡°You seem confident of my own opinions even though you aren¡¯t me.¡±
¡°You were just that confident! And besides, we wouldn¡¯t have survived as far as we had if it weren¡¯t for you. So trust that your Path is the right one. Just don¡¯t try to do the Threshing Floor. You¡¯d need to be at the Surmounting rank of the Inhuman stage to pull that off. Focus on your calculations for now. And let¡¯s get back to training.¡± Seeker then went to the weapon racked and dropped the massive hammer and picked up a huge two-handed sword.
¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be more efficient to start me off with some smaller weapons?¡± Arthur frowned at Seeker¡¯s selection.
Arthur continued zooming through high speeds, he took out the glass cannon he held in his hand.
Arthur¡¯s reflexes have long evolved to a speed that can outmatch his previous calculating skills. With the slowing of time, Arthur now could even think and calculate properly and not make any split-second calculation. A single swipe of the Solarium Eradicator brought out twelve split second shots. These small bursts of attacks would do very little damage and wouldn¡¯t even be enough to kill an Exoskeleton.
But what a man like Arthur needed was not pure destructive power but accurate and sufficient power.
An Exoskeleton was shot at the booster, the sudden redirection caused him to collide to another and a chain effect of collisions occurred.
Another Exoskeleton about to fire his weapon was shot by the arm and its new target was the head of his fellow Exoskeleton. The headshot immediately killed the pilot as this soldier went spiraling downwards shooting everywhere and causing all forms of friendly fire and finally crashing down on a Dawn soldier. The impact caused threw the Dawn soldier off the window saving the Pangean soldiers in the building.
All that was caused by two simple shots. Arthur sent twelve shots in one wave of the cannon. And in a span of ten seconds, he did three waves averaging 10 to 12 shots.
The chaos he created was accurate chaos. Accidents after accidents fell unto the enemy.
¡°Get that vehicle!¡± An Exoskeleton cried after seeing the havoc that the passing convertible did.
¡°Soldiers! Heed your Colonel!¡± Arthur announced as he tried to sound like Lowengren while making a complete 180o turn.
¡°It¡¯s Lowengren!¡± A well-informed Evening exclaimed.
¡°Fight and shoot as much as you can. I¡¯ll be here to support you.¡± Arthur revved his engine and a small smile appeared on his face.
¡°Well, whatever. This may or may not be a path, but this is my path. Let''s see... I guess the future me, would have named this path¡Chaos Order.¡±
Now equipped with the unique Pseudo-Path known as ¡°Chaos Order¡±, Arthur Arthinar Humphrey, the Atomic Thresher has awakened.
Chapter Seventy-One: Purpose behind the Chaos
The convertible dashed onwards and did complicated turns. His attacks came precisely on time and either bought more time for the Pangean soldiers to escape by the skin of the teeth or cause ¡°accidents¡± to the enemy soldiers.
Suddenly, Arthur caught a view of several large metallic objects hurling down from the high skies.
Arthur stared at the falling meteors and realized they were the very Golems that he had been fighting.
¡°Copycats... Using magnetic technology to launch those golems and drop them off specifically on top of the targets.¡± Arthur observed.
¡°It would be a shame if someone were to alter the landing course.¡± Arthur gave a wicked smile underneath the mask.
As he rode through the cities wreckage and evaded the coming attacks from the enemies, Arthur blasted the falling Dawn soldiers and hit them right at the boosters.
The metallic meteors were then blasted a second time. Arthur was quick to make sure that all the meteors within the site were hit at least once. A single shot caused the well-positioned Dawn soldiers to spin out of control in mid-air. Their once steady position as they zoomed across the sky now became a whirling, falling sight.
The redirected metals crash-landed on its allies.
One Dawn soldier was stomping towards the building as it continued its assault. Suddenly a large metallic being crashed right on top of its head.
The metal dented and blood started to drip out of the helmets of the two large soldiers.
Two metallic monsters were immediately killed upon landing.
The sight of this alerted the Evening soldier.
¡°Sir! Reporting a confirmed death of one Dawn soldier!¡± The Evening broadcasted.
Garland stood frozen at the sight of it. Two soldiers costing billions each were gone just like that.
Despite the miracle that he just pulled off, Arthur was not pleased.
¡°Just two dead?¡± Arthur sped around observing the crashed landing. The only ones that were killed from his attacks were the two Dawn soldiers that collided head-to-head. The sound of their impact was so loud that those nearby could even feel the walls vibrate. The collision dented the armor to the extreme that the heads of the two were crushed.
However, the others only seemed hurt from the landing. The others landed on thick concrete, smashed on other Dawn soldiers, and a few fell on the frame of a certain building which collapsed on itself after four Dawn soldiers came crashing in.
The Dawn soldiers slowly stood up but it was clear that they were injured while others blasted out from the rubbles of concrete they fell into.
¡°What tenacity. The threshold of their resistance from impact and shock is so high.¡± Arthur continued to zoom throughout the highway while continuing its barrage of attacks on the skies and ground. The Dawn soldiers then went to the offense, some going for Arthur, while others attacked the closest Pangean soldiers.
Arthur kept zooming back and forth to the highway. He kept attacking enemies who could attack and damage him and at the same time kept evading the barrages of bullets he could avoid.
Sweat was pouring out of Arthur¡¯s forehead because of the mental strain he maintained. Slowly, Arthur¡¯s attacks were becoming more and more inefficient as the enemy forces started to regroup and change their tactics.
The Dawn soldiers then divided into two groups, one was rushing for Arthur and another was going for the remnant Pangean soldiers in the area.
The attacks were escalating and Arthur was now on full retreat leaving the soldiers to fend for themselves.
Suddenly, Arthur immediately slammed on the breaks and made the car ski through the road and took a 180o turn before stopping.
¡°Let¡¯s get this show on the road,¡± Arthur ordered without even looking. Out of the dark rubbles of a nearby building two figures dashed out and jumped on the front passenger seat while another jumped at the back seat.
Both were carrying an exaggerated amount of weapons.
Charles carried a large bazooka like object on his shoulder, and a minigun which was usually mounted on helicopters and planes. Alean carried a large, thick tactical shield which she carried with her two hands.
On their waist and strapped on their backs were additional machine-guns, Shockers, and several grenades of different forms and colors.
Without missing a beat Arthur sprang out of his seat as Alean took over while handing the shield over to Arthur.
Alean hit on the pedal and the car accelerated faster.
¡°Charles, I trust you know how to use those?¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
¡°Are you kidding me? I¡¯ve had my share of handling these back in the day. And now against super-slow bugs, you could say I¡¯d be unmatched in the human world.¡± Charles then excitedly sent out a barrage of bullets at the flying Exoskeletons. Every single bullet pierced through the helmets of the flying Exoskeletons.
¡°Evade!¡± The captain of the Evening soldiers exclaimed as his team of Exoskeleton¡¯s started scattering.
Amidst the chaos of their escape, there was order.
Arthur fired several blasts and struck the fleeing enemies at a timely moment that they started ramming into each other and the entire platoon started falling down like bowling pins.
¡°Wow. I think that¡¯s a strike.¡± Alean complimented as she looked at the back mirror. She then continued to zoom straight making quick turns and evasions that even Arthur could not pull off as he was holding a large glass cannon.
Their return became more daring as Arthur would use his shield to block some of the bullets.
The group returned back to the heat of the battle and were now helping the remaining Pangean group.
Alean wore a grim expression and started to drive faster.
¡°We¡¯ve got to hurry. We have to give our soldiers a chance to regroup.¡±
¡°That would be impossible even for us. The Armor¡¯s are back.¡± Arthur pointed at the sky.
Up at the heights of the buildings, hovered several man-shaped robots. They looked like a larger version of an Exoskeleton. They stood over twenty feet tall and hovered slowly over the buildings. It was as if a Titan from the times of the Roman gods had descended to judge the mortals of the Earth.
The Armors were like the tanks of modern Australia. It was only piloted by one individual. And this individual would be wearing an Exoskeleton. The technology Australia took was geared into using man-like tanks and weapons for flexibility, movement, and diversity. It was apparent that in the end, it was to help create soldiers like the Dawn but on a more terrifying scale.
The Armor was used to prioritize the civilian escape in the city. Its large size could easily remove stones and slabs, break through obstacles and protect plenty of the evacuating Australian citizens. As soon as the attack on the Fort began, New Birth was on full evacuation alert. The Armor¡¯s immediately went out and rescued the civilians as there were several bomb attacks occurring everywhere. The priority to protect the civilians never lessened since several attacks and ambushes occurred every now and then. This was a strategy that Lowengren employed to get the biggest headaches out of the war zone.
¡°Can we handle them?¡± Charles gave a worried look.
¡°Sure. I just need about 20 seconds of concentrated shot to kill one of those. But the problem will be their attacks. If any of their attacks explode within 30 meters, we¡¯re dead.¡±
¡°So¡ this is it? We leave my men to die?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t underestimate your soldiers. Did you actually think, that that little session with Meryl had no effects? We don¡¯t do anything without a reason, Alean. There is a purpose behind the chaos. So trust that even the deaths of your men are still within our calculations.¡± Arthur readied his cannon.
¡°For now, focus on keeping these Armor¡¯s distracted. They¡¯ll probably try to lead us into a more uninhabited location before nuking us with their bombardments.¡±
¡°So we''re trying in populated places?¡±
¡°No. Just the opposite. We will go to those areas. I¡¯ll deal with those attacks.¡±
Meanwhile, while the many battles throughout the city continued to occur, one particular battle was reaching its climax.
A rocket was fired at the foot of the Dawn soldier. The explosion created a small hole and the Dawn soldier lost its footing and fell forward.
Golderon and three other soldiers threw a pack of grenades over the Dawn solider with a whole bag sent into the hole on the ground right before the Dawn soldier stumbled on top of it.
¡°Johnson! Now!¡± Golderon screamed.
The team bombarded their rocket attacks at the pillars of the building. Inside the lobby of this small building were Golderon and the Dawn soldier.
Golderon sprinted out of the building. The destruction of its last pillars and the walls that held it up caused the building to collapse on itself. At that moment, time seemed slower than usual. Golderon could see the very rocks falling down as he dashed outside of the building.
Yet time was still not enough for Golderon as he was caught in the falling rubbles at the outskirts of the collapsed building.
¡°Sargent!¡± A soldier called out as she sprinted towards Golderon.
Some of the other soldiers rushed at Golderon and used their guns to send a ¡°shock¡± through the stone slab and freed Golderon out of it.
¡°Sir¡ the others.¡±
¡°They''re dead. Just move!¡± Golderon ordered immediately. The team ran away from the rubble.
Golderon immediately pushed the button.
The Dawn soldier was struggling to move deep inside the rubbles and was about to use its weapons to destroy the rubble. But then the explosions occurred.
Surrounding him were several grenades. All sorts were there. Eradicating Light grenades, shock grenades, and a bag of whiplash grenades. It all went off together.
The series of explosions caused a strange site as the pile''s rubbles were blasted out of its place.
Golderon was the first to run towards the wreckage. As the dust fell, the image of the Dawn soldier was revealed.
It was still struggling to move. Blood could be seen oozing out of its armor.
¡°Kill by piercing you. That was Colonel¡¯s lie. He knew from the start that our current weapons could not dent the armor you have. You heard him, didn¡¯t you?¡± Golderon gazed bravely at the Dawn soldier.
The surrounding soldiers gave a curious look at their Sargent.
¡°A soldier who wears nothing but steel and has no technological support with him. How can it fight with its limited vision? Colonel theorized, it has extreme hearing capabilities. That¡¯s why Evening Exoskeletons which are flight capable accompanied it. It would either react through the sounds that his enemies make or from the shouts of the Exoskeletons guiding him.¡±
The soldiers realized Golderon¡¯s words and gave a curious look at their enemy. So this was why it could withstand whiplash bombs which were invented to kill the pilots through pressure and whiplash.
¡°So the Colonel thought what could kill a metallic beast such as you. The metal is almost impenetrable. It can absorb whatever shock and vibrate it away. This served as a way of protecting the pilot from any traumatic shocks and explosions it faces.¡±
Golderon took out a shock gun and shot a light attack.
The Dawn soldier started shaking and shaking. But unlike the previous times, it was hit with a full blast of the shock gun, it seemed to be in pain.
¡°But what if, it can¡¯t vibrate its way out? What if, it was buried in tons and tons of rubble and bombs were placed all around it? It wouldn¡¯t know where to send its vibrate and ultimately, it would crush the pilot. It would rupture the pilot''s blood vessels, burst out so much damage that the organs should be crushed.¡±
The Dawn solder stumbled back after the shock attack. It could no longer move. Golderon kicked the helmet¡¯s visors out of the way to see the large face of the Dawn soldier.
¡°Truth be told; any normal human being would be killed from that. But not a Golem like you. Now that you¡¯ve lost quite a lot of blood¡ the shock should hurt now right?¡± Golderon smiled as he returned his Shock-gun back to its holster.
Golderon immediately grabbed the gun of the soldier nearby and shot the head of the Dawn soldier several times.
¡°Let¡¯s move men. We have a mission to complete.¡±
Chapter Seventy-Two: Brink of Defeat
Ten large and fast objects could be seen flying around the city of New Birth Forth. The Armors relentlessly attacked and used advanced homing lasers that shot out of their shoulders. The violet rays would arc from their shoulder and plummet to the designated location. These attacks pierced through concrete and even if their target was behind a building, the laser blast would just pierce through the laser and hit the target.
But the opposing force which continued to flee from the barrage of laser shots was a simple convertible with three passengers.
¡°Take a left turn here¡± Arthur ordered as he continued to shoot out another barrage from his glass cannon.
The car swiftly turned. There was less than a second when Arthur ordered Alean to turn, but with Alean¡¯s Unlocking, it was more than enough to make the turn.
The laser attacks weren¡¯t the only things that would rain upon them. Accompanying these Armor¡¯s were Jet-Powered Exoskeletons which hovered carefully behind the Armors.
Their last attack didn¡¯t go so well. A group of J.P.E¡¯s intended to use their fast speed to unload a barrage of bullets and surprise the convertible. But the entire group was easily annihilated by the man with the mini-gun on the convertible.
The chase continued with the Convertible being able to evade all the incoming attacks and zoomed across the city.
¡°Why aren¡¯t they using their big guns?¡± Alean couldn¡¯t help but ask.
¡°They are taking the better route. I wagered they would want to kill us with all the damage we¡¯ve done. But it looks like Lowengren was right. Human greed is amazing. They are trying to capture us.¡±
¡°Capture us?¡±
¡°They think we are the result of a Pangean human modification experiment.¡±
¡°So what do we do?¡± Charles gave a satisfied smile at the news.
¡°We should charge back in the city and help my men!" Alean gave an angry reply.
"I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed this a while back, why did you have us run around in circles?¡±
¡°To create order, Alean. If we charge back in, then we would be in danger of crossing their bottom line and will be forced to eliminate us. We continue in this safe route.¡±
¡°My men are dying, Arthur!¡± Alean screamed in frustration.
Arthur stood quietly and continued to attack.
¡°Arthur!¡± Alean screamed once more.
¡°Fine. Turn right after three blocks.¡±
Alean stomped on the acceleration faster and zoomed further.
At the sharp turn, a group of J.P.E was seen zoomed right in front of them and were already attacking.
Alean immediately turned the wheel to evade the barrage of bullets.
Arthur held up the shield to block most of the bullets while Charles shot at the J.P.E¡¯s.
Suddenly Arthur spotted a missile zooming in behind the group of J.P.E¡¯s. Arthur frowned and immediately and jumped forward avoiding several bullets and stood at the hood of the car shot at the missile.
BOOM!
The missile explosive force generated a powerful shockwave the shook everyone.
Alean gripped the steering wheel and turned once more to prevent any damage. Charles who stood at the backseat stumbled down while Arthur who didn¡¯t have any good footing was thrown off the car.
Arthur crashed on the floor and as he stood up and attempted to rush towards the convertible, another missile was rushing right in between Arthur and the convertible.
¡°Go!¡± Arthur ordered.
Without hesitating, Alean stomped the gas pedal and drove forward as Arthur jumped back and jumped to the window of a nearby building using his shield to break the hard glass.
The explosion separated Arthur from the two and Armor¡¯s immediately flew right on the burning fires of the explosion to make sure that the division remained.
Arthur gave one look at Alean and simply nodded.
Alean drove further away without hesitation while Arthur dropped the shield and ran.
Back at headquarters, the soldiers overseeing the command and flow of orders couldn¡¯t help but be shocked at Garland¡¯s smart and ruthless calls.
¡°Lowengren said his cannon is damaged. He needs to change the battery or something¡¡± A man spoke as he listened attentively to the various devices connected to him. He had a large headset on and sat down with his eyes closed as if intensely listening to the audio generated from his headsets.
¡°Oh? What a fragile weapon. To break after such an impact? No wonder they gave it to Lowengren.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
¡°His Comm device just received a response. It looks like they will use one of the cores at their base to replace Lowengren¡¯s cannon core. A team of soldiers just picked up the core and they are to rendezvous at somewhere called the ''First Salvo.''¡±
¡°Of course! What else could power a military base in our city without us detecting it? They brought with them their own power source.¡± Garland realized.
¡°Shall we attack Lowengren?¡±
¡°No. That glass cannon¡¯s strong enough to kill a Dawn suit. We need that technology. If we manage to get that and Lowengren then this entire battle will make up for our losses.¡±
¡°Roger.¡± The officers saluted.
¡°Order the Armor¡¯s to continue the same intensity of attacks. It would be suspicious for Lowengren if he realizes this plan if we back off for just one second.¡± Garland continued.
¡°Any news on our little rats?¡± Garland asked through a comm device.
¡°Sir! They¡¯re dead. We¡¯ve confirmed that the intruder managed to infiltrate the base and kidnap the Alakaster sisters and Eric Douglas. We¡¯ve confirmed their DNA and found an unidentified fourth body. We cannot confirm who the intruder is. He¡¯s not on our database.¡±
¡°And the bright lights and deaths?¡±
¡°We¡¯ve found traces of several Pangean Ever Bright bombs along with several Eradicating bombs. Video surveillance displays the attack which caused their deaths.¡± A video appeared on the screen displayed in front of Garland.
A small, petite body entered the room and was surprised to see the room full of soldiers who immediately shot at the young teen.
The teen tried to back off and tossed an Ever Bright but the awkward toss caused it to hit a small hanging sign near the ceiling which caused the bomb to bounce back on the door¡¯s entrance where the teen appeared. The teen attempted to throw another bomb but did not notice that the Ever-Bright was directly below him. The flash appeared and brightened the screen and another explosion was heard.
¡°Pitiful. That soldier¡¯s stupidity led to the deaths of our traitor scientist.¡± Garland laughed.
¡°To think they had such a spy of high positions among our ranks. Lander. Report.¡±
¡°General, I¡¯ve managed to track the communications relay all throughout the city. Each Comm relays acted as an amplifier which kept boosting the signals to reach all over the city. ¡±
¡°That means destroying some comm relays and analyzing the strength of the signal should allow you to pinpoint the epicenter of the signal.¡±
¡°Already did, Sir. But I can¡¯t seem to find any points of interest in the zone where their base should be at.¡±
¡°Send me a map.¡±
Immediately a map of the city was displayed showing the eagle-view of the entire city. Garland studied the mapped and switched to satellite view to see the city.
¡°Interesting. What a brilliant plan. No wonder no one noticed it.¡± Garland smiled.
¡°Which point should I attack?¡±
¡°I''ll lead the attack. I want to see this base personally.¡±
¡°Lowengren ordered the convertible to rush to lead our forces away from the base.¡± The man with various devices connected to him spoke out.
¡°Lander, destroy all the Comm Relays. I¡¯m certain where the enemy hid their base now.¡± Garland laughed.
¡°Sir, Yes sir.¡±
¡°Team, keep Lowengren and that convertible apart. Launch missile attacks if you see any of them headed in the direction of the other.
¡°Good Job.¡± Garland patted the Eavesdropper.
¡°Good job? With all due respect, General, I simply did what I was built for. Do you thank a screwdriver for its ability to screw?¡± The man joked.
Garland gave a good laugh. The soldiers were surprised at the rude response of the Eavesdropper.
¡°I know you''re not a soldier, but be more respectful to your officers. I would penalize you but since you guys are may become heroes of this war then I¡¯ll let it slide.¡±
Garland then started to walk out of the room.
¡°Prep my Armor. I¡¯ll handle this personally.¡± Garland strode with a grinning expression.
Garland utilized several highly classified technologies for this battle and even brought out the Eavesdroppers.
The Eavesdroppers are modified humans which applied the same science which created the Dawn soldier¡¯s intensive hearing capabilities. This was the first time the Eavesdroppers were used in war. The Armor¡¯s body was equipped with an intensive audio pickup in order that the recorded sights and sounds that the Armor can transmit back to base if ever it met its demise could be used to pinpoint the location, cause and other information about the battle.
Using this powerful audio feed, Garland ordered to amplify the sounds and have the Eavesdropper listened and reported the very words spoken by any unfamiliar wavelengths in their database. Since all citizens have DNA records and audio files, isolating new sounds was easy. It was because of the Eavesdropper, that Garland learned of Arthur¡¯s conversations which allowed him to set up the ambush.
Slowly the surviving soldiers were killed one by one by the ambushes that were in store for them.
Golderon continued to move silently across the buildings. Their progression was quick but careful.
¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Golderon suddenly ordered.
The soldiers gave a grim look to each other before giving a salute and then the squad divided into three groups each headed to a different area.
¡°Sargent. Please give this to my wife.¡± A soldier passed on before turning to leave.
Golderon gave a simple nod and accepted the letter. To Golderon, it was a mission, but for the rest of them, it was a suicide mission.
Twenty minutes ago, Lowengren met with the troop in the underground base.
¡°Arthur needs his weapon. Based on what happened to him, we can assume that the enemy has hacked our comm devices. So we cannot use them. Golderon, Amber and Lawnford. Your mission is to protect and hold on to these three containers. Inside is the very same fragilepower source of Arthur''s cannon. We couldn¡¯t bring this out immediately since it¡¯s fragile. But now we can.¡±
Golderon stood quietly. After defeating the Dawn soldier, they sprinted out and gathered as many survivors they could on their way back to base.
Amber and Lawnford were two soldiers from different platoons. Their entire platoons were wiped out but they managed to survive. Unlike Golderon who received help from Arthur, their survival was only due to one factor.
¡°You three have stepped in the very grounds that the Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel Meryl and their bunch has. You are what they refer to as the Unlocked.¡±
The soldiers gave a surprised exclamation. Amber couldn¡¯t help but smile at Lowengren¡¯s explanation.
¡°The medicine that you just took were packed nutrients developed by Doctor Lindmitt for the purpose of boosting your state now and providing the necessary nutrients to make it throughout the night. I have no time to explain how you reached that point but since you achieved that you will be assigned with protecting and carrying one of these boxes in case Arthur needs it if his weapon breaks again.¡±
The three soldiers simply nodded.
¡°Golderon, divide your team into three groups. Move to these locations and gather as many survivors as you can.¡± Lowengren then turned to the other soldiers standing by.
¡°To the rest of you soldiers, you have but one mission now. Make sure these three live. Die if you must. The enemy has weapons beyond our initial comprehension and we are on the brink of defeat. But we must not accept defeat. If you want this war to end in our victory, then these three have to live. Everyone¡¯s life, including those civilians we just rescued, is dependent on our victory.¡±
The soldiers gave a grim look. Some were visibly shaken. They knew this was a suicide mission. But with everything they¡¯ve seen and learned that the Australian¡¯s were doing and could do to their countrymen, they stood and gave Lowengren a salute.
¡°Sir, Yes sir!¡± Their brave chorus was determined and full of resolve.
Chapter Seventy-Three: Youve Lost, General
¡°The Convertible is about to pass here! Get ready to attack!¡± A soldier announced.
They have been trying to find a way to attack the convertible. Since the Armors went after Arthur in order to find him, the Convertible was able to do roam more freely facing Dawn soldiers aided with JPE and Exoskeletons.
But since the army couldn¡¯t blow the car up, they had to resort to wounding or incapacitating. The problem was, the car was too fast to hit, and the mini-gunner was always able to shoot first. Even JPE¡¯s would die at a prepared charge, what more for regular Exoskeletons and soldiers?
Several soldiers saw the zooming vehicle. They readied their sniper. This maneuver was quite hard. They had to set up several Dawn soldier blockades to lead this convertible here.
A muffled sound went out.
The snipper was shot dead.
Golderon paused and simply gazed at the passing car. He frowned.
Golderon did a series of sign languages.
¡°Colonel¡¯s not here. Let¡¯s move to the next position.¡±
Along the way, they had ambushed and eliminated several soldiers which they found patrolling the area. Among their kills were two Dawn soldiers which they buried together on a building and killed them using the same method they did to kill the first. Sadly, no survivors from their team could be found.
The ambushes were fast and effective leaving none alive. Golderon could easily kill a flying Exoskeleton with his new skills. They were able to easily kill and escape without being detected because of the secret path Lowengren had created.
After the initial attack on the wall, the city was rocked with several explosions and planted bombs. This brought panic and immediately ushered a state of a city-wide evacuation. The Armors were deployed to aid in the evacuation as well as rescuing civilians which were trapped in burning buildings.
What the entire Australian army didn¡¯t know was the fact that several underground tunnels were also subject to the explosions. Underground train operations all halted due to the explosions and damages. Trains were stopping in between rails and the passengers evacuated. Outside the Fort, the citizens living nearby immediately fled to leave the city.
The army did not have time to round up the fleeing Pangean natives which escaped from the Fort as the attacks from every side of the Fort began. But what the Australian army didn¡¯t know that the Pangean natives didn¡¯t run amok with the other Australian citizens but escaped through an underground tunnel led by Cliff.
The subterranean explosions did more than just paralyze the train network. It created a new underground path from Gate Three of the New Birth Fort, all the way to a large building owned by a BOC. This created path was directly under the main highway where the most Pangean troops were deployed.
The cover of war and Arthur¡¯s Chaos Order gave the Pangean citizens the chance they had to escape without being detected.
Golderon¡¯s squad used this underground tunnel to easily reach the assigned locations.
Soon the squad finally arrived at the designated spot.
¡°Be on guard team. And remember, no one talks.¡± Golderon signaled once more.
The soldiers nodded and went to different areas of the ruined building and remained on guard.
Minutes passed as they quietly held their position.
Golderon sat down quietly and observed his surroundings. He kept a close eye if any sign of movement would appear. To his dismay, it all belonged to several Australian soldiers moving about the area.
¡°We can¡¯t fight right now. Not until the Colonel gets the package!¡± Golderon thought.
He continued to observe the enemy and hoped for their Colonel to arrive.
The longer they observed, Golderon somehow got an uneasy feeling.
If he was a normal person, he wouldn¡¯t be able to notice it. But as someone in the Advent rank of the Unbecoming stage, it was obvious. The slowing down of time and his increased perception allowed Golderon to take a clearer look at the soldiers and Exoskeletons near their area.
The movements, the patterns expressions and even the attentiveness that stood out which the enemy soldier tried to hide by ignoring their location. But the unconscious glimpse that these passing soldiers would do, gave it all away.
¡°They know we''re here.¡± Golderon realized. Immediately, he fired a flare gun to the sky.
As if acting in full synchrony, Golderon noticed two other red flares reaching for the sky. Lawnford and Amber also faced similar circumstances.
Golderon¡¯s expression paled as he took his gun and started shooting at the enemy.
The three teams were all discovered.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
On the industrial zone of the city, a large Armor finally reached its destination. A burndown buildings rubble was the only thing of interest in this location.
Due to this location being on the industrial side of the city, the battles didn¡¯t extend to this area as the flammable materials could cause fires and unnecessary explosions.
The Armor raised its arm and aimed for the rubble of the building.
¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± A voice shouted.
The Armor took a look at the source of the voice and it was from a teen exiting the piles of rubble. It looked like there was a path inside the rubble.
¡°Lowengren?¡± Garland gave a surprised cry.
¡°Then who was that man?¡± Lander asked immediately. He knew this wasn¡¯t the same person he confronted a while back.¡±
¡°A soldier. The idea was to get you to believe that he was me.¡±
Garland gave a laugh.
¡°Amazing. Even at the brink of defeat you still can surprise me. Regardless¡ We finally meet. Such an honor to meet a genius. I¡¯ve faced several General¡¯s in my career but none- no one- could compare to you.¡± Garland laughed.
¡°You must be General Garland. The eccentric War Hero of Australia. Quite an entourage. Even the Hero of Hellion¡¯s Tragedy is here. And of course, your new weapons. What do you call them?¡±
¡°Dawn.¡±
¡°Oh. So they are going to be part of your actual army? This means, your nation already has the resources for making a new branch of the military?¡±
¡°Yes. Morning, Evening and the Dawn. And if we manage to catch your impostor and his two friends on that convertible, we might be able to form Twilight.¡±
¡°Twilight? Sounds gay.¡± Lowengren shrugged.
Garland laughed back.
¡°This was quite a good game you played Lowengren. Albeit this will be the last. You managed to make me use highly classified weapons of our government.¡±
¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have a lot of problems dealing with the aftermath of this battle.¡±
¡°All that the world will know, is the usage of the Light Breaker. But I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll let it slide considering we faced such a threatening opponent.¡±
¡°You really believe that the world will take my involvement on this war so seriously?¡±
¡°Yes! You probably don¡¯t know that I¡¯m not the only General who played against you.¡±
¡°Is that why last year¡¯s game was so tough? So you did collude with other nations to defeat of me.¡±
¡°Blame yourself. You played so well that several world-leaders got nervous at a potential general of Pangea and wanted to test your potential.¡±
Lowengren gave a calm sigh.
¡°At least¡I guess it¡¯s over now...¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t kill you. Your three friends will die in this experiment, but I don¡¯t think we would let go of such a talent as yourself.¡±
¡°I appreciate the offer¡¡±
Garland laughed.
¡°¡ but I can¡¯t say we would give you the same treatment General.¡± Lowengren gave his own laugh.
¡°How cute. Still in the mood to threaten me? Or are you doing that because you plan on killing yourself or are you confident that you can escape me with your fast movement and skills like your three friends? Too bad for you, the Armor I¡¯m using is one of a kind. It¡¯s the only one equipped with yet another technology ready for use that can incapacitate you.¡±
¡°Colonel told me of this¡ Is this the technology you developed imitating Richie¡¯s skill?¡± Lowengren guessed.
¡°WHAT?!¡± Garland reacted. How did he possibly know of that name?
¡°What did you call that technology? Our Colonel called it Peals of Thunder. Of course, it is named that way to keep it in continuity with the terms that would be used in the world that our leader intends to make.¡±
Garland frowned but kept quiet.
¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll capture you and kill all the rats you¡¯ve planted in our base! And once we capture you and take your little friends, it won¡¯t matter if other nosy nations will get involved after this battle, we¡¯ll have the technology- oh¡¡± Garland then noticed three flares up on the sky.
¡°SIR!¡± The comm device Lowengren had started to transmit the cries of a panicking soldier.
¡°We are under heavy fire! The enemy knows of our locations! All of our teams are under heavy fire! It¡¯s a trap!¡± Golderon shouted.
¡°Impressive. Your soldiers seemed to have discovered our little trap. Those three teams should have people similar to your three soldiers on that convertible, right? Too bad. We''re prepared now. You''ve lost, General Lowengren.¡± Garland laughed.
¡°Kill them. It would be annoying if the kid with the cannon reaches them. Just don¡¯t blow them up.¡± Garland ordered.
With that order, a torrent of bullets was fired into the three teams.
Golderon¡¯s metal case was securely attached on his back. He ensured it wasn¡¯t damaged from the recent attacks and then immediately sprinted out and managed to evade most of the sudden shots fired at them. He gazed at his surroundings and realized that his entire team was wiped out. The sudden rail-attacks must have been prepared to kill them all instantly.
¡°I must not let them meet Colonel!¡± Golderon thought. Without his weapon and the convertible, even the Colonel would be unable to survive.
Golderon got up and sprinted out evading the bullets. The wounds on his legs were opening up but Golderon bore the pain.
Suddenly, right in front of him, the wall crumbled as a Dawn soldier broke through. Instead of backing down, Golderon dashed forward and met the Dawn soldier.
He evaded the wide swings made by the Dawn soldier and used the large frame as a foothold to jump towards the nearby Exoskeleton.
The Exoskeleton flew higher in an attempt to evade Golderon but Golderon was quicker.
Golderon held the boosters of the Exoskeleton and disregarding the burning heat of the metal, Golderon forcefully altered the direction of the booster causing the Exoskeleton to spiral out of control in the air.
At the twirling fall of the Exoskeleton, Golderon jumped out and landed on a nearby building. Without missing a beat, Golderon ran and jumped from the edge of the building on to a small opened window on the other building.
Golderon fractured his burnt left arm at the fall but kept on running.
¡°Lawnford! Amber! Get out of there! Let¡¯s meet at the first salvo for real this time!¡± Golderon could do nothing but risk using the comm device. At the very least, this could also alert Arthur and know where to go.
He continued to sprint towards the underground path they just used.
¡°Amber! Lawnford!¡± Golderon called out again.
¡°I think Amber¡¯s dead.¡± Lawnford gave a calm reply.
¡°Lawnford! Confirm if you are headed to First Salvo!¡±
¡°Negative, Sir. I can¡¯t move my legs. Damn... these Golem¡¯s look scary up close. Sorry, sir. But your all we''ve got left. Be sure to give the package to the Colonel.¡±
BANG.
"LAWNFORD!" Golderon cried.
Golderon felt as if his stomach was twirling. They had failed. Arthur would not get his weapons and the amount of enemy surrounding him was too much.
Several rail-attacks pierced through once more. And although Golderon tried his best to evade, he was still hit.
Golderon could no longer stand. He tried his best to force his legs up but all he could do was kneel.
Several soldiers were walking in the building he was at.
¡°Sir. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve failed.¡± Golderon reported through the comm device.
¡°It¡¯s ok, Sargent,¡± Lowengren responded directly.
Golderon was alarmed. Lowengren wasn¡¯t supposed to use this line otherwise his location would be revealed.
¡°You were never meant to succeed." Lowengren paused.
"Still, you¡¯ve completed your mission. You have served your country bravely and with honor. Rest well.¡±
Lowengren gazed back at Garland.
¡°You¡¯ve lost, General Garland.¡± Lowengren smirked.
Chapter Seventy-Four: Lowengrens Maneuver
¡°Attack now!¡± General Voyager commanded as the team of Exoskeleton¡¯s and JPE started rushing forward.
As the rest of the Army continued to patrol the area where Arthur was supposed to rendezvous with, Voyager led his elite team to deal with the last two surviving soldiers on the convertible.
¡°Sir! We¡¯ve found another survivor from the wreckage. The solider just regained consciousness.¡±
¡°Consider yourself lucky to have survived that soldier.¡±
An Exoskeleton gave a trembling nod as it walked out of the ruined building
¡°Begin the attack!¡±
Immediately entire platoon of Exoskeletons started rushing. Amidst the perfect formation was a clumsy and confused Exoskeleton who seemed to be zooming randomly, trying to keep up.
Meanwhile, a strange look appeared on Garland¡¯s face.
¡°Sir? We have the three cases. The soldier guarding the third case is alive.¡±
¡°Keep him. His performance points to him being a modified human. We can use him.¡± Garland replied then turned his attention back to Lowengren.
¡°I¡¯ve lost? Tell me how you plan to win this battle?¡± Garland then gave a sarcastic laugh.
Lowengren gave a small smirk.
¡°You¡¯re mistaken. We were supposed to lose this battle.¡±
Lowengren took out his phone and revealed a recorded video.
Using the Armor''s visual technology, Garland zoomed his view on the video recording.
Garland was shocked.
Various recordings of the Dawn experiment were displayed. The very science and reports itself were shown on screen. Then several live video recordings were also displayed on the test being made of the Dawn soldiers.
¡°HOW DID YOU GET THAT?¡± The large Armor raised its arms and aimed for Lowengren.
¡°We¡¯ve had this quite a while back. The rats you mentioned before managed to acquire this and delivered it to me.¡± Lowengren added before Garland could panic.
¡°Impossible! We¡¯ve killed those four-¡±
¡°Really? Then why is she here?¡± Lowengren pointed towards the side.
The bright lights from the Armor and Exoskeleton¡¯s which were solely aimed at Lowengren immediately moved to the very direction Lowengren pointed at.
Blinded by the lights, a cute, petite teen wearing a sexy school uniform with short skirts posed with a victory sign. The lights magnified that splendid skin tone of the small girl as if the girl was reflecting the lights back.
¡°I can¡¯t believe I have to do this!¡± Meryl muttered under her breath before immediately dancing in synchronization with apopularsong that suddenly played. The music was heard all around as the nearby monitors and amplifiers played the very same tone.
The music was one of the famous k-pop dance music from a very popular group.
Meryl danced the exact dance routine and moved towards Lowengren at each step.
For the first time in the history of all wars on Earth, from the first three World Wars to the Continental wars, never has there been a moment such as this on a battlefield.
Having no prior training or orientation towards such circumstance, no one knew what to do.
The Evening soldiers didn¡¯t know what to do.
The two highly-trained Armor capable pilots didn¡¯t know what to do.
The Hero of Helion¡¯s Tragedy didn¡¯t know what to do.
General Garland, the Eccentric War Hero of Australia didn¡¯t know what to do.
Acting as if nothing strange was happening in the middle of the war zone, Lowengren started applauding Meryl who eventually stood next to him.
¡°Stop playing around!¡± Garland shouted as several bluish beams started to gather on his cannon.
¡°We gave that video to all the world leaders.¡± Lowengren laughed.
The bluish blast stopped gathering as Garland froze in fear.
¡°Impossible! The Light Breaker¡¯s firewall prohibits any outgoing and incoming communications of any sort! You may have managed to connect and create a Comm Relay inside this city, but nothing can go past that firewall! You can¡¯t trick me! Light Breaker blocks radio, Comm arrays, Satellite or linked connection! That¡¯s the very science of the Light Breaker!¡± Garland shouted in anger. There was fear in his voice and he shouted this to assure himself that the information was safe.
¡°That¡¯s why we used the Light Breaker to send the signal. Being the top scientist in your base, they had access to it in case they need to send their entire research data to another base to preserve that information.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡°WHAT!?¡± Garland then remembered who the three scientists that the intruder kidnapped were. He didn¡¯t know that these three could access the Light Breaker. Even among the top brass, those who could freely access the Light Breaker¡¯s various technologies were classified so that this weapon could not be abused.
¡°General Cipril has received this video hours ago. And after that, he sent it to the various world leaders all over the world. They know all about your technology and with it the heinous crimes you did to accomplish that. The Americas, One China, New Great Britain, South Pacific United; they all know about your technology now.¡±
¡°Why would you¡?¡±
¡°You thought we were after your technology. That assumption made you disregard the possibility that we won¡¯t keep that tech for ourselves but broadcast it to the entire world. What do you think will happen if several world powers find a very powerful, and threatening technology in the hands of another? We may have lost this battle, but we will win this war. Even if we won¡¯t be the ones who will be fighting it.¡±
A grave expression surfaced on Garland¡¯s expression.
¡°That¡¯s insane! You¡¯d be bringing down your own country with you!¡±
¡°Oh? Why is that?¡± Lowengren challenged.
¡°Sir, it¡¯s a massacre! We¡¯re under attack!¡± A soldier reported.
Garland ignored the pleas and continued to converse with Lowengren. The implications of Lowengren¡¯s words weighed far heavier than the losses of a few men. Lander assumed command and started responding to the solider, but the soldier was no longer responding.
The Exoskeleton which was communicating to Garland fell on the ground.
Voyager witnessed the soldier falling and couldn¡¯t do anything. The blast burnt most of his armor and disabled the capability for his suit to communicate.
Their attacks all went haywire due to the flying Exoskeleton which just joined their ranks. As the attack commenced, this Exoskeleton did a simple spin as he zoomed and unleashed a barrage of attacks. Most of the JPE¡¯s died on that simple spin. After which, it continued zooming towards one of the collapsed building and after passing through it, it carried a green cannon which was similar to the one Arthur carried.
What followed next was a massacre.
Who would have thought that inside the clumsy moving suit, was Arthur? To top it all off, he had the same glass cannon he used to carry.
Now donning an Exoskeleton, killing him, was far too difficult. The anti-air systems of New Birth were not programmed to attack allies, and as this Exoskeleton was zooming confidently in the formation, the enemies could not attack for fear of friendly fire. The first to fall from a concentrated blast attack was the Armor. After that, Chaos Order easily wiped the remaining members of Voyager¡¯s squad.
¡°Arthur?¡± Alean cried in surprise as he witnessed the sudden crashing of Exoskeletons. She drove towards the enemy and Charles started finishing off the survivors.
¡°Good thing you managed to reach this place without scratching the convertible.¡± Arthur commended as the visor of the helmet opened up.
¡°I thought your cannon was damaged?!¡± Alean stared in disgust.
¡°No. It was all a ploy.¡±
¡°Most of my soldiers are dead now! If you had that cannon and that Exoskeleton, we could have saved more of my men.¡±
¡°I did tell you, Major Cipril. Most of your men won¡¯t survive this battle.¡±
¡°What are you planning?! How do we win this battle without our soldiers?!¡± Alean screamed in anger.
¡°We were never supposed to win. Meryl had already broadcasted the video of Australia¡¯s tech. Now all the world knows about the modified humans of Australia along with its other technologies. With that, our victory is assured.¡±
¡°What are you talking about?! How does that assure our victory?¡± Alean demanded angrily. Whatever respect he held towards Arthur were all gone.
¡°Calm yourself, Alean. Think about it. Even if we destroyed the Fort, Australia will be at war with Pangea. And if they deployed all of their techs, even if we ally with SPU, we could still lose the war. Also, it would distract Seeker from fulfilling his plans. His aim has always been Australia¡¯s immediate downfall. We¡¯ve proven that Australia is working with the Aragarians. So how do we win this war easily?¡± Arthur explained.
¡°Seeker intended to reveal Australia¡¯s technology to the world. Doing so would entice the entire world to condemn Australia''s inhuman actions and attack it. Of course, the real reason is that the world fears Australia¡¯s technology or would want it for its own. And now that it¡¯s revealed, this nation is doomed for extermination.¡± Arthur explained.
¡°He''s right! We are supposed to lose this battle!¡± Charles shuddered suddenly.
Alean turned at Charles who seemed enlightened.
¡°What?!¡± Alean immediately turned to Charles.
¡°How do we explain to the world if we defeated Australia in this battle? The world would assume that we have our own superior sciences and could even conclude that we also have modified humans! We¡¯d be putting the Pangean Nations on the spotlight! It could even lead a united coalition against us!¡±
¡°Exactly. If we won this battle, we would be putting not only our nation but ourselves at greater risk. And the Unlocking must not be discovered!¡±
¡°But Arthur, the Australian¡¯s can easily reveal us! There were too many witnesses! We''d have to kill the entire army to make sure we aren''t revealed!"
¡°Meryl already took care of any video footages. She destroyed the cloud storage systems in the Fort. All that¡¯s left is to kill the entire Australian army.¡±
"But then, we''d win this battle! And even if we make it look like that we barely won, the very fact that we gave Australia a hard time is already suspicious! The nations will still think we have some powerful technology!¡± Charles argued."
¡°That is the problem, right? The end results of our attack may reveal the Unlocking. Not only that, the Unlocking would be revealed if we leave any survivors, but it will also be revealed if we wiped out the army¡ What should we do? Or rather, What would Lowengren do? If you¡¯ve been following his career, you¡¯d know what he¡¯d do.¡± Arthur answered vaguely.
¡°No! You don¡¯t mean¡¡± Alean remembered.
¡°Lowengren¡¯s Maneuver!¡± Garland cried in terror.
Lowengren¡¯s Maneuver was the iconic tactic Lowengren did to win the battle on last year¡¯s Nations of the World E-Sport Meet. Facing a united attack from several countries, Lowengren used a suicidal nuclear attack that wiped out the armies that were aiming to kill Lowengren in-game. Though Lowengren died very early in the game, the losses that his enemies experienced were too much that Team Warfreakz managed to eliminate two other nations before getting wiped out. This secured Warfreakz spot on the top three and even allowed Lowengren to retain his World Conqueror title.
Ignoring Garland''s shock, Lowengren, pushed the button.
The three Solarium Cores carried by the three soldiers started shaking.
Golderon was listening to the entire conversation between Lowengren and Garland. He stared at the box and smiled.
¡°At least I¡¯ll die a hero.¡±
BOOM!
Three large greenish explosions covered the city. The green blast eradicated everything on its path leveling the city.
The positions of the three sergeants were accurately placed on specific locations that would maximize the radius of the explosion. The blast covered three-fourths of the city and a part of the Fort was eradicated in the blast.
Right in the middle of these three explosions, was a small untouched area, barely a kilometer wide. Arthur calmly gazed at the blast while Charles and Alean were holding tightly to withstand the shockwave.
Garland snapped at this moment.
He didn¡¯t concern himself about Lowengren¡¯s value and raised his cannon to shoot.
But a bright light surfaced from the very spot Lowengren and the small girl stood and caused Garland''s attack to miss.
The light disappeared and no traces of the two could be found.
¡°You can¡¯t escape me! You may have killed my army, but you have nothing left as well! There¡¯s no way for you to fight back anymore!¡±
¡°No way?¡± Lowengren''s sarcastic voice was broadcasted.
¡°Then let me show you¡ The Way.¡±
Chapter Seventy-Five: He who Treads the Narrow Road
Garland could only look at the fading light in frustration. He thought he was winning and this made him confident. And so, with victory in sight, Garland and Voyager went for gold. They wanted to capture all the modified soldiers as well as their technology.
Since the enemy soldiers proved to be a handful, they divided the entire army of New Birth Forth, save a few to guard the Fort and trap Arthur¡¯s team. With this, it would be easy to capture the three. But they were wrong.
As it turned out, they walked right into Lowengren¡¯s plan and now, only a handful of survivors remained. Morning, Evening and Dawn, done in by the Green Suns.
¡°Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.¡± Lowengren laughed.
Garland lifted his cannon in search for Lowengren. He kept shooting several cannon attacks and laser attacks on the vicinity where Lowengren and the girl were last seen.
¡°LOWENGREN!¡± Garland screamed angrily.
Garland¡¯s Armor took to the sky and started bombarding the area with attacks. The Exoskeletons with him flew higher while the other Armor¡¯s continued their barrage. The massive rockets destroyed the rubles and the underground base was revealed.
¡°All surviving JPE¡¯s destroy this district in front of me!¡± Garland ordered in anger.
Little did they know, that someone was waiting just behind Garland¡¯s squad. At the blazing bright lights of Meryl, a Pangean Exoskeleton had zoomed out and positioned itself discreetly behind them.
The JPE¡¯s soon arrived and unloaded their bombardments.
BOOM!
A series of massive explosions shook the ground as the entire block in front of Garland was reduced to rubble.
Garland gazed with intense anger in his eyes as the
¡°Such a fool to the end.¡± A mocking voice was transmitted over to Garland¡¯s Armor.
¡°LOWENGREN!¡± Garland exploded in anger.
¡°JPE¡¯s! Scout the area! I want this entire area cleared! Fire at any human signatures in this entire area!¡± Garland screamed.
Garland then turned to Lander and was about to give more orders when he realized it.
No JPE¡¯s responded.
As the surviving JPE¡¯s rushed by and dropped their payload, the waiting Exoskeleton, also fired shots.
His attacks weren''t noticed due to the cover of the loud and huge explosions.
It¡¯s two hands were equipped with a miniature version of the Solarium cannon that Arthur used. With it, it shot down all eighteen JPE¡¯s in a matter of seconds.
The Exoskeleton was equipped with Superior Imaging, allowing its pilots to zoom in and out with just the movements of their eyes.
Though the pilot couldn¡¯t fully emulate Arthur¡¯s Chaos Order, it could calculate the locations of these jets as well as determine their future locations. Emulating Seeker¡¯s Unlocking allowed this pilot to even tap on Seeker¡¯s Advance Recall. At this moment, the Pilot could easily fight on the same level an Advent Inhuman could.
With time on his side and a reaction speed which he minimized to match the fastest movements that the Superior Imaging could follow, a simple stroke of both its arms which shot several bursts of green lights massacred the JPE¡¯s.
After which, it took its time to slowly approach Garland and his squad who was busy observing the sight before them. He stood among the Exoskeletons and then he began his massacre.
The shots were precise and the close range allowed him to maximize his turns to immediately kill all the Exoskeletons save for one.
At the sound of the burst fire, Lander immediately moved to evade. This was a true veteran-hero. The surprise attack did very little to phase it. Lander turned and started shooting at the Exoskeleton which was zooming upwards as it continued firing long blast towards the Armor.
Lander immediately started attacking the enemy. As his suit started rising in the air, the long blast of attacks started blasting the Armor. Despite the Exoskeleton¡¯s fast turns, its attack managed to remain on a consistent spot. Though the burst of light was intermittent, there were so many bursts that it would seem like a constant beam hitting the Armors.
The Armor¡¯s pulled back and started to attack the enemy and Lander himself charged forth. The Armor¡¯s attacks were wide and visible. It was something that the enemy could easily evade.
Lander knew. It was up to him to defeat this flying foe.
Before acquiring the title, the Hero of Helion¡¯s Tragedy, Lander was known as the Tasmanian Devil. Named after a Post-Modern era cartoon character known for its tornado-like movements.
Lander¡¯s whirling blitz was unstoppable and untouchable. None who faced it lived. Each attack was intentionally shot to minimize the possibility of evading the next. This was the skill that made him a hero.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Lander began his twist and started shooting. Several green blasts missed Lander who was now giving chase to this Pangean Exoskeleton.
Lander¡¯s Exoskeleton was equipped with a specialized mini-gun which could even kill Armor pilots. Such technology was not mass-produced among Exoskeleton¡¯s due to its high costs and only Lander was equipped with it. Any of these bullets could easily pierce through and kill the Pangean Pilot. And under the cover of the night sky, these ¡°Traceless¡± bullets would be virtually unseen by the naked eye.
However, what Lander never expected, was that the enemy was able to see these bullets clearly.
In Seeker¡¯s future, the Earths survivors tried to find ways to reproduce the Paths of the Ranked Heroes and World Champions. But it all ended in failure as it would take too many resources and too much time for it to bear any usable results.
In order to imitate or reproduce a similar path isn¡¯t just about copying the biological changes within the Unlocks physical and neurological traits. To be able to copy it, would mean to be able to emulate the persons brain itself. The imitator has to feel what the imitated feels. The imitator must also think and even believe according to the level of faith that the imitated has.
And as no two persons can ever be the same, no two Paths which is exactly the same could ever appear. The ability to have multiple paths was even harder. Believers tend to ¡°believe¡± in their specific path and therefore cannot believe in another. The Overcomers were of a similar vein and there was also a sense of pride which hindered them. To forcefully make a Believer imitate another would result in psychological or mental problems and so this research was discarded despite its potential.
With the disregard of this study, the possibility to make an ultimate fighter was a far-fetched one as the impossibilities of uniting even two paths were impossible.
Until he appeared.
Meryl¡¯s eyesight was unique. No form of darkness or brightness could ever hinder its sight. By being able to emulate a part of this path, the Traceless bullets were easily seen especially since a continuous green flash filled the area.
However, seeing these bullets and being able to evade it, are two different things. Even if he had Arthur¡¯s instant calculation and Seeker¡¯s emulation of higher ranks of the Unlocking, he wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge an attack of this level. Lander was just too skilled and experienced in fighting against Exoskeletons.
But as the bullets drew closer, the Pangean soldier immediately flew directly towards Lander.
The Pangean Pilot came prepared. After regaining consciousness, he watched several classified footages brought by the Alakaster sisters.These recorded Lander¡¯s battle techniques and some footages of his fights. The Pangean pilot even watched bits and parts of Lander¡¯s interviews.
And since Lander wasn¡¯t even Unlocked, mimicking him was very easy. Such was the absurd skill of this Pangean Pilot.
Eagle called his Path ¡°The Narrow Road¡± for only he could walk in it.
With expert turns and twist, the Pangean Exoskeleton evaded bullets by the millimeters, as it executed a twist similar to Lander¡¯s but far superior.
He flew directly towards Lander and aimed for Lander¡¯s jetpack. A small burst of green light struck Lander who then lost control of his Exoskeleton and was sent twirling recklessly and crashed on a nearby abandoned building.
The attack which no man had survived, he easily evaded. The Hero of Helion¡¯s Tragedy was easily defeated as if it was swatting an aged fly on his last flight.
The Pangean Exoskeleton then landed on the ground, not wasting any second to continue shooting green beams that killed more and more soldiers.
Garland panicked and immediately revealed his trump card. His left arm retracted inside and transformed into a cannon slightly different from his right arm.
A loud and continuous strange sound blasted through the air along with a powerful shockwave. Lander, who was at the rubbles couldn¡¯t move as his heart was gripped with a painful and paralyzing sensation at hearing this strange sound.
Garland¡¯s armor was equipped with a noise canceller to prevent him from getting affected. He then switched his right arm to cannon mode and aimed to fire at the enemy.
¡°So this is Peal¡¯s of Thunder?¡± A curious voice spoke through the Exoskeleton¡¯s speakers. Garland couldn¡¯t hear this comment but it was clear based on the movements of the Exoskeleton that he wasn¡¯t affected.
¡°Too bad I¡¯m an Inhuman now.¡± The casual and gentle voice was heard before it dashed off to destroy Garland¡¯s Armor.
Alean stared in shock at Arthur¡¯s explanation.
¡°You mean Lynd¡¯s already awake?¡± Alean was shocked.
¡°Yes. Your hypothesis proved correct Doctor.¡± Arthur gave a nod to Charles and then immediately flew towards the last battlefield.
Alean gave a meaningful look to Charles.
¡°It would take time for Lynd or Seeker to adjust if we introduced the coolant liquid to Lynd¡¯s body. At most, we could only stabilize their brains before I could develop something that they can use. However, my studies led me to a certain hypothesis. What if instead of the coolant liquid, we give them blood from a human who has survived these experiments? Looks like it worked. They probably drained Lynd¡¯s and Seeker¡¯s blood and replaced it a Dawn Soldiers blood.¡± Charles laughed.
Garland¡¯s Armor laid in pieces. His body was suffering from various 3rd-degreeburns. He couldn''t even move.
¡°Monster.¡± Garland stared in disbelief at the Pangean pilot who hovered before him.
Lowengren figure appeared and stood next to the Armor.
¡°Just kill me.¡±
¡°Not yet. What would happen to the remaining forces inside the fort if they can¡¯t communicate to you but detect that your Armor is still up and running? Killing you now would send them in total panic and retreat. If you¡¯re alive, they¡¯d send a rescue team. Such is the honor reserved for the Heroes of Australia.¡± Lowengren smiled.
Immediately after Lowengren said those words, several lights could be seen flying over the Fort.
¡°Why are you doing this? We¡¯ve already lost! Spare my men!¡± Garland screamed angrily but pleaded at the end.
¡°You still don¡¯t get it, do you? No matter how you try to block the signals from outside, satellite imaging can still capture the explosions we did. What will the greedy, technological hungry countries do if they noticed such a massive explosion that damaged nearly half of your Fort?¡±
Garland then realized it.
¡°No! You can¡¯t!¡±
¡°There¡¯s surprisingly a lot of JPE¡¯s remaining. Can you handle it? You need to finish them quickly. By Colonel¡¯s estimates, you have about 10 minutes until they arrive.¡±
The Exoskeleton zoomed immediately.
¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t kill you yet. I¡¯ll let you see the death of your last forces and how the foreigners you hate so much will raid your fort and steal all your techs.¡± Lowengren shrugged.
He who walks the Narrow Road walked the impossible Path. Aside from his ability to use multiple Paths, he could combine it with his other learned paths. Switching from one Path to another was theorized to be impossible as the clash of the different mental and psychological states could result in a mental and psychological implosion.
But not him. He did not suffer from theorized mental and psychological backlash of diving into the minds and hearts of several Ranked Heroes and World Champions.
With all these Paths converging, the remaining forces were all eliminated within 5 minutes.
What was once believed to be a vast Path of endless possibility, he managed to turn it into a single path.
He is the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord.
He who treads the Narrow Road, Lynd Indigo, the "Prophet Elijah" has awakened.
Chapter Seventy-Six: The Aftermath
The Jet known as the Void Traveler reached New Birth Fort and dropped its package. The package it dropped wasn¡¯t a bomb but the Special Commando Unit that existed in the shadows of American history.
¡°Amazing. Pangea really did a number huh?¡± An American soldier laughed as he landed from his drop.
¡°Looks like a suicide attack. Lowengren¡¯s Maneuver. I can¡¯t believe that kid had the balls to pull this off on an actual battlefield.¡± Another soldier whistled as he landed.
¡°My sons¡¯ pretty good at that game. Does that mean he could be a good general?¡±
¡°Cut the chit-chat. We¡¯ve got work to do. Eliminate any soldier. We only have a 10-minute window.¡± The landing commander ordered.
¡°Sir? I believe that the other nations are arriving.¡± The pilot of the Void Traveler reported as he detected several jets entering the atmosphere.
¡°Looks like our timetable just went down to five. Let¡¯s move!¡± The commander hastily ordered.
The world was moving to war. Nations were secretly sending their top spies and soldiers to New Birth Fort.
It all started when Harker received the secret transmission from New Birth Fort and sent it to the top leaders around the world. The various experiments and overview of Australian sciences ended with a video of Harker himself giving a gripping warning.
¡°My daughter died in this war. Australia is strong. I do not want their technology. I just want vengeance. My entire army has been disseminated and only a handful of soldiers remained. I have informed other world leaders about this technology that Australia has. In 500 hours, Pangean Standard Time, I will release the information of Australia¡¯s actions to the world. One way or another Australia will burn. Good luck in stealing the data.¡±
All world leaders who managed to see this video immediately sprang into action.
Although all nations were secretly performing human modification experiments, the known world condemned it. With the revelation of Australia¡¯s inhumanities, it would only be expected that the Nations would all join together and condemn Australia for its actions.
Soon Harker once again took to the stage of national television and gave the summary of his ¡°defeat.¡±
The video feed taken from several of Pangean¡¯s Exoskeletons were shown.
The battle against the magnetic technology of the wall, the appearance of an advanced Jet Propelled Exoskeleton, and finally the invulnerable large golems that seemed immune to bombs and rockets.
¡°My soldiers were destined to be defeated. They faced monsters that were the result of human modification. The video they found has been released for the world to see. Lowengren who went on a rampage was granted control over the army at the brink of our defeat and he gave his life to perform a suicide attack using our Solarium technology. But they had to do it. They needed to send this message to the world! My army died, now I ask the world how will you respond to this breach of humanity!¡± Harker angrily screamed.
¡°Australia has been secretly trafficking humans all around the world for their experiments. They are your neighbors, your friends, your families! And this isn¡¯t just an organization that is behind kidnappings and human experimentation! Since the world began, has there been a nation who would do this?¡± Harker spoke with immense anger and the world followed with him.
What followed next was a series of extremely good acting. Harker¡¯s speech was the very excuse the other nations needed to immediately launch an attack.
New Birth Fort was opened and so the nations sent their very best to steal the data in this large fort. Australia was now a country that could easily be exploited. The existence of their sciences was very enticing to the world leaders.
Since the beginning of the war, Garland had refused aid from the surrounding military bases due to his fear that the attack may happen on other bases. His fear was that a full-scale Pangean invasion would occur and these bases would immediately be attacked. Soon, Garland managed to convince the other General¡¯s as he reported to be on the verge of winning.
But Garland died. Once the surrounding bases detected three large explosions in New Birth City, they immediately sent their reinforcements towards New Birth Fort.
As if it was some wicked coincidence, Harker¡¯s video was unveiled to the world. Australia was shocked that Pangea revealed the videos and immediately worked to disprove its authenticity. But by then, it was too late.
¡°The King of England and the Ruling Leaders of New Great Britain hold Australia¡¯s deeds in contempt. Among the people shown on the video, we have confirmed that Australia has been trafficking our citizens into their lands to further this demonic research. We will hold this as an act of war and will immediately appeal to the World Governing Powers for a declaration of war against Australia!¡±
Just as the news of King Lordenheign was made, a nearby British fleet that roamed the Pacific, immediately acted and waged war even before the World Governing Powers had approved of the appeal.
¡°General Audenvise of the 5th Fleet had immediately launched an attack on a military base of Australia. The World Governing Powers had yet to approve of New Great Britain¡¯s declaration of war when the fleet had started to engage with the forces of Australia.¡± A reporter gave his report on national T.V.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°The Ruling Leaders have denied that they ordered the 5th Fleet to attack and maintained that General Audenvise has been acting independently. We have Kate Charity Live on- Wait.¡± The reported immediately gave an alarmed expression.
¡°This just in, One China¡¯s Pacific fleet has also started to engage Australia¡¯s forces! It appears that One China has also attacked Australia and sank the entire fleet on the South Pacific disregarding the War Treaty of the World Governing Powers!¡±
News channels all over the world immediately highlighted the fact that several nations waged war against Australia without appealing to the World Governing Powers for war.
Several videos were immediately shown as these General¡¯s gave impassioned speeches about how they could not abandon their morality and save the lives of the poor experimented humans that Australia has. Following Harker¡¯s lead, they immediately acted independently to wage war with Australia without the approval of their superiors.
Of course, behind the scenes, these independent actions were actually ordered attacks.
Due to the suspicious natures of almost every World Power, naval fleets and mobile bases were deployed all over the vast oceans. As such, it was relatively easy for these nations fleets to immediately attack Australia with heavy aerial forces.
The moment Harker released the video, these nations were already poised to attack. Majority of attacks were on the Northern cities of Australia. New Birth City, which was formerly known as Darwin city had little or no forces capable of defending from the attacks now. Most of their soldiers were dead and the reinforcements from the nearby cities had yet to arrive.
One China was even bolder. Instead of sending their forces to New Birth, One China¡¯s massive fleet attacked two of the nearby bases. An all-out war immediately occurred. Of all the leading world powers, only South Pacific United was unable to join the fray to make preemptive strikes as information was withheld from them. Pangea also maintained its aggressive threats to ensure that the SPU¡¯s armies won¡¯t ever make its way in Pangean territory.
As such, they were the only superpower who was unable to send spies to retrieve whatever data was left in New Birth Fort.
Any Australian military base would most likely host a secret laboratory or contain the information for their research. As such, China went a step ahead. Rather than participating in a race against the battle to get the information in New Birth Fort, they opted to steal this information¡¯s from other bases.
The chain of events that China started caused rippled effects. United Soviet Russia waged an attack at Sydney with a full-scale army.
The 107th fleet of the Americas launched a specialized rocket to destroy the Light Breaker.
President Stark Norton of the Americas declared that the Light Breaker is confirmed to be armed with weapons of mass destruction and immediately launched a Sat-Breaker even without the approval from the World Governing Powers.
Of course, the real reason was so that their troops can infiltrate New Birth Fort and destroy any possible evidence that the Light Breaker could reveal.
Australia couldn¡¯t fight back. The emergence of sudden attacks across all of its sea-based military bases caused them to be unable to provide reinforcements as the number of the attacks they received were too plenty.
While the world was arming themselves to destroy Australia, a submarine was leaving the shores of New Birth City. It encountered a British fleet which protected it from a small detachment of Australian forces trailing at the back.
Soon, the Submarine docked inside the large British ship and several soldiers gave a military welcome to the submarine.
Arthur was the first to exit.
The Captain of the ship waited and gave a warm welcome to Arthur.
¡°Arthy! My oh my¡ you¡¯ve grown into a fine man. And an even deadlier soldier. Your father would be proud.¡± The Admiral smiled.
¡°Fleet Admiral Ramsden. Good to see you.¡±
¡°Looks like you''re following in the footsteps of your father... Oh my¡. They¡¯re alive.¡±
¡°They¡¯re dead Admiral.¡± Arthur gave a commanding statement.
¡°Of course. They¡¯re dead. I¡¯m very glad that Mister Lowengren is dead. Such a bold strategy. Clearly, he was an ace amongst Generals.¡± Ramsden smiled. The Admiral had long since been acquainted with Lennox and was used with following suit with whatever the Humprhrey''s did.
The Fleet Admiral was, of course, referring to Lowengren and Alean Cipril who Harker confirmed to be dead.
There were no words exchanged between the group. Ramsden led them towards the Bridge of the ship to witness the developing news first hand as well as see the results of their attacks towards New Birth Fort. Albert Hoross who had already escaped long before the war started immediately rushed and hugged Lowengren.
The members of Covenant also stood there immediately talking to Arthur and Kristine.
News of Australia''s claims filled the news channels as it did it¡¯s best to appeal to the world. It tried to accuse Pangea of giving out false information but soon a video was released from the surviving Pangean forces. It held the interviews of the rescued individuals from Australia''s experiments.
People who were lost for months and even over 5 years started to resurface. They came from different parts of the world and as the news from these countries confirmed that these people were actual people who disappeared, Australia''s counter-accusations fell on deaf ears.
The World Governing Powers demanded Australia to surrender, but Australia refused and suddenly stopped communicating. This outrageous acts even spurred the world to be angrier than it was.
Arthur sighed and smiled.
¡°Australia doesn''t have a choice. If they surrender, more of their experiments would come to light. All they could do now is fight. But this war isn''t over. Australia won''t fall so easily. Still, I can¡¯t believe that Seeker¡¯s reckless plan actually worked.¡± Arthur sighed.
¡°So what now?¡± Lowengren asked.
¡°What else? The Game continues. Since Player One is still out, I still have to proxy for him in this war. Luckily, I have you to help me. How¡¯s our prisoner?¡± Arthur asked the Admiral.
¡°Still refusing to talk or eat. I believe he¡¯s planning to starve himself to death.¡±
¡°Too bad. I guess it¡¯s time to interrogate him.¡±
¡°Why is he alive?¡± Alean asked.
¡°Ask Lynd.¡± Arthur said as he left the room.
The group turned towards Lynd.
¡°Well¡ it¡¯s just a conjecture. But I think he has the potential to be a Ranked Hero.¡± Lynd shrugged.
The group was surprised at Lynd''s words. But no one doubted Lynd. He had basically copied a portion of Seeker''s skills and instinctive reactions. He could not shake the feeling that Lander was someone who had the potential.
¡°Interesting...¡± Charles smirked.
¡°Well¡ I guess that¡¯s expected. The question is, how can we make him one of us now that we''ve destroyed his country?¡± Alean wondered.
Arthur finally reached the room where the prisoner was kept and immediately entered.
¡°I kept you waiting. Lieutenant Lander. The Hero of Helion¡¯s Tragedy.¡±
Chapter Seventy-Seven: Allies and Enemies
The World Governing Powers gathered and the world representatives demanded Australia to be punished for its crimes. Australian representatives could only appear through a video live feed as their nation was blocked on all fronts. The Australian Minister of Foreign affairs, Leslie Corinth demanded all nations to cease its attacks.
The world leaders except One China claimed that they had no control over their General¡¯s actions. The argument was so intense that threats were being issued over the use of weapons of mass destruction. With the fall of the Light Breaker, Australia had little defense over long-ranged attacks or satellite attacks.
At this point, almost all satellites that had the capabilities to launch attacks were aiming at Australia.
Australia finally accused Pangea of presenting false evidence and threatened to level the entire archipelagos of the three nations and condemned the New Great Britain for attacking Australian grounds even before the World Governing Powers had met. This was a breach to the very etiquettes of war decided after the third World War. It was New Great Britain¡¯s actions which encouraged the other nations to join, hence Australia was extremely angry at Pangea and New Great Britain.
At this point, President Albert Hoross surfaced and shocked the world. President Albert Hoross then attacked Australia and demanded that the President himself, would join the meeting.
Australia refused as revealing any video feeds coming from the President might allow the other nations to trace it to its source and kill the President.
The World Governing Powers gave the stage to President Hoross to detail what happened after his escape plane was allegedly shot down. Apparently, Hoross and a few of the pilots managed to escape on the last second and used an escape pod to survive the air strike. They fell in the ocean and the nearest fleet led by General Audenvise rushed to check for survivors. President Hoross pleaded with General Audenvise to save his son, General Audenvise refused to help Pangea as it was a breach of the rules enacted by the World Governing Powers.
¡°But when Harker revealed those video files¡ Those video files that came at the cost of my son and his daughter, I finally managed to convince General Audenvise to take action. So what if there were rules that the World Governing Powers have made? These rules were set to protect humanity! What use will obeying these rules bring when the devil himself has revealed itself on the world!?¡± Hoross shouted angrily and gazed at the live feed from Australia.
¡°You tried to capture me. No doubt you were planning to utilize me as a means to penetrate our country to kidnap my people for your experiments right? You were behind the experiments behind the Malay-Pangean incident, weren¡¯t you?¡± Hoross recklessly accused and kept on shouting as the Australian Minister fought back. But her resistance was futile.
While the world watched the drama of the emergency summit held by the World Governing Powers, Harker¡¯s transport finally landed on the F.F Churchill.
Harker was then led towards the large room where all of the major players of the New Birth Battle was gathered.
Joining Arthur¡¯s team were the three Australian doctors, Kristine from the Covenant, the thought to be deceased Sebastian Horros or Lowengren and finally strapped to a seat with a mouth gag, the wary hero of Helion¡¯s Tragedy, Lander.
Harker glared angrily at Lander as he entered the room. Then his attention fell on Kristine and Lowengren, who looked extremely faint and beaten. They struggled to keep conscious while leaning on the large table at the center of the hall.
¡°Please take your seats. I guess it¡¯s time to keep everyone in the loop.¡± Arthur began.
¡°What about Meng?¡± Harker immediately asked the important question.
¡°Meng? What about him?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Right! There was that!¡± Alean recalled.
¡°Seeker fought one of Meng¡¯s subordinates. We believe Meng, the Dragon, is after our technology.¡±
¡°What?¡± Arthur gave a confused look. After a bit of pondering, Arthur finally gave his conclusion.
¡°Seeker lied to you. Meng¡¯s not after your tech. Meng probably doesn¡¯t know about Programmed Slaves.¡±
¡°What?¡± Harker and Alean exclaimed.
¡°Impossible! We found Meng¡¯s subordinate in our base! Sting, the blind assassin fought Seeker and even managed to scratch him!¡± Harker argued.
¡°Right! I remembered that night. I didn¡¯t think much of it, but who could manage to wound Seeker?¡± Meryl wondered.
¡°Did you previously own a red gemstone that went missing or that Seeker took?¡±
¡°Yes! It was one of the three gemstones we recently purchased. Seeker took it as payment.¡± Alean nodded.
¡°That explains it. Seeker told my dad to play along if someone were to contact him sprouting either thanks or threats involving a red gemstone. Based on what you told me, I think I think Sting was after that. Seeker gave that gemstone to Sting on the pretense that he was one of my father¡¯s subordinates and recommended that Meng would use the red gemstone. In short, Seeker deceived you.¡± Arthur gave a summary.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
¡°What?!¡± Harker was now confused.
¡°Why did he need that gemstone?¡± Alean ignored Harker¡¯s confusion.
¡°I don¡¯t know. It wasn''t important at that time. Seeker was pressing my dad to deduce where Feltrick''s bases were, remember?¡±
Alean recalled listening to the conversation between Seeker and Lennox the night they destroyed Feltrick''s organization.
¡°So Meng¡¯s not after my dad?¡± Alean confirmed.
¡°Yes. Sting was after the gem, Seeker wanted your army. Seeker fought Sting in your base and he found a chance, so he deceived you and got his Army. It¡¯s kind of funny if you think of it that way.¡± Arthur shrugged.
Meryl and Lynd laughed.
Harker froze at Arthur¡¯s words. His remaining eye started to tremble intensely.
Alean soon laughed as well as she recalled the events.
¡°You mean to say, that Meng is not after my head. And I just wasted billions for a pointless war?!¡± Harker erupted.
¡°It wasn¡¯t pointless. We needed the blood to save Lynd¡¯s life.¡± Meryl replied.
¡°Blood?¡± Harker gripped his heart.
¡°Yes. Lynd needed blood.¡± Meryl casually replied.
¡°Good thing the whole blood thing worked out!¡± Lynd gave a relieved sigh.
Harker looked around in agitated frustrations at what the other party members had to say.
Arthur simply nodded.
¡°Simply put, that¡¯s the gist of the war.¡± Charles shook his head. He just realized that the thought of waging war for the sake of blood seemed ludicrous.
Lowengren and Kristine were in no condition to care for Harker¡¯s angry stares and just gave a blank look.
¡°BLOOD?!¡± Harker was enraged.
The logic of the war was to get blood? Why didn¡¯t they send an application to the Red Cross or to the hospital? Wasn¡¯t Charles a respected doctor?
¡°You went to war with Australia at the cost of my army just to get some blood and save your stupid life?¡± Harker immediately ran and reached out towards Lynd and was about to choke him when a familiar heart-gripping sensation slammed down on him.
Arthur, Meryl and Lynd¡¯s pressure filled the room. Alean remained standing but gave an impressed nod. Charles gave an enthusiastic whistle at the combined pressure. Even his hands started shaking.
¡°Hey! Careful!¡± Charles complained as the sudden pressure almost made him drop his coffee.
¡°Again?!¡± Lowengren cursed angrily and gritted his teeth.
Kristine started whimpering as she held on to the table. The others were immediately paralyzed and wanted to scream but couldn¡¯t. The choking, heart clenching sensation made everyone else convulse.
¡°Hey Guys! I got the pizza- Hey¡what¡¯s going on?¡± Cliff suddenly barged in and wondered why there was such intense pressure.
¡°Let me join!¡± Cliff said enthusiastically and released his own pressure.
¡°Wait!¡± Charles tried to stop Cliff.
The Alakaster sisters and Eric was knocked out at the addition of Cliff¡¯s pressure. Thankfully they were already seated and didn¡¯t fall down. The gagged Lander was squirming on his seat and soon passed out.
¡°Cliff! Stop it!¡± Alean glared.
¡°What? I thought we were having a contest!¡± Cliff laughed.
¡°Great. You knocked all of them out.¡±
Meryl gave a light kick and woke Harker up.
Harker started gasping for breath at his awakening.
He looked at Lynd with fear in his eyes.
¡°We¡¯ve grown quite a bit since the last time we met, General.¡± Lynd helped Harker up. He politely pointed towards a seat. Harker shakenly followed and sat down.
¡°Consider us similar to the Seeker you met a while back.¡± Arthur summarized.
¡°Impressive. Look¡¯s like your potential¡¯s not average. Seeker sure has an eye out for talent.¡± Arthur commended.
Soon, everyone who fainted managed to wake up and they were carefully seated on their corresponding seats.
¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get right to it.¡±
Arthur then began to tell them the tale of Seeker Carlean¡¯s death and rebirth. The story of the alien race and of the Unlocking. Arthur gave a detailed explanation of what the Unlocking can do and even talked about Skills and Paths.
Harker and Lander maintained a confused expression as Arthur continued with his tail.
Time-travel? Aliens? The story that Arthur gave was extremely unbelievable.
¡°Luckily, in order to make you believe, we have the proof right here.¡± Arthur then turned to Meryl.
¡°Meryl. Show it to them.¡±
Meryl immediately started glowing. Her skin turning whiter and whiter. The fair skin tone glowed and captivated everyone.
¡°Beautiful¡.¡± Cliff watched with his mouth agape.
¡°You should keep that form, Meryl! You¡¯re extremely beautiful!¡± Lynd commended.
Arthur kept silent but gazed at the glowing beauty of Meryl.
¡°I can do more than just this.¡± Meryl cheered and then the bright light enveloped the room. It was so sudden that Harker screamed in panic. Lander thought that it was a bomb and flinched.
The light slowly disappeared and everyone looked with terror towards Meryl.
¡°Lynd! You cheat!¡± Meryl frowned.
¡°What?¡± Lynd inquired.
¡°Don¡¯t what me! You didn¡¯t even blink!¡±
¡°Oh!¡± Lynd realized it.
¡°Interesting. At your level, you can already copy Meryl¡¯s eyes¡¡± Arthur pondered.
¡°That¡¯s dangerous Lynd! No wonder why you¡¯ve been eating like a pig! You¡¯ve been subconsciously copying Meryl! You need to control that power! You might overstress your brain again!¡± Charles warned.
Lynd was shocked at Charles diagnosis.
¡°But- but! I don¡¯t know how to turn it off!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t panic. The blood you have in you should keep you safe even if you activate it 24/7. Let¡¯s deal with that later.¡± Arthur then stood up to address the whole group.
¡°That is the power of an Unlocking that has developed her skill. In fact, I think Meryl now has what Seeker would call a Path. The Unlocking of the brain creates wondrous changes that could affect the entire body. This is what gives us these superhuman powers. I¡¯m sure Lieutenant Lander over there is well aware of what we can do.¡±
Lander just gave a wary glare at the group and focused his eyes on Lynd. He knew that that monster was the most dangerous of them all.
¡°So we¡¯ve been going at it in the wrong direction.¡± Sonia finally spoke.
¡°We focused on carbon alteration and enhancing to make a perfect soldier, but what we really should have done was focus on the mind? So those New Age fanatics were actually correct? How ironic!¡¯ Sonia laughed.
"Your study is also crucial. Seeker had long known that unless we are to genetically alter our physical states, then the Unlocking cannot go beyond Inhuman. Seeker''s proof of that. The fact that he is changing his body is a sign that our bodies need to change as well. For now, just be careful not to overexert your brain, Lynd. there''s no saving you from that again.¡±
¡°Sorry for the trouble guys!¡¯ Lynd apologized laughingly.
"Don''t worry. We did gain a lot in this war." Charles smiled. The new technologies he gained would allow him to further his research.
"True. New allies." Arthur gave a quick glance at a glaring Lander.
"But of course, new enemies. The world will soon knock at our doorsteps for the havoc we wreaked."
¡°Why are you telling all this?" Harker broke his silence.
"If Seeker¡¯s memories are true, then I should be your enemy. You could have continued to deceive me, but why are you confiding this to me?¡±
Everyone¡¯s eyes went to Arthurs.
Why did Arthur tell Harker this?
¡°Because of your Path.¡±
Chapter Seventy-Eight: How to Train with a Dragon
¡°My father has been keeping his eyes on you, Harker. My father had long been impressed with how you slithered your way in the underworld. To be able to do so without bribing others of your kind is quite a gift.¡±
¡°Bribing indicates your intention and reveals the possibility of the briber to be after something. If people in the Underworld think I¡¯m after something, they become wary of me. Also, bribing can create a trail that could cause my downfall.¡± Harker summarized.
¡°And this extremely cautious nature of yours led you to pursue other methods. What did you do that allowed you to become one of the biggest names in the underworld?¡±
¡°I gained their trust.¡±
¡°Exactly. When I told Seeker of how my father took careful attention towards you, he reviewed your credentials and concluded that your ability to gain peoples trust is a Skill.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a skill?¡± Lynd asked.
¡°You underestimate the world he lives in. People like Harker stand in the brink of death every single day. They deal with all sorts of devils and betrayals and mutinies happen every day. And yet, years and years pass, not one of the leaders of these organizations gets replaced. It takes skill to manage their thrones. And Harker used the strangest of them all. That¡¯s why my father was confident that Harker has planted Programmed slaves in Australia.¡±
Harker twitched. He still recalled Seeker¡¯s demanding request of coughing up all of Australia¡¯s Programmed Slaves.
¡°Seeker told me that the strongest Path¡¯s that existed aren¡¯t the abilities that Meryl has. Rather it¡¯s those abilities that can manipulate the hearts of the people around them. We met Richie and experienced his Skill which he has yet to perfect. Peals of Thunder which create sounds that invoke fear to everyone.¡±
¡°How is that different to the Reapers Breath?¡± Cliff asked wondering how his new skills can fare against an Overcomer.
¡°Were you able to use it during our battles in Australia? The average suit of a soldier comes with masks to cover themselves from any airborne chemical attacks. And that includes the Reapers Breath. So your skill is useless. but Richie''s skill isn''t. Meng the Dragon has something similar to that. And I think Harker knows of this. You must have experienced it haven¡¯t you? That¡¯s why you¡¯re so paranoid about Meng.¡±
Harker was silent. He closed his eyes and recalled the pain he felt on his first meeting with Meng.
¡°He¡ he¡¯s not human. I wasn¡¯t just paralyzed by the fear. I was hurt. What you guys could do¡ it¡¯s nothing compared to what he has.¡±
Everyone was silent at Harker¡¯s description.
¡°I don¡¯t know what it was. It almost drove me insane. I pushed myself too deep in the underworld and managed to trick his subordinates in making me meet him personally. Meng didn¡¯t trust me. I almost died.¡±
¡°What did he do?¡±
¡°He didn¡¯t do anything. But when I saw him, my entire body just broke down.¡±
¡°I thought you were tortured and electrified!¡± Alean exclaimed.
¡°I told you that because had I said the truth, no one would have believed me and if word goes out that I went crazy, I won''t be able to stay in the Underworld.¡± Harker berated.
¡°The moment I saw him my entire body didn''t just go stiff. I nearly died from a heart attack. The electric shock wounds I received was when his subordinates where defibrillating me.¡±
¡°Is it the Reapers Breath?¡± Charles was shocked at Harker¡¯s explanation.
¡°No. Weren¡¯t you listening?¡± Lowengren scoffed lazily.
¡°If it¡¯s that then there¡¯s no way Meng would be an Overcomer with a Path so useless that relies on scent alone. I believe what affected Harker wasn¡¯t scent but sight.¡±
¡°Sight? I almost died because of sight?¡±
¡°Doctor Lindmitt? You¡¯re the doctor here.¡± Lowengren asked.
Charles was pondering what might have happened.
¡°From what you explained, it sounds like extreme fear caused your entire body to jolt which led to cardiac arrest. This is interesting. The fear that the Reaper¡¯s Breath affects the brain and could cause heart failures when used towards people who have heart failures. But for a healthy heart like yours¡. You must have fallen into an extreme level of stress that caused arrhythmias to your heart.¡±
The room was quiet from hearing such an absurd hypothesis. Meng caused extreme fear which led to Harker having a heart failure?
¡°Just how abnormal are these Overcomers?¡± Lynd complained.
Arthur and Charles gave Lynd an irritating look.
¡°Says the monster himself,¡± Charles mumbled under his breath.
¡°In any case, don¡¯t try to think too much of this. The Reapers Breath can never reach that level. It¡¯s a Path that an Overcomer has. It¡¯s not something that we can hope to replicate.¡± Arthur summarized.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°But didn¡¯t Australia manage to copy Richie¡¯s Peals of Thunder? I mean, I heard it when Lynd was fighting Garland and I was even affected by it!¡±
¡°It was a poor attempt in copying it, Meryl. Remember what we felt when Richie used the Peal¡¯s of Thunder on us?¡±
¡°Of course I do! Don¡¯t remind me. It really felt like my skin was being peeled off.¡± Meryl shuddered in recollection.
¡°How was it compared to the version they used?¡±
¡°Oh, I see where you¡¯re going. Right. It was pitiful. Even Seeker¡¯s pressure was far terrifying.¡±
¡°If an Unlocked mind can¡¯t hope to copy that Skill, then the current technologies of this world wouldn¡¯t be able to do the same.¡±
¡°Then what exactly can my Skill do?¡± Harker interrupted impatiently.
¡°I¡¯ve already explained it. Make people trust you. Isn¡¯t that how you managed to get where you are? Isn¡¯t that how you have buyers all over the world who believe that they are the exclusive purchasers of your Programmed Slave? Yet your network of slaves run all over the world and no one notices it. Except for people like my father.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t see how that skill will be useful.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you find it easy to deceive others into trusting you?¡± Arthur inquired.
¡°That¡¯s right! Politicians, soldiers, friends, and colleagues! That¡¯s why despite the facts that there have been many pieces of evidence pointing towards you, you are able to ward off suspicions from yourself!¡± Alean expressed.
¡°That¡¯s true. I have friends who all hold you on high regard. They say you¡¯re a man that they can trust.¡± Charles recalled.
Harker was silent. Now that it was explained to him, he realized that he did have this skill in convincing others and making them trust them. It wasn¡¯t hard for him to do so.
¡°You probably feel that you can make a person trust you regardless of the circumstances right? That¡¯s why even if there are tons of evidence pointing towards you, Presidents, military leaders and even your fellow colleagues in the Underworld can trust you.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s say that¡¯s true. How exactly can that be useful as a path? You actually think this skill is useful for the coming wars?¡±
¡°Yes. Imagine what you can do if you can make any enemy trust you? If the enemy, we captured is a woman you could even seduce her. Of course, you can do the same to a man should the opportunity arise.¡± Arthur explained.
¡°What are you implying?¡± Harker growled angrily.
¡°Nothing. However, if we do manage to capture Aragarian¡¯s who have exotic tastes, we will utilize all our resources to get the information we need. And you have that capability. You can make enemies trust you and use that trust to get intel.¡±
¡°So, I¡¯m going to be a spy and a gigolo at the same time?¡± Harker scoffed sarcastically.
Arthur sighed while Lowengren shook his head.
¡°You¡¯re quite slow for a General aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t you see? He means, that if you manage to reach Inhuman or Ranked Hero, you won¡¯t need to be a spy or a gigolo to do that.¡±
¡°An interrogator then?¡±
¡°That is the tip of the iceberg. Seeker was confident that such a skill could be used on the battlefield. Being a spy would be putting you in so much risk and you might even betray us. No. For now, you stick close to us.¡± Arthur explained.
¡°Alean will take control of your army from the shadows. The same bomb planted on her heart will be planted on yours.¡±
Harker gave an angry look.
¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, we do need you, but we don¡¯t trust you.¡± Arthur shot back coldly.
¡°Why did you make it look like Lowengren and Alean died?¡± Charles asked.
¡°It¡¯s part of Seeker¡¯s next plan. Remember, he asked me to send Richie a message three days from now? Tomorrow, I¡¯ll be sending it. In that message, was Rosa¡¯s current location.¡±
¡°Who¡¯s Rosa?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. Someone who¡¯s obviously important to Meng. Richie will fight Meng but in that message, Seeker told us to help Richie.¡±
¡°Cool! Fighting alongside an Overcomer!¡± Meryl happily cheered.
¡°Wrong Meryl. This is training for us. Richie will lose. Richie¡¯s growth hasn¡¯t reached its peak yet. He will die if he tries to provoke Meng. So Seeker orders for us to help Richie achieve his goal and protect him.¡±
¡°WHAT?¡± Harker exploded in shock. His greatest fear would be Seeker''s prepared training ground?
¡°You¡¯re going to face Meng? You¡¯re crazy! How are you going to train with a Dragon?¡±
¡°It makes perfect sense.¡± Lowengren shrugged helplessly.
¡°We need strong enemies if we have to grow stronger. And Meng¡¯s such a group that can challenge us.¡±
¡°I think it¡¯s all good! We have Richie after all!¡± Cliff stood up excitedly.
¡°Richie will already have his hands full with Meng. And let¡¯s not forget Meng¡¯s assassins. These are people who can stand before Meng and not die.¡±
¡°But that means-¡±
¡°We¡¯ll be facing Unbecomings.¡± Lowengren sighed lazily with his face planted on the table.
¡°Not just ordinary Unbecomings. But trained Unbecomings. These are veteran assassins after all.¡± Arthur added.
¡°We just fought a war and now are going to fight people who can endure Meng¡¯s sight?¡± Charles cursed.
¡°Sounds exciting!¡± Cliff laughed.
Everyone except Cliff had a depressed look on their faces. Several even glared at Seeker who was unconscious.
¡°He¡¯s out cold but he still manages to get us into some deep trouble.¡± Meryl cursed.
¡°A battle of this scale would undoubtedly cause a scene. Most intelligence services around the world should take note of this. That¡¯s why Alean had to fake her death. Harker would be the visible leader while Alean and Lowengren would become the unseen leader of this organization which is trying to topple down Meng¡¯s organization.¡±
¡°So you¡¯re making us the scapegoats? That¡¯s like putting the world¡¯s crosshairs over our heads!¡± Lowengren complained.
¡°Because of everyone in this room, your value is lower than that of Charles, Seeker, Meryl, Lynd and me. Of course, Cliff could become the sacrificial lamb but let¡¯s face it. Would the world secret organizations of this world believe that that man would be the menacing brain of a fearless organization?¡± Arthur pointed.
Cliff had long stopped listening to the conversation as he was excited with the upcoming battles and was deep in thought while picking up several large black objects hidden deep inside his nose.
Alean and Lowengren stood helplessly at the imposing logic of Arthur.
¡°But why did we have to fake our deaths?¡±
¡°To add intrigue and mystery. Our deaths will slowly come into doubt and people will start believing that we are the real leaders. This will shield Arthur, Seeker and his group from suspicions.¡± Lowengren lazily explained as he resigned his tired and helpless body to the table.
¡°Why did I agree to all of this?¡± Lowengren started crying.
"Charles, take your team and go to the British Isles. My father has already secured a location for your studies. You won¡¯t be part of our skirmish against Meng. Alakaster Sisters and Douglas, stay for now.¡±
Charles sighed in relief. Everyone else except Cliff gave an envious stare at Charles and pleaded with their eyes to take them with him.
¡°Now. Meryl, you were selected by Seeker to be the trainer. Let¡¯s take a look at those Jews and see who can become a part of your elite team.¡± Arthur motioned.
¡°Everyone else, continue training. Once you three reach Unbecoming, follow after Charles.¡± Arthur ordered and started walking out.
Kristine and Lowengren growled in depression. Lynd begrudgingly moved while Cliff smiled and looked at the Alakaster sisters with perverted eyes.
Chapter Seventy-Nine: Call Me Uncle
A week has passed since the incident at New Birth known as the Australian Avarice came to light and the war that followed.
At the immediate command of the World Governing Powers, the British and Russian fleet stopped attacking and pulled back. China maintained to continue its attacks but as Australia finally managed to organize its armies and spread their forces, the advanced technology of the EMP fields led them to an easy victory. China was forced to abandon the conquered bases and retreat. Nearly half of the Chinese fleet was destroyed in the decisive battle.
After which, all the fleets of the various super-powers that wanted to invade Australia, stopped as it learned from China¡¯s mistake.
The talks of peace then began as the World Governing Powers held a trial for all of Australia¡¯s crimes.
The bickering and accusations on Australia had piled up since the New Great Britain released the names of all the hostages they managed to rescue along with a handful of Pangean soldiers.
After a week of collaborating with other nations, New Great Britain released a comprehensive list of all thirty-two individuals who were rescued. Each one of them was people who went missing or were presumed dead due to accidents.
The world erupted at the releasing of the names. There were three individuals who belonged to Russia, four in China, two in Great Britain and the rest came from different countries.
¡°If Australia cannot send back my countrymen back, then I motion to repeal the prohibition of using Weapons of Mass Destruction against Australia! God knows what they are doing to my countrymen! And why stop with Pangea? What about the Chinese? The Russians? Are you tinkering with their organs too?!¡± Albert Hoross shouted with fanatical rage.
This caused Australia to immediately release footages of the Pangean native¡¯s current statuses. Australia didn¡¯t hide the fact that all Pangean Natives were detained as hostages.
¡°We will not release them! Among our prisoners are natives from all your homeland! We aren¡¯t so stupid! If all of you start spreading lies about my country hoping that we would hand over our technology, then we will face extinction! So here! Our country holds over seventy million foreigners at this time. And we won¡¯t be afraid to kill them! So go ahead! Send your nuclear rain! You will, however, be forced to enjoy the Cyber Abominations!¡± General Sledger of the Australian Army threatened.
¡°ORDER! ORDER!¡± The Supreme Judge slammed his hammer.
¡°General Sledger! Threats like that will not do well in this meeting!¡±
¡°Threats?! You all bring up lies about our country and attack us without due process and you talk of threats?!¡± The General challenged.
Australian representatives all pointed to the pieces of evidence that Pangea was probably after their technology and prepared this lie.
The court asked Australia to present evidence of its claim that Pangea attacked without warning but could only bring Pangean equipment¡¯s that they managed to salvage on the attack on New Birth Fort. No video evidence was captured due to several reasons.
The Light Breaker disabled all civilian cameras and shooting videos were impossible due to the interfering EMP signal. The only equipment¡¯s that could capture video surveillance that may be used as evidence were all wiped clean. No video footages managed to get out of New Birth Fort due to the Light Breaker.
With such an absurd excuse, President Hoross laughed and scoffed at Australia loudly. He did not even act like someone representing a country in a trial that was hosted by the World Governing Powers.
¡°President Hoross! You are acting out of line! Please allow Australia to make its defense!¡± The Judge ordered.
¡°With all due respect your honor¡ If I am acting out of line, it¡¯s because¡¡± Hoross paused.
¡°MY SON DIED!¡± Albert Hoross gave an enraged scream which shocked everyone.
As the news continued to play itself on a large TV, Cliff was standing over the wearied bodies of his former gang members.
¡°What¡¯s Cyber Abomination?¡± He asked in confusion.
¡°You really need to attend class, Cliff.¡± Lynd laughed.
The gang members expected their once fearless boss to pound Lynd for disrespecting him, but they were shocked at his reply.
¡°Could you tell me?¡± Cliff asked respectfully.
¡°Boss?¡± One gang member found the strength to ask.
Cliff simply shook his head in response. Are you crazy? That guy could emulate Seeker! So what if he disrespected me?
¡°Don¡¯t worry. You were probably absent during the time this was discussed. If you were present, you should be able to remember it. I think¡¡± Lynd awkwardly covered for Cliff.
¡°It¡¯s a Cybercrime where you record the playful and usually horrible torture and execution of other humans. Back during the Third World War and even during the Continental Wars, another war was happening. The Online War. People were bad-mouthing their enemies online. Trolls were making memes and social media videos where they were bad-mouthing and making fun of these enemy countries. Some memes became known worldwide and the world poked fun at these nations. It was all fun and dandy until these enemy nations managed to capture several cities and started making video memes of executing and massacring people. Some even managed to track the relatives of the most famous meme-makers which insulted their country and killed his relatives following the video style of these memes.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
¡°Why do you sound like Professor Darian?¡±
¡°Oh sorry. Force of habit.¡± Lynd laughed.
¡°Next thing you know; Lynd will be copying me.¡± Alean entered the room.
¡°Miss Alean!¡± Lynd stood up and smiled.
¡°Is this all of them, Cliff?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Just be sure to keep them under control. And try not to work them to death. Not everyone is like you. I won¡¯t be surprised if they could only reach Unbecoming.¡± Alean gave a word of advice before motioning Lynd to follow her.
The pair walked away
¡°Looks like it¡¯s time for Lynd to become a man.¡± Cliff sighed enviously.
BANG!
A gunfire was heard but Cliff dodged it.
¡°Seriously? You could¡¯ve killed me!?¡± Cliff complained angrily as the two walked up towards the stairs leaving the large white room they were training in.
¡°Are they here already?¡±
¡°Seeker¡¯s.¡± Alean nodded.
¡°Meryl¡¯s and your parents are on their way.¡±
BANG! BANG!
The pair gave a confused look towards the room where the gunshots were heard.
¡°Lynd?¡±
¡°How did Mr. Carlean bring a gun?¡± Lynd wondered as he released his concentration.
¡°Shot my dad, did he?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
Alean sighed.
¡°Well¡ Chris has been going after our heads for so long. He probably shot my dad on sight¡ Too bad. He¡¯s a day late.¡± Alean and Lynd calmly walked towards the room.
Meanwhile, Harker finally managed to grapple the pair of deranged parents and tied them securely on the seat.
¡°If you two weren¡¯t his parent¡¯s I would¡¯ve beaten you two!¡± Harker complained as he managed to gag Chris.
¡°Now¡As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted¡¡± Harker frowned as he looked at the two holes behind him.
¡°Your son is currently in a coma. He is safe and should be able to reawaken in the next week or so. In the meantime, we need you to do a little detective work.¡± Harker smiled.
Alean was the first to walk in the room.
¡°Good thing you¡¯ve reached Unbecoming.¡± Alean laughed.
Chris and Grace¡¯s eyes went wide open as they saw Alean. Their eyes of shock then turned into a fierce glare.
¡°Why did you gag them?¡±
¡°They¡¯ve been spitting. A lot.¡± Harker answered helplessly.
¡°How does it feel to be a subordinate, dad?¡± Alean laughed happily and disrespectfully.
¡°Just tell your boss I handled his parents with care.¡±
¡°Right now, Lynd¡¯s my boss.¡±
Lynd finally entered the room.
¡°Hi, Uncle Chris! Aunt Grace! Errm... Why are they gagged?¡± Lynd then turned to Harker and frowned.
Harker could only sigh helplessly.
Lynd removed the gags from the two.
¡°Lynd! What¡¯s going on?¡±
¡°Long story, Uncle Chris. Let¡¯s just wait for Meryl and my parents to arrive.¡± Lynd smiled.
¡°For the meantime, can you not shoot my subordinates?¡±
¡°Subordinates?¡± Chris and Grace echoed.
¡°Yeah. I know you and Mr. Cipril has had a lot of history together. But they¡¯re kind of like my subordinates for the time being. Well actually, Zeek¡¯s their boss. But right now, they¡¯re tasked to complete some stuff and I have to keep an eye on them.¡±
¡°You mean¡ he¡¯s working for you?¡± Chris answered with disbelief.
¡°Yeah. Umm¡ oh, I know! How about this. Mr. Cipril, please call me Uncle.¡±
Harker stood there silent.
Alean gave a light laugh.
¡°Uncle?¡± Chris gave a strange expression.
¡°Well¡ he¡¯s kind of like a well-known General, right? Right now, some treat him as a hero! What if he calls me Uncle? Wouldn¡¯t that prove my point?¡± Lynd smiled innocently.
The soldiers around them gave a curious look at what would happen.
¡°Unc¡ Uncle?¡± Harker hesitantly spoke.
¡°I think you need to do it more respectfully.¡± Lynd evaluated.
Harker gave a soft growl.
¡°Uncle Lynd.¡± Harker voiced out.
¡°Somethings missing,¡± Alean spoke before Lynd could even react.
Harker glared at her daughter.
¡°Do it with a respectful expression. And kneel down while saying, Uncle Lynd. In fact, let¡¯s make it, His Great Highness Uncle Lynd. Also, give a Knight-styled sword salute.¡± Alean smiled.
¡°I don¡¯t think that would be¡¡±
¡°Just make him do it, Lynd,¡± Alean commanded.
¡°Al-Alright¡Mr. Cipril¡ If you will?¡±
Harker was fuming with rage but gripped his fist and gave a respectful bow and patted his chest three times.
¡°His Great Highness Uncle Lynd.¡± Harker bowed.
Chris and Grace stared with a bewildered expression.
¡°Yeah¡¡± Lynd smiled embarrassedly.
¡°I hope that convinces you guys.¡± Lynd smiled and looked at Chris and Grace.
¡°Make him cluck like a chicken and flap his arms.¡± Grace suggested.
¡°Grace!¡± Chris scolded.
Grace gave an embarrassed look.
¡°Make him do that, topless.¡± Chris then added seriously.
Lynd was surprised but saw the serious stares of Seeker¡¯s parents.
¡°Uh¡.¡± Lynd gave a helpless smile.
¡°Wait¡ Why am I bringing it up to you? You saidZeek¡¯s his boss, right? Well, as Zeek¡¯s father, aren¡¯t I half his boss? So do what I say, Harker!¡± Chris declared loudly.
Harker cursed silently.
¡°Sorry, Mr. Cipril. I mean, you¡¯ve got to pay for your sins one way or the other right?¡±
That day, malicious and insidious deeds were made. Harker lost all forms of dignity as a General, in fact, his dignity as a human crumbled right before the eyes of his own soldiers. The tyrannical couple took their sweet time and started with making Harker do the hokey pokey with other soldiers.
As for the other deeds, even Alean and Lynd would never know as they walked out of the room in embarrassment.
Harker died that day. And out of Harker¡¯s broken self-esteem rose the Path which Harker would later master, Shameless Audacity.
While Harker did unspeakable tasks that would put the twelve labors of Hercules into mere child¡¯s play, a submarine was headed towards the edges of Australia¡¯s Area of Responsibility.
Arthur was seated patiently. He was wearing a dark synthetic outfit.
¡°Are you guys ready?¡± Arthur turned to a group of twelve. There were teens and adults among the group and the group was evenly divided among the two genders.
¡°This is crazy, Arthy.¡± Meryl sighed as entered the room.
¡°No, it''s not. A week''s worth of training and the fact that they¡¯ve been taking Charles experimental drugs¡ This should be enough for these twelve to sabotage Australia from the inside.¡±
¡°Not that. I mean the fact that we have to ride a missile and jump right before these missiles bomb the base.¡±
¡°That won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Arthur took one more glance at the Twelve Disciples.
Each of the Twelve had a deep hatred for what Australia has done to them. Even at the cost of their lives, they didn¡¯t have any problems with this mission.
Meryl gave a light sigh then turned to the Twelve.
¡°Alright Class! This is going to be your final exam. We¡¯ll only help you up to the initial battle. How you infiltrate Australia will be up to you. I hope that you all will make it out alive.¡±
Chapter Eighty: Re-Entering Australia
The continuing political battles against Australia continued. Yet another day has passed without any attacks.
Talks about releasing Australian citizens that came from other countries continued but were met with sharp rebuttals from Australia.
The World Governing Powers still held a strong stance against Cyber Abominations and the reuse of weapons of mass destruction.
¡°Wars have come and gone but the moment we allow ourselves to act on these depravities, then we can simply kiss the world goodbye. Australia, should you show any hint of cyber abominations against any foreigners be it from Pangea or other nations, we will allow nations to use weapons of mass destruction against you!¡±
The Supreme Judge declared righteously.
¡°But if any nation uses any forms of weapons of mass destruction, then the World Governing Powers have all agreed that that nations immunity towards weapons of mass destruction will be revoked. Australia or any other nations may use weapons of mass destruction against it!¡± The Judge continued.
A great clamor erupted in the room as several representatives argued on the immediate resolution.
Australian representatives all was silent. But they knew this was the best possible course of action. They could continue the war without fearing attacks utilizing weapons of Mass Destruction.
¡°Looks like the wars going to continue for a long time.¡± Chris sighed.
Seated next to him was another couple. The tall man and woman stood nearby and kept looking at the doors at the far end of the wide room they were in.
¡°Where is my daughter? Why were we asked to wait here?¡± He spoke with a strict voice.
¡°Mr. Steveson Mikado, I know that you¡¯re getting impatient. But I¡¯m sure your daughter¡¯s fine.¡± Grace gave a kind remark as she urged this short and unhappy man back to her seat.
¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ Is something wrong?¡± Grace then turned towards the wife of Steveson. Jade Mikado.
¡°You¡¯ve been staring at me for quite some time.¡±
¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just. Were in this military base and you two seems so calm.¡±
¡°Oh. That¡¯s because something impossible was shown to us. But this was all to our advantage so we¡¯re not worried.¡± Chris gave a light smile but his melancholic eyes continued to look deeply towards Jade¡¯s.
¡°Buuuuut you still won¡¯t tell us what¡¯s going on?¡± A happy and playful voice spoke behind the couple who had intense gazes.
The two couples barely managed to hide their frown and turned towards the last couple with them.
Peters Indigo and his ever faithful, and somewhat deranged wife, Lynda Indigo.
¡°My my¡ what¡¯s with your gazes. You two should know that I am the one who should be the most¡ the concern in this troublesome situation.¡± Peters laughed as he gave a meaningful glance at the two couples.
The two couples gave a surprised look as if something sparked as Peters spoke.
The atmosphere then became tense.
¡°Harker here,¡± Harker spoke through the speakers.
¡°Thank you for waiting. I¡¯m sure you must be wondering why I¡¯ve asked you to wait in that large room. Now is the time to find out. You must have noticed the three crates just below the television? Please open it. The code is 5-7-3-1.¡± Harker stopped speaking as the group went for the large crates. There were three crates prepared so each couple went over a crate.
They gave a careful glance at each other before they typed the codes together.
A clicking sound was heard and the three couples opened the boxes as if they were in synch.
Inside the crates were several guns. Sub-machine guns, rifles, handguns, and large knives.
The three were surprised at the sight.
The door at the far end of the empty room opened as three individuals walked in.
They wore a black mask and each held a particular weapon.
The man on the left carried a large ax that was probably longer than himself.
The woman at the center held a pair of handguns while the tall man at the right held an obscenely large gun.
The man at the right immediately aimed his gun at the couples.
¡°This is bad!¡± Chris immediately reacted and immediately took out a gun on the crate.
Grace did so likewise as well as the other couples.
Just when they had taken out a gun, the tall man immediately shot a single round using the big gun''s grenade launcher.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
The couples panicked and evaded the blast.
Peters was the first to react.
¡°Ah screw it!¡± He then opened fire and shot several rounds using the sub-machine gun he managed the acquire.
The tall man easily avoided all the attacks.
¡°Amazing! I couldn¡¯t believe it! Arthur was right!¡± A familiar voice sounded from the tall man.
¡°Lynd?¡± Peters spoke in shock.
Lynd shot the grenade launcher to explode a few meters from their location. But the quick reactions of his own father revealed the truth of Arthur¡¯s previous revelation.
Lynd took out his mask.
¡°Dad! You¡¯re really a former mercenary?!¡± Lynd had an awestruck look at his dad.
The other couples already held their weapons and were aiming at the enemy but then stopped at the sudden development.
¡°Lynd Peters?¡± Stevenson was shocked at the revelation.
¡°Hi, Uncle Steveson!¡± Lynd gave a happy greeting.
¡°I guess Arthur was right and you should be part of the East Asian Alliance Intelligence.¡± Lynd smiled and then readied another round. But before he could shoot¡
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Chris shot several rounds on the ground just a few inches away from where the three stood.
¡°And finally, the worst of the lot.¡± Alean smiled.
¡°Chris and Grace Carlean. Pangean Operatives. But the two of you are actually double-agent spies from the Americas right?¡± Alean then readied her gun.
¡°You know what to do. We¡¯re dealing with experts here. Vamp up the training and release the strongest pressure you have.¡± Alean ordered as the trio continued to walk closer towards the group.
The group gave a wary look at each other. Although Stevenson knew of Chris and Grace¡¯s true identity, as well as the dark history of the feared mercenaries pair that wreaked havoc in SPU¡¯s history, he did not expect that his own cover was blown.
Facing such a complicated scenario, Steveson threw his gun on the ground.
¡°If you know our identities. Then I surrender. I¡¯ll tell you everything if you promise that my daughter is safe.¡± Steveson gave a serious stare at Alean.
BANG! BANG!
With two gunshots, the weapon that Steveson threw on the ground flew back up to him.
¡°Nice shot.¡± Alean commended Lynd.
¡°Don¡¯t worry Uncle Steveson. Meryl¡¯s with Arthur. Unlike Zeek, Arthur¡¯s very careful and thoughtful. So you can be sure that she''s not doing anything crazy. Sorry, Mom! Dad! I¡¯ll have to be a little rough on you.¡± Lynd smiled as his pace started getting faster.
¡°Wait! Where¡¯s my daughter! I just want to know if she¡¯s safe!¡±
¡°Like I said Uncle, she¡¯s in good hands. Don¡¯t worry about her. I''m sure she''s enjoying the ocean breeze right now. Worry about yourself.¡± A tremendously strong pressure filled the room.
Meanwhile, on the dark depths of the ocean, a submarine slowly submerged.
¡°Alright, guys! Time to ride our rockets to Australia!¡± Meryl shouted happily. She had already adjusted herself from the pitch-black environment of the sea. The moon and stars shone poorly that night. Perfect for their operation.
¡°Arthy! Explain.¡±
¡°The long-ranged misses have been modified in which we should be able to hang onto these parts. The rockets will be traveling at intense speeds so expect to withstand up to 8 G-Force. That¡¯s nothing that we can¡¯t handle though. At my signal, we are to abandon our missiles and glide towards the base. Our target is to disable the defense of the base. Kill everyone silently and disable whatever defense system you can. That is all.¡±
The team walked out of the submerged submarine and waited for the countdown.
¡°It¡¯s still not too late to stop this crazy plan, Sire.¡± Admiral Ramsden Audenvise gave a last plea.
¡°Stop calling me ¡°sire¡± Ramsden. You¡¯re no longer our family butler.¡±
¡°Be it as it may, Sire, I still find myself to be blamed for what happened to your sister. I cannot stand to see another one of Master¡¯s sons to be lost in meaningless combat.¡±
¡°It¡¯s no longer meaningless, Ramsden. And don¡¯t worry. Dad¡¯s looking for my sister now. We should be able to get her safety. You have your orders.¡±
¡°As you wish Sire.¡±
¡°Admiral, launching will shortly begin. Please come back inside.¡±
The Admiral slowly walked towards the entrance and gave one last look towards his young master.
¡°Fire the Lightning Rods!¡± Admiral ordered.
Further out from the borders of Australia¡¯s area of responsibility, the Floating Fortress Churchill acted.
Several long-ranged launchers aimed for Australia and fired several rounds of rockets.
The rockets flew high up on the atmosphere and slowly it aimed down. Up on the stratosphere, these rockets unloaded their package using magnetic technology.
Large bars of steel rods flew down to the earth from the great heights of heaven.
As it reached the Australian base, the Enigmatic Magnetic Field acted as bolts of lightning arced and struck these large rods.
But the rods weren¡¯t explosives and simply withstood the electric bolts and crashed on the base.
BOOM!
The earth shook as these megaton metals planted itself on the different parts of the base.
Admiral Ramsden Audenvise gazes at the video feeds and smirked.
¡°You think you¡¯re the only one who has grown since the last war, Australia? It¡¯s time to fight fire with fire.¡±
Meryl and Arthur watched the feeds outside the submarine using a small square device.
¡°What¡¯s that metal? It didn¡¯t seem to do anything on the base except create a few holes.¡± Meryl had a confused expression.
¡°Wait for it. While Australia utilized alien technology to reach this far, the other countries had also used the time to perfect their sciences. And a powerful nation such as New Great Britain isn¡¯t something to be ignored. They are probably the only nation who could dismantle Australia¡¯s EMF.¡±
¡°You mean those metals will keep the EMF busy?¡±
¡°No. That¡¯s not it. It¡¯s ironic actually... This technology of theirs. After all these years and all their breakthrough, they went back to one science which they¡¯ve been famous for in science fiction. Doctor Frankenstein¡¯s eccentric answer to awakening his monster. The Lightning Rod.¡±
The pods which held and fired the large metal rods then started to spark an electric charge. The electric current raged out as these pods slowly fell towards the ground. Then it happened.
A large lightning blast arced from the sky and rocked these heavy metals.
BOOM!
A net of electric arcs filled the entire base.
Electric arcs continued to dance striking every form of metal and incinerating unguarded soldiers outside.
The war between the EMF reddish lightning fought against the blue lightning arcs from the lightning rod and resulted in chaos. Soon the reddish lightning arcs disappeared.
Another set of large metals fell unto the base. And a few seconds later, lightning strikes rained upon the base once more. The arcs of electricity were more chaotic as more Lightning rods protruded from the ground.
¡°The missions a go!¡± Arthur spoke as he readied to jump.
The EMF was no longer activated at the second volley of Lightning Rods.
The submarine-launched several torpedoes which then vaulted upwards and broke out of the water.
Arthur immediately jumped and positioned himself at the provided gaps and handles of the large rising rocket.
Soon the volley of rockets broke through the waters as the rest of the teams followed.
The submarine launched a total of twenty-three rockets which flew to the sky.
¡°WEHEW!¡± Meryl shouted excitedly as she was lifted high above the dark sea.
It wasn¡¯t long before the base was on sight.
Several anti-air turrets were still functional and shot several rounds towards the sky.
¡°You sure you got this Arthy?!¡± Meryl shouted loudly on her comm device.
Arthur did not answer but simply pulled out two rifles prepared for this anti-air opposition.
Chapter Eighty-One: The Parents Allegiances
Two long rifles were inserted into a slot on Arthur¡¯s missile. Ensuring that the locks that held him on the missiles were securely fastened, Arthur then used his rifles to aim.
Just then, the burst of speed that the rockets they were riding started to slow down. With the last adjustments on the missiles, position and aims were performed by the missiles, the bursting flares that propelled these missiles started to die out and the rockets then continued to a freefalling motion.
The missiles glided and started free-falling towards the base.
¡°Why did it die out?¡± Meryl panicked.
¡°These missiles are equipped with anti-heat seeking capability. They are designed to glide towards its target.¡± Arthur calmly replied as he aimed for the approaching anti-air rockets.
However, even without the heat source, the Arbiter rockets continued to fly towards the sky. Despite the disappearing heat signals, it continued to fly towards the missiles that Arthur and his team rode.
¡°Why does it look like those rockets still know where we are?¡± Meryl wondered.
¡°Australian technology. If I had to guess, it¡¯s using magnetic technology to guide the rockets. Anyway, we¡¯ve come prepared.¡±
BANG! BANG!
Two shots were fired and the powerful Rail Gun which destroyed two anti-air rockets reaching for the missiles. The rockets exploded and destroyed the nearby rockets as well.
Arthur continued to shoot the rockets as they glided through the air. Using Instant Calculation, Arthur determined that the remaining anti-air rockets would not be able to intercept the free-falling missiles.
The missiles which Arthur and his team rode glided pass the Arbiter rockets.
The remaining Arbiter Rockets then broke into many pieces and created a shield of the explosion which destroyed the other missiles that were launched.
¡°Detach now!¡± Arthur ordered.
The team immediately unfasted the belt which they attached to the rocket kicked off the gliding rocket.
Glider wings immediately appeared as they extended their arms. Like flying squirrels, the team glided slower compared to the missiles. A second after they jumped off the missiles, the boosters reignited and the missiles flew towards the different locations of the military base.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Alas, Australia¡¯s anti-air defense was prepared. Since the first attack, the layers of air-defenses had been enabled. Most of the missiles exploded before it could even hit the ground.
The shockwaves tore the skies above the base and in the chaos of the explosions, two missiles managed to bypass the air defenses and finally managed a touchdown.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two large explosions rocked the eastern and southern part of the base.
The lightning strikes finally ceased as the wave of lightning¡¯s that arced through the area faded.
The soldiers finally made their appearances. Jet powered Exoskeletons flew to the sky and several infantries also made its appearance.
Meanwhile, in the shroud of darkness and the distraction of the explosions and lightning¡¯s, no one could imagine that fourteen soldiers had infiltrated their base.
Another wave of lightning rods was approaching the base, but the anti-air defenses managed to attack it while the EMF only attacked approaching missiles.
¡°And that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± Lynd finally breathed out.
It was a long story that he told. Luckily, his audience had no strength to ask any questions with their current state. Their shock also made them hold their silence.
The three couples were lying flat on hospital beds as several nurses and medics treated them.
Their condition was bad. They all had gunshot wounds, several gashes and even stab wounds. Although they weren¡¯t critically injured, they looked like they just survived a war zone.
¡°So my daughter¡ is currently training twelve of these ¡®Unlocked¡¯ by accompanying them in attacking Australia?¡± Steveson was the first to react from the long tale.
¡°Sir! It¡¯s on the news.¡± A soldier arrived in and reported.
Harker simply nodded and immediately signaled for the television to be turned on.
¡°Following the rejected demands of New Great Britain, General Audenvise has acted once more and attacked the military base on Lower Tresk. Several long-range missiles were fired and an ongoing skirmish is taking place in the Easter Seas of Australia. Pangean military personnel who were monitoring the area noted that several lightning strikes occurred on the base.¡± A female reporter spoke as several images and a short video was shown of the lightning strikes.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
¡°Experts claim that these lightning strikes damaged the base and should be a new technology developed by New Great Britain.¡±
¡°It¡¯s clear that war is on the mind of every nation. Australia has revealed its aces and managed to push back the battle. But it looks like New Great Britain has a few tricks of their own.¡± A short fat man with a thick accent spoke on television. His title appeared and identified the new face as General Pimitin, a Malay-Pangean General.
¡°So do you think Australia will lose this war?¡± A reporter asked.
¡°It¡¯s hard to say. We haven¡¯t seen the full extent of their technology. What¡¯s curious is why did New Great Britain unveil this new technology? No other nation has yet to reveal their aces yet as early as now, but New Great Britain already did.¡± General Pimitin frowned as he spoke. There was clear distrust and wonder in his eyes.
The new continued to relay the information about the sudden battle, but Steveson paid no further attention to it.
¡°So my daughters taking part in the battle?¡±
BEEP! A comm device suddenly alerted as Lynd immediately took it out to check.
¡°Yep. Looks like they¡¯ve completed their mission and is swimming back to the submarine."
The stares of the couple were numb at this point. Such information brought them to a state of not knowing how to react. It wasn¡¯t long since they fought three young kids who turned their world upside down. The moment¡¯s that they thought they would die exceeded the total amount they experienced in their lifetime.
¡°Now on to the reason why we all called you here.¡± Alean finally spoke.
¡°We need you to betray whatever organizations you¡¯re working for and pledge your allegiance to our cause. Right now, this is the only organization worth fighting for. Your sons and daughter are already fighting it. This information cannot reach the organizations you¡¯re working it. Do you understand?¡±
Peters gave a loud sigh.
¡°Welp¡ having my ass handed down to me by my own sons sure is refreshing. We¡¯re mercs. We don¡¯t have work for anyone. We went to this country to retire. Looks like we can¡¯t retire just yet, Lynda.¡± Peters laughed.
¡°Lynd Peters¡ just know that I¡¯ll be sure to get back at you.¡± Lynda gave a strong glare towards her own son.
Lynd sighed seeing that look. It wasn¡¯t how she used to look at him. But before Lynd¡¯s emotions could affect him¡
¡°But I¡¯m proud of you son!¡± Lynda smiled.
¡°You even managed to top the daughter of this strict Chinese man! But just promise me you won¡¯t ever kill yourself trying to save that cowards son! If you already did in that future, then don''t in this timeline.¡± Lynda laughed as she pointed at Chris.
Steveson and Chris gave a ferocious glare at Lynda.
¡°Haha! That¡¯s right! How you like me now Detective?¡± Peters mocked.
¡°If what you said is true¡ then it¡¯s only obvious that we would follow you. Our assignment to Phil-Pangea also acted as my retirement.¡± Steveson spoke coldly.
¡°I would love to help my son out. But it¡¯s not that simple. They know I met with you, Harker.¡± Chris spoke gravely.
¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s part of our plan. We will be headed for China. I want you three to act as a distracting entity to add more mystery for our upcoming fight.¡± Alean spoke.
¡°Arthur¡¯s plan is to use your identities to draw attention to whatever secret agency that¡¯s watching you. If the three of you suddenly decide to go for One China, then it might mislead the Aragarians into thinking that what this is, is simply a battle in the underworld. You are to head back to your respective organization and act as if you¡¯ve uncovered something between my organization, and Meng¡¯s.¡± Harker concluded.
¡°I see. You¡¯re using our identities to make this operation known so that it won¡¯t be something suspicious to our alien residents¡¡± Chris concluded.
¡°Hiding something by putting it in plain sight... Impressive.¡± Steveson summarized.
¡°How is Zeek¡¯s condition?¡± Grace finally asked an gave a glare to her husband.
¡°Honey! Relax! Look, Lynd¡¯s like his best friend and he¡¯s not worried¡ Right, Lynd?¡± Chris turned to Lynd.
¡°Don¡¯t worry Aunt Grace. Zeek¡¯s just preparing himself. Charles confirmed that his status is already stable and should awaken within a week or so.¡±
Grace sighed in relief.
¡°You said my daughter¡¯s changed. How?¡± Jade spoke for the first time.
Peters laughed.
¡°So you know how to speak after all?¡±
¡°Lynd.¡± Jade asked firmly ignoring Peters and Lynda¡¯s laughs.
¡°You have to see it for yourself. She¡¯ll be waiting in China.¡± Lynd smiled.
Looking at the two strict parents of Meryl, Lynd offered a silent prayer for Arthur.
¡°What about Richie?¡± Grace spoke once more.
¡°Me and my husband met that man by chance. It¡¯s hard for me to believe that he might lose against Meng.¡± Grace spoke once more.
¡°Arthur told me that Richie needs to master Peals of Thunder. Otherwise, we would all die in this battle.¡± Lynd casually answered.
¡°Then¡ then why are you so calm?¡±
¡°Zeek already went to the trouble of fixing it. It should be fine.¡± Lynd smiled.
Even Alean could not help but smirk at Lynd¡¯s confident answer.
Far far away from the Pangean military base where Lynd was, a thin man with a bandaged leg silently sat at the church seats. The service had already ended and the Pastor was met with a group of people who would thank the Pastor for the sermon.
The thin man calmly waited for the Pastor to finish his greetings and started to retreat out the back.
The thin man then moved. His steps weren¡¯t fast. But it was clear that his wounds were no longer an issue.
The thin man traveled through the backstage of the large churches pulpit and then reached the outside of the building. A pathway led towards the home of this Pastor. People would come and go as they pleased so seeing this thin, bandaged man didn¡¯t alarm the residents of the house.
¡°I¡¯m here to see the Pastor.¡± The thin man asked a young boy who was just exiting the house.
¡°Oh. Follow this pathway and turn right to a little house. That¡¯s my dad¡¯s office.¡± The young man answered respectfully.
¡°Thanks!¡± The thin man answered and went towards the small house.
The thin man didn¡¯t even knock but simply opened the door.
The Pastor gave a curious look at the man but kept silent.
The thin man walked and sat on the chair. His posture was neither arrogant or respectful but had a casual aura.
¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m Richie.¡± Richie smiled at the Pastor.
¡°Calvin Luther Eagle. You can call me Cal.¡± The Pastor smiled respectfully.
¡°I was hoping you wouldn¡¯t visit me. I¡¯m curious why you did though.¡± Eagle spoke as he stood up and went for the refrigerator.
¡°I don¡¯t drink but feel free to do so.¡± Eagle then tossed a bottle of beer towards Richie.
¡°Oh my, Pastor. If you don¡¯t drink then why did you have a bottle of beer in your fridge.¡±
¡°Obviously I noticed you and asked my wife to buy some for you guys.¡± Eagle shrugged and sat down.
¡°Now to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± Eagle then gave a slightly serious stare.
¡°This.¡± It was a simple word, but the glasses around the house started to shake. Any more and it would have broken.
¡°Impressive.¡± Eagle nodded.
¡°If it is, then why aren¡¯t you affected by it?¡±
¡°Slightly weak. I¡¯ve seen and experienced worse.¡± Eagle gave an honest reply. He was not arrogant in his bearing but someone who looked like he was ashamed of what he just said.
¡°I see¡ It looks like that little kid Seeker was right¡ Now on to business¡¡± Richie then leaned forward. His eyes stared deep into the mysterious entity before him.
Chapter Eighty-Two: The Reformer
¡°In conclusion¡ This drug is a preliminary drug that I¡¯ve developed to help people reach the Unlocking up to Unbecoming Advent. I¡¯ve been developing this based on my cells. I¡¯ve figured that if I used Seeker¡¯s or any other, then the effects would be too drastic and could kill a person. So I used myself and Alean as the base. At Arthur¡¯s request, Cliff¡¯s data has been scrapped as his potential seems to exceed Surmounting Unbecoming.¡± Charles spoke calmly. On the screen was him in one of his doctor attire. A coat that he hasn¡¯t worn for quite some time.
¡°But you still haven¡¯t answered my question. Why are my parents in pain!?¡± Lynd shouted angrily.
Charles laughed.
¡°Relax! It¡¯s part of the process! Remember what we¡¯ve been through?¡±
¡°We never had that!¡±
¡°You did! You just didn¡¯t notice it. Seeker has been slowly building your physical capabilities remember? You kept training till your body was sore and we were exposed to those hellish training. The stress that our minds and bodies experienced slowly piled up until we reached it. What you taught was simply sore muscles from your workouts were actually the changing cells of your body brought about by his training.¡±
¡°So why are my dad and mom screaming in pain?!¡± Lynd demanded once more.
¡°Imagine all that stress being compressed as one big ball.¡± Charles motioned swiftly as if trying to compress as something.
¡°And then placed in a pill. And have your parents eat that pill. All the stress that should have slowly changed your body suddenly happens and explodes. Wouldn¡¯t that be painful?¡±
¡°Then why did you make them take it?¡± Lynd growled.
¡°Don¡¯t worry! They won¡¯t die! They¡¯re mercs! They¡¯ve must have had the necessary physical training and all that! They can handle that stress! I¡¯ve already tested it on these three! And look how happy they are!¡± Charles laughed as he pointed to the three,
The Alakaster Sisters, as well as Eric, gave a happy wave.
¡°Of course they¡¯d be happy! They¡¯re Programmed Slaves!¡± Lynd could only grumble.
¡°Depending on the progress of their Unlocking, they will either experience pain or have no effect at all. Did Cliff take it?¡±
Cliff was in excruciating pain.
The airplane didn¡¯t have bidets on their toilets and he was forced to use toilet papers. It was unnatural for him knowing that bits and pieces of his own excrement would be meeting his underwear gave him a restless mood as he sat down his seat.
¡°What?¡± Cliff asked irritably noticing Lynd¡¯s stare.
Lynd turned back to his Visual Pad and gave a frustrated stare at Charles.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about your parents Lynd! They¡¯ve been through harsher pain than this! Anyways, I¡¯m really busy right now. With the data you and Zeek¡¯s been giving us, we are constantly improving the possibility of a drug that can boost a person¡¯s potential. See ya!¡± Charles immediately disconnected the call.
Lynd sighed and rushed back to the hangar of the large military plane and went to visit his parent who was still squirming uncontrollably in a small pod prepared for each of them.
¡°What did he say?¡± Alean playfully asked.
¡°He says it''s normal,¡± Lynd grumbled.
¡°Oh! Come here you!¡± Alean went and gave Lynd a tight hug.
Lynd blushed to the extremes.
¡°Anyways, we should be approaching the Tatsulok soon. Let¡¯s get into position. We can¡¯t be seen.¡±
The large plane approached Pangea¡¯s version of the Floating Fortress.
A large triangle shape ship could be seen floating in the middle of the vast ocean. Like the F.F Churchill, the entire ship spanned several kilometers wide.
¡°Tatsulok Aguinaldo in sight.¡± A soldier reported to Harker.
¡°Get in position.¡± He told the group.
Unlike New Great Britain¡¯s 5th fleet, the Phil-Pangean fleet was located further north, just outside the Area of Responsibility of One China.
The Tatsulok Aguinaldo became the favored location for several countries to meet and solidify a possible alliance against the Australians.
As Pangea was generally neutral in its stance against New Great Britain and One China, it was the only nation that was deemed as safe for several enemies to meet at.
General Harker walked down the plane and saluted the Pangean Generals who waited for him.
¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the troublemaker.¡± A General frowned at the sight of Harker.
¡°Panderas. Nice to see you again.¡± Harker answered coldly.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
The other Generals could only sigh at the sight of these two bickering. Who knew how many died in the secret battles between these two.
¡°I should have you arrested for what you did. But I guess the death of your daughters enough.¡± Panderas laughed happily.
Harker frowned and with a speed that far surpassed a normal human¡¯s he implanted his left fist deep into the abdomen of Panderas.
Panderas flew back a few feet and tumbled down vomiting blood and spit. Panderases reaction was swift. He reached for his gun but before he could pull the trigger Harker stomped forcefully at this forearms.
The sound of the bones breaking could be heard as Pandera¡¯s pained screamed seemed to overpower the sounds of helicopters and planes landing.
The other General finally managed to react and tried to separate the two but Harker had already moved with amazing speed and calmness as he walked towards the main buildings.
¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for your games Panderas. Talk like that again and I¡¯ll break your jaw.¡± Harker answered coldly as we continued walking.
The scene petrified the other Generals and the surrounding soldiers. Not even Panderas¡¯s own men dared to point their gun at a General.
As the delegates from other Nations started arriving, two particular groups immediately went and paid their respects to the heroic actions of Harker Cipril.
One China¡¯s delegates, as well as New Great Britain¡¯s, paid a visit to the General.
As the delegations arrived and spoke with Harker on his office, another meeting was occurring.
¡°Arthur! Meryl!¡± Lynd rushed towards Meryl and gave her a tight hug.
Alean couldn¡¯t help but clench her fingers as Lynd hugged his best friend who recently turned into a divine angel.
¡°Oh¡ Umm¡ Hi Kristine!¡± Lynd gave a shy smile.
Kristine returned a smile back after which, she returned to a tired and exhausted stupor.
Lowengren walked behind Kristine with the same exhausted look.
¡°What happened to them?¡± Alean wondered.
¡°They took Charles drug. So they¡¯re a little nauseated.¡± Arthur responded flatly.
¡°Alright. Everyone, get ready. We are about to leave. Our guide to one China should be arriving shortly.¡± Arthur ordered without caring for the state of everyone who just settled down.
¡°How do we get to One China without leaving a trail?¡± Alean asked immediately.
¡°My father already made the preparations. Several soldiers from the delegates of One China are actually assassins. They¡¯ve made the preparations and we should be able to sneak into the plane without notice.¡±
¡°Assassins? Friends of your father?¡±
¡°No. These are Meng¡¯s subordinates.¡±
¡°What? Arthy! How did you pull that off?¡±
¡°Remember Seeker¡¯s little gift to Meng? Meng promised my father that he¡¯d help him out once for the gift. My father told him to help me sneak into One China without detection.¡±
¡°Nutterballs. So we¡¯re asking our enemies to help us get to them?¡±
¡°They should probably bring us to one of their bases and treat us like VIPs. Once that happens, we wait for Richie to make his move.¡±
¡°I wonder if Richie¡¯s managed to perfect Peal¡¯s of Thunder?¡±
¡°Seeker should be right. He wouldn¡¯t risk this. We could die after all.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. Zeek¡¯s made quite a lot of messed up decision.¡± Lynd sighed.
¡°What if Eagle is far stronger than Richie and Richie dies at the hands of this Overcomer?¡±
¡°Die? Why would he die? Did you think Seeker sent Richie to fight Eagle?¡± Lowengren spoke in an annoyed tone.
¡°Sebastian¡ Not everyone has your wisdom.¡± Alean reminded.
Lowengren sighed.
¡°Alright¡ I¡¯m sorry. That med¡¯s got me all cranky. Why would Seeker have him face another Overcomer? That¡¯s just stupid. Eagle wasn¡¯t meant to serve as a training ground for Richie¡ In fact, If Richie dares to fight Eagle, he¡¯d be dead for sure.¡±
¡°Then what¡¯s Eagle for?¡± Meryl couldn¡¯t help but ask.
¡°The only reasonable answer... is that Eagle is the reason why Seeker valued Harker.¡± Arthur began.
Inside the room of Pastor Calvin Luther Eagle¡
¡°¡and then I realized¡ I was a lonely man¡¡± Richie sobbed as he poured his heart out. The world¡¯s deadliest assassin sobbed for the first time in his entire cold and cruel life.
¡°Praise God¡ Realizations are the path to growth. You can¡¯t heal a wound by saying it¡¯s not there. Jeremiah 6:14. I¡¯m glad that my sermon has inspired you.¡± Eagle comforted.
Richie continued to cry his heart out. The years of anguish, of paranoia, of fear, all the shackles which bounded Richie all shattered at the immense kindness of the man before him. His words broke through the thick carapace which numbed Richie¡¯s heart.
¡°Your voice¡ it commands great power¡ you are right in thinking that it draws its strength in your own confidence. But the truth is¡ you aren¡¯t that confident. You are afraid. And so you hide in isolation. But should you break free from those chains, and find the courage to enjoy the fellowship of the brethren, then your confidence will also shoot up. Are you willing to call me friend, oh lone assassin?¡± Eagle challenged as he had just done countless times in the altar.
¡°I am!¡± Richie¡¯s voice was firm. It wasn¡¯t loud but it was powerful.
The moment he said those words, a powerful shockwave enveloped the room. Eagle managed to brace himself and withstood the impact but everything else shook and was thrown away. The crystals, mirrors, and glasses nearby all started cracking at the tremendous force.
Even Richie was surprised at the sudden changes.
¡°I¡I¡¯m sorry!¡± Richie immediately apologized.
¡°No need! I have seen a miracle today! This is the miracle of John 18:6! I am happy to have served you!¡± Eagle smiled.
¡°Go in peace. I feel that the purpose of your visit has been fulfilled.¡±
¡°It has. Thank you, Pastor. I feel that we will meet someday. That kid should allow our roads to cross once more. Until then, I¡¯ll be happily watching your sermons online.¡± Richie respectfully answered.
¡°Oh? What about your friend? He wasn¡¯t planning on seeing me? Truth be told, if he was the one who met me, then I¡¯m not sure what I would do!¡± Eagle laughed.
¡°Hmm? There was someone else? I came here alone.¡±
¡°Oh¡ Looks like he was just here to watch.¡±
¡°I can stay here if you want.¡± Richie offered.
¡°No. Since my God has granted you victory, let your mission not be delayed. Besides¡ I don¡¯t think that Mathematician has any untoward intention.¡± Eagle rubbed his chin.
¡°Lennox? He was here?¡± Richie was surprised and he continued to ponder this meaning.
¡°I think your right. If he was planning to hurt you, my instincts would have warned me about it.¡± Richie mumbled.
¡°Go. I shall pray for your success in overcoming the last chains that bind your heart.¡± Eagle smiled confidently.
Richie said no more. He stood up and walked out of the room.
He looked back and could not help but feel thankful to the young man who made him meet Eagle.
¡°What a powerful person. No wonder my instincts were warning me not to mess with that man. Now I¡¯m even his friend.¡± Richie mumbled to himself as he started walking out of the residence.
Richie then recalled Eagle¡¯s words.
As Richie reached the outskirts of Eagle¡¯s residences, he looked at the distances and knew he was being watched.
¡°Lennox. Don¡¯t mess with him. Or you¡¯ll have to face me as well.¡± Richie growled.
The Overcomer¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t a loud shout but an invisible force moved from where he stood and shot at the roof of a nearby mid-rise building.
Lennox was observing what had transpired. He took several steps back as whip-like sound zoomed pass his body accompanied by Richie¡¯s words.
¡°Interesting...¡± Lennox spoke calmly unaffected by the terror that should have sent any man kneeling in fear. He removed his cracked glasses and started to walk away.
Chapter Eighty-Three: Special Packages
A young wounded boy followed the various soldiers who were leading the people away from the war.
The sudden attacks of New Great Britain had threatened the nearby city. The war slowly dragged towards the city and New Great Britain¡¯s forces had finally conquered the base.
The evacuation occurred immediately and the soldiers were escorting the civilians out.
Thanks to the pacts and agreements set by the World Governing Powers, it was possible for these civilians to make their retreats without facing the attacks from the enemy.
¡°Looks like this is where we part ways.¡± A tall man followed the boy.
¡°Remember your assignments. Let¡¯s show these heathens the wrath of God.¡± The young boy spoke seriously.
Eleven refugees nodded and slowly went their separate ways.
On the Tatsulok Aguinaldo, the meeting of the Generals of several nations finally ended.
¡°General Lu.¡± Harker called out as One China¡¯s General was about to disappear on the various exits of the hall.
¡°Harker?¡± The young General noticed.
¡°I have a bold proposal. You probably have heard the intel that I¡¯m the leader of an Underworld organization based in Phil-Pangea. That information is correct.¡±
The simple sentence shocked General Lu.
¡°However, at the death of my daughter, I realized how things¡ were wrong for me¡ Right now, my priority is the destruction of Australia. I have sold all the information regarding my organization to two groups of Foreign Intelligence Service. Your country can benefit from this. All you have to do is allow six people to board your plane.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s talk somewhere else.¡± The General responded. The details that Harker spoke off were extremely terrifying.
The pair walked towards Harker¡¯s office.
General Lu sat down on his seat and got straight to business.
¡°A bold proposal you have, Harker. The things you just said could get you killed. So if you are willing to risk this much just to inform me, you¡¯re either crazy or confident of my trustworthiness. Who are these people and what is their purpose?¡±
¡°I¡¯m simply resolved, General. These people are American double agents who now reside in Pangea, an Eastern Alliance spy, and two extremely skilled mercenaries from the SPU.¡±
¡°Oh? That¡¯s quite a diverse group. Not to mention they are all our enemies. Why are you bringing One China into this little gathering of yours? And if this is for revenge, why aren¡¯t you joining the trip?¡±
¡°This mission is a great opportunity for One China, General. You let these groups in, they might be able to give you data on Meng the Dragon. And possibly, his technology.¡±
A surprised look surfaced on General Lu¡¯s face.
¡°Why would you and those countries want to mess with Meng?¡±
¡°His technology of course. The unmatched and strong warriors he has are unfathomable. Has your Flood Dragons ever been a match for Meng¡¯s assassins? It¡¯s clear that he must have some human experiments that could provide biological improvements that enhance the human body.¡±
¡°It¡¯s all pure conjecture. We have yet to confirm if Meng really holds such sciences.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why you send these three. I don¡¯t care for the benefits as long as Australia burns. If it¡¯s true that Meng holds such technology, then your country stands to benefit from the discoveries made by these groups. If they fail, you cannot be blamed. The fault will fall on either America, The Eastern Asian Alliance, or the SPU.¡±
General Lu silently considered Harker¡¯s words.
¡°Then why have you not risked yourself, General? Why would Pangea not take part in this mission?¡± General Lu gave a scrutinizing glare at Harker.
Harker laughed.
¡°Haven¡¯t you just seen my countries stand in this war? This isn¡¯t a Pangean operation, General. It is a Harker initiative. I gathered those groups and I offered them the plans and sold the information I have regarding Meng. As a part of the Underworld, I also gave them a lot of information on a lot of things.¡± Harker smiled.
General Lu could not help but feel fear in his hearts. Was it possible that Harker knew of his own secrets?
¡°As for my personal involvement in this, it¡¯s simple. This plan is not full-proof. What if it fails? What if Meng doesn¡¯t have the technology? This could reveal my connections to the Underworld. And if Pangea finds out about it, my days as General is over. And I ask you, if I lose my position, who can assure me that Australia will fall?!¡± Harker questioned with eyes burning with fanatic passion.
General Lu could not help but pity the man. So behind this cold General¡¯s treatment towards his own daughter was actually a doting father, who simply gave her daughter tough love?Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°I will contact my immediate supervisors. I¡¯ll tell them of the six new members. Have them board my plane.¡±
¡°Oh? You don¡¯t need their approval?¡±
¡°They trust me. And I don¡¯t need to worry. I feel that I can trust you as well.¡± General Lu stood up and immediately left.
Harker coldly watched as the General left. When the doors were finally shut, Harker finally sighed.
Harker took his phone and immediately dialed a number.
¡°You¡¯re good to go. Meng¡¯s assassin should soon meet with your team. Good luck. And Alean, come back alive.¡± Harker coldly spoke.
Alean didn¡¯t even respond but simply ended the call. However, she had an unusual smile on her face.
¡°Strange.¡± She muttered under her breath.
¡°The missions a go. Meng¡¯s assassins should be here soon.¡±
"Alright!" One special package to Meng coming up!" Meryl laughed.
¡°It¡¯s your time to shine.¡± Arthur glanced at the groggy couples.
¡°What happened?¡± Chris complained.
¡°Sorry, Uncle Chris! I had to knock you all out. And we gave you some drugs. You should take this time to get used to your new strength.¡±
¡°What?¡± Chris wondered as he tried to compose himself from the groggy sensation.
¡°Meryl!¡± Jade ran towards her daughter and hugged her tight. Steveson followed and gave a hug as well.
¡°Mom! Dad! Not in front of my friends! And aren''t you an Eastern Alliance spy? You should have more bearing and calm composure.¡± Meryl gave an embarrassed cry as her mother and father hugged her tight.
¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re safe. You¡¯re not mad that we lied to you?¡±
¡°Save it for later. We have more pressing issues at hand.¡± Arthur spoke.
¡°Where are we?¡± Steveson asked.
¡°The Tatsulok Aguinaldo.¡±
¡°Hey! I know you! That famous Piercing e-sport player!¡± Peters laughed.
¡°You know that there¡¯s a big bounty for your old man. The strange thing is, there was a bounty for you but then an explicit order came out not to touch you.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll have time for all unnecessary talks later. In a few minutes, you will be boarding a plane headed for One China. At this point, if you fail to follow my instructions you will die.¡± Arthur spoke emotionlessly.
¡°You all are now going to play the part as representatives of each of your organizations. Indigos, you¡¯re working for the SPU. Each of you will pretend to be in a joint operation to infiltrate and steal Meng''s technology.¡±
¡°So basically if we don''t play along with all this, you''ll kill us?¡±
¡°No. China would. Besides, screw up and your daughter would die. Well¡ probably die.¡± Arthur added as he felt Meryl¡¯s scorned stare.
¡°The files are here in this papers. Read it and live up to it.¡± Arthur handed the group a set of files.
The group gave a casual glance and terror was seen on the eyes of Chris and Steveson.
¡°My God! This could lead to a World War! This is crazy!¡± Chris cried as he read the files.
¡°Don¡¯t worry Uncle Chris!¡± Lynd laughed.
¡°They know what they¡¯re doing. Arthur¡¯s very smart and Lowengren¡¯s just as amazing. I¡¯m sure they have a well-thought plan in all of this. By the way, how did you guys infiltrate Australia?¡±
¡°We rode a long-range missile and glided our way into Australia¡¯s territory! It was fun! Kinda scary on the last part though. We had to jump off before the missiles blew up the base.¡± Meryl announced in glee.
¡°Rode¡a missile?¡± Jade paled at hearing her daughter¡¯s description.
¡°Enough. We¡¯ll have more of that later. Read the files now. Carleans please follow me to the next room.¡± Arthur immediately strode as they made their way.
¡°So¡ how was the training?¡± Lynd asked trying to change the subject.
¡°They¡¯re really impressive. Seeker was right. Those kids that we rescued in Malay-Pangea were monsters. They probably could reach Inhuman Proficient or more. What about you?¡±
¡°Cliff started training his old gang. They¡¯re quite slow. I¡¯m guessing only up to Unbecoming Proficient unless Charles improves his drugs. So far no Ranked Heroes...¡±
¡°You guys are crazy. You¡¯ve been constantly exposed to people who were strong. Your standards are too high! Charles Lindmitt, a soldier who managed to provide great advances in the field of medicine¡ That speaks of his capacity in intellect and strength. Alean Cipril, a girl born and raised in the clashes of the Underworld. It¡¯s only expected that they reach at least Surmounting Inhuman!¡± Lowengren complained.
¡°Take a chill pill will ya?¡± Meryl frowned.
¡°Is it any better than the previous pill you gave me?¡± Lowengren growled.
Alean laughed.
¡°In any case, Sebastian¡¯s right. You¡¯ve been around strong people. Considering your bloodlines and the dangerous things your family was involved in, it''s expected for you to reach these potentials. The only anomaly in our group is Cliff.¡± Alean pointed out.
¡°So you¡¯re saying¡ I¡¯m a genius?¡± Cliff grinned.
¡°I¡¯m saying you¡¯re a monster. Geniuses know how to use toilet paper.¡± Alean giggled and Lynd laughed.
The group continued their casual conversations as the parents were shaking at the implications of the files they have before them.
On the far-out reaches of space¡
A large asteroid continued to orbit Mars. This asteroid was big enough to be a moon. But it¡¯s axis on Mars was so precise that Earth could never see it through its telescopes and satellites.
¡°We¡¯ve lost several Pioneers.¡± A man spoke as he stood in the middle of a large hall full of people. His features were very young but he had a large frame. He had a red glow on his eyes that stared calmly at the group before him.
¡°What happened? Have these beasts found out about us?¡± A bearded man shouted. The huge frame was made obvious even as he sat down.
¡°Impossible! We were careful to hide all traces! Is there a traitor?¡± A thin man with glasses squeaked nervously.
¡°Why would anyone betray us? What does Earth have that we don¡¯t?¡± A tanned man laughed.
¡°Pokemon.¡± A man with a rugged attire pipped in.
Everyone was silent. Some even nodded unconsciously.
¡°Garenjazz¡ What are those clothes?¡± The young man asked.
¡°I thought it looked cool. They called this style Hipster. Do you like it?¡±
¡°Nevermind.¡± The tall young man ignored it.
¡°Whatever is happening on Earth, we can no longer ignore it. Garenjazz¡ will you go?¡±
¡°Pass.¡± He shook his head.
¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± The bearded man laughed.
¡°Just make sure not to indulge in your pleasures too much. We believe this is what led to the deaths of those Pioneers.¡± The young man turned back.
The bearded man laughed.
¡°I won¡¯t. I¡¯ll just kidnap the girls and bring them back here. That way, no one will find me out.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t take too many and avoid those who are influential.¡± The young man replied.
¡°Don¡¯t touch Amanda.¡± The thin man ordered.
¡°Cherry or Gordon?¡± The bearded man asked.
¡°Can you kidnap, Rein, Cloud, and Seeker?¡± A young teen girl interrupted.
¡°Seeker? Who¡¯s Seeker?¡±
¡°A rising pro gamer. He¡¯s so dreamy¡ I hope he¡¯s not dead. I heard he was in Australia.¡±
¡°Well, Princess¡ you should know how these things are. I know it¡¯s your first time requesting packages. But we can¡¯t just pick any famous Earth artist. I doubt I could take Rein. His fame in the Eastern Alliance would create too many conspiracy theories if we fake his death. Cloud¡¯s just as worse.¡±
¡°Oh? So that¡¯s what Feyor meant by influential.¡± The young girl sighed.
¡°I can get this Seeker for you though.¡±
The eyes of the girl twinkled.
¡°Yay! Seeker¡¯s the yummiest anyways! I can¡¯t wait!¡± The young girl bit her lips in anticipation and lust. This would be her first special package from Earth.
Chapter Eighty-Four: Those at the Peak
A young wounded boy followed the various soldiers who were leading the people away from the war.
The sudden attacks of New Great Britain had threatened the nearby city. The war slowly dragged towards the city and New Great Britain¡¯s forces had finally conquered the base.
Ever since the Third World War, and the emergence of Cyber Abominations, strict war etiquette was observed during the war.
Once a base is officially occupied, the ¡°region¡± in which that base covers then fall into a ceasefire as the civilians would be escorted out. The civilians had the choice to either flee to a nearby city or allow the conquerors to capture them. A strict screening procedure is involved on assigning whether or not a civilian may move to the next city or will be taken by the invaders.
Both the invading and the defending country may not attack each other during this time.
Any country who does not follow this procedure will face the World Governing Power¡¯s wrath. This involves the authorization for any country to launch weapons of mass destruction towards the offending country.
When New Great Britain managed to conquer the base, the ceasefire came to effect.
The evacuation occurred immediately and the soldiers were escorting the civilians out.
A parade of civilians was walking towards the screening area.
¡°Next!¡± A soldier coldly announced.
A small boy walked in slowly.
¡°Name and birth?¡±
¡°Jeffrey Davison.¡±
¡°Your names not found in the system. Please walk towards New Great Britain¡¯s deport bay.¡±
¡°Please, sir! I¡¯m homeless! I don''t have any paperwork or proofs! I wouldn¡¯t appear in the system! Don¡¯t send me out there! Please! I¡¯ve heard they beat Australian¡¯s and torture them! I don¡¯t want to die!¡¯ The boy wept.
The soldier had long experienced scenes such as this. His cold heart wouldn¡¯t budge and immediately call security to escort these civilians out.
But this time, he could not help but sympathize with the boy''s plight.
¡°Please send all of us in! Me and my friends and family! We can¡¯t bear to be a part of one another! This is our home and this is all that we¡¯ve known!¡±
The soldier hesitated. His numb heart was moved.
¡°Listen, kid, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just that¡¡±
¡°Let them in.¡± The supervisor overseeing the checkpoint sighed.
¡°Al-Alright sir!¡± The soldier immediately followed.
¡°How many are you with?¡± The supervisor asked.
¡°There are twelve of us.¡± The young boy spoke. His eyes pleaded.
¡°Please¡ let us all in. I know it¡¯s too much to ask.¡±
¡°Let them in.¡± The supervisor smiled.
¡°Thank you!¡± The boy broke down and cried as he hugged the soldier. With grateful smiles, he beamed at the group around them.
All twelve managed to move past the checkpoint.
¡°Which region do you want to go?¡± The soldier asked.
¡°We don¡¯t know. We¡¯ve been in this city all our lives.¡±
¡°I think it¡¯s safe if you head to the central cities. Avoid the coastlines.¡± The soldier smiled.
¡°Thank you, sir!¡± The young boy smiled once more.
The twelve walked out of the checkpoint offering their thanks to everyone.
The young boy continued to wipe his tears but then his eyes went blank.
¡°You did it.¡± The tall man pretending to be his father laughed.
¡°These are soldiers who have seen death and wouldn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s feelings. They place their duty above their emotions. They are cold, detached, and would simply follow their objectives. But compared to the evil scientist who experimented on me every day¡ they would look at me like they did to their firstborn baby. How do you think I managed to avoid being thrown out of the lab by being a useless experiment?¡± The boy answered with a blank expression.
¡°Whatever kid! Just remember your targets! You have the most important roles to play after all!¡± The man laughed.
¡°I will.¡±
¡°This is where we part ways, Disciples.¡± The tall men addressed his team.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
The Twelve Disciples parted ways. Each headed towards their respective checkpoint exits and would journey to their assigned cities.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Harker and Lu stood at the loading bay of One China¡¯s port.
¡°What are all those large crates for? You could fit a car in there!¡± Lu wondered.
¡°You know how the Eastern Alliance are. They don¡¯t trust others. They use their technology.¡±
Lu laughed at this comment.
¡°And I¡¯m guessing the SPU loaded a lot of high-grade weapons?¡±
¡°Yes. I prohibited the use of biological weapons. But anything else is fine.¡±
¡°So we have the Eastern Alliances high-tech computer gears, SPU¡¯s barrage of terrible weapons and America¡¯s Miscellaneous technology?¡±
¡°What could go wrong right? But it¡¯s Meng. I won¡¯t be surprised that all of them die.¡± Harker spoke softly.
Lu was silent. He has heard of Meng¡¯s terrible reputation.
¡°Interesting. Don¡¯t panic. But it seems that there are assassins who managed to sneak in your crew. Meng¡¯s personal group if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡± Harker was bemused as he noticed two particular soldiers aiding in the loading.
¡°What?!¡±
¡°Relax. I don¡¯t think this is serious. It may have been a coincidence. Perhaps the Australian techs have tempted him out of his cave. He might have dropped several spies in this base and is using this gathering as a method of spreading his spies on each attacking nation. I¡¯m just telling you this so you can keep an eye on them.¡±
¡°What should we do?¡±
¡°Nothing. We don¡¯t want to arouse their suspicion, do we? If they sense something wrong then it could ruin this mission. My team won''t do anything suspicious. So they won''t be found out.¡±
¡°There''s a lot of risk in this, Harker. What if he¡¯s here?¡±
¡°If he is, then it''s good. Our mission should easily be completed. But I doubt it. Meng¡ is hard to hide. I¡¯m sure you know of this.¡±
¡°A tiger may learn how to crouch, but a dragon can never crouch like a tiger.¡± Lu nodded.
¡°Exactly. So I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t risk it. Especially since half of the world is here. Just ignore it. They have their mission and I''m sure they''re focused on accomplishing it. So they won''t have time to take notice of these minor hindrances.¡±
¡°If what you say is true, then your team just has to pretend like nothing is going on. Delegates always hitch rides in meetings like this. But they have to remain inconspicuous. They will be sharing the same flight after all.¡± General Lu warned.
Harker laughed.
¡°Relax! I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t do anything suspicious. Those three countries picked them because they believe in their potential. Put yourself in the shoes of these three countries! If they fail, Meng will retaliate. And with his deep connections here in China and in the Underworld, who knows what you would face! Who would you send if you were in their position?"
"The best of the best. The strongest of the strong. The pros among the professionals. The Elite.¡± Lu responded without hesitation. If they were to take such a risk, the person whom they would send would be a god among men.
¡°Indeed. Paragons in their industry. Those unchallenged of this world and detached from all forms of carnal desires. They stay focused on their mission. To say it in your terms, unhindered in the heavens. The mountain beyond the mountain. Just like the Chinese Cultivators of old. Unblemished¡ Pure¡ Created solely to fulfill their task.¡± Harker nodded as a fierce gaze exuding deep respect flashed in his eyes.
¡°Sir. The six guests are now on board. We did as they requested and provided six high-end gaming laptops and installed Piercing:Bullet. The six are now happily gaming inside the plane. It¡¯s quite a scene. Six grown individuals cursing and shouting.¡± A soldier laughingly reported.
¡°CARLEAN! CHOKE ON THESE BALLS!¡± Peters loud voice was heard even at the bottom of the plane.
The soldier slowly walked away.
Lu¡¯s expression painted a silly expression. He turned to Harker for an explanation.
Harker¡¯s gaze stared straight to the heavens as if pondering the miracles of the men he just sent.
¡°Behold, Lu! True professionals! When they are assassins, they are invisible. When they are politicians, they are corrupt. When they are undercover, they are rowdy and rascals! Total immersion in who they are. Don¡¯t be fooled! This is what it means to be at the peak!¡± Harker slowly walked away as he continued to ponder the unparalleled might of these individuals.
Lu sighed. For a moment he doubted these six individuals.
"The peak, huh?" Lu wondered and walked away.
Harker was cursing on the inside.
¡°Why the hell are they playing Piercing:Bullet!?¡±
The six said agents were paired up with their spouses and were busy moving their mouse and typing away on their keyboards.
If someone would look at the game that these six were playing, they¡¯d be shocked. It has reached a level that pro-gamers could only manage.
A triple-threat team melee was underway as each coupled was paired and busily fought against their enemies.
The match was amazing. Everyone was easily evading and blocking each other¡¯s attack.
The game had already progressed for more than ten minutes but not one of them has received damage.
¡°Getting used to it, honey?¡± Time for our counterattack!¡± Chris spoke excitedly.
¡°I¡¯ll lead. You¡¯re too reckless.¡± Grace laughed as she controlled her avatar towards the center of the map.
¡°Now!¡± Grace ordered.
The timing of Chris and Grace¡¯s attacks were precise. The moment the enemy evaded, the small millisecond which the player would be unable to evade an incoming attack was exploited.
BANG!
The first damage was made.
Jade had taken the first hit.
¡°Damn you, Carlean! Messing with my wife!¡± Steveson roared and attacked.
In the large hangar of the plane, several large crates that could fit several people were finally loaded.
¡°Are you sure it''s OK?¡± Kristine wondered.
Inside this crate was Kristine, Arthur, and Meryl. They sat on the floor. The entire crate was empty but it had a cooling system which kept them comfortable.
¡°Yes. They barely have enough time to train. This could be the best training for them.¡±
¡°Playing Piercing:Bullet?¡± Meryl wondered.
¡°Yes. Why do you think Seeker made you play these games? It helps you get used to the speed. And not only to see in the midst of this speed but to react as well. Not to mention the limited scope of the screen will help them calculate and move accordingly.¡±
¡°No wonder you allowed those twelve to play that game on their free time.¡± Kristine realized.
¡°Yes. I have already a plan on how to use this game as a training ground for my team.¡±
¡°Your team?¡± Meryl was surprised.
¡°Of course. That¡¯s why Seeker assigned you as the trainer of this team. This is your team. I¡¯ll be making my own team soon. I suspect the Covenant''s to have high potential in reaching the later stages of Inhuman. Once Lowengren completes this training, he will also set out to make his own team.¡±
¡°I see. It¡¯s more effective this way.¡± Kristine sighed.
¡°I wonder how those twelve are doing?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. They¡¯ll be facing humans while we¡¯ll be facing those who stand at the Peak in this world. Of course... Right now, we too stand at the Peak. This is a battle that cannot compare to our previous fights. We face Unbecomings.¡± Arthur spoke with a serious expression.
Somewhere in One China''s famous "City of Fantasy," Nanjing...
A dangerous meeting was also taking place.
Twelve assassins were standing in the main hallway. This organization had over eight thousand employees worldwide, and they were affiliated with thousands of businesses, politicians, and other organization.
But in this large organization, it only had twelve titled assassins.
This was the organization that was the King of the Underworld in the East.
He slowly walked in.
The stones and steel that was used to build this place were modified. Its density and strength allowed it to withstand Pangean Eradication technology.
But this wasn''t for protection.
He walked in and none of the twelves deadliest assassin dared look at him.
"Let me see your growth."
None were even looking at him, but many of the assassins started having wounds in their body.
Of all of Seeker''s miscalculations, this was the worst. He underestimated the Overcomer who currently stood at the Peak.
New Game+ Announcement
Hey Guys!
A lot happened this past week and this little hobby of mine became more and more demanding as real-life situations made the need to actually earn from this hobby more and more.
Thankfully, opportunities follow pressure. I received a contract with Webnovel and signed it in hopes that this opportunity can greatly help our situation.
Webnovel is a pretty big site and the opportunities in terms of viewership in that site are great. Even now, that site contains more views and followers than on all the other sites I''ve posted on combined (this site included). The contract will help me get better views as Webnovel will be the ones doing the advertising on that site. Not to mention that the most famous stories hosted and written on Webnovel''s China counterpart had anime and even live-action adaptation. (Netflix''s The Kings Avatar)If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Although I''m not THAT optimistic, still, the future prospects of New Game+ are sure to have a brighter future there
So what does this entail?
Chapters of New Game+ that I declare to be premium will become exclusive on their sites. So I will retain up to chapter 85 here while deleting the rest as agreed in the contract.
With that, I invite all my readers to continue to follow me on Webnovel.
www.webnovel.com/book/12605355406106405/New-Game%2B
It''s a complicated feeling to be a former reader and to now be a formally contracted writer of light novels. My journey continues and it''s fun. I hope that you, my readers, will journey with me on this adventure. I really hope to see you at Webnovel. Please continue to support, by voting for my stories there, sharing it, talking about it, or simply by loving it.
UPDATE: New Game+ is nearly 400 chapters long in Webnovel.
Thank you so much, and hope to see you in Webnovel!