After thoroughly searching the hall, there was no doubt left: not a single survivor remained. Everyone was dead.
They exited the building and noticed a small café next door. The two stepped inside. There was only one girl inside, standing with her back to them, and the place was completely silent—no movement, no sound.
"Are you okay? Please answer my questions," Aya said, approaching the girl cautiously with her weapon drawn. Javier gently stopped her by the arm. At that moment, the girl stood up and turned to face them, revealing a pale and lifeless expression.
Then, before their eyes, the girl let out a scream of pain and began to mutate grotesquely. Within seconds, her body transformed into a simian-like creature, as if she had reverted to some ancestral human form.
Aya opened fire immediately, with Javier providing cover from behind. The creature collapsed to the floor shortly after, apparently neutralized. Aya cautiously stepped forward, ready to confirm that the threat had truly been eliminated.
But just as she got close, the creature suddenly sprang back to life, mouth wide open in an attempt to bite her. Javier jumped in front of her, pulled her back, and delivered a powerful punch that sent the monster flying into the wall.
The beast let out a screech upon impact. The blow was brutal—one that few, if any, could withstand. After a brief struggle, the creature finally went limp. Aya and Javier cautiously approached again.
"I didn't expect this thing to be able to play dead. That's... incredible," Aya remarked as she examined the corpse. "It's the first time I've seen a bioweapon capable of this kind of deception. If they can blend in among humans, that's terrifying." Javier nodded silently.
"What's this?" Aya noticed something at the back of the creature's head and reached for it. She carefully removed a component and began to examine it.
"This... looks like it was implanted by someone. But I have no idea what it's for," she said.
"Could be some sort of control device… or maybe it's recording combat data," Javier suggested, inspecting the piece.
"Let's check somewhere else." Agreeing with Aya's suggestion, the two left the café. On the second floor of the building was a wedding chapel. Upon entering, they saw a tall figure standing at the altar.
The activated creature was wearing a long leather coat and a full head mask. Its glowing red eyes gleamed menacingly. As soon as it noticed them, it jumped out the window and fled.
"After it! We can't let it escape!" Aya shouted, running out of the chapel. Javier followed quickly, staying close to protect her. They chased the figure through a garden, but once they arrived, there was no trace of where the creature had gone.
Suddenly, a voice was heard nearby. Aya pulled Javier behind a tree, and both stayed hidden as they listened.
"Doctor, the test subject is dead and cannot be recovered. It's best to eliminate everyone left. Don't worry about casualties—only two agents are present. Yes, sir. Leave it to me."
Moments later, the group began placing a bomb.
Javier stood up and shot one of the men in the leg. The man dropped to the ground instantly. Aya rushed over and noticed he was wearing a special police uniform.
"Who are you? Why are you planting a bomb? Who do you work for?" Aya demanded, but the man only scoffed, refusing to answer.
Without hesitation, Javier raised his gun and fired again, hitting the man's other leg.
"Go ahead, kill me if you want—but I'm not saying a damn word!" the man shouted in pain. Aya sighed, frustrated by his silence.
Then, a whirling sound cut through the air—a hatchet came flying toward them. Javier reacted instantly, pulling Aya down as the blade sliced through the air and decapitated the wounded officer.
They looked up and recognized the silhouette.
The leather-coated monster.
After taking out the officer, the creature fled again. Aya and Javier gave chase, pursuing it until all three reached the rooftop of a building.
With nowhere left to run, the monster turned to face them.
"Let's see where you go now," Javier said with a cold smile.
"Don't get cocky. The outcome is still undecided," the leather monster replied.
"You... you can speak?" Aya asked in shock.
"I am Number Nine. The doctor's mission must be fulfilled. You will vanish along with this building."
With that, the monster pressed a button in his hand.
"Shit!" Javier yelled, grabbing Aya and leaping off the rooftop in the same instant.
As they dove through the air, the building exploded behind them, engulfed in flames. All evidence was obliterated.
Javier landed hard on a large crate behind the building. Fortunately, no one else was around, and the two managed to slip away unnoticed.
Aya, stunned by Javier's strength and quick thinking, grew increasingly curious about who he truly was.
Meanwhile, firefighters and police scrambled to contain the blaze. Aya and Javier quietly left the area and returned to headquarters.
Upon arrival, Aya took Javier to meet her superior, Eric. Regarding the mission, Eric simply praised Aya and thanked Javier for his support.
Then he handed them a newspaper.
"There's a report about a UFO killing cattle in a small desert town in Nevada. I want you to investigate it."
Upon hearing this, Aya's expression turned serious.
"Sir, we're the department responsible for investigating biological and chemical weapons. This sort of thing should be handled by another division. It sounds more like an Area 51 matter."
Eric interrupted her.
"I know. But the case is far too strange. The cellular tissue of the dead cattle had completely deteriorated—as if the virus was consuming them at an accelerated rate."
"And another thing," he continued. "The device you recovered is actually a launcher. That's not something an ordinary person could build. There's likely a powerful organization behind all of this. We also found traces of sand in the device. Its composition is identical to the sand found in that same Nevada town."
Aya nodded, processing the information.
"So... you think that desert town might be their base of operations?"
Eric smiled.
"That depends on what you find out."
Shortly after leaving HQ, Aya got in the car with Javier.
"Wouldn't it be faster if we used a helicopter?" Javier asked.
Ignoring the suggestion, Aya started the car—and it launched forward like a rocket. Javier was nearly thrown against the windshield.
Startled by her driving, he immediately buckled his seatbelt.
The car maintained a relentless speed the entire way, accelerating even more once they hit the highway. Javier gripped the door handle tightly, while Aya drove calmly, unfazed.
Soon, they arrived at the town.
Something was off. The place was eerily silent, and not a single person could be seen.
The car rolled slowly through the streets and stopped in front of a hotel.
---
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."