Mutagen

Day 360 - 3:15 PM - Market Area, Southside Peak, Muria Sacred Fortress, Mount Muria, Central Java, Indonesia

The loud screech echoed throughout the hospital and the surrounding areas. It alarmed everyone affected. It was, after all, a screech that seemed to affect their very soul.

Many people felt numbed as the screech entered their ears. Those with stronger bodies managed to endure, but even those people felt their legs becoming shaky.

At the parking area in front of the hospital, the waiting members of the Moon Chasers were also affected by the soul-affecting screech. Knowing that something bad could be happening, they tried to respond. However, being parked too close to the hospital did not do them good, as it also rendered most of them numb.

Before Edge and the others could even recover, they had already seen soldiers from the laboratory rushing into the hospital. Strange enough, Edge also saw the stout doctor who should be in charge of Luna's niece.

Seeing the soldiers respond, Edge made his team wait and recover. There was no need to rush, and there would be barely anything they could do in their current state.

But a few moments later, Edge and the others were stupified as they saw the window at a room on the second floor burst into pieces, with the familiar figure of the stout doctor jumping through it.

It was not only the members of the Moon Chasers who were stupefied by the scene. There were also other people who began gathering around, curious as to what happened and what the screech was.

The gallery could barely react as they watched the stout doctor run faster than his body should allow.

But before everyone could even talk about the strange situation, two blurry figures rushed out of the same window, chasing after the fleeing doctor.

Edge's eyes focused and saw that one of the two blurry figures was actually Bajing.

There was no need to ask about the situation. Edge immediately separated the waiting group into three. One group would accompany him to inquire about the situation inside. Another would chase after Bajing and aid her, while the last group would continue guarding the vehicles.

The members of the Moon Chasers moved to follow the orders they received as the gallery watched in confusion.

***

On the other side, Bajing rushed after the fleeing doctor as he entered the market area. It was unexpected that a stout and unfit-looking man could run this fast. However, Bajing could not help but pay attention to the figure running along with her. The second oldest of Mark's three daughters was actually keeping up with her.

Furthermore, Abbygale's expression showed she was not even exerting effort running this fast.

Bajing's eyes suddenly locked onto the target. The bastard was actually trying to rush into the large group of people in the market to lose his pursuers.

Without waiting for that to happen, Bajing increased her speed. She then jumped, moving through the air even faster than her running.

"Stop! Stop resisting and surrender yourself!"

Bajing shouted, causing the surrounding area to look at the situation.

The doctor did not reply. Instead, he looked around swiftly, even behind him.

Behind the doctor, another figure stopped to block his way.

But seeing that the person blocking the way behind was a measly little girl around eight or nine years of age, the doctor immediately turned around.

After all, what could a little girl do against a stout, almost six-foot-tall man.

However, the doctor was mistaken.

If he charged at Bajing instead, he might have more chances of escaping. Running towards the little girl was more of a suicide.

The doctor rushed to Abbygale. His hands stretched out as if he wanted to grab her. In this situation, it was clear that keeping a hostage would make it easier for him to escape.

But when his hands were about to grab the little girl, the little girl's right leg blurred.

CRACK! CRACK!

All of a sudden, cracking sounds were heard as both the doctor's arms folded backward. His forward-stretched arms were now stretched backward.

Everyone watching could not help but feel the pain in their shoulder joints as they saw the scene.

The situation was the most absurd to the doctor. He was supposed to grab the girl and escape, but he suddenly lost the feeling of his arms.

"ARRRGG!!!"

The pain finally crept in as the doctor let out a loud wail.

However, instead of falling to the ground because of the pain, the doctor's body began to expand.

The skin mask on his face was ripped to pieces as his whole body started growing.

Bajing rushed in Abbygale's direction, grabbing the little girl and running away from the strange doctor.

Everyone also fled the area. The stall owners tried to save as much of their wares as possible before running away.

Unfortunately, several stalls turned into scraps as the doctor's gigantic body grew past the width of the street.

Those who could look back could only see the doctor's body become at least four meters tall.

Strange enough, the giant's current appearance had no resemblance to his appearance as the doctor. He now had charcoal-colored skin and was wearing some sort of orange-colored tribal vest and pants. 

"Ukhubutnakhubmeynem!"

The giant shouted as if he was chanting.

To everyone's surprise, his backward-folded arms were suddenly covered in a black haze as they moved back to their original place.

BOOOM!

The first thing the giant did was smash a stall nearby and grab a large wooden pole. He then swung the wooden pole at Bajing and Abbygale.

BOOOM!

Another loud sound echoed as the wooden pole slammed to the ground with great force.

However, even if the wooden pole broke while creating a small crater on the pavement, the figure of the two targets was nowhere to be seen.

BAM!

Instead, the giant felt a strong blow behind its head as Bajing's figure appeared with a ruthless kick.

Unfortunately, the giant barely felt anything from Bajing's attack. He did not even stagger a little. Instead, he quickly rotated his body, swinging his entire left arm at Bajing, who was still in midair.

Bajing had no way of dodging this attack.

But all of a sudden, the small figure of Abbygale appeared between Bajing in the giant's swinging arm. Everyone watching gasped, expecting the little girl to turn into meat paste in another second.

However, the little girl kicked the air, and her body miraculously moved despite seemingly not having any foothold in midair. The little girl spun like a horizontal top. The robe she wore quickly fluttered as she spun.

And then, with a burst of light coming from her shoes, she kicked downward.

The girl's foot and the giant's arm made contact. However, the thing the audience expected did not happen.

CRACK!

"GUUAAAAHHH!!!"

The giant yelled an ear-pierce wail as his arm got broken for the second time. And this time, it was not just getting folded wrongly at the shoulder joints. The giant's left forearm literally snapped into two.

Bajing and Abbygale landed safely on the ground and retreated, not risking another attack at the abnormal enemy.

At this time, familiar voices entered Bajing's ears.

"Ma'am! We're here to support!"

It was the group Edge tasked to support Bajing. It was a group with four members.

"Everyone! Fire! Fire!"

The assigned group leader gave his orders, and they opened fire on the giant.

With the sounds of the assault rifles roaring, dozens of bullets hit the giant's body.

However...

"F*CK OFF!"

The giant cursed as he grabbed a nearby stall and threw it at the four reinforcements.

"Damn! The bullets don't work!"

The leader realized.

Everyone could see the bullets hitting and getting embedded in the giant's skin. However, the bullets soon fell out as the giant's body immediately healed.

At this time, groups of soldiers appeared. It seemed that the headquarters was finally alarmed.

"Secure the area! Move the civilians out of this place!"

The commanding officer shouted as the soldiers began securing the perimeter and surrounding the giant.

"F*CKING HUMANS!"

The giant cursed as he saw more ants begin gathering to kill him.

BAM!

The giant picked up another stall and threw it at the soldiers.

"EVADE!"

One of the soldiers yelled in time. Although the wood splinters and debris hit them, there were no fatal injuries.

"OPEN FIRE!"

The commander shouted, and the rain of bullets ensued.

"Magolhubut!"

The giant did not care about its broken arm anymore and chanted with a violent glint in his eyes.

CLANG! CLANG!

"AGH!"

"GAH!"

"AH!"

Sounds of metal followed the giant's chant, and those sounds were followed by the painful wails of the surrounding soldiers.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE! HOLD YOUR FIRE!"

The commanding officer frantically ordered. The bullets they fired began to ricochet after hitting the giant's body, and the bullets hit their own comrades instead.

"Sh*t! Don't you dare die before me!"

A soldier shouted. The other soldier beside him was punctured by a bullet through his neck.

"Why is a monster like this in the middle of the fortress?"

The commanding officer said as he stared at the giant.

Gripping his fist, the commanding officer picked up his radio to call the headquarters. If bullets were not working, then they would try rockets and explosives.

However, before the commander could make the call, a figure of a little girl suddenly appeared by the nape of the giant.

The girl then kicked the air, spinning her body faster than before. And with another burst of light from her shoe, she kicked the giant's nape.

BAM!

The giant did not expect the attack. His body was still strengthened, causing the kick to fail to snap his neck. However, the hammering pain was still transmitted into the giant's body. Without resistance, the force from the kick made the giant fall forward, with his face getting planted to the ground.

Seeing the giant fall, everyone watching could not help but rejoice.

However, they saw the girl land on the ground, comically jumping with one foot.

"Are you okay?"

Bajing rushed to Abbygale's side. Kicking something that could resist hundreds of bullets would have been painful to kick.

However, the little girl did not respond to Bajing's question. Instead, Bajing heard the little girl say.

"Not enough..."

Abbygale was right. The kick she unleashed just now was not enough.

"F*CK!"

The giant cursed out loud as he used his right arm to prop himself up.

Seeing the giant try to stand, Bajing immediately tried to grab Abbygale to retreat again.

However, Bajing froze as she saw Abbygale begin to transform.

The little girl turned into a snow-white cat girl.

And before the giant could lift himself up, the figure of Abbygale was already in midair above him.

Abbygale kicked the air again, and again, and again. She increased her spinning momentum far stronger than before. The audience could even see red vein-like lights appear on her neck and face. The speed she was accumulating was about to tear her robes apart.

And then, with one last kick and another burst of light on her foot, Abbygale slammed another kick on the giant's nape.

BOOOOM!!!

The explosive sound of metal exploding echoed as the giant's defenses got penetrated.

Abbygale's kick, like a giant axe, hacked through the giant's neck, brutally beheading the giant.

The giant's eyes opened wide as he realized what happened. His defenses were broken, and his head was now falling away from his body.

"Damn it... Everything should be working as planned..."

The giant let out his last murmur as his voice trailed off in his death.

SWOOOSH!

As the giant closed his eyes, his body began to disintegrate.

In an instant, everyone saw the giant's body turn to ash in the middle of the destroyed market street.

However, the giant had no regrets. In his death, the secrets and plans he knew had no way of spreading as no one could question him after he died.

Unfortunately...

"Heh, too bad, that won't happen."

An unfamiliar voice echoed into the giant's ears.

Wait, the giant was dead. How could he still hear?

The giant opened his eyes. What he saw was a glass wall propped with metal fittings. It was a prison that was being held by someone.

As he looked up, the giant was horrified.

The giant was dead. That was without a doubt. However, the man inside that hospital room before was now holding his prison. His soul's prison.

With this man around...

Death was not an escape. It was another round of torture.