Chapter 93: Calm Before The Storm Part 1
"STATUS"
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Name: Francis Hall
Category: 4
Liver Count: 4,068 / 10,000
Energy: 15 / 70
Status Effect: Body Lock (2 Days Remaining)
— — — — —
Core Skills
Infestation – Level 4
Parasite Eyes – Level 4
Parashift – Level 3
Integration – Level 3
Berserk Mode – Level 2
-Elite Talents-
Instant Drive
Momentum Breaker
-Rare Talents-
Vibration Sense
Advanced Trajectory Reading (Upgraded)
Charged Jump (New)
Chain Drive II
Anchor Shift
Frequency Tuning
-Uncommon Talents-
Kinetic Siphon I
Kinetic Damper I
Force Calibration V (Upgraded)
Muscular Acceleration III
Shockwave Emission II
-Common Talents-
Reinforced Spring Joints II
— — — — —
Looking at his status, he did not think there was a single Defense Force agent who could contend against him directly.
’No,’ he shook his head. ’I can’t afford to be complacent.’
The image of the girl with the scythe and lightning attack flashed through his mind, and he acknowledged that even at full power, he would not be able to deal with her.
She was in a different class entirely.
Then there was Nathan of the Covenant and his companions. He had not fought them, but he was certain they were far stronger than Vance.
What he faced so far was only the tip of the iceberg. The real powerhouses were individuals who could not be easily ordered around.
’I have two days left before the set time. I should keep hunting and get close to 10,000.’
Breaking through the next category would solve one of his biggest flaw which was energy capacity.
If not for it, he could have killed the remaining agents instead of running away.
’I need to rest.’
With no enemies in sight, he closed his eyes and finally allowed himself to relax for real.
Elsewhere, the silence of the night continued, but it carried a different weight.
A large structure stood away from the main activity of the city, cut off from most of the noise.
The warehouse had no windows.
Whatever light existed came from industrial bulbs hanging low from the ceiling beams.
Crates were stacked along the walls, old and unmarked. A long table sat in the center, its surface covered in maps, printed documents, and a handful of devices.
Seven people occupied the space.
Few stood. Some sat. One leaned against a support pillar with her arms folded and her eyes fixed on the far wall.
She was the smallest person in the room, yet she carried the strongest presence.
The scythe on her back drew attention, but it was her eyes that made people uneasy. They seemed to pierce through everyone present.
"The government response was faster than projected," said Harlan, a broad-shouldered man on the left side of the table. His sleeves were rolled to the elbow, eyes fixed on the map as he spoke.
"Three of our units were pushed back before they could reach the secondary target." he added.
"Pushed back or eliminated?" Leah asked from across the table. She was a mature woman with short black hair, cut in a clean crop that fit her small face and stopped just above her jawline.
The style looked practical, kept neat without effort, as if she never allowed anything unnecessary to stay in place.
"Retreated. They withdrew on my order. Losing them there would have been wasteful." Harlan responded and continued.
"We need to launch a large enough attack to force real threats in the capital to spread their forces across different cities. Only then will we have a chance in this war."
This was the core of their plan from the start. They knew the capital held the highest number of Elite Special Categories due to the presence of the clans, so they executed attacks across all major cities.
Unfortunately, their first attempt failed. The person controlling the government from the shadows concentrated their forces in the capital.
The Covenant was then forced to execute Plan B—capture a few cities and take their citizens as hostages.
The room remained silent for a full minute before the side door opened.
It was not a dramatic entrance, just a door swinging open and a figure stepping through casually, as if returning from an errand that had taken slightly longer than expected.
He was tall. Brown hair, a few strands falling loose across his jaw. The kind of face that looked friendly without trying, which was precisely why it was dangerous.
He glanced around the room once, registered everyone present, and let a slow smile form.
"You started without me."
"You were late," Leah said, without turning to look at him.
"I was occupied." He crossed the room and pulled out the empty chair at the near end of the table.
"Occupied with what, exactly?" she asked.
Nathan leaned back in the chair and folded his hands behind his head.
Then he laughed.
Several people around the table exchanged glances.
He rarely laughed like that unprompted.
"I found someone," he said, once he regained his composure.
No one reacted. They simply waited.
"Someone like us," he added. "Maybe better."
That pulled the attention of the entire room.
"Explain," Leah probed further.
Nathan dropped his hands from behind his head and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
"While I was out checking the city, I passed by a beast attack," his smile widened, "and I found someone who can undergo a full beast transformation."
Silence.
No one knew what to say. Beast transformation itself was not new to them, but within the Covenant, only six people could achieve a full transformation—one of them being their leader, and Aris, the girl with the scythe.
When they turned to her, she showed no emotion at all.
"Are you sure about this?" Harlan asked.
"I confirmed it myself," Nathan continued. "I watched him fight, and although he is not as strong as Lady Aris, I believe he is hiding his true strength to fool the Defense Force."
No one argued. That kind of strategy actually made sense. They were doing the same thing, conserving their manpower for the final push.
"Where is he?" Harlan leaned forward on the table, unable to hide his excitement.
Another person with that level of power would dramatically increase their chance.
"Well," Nathan scratched his head apologetically, "he said he would decide after we succeed in taking over the capitol."
"Are you serious?" Harlan slammed the table. "We need him now!"
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Authors Note:
Just to clarify, because I sometimes mix up these two.
Capital: Capital City
Capitol: The main government building in a city
