NOVPUBWith a subtle shift of his thoughts, bone spurs protruded from Daniel’s back, piercing through his clothes.
The power of the bone spurs merged seamlessly with his will, enabling him to use them for attack, defense, or any other action he desired.
He retracted the spurs, and his back returned to its original state, showing no signs of abnormality.
Then, Daniel examined the Gene Lock chains within him.
"After taking down two Great Old Ones consecutively, there’s still no sign of the second Gene Lock chain being unlocked?"
He had anticipated that such significant achievements might unlock one, if not two, gene chains.
It seemed he had been overly optimistic.
However, with the capabilities of the silk threads and the bone spurs, coupled with the effect of a hundredfold damage, he felt empowered enough to crush any creature deemed to have a Rank C threat.
Glancing around, Daniel noticed that the blazing fires had been completely extinguished, and all the silk threads had returned to his body.
He manipulated a single thread to slip into Julia’s pocket, retrieving a walkie-talkie and pulling it back to his hand.
Then, he relayed a message over the device, "Mike, the monster has been neutralized. Mission accomplished. Send the team in for cleanup."
Finishing his communication, Daniel tossed the walkie-talkie to the ground.
Observing the charred remnants of the mall and his own disheveled appearance, he felt reassured about the choices he had made.
The decision to proactively attack and eliminate Dasteni and especially Pierce was the right one.
Pierce was one of the Great Old Ones sealed on Earth.
While the reason for the breaking of its seal remained unknown, its presence would inevitably lead to catastrophic consequences for humanity.
Daniel wasn’t particularly concerned about the fate of others.
However, if Pierce were to amass more followers, it could invisibly harness infinite power.
For humanity, such an existence was undoubtedly terrifying.
Thankfully, Pierce had been eradicated.
However, according to Pierce, many other avatars of the Great Old Ones like Dasteni still lurk on Earth.
And when it came to lesser creatures, they were innumerable.
Pierce’s escape from his seal foreshadowed that possibly, other entities similar to him might also have broken free from their bindings.
Perhaps, this was just the beginning.
Daniel didn’t ponder for long.
He believed in confronting whatever challenges lay ahead.
Approaching Julia, he slapped her sharply.
With the added effect of multiple damages, it effectively roused the unconscious Julia.
Dazedly rubbing her now swollen cheeks, Julia was puzzled.
She remembered not partaking in any battle; how then had she been struck?
She sought an explanation from Daniel, to which he calmly replied, "Struck by a monster."
Still bewildered, Julia pressed on, "Where’s the monster?"
Daniel simply stated, "I killed them all."
After that, he briefly narrated the events, though when mentioning Julia’s injury, he creatively altered some facts.
Indeed, this wasn’t lying.
It was just a well-intentioned fabrication, crafted to ensure that the camaraderie amongst colleagues remained untarnished in the future.
Soon after, Mike, leading the Investigation Bureau’s combat unit and a significant number of firefighters, arrived at the scene.
Surveying the ruins of what was once a bustling mall, Mike’s lips twitched involuntarily.
The Investigation Bureau would bear the financial brunt of the destruction.
The cost of the infrastructure, renovations, merchandise, and other losses would likely spiral into the tens of billions.
The very thought of drafting endless reports on the matter left Mike with a bitter expression.
However, seeing Daniel and Julia unharmed provided him with a sigh of relief.
After handing over the site’s responsibilities, he departed the mall with Daniel and Julia.
...
In the main office of the Investigation Bureau, Director Martin wore a stern look.
He fixed his gaze on Mike and Julia, and then momentarily glanced at Daniel.
"Hundreds of billions of StellarCoins," he grumbled, "What do you take me for? A mint?"
Martin had initially dispatched them to bolster Daniel’s strength and incidentally eradicate the supernatural anomalies at the mall.
Now, not only was the menace extinguished, but the mall was reduced to ashes.
The mall’s stakeholders, along with every retailer, had lodged complaints with government agencies, drawing considerable reprimand towards Martin.
However, the news that Daniel emerged unscathed and had even enhanced his prowess provided Martin a shred of solace.
Observing the swelling on Julia’s face, he frowned, "What happened? You’re a seasoned investigator. How could a rudimentary mission end up like this?"
Julia’s ire flared up at his words, "Director, the intelligence department’s errors are piling up lately."
"The entities in the mall were at least of Rank B danger level, if not higher. Without Daniel, we might have perished."
Martin’s eyes widened in shock. Turning to Daniel for confirmation and seeing him nod, a surge of elation washed over him.
Though unaware of the specifics, it was evident that Daniel had played a pivotal role in the mission’s success.
’Prophetic Daniel,’ he mused, ’Truly lived up to my expectations.’
He addressed the trio, "I’ll confront the intelligence department. All three of you executed this mission commendably. Your salaries will be doubled for this month."
"As long as everyone’s safe. Mike, take Julia to the medical team for treatment. Ensure she rests well," Martin instructed.
Mike nodded, "Understood." After offering these words, he assisted Julia and the two left the office.
Once they had departed, Martin turned his concerned gaze back to Daniel. "This was your first mission. How do you feel about it?"
Not mincing his words, Daniel narrated the entire episode, including the overtures made to him by the Rebirth Organization, represented by Nine.
Martin’s countenance grew increasingly grim as he listened.
Upon hearing of the Rebirth Organization’s motives, his face contorted with undisguised fury.
"I had heard whispers of this Rebirth Organization but dismissed them as a mere civilian outfit. I never imagined they harbored such audacious ambitions, daring to openly target an agent of the Investigation Bureau!"
"I’ll direct our intelligence division to investigate them further. You should tread cautiously when outside. Though you didn’t end Nine’s life directly, they might still hold you responsible."
"It seems you’ve gained significantly from this operation, but at great peril and extensive exertion on your part." With that, Martin pressed a button on his office phone. "Hello, this is Martin. Bring me a Gene Magnet. No, make it two!"
In no time, Daniel received two Gene Magnets, along with 10 kilograms of gold.
Given the severity of the incident, Martin classified it as a Rank B supernatural event.
The standard reward for resolving a Rank B event was 5 kilograms of gold.
However, considering external factions had tried to woo Daniel away, Martin, in a bid to secure Daniel’s loyalty, decided to double the reward, rounding it up to 10 kilograms.
Holding the gold bars, Daniel couldn’t help but ask, "What exactly is the purpose of this gold?"
Martin said, "You’ve only recently joined, so you might not know yet."
"Gold can block all supernatural phenomena."
Upon hearing this, Daniel was taken aback.
Martin continued, "The powers of monsters cannot penetrate gold. The same goes for Evolvers."
Daniel’s eyes widened in realization. "So, gold acts as the ultimate shield?"
Martin nodded, "You could think of it that way. But a more accurate description would be that gold can seal off all supernatural occurrences."
"For an investigator," he went on, "gold can be fashioned into armor or containers to protect vital parts or to seal away monsters."
At this, Daniel’s thoughts drifted to the gold mine he’d discovered at Scott Mountain.
If he used that mine to build a house made entirely of gold, could he construct the world’s safest sanctuary?
Seemingly reading his thoughts, Martin interjected, "But when dealing with supernatural events, the element of surprise gold offers is its most effective use."
"After all, those creatures employ various means to enlist minions, and gold doesn’t offer any defense against regular humans."
Indeed.
Daniel nodded, setting aside the idea of constructing a golden abode.
Martin placed a reassuring hand on Daniel’s shoulder. "Daniel, don’t fret too much about the Rebirth Organization. I’ll see to it immediately."
"With Alex still recuperating from severe injuries and Brooks yet to complete his new assignment, once he’s back, I’ll send him to deal with Rebirth."
Evidently, he assumed Daniel’s thoughts were centered on the Rebirth Organization.
Daniel nodded calmly, not giving much heed to Martin’s words.
Even though he was a Level 1 Evolver, the sum of his abilities meant he could potentially hold his own even against a Level 3 Evolver.
And such high-level Evolvers were few and far between, mostly affiliated with Investigation Bureaus around the world.
It was improbable that the elusive Rebirth Organization could have several Level 3 Evolvers under their belt.
Therefore, if any of their members dare approach, he would ensure they’d never return.
After a brief exchange with Martin, Daniel exited the office.
Just as he closed the door and turned, his eyes suddenly lit up.
A stunning figure stood before him - it was Sophia.
Even though only a few days had passed since their last meeting, so much had transpired in that short period.
A mix of sadness and excitement welled up within Daniel, a sentiment mirrored by Sophia.
Without a word, they embraced each other tightly. 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
