NOVPUBMoments later, inside the inn.
The place was brightly lit, leaving no dark corners in the large hall.
Alex entered from outside, his face bearing a somewhat distressed expression.
He walked straight to where Daniel and the others were gathered, saying, "That thing was incredibly fast. I could still see it when it jumped down from the building, but it disappeared the moment it took a turn."
Daniel didn’t find this strange and poured a cup of coffee for Alex.
Alex nodded in gratitude, downing the drink in one go. He turned to look at Liam, who was nursing a wounded arm, a hint of surprise flashing across his face. "What happened to him?"
Touching his nose lightly, Daniel spoke in a neutral tone, "My doing."
Alex gave a faint nod of understanding, simply responding, "Oh." In the operations of the Investigation Bureau, there was no right or wrong. Even if it was a mistake, no one had the authority to pursue the matter.
Wes’s face bore an ugly expression, "I didn’t expect you guys to have a Spiritual Artifact handgun. Liam’s arm is seriously injured. I hope you can provide a reasonable explanation!"
Mike replied disdainfully, "What explanation is needed? We were clearly all chasing the creature. It should be your Rebirth Corporation people who keep running back that need to explain, shouldn’t it?"
Wes, keeping a stern face, retorted, "We are not from the Investigation Bureau; why should we report our actions to you? Your man shot Liam with a Spiritual Artifact handgun. It’s fortunate that it only hit his arm. Can you imagine the consequences if it hit his head? I have every reason to suspect that it was done on purpose!"
Wes’s gaze fell heavily upon Daniel.
Suppressing an urge to roll his eyes, Daniel said, "If it were on purpose, he wouldn’t still be alive. Of course, I apologize for injuring Liam due to my overreactive response at that moment. Liam, I am truly sorry."
Daniel’s expression remained indifferent, yet it conveyed a sense of sincerity.
Lying on the couch, Liam had a ghastly pale complexion; the hastily dressed wound continued to bleed persistently. Upon hearing Daniel’s apology, anger adorned his face, "You shot me, and an apology is all there is to it?"
Mike couldn’t bear listening anymore, "What exactly do you want then?" he interjected sharply, adding, "Remember the predicament we’re in; that mysterious creature is still at large. In-fighting will only give it an opportunity to strike."
Liam’s face turned a steel blue as he drew a handgun from behind and pointed it at Daniel, bitterness dripping from his words, "Only the fools of the Investigation Bureau would be afraid of those stupid monsters. Since my arm was injured, let me shoot him in the arm too, and we’ll consider it settled."
A trace of coldness pervaded Daniel’s eyes.
Having faced death countless times, he despised being threatened.
With a languid pull, a handgun emerged in his hand, his voice tranquil yet frigid, "It seems you’re not willing to let this go easily. Fine, shoot me, aim to kill. However, I’m sorry to say that if you fail to kill me, you’ll be the one to die."
Everyone froze, shocked by Daniel’s unexpected words.
Wes looked at Daniel with a deeper meaning in his eyes, a sudden surge of intense interest for him bubbling inside.
This Evolver from the Investigation Bureau seemed to be very confident.
What made him so sure that Liam couldn’t end his life with a single shot?
Could it be his ability?
Wes mused, determining that it would be necessary to delve deeper into this intriguing individual once this matter concluded.
Wes chuckled, extending his hand to lower the gun in Liam’s hand.
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Moreover, you both have a point; we’re already being targeted by the monster. Starting a feud now isn’t a wise decision," he reasoned, his voice bearing a tone of firm yet gentle leadership. "Liam, forgive him for now."
Liam cast a resentful glance at Wes, clearly disgruntled — after all, Wes wasn’t the one who got shot.
Yet, unable to defy Wes, he reluctantly retreated, holstering his gun yet still glaring fiercely at Daniel.
Breaking the charged silence, Julia queried, "Where is your other person?"
A flash of realization struck Wes; they were missing someone. Turning his gaze to Liam, he asked, "Where is Stanley?"
Liam shook his head, his eyes drifting toward Alex as he recounted, "Not long after we chased after him, we got separated in an alley. I ran along the street for a while and couldn’t find any trace of you guys, so I chose to return the way I came. To my surprise, just as I was nearing the hotel, I got shot!" His vicious gaze reverted back to Daniel.
Mike chimed in, bringing a broader perspective to their dilemma, "It seems this creature is formidable. It’s one thing to shake you guys off, but even Alex couldn’t catch up."
Alex?
Upon hearing the name, both Wes and Liam froze momentarily, their expressions manifesting palpable surprise.
They hadn’t interacted much with Daniel and his group, nor had they paid much attention to them.
Hearing Mike mention the name Alex triggered Wes to scrutinize Daniel and his companions more closely.
As his gaze settled on Alex, he exclaimed with genuine astonishment, "Alex, it’s really you."
Unaffected, Alex maintained his icy demeanor, a figure renowned in the entire Evolver circle as invincible below level 4.
It was said that with Alex, even ordinary people could survive easily through supernatural events of Rank A danger.
This mission seemed to be in the bag.
However, Wes’ elation did not last long; his face quickly soured, the earlier relief dissolving into an uneasy trepidation, foreshadowing the turbulence that laid ahead.
The vanished creature, capable of shaking off Alex, either possessed an extraordinary ability of speed or held a power vastly superior, possibly even surpassing Alex. If it was the former, it would be a headache at most, not overly dangerous. Yet, if it was the latter, the peril intrinsic to this mission was easily conceivable.
After a long silence, Daniel suddenly spoke, casting doubt in a tone that sliced through the mounting tension, "No, Liam, you’re lying."
Everyone froze, their faces turned towards Daniel, a landscape of confusion. Liam retorted furiously, the veins in his neck protruding conspicuously, "The hell I’m lying!"
Daniel remained impassive, detailing his suspicion with calculated precision, "You said after losing track of Alex, you returned the way you came. But when the three of us came down from the third floor and pursued in the direction Alex vanished, we ran into Wes who was guided by the sound of footsteps."
"Your route back here doesn’t coincide with the path Alex took while chasing the creature. Can you explain that?"
Irritation distorted Liam’s features as he snapped back, "How would I know? All I know is after losing them, I retraced my steps based on memory. Isaac Town isn’t that large; it’s not like I could forget the roads, right?"
Suddenly, Daniel’s face tensed, his words bearing an unsettling gravity, "Fine, let’s say your story holds. Julia, Mike, Wes, and I were following the monster’s trail, yet we met at a turning point, almost engaged in a fight, then encountered you and accidentally harmed you. Don’t you all find this series of events somewhat implausible?"
A contemplative silence engulfed the group as they mulled over Daniel’s words.
They were Evolvers, possessing senses far superior to average humans, especially their hearing.
Neither Daniel nor Wes could have misheard the footsteps, ruling out the chance of trailing the wrong target.
Yet Daniel and his group had collided with Wes, nearly coming to blows.
Interrupting the ponderous silence, Mike had a sudden realization, his voice breaking through with a note of urgency, "I got it, the monster is trying to incite infighting amongst us!"
That was exactly Daniel’s point.
However, Wes seemed somewhat unconvinced, his brows furrowing skeptically, "Does the monster have the intellect for such manipulation?" 𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
With a tranquil demeanor reflecting deep certainty, Daniel elucidated, "Creatures that attack their prey like wild beasts upon sighting them may lack such intelligence. However, the higher the danger level of the monster, the greater the likelihood of it possessing superior intellect."
Wes pressed further, a perturbed undertone to his inquiry, "Then what is their objective?"
Daniel spoke calmly, his voice carrying a cold, logical deduction, "Naturally, it’s to kill us. It perhaps lacks powerful attack abilities, hence resorts to cunning tactics."
Wes did not disagree but his skepticism lingered, pressing, "Do you have any evidence?"
Daniel shook his head, his face a canvas of solemn conjecture, "No, it’s all just speculation on my part."
At this, Liam’s face clouded over with a dark, foreboding anger, his words spat out in disdain, "This isn’t a child’s game. Don’t spout things without evidence; it could inadvertently lead to someone’s death."
Mike jumped in defensively, his voice steeped with irritation, "Damn it, do you know what Dan’s ability is?" But before he could complete his sentence, Julia pinched him hard, causing him to yelp in pain, a grimace etched on his face.
Wes caught this little interlude, his curiosity piqued and his suspicions deepening, intrigued by the undisclosed potential of Daniel’s ability.
Realizing he had almost spilled the beans, Mike hastily changed the topic, a faux casualness permeating his words, "Right, weren’t we discussing your missing companion earlier?"
At the mention of this, Wes and Liam’s expressions shifted dramatically, the uneasy realization settling heavily in their stomachs.
"It’s been such a long while; why hasn’t Stanley returned?" Daniel inquired, turning towards Alex with a concerned furrow in his brows.
Alex shook his head, his voice flat yet tinged with worry, "In the beginning, I noticed several footsteps following me. Assuming it was you guys, I didn’t pay much attention. Later, after losing track of the creature, the footsteps behind me disappeared too, and so I returned."
An ominous understanding dawned upon Wes, urgency taking root as he instructed, "Watch over Liam for me. I need to go out and look for him."
With the black veil of the night draped over the surroundings and the threat of the creature lurking, leaving Stanley unattended would certainly court more danger than safety.
Turning to Julia and Mike, Daniel instructed with a decisive nod, "Both of you stay here and watch over him. Alex, let’s join Wes and help in the search."
Without waiting for a response, with a tacit understanding rooted in urgency, Daniel and Alex followed swiftly behind Wes, departing the inn into the encroaching darkness, their figures swallowed by the night as the door closed behind them, leaving a heavy silence in their wake, laden with worry and unspoken fears.
