CH17: BLOOD TEXTS.

Defeated, exhausted, and weakened, the CRAIN with their leader retreated to their hover that was deep in the same woods Dezhong found himself in earlier.

Once there, the giant CRAIN thing deformed into the multiple men who fused themselves together to create it. They were all naked, sore, exhausted, and a couple of them were mourning the loss of some of their comrades who fell during their short battle in RedZone.

"Sir," One of the agents spoke to the leader while he, and most of the others, hid their shame. "We over-underestimated the strength of the RedZone Dragons. We've taken a hit to our numbers and most of us can't fight anymore.'

"Don't you THINK I SEE THAT?" The black-robed man kicked the agent's lower gut out of frustration. "WE'VE FAILED. THAT DAMN SCIENTIST RUINED CRAIN'S PLANS FOR THOSE PENDANTS."

After raging out at the agents, the black-robed man pressed the bridge of his nose while cursing at himself and his lousy team. "Fall back. We're heading back to HQ and informing our subordinates. Don't expect me to add in any good words just to help you. If any of you are lucky, you'll get to keep a limb or two."

Just like that, the CRAIN agents disappeared from the ground level and ascended into an unknown location where their headquarters were, each ready to partake of the heavy punishment that was yet to be bestowed upon them.

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[Day Break]

[January 1st, 4045]

[Prince Residence.]

Dezhong Prince was dead asleep in the comfort of his bed snoring like he hadn't slept in months. His late-night adventures caused him a lot of fright, made him run, scream, shake in his boots, and not to mention his fight with Kong. After sustaining injuries from Kong's hits, Dezhong's body had to readjust to his quick healing skills, thus taking more energy from him which he needed to replenish either by eating or sleeping.

"Dezhong!!," The boy's father came rushing into the room while pulling going through a couple of clothes on the floor, "I need you to come with me, son."

"Why?," He replied sheepishly. "Don't you have people to work with you?"

"Get up, boy." With one hand, Prince lifted his son out of his bed and held him upside down by his leg. "I just got information that another mutant is on a killing rampage."

"WHAT?" Dezhong playfully kicked his father's elbow and fell to the ground. With whatever clothes he found the fastest, Dezhong rushed downstairs while fitting into them and grabbing a short snack to eat on the way.

Unlike other fathers who took their children for walks, games, or had a simple game of Hunt the Beast, Chief Prince would occasionally take Dezhong along with him whenever there was a serial killer on the loose. This form of bonding was also a way for Prince to let his son know how dangerous the world was nowadays, thanks to Mutants and men and women, like him, with dangerous prosthetic arms.

"Settle down, boy," Prince reminded while handing Dezhong a small badge. "Remember, you're not telling anyone about this, okay? This is just my way of…."

"Showing me how dangerous the world is, Dad. I know." Dezhong interrupted. "Can we go, now?"

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Chief Prince and his son flew to the crime scene in a police squad car. After forty-five minutes, the two of them arrived at the edge of eastern Desper where the serial killer attacked. The area was a small ghost town with little to no activity going on.

The population of the area was about five hundred and half of that number worked in Desper's center. Chief Prince quickly landed his car and together with his son dashed to the crime scene where they met up with other officers.

"Chief," One of the local police greeted while granting Prince and his son access to the site. "Thanks for coming in quick."

"No need for thanks. It's my job." Prince replied. "So, what do I have here?"

"Well, Sir," The officer replied while looking at Dezhong. 'This isn't a sight for children."

"Just show me." The tarp that blocked the scene from the public was lifted, showing a horrendous image to Dezhong and his father. On the floor between two small houses lay two teenagers, each with massive claw marks on their faces, leaving no way for the police to identify them easily.

The victims' arms and legs were ripped off and each was partially eaten. Their intestines were wrapped around their necks and their eyes were dug deep into their bruised skulls. Written on walls with the blood of the victims was a writing that no one understood nor was able to decipher.

However, as soon as Dezhong set his eyes on the writing, something interesting followed;

[Translating…..]

[Translation Complete.]

[Text: A sacrifice for the Shadow Alpha. Your throne awaits.]

Out of fear, Dezhong slowly slipped away from the crime scene and run back to his dad's squad car. His breathing became heavier while his system panel remained hovering over his eyes.

'Who's the Shadow Alpha?' He wondered. "Does it have something to do with…..'

[As legend has it, The Shadow Alpha was the most powerful werewolf of his time. During his five-hundred-year reign, the shadow alpha with his shadow clones ruled the forest lands and protected his people from man. However, no one in history knows whether the alpha is alive or not.]

[2 Main Quests Available.]

[Quest 1: You and the Reptilian and Feline System holders are being hunted. Increase your strength in order to survive on that fateful day.]

[Quest 2: Once your strength has been increased, unlock the secrets of the whereabouts of the Shadow Alpha.]

[ Both quests have an immense reward in the end and cannot be ignored.]

Dezhong sat back for five minutes and processed his thoughts in order to avoid having an unnecessary panic attack. Once done, he read the quests one more time before accessing what needed to be done.

[Thought activities have increased by 10%. A guide on increasing your strength has been drawn up. [Following this plan to every detail in order to achieve the needed strength you so much desire.]