31 Clash Of Authority
After a while, they separated, and the military operatives circled the corpse of the mutated beast.
"You don't look bad without a shirt," Miss Anne's sudden compliment made Dennis realise he was bare-chested.
'Oh, the stomach acid must have burnt through my outfit...' Dennis placed his hand on his chest with a contemplative expression.
He recalled how badly he was getting cooked until the UVS finished installation within the beast's belly.
However, after running his eyes around his body, he realized that there wasn't a single scratch on him.
It left Dennis pondering...
"Your drool is leaking, Anne," one of the instructors voiced from the side as he approached.
"Let me appreciate good art in peace, Trent," Instructor Anne responded while pointing her weapon at him.
"He's still a minor. Appreciate mine instead," Instructor Trent stated with a cheeky smile.
"I'll appreciate yours when there is a hole in your skull," Instructor Anne raised her weapon further.
"Harsh," Instructor Trent spat out the cigarette in between his lips and raised his arms before moving to the side.
'With the combination of Dennis's age, I am older than the both of you,' Dennis wished he could say it out loud but he knew they would probably have his head examined for mental illness.
"We'll be taking the body back. Mr Ansel and the others would know what to do with it. Anne, you should give Dennis a ride back and get him a shirt," Instructor Trent voiced while squatting before the beast's corpse.
"Way ahead of you..." Instructor Anne replied while gesturing for Dennis to follow.
After a couple of minutes, they were in a truck headed back to the Modified Combatants training facility.
As Dennis sat at the back, the events that had just occurred replayed in his head.
He slightly opened his left fist, which had been closed the entire time, to reveal a circular stone in the palm of his hand.
The item gave off a faint magenta glow despite being drenched in a weird murky liquid.
'Hmm... I didn't think I'd be laying my hands on one so soon,'
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{ Two Days Later }
Chatter! Chatter! Chatter!
-"Did you hear about how Dennis killed a mutated beast all by himself?"
-"Noodle kneecaps? How is that possible?"
-"I heard he used a UVS?"
-"Why did he have a UVS with him?"
-"I heard he stalled and waited for the military to finish it off."
-"Hmph, without the UVS, he wouldn't have been successful."
-"But I heard he saved the lives of civilians,"
-"Yeah, on the outside, he is being called the shelter hero."
"Meh, who cares anyways... the monster must have been weak,"
-"How can the like of noodle kneecaps slay a mutated beast before me... unbelievable!"
Loud voices could be heard in the background within a cafeteria as many MCs discussed Dennis's recent encounter with the Gorritropod.
There were a lot of speculations flying around. Many were incorrect but not too far from the truth.
One thing everyone knew, however, was that Dennis was in the possession of a UVS, but they couldn't tell if it was a prototype or the real deal. The instructors had refused to give anyone the details of what had happened on that day.
Dennis's name had become a hot topic in the last two days, and everyone was curious as to what exactly had happened, but he wasn't easy to approach.
"There he is," one of the voices talking about Dennis pointed at the food counter up ahead.
Dennis, Malik, and Lara could be spotted grabbing trays. They were trying to get food as well.
After a few minutes, the trio settled around an empty table at the southwest corner of the cafeteria.
"Watch this," one of the males from a group gossiping about Dennis stood to his feet and began walking towards their table.
"What is Mandolf trying to do now?" One of them asked the question that was on the minds of many.
Mandolf arrived at their table, drawing the attention of Malik and Lara, who stared at him oddly.
Dennis didn't pay him any mind and kept eating his food, while Lara suddenly stopped talking to stare at the intruder before them.
"Yo, noodle kneecaps! How did you do it?" Mandolf questioned with a tone of intrigue.
"Do what?" Dennis threw a question back without looking up.
"How did you manage to kill a mutated beast? It must have been very weak, eh?" Mandolf smirked provocatively.
"Perhaps... perhaps not..." Dennis remained unbothered.
"What happened? Did you stumble upon it while it was weak and injured?" Mandolf kept pushing.
"Perhaps... Perhaps not..." Dennis's calm responses were starting to tick Mandolf off as he watched him continue eating his food.
"Why did you have a UVS with you?" Mandolf's voice turned high pitch as he raised another question.
"That is information I need not bother your tiny brain with," Dennis responded rather casually.
Bam!
Mandolf slammed his palms on the table with a look of annoyance while getting up.
"You think you're better than us, huh? Just because you have the highest compatibility rate, you think you're better?" Mandolf inched closer to Dennis and stared down at him.
Dennis slowly raised his head and shot a cold gaze at Mandolf.
He didn't say a word, and yet Mandolf felt like he was staring at a bottomless abyss of darkness.
'...What is with that look? When did he learn to be anything other than a spineless bastard?' A cold chill ran down his spine, but Mandolf couldn't back down now. He didn't want the others to think he was a wimp, or he would end up getting neglected and verbally bullied like they always did with Dennis.
"Get back creep," Lara's voice suddenly rang out from the side as she pushed Mandolf away.
"Don't touch me," Mandolf used this opportunity to step backwards.
"Tch, moving with a loser will only make you two losers as well," Mandolf stated before turning around to walk away.
'~Phew~' He sighed in relief internally.
"Says the dude ten units below us," Lara blurted out.
Mandolf could only act like he didn't hear that since he did not wish to return to that table.
"What a weirdo," Lara muttered.
"Technically, we are all weirdos... they're just jerks," Malik shook his head slightly.
"You good, Dennis?" Lara gently shoved him with her elbow.
"Sure," Dennis nodded softly.
He knew just how childish most of them were, so situations like these never got to him. All in all, if they crossed the line, he knew he could teach them a lesson.
After the trio finished up, they went for a lesson on the extraterrestrials, which was Instructor Anne's forte.
Dennis had resumed his usual training since he returned, and he made sure not to neglect personal training as well.
The daily drills had gotten much easier, and he no longer felt any form of fatigue engaging in them.
However, he recalled having to write a report on the Gorritropod incident. One thing that still baffled Dennis was the appearance of the creature.
Did the unbreachable barrier surrounding the shelter get breached? Or was it something else?
The last time Dennis checked, it didn't seem like anything was wrong with it. It was even more suspicious that none of the instructors could give him more information about the incident.
Mr Ansel had a lot of questions to answer after the military and shelter leaders found out Dennis had a UVS on him.
However, Dennis was currently unaware of this. He believed Mr. Ansel would take care of everything while he focused on training. It wasn't like they could get the UVS off him anyway.
Dennis focused on his training in the coming days and prepared to face Decker.
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"The answer is no," Mr Ansel stated in defiance.
"I am not sure you understand the severity of the situation, Ansel. This isn't a request. It is a demand," The voice of another male with a domineering and deep tone responded.
"You do not have the authorisation, so you can not forcefully have them come with... General," Mr Ansel pointed out.
Mr Ansel was currently in an argument with none other than General Gustav.
The two men oozing with high authority stood before each other in the lab, both unwilling to yield.
"Lieutenant Colonel Derrick and his men have vanished. We are unable to make contact no matter how much we try. I can not send any more men to yellow zone D by themselves because it is foolishness to repeatedly try the same tactic and expect a different result," General Gustav began speaking after a brief silence.
"And that is why you wish to send my MCs out there... not to mention the most invaluable one, Dennis. Once again, General, I refuse. It is unwise to make use of a bridge before it is fully constructed," Mr Ansel stroked his beard while replying like an old sage.
"I only need two or three to accompany a small group of my men and rescue the Lieutenant Colonel."
