Chapter 11: In the Carriage: Unleashing Chaos and Calculated Preparations

In the Hogwarts-bound train carriage, the bomber girl, wearing only a small black vest, was relieving stress by "checking the body" of the Earl of Vertigo. She believes in taking care of her teammates' mental and physical health. Having served in Afghanistan, she understands the consequences of overwhelming pressure. Despite the dangerous world they live in, she indulges in stress relief.

The Earl of Vertigo suggested closing the door, but the bomber girl silenced him by placing her finger in his mouth. Just as they were about to relieve their stress, a black shadow entered the compartment.

The Earl spotted it and alerted them, but the bomber girl dismissed it as just a cat. However, the Earl, a former member of the Suicide Squad, remained calm and used a device implanted in his temple to stun the cat.

Despite the stun, the zombie cat managed to attack the Earl's arm, causing a cut and taking a piece of flesh. The smell of blood attracted the cat even more. The Earl screamed in dizziness, and the drug-induced bomb girl finally reacted and screamed as well.

In a panicked state, the half-naked Earl of Vertigo rushed out of the compartment and almost collided with Mason, who was wearing Hagrid's fur coat. The delirious bomber girl yelled for help, but Mason knocked her down with the butt of his gun, not out of anger, but to prevent her from causing more trouble.

Meanwhile, the zombie cat targeted its second victim—the delirious bomber girl. Mason quickly reacted, using Penguin's armed umbrella as a shield to block the cat's attack and pushing it to the rear of the carriage. In the confined space, the agile zombie cat posed a significant threat.

The cat swiftly maneuvered and prepared to attack Mason and the bomber girl again. Mason used the umbrella's handle to unleash flames, forcing the cat to retreat and temporarily fall into a safe area. Mason urged the others to move away.

However, the zombie cat, driven by its murderous hunger, continued to pursue its targets. It focused its scarlet eyes on the armed umbrella and Mason behind it. Unbeknownst to them, this seemingly ordinary cat was actually Ms. Minerva McGonagall, the Hogwarts vice-headmaster, using her Animagus ability.

The zombie cat waited for the moment when the flames from the umbrella extinguished, planning to strike. Just as it lunged from the air, Mason swiftly closed the umbrella and drew his gun in a lightning-fast motion. With his "Quick Draw Gun" talent, he fired multiple shots, with buckshot pellets covering the space in front of the muzzle.

The first two shots hit the cat, causing it pain and rolling to the rear of the carriage. Mason fired a third shot, but only one pellet pierced the cat's hind leg, failing to deliver a fatal blow. The zombified cat displayed remarkable speed, reacting, attacking, and dodging with agility even after being turned into a zombie.

Aware of the cat's resilience and danger, Mason retreated cautiously to the front of the carriage, feeling the pressure of the situation. The cat's speed made it difficult for Mason to lock onto it, even with his Level 2 shooting skills. If he were scratched or bitten, the poisonous effects would turn him into a zombie.

Mason realized that a direct confrontation might not be the best strategy against the highly skilled zombified Animagus. He pondered the idea of outsmarting the cat and wondered why their team leader, "old K," hadn't shown up yet. He questioned their treatment of him as a new team member and expressed his frustration, referring to the previous squad's demise.

As Mason's "inner theater" unfolded, the tiger cat launched another attack. Despite being hit by a steel ball in the leg, the cat's deadly speed remained unaffected. Mason attempted to shoot the cat but found that his gun was empty. In a critical moment, he turned and wrapped Hagrid's coat around himself, resembling a funny man cuddling a quilt. While this defense seemed careless, it proved effective.

Feeling the zombie cat pouncing on him and scratching frantically, Mason was delighted. He opened the big fur coat, threw it back like a net, and quickly closed it, trapping the cat inside. The cat, now confined in the coat, continued to scratch and emit shrill screams. Mason struggled to contain it, swinging the coat against the train bulkhead, but it remained unclaimed.

Suddenly, the front door of the car was cut open by two sword lights, creating an X-shaped crack. Old K, with his murderous aura, kicked open the door and entered the compartment, wielding the Golden Eagle one-handed sword in his left hand and a giant hunting knife in his right. However, upon surveying the scene, he couldn't locate the attacker. Eventually, he heard the miserable sounds coming from inside the coat in Mason's hand.

Old K commanded them to release the cat and ordered everyone else to step back. He applied gray sword oil to his sword and coldly declared that he would take care of it. However, Mason disagreed. He tore off the belt of the sweaty kite man, wrapped the coat several times, and threw it on the floor. Wiping his sweat, he confronted Old K and asserted his right to deal with the loot as he pleased.

Old K sternly warned Mason about the danger of the zombified magical animal and claimed that even seasoned veterans would find it challenging. He suggested that Mason's actions were either a result of extreme stress or his abnormality from the beginning. He remarked that it was understandable since not many people from Gotham were considered normal.

Mason clarified that he wasn't trying to challenge the cat, implying that he had a different intention or approach in mind.

Mason blinked, realizing that Old K and the Stars Club don't seem to be knowledgeable about Animagus, a highly secretive aspect of the wizarding system. Trying to lighten the situation, he jokingly expressed his desire to keep the zombie cat as a pet and inquired about a magical cage. kiteman whispered something to Mason, but his opinion didn't hold much weight in the negotiation.

Mason locked eyes with Old K, and after a few moments, the old hunter burst into a strange laugh, sheathed his sword, and pulled out a small black birdcage-like ornament from his backpack. He threw it to Mason, making a deal that Mason could keep the cat but wouldn't be able to claim any further spoils. Mason agreed to the deal and held the ornament in his hand, though he didn't have time to examine it closely as a scream interrupted their conversation.

The previously frightened and dazed lady regained her senses and walked out of the compartment, noticing the bloodied and injured Earl of Vertigo crawling towards her. The earl had suffered severe wounds, with his chest almost torn open and fingers bitten off. As the bomb girl attempted to help him, his head suddenly exploded before her eyes, leaving a gruesome sight.

kiteman and Mason turned away in disgust, while the bomb girl, covered in blood and brains, knelt in front of the headless and twitching corpse, seemingly in a daze. It was at that moment she noticed the earl's hand, twisted into a zombie-like claw amidst the flesh and blood.

Behind her, Old K withdrew his fingers from the golden bomb controller, his face expressionless. He picked up his pipe and glanced at the bomb girl, who sat in a pool of blood. Shaking his head with a complex and heavy tone, he held something against his chest, akin to holding a heart, and spoke as if delivering a eulogy: "May this death please the dark stars and light our way forward."

Ten minutes later, Mason was back in the carriage, munching on beef jerky while kiteman, wrapped in Hagrid's coat, dozed off leaning on him. The coat provided unparalleled comfort, maintaining the perfect body temperature. However, its bulky size hindered movement, which was unacceptable for someone like Mason, who needed agility.

Taking advantage of kiteman's sleep, Mason retrieved a bunch of keys he obtained from the zombie Hagrid. He examined them closely and read their item information labels. One key was for Hagrid's flying motorcycle, which had been magically transformed by Sirius. The other key opened a secret passage in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Mason acknowledged their usefulness but decided not to use them at the moment.

Mason bit into the jerky, contemplating his next course of action. He pocketed the keys and discreetly retrieved a peculiar device from his shoes. The device was small, about the size of three stacked button batteries, yet it exuded a sense of precision. Its item label revealed it to be the "Earl of Vertigo's intracranial disruptor," capable of emitting unique electromagnetic waves that affected the balance of living beings within a 30-yard radius. It could also release EMP shocks to destroy nearby electronic equipment. Mason marveled at the device, touching the wound on the back of his neck. He proceeded to dismantle and maintain his double-barreled hand cannon, considering modifications to its structure.

Only one instant healing medicine remained in his possession. Mason glanced at the peacefully sleeping kite man across from him, his smile growing brighter. Everything was going according to plan. He contemplated the temporary storage of Mr. K's head, knowing he would retrieve it soon. With a deep sense of mourning for the passing of an old man and an era, he observed a moment of silence.