Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 45 – The Puppeteer
In reality, Davis’s team hadn’t been deployed to hunt a Devil’s minion.
Their mission was to search for traces of Dawn.
Even though Frick had other plans, finding “Mister” was still his top priority.
Because Mister was dying.
And with his death, many secrets would be buried with him.
This was crucial for “Noah.”
Moreover, upon Mister’s death, Dawn would undoubtedly retrieve his body.
Regardless of his wishes, even if he wanted to be buried in Yan City, Dawn wouldn’t allow it.
As one of Dawn’s founders, one of the nine revered Misters, he would be buried in Dawn territory.
Then, Frick would lose his chance to obtain Mister’s “Demonic Power.”
So, he had to find Mister before he died.
Then, he would inform “Noah,” who would send representatives to Yan City to contact Mister, and his remains would be transported to “Noah.”
Frick would escort the body, creating ample opportunities to steal the power along the way.
—He didn’t have the courage or the strength to confront “Mister” directly.
That’s why he had been hiding behind the Apprehension Department team—Mister, with his character and status, wouldn’t harm these youngsters.
Therefore, Frick hadn’t abandoned the search for Dawn.
Of course, the Apprehension Department members didn’t know this; their orders were simply to search for “Dawn.”
“Dawn’s” reputation in the Free Federation was similar to that of terrorists, so such orders weren’t unusual.
However, such matters weren’t openly discussed, as there was still considerable support for Dawn among the populace, so Davis didn’t elaborate.
Therefore, if they encountered a disaster event while searching for Dawn, the Apprehension Department team wouldn’t ignore it.
Just like this time, Davis’s team was diligently following disaster response protocol.
But now, Luo Yan made a request that made Davis feel… awkward.
“Tell me the approximate location,” Luo Yan said softly. “It’s about to rain, and I don’t want to waste time.”
“But, but…”
Davis hesitated.
Just then, a deafening roar echoed through the streets.
A nearby residential building collapsed, alarms blaring.
The evacuating crowd panicked and scrambled to escape.
Davis’s communicator crackled to life, the team leader’s voice urgent.
“Davis! Immediately proceed to Construction Street Six, number twenty! Devil’s minion sighted!”
“Those Disaster Response bastards will be here in ten minutes… We can’t let him escape!”
Although a “Calamity” level Devil’s minion wasn’t a major threat to Luo Yan, “Calamity” level was originally defined as a threat to mega-cities.
“Ruin” level could potentially destroy a mega-city.
Now, with humanity’s increased strength, “Calamity” level was less of a threat, but still dangerous.
Casualties were unavoidable if they weren’t careful.
The situation seemed urgent…
“I apologize, Miss Luo Yan, but I have to excuse myself,” Davis said hurriedly. “As for your request… I cannot comply!”
She couldn’t ask Miss Luo Yan for help in this situation.
In her current state… every use of her ability would worsen her condition.
And a mere “Calamity” level disaster was within their team’s capabilities.
Without another word, Davis rushed into the street, disappearing into the mist.
“Lady Luo Yan, should we… go back?”
Anna cautiously peeked out, then emerged after confirming Davis had left.
“No, not yet,” Luo Yan pondered for a moment, then turned to Anna. “Where is Construction Street Six, number twenty?”
Anna seemed familiar with the area.
“Do you really intend to go, Lady Luo Yan?” Anna asked nervously. “But it seems dangerous…”
“It is, too dangerous for you,” Luo Yan nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t take you anywhere dangerous… So, where is it?”
Anna hesitated, then pointed.
“It’s that way, turn left, then go straight.”
“Understood.”
Luo Yan whispered, then wheeled herself in a different direction.
“Lady Luo Yan?” Anna was startled and quickly followed, confused. “Where… are you going?”
If she was going to help, she shouldn’t be going this way, but if she was returning, this wasn’t the right path either…
“To find a good spot,” Luo Yan said softly. “Don’t worry, we’ll still have our coffee.”
…
Within the district.
The Apprehension Department team was in position, carefully observing their surroundings.
The Devil’s minion had just reappeared, attacking one of their members.
Fortunately, they had been alert, and the attack failed, but they hadn’t managed to capture him.
“Seems to be a Mutation-type Devil’s minion, very agile…”
Davis arrived and immediately joined the fray.
Scattered limbs and body parts littered the small area.
The enemy seemed to enjoy mutilating his victims; none of the bodies were intact.
Blood flowed like a small stream, disappearing into the sewer drains.
“Thankfully, it’s only ‘Calamity’ level…”
Davis calmed down slightly. Although the scene was gruesome, it wasn’t enough to break the experienced ability users of the Anomaly Management Bureau.
And if it was only “Calamity” level… it wasn’t too serious.
Their team leader was a “Ruin” level ability user, although on the weaker side, still more than enough to deal with a “Calamity” level Devil’s minion.
—Provided they could force him to fight.
The Apprehension Department team slowly closed in on the Devil’s minion’s approximate location, their leader ready to unleash his ability at any moment.
As the encirclement tightened, the enemy seemed to have no escape.
But they couldn’t let their guard down.
“Crack… sizzle…”
A strange sound echoed, growing louder in the silent environment, chilling.
“Crackle… sizzle… crackle…”
Following the sound, the team pinpointed a half-collapsed building, the noise coming from a room half-buried in rubble.
The team leader cautiously approached, the others following close behind, surrounding the room.
“Attack!”
The team leader shouted, and the other members unleashed their abilities, targeting the collapsed room.
“Boom!”
With a loud crash, the already unstable room completely collapsed.
A small figure was faintly visible amidst the dust and smoke.
The team leader didn’t hesitate, unleashing his ability at the figure.
Flames scorched the air, followed by an explosion.
“Ah… pain… so much pain…”
A shrill scream echoed, and the small figure shakily stood up.
But more attacks followed. The Apprehension Department team was experienced and knew the importance of finishing the job.
The figure, having just regained its footing, collapsed again under the barrage of attacks.
The assault continued until the team leader raised his hand, signaling them to stop.
He could sense that the small figure was lifeless.
“It’s over,” the leader sighed in relief.
Just a routine operation, nothing unusual.
The dust settled, revealing the scene within.
—A small boy, no older than ten, lay dead on the ground, his eyes wide open.
Blood stained his open mouth, bits of flesh and bone clinging to his sharp fangs, his charred right hand twisted into a claw.
Strangely, his left arm was severed, the tendons barely connecting it to his shoulder, hanging limply.
“Another monsterified Devil’s minion,” the team leader sighed. “There have been several cases like this in Yan City lately.”
Such disasters weren’t uncommon in the New Era.
Even mega-cities, protected by “Embers,” occasionally faced disaster events, even “Noah” wasn’t immune.
And the smaller settlements outside were even more vulnerable to attacks from calamity monsters.
…Perhaps this was why some humans chose to embrace the “Primordial Demons,” becoming their minions.
To Devil’s minions and Devil’s Apostles, the Primordial Demons represented the truth of the New Era, believing the world rightfully belonged to them, and their slumber was an unforgivable mistake.
The team members mourned briefly, then gathered their equipment, preparing to continue their patrol.
The Disaster Response team would be arriving soon, and they didn’t want to encounter them.
But just then, the lifeless body of the Devil’s minion suddenly moved.
The alert team leader reacted instantly, shouting a warning and preparing to attack again.
But the corpse didn’t attack, nor did it stand up.
It twisted its head, dragging itself on the ground, then opened its fanged mouth and bit into its severed left arm, chewing.
—It had torn off its own arm!
It continued chewing, the gruesome sound of crunching bone echoing.
But it was clearly dead.
A corpse, undoubtedly.
“What’s going on?”
The team leader frowned, momentarily confused.
Davis, however, recalled the dismembered bodies she had seen earlier, the torn flesh and bite marks.
…Wait…
Soon, not just Davis, but also the experienced team leader, realized the truth.
Those bodies…
“Could it be… that they weren’t bitten by it?”
“But… they were biting themselves?”
Just then, another team member exclaimed. He saw a piece of clothing clinging to the boy’s flesh, a Yan City junior academy uniform!
“He’s not a Devil’s minion, he’s a victim!”
The team leader finally understood, but it seemed to be too late.
“Drip… drip…”
After a long buildup… it finally began to rain.
At first, it was just a drizzle, then a torrential downpour.
The rain washed away the blood on the ground, but not the terror.
Because everyone caught in the rain was isolated, helpless, in their own world.
The boy’s corpse continued to devour itself, until only its head remained.
And then, a black umbrella seemed to materialize, sheltering the lone head from the rain.
“A work of art.”
A man’s voice echoed from beneath the umbrella, sending a chill down the spines of the Apprehension Department team.
“He’s the Devil’s minion!”
The boy, the surrounding corpses, the earlier attack… it was all the work of this man with the black umbrella.
The team didn’t hesitate, unleashing their abilities without waiting for their leader’s command.
…But their attacks were weak.
They had already expended a lot of energy in the previous assault.
And the heavy rain weakened many abilities, like their leader’s “Explosion.”
The man with the black umbrella shook his head and sneered.
“A bunch of uncultured primates.”
He bent down and picked up the head.
The black umbrella twirled, and all the attacks dissipated.
Not deflected, but neutralized by the attackers themselves.
“We are all puppets, our bodies controlled by invisible strings,” the man said, his voice gentle and refined, a pair of snake-like eyes glinting from beneath the umbrella. “And now, I hold your strings. I am your puppeteer.”
“Rejoice, for you are now controlled by a true artist… The ‘Lord’ will transform your filthy, lowly forms… into perfect works of art.”
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