Chapter 314
The bandit continued, “Skullface has been watching you. He knows your strengths and weaknesses. He respects what you’ve accomplished, and believe me, that’s rare for him. But don’t let that go to your head. This isn’t a compliment. It’s a warning.”
Jake thought that much of what the bandit had just said was bullshit. Sure, by that point, Skullface must have learned about some of his abilities, but there was no way he could know everything about him.
As for weaknesses, Jake thought the bandit said that merely to scare him. He believed he had no weaknesses other than his dependence on mana, but there was no way Skullface could capitalize on that.
The bandit straightened, pulling back slightly as if to gauge whether his words had the desired effect on Jake. Noticing that Jake remained as still as before, he seemed to lose some of his confidence.
“He has plans, big plans for this city,” the bandit finally said. “But you stand in his way. Just to be clear, he has no beef with you. He doesn’t want to go to war with you, which is why he is offering you a choice.”
Doesn’t want to go to war with me? Jake thought. Too late for that.
The bandit paused again, trying to gauge Jake’s reaction. Sure enough, Jake’s monstrous face, with its huge, solid blue eyes, displayed no emotion. His body language was equally unreadable, as he stood as still as ever.
The bandit seemed slightly annoyed, as if he had expected Jake to show some reaction.
“He’s offering you a chance to be part of something greater than yourself,” the bandit said. “He allows you to join his ranks. But not as a mere soldier, no. You’d be right by his side, his right hand, if you will. Many would kill for the chance to be in your shoes. But if you choose to turn down his generous offer, he’ll come after you, and it won’t end well for you.”
If Jake could laugh, he would. Why would he ever join Los Demonios? The gang leader obviously wanted him on his side so nothing would stand in his way as he continued to seize control of the city.
They both knew that Jake was the only thing that could throw a monkey wrench in his plans to completely capture the city. Regular survivors were clearly too weak to fight back against his bandit organization.
Jake had no intention of joining Skullface. There was simply nothing the gang leader could offer him. Everything he needed, he could find by himself.
“Give me a nod if you agree to join us,” the bandit said.
Jake continued to stare at him, as motionless as a statue. His indifference only seemed to frustrate the bandit even more.
“If you don’t want to join us, then you better run,” the bandit growled. In his agitation, he spoke in a normal voice without shouting, but Jake had no trouble hearing him. “Because sometimes survival means making hard choices, and you’re smart enough to know that. Skullface has power, resources, and ambition that can either help you rise or bury you under the ashes of your defiance. Just think about it, Jake.”
Silence enveloped them, broken only by the howling wind. Jake and the bandit locked eyes for a moment. If the bandit hoped for Jake to show any reaction, he was going to be disappointed.
Almost a full minute passed before the bandit continued, “Alright, Jake, I told you everything I was supposed to. Now you have to make a choice. If you accept Skullface’s offer, just nod, and I’ll take you to him right away.”
The bandit waited, but Jake showed no reaction. The bandit had no idea that Jake had already used Mind Reader on him. One of the upgrades for the ability allowed him to jump directly to important memories instead of viewing them all. Thanks to that upgrade, he quickly located the memory of the bandit’s conversation with Skullface earlier that day.
So he learned that Skullface had never genuinely intended to let him join the organization. It was all a carefully orchestrated deception. The bandit was merely trying to lure Jake into a specific location where an ambush awaited its unsuspecting prey. The gang members hiding there, lying in wait, had been instructed to strike at the right moment, making sure that Jake would have no chance of escape.
Skullface had never informed the bandit about the specifics of the ambush, but he had indeed shared its location.
And now Jake also knew where it was.
“Alright then,” the human finally said, realizing there would be no response from Jake. “You clearly refuse to join our ranks. That’s fine, though. Skullface anticipated that. But you better flee then. Leave this city and get as far away as you can. Over the past few days, Skullface has been preparing something to hunt you down. Believe me, what he has in store is very bad news for you. He likes to call it a ‘scalpel’. It’s a meticulously crafted tool designed solely to hunt you down. Since it was created specifically to take you out, once he unleashes it, you will be done for. Trust me on this: having it on your tail is the last thing you want. I’ve seen what his ‘scalpel’ can do and what remains of its victims, and believe me, it’s not pretty.”
Once again, Jake knew the bandit was lying. Though there was indeed something Skullface referred to as a “scalpel”, which he had been creating and testing for some time, he never disclosed its true nature to the bandit. Thus, the bandit had no idea what it really was.
Sure enough, Jake couldn’t help but wonder what this “scalpel” was. From the way the bandit referred to it, he could conclude that it was some sort of mutant specifically created and trained to hunt him down. This idea was supported by something he had heard earlier from a worker named Johnny, the man who had sacrificed himself to protect the secret of Jake’s infiltration of Base Miller.
Johnny had told him that there was a rumor about Los Demonios creating monsters from survivors at the main base. However, this was just speculation, lacking any concrete evidence. Therefore, whether Skullface’s “scalpel” was really a specially developed and trained mutant remained to be seen.
“Skullface gives you twenty-four hours to think this over,” the bandit continued, pulling Jake from his thoughts. “If he detects you in the city tomorrow, he’ll unleash his ‘scalpel’, and it won’t give up until it finds and deals with you. So for your own survival, you better leave this city and run as far as—”
The bandit never finished his sentence because Jake suddenly burst into a run toward him.