Chapter 344
When it became clear that the attack had been successfully repelled, Melissa lowered the rocket launcher she had used to shoot down one of the helicopters. Setting it down, she surveyed the scene.
There were many dead bodies lying on the ground, and the perimeter walls were marred with ragged holes. Some of the machines lay reduced to charred, mangled pieces of metal.
The damage done to her base was enormous, and what was worse was that it had been inflicted in such a short amount of time.
Out of the corner of her eye, Melissa noticed a sudden movement and quickly turned her head, bracing for another wave of attack.
To her relief, it was only the morphus, who vaulted over the perimeter wall and landed inside the base. He scanned the area, taking in the extent of the damage. His gaze momentarily fixated on the wreck of the helicopter she had downed, its twisted fuselage resting at the center of the base.
Then the morphus turned his head to look at her. For a moment, they locked eyes. She expected him to come over, but instead, he turned around, bent his knees, and prepared to jump over the wall.
“Wait!” she called out, surprising herself as she sprinted after the mutant.
When he glanced over his shoulder and fixed her with the stare of his large, emotionless eyes, she immediately came to a sudden halt a few yards away from him. Even though she knew the mutant was sentient, and even had a name to boot, he was still a terrifying-looking motherfucker.
Her pulse quickened as she stood frozen. The morphus continued to stare at her, clearly waiting to find out why she had stopped him. Finally, she managed to calm down a bit.
“I just wanted to thank you for your help,” she said.
The morphus turned to face her. He then held out his hand, and in the next instant, a small cylindrical device appeared in it. When he pressed its business end to his lower jaw, a mechanical, emotionless voice emanated, “I wish I could’ve arrived sooner.”
Melissa couldn’t help but wince at the sound of Jake’s voice. Sure, she already knew he could talk, as Catalina had mentioned that before, but hearing him speak for the first time was entirely different.
She shook off the sudden unease, forcing herself to focus on him rather than the flutter of nerves in her stomach. Pushing through her nervousness, she said, “If you hadn’t shown up, we would’ve been obliterated. So thank you for your help.”
Jake nodded without saying anything.
“Did you get them all?” Melissa asked.
“Yes,” Jake replied. “Not a single one managed to escape.”
“Good.”
“I gotta go now,” Jake said as he began to pull his device away from his throat.
“Wait,” Melissa said. “What are you going to do next?”
“I’m gonna attack Los Demonios’ other bases,” Jake said. “It’s time to take out those bastards for good. I won’t stop until there is nothing but rubble left. I won’t make any pauses and will keep obliterating one of their bases after another, and won’t give them a chance to launch another attack on yours or Catalina’s base. When I’m done, there will be nothing left of Los Demonios
but bad memories.”After he told her this, he pulled the device away, and it disappeared. He turned with a clear intention to leave.
“Wait, but what about—” Melissa began, but Jake was obviously done talking. Probably he hadn’t even heard her, as he had already leaped high into the air, sailing over the perimeter wall and landing out of sight on the other side.
Melissa stood still, grappling with her conflicting feelings about the situation. On one hand, she felt a surge of gratitude towards Jake. His intervention had been nothing short of miraculous. Los Demonios were undeniably powerful, and the chaos they had unleashed was overwhelming. Had Jake not shown up, her base would have been destroyed and her people dead.
She didn’t know if the attacking force was merely a small part of what the organization had in total or if Skullface had unleashed all he had. However, one thing was certain: Melissa’s team was no match for what Skullface commanded.
Catalina had been right when she urged her to stay quiet and gather as many forces as possible before attacking Los Demonios. She should have heeded her advice and avoided attracting Skullface’s attention.
But what’s done is done. Now, she needed to consider her next move. Jake said he intended to attack one of the bases after another, and she had no reason not to believe him. Hopefully, with Jake attacking Los Demonios, Skullface would be too busy defending his territory to launch any more attacks on her or Catalina’s bases.
However, Melissa couldn’t help but think about what was going to happen next. She had just learned that Jake had his own army of creatures. He didn’t defend her base on his own. Instead, he brought along a swarm of monsters that were obviously under his command.
So she was now aware of what Jake had been up to during his off-hours, when he wasn’t tirelessly hunting Los Demonios, that is. He was secretly breeding nightmarish creatures, hidden away from prying eyes. She had heard rumors about him capturing ex-humans and taking them somewhere, and she now knew what he needed them for: to transform them into monstrous abominations of his own design. The realization sent a shiver down her spine.
The news was deeply unsettling. For now, they and Jake were allies, unified against a shared enemy. But what would happen after the organization was destroyed was hard to predict. Having Jake and his army of monsters roaming the city didn’t sit well with her. What if in the future, when they defeated Los Demonios, Jake would become an even greater threat than the very organization they were currently battling?
Melissa looked around. Her team was already hard at work, repairing the base and tending to the wounded. They all knew what needed to be done, even without her guidance. Turning on her heels, she made her way toward HQ, determined to call Catalina and update her about the recent attack and the alarming revelations regarding Jake. They had to put their heads together and prepare for the unpredictable future ahead.