Chapter 147 - The Disagreement
Chapter 147 – The Disagreement
"This is weird." Commander Larsen turned to look at Agent Alan. "The BST energy seems to have died down completely."
"What does that mean?" Detective Harry asked. "Does that mean that something has gone wrong?"
"It usually means the product that produces the BST energy is either dead or has changed locations." Commander Larsen said as he touched his chin.
"It probably noticed that something was off and decided to abandon its nest!" Agent Alan said to the Commander. "If it has indeed changed directions, and the new BST reading is really the same creature, then I suggest we get out of here and head in the direction where the map is taking us!" Agent Alan tilted his head with urgency as he stared at the Commander, who thought for a few seconds before nodding his head slowly. "Alright, we'll do that!"
"Good! Now, let's stop wasting time and go!" Agent Alan motioned to the rest of the police officers, who all followed the special agent. Commander Larsen also turned to leave.
Step! Step!
Commander Larsen took a few steps, then stopped and turned around, staring at Chief Henry for a split second before saying, "I'll withdraw my men, Chief Henry. I apologize for the inconvenience. But I do believe that this might not be the last time that we'll see each other."
He paused for a second, as a sinister grin appeared on his face and he waved his hand. "Goodbye. For now."
And with that, the Commander, along with the detectives and the Special Agent left the place.
"What the f*ck was that?!" Chief Henry, who was speechless until now, blurted out with a shocked and confused expression on his face, before it eventually turned into a look of anger and hatred.
"Those bastards think that they can just break through our neighborhood and then leave as if nothing had happened?!" He was angry at the fact that the FID Commander was able to enter into their neighborhood without obtaining permission. He considered this as a method to taint his power and authority. One of their tricks to show that they could take every single one of the Malkalians down if they want to. But instead, they were letting the Chief play pretend.
"You dare make fun of our people and our religion? You dare make fun of my abilities? I'll show you! I'll show you all!" The Chief was infuriated right now.
"Chief! Chief!" All of a sudden, another man charged inside the living room while yelling loudly, calling for the Chief in a desperate tone.
"What the f*ck do you want?!" The Chief, who was raging beyond human comprehension, screamed loudly in response.
"Th- The bathroom! The sec- The secret pathway!" The man, who was panting heavily, breathed in and out loudly as he tried to speak, but he continued to stutter, much to the annoyance of the Chief, who rolled his eyes.
"Just say it quickly, would you?!" Chief Henry spoke as he raised his tone a bit, while also controlling his anger as he quickly came to the realization that it wouldn't paint a good impression of him if any of his followers saw him in such a deranged state. He had to keep himself in check.
"The- The secret pathway! We've saved some people who were trapped inside the secret pathway!" The man spoke after taking a few seconds to calm himself down, and the Chief's eyes widened with surprise.
Whoosh!
He immediately dashed towards the man who was leaning next to the wall to rest, grabbed both his shoulders, and shook him furiously. "Where are they?"
"Carrick's house! They're- They're still inside Carrick's house! We haven't moved them anywhere!" The man screamed loudly as he wanted the Chief to stop shaking him, which he did after finding out where his fellow followers were.
"I've got to head over there!" The Chief muttered to himself under his breath. He had to make sure that he was by their side while they recovered. They must never realize that he had abandoned them.
He wouldn't let anyone else ruin his reputation. Not anymore.
—————-
Outside the Chief's house.
"What was that?" Agent Alan turned around and grabbed the Commander by his collar as soon as they had exited Chief Henry's house, making everyone turn their attention to the two men.
"What was what?" Commander Larsen seemed a bit annoyed at the fact that his collar was being grabbed, but he still had a faint smile on his face as he spoke. "What did I do?"
"What did you do? Are you seriously going to ask me that?" Agent Alan said with a snort as he stared at the Commander's face with a frustrated expression. "You said that you wouldn't step on anyone's toes. You gave me your word."
"And I would've kept my word…" Commander Larsen rolled his eyes as he spoke bluntly. "But you guys were being way too courteous with these Malkalians. They're nobody. You don't have to stoop to their level."
"They're not nobody." Detective Harry interjected into the conversation. He continued, "The Malkalians, although an old and fading dynasty, still has roots that run through almost every single institution within this-"
"-City. Yes, I know all that." Commander Larsen interrupted Detective Harry's words before he could finish his sentence. "You don't have to re-educate me on the history of the Malkalians. I am well aware of what they were and how far they're roots go."
"Are you sure? Because after that stunt that you pull inside there, I'm thinking that a bit of re-education might actually do you some good." Agent Alan clicked his tongue as he looked at the Commander with a disappointed expression.
Commander Larsen shook his head and ignored Agent Alan's sharp remarks and continued, "The point is that the influence of the Malkanians are only limited to this city, given it being one of their early colonies."
He then paused for a split second before speaking. "But I am currently a representative of the FID, whose influence is much wider and is much more powerful than Malkalians could ever hope to be. I'm saying that we don't have to do their bidding because of fear anymore."
"What happens when we leave then, huh?" Agent Alan said as he shook Commander Larsen's collar. "What happens when the so-called all-powerful FID has left this place? All that's left would be a bunch of pissed off Malkalians. And who'd take care of them?"
Commander Larsen narrowed his eyes. He didn't reply immediately and for a split second, his gaze shifted to Detective Harry and Lewis, before readjusting back to Alan. "Come on, Alan…" He whispered softly in an almost ominous tone as he leaned forward. "Are you lying to yourself, or do you honestly believe that this city is going to survive what's going to come?"
Silence enveloped the surroundings.
Clench!
Commander Larsen grabbed Alan's wrists and pulled him back. "We should probably head out now, Alan." He whispered softly. "We might lose the monster if we wait around."
Agent Alan looked right into Commander Larsen's face, right after which he loosened his grips, and the Commander patted his shoulder before heading forward.
—————
'Not everyone has the same reach when it comes to senses, huh…' Noah had a curious expression on his face. Gerald could identify the spot from where the presence was coming from, while the others couldn't. Was this because of a difference in raw talent, or is it simply because the others didn't try hard enough?
But the answers to his questions had to wait, as they had something to take care of. "Guys, I think you know what we have to do.." Noah said with a serious expression on his face as he stared at the four boys in front of him.
"Oh, for f*ck's sake! I can't believe I am not going to get the sleep that I need!" Alphonso sounded annoyed as he clicked his tongue in response, but everyone knew that he wasn't planning on abandoning the mission, even though he was whining too much about it.
The boys turned their direction from their houses to Salem Street, and the group of superhumans shot through the forest area, jumping on the branches with incredible speed and blending in with the dense jungle in an instant.
"How long will it take for us to reach the destination?" Alphonso asked, and Noah replied almost instantly. "Given how much you all have improved when it comes to supernatural speed, I'd say it most likely would take about five to ten minutes."
"Would it be a bit too long?" Gerald asked while raising his eyebrows. He knew how much more terrifying the monsters are when compared to normal human enemies. Five to ten minutes may sound small to some people, but God knows what the monsters would end up causing in that short period of time.
"It might be.. But right now, this is the best that we can do," Noah said with a serious expression, and the other four boys nodded their heads reluctantly.