Chapter 226
Chapter 226
Joyce walks out of the shower in her bathrobe and sits down lazily on the bed. It was a modest size room, a single room in a mundane, cheap hotel.
She fiddled with the terminal and sent a text message to her subordinate to bring room service to her.
She fell back on the bed and looked out the window at the falling snow outside, lost in thought.
–The other day, the home of Colonel Declark, who she kept in contact for a while, had been hit by an explosion.
Colonel Declark was a well-known figure in the 88. His name is too big to keep his passing a secret.
The public speculated about gas explosions, mishandling of explosives, assassination by gangsters, and even wild occult theories such as Bigfoot.
These reports were the catalyst for a series of recent disappearances that began to resurfacing.
Male and female soldiers in the underground ammunition depot, the head of the IT department. Men and women in the distribution department. And many “other” suspicious cases.
Although no bodies had been found in any of these cases. Most of the victims were not civilians and the military had been handling them secretly under the radar. Most of them held some position or authority in 88, which made these cases intriguing enough to arouse the public’s curiosity.
The disappearing case articles sells like hot potatos, and that caused the press to eventually traced it back to the disappearance of a slum dweller.
Now Joyce is watching a video of Inspector Mclaren being interviewed. He is an inspector who has been investigating the disappearance in the slum and has been a thorn in Joyce’s works for some time.
The inspector is going to cooperate with the military to expand the scope of the disappearance cases investigation.
It’s only a matter of time before the investigation lead to Sludge’s involvement. After all, the military was the mastermind behind the disappearance. It would be no surprise if they decided to cut our tail.
On top of that, they had heard about the incident a few days earlier about Sludge’s casino. Together with the recent attack on the Haven office, she thought it was the handiwork of Sand at first, but here she had another thought about the series of incidents. It was a gut feeling, a survival instinct.
–Joyce thinks it was a purge.
A large-scale assassination attempt. She believes that the military is trying to destroy all and any evidences. If that prediction was correct, she must also be on the purge list.
Joyce, realized that she was in danger, went into hiding.
This was the reason why she was staying in such a cheap room, even though she usually stays in a suite.
There was no time to hesitate. The plan was to escape with Special Forces that has a connection with the gang, grab a large amount of ration, hide in a weapon container then get shipped out of the 88.
“Haa …… what should I do?”
She was now out of touch with her most powerful connection, Commander Dominic. If she could, she would be able to have him arrange for her to get a post or something in the central through a contact. But she and Dominic only had a physical relationship. he would cut her off without hesitation.
Joyce had prepared for this situation, but it was too sudden this time. There was nothing she could do in time, so she rushed to this hotel with nothing but her clothes.
What should she do after getting out of 88? That was the question on her mind.
Then–.
*knock* *knock*
“I brought the food.”
The voice came from behind the door.
“…….”
The unusual tones of the voice alarmed Joyce.
Standing in front of the door, she put her eyes to the peephole.
It was blurry and hard to see, probably because the lens was fogged up, but it was definitely one of her men standing there. He was pushing a food cart with a cover on it.
“–Too slow. Are you eating on way here or something?”
Joyce complained and returned to her room, unlocking the door.
A moment later, there was a clattering sound, her subordinate pushed a cart into the room.
“When you’re done with this, go and contact the Special Forces to confirm tomorrow’s meeting place and —-.”
Joyce gives rapid instructions and her subordinate serves her food.
Joyce sits at the table.
Immediately, her subordinate offered her a glass.
“So thoughtful of you.”
The red liquid trickled into her glass.
“I thought I order a wine?”
The liquid that was poured into her glass was, at first glance, tomato juice.
Tomato juice is a bit childish but not bad as a pre-meal drink. Joyce sips it without any caution.
“Blech!”
She immediately split it out.
“Fucking hell…… what is this?”
A smell of metal.
She frowned at the taste, it was like she was licking a steel rod.
“It is the best and freshest wine available.”
“You, what’s wrong with your voice?”
“Today’s menu is monkey brains. Please enjoy.”
“……?”
She has no time to complain about a menu she didn’t order.
The food cover opened.
What appeared from underneath was a fresh head.
The top part of the skull had been neatly removed and the wrinkled, pink brain was and exposed.
“Umff–“
The smell of blood spread through the room, and Joyce could not contain herself as she gagged and vomited.
“W-What the hell!?”
Joyce stood up and backed away.
At the same time, her subordinate moved his hand to his face.
Suddenly, a mass of gray flesh appeared.
Haah-haah-haah …… white steam rises from its mouth.
“…….”
Her halted thoughts slowly recover.
“Somebody help!!!”
She slipped past the monster and out into the hallway.
Joyce ran.
Two girls were standing at the end of the hallway. A girl with glasses and a girl in a Cossack hat.
“Call the military!!”
Joyce shouted and tried to run past the two girls. She intended to use the girls as bait to buy time.
But.
“Guh ……!”
Her hand that was about to push them off the way was twisted by the girl with glasses, and she fell down with a loud thud.
Next, the girl in the Cossack hat poked the fallen Joyce with a weird-looking cane.
She hears a bell sound and paralysis spreads throughout her body.
“Ahh……aa.”
Having been instantly robbed of her body control, Joyce looked up at the girls as she lay in the corridor.
Their faces were frighteningly beautiful. Even Joyce, a woman, could not help but admire their beauty, a beauty so out of this world. A proof that they were not human.
–In Joyce’s mind, all the incidents she had been thinking about earlier were now linked together.
The disappearances that not involving Sludge. A series of attacks on the upper ranks of the military, the sabotages. It all leads back to that monster.
“……ooh……”
A huge man stepped toward her and put a paper bag over her head, robbing Joyce of her vision.