Chapter 471 Infiltration (2)
Chapter 471 Infiltration (2)
Situated within the bosom of clouds, the central office could only be reached by elevator. Ashton's disguise would only allow him to access the 120th floor, not above.
To access the office, he would need to switch his disguise, as only the security personnel were allowed access. Thankfully, Ashton had planned his next steps in advance.
*Ding*
Ashton calmly walked out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened. The lobby was full of guards carrying heavy weaponry, and at the moment, the place looked more like barracks than an office.
Not wanting to waste his time, Ashton darted towards the canteen. From there, he would hand-pick someone and alter his appearance again to access the office. However, his plan wouldn't go off without a hitch.
"Hold it." A dark-skinned man covered in swat armour blocked him, "Maintenance was called off for the day; did you not receive a notice?"
'Shit!'
The man then snatched the ID around Ashton's neck, carefully analysing it. Out of all the levels, someone could have told him about the maintenance being called off, but no one did.
It couldn't be they had planned it all from the beginning, could it?
The answer to that question did not matter. If he got busted there, things could turn ugly. Fearing the worst, Ashton promptly scanned the room to find a way out.
Roughly a hundred people were around him, and killing them all would only take a couple of minutes. However, engaging them might trigger the alarm and despite how strong he was, fighting an entire city alone was a bit too much, even for him.
"What are you doing here?"
Ashton was about to attack the guards when someone called out to him. The change in the guard's demeanour was enough to let him know the woman must have been someone at a high post.
"I keep forgetting you are deaf..." The woman mumbled impatiently, "Oi, guard, tell him to turn around."
The guard did as he was told before walking out of the way.
[Ain't she a cutie?]
Despite being undead, the woman was a sight to behold. Her pearl-white skin radiated the sunlight coming through the window.
The woman looked nothing like a typical undead. Instead, her resemblance was more in line with that of the vampires. Her youthful appearance could easily fool anyone who lacked a detection skill.
"Follow me." The woman gestured to him and quickly made her way to the elevator.
Ashton quietly followed her, all the while noticing everyone saluting the woman. She must be a high-ranking individual to make the stern-looking soldiers behave like children seeking their mom's approval.
Once inside the elevator, the woman used the access card required to reach the office. The ride was long and awkward, with neither saying a word.
The elevator doors opened again, revealing the massive army in front of the office. Most of them were weaker than Ashton had assumed. However, he felt a singular strange presence in the lobby.
[You felt it too?]
'What do you think?'
Someone strong, possibly a B-grade being, had camouflaged themselves within the crowd. Whoever they were, they had a knack for hiding in plain sight. Despite using [Perception], Ashton couldn't find the person emitting such a strenuous aura.
'Shit got interesting.'
Ashton was careful not to smile, but on the inside, he was excited for the first time since arriving on Earth. Finally, someone who could challenge him. But before that, he needed to find the supposed 'blueprint' or at least some information regarding Tartarus.
[Keep your eyes peeled, and don't even think about causing a ruckus. We need to find that freak before he finds us.]
'Then it's a good thing there's two of us. I'll look for the clues while you try to find out where the fucker is hiding.'
[Sigh, there goes my free vacation.]
"Here,"
To Ashton's surprise, the woman led him straight to his target- the central office. However, he was not expecting to see the place covered in blood and gore. The room looked like a human had exploded there, covering everything in their blood and gore.
"I want this," the woman whipped her bony fingers around the room, "to be cleared within two hours. You are not allowed to eat any of this stuff, so clean this stuff traditionally. Do you understand?"
Ashton smiled and nodded before taking out the broom and getting to work. Years of using a broom around the enclosure ensured that the woman did not get suspicious of him and, after ten minutes, left him alone in the room.
[He's here!]
The enigmatic aura once again revealed itself. But this time, it was no longer hazy. Ashton did not even need to use his Perception to know the freak was standing right behind him.
Before the man could do anything, Ashton borrowed one of Raven's skills to separate them from the rest of the world.
"Silent kill zone, as impressive as always." Ashton smiled before facing his enemy, "Wouldn't you agree?"
The man didn't reply, at least not in a conventional way. Six tentacle-like arms appeared behind his nameless foe.
"Kinky, let's see what you can do with them."
"You talk too much," The man said as he hurled his tentacles at Ashton.
Dodging tentacles was easier than dodging plasma bullets. However, the octopus didn't give up. Like homing missiles, the tentacles kept following Ashton around, but not once did they manage to strike him.
From an amateur's perspective, Ashton was toying with his opponent. However, in reality, they were stuck in a stalemate. While the tentacles couldn't catch up to Ashton, it wasn't like he could reach the man either.
The tentacles were attacking him aggressively and simultaneously defending the man.
[Stop playing with him and end it, you sadist bastard!]
'I thought I was the stern one among us.' Ashton replied and stopped dashing all over the place, "Fine, have it your way."
Following a loud bang, the tentacles struck Ashton. It was over, but not the way the assailant had imagined. One after another, all of the tentacles fell to the ground.
"What-"
"Your tentacles were impressive, but it seems my [Dissassociation] was faster," Ashton shrugged while waving the dissected tentacles, "Got any other tricks up your sleeve, or is this it?"