Download App
11.57% AWAKENED: THE BEAST SYSTEM / Chapter 52: [Bonus chapter]CH52: TO THE SUBURB

Chapter 52: [Bonus chapter]CH52: TO THE SUBURB

Mechanized units, human beings with military-grade prosthetic bodies not allowed to be owned by the public, were an elite group consisting of two divisions: the mechanized division and the cavalry division. The mechanized units comprised men and women with mechanical bodies, while the cavalry units were extremely powerful and dangerous man-controlled machines that were only deployed in escalated situations.

Currently, mechanized units were falling out of airships without any parachutes on their backs, following Dheng Zhao's lead. Once a hundred of them had landed, they formed a V-shaped formation, with Carla and Dheng positioned at the frontline.

"MALWARE UNITS," they both shouted, "TAKE YOUR POSITIONS."

In unison, the one hundred units leaned over with their hands over their heads and their knees slightly bent forward. Their arms started to vibrate with different colors of light emitting from the slits, depending on their design.

"ADVANCE."

The Malware mechanized division units began to run at inhumane speeds, swiftly closing the distance between them and the Gazanerrin frontline which was a good distance away from them. Along the way, they encountered intermediate-tier sandworms that occasionally jumped out of the sand, nipping at a few of them. However, using only one hand, the units blew holes through the worms' heads and extracted the crystals from within while still running at full speed

Meanwhile, Dheng Zhao and Carla Monroe moved even faster than the others, eventually reaching the Gazanerrin frontline. As soon as the enemy caught sight of them, they opened heavy fire and bombarded them with beasts. The beasts were a fusion of wild boars and dogs. Their boar-shaped heads, dog-like legs, and rows of poison-tipped spinal bones around their bodies made them perfect creatures for riders.

[Scan complete] Dheng's AI system announced.

[Beast Name: Hog hound.]

[Weight: 200 lbs.]

[Tier: Intermediate.]

"I'll take care of these ones, Carla," Dheng declared. "You go after the armed terrorists while the others disable their weapons."

"Zhao, wait. That's beyond your jurisdiction," Carla warned, but the blonde soldier was already heading towards about fifty hog hounds.

"Come and get some, you ugly pumbas." With his hands loaded with crystal energy, Dheng struck the foreheads of each beast, instantly killing them before extracting their crystals. The remaining beasts, witnessing their own kind falling, were determined to completely devour the man in front of them.

*ROINK*

One hog hound snuck up on Dheng and swiftly pounced on him, its claws trying to dig into his shoulders. Dheng struggled to break free from the beast's grasp, but his arms and legs were strategically pinned, and the creature's drooling mouth was wide open, ready to bite his head off.

"Oh no you don't." Other hog hounds pounced on the one attacking Dheng, nearly crushing him under their weight. With the palms of his hands still mobile, Dheng focused his crystal's energy on them and released a bright beacon of energy onto the pile of beasts. The resulting blast was so powerful and hot that the creatures disintegrated into black dust. All that remained were their crystals.

"That was a close one," Dheng laughed, collecting all the crystals before regrouping with the others.

----------

"MALWARE MECHANIZED UNITS," the armed terrorists warned their comrades, "BRING IN THE BLASTERS, QUICKLY."

"I don't think so." Carla and her squad of fifty Malwares sped towards the Gazanerrin camps, taking down anyone who fired at them.

[Scan complete. There are approximately five thousand armed targets with intermediate-tier weapons.]

"DISARM AND RESTRAIN ALL THE TARGETS." Carla commanded

"Confirmed!" Carla's squad swiftly disabled the weapons, destroyed Gazanerrin ammunition supplies, and restrained as many of the terrorists as possible.

With the Monroe Squad handling the Gazanerrin, Zhao and his squad of fifty men and women took care of the different beasts which were luckily locked in pens. Some were released and sent to attack them, so they killed them and gathered their crystals as well.

"That's the last of them, sir."

"The beasts and all Gazanerrin have been restrained, Captain Zhao."

"Confirmed. Make sure they stay put. I think Commander Carla has found the man in charge of this Gazanerrin squadron."

"Yes, sir!"

While the Monroe and Zhao squads kept watch over the Gazanerrin, Dheng walked over to a tent where Carla allegedly found the person in charge. As soon as he entered the tent, he was greeted by the sight of Carla pressing her fingers deep into an elderly man's eyes, with the tips being red hot.

"AAHH!!!"

"Come on, who sent you here? Tell us who your leader is?" Carla questioned, her thumbs finally out of the man's eyes, but he didn't say a word. "Answer me, damn it." With an electrical charge emanating from the palms of her right hand, Carla shocked the man while holding his face close to hers. "Who sent you here?"

"Calm down, Carla." Dheng quickly pulled Carla back, fearing that the man would die of shock. "That's not how you get information out of a terrorist like him." Carla stepped back as Dheng sat in front of the elderly man.

The Gazanerrin's body trembled, his gray head hanging backward. His eyes were red and sore, blood dripped from his mouth and nostrils. His breathing was heavy, slow, and unstable.

"I shall never answer to you Neveahian scum," he said in a low tone. "I'd rather have my insides boiled than cooperate with your kind."

"Calm down, buddy," Dheng smiled while tapping his metal fingers together. "Unlike my lady friend here, I'm not Neveahian, but that's not important." Dheng took a deep breath before he started to interrogate the Gazanerrin. "You know that poaching these beasts and using them to cause terror is against the law and therefore illegal, correct?"

Dheng asked, but the Gazanerrin didn't answer.

"It's so illegal that the only punishment fit for you is... I don't know, death... perhaps?"

"I don't care," he answered. "We Gazanerrin know what we are doing. We don't have to answer to you. I would rather die than cooperate with your kind. You kill these animals for their gems, we use them for their rightful purpose. I would rather die for our cause."

"Who said that the punishments' for you?" Dheng laughed, and the Gazanerrin started to worry. "Knowing you, I'd say that you're a family man, correct? You must have a wife and children, correct?"

"I am a Gazanerrin. We do not have children and wives. Families are a distraction to our cause," he responded, making it obvious that he was lying.

[Heart rate increased by 10%]

"Don't lie. I've already scanned you, and I know who you are. I know you have a wife and two sons, and I know exactly where they are. In fact, I've sent five of my squad to kill them right now. It's only fair for the lives of the soldiers you took, yes?"

Carla smirked in amazement as she witnessed the fear in the elderly man's eyes. With her AI, she scanned the man's heartbeat and sensed how worried he became.

"Tough guys like you have soft spots for your families. And may I say, your sons look to be strong young men. They remind me of my family. Too bad you'll never see them again... well, you'll see their heads delivered to..."

"NO, PLEASE!!" The man pleaded with tears rolling down his eyes. "Do not harm my sons. I am doing this for them. I have no choice. If I do not listen, they'll kill them."

"Who will?" Carla asked. "If you tell us, we'll make sure your sons are safe."

The Gazanerrin went silent, ensuring he only looked at Dheng. "Please, do not harm my sons."

"Then tell us who sent you here. Who's the mastermind behind all of this?" Dheng asked, but the man remained in tears, mouthing the word 'please.'

"It's fine," Dheng stood up and turned his back on the Gazanerrin, putting his finger on his ear, pretending to give orders. "Kill them."

"WAAAIIIIT!!" The Gazanerrin cried pathetically and started to talk. "I don't know who they are, but I know one thing. Tomorrow morning. There'll be another attack TOMORROW MORNING!!"

"Where?"

"There's a small suburb eight hours away from here in the east. We have reason to believe that there's a demon-tier beast being protected by the inhabitants of the suburb. The one who'll lead the attack will give you more answers. Just please... don't kill my sons."

Dheng and Carla left the man crying in the tent while they chose to continue the conversation somewhere else. Meanwhile, one of the three airships landed by the Gazanerrinian camp, and soldiers took the captured Gazanerrin, including the elderly man, and would later transport them to Neveah, where they'd be placed on trial for their crimes.

"We now know there'll be another attack," Carla spoke. "So should we move out now and get there before daybreak?"

"No. The man said he has reason to believe that the suburb has a demon-tier beast, which means there are Gazanerrinians feeding their comrades intel. If we show up in the morning with our fleets, they'll warn their people and cancel the attack."

"So now what? It's nearly dawn, and we can't move at night in this desert. The number of ferocious beasts will have tripled by then."

"Scary as it may be, we'll go with only our squads, on foot." Dheng smiled. "It'll be like a little scout trip. We can hold hands and sing kumbaya. Hahaha!!" He laughed. "Jokes aside, once we get closer, we'll disperse throughout the suburb and keep watch for any Gazanerrin."

"What about the beast?" Carla wondered. "With it there, that suburb will forever be hunted."

"What makes you think we can take down a demon tier? If those people somehow know how to keep it at bay, we'll leave it there. Our job is to destroy the Gazanerrins, not capture beasts." With his orders given, both the Monroe and Zhao squads rested for a while and prepared to move out through the night.


Chapter 53: CH53: THE SUBURB WITH THE DEMON TIER BEAST.

[Friday, 6th January, 4045]

[Time: 4:30 am]

Under the chilling cold wind of the desert night sky, the Monroe and Zhao squads set out on foot from the last Gazanerrin camp towards a city in the east. With the belief that another terrorist raid was imminent, Captain Dheng Zhao Prince and Commander Carla Monroe aimed to intercept, disband, and capture the Gazanerrins before any harm could be done to the suburb. With only a few hours until daybreak, both squads decided to jog for the remainder of the trip.

"This is good exercise, isn't it Carla?" Zhao smiled, but Carla didn't respond. "This is good exercise. I can feel my leg muscles benefiting from this."

"You don't have leg muscles, dimwit," Carla hissed, but then rolled her eyes, realizing Zhao was attempting small talk.

"On a serious note," he added, "What's going to be our first move once we get there? With these bodies, people will know who we are, and that will definitely scare the terrorists."

"You do have a point," she replied. "Blending in with the people is a good idea. Perhaps when we arrive, we'll conceal ourselves in desert attire. I thought of this a while ago and gathered a few Gazanerrin clothes, roughed them up a bit, and informed both squads."

"Ah, thinking ahead, I see," he bluffed. "That's good, though. I do admire the fashion sense of the desert dwellers."

Dheng continued speaking, but Carla's thoughts were elsewhere. She was currently going through a large database of recorded, studied, and killed beasts. When she reached the demon tier section, there were only one hundred types of beasts, but only ten had been killed. This led her and millions of others to believe that there was still much to learn about demon-tiered creatures.

"So, what do you say?" Carla snapped out of her thoughts and noticed Dheng looking at her with gleeful eyes. "Is it a yes or no?"

"Err," knowing Dheng, it was most likely a playful joke, so Carla replied, "Yes."

"You've made me the happiest man on Earth, Carla Monroe. Or should I say Carla Prince?"

"Prince?" She marveled. "Oh no. Oh no no no no. You did not just trick me into marrying you."

Those nearby overheard Dheng and Carla's conversation and laughed while watching Carla's evident disgust.

"Calm down, wifey," Dheng laughed. "I knew you were zoned out. You always have a crazy look in your eyes, a blend of hungry, tired, and flustered. What's troubling you?"

"The Demon Tier beast," she replied. "Do you know there are only one hundred beasts ever recorded? And of that one hundred, ten have been killed..along with those who killed them. I mean, no one who has ever tried killing a demon tier has ever survived to tell the tale."

"Like I said, Carla," Dheng quickly interrupted, already knowing where she was heading with her conversation. "We're only going there to take care of the Gazanerrin. If those people know about their beast in their suburb and have ways of keeping peace with it, then we'll let them be. We just have to make sure the terrorists don't get their hands on it, otherwise. We don't know what they plan to do with it, other than kill it and use its crystal."

With that said, Carla, Dheng, and their squads picked up the pace and started running even faster until they could see the suburb on the horizon.

-------------------

[Same Day]

[Time: 11:00 am]

[Location: an eastern suburb.]

Ghost town. That's what one would say as soon as they entered the suburb. Unlike the city centers and outskirts with their fancy buildings consisting of wood, iron sheets and glass, this suburb's housing and other forms of buildings were made from cream-colored desert sandstone, giving it an ancient kingdom vibe. With wooden doors for windows, flat roofs, and little to no modern technology available, one would say that the people of this town refused to embrace modern technology.

"Good day, brother. The weather is wonderful today," one of the inhabitants greeted while approaching another who seemed to be unsettled.

"The weather is wonderful. Has the wind blown to the east?"

"It has, and more approaches by noon," the latter who was unsettled grew at ease and embraced the first one who approached him. "It is good to have another one fighting for our cause here with me."

"Yes, it is," the former replied. "Shall we go and have a drink? The locals have one that's sure to put hair on a man's chest."

"Yes, let's." With the desert attire resembling those from the sand benders in Avatar: The Last Airbender, no one would easily see the other's face, making it perfect for anyone looking to blend in easily.

As for the two men, they walked towards the center of the suburb, which had a large, square-shaped facility. In it was a western, cowboy-themed bar with a few waiters and bartenders serving drinks from barrels.

"Please sit, brother," the former urged with his heavy middle eastern accent. "Come drink with me."

"Do you know this place very well?" the latter questioned as his nerves started warning him to question this strange man.

"Not so, but I have visited before when looking for the godmother," the former said, and the latter felt at ease once more and felt like he had no more reason to worry. "Here, try this. The locals call this the Earth's nectar."

While the two drank and told each other stories, the waiters and bartenders started to over-focus on their conversation since the two men were the only customers they had. Once again, the latter grew uneasy and, from the corner of his eye, noticed a piece of silver shining from the slits of one waiter's sleeve.

"MALWARE!" he cried as he pulled down the hood from the former's head. "MALWARES!" The latter quickly pulled out a small communication device and prepared to send a warning. However, before he could even open his mouth, the one whom he thought was one of his comrades hit the communicator from his hand, pulled his arms back, and pinned him down to the dusty floor.

"Yeah, Carla," the former, Dheng Zhao Prince, spoke into his own communicator. "Our cover's been blown, but everything's under control. One of your squadrons didn't cover themselves properly." He said while the waiters took off their disguises.

"Sorry, Captain Dheng."

"How's everything on your side, Carla?"

"We've got activity," she replied, using her eyes to zoom in on a dust cloud that was speedily approaching them. "I see four trucks, about twenty riders, and three hover choppers heading this way. It seems the trucks are pulling something colossal."

"How big?"

"Quarter the size of Neveah."

--------------------

Four trucks, moving at maximum speed, approached the suburb with haste. On both sides were hover copters with Gazanerrin soldiers holding guns, ready to take down anything that tried to get in their way. Again, on the sides of the trucks were riders riding hover bikes with passengers carrying guns as well.

"We move now," Dheng ordered, and together with his squad and Carla's, they moved ahead at maximum speed, causing a dust cloud of their own.

[Full Energy Usage Mode.]

[Going all out, I see.] His AI system spoke to him after it scanned all the heat signatures.

"We can't take any chances."

"SQUADS." Carla prepared to command. "ASSERT YOUR POSITIONS, NOW." The squads separated into groups of half with Carla and Dheng already ahead of them. The two quickly sped for the trucks but were immediately met by blasts shot at them from the Gazanerrin in the copters.

"Dheng, we should take care of…"

"Already on it." Dheng took a long squat while his legs powered up with energy. Then, like a rocket, he shot up high in the sky with a trail of blue lightning behind him. At that speed, Dheng burst through one hover copter's thrusters and left it to crash onto the desert sand.

While still airborne, he used the thrusters on his back to push him to the copter on his left.

"wHAT'S UP, PEOPLE!!" He screamed after getting himself into the copter's interior. With one person flying and two armed with guns, Dheng made quick work of them by knocking them out. He then took control of the copter with his AI system and caused it to slam into the last one before he jumped out and landed on the colossal item being transported.

"Well that was easier than I…." The 'item' he was standing on top of started to growl and rumble. "What the….Oh no!!" Dheng's eyes dilated with fear as he tore a piece of the tarpaulin off. Underneath the tarpaulin were blue long hairs and upon touching them, Dheng felt how warm it was.

"Carla!!" He quickly cried out. "We have to stop this thing from moving, now. It's a beast. The Gazanerrin are going to confront the demon-tier beast with another one. STOP THE TRUCKS NOW."


Load failed, please RETRY

Gifts

Gift -- Gift received

    Weekly Power Status

    Batch unlock chapters

    Table of Contents

    Display Options

    Background

    Font

    Size

    Chapter comments

    Write a review Reading Status: C52
    Fail to post. Please try again
    • Writing Quality
    • Stability of Updates
    • Story Development
    • Character Design
    • World Background

    The total score 0.0

    Review posted successfully! Read more reviews
    Vote with Power Stone
    Rank 200+ Power Ranking
    Stone 14 Power Stone
    Report inappropriate content
    error Tip

    Report abuse

    Paragraph comments

    Login

    tip Paragraph comment

    Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.

    Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.

    GOT IT