Chapter 236: Quick
The body on the bed was a grotesque sight, a twisted, shriveled shell of what once must have been a man. Felix's first thought was that he looked drained—literally.
Standing over the bed, Felix grimaced as he observed the horror in the man's sunken eyes, his jaw locked in a deathly gasp, with his bony fingers stretched toward the window as if reaching for a last chance to escape. Shadow's voice broke the silence, its tone amused.
"This guy must've had quite a party going out," it snickered.
"Not funny," Felix replied sharply, pushing the thought aside.
"Fine, you're the boss."
Beside him, the sheriff continued his report, "We're still in preliminary investigations. Our team's working on collecting fingerprints and DNA from likely spots. There are signs this wasn't a one-man show, and it's possible others were here during the man's last moments. If we can get a traceable sample…"
"Like this cup?" Felix interrupted, crouching next to the trash can. With gloved hands, he lifted a disposable paper cup, inspecting it closely.
"Not exactly standard for someone to use a paper cup when they're alone at home, right?"
"Oh, yes… of course," the sheriff admitted, looking embarrassed. The oversight was glaring now that Felix had pointed it out.
The fact that the cup was still in the trash suggested it had been left by a recent visitor. If it held saliva or another trace of DNA, it could lead directly to someone connected to the scene.
As it turned out, Felix's hunch was right. A lab test revealed a DNA match, and soon they had a name: Mari Kijima. On paper, she was a college student, but background checks revealed ties to a shadowy "seafood business"—a common euphemism for questionable connections. With the lead in hand, the Ninth Division's network swiftly pinpointed her location, beating the FBI to the punch. Someone had booked her a room in a luxury hotel for nine that evening. All signs pointed to her being there.
Felix arrived at the hotel a little before nine, moving swiftly to the room number provided by the front desk. Outside the door, he paused, feeling the presence inside almost instinctively.
"An infected scent," Shadow's voice hummed.
"Are you sure?" Felix whispered, his muscles tensing.
"No doubt," Shadow replied with a hint of disgust. "And not just any infected—it's strong. Think of your uncle's cologne, only worse."
"Sounds lovely," Felix muttered dryly, then raised his boot and kicked the door in. Since accepting Shadow's presence, he'd noticed a significant boost in his physical strength. The door lock snapped, the frame splintering as it flew open.
Inside, Felix found exactly what he expected: a man and a woman, caught mid-encounter. They both froze, but the man's condition was appalling. He looked as if he were already halfway dead, his body wasted and gaunt, his skin hanging from his bones. His eyes rolled back, his breath ragged, as he struggled to break free from the woman on top of him.
The woman, Mari, looked over at Felix, her expression slipping from surprise to a smirk. The distraction allowed the man to slip away, clawing his way off the bed in a last-ditch attempt to escape. He barely managed to move, his limbs trembling as he dragged himself toward Felix with the desperation of a drowning man reaching for a lifeline. His body was shriveled and skeletal, his skin cracked and dry. With sunken eyes, he looked up at Felix and stretched a trembling arm forward, his lips moving, struggling to speak.
"What's he saying?" Felix asked, unable to make out the words.
"I think he's saying, 'totally worth it,'" Shadow whispered sarcastically. "Or maybe, 'best night of my life.'"
"He doesn't look that thrilled," Felix replied grimly.
The man collapsed before he could reach Felix, leaving an unsettling silence in the room. Felix sensed Mari's attention shift. Her eyes fixed on him, assessing him with a predatory gaze. Her face twisted into a seductive smile as she slowly rose from the bed.
Objectively, she was striking. Her features were sharp, and her gaze held an intensity that could make most people falter. With her eyes on him, she took a step forward, her hips swaying.
"Hey there, handsome," she cooed in a mocking tone, her voice low and sultry. "Interested in joining the fun?"
Felix's mind was racing, but Shadow's voice interrupted his thoughts with a chuckle. "You might be busy here for a while. Don't worry—I'll leave you to it. Gotta keep things moving, you know?"
"Wait—no, this is serious! Don't—"
Before he could finish, Mari leapt forward.
Felix didn't need Shadow's warning or enhanced senses to know she was infected; the way she bounded across the room was proof enough. He quickly drew his gun, barely aiming before he pulled the trigger. The room exploded with the sound of the gunshot, and he watched the bullet hurtle toward her—but with inhuman agility, she twisted her body in midair, dodging it easily. The bullet struck the wardrobe behind her with a loud thud, sending shards of wood flying.
Without losing momentum, Mari pushed off the wardrobe, propelling herself toward him. Her speed was terrifying, and he barely had time to react as she landed just inches from him. He adjusted his grip, his finger ready to pull the trigger again, but she slapped his wrist aside with almost contemptuous ease. The gun clattered to the floor as she seized his shoulders, pushing him back until he was pinned against the wall. Her hands moved up his arms, pressing down with a force that belied her delicate appearance.
"A gun? How boring," she mocked, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "I prefer things more… personal."
Felix clenched his jaw, doing his best to avoid her gaze. "This isn't exactly a good time for games, Shadow… help."
"Hmm?" she murmured, her face inches from his, her breath warm against his skin. "What was that, darling? Did I miss something?"
In that instant, Felix's eyes shifted, turning pale. A wicked smile appeared on his face, one that wasn't his own. Mari's expression flickered with surprise, but before she could react, a shadowy, spectral hand separated from Felix, materializing beside him. It moved like lightning, morphing into a solid, powerful fist that struck Mari's face with the force of a sledgehammer.
The impact threw her across the room, her body slamming into the TV stand with a bone-rattling crash. The screen shattered, glass shards scattering across the floor as she slid to a stop.
Shadow, now in control of Felix's body, smirked, rolling his neck with satisfaction. "Not to be rude, but you finished way too quickly for my taste."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone