章節 221: Splurging Gone Wrong #221
"Thanks for the ride, buddy," I said, playfully tossing an ancient golden coin as I got off the old ragged car. "Here," I added, throwing the golden token and smiling as the driver hurriedly grabbed and bit into it.
Realizing it was solid gold, the driver gave me a strange look before stepping on the gas and speeding away, seemingly afraid that I'd changed my mind.
I merely chuckled at the man's antics and turned away from him as I walked to the airport's entrance. I'd already finished cleaning up Faust's hideout, and the amount of gold, ancient sculptors, and valuable paintings left me in an unprecedentedly generous mood.
I estimated my findings to be worth over 100 million, and I was just getting started. There are several more hideouts filled with shiny expensive artifacts and gold coins the sorcerer had gathered for hundreds of years.
Luckily they were in other countries since everything in Bialya was going to shit with a literal undead horde rising in the capital and warlords gathering their followers to fight off Superman and Wonder Woman and stop them from interfering for some reason.
Black Adam and Isis were likely in the middle of that mess somewhere, as well, doing only god knows what. Naturally, all public flights had stopped, considering the circumstances, but private jets were still available.
I'd earned a considerable amount of money, so I figured I'd splurge a little and give it a try instead of flying on my own because why the fuck not?
I'd already found a pilot trying to flee the country with his private jet now that everything was going to shit, and the man was more than happy to earn a couple of thousands on the way.
Still, I didn't go very far before noticing a blonde woman that stood out from everyone else, what with her short haircut, exquisite features, expensive business suit, and a resting bitch face with cold, calculating eyes staring directly at me.
'Oh, for fuck's sake...' I mused, sensing trouble as soon as I laid eyes on the woman, and she immediately started walking in my direction, followed by an entourage of buff bodyguards in black suits.
The woman quickly reached me, despite the thick crowd gathering around the airport's entrance, looking to flee the country, as her bodyguards pushed and shoved everyone out of the way, clearing her path.
"Mr. Whitlock, my name is Veronica Cale," The woman said as she stood in front of me, extending her right hand in my direction, clearly asking for a handshake, to which I could only sigh in resignation and oblige.
"Hello, Miss Cale. I'm afraid you caught me at an unfortunate time. I have some business to attend to," I said, putting on a pleasant smile as I let go of the woman's hand.
"Please excuse me," I added as I stepped aside and tried to walk past the woman, only for her to get in my way, causing me to let another sight as I looked at her questioningly.
"I apologize, but I need to discuss something of dire importance with you. The very fate of this nation and perhaps the world is at stake," The woman said, apologetically shaking her head, and I gestured for her to keep talking.
"I'm sure you already heard off the undead threat emerging in Biyalia's capital," The blonde said, her tone neutral. "Though you might not be aware of its original cause," She added, trailing off, and I merely nodded at her words.
I had an inkling of the reason after listening to Isis and Black Adam's conversation before they left, but I had no idea what these horsemen of the apocalypse were and from where they came.
"The chief perpetrator of the dead rising is Azraeuz, the silent king, or so it calls itself," Veronica calmly explained. I could only nod at words to indicate I was with her, to which she continued.
"Azraeuz and his brothers, Yurrd, Rogga, and Zorrm, are the four horsemen of the apocalypse, representing Death, famine, War, and pestilence, respectively," The blonde explained, raising one finger with every name she mentioned.
"Despite possessing an overwhelming, mystical prowess, these four creatures were the result of purely scientific labor," Veronica said through gritted teeth as she clenched her fists.
"Mostly mine and, and that of Dr. Will Magnus..." The blonde explained, pausing to take a deep breath as she studied my expression, to which I merely raised an eyebrow and waited for her to explain.
"We, alongside numerous reputable scientists, were kidnapped and forced to stay on Oolong island by the Intergang," She explained, letting out a sigh of resignation as she reached into her purse.
"They forced us to work on creating these four monstrosities, saying their Crime Bible foretold their coming," She went on as she retrieved a paper from her purse and gave it to me.
"Naturally, we dismissed their claims as the ravings of lunatics and did as instructed to preserve our lives," Veronica said, her expression turning bitter as she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
"We assumed we were working on living biological weapons, nothing more and nothing less," The blonde said, shaking her head. "We thought the justice league would be more than capable of extinguishing them, but..." She went on, trailing at the end of her sentence as she grimaced.
"We were gravely mistaken," Veronica stated. "The subjects weren't only capable of considerable physical feats thanks to our efforts, but they possessed unexplainable mystical powers." She explained, watching as I read through the short verse cryptically talking about four horsemen who would change the world.
"They also displayed extreme intelligence and broke free from the security measures we installed in their bodies," The blonde said, her expression growing more grim as she spoke, seemingly recalling an unpleasant memory.
"Finally, they displayed an unreasonable obsession with Kahndaq's protector, Black adam," Veronica said as she gathered her bearings and put on a calm expression.
"They laid waste to Oolong Island, killing many of our colleagues before departing to do the same in Kahndaq," The blonde explained, pausing to catch her breath after talking for so long.
"They caused millions of deaths before Black Adam managed to slay their physical bodies, but their souls somehow survived," Veronica stated, her expression turning resolute as she looked me straight in the eye. "And they will cause millions more if they are not properly taken care of," She concluded, crossing her arms.
"And I assume you have a way to take care of them properly...?" I asked, frowning as I made air quotes with my fingers. I couldn't simply walk away as I'd planned now that I'd learned so much about the situation, so I might as well listen to what she had to say.
If those creatures are as dangerous as the woman described them, then it would only be a matter of time before they became a problem for the entire world, myself included.
"No. I don't have any method to destroy these creatures permanently," Veronica resolutely replied as she shook her head without hesitation, causing me to raise an eyebrow.
"They have achieved a curious, perhaps higher state of being than regular humans," The blonde hurriedly explained as she noticed my bemused expression.
"They would only transfer their consciousness to different hosts if you destroy their bodies," She added, and I had the urge to turn around and leave at her words. However, I sensed a "but" coming, so I waited for her to continue.
Sure enough.
"However, I have a method to entrap and contain their essence should they flee their current hosts..." The blonde said, turning to one of her bodyguards, who promptly opened the suitcase in his hands, revealing a light blue crystal.
"After studying whatever experimental data we managed to salvage from Oolong Island, I've come to a realization," The blonde calmly stated. "The four creatures were sentient energy forms that merely possessed our creations like parasites," Veronica went on as she gestured to the side with her left.
"If you destroy their hosts, they would only need to find new ones to survive, albeit at a weaker state, depending on the parameters of their carrier," Veronica continued, sounding more and more confident with every word she spoke.
"Armed with that knowledge, I sought a practitioner of the mystic arts from England. We created this crystal with his help," The blonde said as she turned to the bodyguard carrying the crystal and gestured for him to come closer.
"It would act as a lodestone of sorts, drawing the four horsemen souls and entrapping them within," Veronica explained as she picked up the crystal. "Naturally, I intend to find a way to destroy them permanently, but right now, this is the only way to stop them," She concluded as she offered me the crystal.
...
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