Chapter Twenty-Three: The Truth of the Apocalypse?
A soft-bodied creature of a bluish green hue wandered around the perimeter of an abandoned factory, constantly observing and recording from all directions.
In high-dimensional observation, normal space resembles a slightly curved sheet of paper—though we, living within it, remain unaware. Yet, through the eyes of Tindalos, the world unfolds as a unique angular, discontinuous space, allowing jumps between material-formed spatial corners. Countless angles connect effortlessly, like the intricate tunnels of an ant nest, blurring the boundaries of distance and space.
Hidden within this abandoned factory was a squad of fourteen bio-modified operatives. Adonsa’s neural sensing could not precisely identify or count them; the number fourteen was retrieved from Tindalos’s memory. Among the twelve modified operatives, two possessed independent consciousness and led the group, wielding formidable supernatural abilities.
Bio-modified operatives were ever clad in pitch-black hooded robes, their bodies marked with gruesome scars from countless battles—scars so severe that even their astonishing regenerative abilities could not fully heal them, sometimes recurring as their short lifespans waned. Beneath their hoods, their bald heads were fitted with brain-control devices secured by wires and bolts, transforming them from humans into machines.
Their combat prowess was formidable; they were instilled with various fighting techniques and knew no fear of death. Yet, they were not supernatural beings, merely specially engineered puppets. There were not yet enough supernaturals to enable such mass production. Their consciousness patterns were similar to those of Tindalos, crafted by the same hand, resulting in high neural similarity.
Moreover, they could perform a subtle kind of resonance, expending their own mental energy to amplify the supernatural abilities of others. Adonsa had reason to believe this modification was derived from research on the original “Amplification” ability.
Tindalos, though rigid and mechanical in thought, had been programmed with numerous intel about this assassin squad in preparation for the mission, including the abilities and histories of the two leaders. These records were indispensable for Adonsa’s tactical planning.
Late at night, in the pitch-black darkness, numerous shadows darted toward the factory.
Angsath, who was studying a map of Nanhai City, suddenly looked up. “Something is approaching.”
Arthur, who had just blown off wood chips after carving a caricature of President Amherst, immediately grew alert. “Is it those agents from the Special Security Bureau?”
Arthur turned on the surveillance screen, but could only see blurred shadows speeding by in the night vision. The image froze, and the system automatically analyzed the true nature of the shadows. The final conclusion was…
Angsath pressed his temples, closed his eyes, and lifted his head as if sensing something. “No… They’re short, but very large and fast… There are many of them. Some kind of mammal—cats and dogs… But why are they so big?”
He suddenly opened his eyes wide. “Bio-beasts!”
Before Angsath could inquire further, the sound of shattering glass erupted throughout the factory. Heavy bodies crashed through doors and windows, bursting inside.
These intruders measured over a meter in length. Their sharp fangs and curved claws distinguished them from any of their kind; no longer abandoned playthings, scavengers on rubbish heaps, or city wanderers—they had become true predators, akin to their ancestors.
A pack of wildcats!
Felines are indisputable predators among mammals. Though cats are often bullied by dogs, few realize this is merely due to size differences. A lynx over a meter long can easily prey upon an unarmed human.
Yet these wildcats were far more robust and swift than lynxes, especially with their synchronized movements—the margin of error as they invaded from every side of the factory was almost negligible.
The bio-modified operatives, ever vigilant, had already raised their guns toward the swarm. Silenced shots rang out, unleashing a hail of bullets.
But the anticipated devastation did not occur. The invading wildcats, facing a storm of gunfire, showed none of the panic expected of wild animals. Instead, they leveraged their low-slung bodies for incredible evasive maneuvers, rendering the human-trained shooting techniques largely ineffective.
Ten meters vanished in a blink, and the mountain of obstacles became perfect cover and footholds for the leopard-like wildcats, nearly reaching the operatives.
A wave of animal musk washed over them, and Arthur and Angsath instinctively dropped prone.
As the first wildcat leapt onto the central open space, a deeply-buried pressure-activated mine was triggered. Within 0.04 seconds, expanding air, intense heat, and deadly shrapnel filled a vast area, killing over half the wildcats instantly.
On the other side, the supernaturals emerged dusty but unscathed, though a strange spread of shrapnel littered the ground before them.
After the blast, the intense heat forced Arthur and Angsath to cover their mouths and retreat, a scene duly recorded by Adonsa.
“Unaffected by kinetic attacks, but vulnerable to high temperatures…”
Smoke billowed, but the wildcats pressed their assault.
These one-meter-long beasts had fully reverted to their predatory nature; even wolves would flee before them. In theory, felines rarely live in groups, as their rapid metabolism requires them to consume at least a tenth of their body weight in high-protein meat daily—food is their greatest constraint.
But these cats had all been regressed and modified by Adonsa, regaining some ancestral ferocity and possessing combat abilities equal to or surpassing grown men, all under Adonsa’s absolute control.
Such expendable wildcats were not directly controlled by the clones; in truth, a potent dose of pheromones and minor cortical surgery was enough to keep these simple-minded animals firmly in hand, forging a fearless vanguard.
Of course, feeding such a carnivorous pack had cost Adonsa considerable effort—not only purchasing vast quantities of meat, but also eradicating all rats and stray cats and dogs in the city, turning them into nourishing fodder for the wildcats.
The bio-modified operatives ceased their futile resistance. Their modifications were rudimentary—stronger and more numb than ordinary people, capable of fighting through injuries, but not nearly fierce enough to battle lions or tigers hand-to-hand.
They retreated behind Arthur, their eyes glowing faintly.
In Adonsa’s sixth sense, he could clearly see the Delta waves circling the operatives, forming a resonance frequency that amplified Arthur’s presence like a high-voltage transformer, boosting his aura to more than triple its previous strength.
Arthur stretched out his hand slowly and clenched his fist. “This feeling is wonderful!”
When the foremost wildcat swiped its claw at Arthur’s handsome face, it suddenly halted—the claw, instead of descending, lifted.
It was not the claw that rose, but the entire wildcat that floated upwards!
This wildcat had been stripped of its mass.
Mass control—that was Arthur’s supernatural ability. He could mark objects and freely alter their mass.
When mass dropped low enough, not only did inertia fade to nearly nothing, but even the creature itself would float like a hydrogen balloon, buoyed by atmospheric pressure.
Thus, Arthur could completely ignore shrapnel’s kinetic force. More accurately, any ranged kinetic attack was nullified against him.
Arthur extended his palm, grasped, and transferred all the wildcats’ mass to a piece of rubble before him.
As the stone sank into the earth, the wildcats lost all control over themselves, helplessly flailing and tumbling comically in midair.
Yet near-zero mass also brought enormous acceleration. A wildcat pushed off with its paw, leaving a blur as it continued its attack on Arthur.
“Hmph.”
Arthur snorted disdainfully, hooked his finger, and the wildcat plummeted, subjected to a force of several tons. Amid a sickening smack and crack, it was crushed into pulp.