Chapter 108

Jake opened his eyes. He’d just acquired several upgrades for his skills and abilities. He didn’t feel any different from before, but it didn’t surprise him. He knew that some of the recently acquired upgrades would only show their effects under specific conditions. For now, he decided it would be beneficial to sum them up. As a reward for successfully completing the recent speed trial, he’d also gained the Mana Vision perk. However, he wanted to address the upgrades first.

Morphing his hands into claws, he quickly inspected them. They appeared unchanged, but they should now be powerful enough to rip and tear solid materials like metal without much trouble. There were currently no objects nearby for him to use his claws on, but an opportunity to test the upgrade would surely present itself at some point.

It was the same with the upgrade he’d acquired for Enhanced Agility. Right now, he didn’t feel any effects from the new upgrade, but in battles or active physical activities like climbing, he should have much better control over his body.

He’d acquired all four available upgrades for Enhanced Intelligence. The first one was supposed to significantly improve his memory. The second one should allow him to analyze his enemies to predict their intentions and potential actions.

The other two were more interesting. The third one should let him quickly come up with strategies for defeating enemies and overcoming challenges. The fourth one was supposed to give him a sense of intuition to predict the outcomes of various situations. Combined, these two upgrades should be greatly beneficial in battles as well as various dangerous situations where quick decision-making was crucial for his survival.

He’d also acquired four upgrades for Enhanced Senses, further improving all his senses. His sense of smell should allow him to detect a wider range of scents than before. He concentrated on it for a moment, but there weren’t many distinct scents in his vicinity.

His improved sense of hearing could let him hear even the faintest noises, aiding in detecting ambushes, which would surely come in handy. The upgrade to his eyesight was designed to improve his night vision. While he could already see well in the dark, this upgrade promised nearly flawless night vision. Since it was currently daytime, he couldn’t put it to the test, though.

The most interesting upgrade for Enhanced Senses was the fourth one, which enhanced his sense of touch. It was designed to allow him to perceive even the faintest vibrations through touch. He decided to test it out.

He still stood on the roof of a high-rise building. The soles of his mutated feet were very thick, dampening most sensations. He crouched down and placed the palm of his right hand on the surface. At first, he didn’t feel much. He closed his eyes and concentrated solely on his tactile sensations. Gradually, he detected faint vibrations through his palm, but he wasn’t sure what they meant. They seemed to originate from the depths of the building.

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Then something happened. At first, he thought the vibrations were intensifying for some reason. Almost immediately, he realized he was mistaken. His acute sense of hearing picked up distant rumbling sounds. They were emanating from somewhere behind him, steadily growing louder.

He immediately opened his eyes and jumped to his feet. Turning around, he gazed into the distance where the sounds seemed to be coming from. At first, all he saw was the sky obscured with gray clouds. Gradually, he discerned a dot blackening against the gloomy backdrop. Something was flying in his general direction.

The low thudding noise grew louder by the second: rapid beats accompanied by a rumbling sound. Although the flying vehicle was still too distant to make out any details, Jake had already identified it as a helicopter. It was steadily approaching the building where he stood. A few moments later, the helicopter came into view.

As it neared the rooftop where Jake stood, he examined the rotorcraft. He couldn’t help but marvel at the sight before him. In his previous life as a regular survivor, he’d driven a pickup truck he’d come across in a parking garage. He also saw other survivors drive cars. While they were functional, those vehicles were old, rusty, and battered. They looked exactly like vehicles one would expect to encounter in a post-apocalyptic setting.

The helicopter drifting closer and closer to his building was very different, though. Not only did it appear brand-new, but it also looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. Its futuristic design reminded him of the high-altitude aircraft from which airdrops were deployed. He’d never found out if those aircraft were piloted or worked solely autonomously. He remembered thinking that they could potentially be entirely controlled by an AI, which operated under the System.

The noise of the rotor blades and the engine grew louder as the helicopter continued to draw closer. Given the similarities in futuristic design between those aircraft and the approaching helicopter, Jake first thought the latter might also be AI-controlled. However, as it drew closer, he made out the pilot behind the cockpit glass. His head was inclined, turning from side to side as if looking for something or somebody on the streets below.

One of the helicopter’s side sliding doors was open, exposing a mounted heavy-caliber machine gun manned by another person. Both the pilot and the door gunner were scanning the streets below, unaware of his presence yet. Jake couldn’t help but notice that each of them had a red scarf wrapped around their necks.

Moreover, while the helicopter was entirely black, it featured a crude image of a human skull with two curved horns hand-drawn in red paint on its nose and each side door. Los Demonios again, huh? The helicopter seemed incredibly new, almost as though it’d just been assembled in the factory. The hand-drawn demon-skull symbols appeared fresh as well, and his keen sense of smell picked up the lingering scent of paint.

So many questions swirled in his mind. Were these guys actually from the gang? He already knew that the members of this gang, whom he’d mentally dubbed “the Demons,” were well-equipped, but he’d never imagined they had access not only to a variety of land vehicles but aircraft as well. How did they manage to acquire a helicopter? Why didn’t any of the other survivors he encountered have one? Why did their helicopter look futuristic instead of being worn and weathered like all the other vehicles found in this post-apocalyptic world?

Jake didn’t have time to dwell on it, though. Both the pilot and the door gunner spotted him. The helicopter moved closer, then turned so that the side with the door gunner faced him. Clouds of dust whipped up from the rooftop, caught in its downwash as the helicopter hovered motionlessly several yards from the building. The door gunner stared right at him, and the pilot had his head turned to look in his direction as well. Their expressions of surprise made it clear they’d never encountered a mutant like him before.

The door gunner subtly adjusted the machine gun barrel and then opened fire on Jake.