He could feel fresh air coming from the back of the hallway, slowly reaching him through an open door.
I can jump through there and reach the motel within twenty minutes if I rush, thought Ace in a panic. He motioned to Norman to open the door, but his legs were already tensed, ready to jump out of the building at any moment.
A jittery hand reached for the door handle and pulled it open, instantly dispersing the heavy tension hanging in the air. A young woman, slightly taller than the new Norman, stood there, tilting her head while checking her phone.
Her eyes shifted from the screen to Ace, and eventually, her expression lightened as she nodded, sending shockwaves through her snow-white hair.
“I’m Mira. We don't have much time. I need to know how you acquired your strength. Name your price.”
Ace and Norman exchanged confused glances, but before they could make sense of the situation, Ace’s eyes turned cold as he sensed another set of footsteps quietly approaching.
An old man with gray hair, dressed in a stylish black suit, came next to Mira and leaned into her ear. Ace and Norman heard him whisper something, and they noticed Mira’s gaze quivering.
She frantically looked towards Ace, “General Alexander has put together a task force to capture all the transmigrators in the Golden Dragon City area. If you can share the secrets to your power, please do so right now. We have an hour at most before the military comes to capture us. I cannot predict what will happen to us after that.”
Ace and Norman were both shocked to hear her share such news, but Norman in particular was terrified. He knew the weight of the name mentioned and quickly turned to Ace, “General Alexander ranks among the top five generals in the whole party. If someone like him acts, moving the heavens is only a matter of desire, not capability.” He then turned towards Mira and asked, “How are you privy to this information? If what you say is true, only high-level party officials in this city could possibly be aware of the general’s plans.”
“I have a contact in the Golden Dragon City Party Secretary Office. But my contact is fairly low-level, so if they know, anyone worth considering in the city will know soon. That tells me we have an hour at most; otherwise, the operation would lose its surprise element.”
Hearing her logic and seeing her steady eyes, Ace felt she wasn't lying. He began panicking, thinking that he only had one hour to act, and turned to Norman, “What can I do in one hour?”
Norman shook his head, his face betraying hopelessness, “There’s nothing we can do in one hour. All of us transmigrators will be captured without a doubt. You’ve heard of the military’s power and capabilities. If someone like the general plans an operation, there is no reason to expect they will fail.”
“Damn! Do I really have to give it all up to them?” Ace then turned to Mira, thinking that someone like her could be of use to him. The old man by her side seemed to be her subject, and someone who could have an eternal personal assistant could probably arrange for his treasure to be safekept. But could he trust her not to dip her fingers in his meal?
His face turned cold, and the thought of losing his path to power made him think of ruthless contingencies in case she stepped out of line. His lips parted, but his words were now doused in an icy poison that seemed to stretch straight for Mira’s heart.
“You said you want the kind of power that I have. Very well, but it comes at a cost. Are you sure you want to know?”
Once again, looking into Ace’s eyes, Mira felt herself in front of a monster that could rip her to shreds on a whim. Feeling the control he exerted over her with nothing but a gaze, she gulped but knew that no matter what the consequences, she was bound to say yes. The image of two powerful beasts tearing into each other resurfaced in her mind, and she knew one thing was certain: she needed that kind of power; she craved that kind of power, so without a single thought she nodded.
Ace suddenly disappeared from her view, and she felt her throat constrict as if her spine was about to snap at any moment.
Boom!
Fractions of a second later, a loud sound pounded in her ears, making the whole building shake. Mira forced her eyes open despite the immense pain in her neck, and what she saw made her pupils constrict from shock.
A cloud of dust hung in the air, originating from a small hole where Ace used to stand. She heard another grunt beside her, and fear gripped her heart when she saw that both she and Albert were now hanging in the air, held high up by two muscular hands.
Ace had released all the tension accumulated in his legs, pulverizing the concrete floor and instantly grasping the girl and her butler in his hands.
He leaned towards her, gazing deep into her eyes, seeking to know for certain if his next words would reach her. He was not going to trust her blindly. He wanted to see something in her eyes that would make him trust her.
“If you cross me, if you do anything even indirectly that leads to me, suffering a loss, I will kill you. But before that, I will show you how. I will start by tearing this old man’s limbs while he is still alive, and then when I’m done with his arms and legs—”
Before he could finish, he saw the snow-white hair shake violently as she nodded her head. He could see her eyes tremble with fear as she looked into his soul. Curiously, Ace felt a connection to her, as if he were looking at a long-lost sister he never knew he had.
It wasn't sympathy or anything of the sort, but more like he knew what she felt even without her having to speak and sensed a hunger similar to his. He felt the urge to know if it stemmed from the same well.
He clicked his tongue and dropped both of them. He suddenly didn’t wish to show this side of him any longer. He went to Norman, who was sprawled on the floor, clutching his head with both hands.
Feeling his body yanked off the ground, Norman opened his eyes and was delighted to see Ace had grabbed him. “Did the military attack already?”
Ace then turned his attention back to the girl, “Tell me who you are and how you can help me move one metric ton of meat to a safe location.” He then shoved his hand beneath his hoodie and pulled out a plastic bag with long strips of raw meat inside it.
He gave one strip to Mira and one to Norman, whose eyes sparkled as if he’d seen a divine panacea. Norman gazed silently at the pulverized concrete on the floor and immediately began wolfing down the meat.
Mira looked confused and slightly disgusted seeing someone eat raw flesh, but as her nose caught a whiff of the aroma wafting from the meat, her expression changed. She could feel all the pores on her body open up, and suddenly the meat looked like the most delicious gourmet meal she’d ever tasted.
She gulped audibly, and seeing Ace also begin to chow down on the remaining meat inside the bag, she took a small bite from her piece.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Wait, Miranell, don’t—” Albert started, but Mira had already taken her first bite.
As soon as the juices touched her tongue, she felt her mind go into a frenzy, and she began swallowing entire chunks without even bothering to chew. Her sore throat seemed distant, and all that mattered to her was devouring the flesh and getting her hands on more. She could feel every muscle begin to swell within seconds of the first bite entering her stomach, and she felt like she’d finally scratched an itch that had plagued her unknowingly ever since she’d arrived from that strange world.
Ace also relished the taste again. His stomach had still not fully digested his previous meal, despite being over an entire day since last he ate, but he felt that he needed to have as much supply inside of him, since once the military captured him, who knew when he’d get the opportunity to eat again.
There were ten pounds of meat in total in the plastic bag, and he’d given one to Norman and another to this new acquaintance. The lion’s share, of course, he left for himself. Before the two of them finished their respective pieces, he’d already wolfed down the majority of what was left in the bag.
He was surprised to find that it was easier to chew, and for a split second he feared it had degraded, but when he looked at the hole he left behind in the concrete, he realized why that was the case. He speculated that his jaws had gotten stronger, making it easier to chew.
When he finished, Ace gave a loud belch and patted his stomach. He could feel it was round and filled to the brim, the skin on his belly stretching to accommodate the new dimensions. He felt as if taking another bite would threaten to burst his stomach wide open.
He pulled on his black hoodie to hide his new belly and gazed at Mira, who was keeping her eyes closed, basking in the afterglow of her meal. He heard a small moan escape her lips, and he smiled. He didn’t blame her, as he knew she was probably more composed than he’d been on his first meal.
“Still remember my question?”
Mira took a couple of seconds to recompose herself, and while her face no longer betrayed any emotion, her inner world was in turmoil. She could feel her body brimming with energy, and a warm sensation was spreading from her stomach, fueling her entire being with immense power.
“My name is Miranell Carti. My father is one of the richest men in Golden Dragon City, and I have extensive knowledge of the political landscape in this country. You said you had over two thousand pounds of meat? I presume it's the same type that you just gave me?”
Ace saw that Mira’s previous fear had all but vanished, replaced by a crazed look of hunger in her eyes. He knew she had fallen under the same spell as he had, and would probably be capable of similar things when it came to pursuing the desire that now controlled her. But he looked at his wrist and the ticking blue clock and knew that besides putting the fear of death in her, there was nothing else he could do, and no other tool he could employ in this limited amount of time. Everything else was up to fate.
He gave a loud sigh and began to explain to her the meaning of what he possessed. Norman was listening intently as well, but his expression subtly changed when he heard Ace explain the origin of the meat.
“I found the beast sleeping in its nest and used this to kill it.” Ace then pulled out a large fang from his pocket and showed it to Mira. He slowly caressed the wall with the sharp edge, causing everyone to shiver when they saw the fang pass through the concrete as if it were pudding.
“I battled with the monster for a couple of rounds, but eventually, I overpowered it.”
Mira looked at Ace as if she were looking at a monster. Since the beast’s meat supplied such energy, it was definitely not weak. So how powerful was Ace before he defeated it, and how brave and reckless of him. Her mind instantly thought of the genetically enhanced super soldiers of the party, and she wondered if Ace’s family had somehow gotten access to such technology. She wanted to know if her conjectures were true and almost blurted out her thoughts, but ultimately decided against it. She felt he wouldn’t answer anyway, and asking for too much when he already trusted her with so much information might affect their relationship going forward.
“We don’t have much time,” Mira said. “Give me the address, and I'll have Albert move the meat to a safe location. I hope you already know what I’m about to ask, but I will say it anyway. When we are captured by the military, do not say a single word about the meat. And try not to show too much of your strength to them. Come up with a lie about it. Tell them you like doing pushups or something, and that’s why you're so strong. I don’t care, but they cannot know about the meat.”
Ace thought that wasn’t such a bad idea, but wondered if they would believe this lie. He asked, “Do you know what they’ll do to us?”
Mira shook her head. “I’m not sure, but what I do know is that the thing the party fears the most is instability. In theory, as long as they can control us, they will do their best to squeeze every last ounce of usefulness out of our bodies.”
Ace looked confused. “What does that mean?”
Mira shrugged. “Make them think you want to help. Prove to them you are a party member, but above all else, never challenge their authority!”
By this point, the butler was already well on his way towards Ace’s motel room. They had all decided that they would wait for the eventual arrival of the military at Norman’s apartment, Mira urging Ace not to return to his motel for fear of drawing attention to his secret.
Ace agreed, and for the next thirty minutes, all of them sat in silence in Norm’s living room, waiting. The TV was playing a news channel that was continuously showing breaking news from all over the country. Some transmigrators were using their increased physical prowess to commit crime, stealing and breaking the law in whatever way was possible. The news station painted a picture as if the world was collapsing, and Ace, Mira, and Norman couldn't help but subconsciously agree.
Reports of strength feats beyond what a normal human was capable of were ceaselessly coming in, and the gravity of the situation settled on all their minds. The party had strict controls over all forms of power that a human could possess. Draconic firearm laws, limited free speech, and no political voice. Even steroids were considered a first-class drug and extremely regulated, so one could infer from this breach of social contract how severe the government's response would be.
Within minutes, the reports changed from theft or physical assault to images of armored personnel capturing said criminals and placing them in nondescript black vans. Those black vans would then leave the sight of the cameras and never be seen again.
There were even images of people fighting back against their captors and being swiftly put down with lethal force. Dozens of cases were the perpetrators were riddled with holes, a rain of bullets pelting their dead carcasses.
Mira loudly gulped before she spoke, “Don’t fight back when they come for us. Knowing their capabilities, they already know we are here and haven’t arrived yet most likely because they have other more belligerent targets. Make no mistake however, they are probably watching us right now.”
Ace’s body began shaking, but a smile hung on his lips. He didn’t know what would happen next to him, but never in his life had anything this exciting happened to him. He clasped his hands, forming fists that he knew hid immense power. He felt that if he wanted to, he could escape at any moment and even if a hundred special forces soldiers stood in front of him, he could mow them down. But another part of his brain blared with alarm and forced him to reconsider.
His mind took him back to that dangerous forest and forced him not to overexaggerate his newfound strength.
That’s right, he thought to himself. I’m not much in front of that forest, so why am I suddenly thinking so highly of myself? But no matter what he told himself, he still felt like a lion surrounded by wild dogs. This was not that world, and the soldiers that would come for him were not the monsters that prowled it. Ace took a deep breath to cool his excitement, but when he opened his eyes, a red flash blinded his eyes.
Ace turned his head and his confusion deepened as he noticed a black, cylindrical object piercing through the plastic blinds, casting a faint red glow onto his chest. He opened his mouth to warn Norman and Mira, but before he could speak, the room darkened as if an eclipse had swallowed the sun.
The large living room, usually bathed in light from its floor-to-ceiling windows, now felt like a shadowy cave. Ace turned towards the source of the darkness and saw the reason: a silent predator hovering just outside. The sleek, menacing silhouette of the machine filled the entire window, its twin missiles hanging underneath its cockpit like fangs ready to strike.
The window wall was entirely covered by the black metal bird. The helicopter was eerily quiet, a phantom in the air. The only indication of its presence was the oppressive shadow it cast and the subtle vibrations Ace could feel in his bones. He knew instinctively that any sudden move would trigger its venomous response, and there would be no escape.
“Don’t move.”
A voice made Mira and Norman pay attention to their surroundings, instantly feeling their backs grow cold with sweat at having been surrounded without noticing. They all saw the dozens of red lasers pointing straight at Ace and knew they were at the mercy of his next decision.
The voice rang out for a second time, and they finally realized it was transmitted using the TV speakers, “All three of you get on the floor and don’t move. We have already rigged this building with powerful explosives. Don’t think you have any chance of escape.”