On the other side, Aliyah was having the time of her life. She was enjoying herself. She brandished her twin guns and fought the Vampiric on equal footing. She was quick and precise but the Vampiric was also fast to react. A few more bullets were able to graze the Vampiric after their five-minute showdown.

Sensing that the Vampiric was weakening, Aliyah dealt it with a special bullet that contained a high concentration of explosives. The Vampiric was struck in the chest and the bullet directly pierced its heart and exploded. A rain of blood covered the sky for a moment.

"Wow, you really deserve the name Red. Look at yourself, all covered in blood." A hoarse voice sounded from behind. Aliyah returned her guns on their holsters and wiped her face that was stained with blood.

She faced the haggard man and raised an eyebrow, "Wow, you looked like you had a wonderful trip in hell."

Loki gave her a glare. It was not in his expectation to face a Vampiric so some gashes and torn clothes were excusable. "Tsk, let's just get this over with and report to the station."

They made one last round around the area to make sure that no more Chimera nor Vampiric were lurking before they returned to the station.

"I'm glad the both of you came back safe and sound," Chief Andrews came up to them with a relieved smile.

"What happened?" Aliyah asked because the Chief was somewhat solemn.

"Three of your fellow enforcers died. According to the report I received they faced a Vampiric. In ordinary circumstances, Vampiric shouldn't be able to kill any enforcer but the other enforcers said that the Vampiric they faced were unusually strong." The chief gave a brief explanation of what happened. Aliyah and Loki can't help but look at each other.

Chief Andrews noticed this action and asked them, "Did you face a Vampiric?"

"Yes," both of them answered.

"We were able to defeat it, well I barely managed to defeat it but Red finished the Vampiric she faced splendidly." Loki gestured at how they looked like right now and the chief nodded.

"The important thing is that both of you are okay but sadly we lost three enforcers in just one night, this is a bit disturbing." The chief fell into silence. "Please submit a detailed report regarding this incident, I need bases in order to investigate this incident."

Both of them gave a nod and proceeded to change and to let their medics look at Loki's superficial wounds. After that night, the work in the station became more hectic and everybody was tense since there was still no report from the headquarters regarding the incident and the sudden change with the Vampiric's characteristics. The chief also arranged that every night patrol team would be in a group of threes and he emphasized that they should not split or face any enemies one on one.

In the chief's office, General Aryster and Chief Andrews were talking about the incident. The atmosphere in the room was tense and serious. The headquarters has not sent any answer to their inquiry yet but the general's news was shocking.

"Yes, even if the headquarters doesn't want to acknowledge it, the monster we are facing now has undergone an evolution. As you have experienced, the Vampiric has become stronger although it was just a slight change and not really noticeable. They have changed. You need to brief your men to be prepared because times are now changing." General Aryster informed the stunned chief. If what the general's words were true, half-assed efforts would not cut it anymore. Even though the headquarters have not confirmed it yet, it's better for them to be prepared for the worst.

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"I understand General, thank you for the information." Chief Andrews stood up and was about to leave when he heard the General speak again.

"No need to worry so much, I will be staying in Matrix City for the moment to assist you. If any problems arise in the future, you can directly contact me." General Aryster gave the chief a smile. Andrews was relieved to hear that the general would remain in the city. He hoped that they could sort everything out before anything worse would happen.

He left the office with all plans running inside his mind. He needed to prepare emergency plans and protocol as fast as he could to avoid any casualties or at least lessen the casualties to both the enforcers and the common people. If they want to avoid any disasters in the future, they need to act fast.

The next day Chief Andrews was holed inside his office drafting several plans that they could immediately implement while the enforcers remained vigilant in all their patrols. General Aryster was also busy checking the first plans made by Chief Andrews. He was impressed with the first plans even though some of the suggestions were not applicable. After the plans were finalized, they were immediately implemented.

"In order to ensure that we are ready to face enemies that are stronger than us, we need to stay vigilant and careful. No more doing their own thing during patrols. Stick to your team and if you have any sightings of Vampiric, report it immediately so that we can send a backup team whenever you need it. The others will be assigned to monitor the residents, curfews will be implemented to avoid any victims popping out of nowhere. Other guidelines are all listed here so please read it all and take it to heart." The chief announced after he called for an emergency meeting.

"Sir, does the headquarters have an answer to our inquiry?" an enforcer stood up and asked.

"The headquarters are yet to answer, but all I can say is that times are now changing. It's not only who can find a way to evolve. Keep in mind that from now on, you are facing new monsters, do not stick to what the books have told you, just be ready. This is the time where you can apply what you have learned in combat training during your trainee days." General Aryster spoke from the door where he was listening. The whole room remained silent, digesting what the general had said.

Some were confused but the general didn't say anything anymore. They were enforcers, no need to fuss about them. They were responsible for everyone's safety and if they didn't understand what the general had said then they were a failure as an enforcer.

Three days passed by in the blink of an eye. General Aryster was currently drinking coffee inside his specially designated office inside the Enforcer Station when he heard a knock. Chief Andrews entered and the general gestured for him to take a seat. The chief sat down and faced the general.

"Don't be so stiff Andrews, why don't you pour yourself a cup of coffee?" Chief Andrews took the general's advice and poured coffee for himself to also calm his nerves.

He only had a little to no dealings with the general even before he came to the station. That's why he did not have a clear understanding of what the man was thinking. He had heard rumors about him, that he was cold and closed off, that he was difficult to approach and he could see that now. The air around him has the tendency to suffocate anyone and he did not have any intention of easing it for the sake of the people who were coming to talk to him. It was a clear show of power.

"Did something happen General that you wanted to talk to me personally?" He asked after he placed the cup down on the table.

"Ah yes, for now I want you to pull out Enforcer Walker from any patrol or missions from the station." He said without blinking.

Chief Andrews was dumbstruck at the general's straightforwardness. He gave the general a bewildered look. Even though he was the chief of the station, he couldn't remove anyone from patrols just like that and with the current situation, they need all the manpower they could spare.

"I don't understand, general. I can't just remove Aliyah from her posts, especially now that we are facing monsters much stronger than their older version." He showed his concern. Aliyah was a very talented Enforcer and she was a great help to their station.

General Aryster knew the chief's concerns so he offered the chief compensation that he couldn't refuse. "No need to worry too much, I will assign one of my majors to work with you during the time that Lt. Walker will be off duty." General Aryster gave the chief a smile. At the mention of this, Chief Andrews's worry was a little bit alleviated.

"If I may ask, what will Aliyah do now?" He was curious to know why the general wanted to pull out Aliyah suddenly.

"I have another task for her to do, I would be assigning her to be my son's bodyguard," he simply answered.

Chief Andrews frowned. Enforcer Walker's qualifications didn't suit the role of being a bodyguard. "Isn't Aliyah a little bit overqualified for that position? If you want, I can give you a list of people where you can choose a bodyguard."

"Not at all. The Aliyah Walker is more than qualified for the task than any other Enforcer or bodyguard you have here. This would be good for her." General Aryster waved his hand as he explained. He would make sure that Aliyah's talents wouldn't be wasted with this task.

"Then if the general says so, I would abide by your order," Chief Andrews didn't question the general anymore. Since the general was sure about it, there's no use for him to get worried.

After a few more words, Chief Andrews left the general's assigned office in good spirits. General Aryster continued drinking his coffee while waiting for his other visitor to come.