After testing his new strength, Reese emerged from the Amethyst Orb, thinking of the other remaining 12th lieutenants of the League of Shadows. Reese felt he needed to take action as soon as possible, or a lot of innocent children would be sacrificed. Determined to ensure the safety of others, he resolved to visit every large mall in Cebu City, scouring them for any signs of League of Shadows activity.
As he dressed, a nagging thought crept into Reese's mind. He hadn't received any updates from Dwight about Jasper last night, a fact that left him uneasy. Frowning, he pulled out his phone and dialed Dwight's number, his heart pounding with worry.
After just a couple of rings, Dwight answered. "Hey, Reese. What's up?" Dwight said with a calm voice.
"Dwight, did you forget to contact me last night about Jasper? I haven't heard from you," Reese asked in a worried tone.
"Oh, man, I'm sorry, Reese. It totally slipped my mind. But don't worry, Jasper's fine. He stayed in last night," Dwight said apologetically.
Relief washed over Reese as he listened to Dwight's reassurance. "Thanks for letting me know. I just wanted to make sure he's safe. Keep an eye on him for me, okay?"
"Will do, Reese. You take care out there, alright?" Dwight said.
With a sense of gratitude, Reese hung up the phone, and his mind refocused on the task at hand. With Jasper safe and accounted for, he could now devote his full attention to his mission to root out any remaining threats lurking in the city.
As Reese prepared to head out for his investigation of the malls in Cebu City, he felt the vibration of his phone, indicating an incoming call. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was Mr. Lopez.
Reese answered the call, and Mr. Lopez informed him that the fake ID had arrived. Reese was delighted that his fake ID arrived a day early, quickly thanked him, and made his way to the Ramirez residence.
Approaching the door of Mr. Lopez's office, Reese raised his hand to knock, but before he could, the door swung open. Standing before him was a hulking figure, towering at 6'5" with muscles that bulged beneath his shirt. The man's expression was filled with worry and tension, an unexpected sight given his formidable appearance.
Reese, taken aback by the man's demeanor, couldn't help but wonder. 'Wow, whoever can make this large of a man feel afraid must be a very terrifying person.'
The large man just looked at Reese for a brief moment, and then he walked away.
Reese just stood outside Mr. Lopez's office; the large man's abrupt departure left him momentarily bewildered. Shrugging off the encounter, Reese turned his attention to Mr. Lopez, who had spotted him from his office window.
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"Ah, Reese, come on in," Mr. Lopez called out as he opened the door and gestured for Reese to enter. Reese stepped into the office, greeted by the familiar sight of shelves lined with various identification documents.
"Here's your fake ID," Mr. Lopez said, handing Reese a small envelope. Reese accepted it with a nod of thanks, tucking it safely into his pocket.
Before leaving, Reese glanced at Mr. Lopez and spoke up, "Oh, and Mr. Lopez, could I trouble you for another set of Arnis sticks and a leather armor?"
Mr. Lopez raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What happened to the ones I gave you last time?"
Reese hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Uhm..they were damaged during training. I need a replacement." He lied.
Mr. Lopez nodded understandingly, did not dwell on it, and led Reese to the armory at the back of the office. Retrieving another set of Arnis sticks and a leather armor, he handed them to Reese, who accepted them gratefully.
"Thank you, Mr. Lopez," Reese said with a smile, putting the Arnis sticks and the leather armor inside his bag. With his fake ID in hand, a new set of weapons, and leather armor, Reese was ready to continue his investigation.
After an hour, Reese found himself standing in front of SM Seaside. The colossal shopping complex that loomed on the horizon like a modern-day colossus.
The vastness of SM Seaside was unlike anything he had ever seen before, with multiple levels sprawling out in all directions, each offering a treasure trove of shops, eateries, and entertainment venues.
As Reese entered SM Seaside, he braced himself for the familiar sense of foreboding that had plagued him at Robinsons Galleria. Yet, to his bewilderment, the vast expanse of the mall seemed devoid of any sinister presence, leaving him feeling disoriented and perplexed.
Frowning in confusion, Reese extended his spiritual sense, hoping to detect even the faintest hint of malevolent energy lurking beneath the surface. But as the minutes passed, his efforts proved fruitless, and a sense of frustration gnawed at him.
Perhaps, Reese mused, the sheer size of SM Seaside was responsible for masking any traces of darkness that might be lurking within its depths. Yet, even as he reasoned with himself, a lingering doubt nagged at the back of his mind.
'Could it be possible,' Reese wondered, that SM Seaside was truly innocent, untouched by the shadowy influence of the League of Shadows? The thought offered a glimmer of hope amidst the uncertainty, and Reese found himself clinging to it as he navigated the bustling corridors of the mall.
As Reese roamed through the sprawling corridors of SM Seaside, his senses finely attuned to the subtlest shifts in energy, he began to lose hope of detecting any trace of foreboding. But just as he was about to give up, a faint prickling at the edge of his consciousness caught his attention.
Perking up, Reese focused his spiritual sense, feeling a surge of excitement. As the faint foreboding feeling multiplied, confirming his suspicions, Reese was also disappointed that the SM was also influenced by the League of Shadows. Then Reese followed the ominous trail, his steps quickening as he zeroed in on the epicenter.
Arriving at the heart of the mall, Reese's eyes widened in astonishment as he beheld the towering structure that loomed before him, which was almost 150 meters tall, casting a long shadow over the bustling crowds below. It stood like a sinister sentinel, its darkened facade a stark contrast to the bright lights and cheerful atmosphere of the surrounding shops and attractions.
"An ominous tower in the center of a shopping mall," Reese muttered to himself, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Wow, I actually thought they would place their lieutenant below, but it was actually on top of the tower."
As he gazed up at the imposing structure, Reese felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of unease settling over him like a shroud.
Reese stood before the towering structure, his mind racing with thoughts of how to infiltrate the tower without alerting the guards.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes scanning the surrounding area, looking for any sign of blind spots.
"This won't be easy," he muttered to himself, a frown creasing his brow. "Even if I could knock out every guard in that tower, I'd still have to contend with whatever creature is above, and the commotion will not be small."
As Reese turned away from the tower, he felt a surge of determination coursing through him. "I need to come up with a better plan before I can tackle that tower," he muttered to himself, his mind already racing with possibilities.
He headed towards the exit of SM Seaside, weaving through the throngs of shoppers.
"I need to continue to investigate the other malls in the city before I come back here," he thought aloud, his brow furrowed in concentration.
With his plan set, Reese set off towards Ayala Mall Terraces.