"What do you think of the situation, No. 1?" asked a voice.
"Not bad, I'd say. I expected this to happen since it's just probing that we're doing at the moment. Also, since one of them got hit with the specially made bullet, we should be able to get hold of them soon," No. 1 responded with a modified voice transmitter.
The other party, who had asked the question, sighed as they continued to watch the big screen.
"What's so special about this bullet, anyway? It's not like it's different from the last one, which just paralyzed their body and shut down their ability for some hours. Also, the sniper was dumb; he could have just shot them during the time they were in chaos. There should be disposal of him after this, since his face is probably seen," a female voice said with a mask on, based on the shape of the figure.
"Oi, Number 7, didn't you receive the document containing the details of this new bullet a few months ago?" another modified voice asked.
"Tch, I was out of reach at that time, so I didn't get it at hand. But it should still be in the slug," the female voice, Number 7, answered lazily.
"Well, let me give you a heads-up on it. The bullet has a tracker and also a reactor, which helps to send the component of a gene. But the thing is, it's only been tested on wild animals. We didn't get access to the captured test subjects, since Gordon didn't allow," the modified voice replied, tapping his fingers on the table at the same frequency and interval.
"Gordon said to be patient, since new members would be joining in soon from other places," another voice said.
"No. 1 should be able to verify what I just said."
"Let's just continue watching for now; we'll talk about the decisions later," another voice, seemingly agitated, said, even with the modification of his voice, one could still tell his mood.
[Back at the town hall]
"The bleeding seems to be slowing down, but the wound seems like it's being eaten up from the inside," Klaus said, holding scissors and a small, seemingly blunt knife covered in blood, along with his hands. He had tried cutting the areas of the bullet while carefully examining the wound.
Claire was busy detecting the sound of footsteps, while Ryan stood guard at the wall they had made their way through, maintaining the iron blocking the wall's durability. Five hours had passed since the pursuit, and the army still stood at alert, ready to pounce at any movement, pointing their guns along with alloy shields.
Cough, cough... Rein, still unconscious, coughed as her temperature began to rise. Her body grew cold as pebbles of sweat seeped out of her forehead; her eyes seemed to be covered with dark circles, along with her lips getting dried.
If it were in a normal circumstance, one would think she was poisoned, but in this situation, it was different. Apart from having special, unrealistic powers different from humans, their way of thinking and their body constitution were, by a mid-merging, stronger and better. This includes their thinking, healing circulatory system, and the speed at which the nerve cells and auxins in their body responded.
But this time, it was a total crash for them. The sun seemed to be setting, and the night showed signs of descending at the moment. The city, which would be bustling with noise and chatter, was silent around the area, which was surrounded, while the journalists and reporters were the only ones allowed to be around, since they were specifically selected and approved by the government agencies.
Many people who thought this was just a farce began to change their views of things after staring at the screens of various phones and televisions. Metal kenosis and telekinesis were just things they had seen to be fiction, with nothing more to it, but at the moment, it was more than it seemed.
Some felt great fear in what's to come of future events, while some were thrilled, and the rest were restless and uneasy.
"Click."
"Commander Gordon, what's the status on the inside?" the commander, who was in charge of guarding the outside, stood at the fire front with his advanced armor gun and bullets made of unknown material, asked through his communicator.
"Click."
"We checked the rooms from the third to second floor with careful examination. It seems they are near your direction and didn't move away from the spot," the commander spoke hoarsely.
"The sniper must have hit them hard; we'll be forcing our way in in twenty minutes as soon as the army jeeps arrive with special weapons. Be aware on your side."
"You too, sir."
Gordon saluted at where he stood. He looked at a particular room in front of him, which seemed to be where Klaus and the others were hiding,judging from the information he received.
As he examined the room, he noticed that the walls were covered in a thick layer of metal, and the windows were sealed shut.
"It seems they've set up a stronghold," Gordon thought to himself, impressed by the group's resourcefulness.
Just then, his communicator beeped again.
"Commander Gordon, this is the control center. We've detected some unusual energy readings coming from the room you're surveilling."
Gordon's eyes narrowed.
"What kind of energy readings?" he asked, his voice low and urgent.
"It appears to be some kind of metallic energy signature. We're not sure what it means, but it's definitely not natural."
Gordon's grip on his gun tightened.
"Keep monitoring the situation and keep me updated," he ordered, his eyes fixed intently on the room.
As he waited for further instructions, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off.
The group's abilities, the metallic energy signature, and the fact that they had set up a stronghold all pointed to one thing: they were not your average fugitives.
And Gordon had a feeling that he was in for a lot more than he had bargained for.