Maximilian let out a sigh at the System's silliness. "How do I store these items in the system storage?"
[Oh! You just need to will it! Anything within 10 meters that you want to store will disappear and appear in the storage. Go ahead and try!] the System explained.
Following the instructions, Maximilian willed all the weapons, ammunition, and ordnance in the vault into the system space. Immediately, the entire armory's contents vanished.
Maximilian quickly checked the storage inventory:
Glasses of Ordinarity × 1HK416 (5.56mm) × 4AK-103 (7.62mm) × 3FN SCAR-H (7.62mm) × 2Barrett MRAD (.338 Lapua) × 2Benelli M4 (12-gauge) × 2ETC.
The list of weapons and ammunition went on and on - far more than he'd expected. Among them were several unusual ammunition types:
Nanite Disruptor Rounds × 30Forcefield-Piercing (FFP) Rounds × 50Phase-Lock Slugs × 20Neural-Stun Flechettes × 40
These specialized bullets were scarce in quantity. According to Blood Mongoose's knowledge, the bullets were designed to counter commonly found Heroes and Villain abilities.
Nanite Disruptor Rounds countered regeneration abilities or rapid healing factors. The rounds inhibited their ability, making their healing factors less effective.
FFP rounds penetrated forcefields or energy barriers. These rounds had some problems and weren't as universal as Nanite Disruptor Rounds - they couldn't pierce through certain forcefields, like superheated plasma energy designed to melt any projectiles.
After scanning the extensive inventory, Maximilian decided to examine them later. His priority now was clearing out the vault and leaving.
He moved to the vault's far end, storing the power armor, gold bullion, and cash in his system storage. Just as he thought he'd emptied everything and was about to return to the exit, a hidden mechanism activated. The special compartment of the armor case opened, revealing a key and a land deed.
Maximilian picked up both items and examined them. The key appeared to be specially made, with built-in identity verification. Suddenly, he felt a small prick in the finger holding the key. The key's head lit up blue and emitted a soft ding-dong sound, indicating activation.
[This key just collected your DNA and activated its function. Now only you can use it to unlock things.]
"Unlock?" Maximilian repeated, still confused.
[Look at the land deed, blockhead. (￣▽￣)] The System chided.
Though annoyed, Maximilian examined the deed and found an address for a house not far away. The property was located in a suburban area near the city center - populated but not as crowded as downtown.
The System's GPS immediately marked the location, about 5 kilometers away.
[Let's go! I want to see what this house looks like!] The System urged excitedly.
"Okay, okay," Maximilian replied wearily.
He returned to the exit, carefully concealing and closing the hatch behind him before slipping out of the junkyard unnoticed.
After about 50 minutes of walking through nighttime streets, Maximilian arrived at a four-story building. The structure looked sturdy with a modern yet cozy aesthetic.
[Ooooh! Let's go in! I want to see what's inside! (๑>ᴗ<๑)] The System giggled eagerly.
{You're even more excited than I am,} Maximilian commented.
[Of course! Do you think being stuck inside your head all day is fun? Try swapping places with me sometime. (︶︿︶)]
Maximilian rolled his eyes at the System's antics. Despite its silliness, he too was curious about the house's interior.
Maximilian entered the house, and the lights immediately turned on - it was a smart home system. The first floor was fully furnished, with cloth covers protecting all the furniture from dust.
However, judging by the thick layer of dust everywhere, the house had clearly been abandoned for quite some time. Despite this, the walls and ceiling showed no signs of aging. It should be made from incredibly durable, environment-resistant materials.
He checked the basement next, discovering a vast space filled with sci-fi equipment and what appeared to be a powered-down containment cell. Though not large, Blood Mongoose's memories revealed this cell was designed to hold dangerous specimens - mutated plants, creature parts, contaminated objects, and even unstable alien technology.
"This room..." Maximilian murmured as he surveyed the expansive basement. "This was supposed to be Blood Mongoose's workshop," he said, taking in the space around him.
Moving through all the floors, he found many empty rooms and furniture that seemed hastily purchased and carelessly placed, as if Blood Mongoose had been in a great hurry when arranging things.
On the fourth floor, Maximilian discovered the master bedroom. While the room itself was well-built with quality furnishings and amenities, the decor was oddly minimal - containing only a single camping bed covered in dust. Exhausted from the day's events, Maximilian brushed off the dust and decided to rest.
[Are you going to sleep?] the System asked.
"Yeah... I'm completely exhausted today," Maximilian replied, closing his eyes.
[Umm... Good night, then.]
"Yeah... g'night," Maximilian mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.
— Morning - IHB Local Branch —
The conference room was cluttered with papers, and the console displayed last night's report. Strauss was reading it alongside Thomas and representatives from nearly every precinct in the city, all gathered to discuss the events of last night's parade.
The report detailed an incident in which dozens of unconscious immigrants had been discovered in warehouses near the parade venue. All of them had been knocked out cleanly and efficiently, with no signs of struggle.
But if that were all, they wouldn't be sitting here in urgent discussion. No, what had left them looking as though they'd just chewed on a fly was something else they'd found in the warehouses.
Inside one of the crates, they had discovered a strange substance sealed in a plastic bag. They didn't yet know what it was, but samples had already been sent to experts for analysis.
Furthermore, inside the warehouse, they had found cylinders—likely intended to disperse the substance. The number of cylinders matched the number of immigrants who had been knocked out the previous night.
"Mr. Strauss," one of the precinct representatives spoke up, placing a stack of reports on the table, "from what I've read, all the unconscious individuals we found were just ordinary immigrants—except one. A man in a suit. Right now, our people still don't know who he is or why he was knocked out in an alley not far from the warehouses."
"Sir!" At that moment, a man in a white shirt and loose tie hurried in, his eyes shadowed by dark circles—clearly, he hadn't slept since yesterday morning.
"The virologist's results are in." The man quickly handed a paper to Strauss, who, despite also having gone without sleep, still looked as composed as ever—his stern officer's demeanor unshaken.
Strauss took the paper and read it. His face paled as he processed the contents.
The substance they had found in the sealed plastic bag was a virus. The Necrotox Virus. According to the virologist's report, this was the same specialized virus Necrotox used in his acts of villainy.
The virus would turn the infected into ferals, regardless of who they were, they would immediately attack the nearest person. It could also spread through the victim's saliva if it entered an open wound. Additionally, the virologist had discovered that the virus appeared to enhance the brain's ability to receive a specific kind of sound wave.
They have a hypothesis that... Necrotox might be able to control the infected using a specialized sound frequency.
This meant that if Necrotox's plan to release the virus succeeded, the entire city of Arkadia could fall within hours. Nearly a million people had attended last night's parade in the city center. If the virus spread…
Strauss didn't want to think about the consequences.
Thinking about this, Necrotox remembered that there was one person who had been knocked out last night—someone they still couldn't identify. There was a high chance that person might be Necrotox himself.
With this realization, Strauss immediately set down the paper in his hand and stood up, alerting the police representatives in the room. He pressed the console on his wrist.
"Call the UEC Special Task Force immediately. Lock down the building now!" Strauss ordered.
"Sir! Lock down the building? What's happening?" The operator hesitated. The IHB Local Branch housed many heroes and high-profile individuals—locking it down would cause major disruptions.
"Do as I say, Officer!" Strauss commanded, his eyes sharp. It was clear he wouldn't tolerate any nonsense right now.
"Yes sir!" The officer immediately complied. Strauss marched to the secured room where they held the victims, ordering staff to relocate the identified immigrants elsewhere while he positioned himself outside the room containing the Necrotox suspect.
When Strauss received confirmation that the building was fully locked down and his Special Task Force reinforcements had arrived, he entered the room to find the suspect slowly regaining consciousness.
The man looked around, realizing he was in an unfamiliar room. His memories returned in flashes—being choked, beaten, then struck unconscious by a man in black armor.
"Who's that bastard!?" Necrotox cursed under his breath.
"Hm? 'Who's that bastard?' Mr. Necrotox, care to elaborate?" Strauss's voice triggered Necrotox's alarm. He spun toward the sound.
"Sir? Where am I?" Necrotox asks, faking his innocence.