The Deathstalker [4]

"The elimination command is activated," the King's voice came through the other side of the line.

"Accepted, King," Deathstalker responded.

He was on the rooftop of a ten-story building. He had been there for hours. The summer heat was relentless, and his shirt had been damp with sweat for a long time. Still, he was grateful he wasn't just wasting time sunbathing up there today.

"The target will be in your sight in five minutes, Fire," King informed him. "His car is leaving the building now."

Exactly five minutes later, a black luxury car appeared on the road across from the building. It came to a stop in front of a traffic light at an intersection.

"Now, Fire," King ordered.

Deathstalker pressed one eye against the surveillance camera. A minute later, the car's driver stepped out and popped the hood, inspecting the engine. Then, he got back in and tried to start it again—to no avail, of course.

The driver exited the car once more, this time joined by two other men—one from the front seat, the other from the back. Their builds and movements made it clear they were bodyguards. They attempted to help the driver restart the engine, but naturally, nothing worked. The downside of having a modern luxury car was that everything was digitalized—making it vulnerable to hacking. Not easily, but if you had a hacking talent as remarkable as Fire's, it was effortless.

Finally, another man emerged from the back seat. The heat must have been unbearable inside the car. The bodyguard nearest to him noticed and quickly gestured for him to stay inside, but the man refused. He would regret his stubbornness soon enough.

The bodyguard approached him, about to guide him under a tree for shade. But Deathstalker's bullet reached the man first.

For a second, the bodyguard stood frozen, watching his boss collapse to the ground, a bullet hole clean through his forehead. Then, he shouted, grabbing his gun and scanning the area. But he saw nothing—Deathstalker had already secured his weapon.

As the two bodyguards and the driver scrambled in chaos, Deathstalker calmly and methodically cleaned up the scene. After ensuring he left no trace behind, he moved to the right side of the rooftop and dropped his gun case before jumping off the building himself.

Both Deathstalker and his gun case landed in an open truck filled with hay. Moments later, the truck's engine roared to life, and the massive vehicle rolled away.

--

Side by side, Deathstalker and Gila walked down the wide aisle of their headquarters. That morning, they had received a message from Madam's P.A., informing them that Madam wanted to meet with them. They lived in the headquarters, but in the north wing.

"What do you think Madam wants from us?" Gila asked, unable to hide his nervousness. Despite his strength and his sadistic way of killing, Gila was actually the most emotional knight compared to the others, who maintained a cold and calm demeanor.

Deathstalker simply shrugged. "I have no idea," he said, his expression as composed as ever. Then, turning to Gila, he added, "Why are you so nervous? Did you do something wrong?"

"No," Gila replied.

"Then don't worry. It won't be anything bad," Deathstalker reassured him.

Gila sighed. "I just have a bad feeling about this," he muttered.

Deathstalker didn't respond as they reached the door of Madam's office. Before he could knock, the door opened for them.

"Welcome," Madam's P.A. greeted them. "Please, be seated. Madam is on her way," he added.

Madam rarely visited the headquarters. She managed the organization remotely, delegating trivial and daily tasks to her P.A.

Deathstalker and Gila sat in one of the armchairs in the center of the room. About thirty minutes later, the P.A. opened the door once again. This time, it was for Madam.

"Good day, my knights," Madam greeted them with a charismatic smile. She was not alone. Three men in white lab coats accompanied her, following as she entered the room.

"Let me first introduce you to these men," she said, gesturing toward them. "They are a special team conducting advanced research in our R&D. Mister Vraine is their leader."

Deathstalker and Gila nodded as the three men took their seats on the couch. Madam herself settled into a loveseat.

"For more than a decade, our organization has been interested in… expanding—no, evolving—human capabilities," Madam began.

"Imagine if humankind could not only be healthier and more immune to diseases and viruses but also stronger, faster, and smarter. Of course, this can be achieved through conventional methods, but that would take immense effort, years of work, and yield little to no results," she continued. "This is why our organization has been conducting intensive research in genetics and neuroscience. Mister Vraine, would you like to continue?"

The bald man with thick glasses cleared his throat before speaking. "As Madam mentioned, my team has been conducting intensive neuroscience research for nearly two decades. Our focus is on activating the idle neurons in the human brain. Typically, humans only utilize about 10% of their brain cells. The concept is simple—the more active cells, the faster the brain functions. This means humans could learn faster, store more knowledge, and even achieve things beyond ordinary capabilities."

"Although activating idle neurons is easy, stabilizing them is another story," added the man sitting to Mr. Vraine's right. "We've experimented with multiple methods to stabilize this process. They worked on rats and chimpanzees—but not on humans."

"Until now," Mr. Vraine continued. Both Deathstalker and Gila, who had been focused on the man to his right, simultaneously shifted their gazes back to him. "Three years ago, we developed a new method and tested it on a volunteer."

"I am the volunteer," the man seated to Mr. Vraine's left interjected. Once again, the two young men turned their attention to him. "They activated a few cells in my brain."

"Only five cells," Mr. Vraine clarified. "And look at what he can do."

"Do you have a book, Madam?" the man asked.

Madam's P.A. walked to the bookshelf, selected a book, and handed it to him.

The man flipped open the thick volume and simply scanned each page with his eyes. It took him less than ten minutes to "read" the entire book.

"Please, ask me anything from within this book," he said, handing it to Deathstalker.

"Who's the author?" Gila asked.

The man smiled. "Roger W. Eden. Please, ask a more difficult question."

"Okay…" Deathstalker opened the book at random. "What's on page 315?"

"Line by line or just the summary?"

"Line by line."

Without hesitation, the man began reciting the exact words from page 315. He didn't miss a single word—not even a punctuation mark. Both young men stared in awe, their jaws slightly agape.

"And the content of that book is stored in his memory as knowledge, permanently," Mr. Vraine added.

"The activation of idle neurons enhances a person's natural abilities," the man to Mr. Vraine's right explained. "For instance, Mr. Meyer here was already known to be a fast learner. He loves reading and acquiring knowledge. So when his idle neurons were activated, his cognitive abilities expanded to this level."

"So, the effects differ for each person?" Deathstalker asked.

Mr. Vraine nodded.

"Awesome…" Gila muttered.

"How does it feel?" Deathstalker asked Mr. Meyer.

"I feel nothing," he replied.

"Really?" Deathstalker pressed, wanting to be sure.

"Well… to be honest, for the first couple of months, I thought I was going to lose my mind. Everything around me felt unbearably slow. But then I discovered a way to adjust to normal speed and control my brain activity," Mr. Meyer admitted.

"He recently completed his training center for new volunteers," Mr. Vraine added.

"How many volunteers do you have so far?" Gila asked.

"Since Mr. Meyer, there have been five others. They're all doing well—except for one man who died in an accident," Mr. Vraine replied.

"So… why do you want us to volunteer?" Deathstalker's blunt question caught Mr. Vraine off guard. Turning his gaze to Madam, he asked, "Isn't that the real reason you called us here?"

Madam nodded. "It is. Since our research has yielded positive results, I believe it's safe to say the project is a success. Now, it's time to put it to practical use."

"Us?" Gila asked.

"Yes. You," Madam confirmed. "Think about it. If all our soldiers could evolve their abilities exponentially, you'd be unstoppable."

"Why just us? Why not all the Royal Knights?" Deathstalker questioned.

"Because you two are our frontline warriors. This is a privilege. The others will undergo the same procedure eventually," Madam assured him.

"Why not do it for all of us at once?" Deathstalker asked again.

"The material needed to stabilize the brain can only be reproduced once every three years, and even then, in very limited quantities," Mr. Vraine explained.

"Besides, it takes at least six months to fully control your brain after the procedure," the man to his left added.

Both Gila and Deathstalker nodded in understanding.

"Is this an offer… or an order?" Deathstalker finally asked after a long silence.

Madam smiled at her son's usual straightforwardness. "It's an order."