Chapter 5: Still An Idiot

Two weeks ago, at 28:68 of the night time, the moment a suspicious person sneaked inside an abandoned facility.

Lon carefully made his way to the secret part where he stored the Blood Harvester and the wooden coffin. This place is a territory of Kuroi Te, an organizational gang that is pretty well known in the northern district of Giogio city. However, the security of their 'warehouse' where smuggled goods are kept has only twenty patrols stationed.

This factory occupies more than 2 kilometers squared. It was so big that there would be loopholes in their defenses. That is the reason why he could easily get in without being discovered. Another reason he picked this up is that this place is surrounded by decaying structures.

Inside those buildings are apartments where some people still live and some people are tortured and killed. It was the perfect location for the Blood Harvester to collect those emotions and residual blood energy.

After trekking carefully so that his footsteps would not make any noise, he finally arrived.

The remains of seven candles in seven different directions and the closed coffin door are the things that will attract the attention of anybody. Without any prior knowledge, they will be surely spooked by its appearance. Regardless, this was not enough to frighten him out of his wits.

Lon began the process to control the corpse puppet locked inside the coffin. He set his mind at peace and focused on the five-line verse he memorized.

'Hear the summons of thee Master'

'Walk path and heed commands'

'For life is controlled'

'Thee life to usher and use'

'Stand up once more'

He then repeated this chant in his head until something lurched on his back. The feeling is ethereal yet he could feel that he gained control of a portion of the body.

Thump!

Something moved inside and punched the coffin lid, creating noise in the process. The first order was to lightly punch the wall before it and it did what was told to do. It was not a certain victory until he has seen the end result.

It was a strenuous and long process before he could gain full control of its body. Lon has to repeatedly chant internally those phrases for more than one hundred times. At that point, it was sickening to the point he wanted to give up. Then came the attack of the anxiety of being discovered and abducted by the administration of the Natilian empire.

'Fuckt it!'

For a brief period, Lon became a monk meditating and reciting a mantra on top of a lonely mountain.

In the end, his efforts were not wasted. The corpse puppet can now be commanded with orders sent via the link between him and the puppet.

Everything has a price and Lon is certainly paying up. There is a burden attached to his whole being. Specifically speaking, it is his soul that is having a hard time keeping it under control and his mind straining because of a series of orders he is spontaneously sending. This act of his is beyond idiotic and would get the praises of mockery from a lich.

If that same lich has one sentence to explain in a phrase, it would turn out quite shocking.

"A person that is trying to do the seriously, strenuous activities despite being an amateur at it."

In other words, he is doing something impossible for his level yet he wouldn't care about the consequences. Lon clearly knew about it but no one is there to stop him. In fact, even if there is one, he wouldn't stop at all. After all, it is just a matter of decision. And his decision is to not stop.

The feeling is similar to an invisible metal self-constricting handcuffs that tightly clung on his back. The more he sends specific, complicated orders, the more it is suffocating his diaphragm.

By the time he was finished, it was already 29:81, more than an hour when he started. His whole body is sweating profusely with drops of blood leaking from his eyes. His soul having numerous cracks and his mind trying to shut down itself to save him. The effects of overusing it is already obvious from his miserable appearance.

Unexpectedly, a blunt object smashed his head. The dizziness he felt is the testament that it aimed to disable him. A voice rang behind him yet he was too confused to coherently understand what it said. It isn't enough to completely make him faint on the spot.

"Who the heck are you kid? Coming this late in this place is no good!"

That is when this man noticed the limp boy in front of him. One attack and he was knocked out which is terrific. Fate interfered as this man stumbled across Lon, kneeling on the ground. His decision is to maim him and integorate himself before disposing the kid. His eyes fell on the casket and felt dubious at sight.

Who would be bored enough to place such relics and inauspicious things in a deserted spot?

Picking the kid and placing him on the shoulder, he didn't notice the nails of this wooden coffin started to loosely shake and fall. This design is elaborate, unlike the standard ones where it will be opened sideways or connected itself to the main body.

When he got farther away from that coffin, a creepy creaking noise made him stop on the spot. It was the sound of an old creaky door being opened slowly. The man was sure of it, so he promptly looked back and noticed there was nothing unusual. He continued on his way, only to rapidly stop as the creaking noise returned. Yet, this time, it didn't stop and continued to echo, coming from his back.

He turned to look back once again and there was nothing. There was nothing out of place. It was still the same wreckage. The walls, the debris, and the fading paint. He failed to notice that his body is starting to sweat. The only source of illumination is the distant flickering glow of the street lamps and night light.

Depressing and cold air began to disperse in his surroundings. One of his hands inched closer to his handgun, only to feel a coarse texture in his fingers. It was a whole lot different because he has always practiced his proficiency with it. So, he clearly knew that something else is attached to him.

The creaking noise vanished the moment he touched his gun. He quickly pulled it out and was astonished of what is in his hands.

It was a wooden replica of a handgun that was inserted on the holster. Two hours ago, he have checked if it was in good condition before going out from their lair to patrol. Who then changed his gun into a toy replica?

'Wait a minute!', realization dawned upon him but it was already late. A gray hand easily dug in his flesh then it pulled, separating his spine from his body effortlessly. The pain accompanying this process is excruciating that he screamed until the last breath of life left him. The dizzy Lon then stood up in an unusual way. The headache and the maintenance of one premature corpse puppet combined made him realize that some things are completely miscalculated.

'How can I be this idiotic in a dangerous point?'

His soul strength is too weak to perform complex orders but strong enough to have a full grasp on the whole outline of it. The problem lies in the little concussion he suffered because of that hit. The headache is another obstacle he must overcome besides the creaking noise in his mind.

Not to mention that cry of agony has alerted the other guards and soon they will be flocking towards this area.

"That hurt a lot", he lightheaded said as he checked the weapon of the dead man. He was the one that replaced the two articles when the owner was distracted. He almost failed because he didn't expect the man to rely on this weapon so much that when he felt disturbed, he promptly picked it up.

It was a 9th gen LaserOptic-65 energy-based handgun. One of the latest guns of the current generation. The grip is perfect and the ammo is disposable energy clips. Lon unlocked the safety pin since weapons of these gangsters are smuggled items that have no genetic locks or safety codes for ease of use.

Time ticked and before he could leave, the low noise emission gunshots buzzed in his ears.

"Who are you? Come out now before we shot you down!"

Lon could only sigh at this predicament. He was slow hence this problem. Those people have also brought portable giant flashlights that lighted up the whole interior. Not many hiding places and no strength to fight prolonged battles since he was outnumbered. It is a pretty bleak situation but a smile still blossomed in his face.

'I have no strength but it is time to test it'

Pang!

Pieces of walls were punctured or scrapped as he tried to retaliate. Of course, the living isn't idiots to just watch and do nothing else. They returned fire, not noticing the fast-moving shadow in the sidelines.

Today's gunfights are deadlier than the first wars using kinetic, gunpowder-powered guns. Back in that time, people can be still saved even if you have ten gunshot wounds as long as it is not totally lethal and you're still breathing. But now, even a single stray will probably slowly kill you if that shot was somewhere far from the vital organs or even it is just a scrap.

As the saying goes, 'shells and bullets have no eyes'. The result of bad luck caused Lon to be grazed by a light ray, hitting his left side. It was painful, to say the least, but the scorching heat that he momentarily felt and the aftermath bleeding took the trophy. If life is a game, his health points are then constantly dropping due to the two status effects.

The discomfort alone almost made him faint. Faltering here will bring forth disastrous consequences. The only thing that comforted him is the angry shouts of men and their blatant cursing.

"Heelllp!"

"The heelll is this?"

"Fuck it! Fuck it! Shoot it! Shoot it!"

The perfectly born humans became grotesque corpses that died in a matter of seconds. Retaliation was possible but it was quickly extinguished. The smell of roasted meat is the indication that there are some wounds inflicted on the shadow. Yet, it didn't flinch as it crazily and totally massacred them in gruesome methods.

Their wailings were the secret recipe of pitiful despair. One by one, they were taken down by a humanoid beast. At the end of the slaughter, the brutal deaths will be attributed to a psychopathic criminal. Their idea of the murder is restricted by their precognition notions and not based on their imaginations.

...

"And somehow, I saw you on the streets while I was escaping and the rest happened.", Lon was repeating what happened. He was nonchalant about it while Nana stared blankly at him. He was not evidently maniac, hellbent on doing experiments, he was also a courageous idiot for what he has done.

Gangs are not to be trifled with. Every person knows that these people have certain connections in order to live under the scrutiny of the government. They are not the typical rats that only knew how to hide and run from the law. And one way or another, they always enact revenge against their enemies.

Nana only shook her head as she eventually finished the set papers of the day. It was neatly piled on the table.

"Here", stacks of the blue paper bill was handed to her by Lon. Each bill is one thousand Nins, adding all of them, it is more than ten thousand Nins. This amount of wealth is more than enough to pay off half of her sister's school fee.

"The payment for my debt and the trouble I caused you in the past few days."

Nana isn't the one to stand in courtesy. She was simply surprised that she will be repaid this early. Anyway, that gesture elevated her mood. What kind of a person won't be happy when given the usable money?

As for Lon, he excused himself and entered his room along with the puppet. Only to be stopped by the concern of Nana.

"Are you sure you can now stand up?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine", he said and beamed confidently as the door is locked.

Now that he can move a bit, Lon chose to move without the help of Nana or the corpse puppet. His first goal is to recover quickly, create a physical artifact that will lessen the burden imposed on his soul, and collect the four other puppets.

If he let it alone for extended periods of time, it will cause the undead to become powerful that it will be incredibly tough to control the undead. That will be a true crisis when that time comes.

Or he could control and order his corpse puppet to drag and carry those coffins back at home. Unfortunately, he could not share and use the vision of the puppet itself. It is useless then except that the combat ability of it is equivalent to the standard soldier with armor suit of the empire. The ferociousness and bestiality are the additional flavors to this dish.

Regardless, Lon began to critically think. His sudden experimental plan is now nearing its completion. And he is thinking of what he will be doing after that. What will be his future afterward?

The information he knows and the knowledge he will be studying can be wielded as a weapon and shield to defend himself against danger. It can be also used to earn money in a nasty way.

'Ahhh, I don't know'

He stared blankly at his Jirhen, flipping its pages slowly, his mind wandering about a lot of things until a great idea sprung forth.

"Hehehehehehehe, Hahahahahahahaaha! I know what I will be! I know what I will be doing!"

In the middle of the night, crazed laughter startled the neighboring people around Nana's apartment. They were so afraid that a complaint is filed to the police and a family of four actually moved the next day.

...