A Second Chance (2)

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Central City

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Entranel Bar

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In Central City, the underworld was in a secured place with a hidden entrance and was only open to a few criminals that Thomas had allowed. Yes, Thomas Allen had allowed the underworld to run in his city because he knew that these things couldn't be stopped forever; you may close one down for today, but sooner or later, a new foundation would arise having the same or different mindset than the last one.

He also believed that it would be a safe space for people who could turn over their lives if they wanted a second chance at redemption, away from the hateful gazes of civilians.

Currently, we were inside a bar which worked as the entrance to the underworld; the bar was too ordinary to be an entrance to the underworld, which was its best disguise. However, the bartender who was the acting gatekeeper to the underworld was a member of the Allen family, placed here by Thomas; getting through him without being a registered member is only possible if I had someone with higher authority with me.

"Pardon? I-I don't think I heard you correctly... You brought who here?!" The bartender shouted. He was a man in his thirties, he had a bald head, black eyes and dark brown skin.

"Quiet down, Hector, I can explain-" Elmond tried to calm him down but his words were interrupted.

"I don't need an explanation, I need you both to get out of here now! I don't care who you are or what you can give me if I let you in, I value my life more than anything else and if there is even a scratch on that kid's skin, Thomas is going to rip me apart, and just so you know you won't be safe either!" Hector replied, lowering his voice as much as he could. "I don't know what you were thinking but if there was a stupidity ranking in our world, you would be at the top of it for this very moment!"

"Look... I didn't want to come here with him either, but I needed to bring him to the underworld because if the thing he is working on results in success, we will not only be able to drastically reduce the number of deaths in our world by thirty percent but also increase our combat strength and financial power. We will be out in three hours!" Elmond tried to reason with him.

"...Two hours, anything more than that and I will call Thomas right away, I am only doing this because you are here with him, you better protect that kid with your life or we are all dead," Hector answered with a pause, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let them through but seeing that Elmond was desperate about it, he thought it would be something really important, after all, he is a seer. He pointed at the back side door and said, "Go in."

"Thank you," Elmond replied before we went in.

After going through the door, we were teleported to a vast underground city, hidden beneath layers of stone and time. The ceiling stretched high above, lined with Lumen stones which served as a light source.

Towering structures carved into the rock stood connected by suspended walkways and quiet railways humming with energy. Bioluminescent plants lined the streets, their glow reflecting off the slow-moving waterways that wound through the city.

The air was warm, carrying the faint scent of earth and metal, a sign of the geothermal power that kept everything running.

Uncle invested a lot in a place built for criminals... Moriarty stated, looking around the area. If it was up to the old me, I would have done the same, but now it feels like this place is too good for those spawns of evil.

"It seems that you could have tested the medicine on yourself before arriving here, maybe it could have calmed down that rage of yours as well," Ryuk commented, amused by Moriarty's anger.

I stayed quiet while Moriarty raged on, if I were to try and talk some sense into him in his current state, it would only worsen the situation. So it's better to let him behave like a child, for now; I can solve his anger after we return.

As we walked through the street, several gazes fell upon us because of our attires; not many people wear formal clothing like us in these areas, and the ones that do are usually the leaders of this place.

"Young master, while we are on our way, make sure not to wander off. Another thing, in case I get in a fight with them, just stand still; it won't take me long to take care of them," Elmond stated, looking straight ahead without a single bit of worry on his face.

"I understand," I replied.

Since there were barely any S-rank criminals in this place, I could understand why he wasn't worried about my safety. Moreover, the skill level of someone with a better background is more than the skill level of someone with an ordinary background, since stats are not the only way one can gain power.

Resources and knowledge about how to use your ability correctly are the primary necessities to becoming stronger. Mindlessly improving your stats will lead to a weaker base and lead to lower rank people defeating you.

"We have arrived," Elmond stated as we stood in front of a large warehouse. "According to what I know, they operate here."

"Are you not a regular here?" I asked since Elmond kept a thorough check on the city and its citizens.

"I do come here weekly but they change their bases every now and then. Their transformation is automatically activated every week at least once, which is why they end up destroying their bases and relocating somewhere else. As I have told you before, those people can't even control themselves, which is why if you can't cure them, we would have to return back empty-handed," Elmond explained, knocking on doors with a slight amount of aura.

KNOCK KNOCK

The doors soon opened up, revealing a man with a robust build in his twenties; he had sharp brown eyes, black hair and light-coloured skin. He wore formal clothing and had a warm gesture on his face just like a welcoming host.

"Elmond, it's good to see you here, a bit early for your weekly check-up, don't you think? I don't think I can allow you in right now; Dante is going through his transformation right now," the man stated, refusing us from entering from the get-go.

"He is? I see that we have come at a perfect time then. Zephyr, I need you to let us through, I believe we have a cure for the three of you! A cure to that uncontrollable bloodlust of yours!" Elmond stated excitedly.

"This human... He is good at controlling his emotions," Ryuk complimented.

"... Wait... What?" Zephyr asked, he still couldn't believe his ears.

If we had really found a cure, we would announce it to the world and not come running to the house of a criminal like them, which is why we must have wanted to use them as test subjects for the medicine, is what he thought.

Zephyr was the smart one amongst the brothers, so he understood that within a short time, but knowing that there was still a chance to turn around the lives of his brothers, he wanted to give us a chance.

"What are the chances it will fail?" Zephyr asked with hesitation.

"There is a ninety percent chance of it working and a ten percent chance of him never being able to use it again," I replied to his question.

"... You don't have a kid... Wait..." Zephyr looked at me and then at Elmond before taking a look at me and repeating this for a while. "You... You brought 'his' nephew... Here?!"

"Please don't start; I already went through that while dealing with Hector. This is really important, and if this medicine works, it will benefit all of you and the rest of the world. This isn't the worst decision I have made, so let us through, I promise that you won't regret it," Elmond stated.

"I don't need your empty promises but if you can't cure him... I may not stand a chance against you but mark my words... I will do my very best to blow a hole through your chest even if it means that I might die in the process," Zephyr threatened him openly.

He is perfect for the job... I thought in my mind. I don't need an uncontrollable pet, I need a tool that can get the job done even if it breaks.

"..." Elmond stated, quiet at the threat; he knew how to deal with a grieving family member and that it would be better not to try and talk sense to them in a situation that is about to threaten the life of their loved ones.

The inside of the fortified warehouse was filled with blood and giant chains hanging from the ceiling and walls.

UUUURRRHHHHNNNG

All of a sudden a deep, reverberating roar reached our ears as the sight we saw in front of our eyes was too painful to describe.

A hulking reptilian beast lay sprawled on the warehouse floor, its vast bulk barely contained by the thick steel chains crisscrossing over its back and snout. Its rough, scaly skin was marred with dark bruises, and its powerful tail was bound tightly, twitching weakly as it tested its bonds. Every shallow breath causes its ribs to expand against the crushing weight of its captivity.

"He is wonderful..." I exclaimed, I had never thought that a creature that had gone extinct in the Late Cretaceous period would be so beautiful to look at. I am impressed with myself for making it so detailed.

"He... usually gets a different reaction from kids... That is new," Zephyr stated. "That is my brother, Dante, his transformation is a Deinosuchus. Although we all have transformations from the Late Cretaceous period, our transformations aren't the same."

"Who are the guests? I thought you said we shouldn't receive anyone at this hour?" A man's voice came from beside Dante, making us aware of his presence. He was a tall man with a bulky physique, ranging around thirty years old with black hair and green eyes. He wore formal clothing with a black fedora on his head and a black coat.

"Darius, it's been a while since we last met," Elmond greeted him. "We are here because we believe to have found a cure to this bloodlust of yours and your brother's."

"And? You wish to use us as test subjects for this experiment of yours?" Darius asked without a hint of fear or hesitation in his voice. "Don't believe that just because Thomas goes through all the trouble for us and provides us with this place, we are obliged to become test subjects for his underlings. I respect him for the man he is, but I won't let me, let alone my brothers, become your test subjects."

"Calm down, brother, they are only trying to help us. If it goes south, I won't stop you, but there is a kid here as well. So, let's put our grudges aside for now," Zephyr stepped in between them and stopped his brother.

"... Who's the kid?" Darius asked, looking at me.

"He is... Thomas Allen's nephew," Zephyr replied calmly.

"... Are you insane?!" Darius asked Elmond with a face filled with horror.

"... At this point... Just think what you want I am not even mad," Elmond replied with a sigh.

"I needed to come here to see how the medicine I created would turn out," I explained.

"Are we seriously going to trust the life of our brother to the words of a kid?" Darius asked in anger.

"My father had never been wrong about judgements and always found a way to solve his cases; he was the one who proved you all were innocent; if you can't trust me, then trust Grey Allen, put your faith in him for one last time. That is all I ask of you," I stated.

"Proceed with the cure..." Darius exclaimed with anger. "Don't let me down... Son of Grey Allen."