CHAPTER 28 : CRUEL

Two armored vehicles moved along the highway, marked with 'Special Forces: Superhuman' and the emblems of PDRM and the Malaysian Armed Forces. From a distance, Khairul, Nasuha, Chyou, Kyoko, and Mikael were observing the movement of the tanks.The two vehicles entered their base, and the members of HOPE who were there stopped following them and watched from inside a nearby building."Alright, we can start our patrol now..." said Mikael, walking toward the others and activating his powers to form his costume."Have you heard anything from Khalid and Mei?" Kyoko asked Nasuha, who was looking at her phone."Nothing yet. They said they are determined to meet the 'Masked Man' today," Nasuha replied as she put her phone away."Why are the media and authorities focusing more on the 'Masked Man' than on our activities? We've eliminated many Strays, but we've only made the news a few times. The last time our story was known to the public was during the Putrajaya and Cheras incidents..." Khairul questioned, crossing his arms."Because the 'Masked Man' attacks other humans, that's the only reason. Our work against Strays makes it difficult for them to track us since they might think the Strays we eliminate are the work of other Strays. But the 'Masked Man' clearly shows there are humans with powers out there using their abilities for their own agenda," Mikael explained, and Khairul turned to him, resting his hand on his chin."Okay... that makes sense," Khairul replied."Anyway, just stay cautious, and we'll be safe. Moreover, we know that the Mutants who attacked you last time are likely tracking or watching us... Our patrol group needs to be larger than before. Let's move," Mikael invited, and all the HOPE members stood and followed Mikael from behind."Hey, don't think you're our leader now, old man. You're still new here," Khairul admonished."Khai... Don't say that," Nasuha chided, and Khairul averted his gaze."Haha, getting scolded by your girlfriend..." Kyoko teased, and Mikael glanced back, appearing amused, while Khairul shot a glare at them."Why... am I not teamed up with the sister or Khalid..." Chyou monologued silently to himself, walking at the back.Nasuha carried Khairul and Chyou flying with her, Kyoko glided through the air using her lightning, making her look like she was flying, and Mikael swung from building to building using his shadow powers.Now, we were moving in a large group, making it easier to handle most Strays."Zaar! Zaar!" A Stray that looked like a human with wings and a bat-like head attacked Khairul, who swatted its wings away. Kyoko struck the Stray with lightning, and quickly, Chyou teleported Mikael to the creature, allowing him to cleave its face with his axe, revealing its fierce eyes."Alright, done. Let's go," Kyoko quickly flew off, and Mikael continued to cling to the building. Nasuha enveloped Khairul and Chyou in a sphere of light and flew after Kyoko and Mikael.We couldn't stay in one place for too long, especially in residential areas or apartment buildings; someone would always see us and record it. Plus, there were CCTV cameras everywhere, sometimes hard to notice."Should we help?" Nasuha asked, looking anxious. From a distance, the sounds of gunfire and metal clashing could be heard. Mikael held his hand in front of all the team members."Wait. The Stray hasn't hurt anyone yet," Mikael said.It appeared that the Special Forces were fighting a Stray that resembled a man with long arms and legs, and its face only had a mouth with long teeth and tongue. The Special Forces shot at the Stray, but it wouldn't fall until..."RPG!" An RPG shot was fired and blew off half of the Stray's body, killing it instantly."Alright!" "Phew!" "Well done, everyone!"The Special Forces celebrated their victory."If only we had weapons like that before. I don't think many of my members would have been injured, let alone die," Mikael sighed, and everyone present turned to him."It seems the Special Forces often don't really need our help," Kyoko said."Their weapons are strong enough to fight against Strays that don't think and have damaged minds. But if there are other Mutants like us, who understand their powers and can think during a fight... Even though the Special Forces are strong with weapons, they might have difficulty against Mutants. They are still dangerous but have many weaknesses as well," Mikael explained."Every time you open your mouth... you sure have a lot to say," Khairul said."I'm giving you my insights as someone with experience and yes... a bit older," Mikael replied."Don't think I look down on you. I'm honestly impressed," Khairul complimented."That's right. We learn a lot from you," Nasuha added, and Mikael observed them and then smiled slightly."Then, its all good."Mei: We'll be back a bit late. You all can head back first if you've finished your patrol.Nasuha showed the message Mei sent her."Uh..." Chyou looked downcast."I have to wait for Khalid, so I'll just stay here for now," Mikael said."If there's nothing else... I'll head back first. I need to catch up on a few anime episodes I missed," Kyoko said."Alright, bye-bye, Kyoko," Nasuha waved her hand."Bye-bye, everyone... See you tomorrow," Kyoko replied, waving back to Nasuha and quickly flew away like lightning."I and Khairul will head off now too. Bye-bye, Mr. Mikael... Bye-bye, Chyou," Nasuha waved to Mikael and Chyou, while Khairul just lifted his hand."Yeah, and just call me Mikael.""Bye..." Chyou and Mikael also waved their hands. Nasuha flew off while carrying Khairul again."It's still early... I have time before work," Khairul said, looking at the sun, which hadn't even set yet."I have an idea! How about we go on a date? Our first date!" Nasuha suggested, and Khairul turned to her."D-Date, huh..." He smiled wryly."You don't look so enthusiastic for it?" Nasuha asked, noticing Khairul's glum expression.Khairul let out a small sigh. "I don't have experience with things like this.""Me too. Let's learn together," Nasuha replied."Where do you want to go on a date? A lot of malls are closed because of quarantine..." Khairul questioned."Who says people only date at malls? Let me take you somewhere nice," Nasuha said confidently."Okay, captain." Khairul gave a salute to Nasuha. The two of them took off into the air, flying over residential areas and buildings.Finally, they arrived at..."Our school?" Khairul exclaimed in surprise, as Nasuha and he landed in front of their former secondary school. Nasuha moved towards the closed gate, where the security booth was empty.Nasuha used her powers to leap over the fence, turning back with a smile and motioning for Khairul to follow her."Why here?" Khairul wondered.Nasuha jumped over the gate, grasping Khairul's hand and pulling him along as they ran down the school corridor."Why come here?""The place where we first met. Wow... When there's no one guarding, it's filled with so many dead leaves here." Nasuha and Khairul moved to the back of the school, where they first encountered each other."They haven't even cleaned my desk, huh..." Nasuha sighed as they went to her classroom. She placed her hand on her old desk, where the hurtful words still remained, and a sad smile appeared on her face."Nasuha... Why come here?" Khairul asked."The last time I was at this school... was when I was in the Mind Dimension. Back then, I could face Syauqi and Hanna. I thought I could trust myself again and I wasn't alone because you were there... My dad has started to understand me. My life had gotten better again." Nasuha shared, using her light powers to erase the hurtful writings on her desk."These words should mean nothing to me, but I don't know... being here... it feels more painful and heavier than fighting any Strays," Nasuha continued, her eyes glistening with tears."Nasuha...""Why can't I let go of this pain? You... the others... Everyone is nice to me, but I can't seem to shake off this pain... I feel weak and cowardly..." Nasuha lamented, as Khairul approached her and wiped her tears."I'm the same, you know. Everything about my life has gotten better than before, but... there's a part of me that questions if I deserve all this? Then every time I use my powers, the pain I feel when the blades come out from my arm is... This is my punishment." Khairul shared, tears streaming down Nasuha's left cheek, and he looked at her with a small smile."But Nasuha... We can't rewind time; our past won't change. The present is more important. That's what I've learned. So I will do my best now. You too. You're strong now, and that's what matters," Khairul said, and Nasuha touched the scars on Khairul's face, smiling as well.They continued walking down the school corridor, Nasuha placing both hands behind her, while Khairul followed with his hands in his pockets."Haha... I really took Syauqi down here, didn't I?" Khairul placed his hand on his chin as they stood in the open hall."You don't know how touched I was at that moment... I think that's when I started, you know? To like you a bit..." Nasuha replied."Like a bit, huh? Honestly, I'm not a good kid at all. I've hit people many times just because others paid me. Thinking back, I owe so many people an apology now," Khairul admitted."Who cares?" Nasuha remarked with a puzzled expression, causing Khairul to chuckle at her reaction.The sky had turned orange with the sun slowly setting. Nasuha and Khairul sat on a bench at the grocery store where they had first met. Nasuha held a box of iced lime tea, while Khairul held a can of cola."Who would have thought out of all the stores... this grocery store didn't close, huh?" Khairul said, glancing at the store for a moment. The storekeeper appeared to be an old man with glasses and slanted eyes."Our future is going to get tougher; our fight against the Strays doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. The government has special forces looking for us and investigating. Almost the entire Malaysia is under quarantine now, but there are still many Strays out there..." Nasuha reflected on their fate, remembering their fight with Stray Farah when she was almost killed."There are also evil mutants out there." Then she recalled their battle with Syakir and Lilly."We have them... the HOPE team. We'll be okay, no matter what. I trust them," Khairul reassured."Hmm... alright. If you say so, I'll trust you." Nasuha rested her head on Khairul's shoulder.If only I had the power to control time.I want moments like this to pass slowly so I can enjoy them to the fullest...The night sky was illuminated only by a full moon, and Ali, in his Masked Man outfit, stood before the moonlight. The wind blew the fabric from behind his mask, and he appeared to carry two metal rods strapped to his thighs as he lowered his body slightly.The dilapidated factory appeared abandoned, but when Ali's eyes glowed, he could see operations happening inside—a Stray was trapped. Men armed with weapons were making drugs."It seems he wasn't lying; there really is a White Tigers base here. They even have a live Stray. It's too far to confirm how many people are inside and who they are. I need to get closer..." Ali monologued before jumping from building to building to approach the factory.Ali leapt onto the roof of the factory, rolling his body to land silently. He continued his steps and entered the ventilation system, crawling slowly within it."There are no deliveries today. Nothing coming in or out from here; just got orders earlier," one of the White Tigers gang members said to his friend."Alright," his friend replied. Ali listened to their conversation and continued moving. He exited the ventilation system and silently crept down low."What are they doing?" Ali wondered as he saw men opening up the Stray and taking its organs and body parts. They carried an icebox filled with the Stray's organs into a hidden basement room."Good stuff here!""Don't you dare touch it... unless you want to get sliced.""Oh come on... just a little... Cover me. Phew... Phew...""Geez, you..."Two gang members were chatting in front of the freshly made drugs. One of the gangsters snorted a little of the white powder, looking satisfied.What are they doing with the organs and body parts of the Strays? Illegal weapons, drugs... This is all standard work for them. It's strange they're collecting Stray bodies, but extracting organs and taking body parts?"He—he's not an ordinary human. I swear I saw it myself; he has powers! Just like you. He's like those monsters..." The gangster I beat up the other day claimed that the White Tigers' leader was a Mutant. It's possible he has other Mutants working with him too...If I were to believe what Sui'ra said..."You must know about the group of Mutants operating around Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, right? They call their group HOPE."He wants to see Mutants fight other Mutants. Asking for help will only fulfill his wicked desires. This is my battle... No matter how many Mutants they have.I will stop them!Ali charged both of his rods with blue energy flowing from his glowing veins, throwing one of the rods towards the factory's breaker box, causing all the lights to go out.The rod bounced back to Ali's hand as everything turned dark; the gang members were confused and terrified."What happened?""Someone check the breaker!"Ali seized the opportunity while they were disoriented in the darkness to attack. He took down two men near the drugs and continued to strike the others."We're under attack!""He's over there! Shoot that way!"The White Tigers gang members began shooting aimlessly; Ali took them down one by one until only one gangster remained near the Stray's cage."Vurghh! Vuuuurk!" The Stray that resembled a rat inside the cage was confused and screaming. Ali knocked out the man near the cage with a precise strike using his rod to the side of his body.Ali looked at the rat-like Stray, taking a deep breath."I'm sorry. This is for your own good." Ali opened the cage, but the rat Stray lunged at him; Ali quickly killed it with his rod, stabbing straight into the creature's heart.Oh God... It didn't end up like this because it wanted to. Forgive its sins...Ali lowered the Stray's body and quickly moved toward the hidden door; he could see the lights still on inside. Two gang members were waiting for him on the stairs, realizing they were under attack.However, Ali was aware of their presence first; he threw both of his rods precisely at their weapons. He slammed both of their necks with his right and left arms, causing them to collapse, hitting the ground.Ali entered the basement room with both of his rods, and the expression behind his mask turned grim. There were many Strays dismembered, organs hanging and frozen. At the end of the room, a boy covered in stitches was shackled by his feet, hands, and neck. It was Eric.So... this is what they're doing?"Masked Man... You managed to get past 34 armed men and a Stray in just 6 minutes. You really are a Mutant beyond my expectations." Suddenly, a dirty man in a white coat with messy hair appeared."Who are you?" Ali asked."You think I will tell you?" the man replied."Mutants, Strays... Seems you know about them. Are you a Mutant too?" Ali glared at him sharply."Oh, no... I'm not a Mutant yet. I still haven't found a way that's 'less painful' I can do to myself to become a Mutant, but if there is, oh yes... I want to be a Mutant," the man explained extensively."Have you finished talking? Tell everything you want to the police afterward," Ali said as he prepared to strike."Don't think I'll surrender so easily." The man pressed a button on a remote control. One of the cages in the room opened, and Ali stepped back, realizing what was behind that cage."Strays are more attracted to Mutants... especially active Mutants; at that time, they emit an aura that attracts Strays..." The man sneered as a Stray that seemed to be a mix of various types of Strays appeared, with different types of arms, sharp claws, and a mouth. The main head of that Stray changed its eyes, with one eye located in its mouth and forehead.The Abomination Stray lunged at Ali with incredible speed, pushing him out of the basement with its numerous hands. Ali deflected the hands with both of his rods and then pushed them all away with his strength."Riiiiiaaaaaaarrrrghhhhhhh!" The Abomination Stray emerged from the basement, its massive body covered in stitches with blood flowing from every wound as it attacked Ali from all angles, forcing him to retreat."Let's get out of here... We need to hurry," said the man in the white coat to Eric as he quickly unlocked Eric's cuffs."Okay..." Eric replied tersely.