Chapter 7: Training and the Case

"Ha! Ha!"

At 11 p.m., heavy gasps reverberated through the dedicated gym of the garrison, accompanied by dull thuds. Normally, the garrison would be a haven of tranquility at this hour. Police officers typically wrapped up their work by 10 p.m., barring special circumstances. After all, it was November 15th, deep into the icy grip of winter. Save for a handful of officers on night duty, no one in their right mind would want to linger in the unheated garrison at night.

The white lights flooded the area around the boxing ring in the gym. Keloat, clad in a black vest and shorts with his hands wrapped in white cloth, was pummeling the sandbag in front of him with a precise rhythm. The ground beneath his feet was a sodden mess of sweat.

It had been a week since Keloat joined the garrison. It was undeniable that connections opened doors. His identification and police officer's license had been fully sorted out five days ago. He even had a complete identity file in the garrison, stamped with the official seal, making it bulletproof to any inspection.

He had almost mastered the ropes of the work in the garrison. Burke wasn't kidding when he said he'd look out for Keloat. Keloat was now Burke's right-hand man, enjoying the perks of an elite police officer.

He didn't have to trudge through the mundane patrol work of ordinary officers. All he had to do daily was shadow Burke and tackle some thorny cases. Thankfully, the week had been incident-free. Burke sat in his office, buried in the documents submitted by subordinates, while Keloat seized every free moment to bulk up!

The garrison at Duras Port was well-funded. They not only set up a gym for all officers but also hired two or three pros to teach in rotation. Keloat, who was green when it came to combat skills and exercise equipment, was over the moon when he heard about this place.

He begged Burke to let him come here for systematic combat training. Since things had been quiet lately and Burke intended to groom Keloat as his confidant, he readily gave the go-ahead. Thus, Keloat got his chance to train for a few days.

Keloat was like a man possessed when it came to training. His eagerness shocked everyone in the gym. In their eyes, except for meal times, this new recruit was glued to the gym. He had tried out every piece of equipment, and they were all drenched in his sweat!

The combat-skills instructor was also gobsmacked. He had never seen such a dedicated soul. This, however, only fueled his desire to teach. During the few days of teaching, he practically force-fed Keloat all his knowledge. The rest was up to Keloat's own wits.

"Bang!! Swish..."

A thunderous punch landed square in the center of the sandbag. The sandbag, battered all day by Keloat, finally gave in. The sturdy outer cover was punched through, and the sand spilled out like a mini avalanche.

"Ah... I broke another one... It feels amazing!"

Keloat effortlessly yanked the sandbag off the hanging ring. This was the fifth sandbag he had broken this week. Normally, breaking a sandbag meant coughing up compensation. But when the gym administrator stomped over to Keloat, scowling and ready to demand payment, he witnessed Keloat punching through a second sandbag...

So, all was forgiven. During Keloat's breaks, the administrator would even bring over a few bottles of water as a sign of respect...

Keloat stretched his body, and it crackled like a bonfire. The fiery sensation in his muscles made him acutely aware of his own strength. The muscles on his arms bulged and contracted like a caged beast yearning for freedom!

He glanced at the wall clock, wiped the sweat from his face, then strode into the shower room next door for a cold shower. He used his water-element ability to dry himself, threw on his clothes, and lugged a large bag of roast beef back to his rented room.

He flipped on the light and entered the bathroom. After filling the bathtub with hot water, he sank into it. As he chowed down on the beef to replenish the energy burned during the day's workout, he also tried to soothe the restlessness of his tidal bloodline. The training had shaved 10 seconds off the time he needed to soak in water. This was the result of his daily timing, proof that the human part of his bloodline was growing stronger.

Early the next morning, Keloat got up and slipped on his police uniform from the garrison. The uniform, which had fit him like a glove before, now felt a bit snug. Standing in front of the mirror, he realized he had grown a bit taller and bulked up. Scratching his head, he decided to get his clothes tailored when he had the chance.

He made his way to his desk in the garrison and was about to tidy up and head to the gym again when Burke called him from the door of his office.

"Keloat, skip the gym today. I've got a tough case. Come with me to check it out. Don't forget your weapons."

"Okay, Sergeant Burke!"

Keloat strapped the firearm on his desk to his waist. The dagger he had taken from that bodyguard had been sold for cash. After adding a bit more, he had bought a new weapon from the weapon shop: a pair of exquisitely crafted brass knuckles custom-made for his hands!

Most of the combat skills he had learned recently were for hand-to-hand combat. Keloat could feel that his physical strength was best unleashed in this combat style. So, after a quick think, he decided to go for a close-combat fighting style. Therefore, besides a short-handle axe, he also had a pair of brass knuckles made just for him.

Although the dagger was also for close-combat, its function overlapped with the short-handle axe. Keloat couldn't fight with an axe in one hand and a dagger in the other. After weighing the pros and cons, he thought the axe was a better fit for his style.

He hung the brass knuckles on both sides of his waist for easy access, slid the short-handle axe into the back of his waist, picked up his shield, and then followed Burke into the garrison's police car and sped off to the crime scene. The incident had taken place in a small park within the Duras Port Garrison's jurisdiction. When they arrived, they saw that the ordinary police officers had already cordoned off the area to keep onlookers out and preserve the scene.

Following Burke past the cordon and approaching the crime scene, a mangled, blood-drained body in red clothes lay sprawled on a park bench. There were many police officers scouring the area around it. The body was described as broken because it looked like it had been savaged by a wild beast. There were three deep, bone-deep scratch marks on the chest, and the abdomen had been ripped open, with half of the internal organs missing...

"Nader, how's the situation at the scene?"

Burke donned his gloves, squatted beside the body, and gently pushed aside the woman's clothes to examine her wounds. He asked the young man who was also squatting beside the body, jotting down information on a panel.

"Well... The victim was killed face-to-face by the murderer. She put up a fierce struggle before she died. The lawn near her right foot tells the tale. But it was all in vain. The murderer was way stronger. After killing her, the murderer ripped open her chest and... had a feast."

"What a brute... Is there any clue at the scene that can lead us to the murderer?"

Burke frowned and swore. He leaned over to check the records on the young man's panel.

"It's the same as before. Some hairs, some claw marks. We can't track down that monster with just these, because under normal circumstances..."

"I understand. Let's go, Keloat. We've got work to do!"

Burke stood up. As he walked past Keloat, he noticed that Keloat was transfixed by the body and couldn't help but say something.

"Sergeant, is the murderer this time one of those... monsters in the garrison's files?"

In this world, there were no monster hunters, but there were plenty of dark monsters. In terms of the threat they posed to humans, they were even more menacing than the giants living in remote areas in some ways!

These monsters usually lurked among ordinary people, indistinguishable without special methods. Only when their blood-thirsty urges flared up would they go out hunting humans. Naturally, the onus of dealing with them fell on the police officers of the garrisons that maintained local security.

It should be noted that ordinary dark monsters weren't as powerful as those in the movies or TV shows in Keloat's memory. Some low-level dark monsters were only at the intermediate level of body-forging. Bullets could pierce their bodies.

As long as they coordinated well, a few elite police officers could take on such monsters head-on. Burke had told Keloat that he had once killed such a monster, and the monster's claw was still kept at his home as a memento.

These monsters usually lurked among ordinary people, indistinguishable without special methods. Only when their blood - thirsty urges flared up would they go out hunting humans. Naturally, the onus of dealing with them fell on the police officers of the garrisons that maintained local security.

It should be noted that ordinary dark monsters weren't as powerful as those in the movies or TV shows in Keloat's memory. Some low - level dark monsters were only at the intermediate level of body - forging. Bullets could pierce their bodies.

As long as they coordinated well, a few elite police officers could take on such monsters head - on. Burke had told Keloat that he had once killed such a monster, and the monster's claw was still kept at his home as a memento.

These low - level dark monsters had little rationality when hunting humans, so the murder scenes they left behind were quite telling. The more experienced folks in the garrison could spot them easily.

Keloat also realized that the murderer this time was probably one of those monsters after seeing the tell - tale act of devouring flesh and blood. To be honest, he had never laid eyes on a creature as threatening as a giant.

He was itching to see how these monsters could blend in with humans so effortlessly. At the same time, Keloat was burning with curiosity to find out whether these dark monsters were more ferocious or if he, a human with half - giant bloodline, was more valiant!