"Mr. Mayor," I think you need to see some pictures from this anonymous post on the forums. The monster in them appeared outside the Hollows!
Without even knocking, the subordinate rushed in, his brow furrowed and his expression grim, as if he'd just remembered something awful.
In the elegant office, the mayor sat working at his familiar solid wood desk. The stacks of pending files on either side had only grown larger since Lycaon's visit a few days ago.
Hearing his subordinate's report, the mayor, who had been writing, immediately stopped. He didn't bother with the trivial matter of knocking and took the tablet his subordinate handed him.
The image of a horrifying, wolf-like monster with pale skin and a ferocious appearance instantly filled the screen. Even for the mayor, who had lived through the terrifying fall of the old capital, it made his heart skip a beat.
He instinctively straightened his posture, his eyes fixed on the screen...
The terrifying monster radiated an aura of infinite danger, but thankfully, in the photo, it was already a corpse.
A massive slash mark across the monster's body indicated that it hadn't died of natural causes. It had been, in the truest sense, slain head-on.
Looking at such a monster, the subordinate who had rushed in spoke with a worried tone:
"Mr. Mayor, this monster… it has no core. Do you think this could be the 'Sacrificial Abomination' the Exaltists have been chasing? Or was it created by some new organization that's suddenly appeared?"
Although worried, his words held a subtle, probing tone.
The mayor didn't answer his subordinate's question right away. Instead, he immediately zoomed in on the picture to carefully examine the monster's body.
As he scrutinized it bit by bit, the mayor gradually began to relax.
Though still serious, he was no longer as tense as before.
He shook his head at his subordinate and said:
"There are no signs of human modification on it. Rather than being engineered, it seems to have... grown naturally. Like a true living creature, evolved, just like humans."
What he left unsaid was a brutally simple condition for his judgment.
The Exaltists' goals are well-known. A cult aiming to allow humans to live normally in the Hollows wouldn't possibly experiment on non-human subjects.
And other organizations?
At least, there had been no word of any until now. If an organization capable of this truly existed, the municipal government wouldn't have been left completely in the dark.
In that case, where did this monster come from?
Could it be that in other places overrun by Hollows, creatures have undergone some unknown evolution?
The mayor looked at his subordinate, who had visibly sighed in relief upon hearing it wasn't the Exaltists' doing, and said:
"Send people to track down where this monster appeared. At the same time, investigate if similar large tracks have appeared anywhere else in New Eridu."
"Yes, sir. I've already arranged for an investigation into whether traces of the monster exist elsewhere. As for the monster from the forums, a collaborator from the Public Security Bureau just submitted a corresponding intelligence report."
The subordinate, having already been instructed to investigate related intelligence, immediately produced the mission report submitted by the Public Security collaborator.
Taking the report, the mayor quickly and carefully reviewed the documents in his hands. Jane had written down everything she had gathered without reservation.
The monster appeared in Blazewood, with the time and detailed location specified.
After learning the location of the battle between Andrew and the Vicious Claw Wyvern from other residents, Jane not only took photos of the corpse for the record but also went to the battle site to document the various combat traces.
Based on the detailed photos, this monster possessed a strength equivalent to Level 5 or higher.
However, in the subsequent content, besides various estimates like shoulder width and body length that lacked precise measurements, one aspect was described with extreme clarity.
「The meat is extremely tough and dry. It has a foul, fishy stench, along with a strong sour taste. Even the most skilled cooking couldn't make it palatable. Not even a dog would eat it. Recommended to be thrown away or used as fertilizer.」
Reading this incredibly detailed, one might even say humorous, description, the mayor couldn't help but slowly form a question mark in his mind.
Did... did they actually cook and taste it?
Are young people these days really that brave?
Or have I just fallen behind the times?
But when he saw the last sentence of the report, the mayor's pupils couldn't help but constrict slightly:
"Killed by ordinary citizen, Andrew."
A familiar name. It hadn't been long since he last saw it—in fact, it was just a few days ago.
The photo attached to the report showed a familiar face, allowing the mayor to confirm that this was none other than the same Andrew who had single-handedly cleared out the research facility a few days prior!
Based on the fact that the rebel cell only had a single 'Sentinel Mk. II' heavy unit, his strength was previously assessed as Level 4 or higher, possibly even Level 5.
It seemed now that was far too conservative an estimate.
However, for the mayor, whose goal had been to befriend him from the start, this wasn't bad news at all.
His earlier investment had paid off handsomely.
The subordinate, who had started reading the report over the mayor's shoulder, noticed his boss staring silently at the last sentence. As a subordinate, he immediately tried to probe tentatively:
"Is there a problem with this man named Andrew?"
"A problem?"
Faced with the question, the mayor didn't elaborate. Instead, he immediately shook his head and said:
"Of course not. I was just remarking to myself that another rising star has appeared in New Eridu!"
He didn't mention anything else.
His emotional tone made it seem as if he were hearing the name for the first time. Beyond that, he was—for all intents and purposes—oblivious. One couldn't tell at all that he, the mayor, had already been in contact with him.
Quickly moving past the point, the mayor handed the tablet back to his subordinate and gave another order:
"Organize all this intelligence, print it out as a hard copy, and give it to me. Also, tell the investigators to focus on intelligence gathering. Unless absolutely necessary, they are not to engage."
Looking at the savage claw marks left on the ground in the photos, he thought for a moment before adding:
"Arrange for the Public Security Bureau to enhance security on the streets to prevent a monster like this from actually breaking into a residential area. Also, keep this confidential from the public."
"Yes, Mr. Mayor!"
The intelligence was compiled, two copies were printed, one submitted to the mayor's office, and one to the archives.
Having done all this, the subordinate finally left the municipal building and got into his car to drive home alone.
In the early morning hours, New Eridu was practically deserted. Aside from patrolling police officers and working gangs, there was almost no one on the streets.
After giving a friendly wave to a police officer on the roadside, the man rolled up his window and gently fiddled with the car's sound system with his right hand.
The device, which looked identical to a normal stereo, emitted a series of crisp, seemingly arrhythmic clicks under his fingers before a deep male voice emerged.
"May the Primogenitor reforge you."
With these words, the other identity of this subordinate of the mayor was revealed. He replied in a low voice:
"May the Primogenitor reforge you."
As if the countersign had been accepted, the deep voice finally asked:
"What's the situation? Does the municipal government have any intelligence on that monster?"
The man's expression didn't change in the slightest. Instead, a look of relaxation spread across his face, and even his shoulders began to sway gently as if to music.
As the light turned green, the car started moving again. Only then did the man speak:
"There's no related intelligence in the archives. From the mayor's reaction, it's the same for him."
"Not a single shred of extra intel?! Don't tell me this monster just popped out of a rock?!"
The deep voice became anxious and angry, filled with dissatisfaction toward the city government.
But anger was just anger; it couldn't change the fact that they were also completely in the dark. However, since the city didn't know, the deep male voice paused slightly and said suspiciously:
"Could it be that someone else is behind this? Landon? Or who?"
The deep male voice pondered for a moment but ultimately stopped muttering to himself.
After all, given his status, it was difficult to maintain long-term contact with the Exaltists. He was essentially independent unless something important came up.
So even though his rank was high, he wasn't that clear on what others were doing.
Just then, the voice of a mature woman cut in, her tone always carrying a hint of subtle mockery.
"Don't be so anxious, you great hero of the Public Security Bureau. The Exaltists have no interest in creating pure beasts."
The identity of the deep male voice was now revealed. It was none other than Bringer, the Exaltists' top mole inside the Public Security Bureau.
Hearing this new voice, no matter how annoyed Bringer was, he had no choice but to suppress it. After all, the other party was his equal in rank.
He snorted coldly and said grumpily:
"What, you have intel on this monster?"
The woman on the other end of the line paid no mind to Bringer's dissatisfaction; one could even say she was indifferent.
"The main reason the Exaltists can endure forever is because we are everywhere. Just because the municipal government doesn't have intel doesn't mean we don't."
Hearing this, the man's interest was piqued, and he immediately pressed:
"Oh?! Let's hear it!"
For members of the same organization, sharing intelligence was a given. Or rather, the secret purpose of her joining the call was to inform them.
"While we have no intel that matches it exactly, we have found two other places with tracks of a similar scale."
With a slight movement of her fingers, the man seemed to receive something and began scrolling through his phone's interface.
But the woman's voice didn't stop.
"In the outer ring, besides this dead monster, the gang we've invested in has also discovered something unusual."
"A large area of cacti has completely vanished. And in the area where the cacti disappeared, there are huge marks of excavated soil. Also, massive footprints are pressed deep into the ground. Its size must be much larger than this wolf."
At this point, Bringer suddenly interjected:
"I find this strange. These tracks are so far apart; there's no connection between them. How did it travel so far? Did it fly?!"
He pointed to the locations on the map that marked where the tracks appeared and asked angrily:
"If it flew, how could a monster of that size have no witnesses?!"
The woman didn't give a definite answer to Bringer's question. It could be said that, based on the current intelligence, she couldn't answer his question either.
So she didn't waste time discussing these things with Bringer and instead moved on to the next piece of intelligence.
"As of yesterday, these tracks have disappeared. And based on the direction indicated by the last few locations, its most likely destination is New Eridu."
"What?!"
Bringer was shocked to hear this.
"Is there no further intel on its route?!"
"At least in the outer ring, we've lost its trail. You can rest slightly easier knowing that, based on the current intel, we can deduce it's likely a herbivore."
The woman shrugged, her tone casual as she said:
"At least from its current path, it poses no threat to the core mission objective remaining in that Hollow, right? Besides, who can say for sure if it's even heading to New Eridu."
What the woman said was indeed the reality of the situation.
But Bringer didn't dare to gamble on the monster not coming to New Eridu.
If it really came, and he gave an early warning, he would be a great hero, and his political record would gain a significant achievement.
But if it didn't come... wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?
Anyone in the Exaltists in New Eridu knew what Bringer thought about day in and day out, aside from his missions.
The moment he fell silent, the other two immediately guessed what he was worried about.
"The mayor has requested enhanced security. Arrangements are already underway, and it will officially begin tomorrow morning at the latest."
The man driving the car immediately relayed the mayor's arrangements.
Bringer's eyes lit up. He knew his chance to get a piece of the pie without any risk had arrived. If he was lucky, he might even get a bite of the meat.
But he quickly came to his senses and asked:
"Didn't you say there were two? What about the other one? Why is there nothing in the intel?"
In response to Bringer's vigilance, the woman continued in a calm, unhurried tone:
"As for the other one, that just came in."
"In the Romnian Hollow on the Waifei Peninsula, many traces resembling spiderwebs were discovered. Additionally, some traces of a black, phosphorus-like powder were found."
Hearing this intel, which was so brief compared to the last, Bringer asked in disbelief:
"That's it?"
"This is the only information we've received from the Bishop who's collaborating with Porcelumex. That's all."
The moment the title 'Bishop' was mentioned, Bringer lost the confidence to press further.
"If it weren't for this monster, we wouldn't have thought to consider that this was left by a living creature before."
With this explanation, which sounded reasonable but couldn't really stand up to scrutiny, Bringer hesitated for a long time but still didn't dare to voice an opinion. He could only change the subject.
"Right, what about that Andrew guy who also popped up out of nowhere? Any intel on him?"
His voice was casual, as if asking offhandedly. When the man also replied that there was none, Bringer's reaction confirmed it.
"Is that so? Forget it. Just some nobody, not worth worrying about."
The woman's voice came through, revealing the main reason she was sharing intel with Bringer.
"This lifeform, which has never been seen before, might open up new possibilities for our research. If it appears, I'll need to use your status to acquire materials."
Bringer was dismissive of the woman's request. He lowered his voice, speaking in a threatening tone:
"You and I are of the same rank; you have no right to order me around. Whatever you do, don't interfere with the plan I'm preparing. The research on Elixir P07 has nothing to do with me. My one and only mission has always been the 'Residual Abomination' lost in that Hollow."
His deep voice dripped with danger, like a roaring brown bear.
"If you interfere with the mission given to me by the Primogenitor, I won't hesitate to kick aside anyone who stands in my way!"
But the woman's voice remained calm and unhurried, her words filled with the confidence of someone holding all the cards:
"Of course, it won't interfere. In fact, as long as you complete your mission and allow the research on Elixir P07 to be completed ahead of schedule, the Primogenitor will surely be even more pleased with you."
For Bringer, whose mind was easily muddled, who even had memory problems, and whose intelligence was no different from a brown bear's, the woman's words were full of temptation:
"Not only is it highly likely you'll advance further, but with mutual assistance within the Exaltists, your plan will surely be completed much faster."
"Besides, I'll come and help you, as your subordinate. That should make it more acceptable, wouldn't you say?"
This final offer made Bringer's eyes light up. A member of the same rank helping him would surely increase his plan's success rate dramatically.
He immediately nodded in agreement:
"Then it's a deal!"
____
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