Chapter 5: Heading Out

Calming his beating heart, Maximus made his way towards his classroom where he spent the rest of the uneventful day and departed at 6pm. After reaching home, he first fed his pets their food while he went off in his bedroom to practice the Scripture. He had discovered yesterday that the Augmented Spectralization Scripture didn't just use the souls as energy to upgrade his realm. As long as he kept reciting the scripture, he would be able to continue to fill the gene strand, albeit it was tremendously slower than when the souls of those two assailants were used, so he used every opportunity to practice so that he could increase his powers.

After about two hours, he heated the dinner made by his sister and ate alongside his pets while surfing the internet for suspicious news. He was checking for any posts or sightings which might potentially be supernatural beings.

Did they just start appearing now? Roughly around the same time as his predecessor awakened? Or had they been existing since a very long time? How were the discovered supernatural beings dealt with?

The planet he had come from had none of it, or it was probably just him who didn't know about it. Earth could not be a simple planetary civilization if it had supernatural beings amidst them, William had never encountered another supernatural being other than him and was quite happy at first, gradually feeling hopeless about his powers, eventually living cautiously with the fear of his life every moment.

As he was already at it, he also checked out any news about the explosion near the slums yesterday. If he could uncover a clue or two from the news it would be useful for his trip today.

He had to make use of all the time he had as the field trip was just in two days, and they wouldn't be returning for at least a week or fortnight. Yes, while he was filling in the details earlier, it mentioned that the field trip was at least a week long with possibilities of extending up to a fortnight.

After finishing his meal, he prepared himself for his vigilante duties. This time he intended to start early as he wouldn't get enough sleep otherwise. His sister usually came home late so it was perfect to go out to not run into her.

Just as he was leaving his home though, he happened to find his two pets looking at him, their expression conveying a clear emotion of pleading. Husky particularly, from who knows where had already draped himself of black clothes and had worn the black cap he had bought yesterday.

"The fuck?"

It genuinely elicited a chuckle out of Maximus as he looked at Toby, the husky's name. Milo, the maine coon on the other hand was sitting on Toby's back, undoubtedly a huge task for him as the cat was fat as fuck.

But after giving it a thought, Maximus still decided not to take them with him. Having them would prove to be a great help but if they didn't understand his intention in the first place it would be as good as sabotaging himself if anything went wrong.

He feared not a strong enemy but a pig teammate.

He walked over to the spot where he had hid his things and looked for a dark spot to change into his gear. He retrieved his collection of specialized gear, beginning with a durable, stretchable, and flexible full-body protective suit that served as a base layer beneath his regular clothing. Securing the utility belt around his waist, he carefully attached various tools and gadgets to it for quick access, including his grappling hooks. This time, instead of a store-bought sanitary mask, he opted for a balaclava, ensuring his face remained hidden from prying eyes and put on colored contact lenses.

Next, he slipped on a hoodie, its cover more stable than a cap, then donned a pair of disposable gloves, ensuring any traces of his presence would be minimal. Lastly, he retrieved his modified shoes, which he had meticulously coated with a layer of non-slip adhesive material. This modification effectively hid the pattern of his shoes without compromising its grip and also added an element of noise suppression which might expose him.

Done with the preparation, he left the area of his building and first walked over to the alleyway where he had his first fight. But he didn't rashly enter, rather, he nimbly climbed over the adjacent building and walked on the roof, exactly above the place where he had killed two people.

Two individuals sat lazily on the pavement, indulging in their cigarettes and swigging from their bottles. The dim glow of the flickering streetlights and the haphazardly scattered trash seemed inconsequential to their inebriated state, as they remained unaware of their trashy surroundings.

Carefully, he took out a small remote audio surveillance device and tied it to a thread which he carefully lowered down the wall. The small size, black color and the extremely thin thread allowed it to remain undetected by the mobs as they continued chatting. After about five minutes of waiting they finally talked about something he wanted to know.

"Say, why don't we catch that kid ourselves? If we give him directly to that person the boss can't say anything either right?"

"Are you insane? Boss has already told us not to touch that kid again, apparently the person who contacted the boss has withdrawn their request, there will be no benefit to be gained. Even if we assume that the client still wants the kid, do you know where he lives? No right? For people at the bottom like us, it's better to stay clear of troubles at the higher level. Try not to be in contact with them as much as you can."

… …

After realizing the conversation had shifted, he discreetly returned his device to his utility belt. With a newfound lead, he planned to incapacitate these individuals and use them to trace back to their boss, as it was apparent that the gang leader had direct ties to the person targeting his life.

He swiftly descended and creeped up to them with utmost silence, his spoon ready in his hands.

One might question whether adding a knife to his already suspicious array of objects would make a substantial difference. In truth, it wouldn't. However, the spoon granted him an advantage of element of surprise in combat, catching opponents off guard with their underestimation.

Without they could react to the intruder, Maximus quickly closed the distance and slit the throat of the one who still harbored ideas on him, and before the other could react, he threw his spoon, its 'sharp' edge lodging itself deep into the man's shoulder, eliciting a hoarse cry from him. Their delayed responses due to their drunk state contributed largely to the situation.

But that didn't stop the injured man from taking the gun out of his pocket, but before he could even use it, due to the narrow distance, Maximus had already arrived and kicked the gun away, then delivered heavy punches on the man. Making sure to subdue him with violence before he stopped.

He took out a audio player and typed on it, which soon relayed the words,

"Where is your boss? Does he still have people around him? When does he go to rest? Do you have any idea about the person who ordered the killing of that young man?"

The man, the sensible of the two, knew that it wasn't a matter he could carelessly involve himself with, but did he have any choice? His partner was already dead, signifying that the person opposite him had no qualms about killing people. After thinking for a moment, he spoke,

"Boss usually resides in a warehouse near the outskirts of the city. It is to allow him to flee from the city into the wilderness anytime.

"As it isn't deep into midnight yet, he shouldn't have many people near him. It increases as time goes deeper into the night.

"He usually discards all the people near him as it turns into the wee hours of morning so I don't exactly know when but it should be after that.

"About the person who ordered the recent commission, word went around that he was a young man and we should have just killed him instead to take all the money but for some reason the boss was extremely respectful of him, almost fearful."

One by one, the man answered all the questions. Just as Clarence thought of discarding the man, he spoke up once again,

"Don't kill me please. I have no loyalty towards the boss, I won't tell him anything about you. Look, I have no interest in anything that goes on between you guys, I am just a simple man trying to live. If you let me live, I'll even hide in a safehouse I made for myself as long as you tell me so that my boss doesn't catch on to anything.

"In fact, I can even be an informant for you in this city. How do you think I have lived so long without dying but still stayed at the bottom of the hierarchy? It's really true that I have no ambition whatsoever in life, my only goal is to survive. But after years of staying in this field, I also have my own network of connections so that I can know the information quickly and think of the best way to continue living. Ain't I useful? I also won't ask for any payment dear sir, take it as me paying for my life since you didn't kill me."

He was a smart man, he first showed how harmless he was, then showed his worth to the man, then topped it off with a deal. He also didn't say anything such as "take it as my gift" or "take it as my compensation", he thoroughly kept himself in a lower position to avoid provoking the pride of the mysterious guy.

After some moments of heavy silence, Maximus typed a string of words in to the audio player,

"I'll pay you according to the information you provide. Your contact number?"

Cleverly, Maximus avoided phrases like "I'll trust you this time" and other such statements. He understood that uttering such words would grant the other person a degree of power over him, no matter how small. Moreover, he tactfully steered clear of addressing the topic of the man's promise not to expose him, as broaching that subject would betray his concern. At present, Maximus couldn't conceive of a better approach to handle this matter. Instead, he straightforwardly requested the man's contact information, emphasizing his desire for a network of connections. To maintain a façade of strength, he also offered to provide compensation, ensuring there were no perceived weaknesses in his outward demeanor.

After putting away the contact details, the man ran away while Maximus ate the soul of the dead man, before leaving in the direction of the location that man gave about where his boss resided, south of the city. If everything went well, he could learn about his killer today itself.