After Ralph arrived at the lodge, which was actually a tent, Ralph asked a question that he had been longing for an answer for a long time:
"You ... Can we control beasts now? If not, how could so many coincidences be possible?"
Matheus scoffed and said:
"Confidential information, you need to be at least a lieutenant to know that."
Ralph contorted the corners of his mouth, this is the same as confirming his suspicions, but how did the military get it?
"Don't wander around, you are still in a delicate situation." Matheus said and said goodbye.
Ralph sighed slightly and looked around.
His things that were on the military base before are all inside the tent.
But what surprised Ralph was the fact that there was food on a table, as if waiting for him.
Ralph swallowed his own spit and didn't hesitate. It had been a long time since he had eaten a decent meal.
After eating, Ralph simply passed out on a bed. He had been carrying a large load of fatigue for quite a while, and as he was in a protected area, he could sleep as much as he wanted.
After sleeping for ten hours, Ralph was woken by Matheus.
"I hope you have had enough rest, General José wants to see you." Matheus spoke as he seemed to hold his breath.
"Good heavens, you stink! It won't work, go take a shower before you meet him." Matheus spoke while looking at Ralph with disgust.
Ralph clicked his tongue, he hadn't been showering in a while.
"I thought I could go home, what does that old man want?" Ralph asked.
"I don't know ... Hurry up!"
Matheus took Ralph to a bathroom and after waiting ten minutes, Ralph came out clean and in a clean uniform, courtesy of the commander.
The uniform was different from the previous one, since Ralph had been promoted to sergeant and was no longer a recruit. It had light green patterns with darker shades scattered. The master sergeant rank symbol was on the shoulders. It also had Ralph's name printed on his chest.
Matheus nodded after seeing this, Ralph finally looked presentable.
"Very well, follow me."
After a short walk, they both entered the main building and went to the basement floor.
Ralph had infiltrated the building before so he didn't find anything new.
In the largest room on the floor, General José and a few other officers were waiting.
"Sit down." José spoke to Ralph and motioned for Matheus to leave.
Matheus gave Ralph a brief look and left.
"Very well, then this is the only one to infiltrate this place." An old man spoke, he had the rank of colonel stamped on his uniform above his shoulders.
Ralph smiled slightly at him and closed his eyes, as if waiting.
A brief silence dominated the room, until José spoke:
"Sigh ... Don't care too much about the boy's attitude, he ... he must have some reason to do so, whether he knows or not." José spoke and looked at Ralph in a mystical way.
Ralph clicked his tongue, the old man seemed to be doubting his sanity again.
"Cough Cough ... I'm surprised he can keep his cool." An old woman said, she had the rank of colonel too.
"Certainly. Even after being partially enslaved, he doesn't have a trace of evil intent in his eyes... Maybe." The old colonel spoke.
"Cut the bullshit ... Why did you call me here?" Ralph spoke impolitely on purpose.
José laughed darkly and said in a cold tone:
"Don't think you can disrespect your superiors because of your skill, boy. It's not like we needed it at all costs."
"..." Ralph laughed coldly but was silent.
"Cough Cough ..." This time it was the old colonel's turn to break the ice and he said:
"It seems that the boy's mood is unstable. Well, let's get to the point." The old colonel tapped the table lightly and a hologram appeared, surprising Ralph.
Ralph's eyes widened for a moment, he could clearly see that the hologram was not so simple ... In fact, he didn't know that such a hologram was already possible to create.
The reason for Ralph's surprise is that he saw no equipment needed to produce a hologram in the room. And it was not possible to reproduce something like that even with the most modern equipment he knows.
"That's right, I heard you were a physics student at TULA, it's no surprise that you can see the quality of the goods." The woman said with a dry laugh.
Ralph noticed his expression and resumed his cool composure.
"... It really surprised me a little, but you guys always get something before civilians after all." Ralph spoke.
The officers looked at each other and did not explain.
The hologram showed an image of a person.
"Who is he?" Ralph asked.
"Your target ..." José replied shortly.
Ralph blinked a few times as if he heard something wrong.
"My target?" Ralph looked at the three of them with a cold spine.
"Your mission is to kill this man." The old colonel spoke in a light tone.
This was no joke, Ralph felt it.
"Heh, you are aware that I have never killed anyone before, right?"
"We know." José replied.
"And are you sending me on a mission like that, though?" Ralph asked angrily, he didn't even know the man!
"We can guarantee that he deserves to die, would you like to hear his crimes?" José spoke.
Ralph snorted and said:
"Don't try to deceive me ... Even if he is a great villain, what does that have to do with me? Besides, since when do military personnel get involved in civil affairs?"
The three officers looked at each other and the old colonel spoke:
"You are our subordinate, and you are obliged to follow our orders as long as you are in the military."
Ralph laughed coldly, it's not like he was free to choose.
"No matter what you think, you have to complete this mission, or else ..." José slammed his hand on the table while looking coldly at Ralph.
Ralph looked back, visibly annoyed.
"Sigh ... At least read this." The old colonel gave Ralph a paper.
"These are the descriptions of his target, and the crimes he committed."
Ralph sneered internally but read what was on the paper.
There was a picture of the man in a corner of the paper, he had Caucasian features
He was 37, was married and had no children.
He was a federal deputy, elected by the state of São Paulo. It was aligned with anarchist ideals and groups.
But what really caught Ralph's attention is the fact that he has a skill, a beast skill. And also the huge list of crimes.
Rape, fraud, money laundering, passive corruption, illegal drug trafficking, tax evasion ...
Ralph cannot help wondering what kind of idiot would vote for someone of such a bad nature.
-My taxes go to trash like that ...
Ralph thought irritably.
"So, do you feel better knowing this?" José asked.
"Hehe, don't ask me that kind of question. It is impossible for me to believe you completely." Ralph put the paper on the table after reading.
"It doesn't matter, you must have a minimum of common sense to understand that you cannot refuse this mission." José spoke coldly.
"..." Ralph was silent.
"You will be assisted by a team that specializes in these types of missions. But you will be the only one to break into his residence and kill him! Any questions?" José spoke.
Ralph shook his head, but his expression was still somber.
"You can leave, after this mission, you will be released to spend time at your home."
Ralph left in silence and met Matheus outside.
"So, how was it?" Matheus asked.
"I still feel like killing that old bastard." Ralph spoke.
Matheus frowned but guided Ralph to the room in silence.
After a few hours, Ralph received more details about the mission, and prepared to leave with the "auxiliary" team.
A helicopter was assigned to take them to the nearest airport, where they would take a plane to Brasília.
Ralph didn't know anyone on the team, and he had no interest in doing so.
The others didn't seem to mind Ralph's attitude, but left him isolated in a corner of the helicopter.
Ralph had received a set of equipment for the mission. Collect the bulletproof, two pistols and the sword he had asked Joseph for.
The sword was large, but Ralph received it with a scabbard that stuck to his back.
Besides, everything that could identify Ralph was removed from his body. If he died, no one would know who he was.
Ralph took a deep breath and looked out of the helicopter. The green forest is incredibly imposing, but still calm. It was as if nothing in this world could erase this beauty.
The various rivers that cut the relief added a vibe that reminded Ralph of the stories about "Paradise".
Ralph took a deep breath again and closed his eyes.
How long has it been since he separated from his family? Almost three months? Ralph does not remember precisely, time passed quickly.
Three months ago, he was just a student. But now? A man on his way to a murder mission.
Ralph smiled bitterly, no matter how serious the deputy's crimes on paper were, Ralph didn't trust those old men. It could all be a scam, or a test. But Ralph couldn't say anything, that was what made him afraid, the unknown.
One of the men on the team noticed that Ralph was shaking a little, and put his hand on his shoulder and said:
"Don't worry, it's not like you're changing the natural order of things. The world has always been like that."
Ralph looked into the man's eyes. They were lifeless eyes, dark and deep.
Ralph was silent and pondered the words of the man, whom he did not know the name of, only knew the code name, Zelta-01, the team captain.
-The natural order? Hehe.
Ralph smiled bitterly when he realized he couldn't refute the man.
People have always died and will always die. This is the essence of his words, which also meant that no life was worthwhile, not even life itself.
Ralph shook his head and convinced himself.
-I will not become a monster without a soul. Even if he is right in the end, and nothing really makes a difference, I don't want to follow that lifestyle.
After an hour, the helicopter arrived in Manaus. There, the team boarded a plane to Brasília.
Ralph decided not to think about anything else during the course, when he is in front of his target, he will know what to do.
After two hours of travel, the plane landed in Brasília, at an aeronautics base.
Ralph hardened his own heart and got off the plane.
An officer was waiting for them.
"I hope you are prepared, not in time to waste." The officer spoke and guided the team to a location within the base.
"Everything you need is here, there are two vans waiting for you. The target is at home right now, but he has an event scheduled in two hours, you need to complete the mission before that."
Everyone nodded and started to prepare. Ralph, however, sat in a corner waiting for the time. Meanwhile, he started to examine the sword.
It conveyed the same feeling as before, as if it sucked something from him. Ralph speculated that the sword was drawing energy from him, as he felt his heart speed up and his breathing become heavy with time.
He then remembered one of the stats, [Latent Energy]. Perhaps this is related to this stat.
The inscriptions on the sword glowed green, and Ralph didn't understand what they meant. Perhaps they mean nothing.
There is a significant difference in the edge of the sword when it shone, it became sharper, which surprised Ralph.
Although Ralph does not know how sharp the sword is, he is sure it is something incredible.
When everyone was ready, everyone got into the vans.
There were no windows in the vans, there was nothing.
"We will change vehicles before going to the target's residence." The captain warned.
After arriving in a vacant lot, they switched vehicles, and began to walk a path without security cameras. Everything had already been well planned.
The new vehicles were bigger than vans, they looked like minibuses.
"We're coming, get ready!" The captain said as he loaded the rifle.
Ralph swallowed his own saliva nervously.
The vehicles stopped in an underground garage, and one by one they all got out of the vehicles.
"Half-1, you will do as decided before. We will cover you from the top of this building." The captain said.
Half-1 was the main part of the team, who would be responsible for assisting Ralph closely.
Ralph controlled his breathing and the mission officially started.
Ralph took Half-1 out of the building. It was night, and there was no movement on the street.
They began to march slowly towards a residence a little distant from the building where they were.
It was a small mansion, with large walls all around the perimeter.
"Everything is clean, you can proceed." The captain spoke at the secret frequency.
"Understood." Ralph replied and waved to the others.
Half-1 was intended to ensure that there would be no intrusion into the residence until the mission was completed, in addition to serving as a support for Ralph to retreat.
One of the men carefully cut the electric fence so as not to raise an alarm. He had specific equipment for this.
Ralph became invisible and with the help of one of the men he jumped over the wall.
Ralph tried to stay calm. According to the information available, there were no dogs in the mansion, so he didn't have to worry about the smell being exposed.
Ralph had put on gloves, so he didn't have to worry about fingerprints, either. Even his shoe was bigger than his foot, all to ensure the security and confidentiality of the mission.
Ralph moved slowly through the mansion's garden. He could see that the sun was beginning to appear on the horizon, but there were no lights on in the house.
Ralph had seen a detailed plan of the mansion before, so he knew where to go.
He climbed a ladder and then started to climb with the help of some bars on the mansion wall.
There was a window above the bars. It was closed, but Ralph had a device exactly for that problem.
The window had two parts, the lock was in a gap between these two locks.
A small electrical clamp cut the lock quickly and quietly.
Ralph opened the window slowly, making sure it didn't make a noise, and entered the residence.
Ralph touched a button on his chest twice, which signaled that the infiltration had been a success.
Ralph looked around and located himself. He was close to the target's room.
Thoughts started to cover Ralph's mind at that point. He was there, and the target too, what would he do?
And what if the target was trash? Maybe Ralph would be grateful to kill trash like this in the past, but now? He was being used as a butcher knife, what's the difference with trash?
Furthermore, Ralph cannot trust the military completely, even though he is one of them now.
Ralph's breath became thick. And his expression twitched.
If he killed this man, he was sure he would continue to be used in that way, killing for the sake of others.
-I ... I don't want to become something like that!
Ralph ground his teeth as he walked to the target's room.
He couldn't think of anything to get out of this mess. It was very likely that he would die if he tried something that the military considered harmful.
-Dammit !!
Ralph opened the bedroom door slowly, and saw the target sleeping on a bed plus a woman, it was his wife.
Ralph took the sword and approached, the sword started to shine, but Ralph was prepared for it and used his skill to cover it.
One step away from the target, Ralph stopped.
He was there, he knew what he had to do, but not how. Decapitate? Piercing the chest?
Ralph looked at the target's wife and decided.
After sheathing his sword, he took out a pistol and aimed it at the man's chest. After concentrating, he covered the entire area with an illusion, he did not want the woman to wake up to the sound of the gunshot.
His hand was shaking, would he really do that? Kill someone he didn't know.
Ralph sighed and decided. It was his life or the man's. From the beginning, he had no choice.
He looked at the man and pulled the trigger.
Not even a sound could be heard, but the blood and gaze of the man in despair was more terrible than anything Ralph had ever seen.
The man only had time to wake up and put his hand on his chest until he finally died with an unfair expression.
-...I made it.
Ralph thought with an empty look.
It was him or the man. Ralph knew that, so he didn't feel guilty about himself. But what was that feeling he was feeling? A void in the heart.
-No ... I know what that is.
Ralph closed his eyes with a bitter smile.
-That ... is the emptiness that my freedom left.
Ralph thought and left the place.
As he walked, Ralph reflected, it was his actions that got him there. It was his thirst for fun, for adrenaline that made him a condemned man.
He just wanted to continue being challenged, and to continue being tested just to get over everything, that was the confidence that Ralph had. But it also led him to an obstacle that seemed insurmountable.
No matter how incredible and strong he became, he could not fight an entire nation. He could only bow and obey, all the result of his actions.
Does Ralph regret this? He doesn't know himself. He can still feel the willpower burning inside him, the anger and thirst for revenge and various feelings.
In that instant, as if Ralph had understood something, he stopped with a surprised expression.
He felt as if a barrier had been broken in his mind, but decided to check it out after leaving the residence.
He pressed the button on his chest three times, signaling that the target had been processed.