Chereads / The Hidden Wizard / Chapter 27 - CHAPTER 27: BEN JIM

Chapter 27 - CHAPTER 27: BEN JIM

As the trio continued on their search, they suddenly stumbled upon a massive building that stood tall and ominous. Its sign read "PCS Foundation", and the structure looked like a fortress.

"What is this place?" asked Jason.

"I have no idea," said Ram. "But we should be careful."

As they approached the entrance, they saw a few employees running around in a hurry, some carrying strange objects.

"Excuse me, sir," said Jake to one of the employees. "What is this place?"

The employee stopped in his tracks and looked at them with a worried expression.

"This is the PCS Foundation," he said. "We contain anomalies."

"What kind of anomalies?" asked Jason.

The employee hesitated before speaking again. "We have many, but right now we are doing rituals to keep away the Red Lord."

"The Red Lord?" repeated Ram. "What is that?"

The employee leaned in and whispered, "It's a massive beast that could destroy everything. We are doing everything we can to keep it contained."

The crew was taken aback by this revelation. They had never heard of anything like this before.

"Can we help in any way?" asked Jake.

The employee shook his head. "No, we have everything under control. Just stay away from the containment area."

With that, the employee rushed off, leaving the trio to ponder what they had just heard.

The crew made their way towards the facility, looking for a way to sneak in undetected. Jason whispered, "We're boundless beings, yet we're sneaking around like spies. This is ridiculous."

Jake turned to him and said, "Hey, we gotta do what we gotta do. Besides, we've done crazier things than this." He snapped his fingers and the atoms around them shifted, making the building appear as a fictional construct.

As they approached the entrance, they could see a group of armed guards patrolling the perimeter. Ram looked around and said, "I think I can distract them by creating a localized reality shift. It should create a diversion long enough for us to slip in."

After a few moments, Ram successfully created the distraction and the guards were diverted. The crew made their way into the building undetected and started exploring.

As they made their way through the facility, they came across strange anomalies, like a room that was always on fire, but never burned down. They also saw strange creatures that they had never seen before.

Eventually, they stumbled upon an employee who was conducting some kind of ritual. They approached him and asked about the Red Lord. The employee looked at them with fear in his eyes and said, "You don't want to know about the Red Lord. We perform these rituals to keep him at bay. If he ever got loose, it would be the end of everything."

Jake looked at the others and said, "We have to stop this. We can't let them keep something like that contained here."

Jason nodded in agreement and said, "But how do we take down something that powerful?"

The crew quickly formulated a plan and began to execute it. As they were enacting their plan, they could feel the ground rumbling beneath them. Suddenly, the Red Lord emerged from the depths of the facility.

The creature was massive, with razor-sharp claws and teeth. It let out an ear-splitting roar that shook the building to its foundation.

On top of this, they heard a loud cracking noise as the foundation's top-security containment field shattered, and a massive, seemingly invincible turtle creature burst out. It was PCS-862, the son of the Red Lord, and it was now free.

Jake quickly assesses the situation and realizes that they have no choice but to fight. He quickly whispers to Jason and Ram, "We have to take them down, no matter the cost."

Jason replies, "Are you sure? We've never fought something like this before."

Ram adds, "And what about the civilians? We can't let them get hurt."

Jake thinks for a moment and then comes up with a plan. "We have to lure them away from the civilians and fight them in an open space. We'll use our powers to distract them and buy us some time. Then, we'll try to take down the turtle first."

The crew starts executing their plan, using their powers to create illusions and distractions to lead the two beasts away from the civilians. The Red Lord was powerful and had incredible strength, but PCS-862 was even more resilient. It could never truly die, as it could adapt and evolve to survive any attack.

As they began to fight, the crew quickly realized that they were outmatched. The beasts were too powerful and had incredible durability. Ram used his omniscience to predict their movements, and Jason tried to use his telekinesis to restrain them, but it seemed like nothing was working.

Just as they were about to be defeated, Jake had a sudden realization. "We've been approaching this the wrong way," he said. "We've been trying to take them down with brute force, but we need to think outside the box."

Jake then used his powers to manipulate the atoms around the beasts, causing them to destabilize and weaken. He then instructed Jason to use his telekinesis to create a vacuum around the Red Lord and PCS-862, which would further weaken them.

"Foolish mortals! Do you not understand the power that you face? I am the boundless force of destruction, the master of all that is chaos! And this creature at my side is but a mere pawn in my grand design!" Red Lord yelled.

As the crew struggles against the immense power of the Red Lord and the never-dying turtle, they realize that this battle is more than just a physical fight. They must use their knowledge of the boundless and the infinite to outsmart their opponents.

During a momentary lull in the fight, the Red Lord speaks again,

"Do you know what was created in this very facility? Lurphy Mawden, the one who transcends all understanding and can bend reality to his will in his own creation! And who was it that created this place? None other than Gordon Rameusy himself, the one who seeks to control all narratives!"

The crew is shocked by this revelation, as they keep fighting. Jake tries to erase 862 with atoms, but it just becomes resistant to atoms, no matter what they do, the reptile doesn't die.

As the crew continued to fight, Ram had an idea. "Maybe we don't have to kill it," he shouted over the chaos. "We just need to contain it!"

Jason nodded in agreement. "If we can't kill it, we'll just have to trap it."

The crew quickly devised a plan. While Jake and Ram kept the Red Lord distracted, Jason used his powers to create a containment field around PCS-862. The turtle thrashed and roared, but it couldn't break free from the field.

Jake, frustrated with the resistance of 862 to atoms, suddenly turns to the sky and yells, "Hey, author! This isn't fair! You can't just make up a creature that's immune to atoms!"

Me, feeling guilty for putting the crew in such a tough situation, decides to give them a break. Suddenly, 862 died because it's not author level lol.

Jason turns to Jake, "What just happened?"

Jake smirks, "I guess I have some influence over the author. Boundless, remember?"

The crew was backed into a corner, with the Red Lord looming over them, its powers seeming to transcend the very fabric of the narrative. Their weapons were useless, their skills and powers had failed them, and it felt like there was no hope left.

Suddenly, a man in a purple Yakuza suit stepped forward. Ram squinted and felt like he recognized him, but he couldn't place where he had seen him before. The man's name was Ben Jim, and before anyone could ask what he was doing there, he transformed into a ram.

The crew was stunned, but they didn't have time to process what was happening. Ben Jim hurled a bottle of vodka at the Red Lord, and it exploded on impact, sending the beast flying backwards.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, the crew erupted into cheers and applause, grateful to be alive and shocked by the unexpected turn of events. Ram turned to Ben Jim, thanking him for his help, but the Yakuza simply smiled and replied, "I'm racist."

As the dust settled and the adrenaline faded, the crew took a moment to catch their breath and reflect on what had just happened. It was a close call, but they had made it out alive, thanks to an unlikely hero and a stroke of luck.

Jason turned to Ram and asked, "You know that guy?"

Jake was confused on how that dude just killed the Red Lord and disappeared, they were increasingly confused on what exactly that even was, but they knew that they would certainly see him again.

Ram chuckled, "Maybe he's some sort of guardian angel?"

Jake rolled his eyes at the idea of a "guardian angel" in the midst of all the chaos they had just experienced. But he couldn't deny that there was something strange about Ben Jim.

As they made their way out of the facility, they couldn't help but wonder what other mysteries and dangers awaited them on this mission. But they were determined to see it through to the end and find Gordon Rameusy, no matter what it took.

As the dust settles and the crew catches their breath, a writer named Ikari Cosmos sits in front of his laptop, just reading The Hidden Wizard and being in real life, but Jake affects him because he transcends it.

"Wow," he thought to himself. "That Jake guy is so cool. I wish I could be like him."

But as he tried to come up with his own story, he found himself struggling to come up with anything interesting. Frustrated, he opened a new document and began to type.

As his fingers moved across the keyboard, a new character began to take shape on the screen. His name was Nova Laos, and created lots of infinities and stuff.

Ikari smiled as he read over his creation, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. Even though he couldn't be like Jake, at least he could create his own characters and worlds. Of course, he created it for powerscaling so like. Anyway, that's irrelevant, but they knew their story was starting to have real effects.

"Of all the narratives we've been in, this one is surely the worst… you guys think we can go home soon?" Jason asked.

Ram sighed, "Not until we've cleared this place out, now that we know Gordon recruits people from here, we gotta clean it out… especially now that the foundation wants us."

Jake is flabbergasted, "Wait what?"

Ram chuckles, "Yep…"

They turn to a huge news TV in the middle of nowhere for some reason, and it has their faces, designated with THW-001 and THW-2813.

Jason nods, "At least I'm not wanted."

Ram begins to have a realization about this PCS foundation… could they be connected to a Vietnamese branch?

Jake sighs, "We have to go into hiding again."

As they make their way out of the facility, Ram starts to think out loud, "I've heard of this Vietnamese branch before… They're notorious for their involvement in the black market and illegal activities."

Jason looks at Ram skeptically, "How do you know all this?"

Ram shrugs, "I read a lot."

Jake interrupts, "But how does this relate to PCS Foundation?"

Ram explains, "It's possible that the Branch is using PCS Foundation to conduct their operations. They may have even recruited Gordon to help them."

The crew falls silent as they absorb this information.

Jake then notices something odd, "Wait… it says that they already have 001 and 2813, despite the fact that they look exactly like us?"