Uche started seeing the usual distinct vision, a bit familiar to what he had seen yesterday.
The same hand was flipping through the empty pages of a book, before stopping at the middle, also empty, the hand brought a pencil down and started writing something on the book.
*Love the little game?*
*I'm sure you're cuffed by now.*
A row of smirking sketches accompanied the words, mocking him. Uche's body trembled with growing rage. His hands shook, clenched into fists as anger surged through him.
'That bastard… He set me up!'
Uche's mind screamed, his entire body vibrating with fury.
"Stay still, or we'll gun you down!"
Sergeant Kim shouted, his voice tinged with the smallest hint of hesitation. He had noticed something strange—the elite officers closest to Uche were subtly stepping back, retreating as though they sensed something ominous, so he wondered what made them move back.
Inspector Ray, standing directly in front of Uche, noticed it too. He took a few steps back himself, though trying to make it seem casual. But his thoughts were racing:
'What's happening?'
He stared directly into Uche's face, and for the first time, he felt something unsettling. The man they had brought out earlier was gone. Though Uche's face hadn't physically changed, his expression was now twisted, fueled by rage that made him look less like a human and more like a predator—a monster poised to strike. Ray couldn't help but feel a cold sweat trickle down the back of his neck.
Uche, his blood boiling over the twisted game unfolding in his mind, didn't even notice the fear gripping the officers around him. He was consumed by the vision again. The hand on the page moved once more, scribbling another message.
*Well, I know it wouldn't be fun if the cops just took you away like that. After all, I wouldn't get the chance to claim the rest of your immortal body. But guess what… I sent people after you.*
And just as quickly as it appeared, the vision faded away, leaving Uche seething.
"That bastard… I'll kill you!"
Uche's scream tore through the air, his voice raw with fury.
The sudden outburst jolted the tense officers into action. Without hesitation, rifles snapped up, and the sounds of gunfire rang out in rapid succession. Bullets riddled Uche's legs, and with a scream of pain, he crumpled to his knees. The air was thick with the sounds of automatic rifles unloading into him, more than a dozen officers firing repeatedly, determined to bring him down.
Sergeant Kim, recognizing the growing chaos, shouted.
"Stop! Stop firing!"
The gunfire ceased, but the tension didn't leave the air. The officers watched warily as Uche knelt on the ground, breathing heavily, his body battered and bleeding. Yet something felt wrong. Kim's instincts buzzed with unease.
'Why is he still conscious, even if we all shot his leg, he should've passed out by now, or even dead.'
Sergeant Kim thought.
"Strap him into the van. We're moving out."
He commanded.
Inspector Ray, his expression smug, slowly approached Uche with his gun still trained on him.
"I knew you were up to something, you psycho bastard,"
He muttered under his breath. Ray had been one of the officers who shot Uche, and now, as he drew closer, he couldn't understand why the man was still conscious. He should've been a writhing, broken mess by now. But there Uche was—bleeding, yes, but somehow not collapsing like any normal human would.
'What the hell is this guy made of?'
Ray thought, sweat beading on his forehead.
As some of the elite officers cautiously approached Uche to restrain him, something terrifying happened. Uche, with a slow, deliberate movement, began to rise to his feet. The officers froze in place, watching in horror as his legs, which had been shattered by bullets, twisted and reshaped themselves. Bloody tendrils of flesh snaked around the open wounds, pulling the skin together, knitting his body back into its original form.
He was healing.
Before their eyes, Uche stood tall, as if nothing had happened.
The officers recoiled in fear. Some stumbled backward, their hearts pounding in their chests. One officer even dropped his gun, his trembling hands betraying the terror he felt. Ray, who had been so confident moments before, paled. His gun slipped from his grip, clattering to the ground as he retreated, mumbling to himself.
Monster… He's a monster…"
Sergeant Kim remained frozen, his gun still aimed at Uche, though his grip was trembling. His usually steely composure was cracking.
"What… what kind of thing are you?"
He muttered under his breath.
"Stay still!"
Kim shouted, trying to regain control of the situation.
"Or else we'll shoot you until you're nothing but a ragged mess!"
Uche slowly turned his head to meet Kim's gaze. His face was eerily calm now, a chilling smile creeping across his lips.
"Really?" Uche said, his voice dangerously quiet. "Wanna test that out?"
Kim felt a shiver run down his spine. The man in front of him—this thing—was far more dangerous than he had anticipated.
'What the hell is he?'
'She told me not to reveal myself to them… but now that they've seen what I am, I can't let them take me away.'
Uche thought.
They hadn't mentioned Connect yet, and Uche took that as a sign they didn't fully know who—or what—he was. But time was running out. He had to act.
"Fire!!"
Sergeant Kim's voice broke the tension, and within seconds, the sound of rifles exploded in the air again. Bullets whizzed past Uche as he charged forward, targeting the nearest officer. The young cop's hands shook as he fired wildly, unable to keep Uche at bay.
Uche raised his cuffed hands, and as the officer's bullet struck the chain, the cuffs snapped apart. With one swift move, Uche broke free. Though bullets peppered his body, making him fall down, but he didn't stop—he rolled to the left, picking up a fallen rifle. In one fluid motion, Uche began firing back, shooting blindly as he rolled behind one of the parked vans for cover.
"Take cover!"
Sergeant Kim shouted, his men scrambling to protect themselves from the barrage.
Uche pressed his back against the van, breathing heavily. He let out a long sigh, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"I didn't expect this to happen, but I've got no choice now,"
He muttered to himself.
Grabbing another rifle that lay discarded nearby, Uche adjusted it in his grip, holding both weapons tightly. He rose from his cover and slowly walked back into the open, shooting without aim, his eyes wild.
"Arghhhh!"
Uche roared, firing indiscriminately. Officers scattered, ducking for cover as the bullets flew. Men fell in rapid succession, and panic spread like wildfire.
"He's gone mad!" Kim yelled. "Everyone, take cover!"
The officers were pinned down, the relentless gunfire leaving them no room to counterattack. Sergeant Kim's heart raced as he watched his men fall. Then his eyes landed on Inspector Ray, visibly trembling, still hiding behind one of the vans.
"That coward…" Kim growled under his breath.
"This is useless!"
One of the senior officers from headquarters, clutching a bleeding wound on his chest, gasped.
"He'll just keep healing! We're wasting our bullets!"
"There must be a limit to his healing," Kim argued, frustration in his voice. "Just keep shooting until he can't heal anymore!"
"We can't even get a proper aim!"
The senior officer choked out.
Desperation clawed at Kim's mind. His plan was falling apart. And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Inspector Ray stumbling toward one of the snipers. With a trembling hand, Ray grabbed a grenade from the sniper's vest and hurled it toward Uche without warning.
"No!!" Sergeant Kim shouted, his voice raw. "You'll kill him! We need him alive!"
But it was too late. The grenade sailed through the air, and with a deafening explosion, Uche's assault stopped immediately. The sound of silence that followed was almost more terrifying than the chaos before.