The next afternoon…
"Arthur!"
Martin jolts awake, gasping for air as though he'd surfaced from drowning. His face is drenched in sweat, his breaths uneven. Eyes darting around the unfamiliar room, he takes in the warm glow of sunlight filtering through the curtains, a jarring contrast to the cold terror that still grips him.
Outside the room, muffled voices filter through the walls, sounding steep in urgency and despair.
"We couldn't find the missing scientists!"
"We even lost one of our men last night!"
"And Detective Martin?"
"We found him on the ground, unconscious, with foam at his mouth."
"Martin fainted? Where is he?"
"Inside. Still hasn't woken up."
Martin swings his legs off the bed, his mind racing. He needs to move, welcoming those people whose voices sound familiar to him. But the door creaks open before he can muster the strength to stand. It's a familiar face, Barry the cop sent by the government from Frasklock.
"Martin. How are you feeling?"
"Barry?" Martin rasp, his throat raw. "When… when did you get here?"
"This morning," Barry replies. "We heard what happened and came to help."
Behind Barry, Aezel and Elea follow with their expressions as grim as the situation. Aezel strides to the bed and sits without ceremony, her cold calculating gaze locking onto Martin.
"Detective Martin! What happened to you last night?"
Martin's trembling hands reach up to rub his face, as though trying to wipe away the memories. His voice, barely above a whisper, carries the weight of fear.
"I… I saw something."
Soon, his wide glassy eyes stared past them all, fixated on something invisible. It's as if he wasn't here, not in this room. His mind is still trapped in the terror of the night before.
"Detective?" Aezel's voice cuts through his trance as she gently shakes his shoulder.
The motion jolts him back, though his fear remains etched into his face.
"What did you see?" Aezel presses.
"Red…" His voice quavered. "Blazing red eyes. Eyes of the Devil."
The next second, he shoots up suddenly, his movements frantic.
"Arthur! We have to find him! He can't…"
Before he can finish, his legs buckle, and he suddenly collapses to the floor with a heavy thud. His men rush to lift him back onto the bed as he gasps for air.
Aezel then places a steadying hand on his shoulder, her voice firm. "You better stay here. If it is true that the chimeras have escaped, then that place is no longer safe for you. Elea! Let's go!"
"Wait!" Martin halts. "The one I saw… I couldn't see it clearly, but it can't be the mole. You have to be careful. There must be something else there."
Still keeping her composure, Aezel simply gives him a calm nod before inviting Elea and Barry to leave.
***
Arriving at the lobby, Aezel finds her team members waiting with tired faces. She did promise them a day of rest at the hotel, but considering their current situation, she simply spreads the map on the floor and starts an impromptu meeting, ignoring the grumbles of her exhausted team.
"This is Litchmer Riff," Aezel's fingers begin tracing the map. "A 27-hectare island surrounded by steep cliffs. The only entrance is a dock built into a water cave on the west side. The research center has a helipad, but no helicopters. If anything goes wrong, we're on our own. Don't expect help from the locals either. You should know they want nothing to do with us."
The team's faces harden, but Jack raises his hand with a forced smirk. "So, uh, are we still checking in? Maybe hit the bar before…"
"Enough." Aezel's tone cuts through him like a blade. "Last night, an officer was dragged into an underground tunnel. It's been 16 hours. If he's still alive, we don't have a second to waste."
Elea then hands out documents provided by Martin's men. "The research center has a mess hall for employees. It's basic, bathrooms and an electric kitchen at best. The wind turbines for electricity are operational, but the comms tower is destroyed, likely the work of the mole chimeras."
Aezel nods. "Our mission is to exterminate these creatures before they cause further damage to the ecosystem."
"Exterminate 126 D-rank monsters?" Irvine's voice breaks the tension, his disbelief palpable. "That could take months. Are we seriously…"
"Of course," Elea replies confidently with crossed arms on her chest. "They offered us 1,200 Buckles for each chimera. And you better count your catch, because we won't be sharing this reward equally."
The number silences Irvine. The money is tempting, enough to support his family for months, but his gaze drifts back to the documents. The chimera's sketch stares back at him, deceptively cute.
"Gulp."
He swallows hard, imagining the reality of being trapped on an island with over a hundred of these creatures.
Soon, Lily breaks the silence. "Are we going to be okay out there?"
"Don't worry!" Aezel reassures. "You guys just focus on taking care of our healer and the two nurses."
"These two bitches!" Elea simply expresses her contempt. "We should leave them behind. It's not like we really need them for this mission in the first place."
Right on cue, Litzy and Rebecca enter the scene, coming back from the hotel bar. Their carefree laughter clashes with the somber atmosphere.
"He's so cuuute!"
"Uwuu! Litzy's got herself a date! Did you invite him to your room?"
"Think he'll show up?"
Suddenly, Oogorim halts them by standing so close right in front of Litzy, smirking. It seems like he has more interest in our beautiful blonde compared to the other one, taking Litzy as an easy-to-get girl.
"Planning a romantic night, huh? Too bad. We're heading to Monster Island now. Don't worry, though. I'll protect you."
Litzy scowls, but Oogorim saunters off, clearly pleased with himself. The other members also walk out of that place, leaving Litzy and Rebecca with their confusion.
"Sorry to disappoint you. But we won't be staying here," Aezel drops the bombshell.
Dissatisfied, the two nurses report it to Barry. And later, Barry comes to Aezel, not to talk about the two nurses' complaints, but instead to bring new problems along with five more dead weights.
"These are Martin's men. They want to come with us!"
Aezel puts her hands on her hips, her face shows a disinterested look that Barry easily takes as rejection.
"They can't just sit here while their friend is in danger out there," Barry reasons.
Aezel raises an eyebrow. "You alone have been a great burden to me. And now you want to add more troubles to this team?"
Barry, who is actually older than Aezel, seems very dissatisfied with her attitude. "Look! You are no more than a student in a certain academy. And I had enough with you acting so bossy like… mmm?"
But he can't continue talking as Aezel covers his mouth with her hand. She is not being romantic with him. Soon after she takes her hand away, Barry's mouth and nose have been covered in ice, along with the holes in his nostrils.
"Did you say something?"
Coolly leaning closer, she raises one of her eyebrows as if expecting Barry to continue his words. But forget about talking, that man can't even breathe.