CHAPTER 62: CHAPTER 61: A FATHER’S PROTECTION

Seconds ago...

Zaen hunched over on the ground, dry heaving. He had seen his parents again... He didn’t know if he was hallucinating or if it was something else, but his father’s parting words kept echoing in his head.

"...dad designed the shop?" Zaen whispered as a defeated smile crept to his face. "He’s... the one who created the system? But why?"

He felt like a fool the moment those words left his mouth. If his father gave him an anomaly-slaying system, then clearly he was involved with the F.O.R.C.E., and even his disappearance could be related to them.

Are they... alive?

The possibility of that was low, but given the twisted world they lived in, nothing was certain.

As for the system, it was his father’s gift or perhaps his way to ensure his child’s protection just in case things went wrong and he ended up joining the games.

Zaen clenched his fist, grabbing the dirt of the prison. It seemed his father, or the system, had interfered with the course he was set on, and instead of sending him back to the facility’s basement level, the [Judge] skill was activated, and he was sent into prison.

At first, he thought it was to let him gather his thoughts and buy him some time. However, Zaen realized that wasn’t the case when he looked up.

[Error!]

[Prison is overflowing with sinners!]

[Anomaly imprisoned: 1147/5]

"...what?"

Every single Graveborn infected he had killed at the Times Square was there. But instead of attacking, they cowered away upon seeing him. Their fear index was already maxed out.

[Please pass judgment on the overflowing sinners.]

[Notice: Graveborn species do not possess inherent abilities. Stat points would be provided instead of abilities upon bestowing Death Sentence on them.]

"What will happen if I give them life sentences instead?"

[The Judge would gain the right to control the horde. However, no more sinners would be sent into the prison until more cells are either created or the existing ones freed.]

Choice, choice...

Zaen stood there staring at the horde.

Having the numbers would definitely help since he was technically facing dozens, if not hundreds, of trained agents. But there was a slight problem.

"Their abilities..."

He was aware of the abilities each of them had. Ann didn’t remember it all and only told him about Karloff, Zoey, Johann, and Jenna’s abilities. In her words, the others’ abilities weren’t memorable, but that didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous.

"Hm... let’s do this then."

He swiped the list of sinners and killed off nine hundred Graveborns. A series of notifications flooded his vision. It was to the point that the darn system began lagging behind.

Still, Zaen caught glimpses of the notifications. Each execution offered him the exact amount of stat points: 0.05. However, it was randomized between strength, agility, and stamina.

As his stats soared, he felt the changes in his body. His muscles grew more prominent, filled with energy like he was taking shots of pure energy. Despite the bulging muscles, his body didn’t slow down. Instead, his movement got faster and more balanced.

[Strength: 8.5 25.5]

[Agility: 7.2 22.2]

[Stamina: 7.7 20.7]

Watching the stats rise triggered the greed inside Zaen. He almost killed the rest of the zombies as well, but held back.

[Execution complete.]

[Current prison occupancy: 247/5]

[Hell’s Chef’s fear index: 52/100]

[Hell’s Attendant’s fear index: 67/100]

[Bus 357’s fear index: 43/100]

[Camouflaged Anomaly#1’s fear index: 100/100]

[Camouflaged Anomaly#1 has been subdued.]

"It seems executing stronger anomalies increases fear faster," Zaen mumbled. "Then life sentences should increase their loyalty, right?"

He gave life sentences to the remaining Graveborns to confirm his theory.

[Sentencing complete!]

[243x Graveborn Infected are now at your beck and call.]

[Rehabilitation facility unlocked!]

[Current rehab occupancy: 243/50]

[More sinners cannot be assigned to the rehabilitation center.]

"That’s not an issue," Zaen shrugged. "By the time I’m done, it’ll be a surprise if a single one of them remains alive."

[Current prison occupancy: 4/5]

As soon as those words appeared before Zaen, a new floor appeared below, and the Graveborns casually walked downstairs like they knew the place better than Zaen did.

[Hell’s Chef’s loyalty index: 10/100]

[Hell’s Attendant’s loyalty index: 16/100]

[Bus 357’s loyalty index: 9/100]

[Camouflaged Anomaly#1’s loyalty index: 36/100]

Zaen nodded, pleased with his gains, and prepared to depart.

***

Back in the present...

The agent’s head exploded, sending brain matter everywhere. The anomaly-possessed agents didn’t react, perhaps they had lost their emotions and couldn’t.

However, the silence did the job of conveying their thoughts.

Even Zaen was surprised. He knew his strength had increased quite a bit, but even then, he didn’t think he could just crush someone’s head with his bare arms.

"How is this possible...? You should still be in the illusion."

It was Zoey’s ’shocked’ voice, but it was as emotionless as her expression. Zaen didn’t bother replying, just scanned the room and sighed. The rescue party wasn’t there yet..

"I can go berserk then."

He slammed his stick on the ground, and a wave of rot spread from it. Within seconds, the entire ground was covered in a thick layer of rot and decay, and from it appeared... the Graveborns.

In an instant, the agents were surrounded by over two hundred zombies, ready to bite and tear into them.

"Now then," Zaen mumbled, flexing his neck. "Which of you motherfuckers thought it was a good idea to mess with my head?"

Instantly, everyone pointed towards Karloff. Their honesty surprised even Zaen. Perhaps the Brood Mother wasn’t all that smart after all, or maybe she was just too honest.

Before any part could react, Johann tossed his lollipop away.

"Seal his weapons."

A man without a face, dressed in a suit, stepped up and raised his hand. The next second, the rot disappeared along with the zombies. The weapons in Zaen’s hands were gone as well, plunging him into the dark once again.

Without the stick, he was actually blind.

Zaen tried recalling the stick, but he saw a strange red lock symbol all over his inventory. He couldn’t access anything there.

"Shit!"