Chapter 174

Chapter 174

Jake clung motionlessly to the ceiling, his gaze fixed downward as he took in the scene. It was a small security control room. One wall housed a bank of monitors: some displayed feeds from various security cameras, while others displayed footage from machine gun turrets. This made Jake realize that even those turrets recorded everything they captured with their 360-degree scanners.

The remaining monitors showcased a range of data concerning the base’s structures and devices, detailing their condition, operational status, production levels, remaining energy, etc. One monitor in particular caught Jake’s attention. It showed several contraptions with extremely low health bars. It was clear that those were the devices that had recently been severely damaged by the death knight.

The Asian man named Minh stepped toward the monitor and typed a few commands into the adjacent keyboard. Information flickered onto the screen, prompting him to lean in for a closer look. When he finally straightened, a noticeable sense of relief washed over his features.

He glanced over his shoulder at the two companions behind him and said, “Looks like everything’s fine. We’ve got plenty of resources on hand to repair all the damage.”

Dominic and Patrick visibly relaxed at the good news. It was obvious that none of the three were eager to face the fury of their leader, Miller, firsthand if they failed to make all the necessary repairs that day.

Minh kept typing commands into the computer while Dominic and Patrick stood behind him. Jake remained completely motionless, securely anchored to the ceiling above the three bandits, studying them.

Dominic was the one who Miller had given the Skeleton Key to. Before the trio entered HQ, Dominic had the key clutched in his fist. Now, Jake could see that Dominic’s hands were empty. Had he slipped the Skeleton Key into his pocket? Or perhaps he had stashed it somewhere on the first floor?

Jake contemplated dropping to the floor and using

Mind Reader

on Dominic to access his recent memories and discover the location of the Skeleton Key. However, that would expose him, which he wanted to avoid at this moment. He had another idea brewing anyway. While watching the three bandits below, he continued to think it through, piecing together a plan of action in his mind.

While Minh continued to work on the computer, Dominic and Patrick engaged in a heated discussion behind him.

“I can’t believe how many people we lost and how many resources we’ll burn fixing all the damage—just so Miller could get a Skeleton Key as a reward for this stupid defense mission,” Patrick vented. “We don’t even have any use for the key, damn it.”

“Boss said we’ll be able to use it later, remember?” Dominic replied.

“Still, it sucks,” Patrick grumbled. “There wasn’t any rush to get the Skeleton Key right away. He could’ve waited until we were stronger before initiating this mission.”

“He assured us we were ready for this mission,” Dominic argued, standing up for their leader. “And look—he was right. We pulled it off successfully.”

“We only succeeded because of him,” Patrick pointed out. “He’s at a much higher level than any of us, and he’s crafted that power suit for himself. If it weren’t for him and his power suit, the death knight would’ve wiped us out and wrecked the whole base. We should build power suits for all of us. It’s not fair that only he gets to wear one.”

“Creating a power suit takes a ton of resources, you know that, right?” Dominic replied. “We can’t even afford to make another one for the time being.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Patrick replied, clearly frustrated. “But it’s still annoying.” He then changed the topic. “I can’t help but wonder where

Los Demonios

came from, anyway.”

“We

are Los Demonios

, dude,” Dominic pointed out, emphasizing “are” in his tone.

“I meant the people who formed the gang in the first place,” Patrick explained. “We were recruited here, in this city. But

Los Demonios

didn’t start here. They came from somewhere outside instead.”

“You’re right,” Minh replied without looking back, still working on the computer. “From what other guys have told me, the original members of

Los Demonios

came from another city.”

Dominic raised an eyebrow. “How’s that possible?”

“You see, the System didn’t revive everyone from stasis all at once,” Minh clarified. “There are other cities like this one, and in some of those, people were brought back long before us.”

“Why’s that?” Patrick asked. “How come the System didn’t wake everyone up at the same time?”

“I have no clue. I don't know why the System operates the way it does. Nobody does.”

“So the people who originally created

Los Demonios

were revived in another city long before us, huh?” Dominic remarked. “That makes sense—it explains why Miller and the other gang leaders are so much higher-leveled than we are.”

“Yep.”

“Why did they decide to come to our city, though?” Dominic asked.

“Something went down in their own city,” Minh replied.

“What happened?” Patrick asked.

“Not sure. But things must’ve gone really downhill over there. Most of the survivors died.

Los Demonios

managed to survive and flee their city—at least some of them. They set up a new base somewhere, then went searching for other cities and eventually stumbled upon ours. And as you know, since then, they’ve been taking control of our city, claiming it as their territory. Their gang’s extremely powerful and definitely not something to mess with.” He turned to look at his companions, smirking. “Only fools would try to challenge them. Smart people like us choose to join them. Those who refuse to be recruited by them... well, I think you both know what happens to them.”

“You sure know a lot about

Los Demonios

,” Dominic remarked, a hint of jealousy creeping into his voice.

“Yeah," Minh replied, his gaze still fixed on the monitor before him. “As I mentioned, I talked to guys from different bases at one time. I picked up some information from them.”

“What about the Skeleton Key?” Patrick asked. “Do you know when we can use it? And where?”

“Yeah. There’s going to be an upgrade in our city soon. That’s when we’ll get to use the key.”

“What do you mean?” Dominic asked, intrigued. “What upgrade?”

“The System is going to upgrade our city,” Minh said. “This means that all the mutants will become much more powerful, and new types of dangerous creatures will appear.”

“Oh geez,” Patrick thought. “And here I thought we have finally learned how to survive in this mutant-infested world.”

“Yeah,” Minh replied. “Soon, it will become much more dangerous in the city. We’ll feel the same way we did when we first awoke in this altered world, where danger awaited around every corner.”

“Oh, I see,” Dominic responded. “That’s why the leaders have been providing us with scrolls to help us level up more quickly.”

“That’s correct. They want us to be prepared and strong enough to face the new threats. If we’re not strong enough by the time the city upgrades, the beefed-up mutants will tear us apart. And by the way, I personally think that’s exactly what happened in the city the original members of

Los Demonios

came from. Survivors likely weren’t ready when their city’s mutants were upgraded to much more powerful versions of themselves. That must be why

Los Demonios

has been putting so much effort into building bases in our city, recruiting people, and gathering resources. We’re gearing up to confront whatever is going to come at us after the city undergoes an upgrade.”

Silence settled in for a moment, as Dominic and Patrick grimly mulled over what they had just heard from Minh.

“That’s why we’re not going to the dungeon, even though we’ve already gotten the Skeleton Key for it, huh?” Dominic asked, shattering the silence.

“Exactly. Once the city gets an upgrade, the dungeon’s level will rise as well, and the rewards for completing it will be significantly better.”

“When exactly will the city’s upgrade take place?” Patrick inquired.

“Only the System knows. But it should happen very soon. At least, that’s what I gathered from overhearing Miller talk with the leaders of some other bases when they visited us the other day.”

“You listen in on our leaders’ conversations?” Dominic asked, his voice laced with disapproval. “They wouldn’t be pleased if they found out someone was spying on them.”

“I wasn’t spying on them,” Minh said hesitantly.

“Then what were you doing, huh?” Dominic retorted, his tone critical.

Minh fell silent, uncertain about how to answer. Before he could gather his thoughts, Patrick interjected, “Do you know where the dungeon is?”

“Only Miller has that information,” Minh replied. “And possibly a few of the other leaders as well.”

Both Dominic and Patrick looked like they were going to ask something else, but before either of them could say anything, Minh said, “Alright, I’m done here. All the structures are set to be repaired. Let’s get out of here. It’s so cramped it makes me feel claustrophobic.”

Without waiting for a response, he headed for the exit. He pressed a button on the touchpad, and the door slid open. He stepped out of the room, with his two companions following closely behind. After they left, the door slid shut.

Jake remained where he was, clinging to the ceiling. He could have followed them out of the room, but he had something else in mind. For a moment, he stayed motionless, reflecting on what he had just learned. Listening in on the three sub-bosses had provided him with some useful information.

So he now knew the System was going to upgrade the city soon, making all mutants more powerful and introducing some new mutant types. It was good news. It meant he would be able to earn more XP and level up faster. The fact that the city the original

Los Demonios

had come from had been overrun by mutants after the System’s upgrade was a bit disconcerting, though. However, since he was much more powerful than humans, he probably didn’t have much reason to worry.

The Maze of Torment was set to become much more difficult after the System upgraded the city. However, he wasn’t sure yet whether the dungeon would even allow him to enter. For all he knew, dungeons were designed specifically for human survivors, not mutants like him. The fact that survivors needed to complete a special mission to receive a Skeleton Key added weight to that theory. Still, he was determined to try to enter the dungeon after the city was upgraded.

He also learned that regular members of the gang weren’t aware of where the main base of

Los Demonios

was located. Only the original members knew that. So, all he needed to do to discover the main base’s location was to use

Mind Reader

on one of the original members. And identifying them was very simple. Like Miller, some of them should be in charge of various smaller bases, and they also had to be high-leveled.

However, locating their main base was a task for another time. For now, he needed to focus on obtaining the Skeleton Key. Now that he was alone in the security control room, it was time to set his plan in motion.