Chapter 380: Doctor of Death
Michael and Ruby had moved immediately once they noticed the explosion.
Understandably, the blast had thrown the soup kitchen into chaos. Ignoring the frenzied crowd, they focused on the source of the explosion, only to see a masked man cornering a little girl.
"Bastard!" Ruby hissed, her nails extending with lethal intent.
A single glance was more than enough for her to understand what had happened. These cultists had blown up the food reserves of the charity building, only for one of their members to trap a helpless girl!
Every ounce of self-doubt Ruby had ever harbored vanished in a flash. Faster than a mortal could perceive, she ripped the man’s mask off. Then she delivered the most devastating slash she could muster, holding back just enough of her strength to keep from killing him with a single blow.
"NO!" The fat man bellowed in panic.
He didn’t care about the blood or the pain. However, having his mask removed exposed him to the same air these Feral Halfbreeds breathed. Wounds could be healed, but the plague could not!
"What have you done—"
Struggling, the man rose. He couldn’t fathom why these people, dressed like doctors, had attacked him. He and his team were doing the world a favor by getting rid of the "junk." Yet his words died in his throat as Ruby’s arm swung again, tearing off his protective attire.
Aware that Ruby was smarter than she let on, Michael allowed her to do her thing. Shifting his gaze to the frightened little girl, he spoke in a soothing voice.
"Hello, little miss. What is your name? Can you tell me what happened here?"
Lily was used to the authoritative voices of the doctors. But when she heard Michael’s gentle tone, she couldn’t help but start sobbing, only to rush into his arms for a hug.
"I’m Lily... I was cooking u—until these bad guys came, blew up our food, and took Zachary away! He was hurt pretty badly... p—please get him back! I promise I’ll be good from now on!"
Biting his lower lip in frustration, Michael took her in his embrace, something that Lily hadn’t expected since most doctors looked at her like livestock.
"You are mad!"
The fat man shouted, insanity taking hold.
"Not only have you smuggled a Feral Halfbreed into the ranks of the medical team, but you have even gotten into close contact with one of these beasts! Open your eyes to the truth! If we work together, we could purge these inferior animals from our lands!"
Michael’s eyes began to blaze with a crimson hue, so intense that they seemed to pierce through his protective mask.
"Not only have you misdirected the hate you should hold for the aliens at your brethren, but at a child nonetheless!" Michael roared, killing intent filling the room, while sparing Lily still in his arms.
Foam began to form at the edge of the man’s mouth, yet he refused to lose consciousness. Perhaps his large appetite, devouring several families’ worth of food each night, had built enough fat around his body to lessen the pressure.
"Brainwashed morons like you are the biggest hindrance to our existence!" The man chuckled. "But don’t worry... that monster posing as a kid is already at one of our research branches. Once they’ve cut him up good, you’ll see he’s nothing but a beast dressed in human skin!"
Realizing that conversing was impossible, Michael nodded toward Ruby while gently taking Lily to another room, away from the screaming and bloodshed that was about to follow.
Quickly, the advantage of the man’s excess fat turned on him, as it meant Ruby had a larger area to slowly slice chunks from.
"I—I will talk, just please stop!" The man pleaded, unable to withstand Ruby’s tormenting interrogation for more than a minute.
After ensuring the man spoke the truth with no inconsistencies in his story, they delivered him a painful death.
"Do we contact the others?" Ruby asked, blood dripping from her claws. Yet, in her state, she didn’t seem to notice.
"No." Michael shook his head. "According to Lily, these people have taken Zachary, a little boy, captive. Delaying just to wait for them to show up could cost us too much. Instead, I’ll send them the coordinates of the soup kitchen to deal with the fallout of the terrorist attack."
After a brief pause, he summoned Devil and allowed him to take his true form.
"If my memory serves me correctly, you complained that you haven’t had the opportunity to kill anyone in a while, right?" Michael exclaimed, gazing at his soul weapon. "Well, this will be your chance to go wild."
Devil responded with a wide grin.
At the same time, the two men carrying the scarred Zachary reached their destination.
"Chief, too much time has passed since we let that fool run free." The thin man glanced at his leader. "Should we be concerned? What if something got to him?"
The muscular man shook his head.
"That one is... unique. Even if he’s gotten obsessed with hurting the Feral Halfbreed’s young, he knows how to keep his mouth shut."
After a moment, he added.
"But if he takes too long, we’ll assume the worst and relocate the branch. Given the nature of our job, we can’t afford to stay in one place for too long. It’s not the first time we will move, and it won’t be the last."
The two men proceeded to hand over Zachary’s body to a researcher, who shivered in pure delight.
"Marvelous! Truly wonderful! This is the first time I get to examine a young one. Such a fascinating specimen!"
Swiftly, the researcher laid the unconscious boy on the operating table.
"How long is this going to take?" The chief frowned. After his subordinate mentioned that one of their own could have informed the enemy about their location, it no longer felt safe.
The researcher pondered for a few seconds.
"First, I will examine his burned flesh and the way he heals. After he wakes up, I’ll test his pain tolerance before infecting him with the plague intentionally to see how the illness develops. Finally, I will drain his blood to observe how he reacts to a slow death. The procedure should take about a day at most."
Content, the chief nodded, observing the chamber. Although they were far from the largest branches of the cult, the place was filled with men armed to the teeth. Not to mention, standing guard were their best fighters.
Nothing short of a whole army could pose a threat, and in just a single day, such a force couldn’t have been organized.
Just as the chief was about to relax, the only entrance to the place was forcibly opened. The reinforced doors exploded, and the titanium hinges were blasted to smithereens. Three silhouettes emerged past the debris.
To the right, Devil stood with a smile, gripping the heads of two slain cultists, terror etched in their final moments.
On the opposite side, Ruby stood, her claws slowly dripping with crimson liquid, her eyes narrowed, focused as though on the hunt.
Michael stood motionless at the center, his once-immaculate physician’s attire now stained dark with blood, like a Doctor of Death in his natural element. His crimson eyes burned from behind the mask, radiating a chilling authority.
"Attention, everyone! Today, I shall be your judge, jury, and executioner!" Michael proclaimed, spreading his arms wide. "The verdict is death."