Note: 1 extra chapter per 35 power stone.
1 chapter per two or three days.
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--3 years later--
Year 1995 4, August.
The city of New York City was as lively as ever.
Even at 9:30 p.m., the streets remained crowded with people returning home from work, tourists wandering beneath the bright city lights, and endless traffic moving through the roads.
Everything seemed normal.
Until—
BOOOOM!!!
A deafening explosion suddenly tore through the night.
For a brief second, the entire street froze.
Then chaos erupted.
A massive 24-story building exploded violently from its lower floors, flames and debris bursting outward in every direction. The shockwave spread across the surrounding streets within seconds.
People nearby were instantly caught off guard.
Some were violently thrown across the pavement from the force of the blast, while others collapsed screaming in fear as shattered glass rained down from above.
Cars lost control.
Alarms began screaming throughout the streets.
Smoke and fire rapidly consumed the building as countless civilians desperately tried to flee the area in panic.
Within minutes of the explosion, the entire area was sealed off by the police.
Emergency sirens echoed throughout the streets as firefighters, ambulances, and special response units rapidly arrived at the scene. At the same time, media helicopters began circling above the burning building while countless reporters gathered outside the barricades.
The massive fire continued consuming parts of the destroyed structure.
Soon, one of the reporters stepped in front of the camera and began speaking live to the entire country.
"Good evening, people of America."
The reporter's serious voice echoed through the live broadcast while the burning remains of the building could be seen behind him.
"At exactly 9:30 p.m. tonight, a massive explosion suddenly occurred in New York City, completely devastating a 24-story building."
The camera briefly shifted toward the burning ruins behind him before returning.
"According to currently gathered information, at least thirty-four people have been confirmed dead, while twenty-three others were seriously injured."
The reporter's expression became even grimmer.
"The total property damage is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars."
Behind him, firefighters could still be seen desperately battling the massive flames.
"As you can see behind me, the fire still has not been fully extinguished. Rescue teams and firefighters are continuing operations as authorities investigate the cause of this explosion."
The news reporter looked directly into the camera, his expression growing increasingly serious as the flames continued burning behind him.
"At this moment, authorities have not yet confirmed the exact cause behind the explosion."
The reporter adjusted his earpiece before continuing.
"However, many people are already beginning to question whether this was some kind of terrorist attack… or perhaps an operation connected to one of the criminal gangs active within New York City."
The atmosphere behind him remained tense.
"But one thing is certain," he continued gravely. "This incident has already created fear throughout the entire country."
The camera briefly shifted toward the destroyed building before returning to the reporter.
"And according to our current investigation, this building reportedly belonged to a media corporation owned by a man named James Striker."
The media continued reporting the disaster nonstop while firefighters and rescue teams worked desperately to pull survivors from the burning ruins.
Smoke and ash filled the cold night air.
Among the countless officers and emergency responders moving through the area, one man silently walked between the destroyed streets.
A dark leather coat covered his figure while his cold eyes quietly scanned the bodies lined beneath white sheets nearby.
And this is none other than Leon.
Leon's expression remained completely calm.
Too calm.
As though out the years he had already seen tragedies far worse than this.
Suddenly—
Ring… Ring…
His phone began vibrating inside his pocket.
Leon slowly pulled it out before answering the call.
"Yeah."
Emma's voice immediately came from the other side.
"Master Leon, according to the current investigation, we haven't found anything related to the incident."
Leon quietly looked toward the burning building in silence.
"We checked all nearby CCTV footage," Emma continued. "But there's nothing useful."
A brief pause followed.
"It's like the people responsible completely disappeared."
Leon remained silent for several moments while staring at the burning remains of the destroyed building.
The flames reflected faintly within his cold eyes as countless thoughts moved through his mind.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"Did you investigate the owner?"
His calm voice echoed quietly through the phone.
"The man named James Striker."
Leon slowly looked toward the ruined structure standing before him.
"This was his building."
A brief silence followed before he continued.
"So there's a good chance this incident is connected to him somehow."
On the other side of the call, Emma immediately nodded.
"Understood, Mr. Leon."
Her tone quickly became serious.
"I'll look into him immediately."
The sound of rapid typing soon echoed through the phone as Emma quickly began issuing orders to her employees.
"Search everything connected to James Striker," she ordered firmly.
"I want his financial records, business connections, recent activities, associates—everything."
Within moments, her entire team began urgently investigating anything related to the mysterious businessman.
After finishing the call with Emma, Leon quietly placed his phone back inside his coat pocket before continuing his investigation around the destroyed area.
Smoke still filled the cold night air while firefighters continued working behind him.
As Leon carefully examined the scene, a police officer suddenly approached him nervously.
"Mr. Leon…" the officer said awkwardly, "I-I'm actually a big fan of yours."
Leon slowly looked at him.
His expression remained calm and unreadable.
"Did you find anything?" Leon asked directly.
The officer immediately straightened himself.
"No, sir," he replied seriously. "At the moment, we haven't found anything useful."
Leon sighed faintly.
"Great," he muttered dryly. "A giant explosion in New York and somehow the city still has less clues than my old case files."
The officer looked slightly awkward hearing that.
Over the years, Leon's influence had grown far beyond what anyone originally expected.
After countless incidents, public appearances, and operations that were intentionally leaked to the media, Leon slowly became one of the most famous figures in the world.
To ordinary civilians, he was seen as a hero.
A living weapon standing between humanity and chaos.
Some people even compared his popularity to characters like The Boys's Homelander.
The difference was—
Leon was not a monster pretending to be human.
He was simply a tired man carrying more darkness than most people could ever imagine.
Over time, Leon also began quietly influencing politics from the shadows. Several trusted individuals loyal to him had already gained positions inside the government, allowing him to indirectly control certain political decisions without ever publicly revealing his involvement.
It wasn't complete control.
But it was enough.
Enough to protect himself.
Enough to keep dangerous people in check.
And behind the scenes, Leon had been doing something even more dangerous.
Quietly.
Patiently.
He had begun collecting classified information and hidden secrets connected to governments across the entire world.
Corruption.
Illegal operations.
Human experiments.
Political assassinations.
The deeper Leon investigated, the uglier the truth became.
Sometimes, while reading another classified report late at night, Leon would simply sigh and mutter,
"Yeah… humanity's still humanity."
Before the officer could continue speaking, the walkie-talkie attached to his shoulder suddenly crackled loudly.
KRRRZZT—
The sudden sound cut through the noisy atmosphere surrounding the ruined building.
The officer quickly grabbed the device and answered it.
"Hello, this is Max."
For a brief moment, only static could be heard.
Then a serious voice suddenly came from the other side.
"Max, get inside the building immediately."
The man's tone sounded tense.
"We found something in the debris."
Hearing those words, the officer named Max immediately became serious.
"Understood. I'm coming."
He lowered the walkie-talkie before quickly turning toward Leon.
"Mr. Leon," Max spoke carefully, "it seems our officers discovered something inside the debris of the building."
Leon quietly looked toward the burning ruins ahead of him.
Then he sighed lightly.
"Well…"
A faint tired smirk appeared on his face.
"Took the universe long enough to cooperate."
Leon calmly looked toward Officer Max.
"Lead the way."
Together, the two entered the destroyed remains of the building.
The deeper they moved into the debris, the more horrifying the surroundings became.
The air smelled of smoke, blood, and burned flesh while broken walls and twisted steel covered the floor.
Soon, they reached the center of the explosion.
Several officers stood frozen nearby.
Then Leon saw it.
A massive red flesh-like block resting in the middle of the crater.
The thing looked absolutely horrifying.
It appeared to be made entirely from compressed human flesh.
Muscle.
Veins.
Skin.
Everything fused together into one grotesque mass.
The surface slowly moved as if something inside was still alive.
Leon quietly observed the creature before asking calmly,
"Did you figure out what this thing is?"
Max shook his head nervously.
"No, sir."
Leon stared at the flesh mass for another moment before muttering dryly,
"Good."
He sighed softly.
"Because giant living meat bricks were exactly what my week was missing."
Ring… Ring…
Leon's phone suddenly began vibrating inside his coat pocket.
Without wasting time, he immediately answered the call.
"Master Leon."
Emma's voice quickly came from the other side.
"I investigated everything connected to James Striker."
Leon remained silent while observing the horrifying flesh mass resting within the debris.
"But we found nothing useful."
Emma sounded frustrated.
"No records. No suspicious transactions. No hidden files."
The sound of rapid typing echoed faintly behind her voice.
"It's like someone erased everything connected to this incident before it even happened."
Leon slowly narrowed his eyes.
"Meaning somebody important's involved," he replied calmly.
Emma stayed silent for a moment before answering quietly,
"That's exactly what I was thinking."
Leon sighed faintly.
"Great."
His tired gaze remained fixed on the creature.
"Because corrupt politicians and living meat monsters weren't enough for one night."
The nearby police officers had clearly heard Emma's words through the phone call.
The moment they heard phrases like "covered up" and "hidden investigation," their expressions immediately changed.
Several officers quietly looked at one another.
Worry and uneasiness were written all over their faces.
The atmosphere around the debris suddenly felt even heavier than before.
Leon noticed their reactions but said nothing.
His eyes remained fixed on the grotesque flesh-like mass resting in the center of the crater.
After a brief moment of silence, Leon calmly spoke into the phone again.
"Emma."
His voice remained steady and emotionless.
"I'm sending you some photos."
Leon slowly pulled out his phone and took several pictures of the horrifying red mass from different angles.
"Try to identify whatever this thing is."
A short pause followed.
"And continue the investigation."
His cold eyes narrowed slightly while staring at the pulsating flesh.
"Don't stop digging just because somebody wants this buried."
Emma immediately replied seriously from the other side.
"Understood, Mr. Leon."
Leon quietly ended the call afterward.
The ruined building suddenly became silent again.
Then Leon slipped his phone back into his pocket before looking toward the flesh mass once more.
"…Yeah."
A faint tired sigh escaped him.
"Definitely not a normal Tuesday."
Suddenly—
One of the nearby police officers froze.
"H-Hey…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"The thing just moved."
Several officers immediately stepped back instinctively while staring at the grotesque flesh mass resting inside the crater.
At first, the movement was small.
Almost unnoticeable.
Then—
Twitch.
The entire red mass suddenly convulsed violently.
Before anyone could react—
SPLURT!!
Parts of the flesh suddenly burst open.
Dark red liquid sprayed across the broken floor as the horrifying object began expanding unnaturally.
Vein-like structures rapidly spread across its surface like living blood vessels.
Then the sound came.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
A loud heartbeat.
Heavy.
Violent.
It echoed throughout the destroyed building like the beating heart of some giant creature waking from hibernation.
The surrounding officers immediately panicked.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
The flesh mass continued pulsating violently while strange wing-like structures slowly pushed outward from the center of the creature.
The sound of bones cracking and flesh tearing echoed throughout the debris.
Leon quietly stared at the horrifying scene.
Then he sighed softly.
"…Yeah."
His tired eyes narrowed slightly.
"And there goes the part where my night gets worse."
This was not the first time Leon had witnessed something like this.
Over the past three years, countless organizations, secret groups, and underground laboratories had tried everything possible against him.
Bioweapons.
Mutated creatures.
Human experiments.
At this point, Leon had honestly stopped being surprised.
The grotesque creature suddenly spread its massive wings wide open.
SHRIEEEEEK!!!
A deafening roar echoed throughout the ruined building as the monster screeched toward the heavens.
The powerful sound alone shook the surrounding debris.
The creature looked horrifying.
Its appearance resembled a gigantic vampire bat mixed with a failed biological experiment.
Dark-red flesh covered its massive body while thick veins pulsed violently beneath its skin.
Its wingspan stretched across the ruined floor while sharp claws dug deeply into the concrete beneath it.
Standing nearly eight to nine feet tall, the monster towered over the nearby officers.
Several policemen instinctively stepped backward in fear.
The creature slowly lowered its head before looking around the room with glowing predatory eyes.
Its gaze eventually landed on the officers.
Then—
On Leon.
For several seconds, the creature remained completely still.
Then it suddenly screeched once more.
SHRIEEEEEK!!!
The nearby officers panicked instantly.
"Open fire?!"
Leon, however, simply stared at the monster calmly.
Then he sighed softly.
"…Great."
He slowly cracked his neck.
"Looks like Batman had a really bad day."
"OPEN FIRE!!"
The moment one of the officers shouted, multiple police officers immediately pulled their triggers.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets rained toward the giant bat-like creature.
The monster let out a furious screech as several rounds pierced its flesh.
SHRIEEEEK!!!
Its massive wings suddenly spread wide before the creature violently launched itself toward the sky.
BOOOOM!!
Dust and debris exploded across the ruined building from the force alone.
"Where did it go?!"
Several officers immediately lost sight of the creature within the darkness above.
Then suddenly—
SHRIEEEEK!!!
The monster descended at terrifying speed.
Before one officer could even react—
SLASH!!
A gigantic claw tore directly across his body.
"AAAAAHHHH!!"
The officer was violently launched several meters away before crashing against broken concrete.
A massive wound stretched across his back while blood rapidly spread beneath him.
The surrounding officers immediately panicked.
"MEDIC!!"
"WATCH THE CEILING!!"
The creature landed nearby once again while growling aggressively.
Leon quietly observed the monster while analyzing its movements.
Its strength was nowhere near the level of the Resident Evil 2 or Resident Evil 3 Tyrants.
But it also wasn't weak like ordinary zombies.
Fast.
Aggressive.
And intelligent enough to attack from blind spots.
Leon kept his cold eyes fixed on the giant bat-like creature while silently communicating with the system inside his mind.
A faint mechanical notification echoed within his consciousness.
[Ding.]
[Host does not need to worry.]
[Fate will not interfere with the current battle.]
Hearing the answer, Leon quietly let out a sigh of relief.
"…Good."
Suddenly—
FWOOOOSH!!
Leon's right arm instantly began burning bright red as molten magma rapidly covered his fist.
Terrifying heat spread throughout the ruined building while the surrounding officers instinctively stepped backward in fear.
Leon slowly clenched his magma-covered fist.
Then—
BOOOOM!!
His figure suddenly disappeared from where he stood.
The next second, Leon instantly appeared directly in front of the creature.
The giant bat-like monster immediately noticed him.
SHRIEEEEK!!!
Its glowing eyes widened as it desperately tried dodging toward the left side.
But it was already too late.
Leon's magma fist violently smashed forward at point-blank range.
"Hellhound."
BOOOOM!!
A gigantic explosion of magma erupted across the creature's face.
Even though the monster managed to partially dodge at the last moment, half of its face was still completely blown apart by the close-range attack.
Molten lava melted flesh and bone instantly.
The creature let out a horrifying scream of agony while crashing violently backward across the debris.
Leon calmly stood within the rising smoke before muttering dryly,
"…guess flying can't help much."
The giant bat-like creature crashed violently onto the broken ground while screaming endlessly in pain.
"SHRIEEEEEKKK!!!"
Burning magma continued melting half of its face while the monster desperately clawed at the floor in agony.
Leon showed no mercy.
Without wasting even a second, his right fist instantly transformed into burning magma once again.
FWOOOOSH!!
Terrifying heat exploded throughout the ruined building.
The nearby officers instinctively stepped backward in fear as molten lava gathered around Leon's arm.
Then Leon raised his burning fist toward the creature.
"Stay back!" Leon ordered coldly.
His voice echoed throughout the destroyed area.
"I'll handle this thing."
The officers immediately froze.
Leon's eyes never left the monster.
"Focus on saving the injured officer."
Hearing Leon's command, several officers immediately snapped out of their panic.
"Yes, sir!"
Two policemen quickly rushed toward the heavily injured officer lying near the debris while others retreated from the battlefield.
Meanwhile—
Leon's magma fist rapidly expanded.
The ground beneath him cracked from the overwhelming heat.
"Great Eruption."
BOOOOOM!!!
A gigantic blast of molten magma violently erupted forward like a volcanic cannon.
The creature barely managed to lift its head before the magma attack slammed directly into its body.
The entire ruined building shook violently from the impact.
The monster released one final horrifying scream as burning lava completely engulfed it.
Leon calmly stared at the explosion while smoke and flames rose around him.
Then he sighed softly.
"…Yeah."
A faint tired smirk crossed his face.
"That's probably fatal."
The police officers who managed to escape along with the injured officer finally let out relieved sighs.
For a brief moment—
Everything became quiet.
Only the sound of burning flames and collapsing debris echoed throughout the ruined area.
Then suddenly—
BOOOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion suddenly erupted somewhere deeper within the city.
The shockwave alone caused nearby windows to shatter instantly.
Everyone froze.
Leon immediately turned toward the direction of the explosion.
In the distance, another building near the destroyed area had suddenly caught fire.
Dark smoke rapidly rose toward the night sky.
Then came the screams.
"RUN!!"
"HELP!!"
"ZOMBIES!!"
"THEY'RE ATTACKING PEOPLE!!"
The sounds of terrified civilians echoed throughout the streets.
Panic instantly spread everywhere.
Leon's cold expression immediately changed slightly.
His eyes narrowed sharply.
"…Zombie?"
For the first time tonight, genuine seriousness appeared across his face.
Because Leon knew one thing better than anyone else—
A biochemical crisis has been caused by someone.
Chapter End.
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