Mutation Abyss-Chapter 58: Hit Where It Hurts

Twinfront Sanctuary

Theo frowned as Aries suddenly hooked her arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Big Brother," she cooed sweetly. freēwēbnovel.com

He narrowed his eyes. Aries only acted like this when she wanted something.

"Don’t you feel bored?" she asked innocently. "I mean, we’ve mostly been locked up in here. We only go out to buy essentials. Don’t you miss old friends?"

Theo sighed and shot her a look as they walked toward the part of the estate where vegetation and crops were starting to grow. Aunt Brenda was already out there, tending to the plants with some of the kids helping her.

"What is it, Aries?" he asked, not bothering to hide his suspicion. "Stop beating around the bush. Just tell me what you want."

Aries finally let go of his arm and turned to face him with a bright smile.

"Can I bring Beatrice here?"

Theo raised an eyebrow and exhaled before reiterating, "We can’t have visitors yet, Aries. You know how unstable things are outside."

Even the workers Uncle Andres previously hired had their faces covered during transport to and from the estate. Additionally, Uncle Andres deliberately avoided hiring locals from the same province. Instead, he selected individuals he personally knew and trusted.

This decision was based on his advice that the threat was not limited to infectees alone. With the nation descending into chaos, more opportunistic criminals were emerging. According to him, it was essential to remain vigilant not only against infectees threats but also against human elements taking advantage of the current instability.

"And I’ve told you before - it ended badly between us and Beatrice. Her family believed Rey and his gang over me. A cop even came after me before the meteorite hit."

He paused. He didn’t hate Beatrice, but he couldn’t forget how her family had looked down on him. After all, he was just the helper’s son in their mansion.

"But that’s her family," Aries countered gently. "Beatrice isn’t like them. I’m not asking to bring her whole clan, just her. She’s been really worried about you, and she wants to see you again. She’s been asking me about you for days now since that night we saw each other."

Aries stepped closer and grabbed his hands with a teasing smile. "She’s even sorry, Theo. She wants to apologize in person. Come on... I know you liked her back then. And hey, don’t you want to see her reaction when she sees how hot, charming, and totally cool my brother has become?"

Theo chuckled under his breath despite himself. He had been head over heels for Beatrice back then, so much so that he was willing to endure anything just to stay close to her. The bullying, the insults... none of it mattered as long as she treated him kindly. He’d done so much for her, often seen as nothing more than a pushover, a loyal dog following her around without question.

"Hmm, if you’re hesitating," Aries said, tilting her head with a hopeful smile, "then how about this - let me meet her outside first? You can come too. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to see you. Maybe seeing her in person will ease your doubts. She’s still around the area, you know. She’s assigned to monitor sample collections in the red zones here in the province."

Theo exhaled deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fine," he relented. "Let’s meet her outside first and see."

He couldn’t deny it - avoiding Beatrice completely would be hypocritical. She had been his first love, after all. And a part of him, despite everything, still wondered how she was doing.

*****

At an abandoned warehouse somewhere in the industrial slums of Argo Province...

The warehouse was dimly lit, sunlight leaking in through cracked windows as Kravo hovered over the table littered with photos and printed drone footage. The air smelled of oil, smoke, and dust.

A lanky man tossed a fresh envelope on the table. "Latest scans. Place is a damned bunker."

They finally managed to track their location, but who would have thought it would be like this? The estate was nothing like they’d imagined. Heavily secured, surrounded by high-tech fences, motion sensors, and patrol drones. It wasn’t just a hideout. It was a fortress. A sanctuary. Getting in wouldn’t be easy.

"Twinfront Sanctuary..." Kravo muttered, tapping one photo. "So storming that place is really suicide." Still, Kravo’s grin didn’t waver. "Tch. They really think this place can keep us out forever?" he muttered, eyes fixed on the surveillance images. "We’ll see how long that lasts."

"We can indeed penetrate it, especially now that we have UMS mercenaries on our side," Rolf said, stepping forward with a grim look. "But it’ll be bloody. And even then, the success rate won’t be a hundred percent."

Kravo’s expression darkened, but he didn’t argue. He knew Rolf was right. This wasn’t some street gang’s turf war - they were dealing with trained fighters, possibly AMS, and a former military officer. Charging in without a solid plan was asking for failure.

One of the UMS named Greg leaned against a crate, arms folded. "So we back out?"

"No," Kravo said, lifting a clearer image of a girl stepping out of the main gate, Aries. He smiled, slow and deliberate. "We just need patience."

Another UMS, Rudolf, raised a brow. "You’re saying - what, wait and see?"

Kravo nodded. "We observe. Everyone’s got to leave the nest sometime. Someone will step out eventually, and when they do, we move."

He held up the image of Aries. "She’s a start. The sister’s important. And she seems not to be the type to stay locked in too long."

Kravo turned to his men, voice cold and focused. "Spread out. Watch the exits, track their schedules. I want eyes on everyone who goes in and out of that estate."

"And when we see the right opening?" UMS Cora asked.

Kravo’s smile returned. "We snatch them. Quiet. Fast. No blood if we can help it. Then we make our demands."

He glanced once more at the children’s photos, Lilia and Max, and his expression hardened.

"This time, we hit where it hurts. And he’ll have no choice but to come to us and bring back what’s ours."