<h4>Chapter 30: "I... I''m back?"</h4>
Daniel''s favorable consideration by Rick Technologies'' personnel may be attributed to Fox''s report to the organization.
Rick Technologies harbored an intricate connection with the Mechanical Dawn, serving as a facadepany under its control. Within the Rick Technologies building, the headquartersboratory of the Mechanical Dawny concealed.
Jonathan pondered deeply as he walked home carrying food from the convenience store.
Mechanical Dawn is a deep shadow upon his mind, a sword of Damocles hanging over his head. After days of observation and analysis, he had gleaned some superficial understanding of the organization.Nevertheless, he remained unknown to its true power extent, the purpose for its inception, and its principles.
All he could do was deduce the power of the organization from certain details.
The strike team that executed the port demolition consisted of individuals who were, at the very least, ss C Awakened. Among them, Fox, Rose, the Bartender, Crystal, and Meteor were ss B, some of whom possessed super abilities unsuited forbat, such as the Bartender, a reconnaissance type. The Snake Python, the lowest-ranked member of the strike team, was merely ss C, albeit withbat prowess equivalent to ss B.
As for Red, Jonathan suspected he was at least of ss A. Given that he had won the loyalty and respect of so many Awakened, his level of awakening couldn''t possibly be lower than ss B.
Regrettably, the information Red provided contained no mention of his super abilities. Perhaps the original body knew and excluded him from the dossier.
In addition to Red, the Mechanized Dawn was likely to harbor a multitude of ss A Awakened individuals.
While the government officially concealed the existence of the Xenobiotics creature from ordinary citizens, they did not withhold information about the Awakened. High-ranking Awakened citizens could elevate their civilian ss, with ss D Awakened ascending directly to ss 3, on par with certain government officials, clearly showcasing preferential treatment.
Nheless, under such circumstances, a significant number of high-ranking Awakened individuals were recruited by the Mechanical Dawn.
What attracted these Awakened individuals to the organization? By what means did they ensure loyalty?
The longer Jonathan remained in this world, the more questions arose within his heart.
Setting aside other doubts, for the time being, one pertained to himself.
How had the original body, an individual without even awakened super abilities, be a core member of the Mechanical Dawn?
How was he involved in critical missions like the port st?
What qualified him to be a teammate of so many high-ranking Awakened individuals, even serving as the deputymander?
Was it merely his intellect and undercover identity, or was there a more vital reason?
Red''s attitude towards him was quite egalitarian, disying no airs of superiority. However, he did not treat other team members in the same manner; rather, he revealed a degree of arrogance as a superior, issuing orders in amanding tone.
Thismanding tone was Something Red had never employed with him. When discussing matters with Jonathan, Red was always open to negotiation, sometimes considering his situation and opinions.
Jonathan''s status within the Mechanical Dawn was somewhat peculiar.
"Deputy Commander, the port data for the final area has been scanned and transmitted to headquarters," Rose reported.
"I see," Jonathan replied.
Upon entering his home, Jonathan told Red, "Our data scanning work here ispleted."
Red responded, "We''ll need one more night. Sigh, having Fox around is indeed convenient."
Fox''s super ability was most advantageous at the port, as controlling liquids was an incredibly versatile power.
In truth, Jonathan was exceedingly envious of Fox''s ability, though he could not act against Fox just yet.
Unaware of Jonathan''s dark musings, Fox was simply delighted to see hime home with food, eagerly tearing open a bag of chips and munching away in bliss.
After finishing a piece of bread and a yogurt bottle, Jonathan retreated to his bedroom to study.
He nned to study all night, sleep during the day, and patrol on the night shift tomorrow.
His schedule was full andpact; he had never exerted himself to such an extent, even during periods of the test.
....
August 2nd, 8:00 PM.
Promptly, Jonathan set out for his night shift.
"The best part about working nights is not having to apply sunscreen," Robertined. "Captain, I suggest incorporating sunscreen into our coastal security team''s standard equipment and having it procured centrally!!"
On his first day at work, Robert had neglected to bring sunscreen, and had it not been for Jonathan lending him some, he would have been painfully sunburned.
"Wholeheartedly agree," the others chimed in.
"I''ll draft a proposal another day," Martin stated nonchntly. "Go and change into your gear. Don''t forget the night-vision goggles. Our Squad Seven is only responsible for Dock Five; other squads cover the other docks."
Once everyone was properly equipped, they assembled.
"Here''s to hoping today is another peaceful and pleasant day," Jonathan said while adjusting his night-vision goggles.
"Another?" Robertughed. "Each day in the harbor district is filled with various incidents, far from peaceful and pleasant."
Jonathan grinned. "My expectations are low. As long as no crisis threatens us, I consider that peaceful and pleasant."
"Indeed," Robert agreed, repeating Jonathan''s words, "Here''s to hoping today is another peaceful and pleasant day."
Luke grimaced, "Let''s not jinx it. I didn''t think anything would happen today, but now that you mention it, I''m starting to feel like Something will."
"Subjective perceptions cannot influence the urrence of such events," Simon stated matter-of-factly. "If Something does happen, there''s no need to be afraid. Just hold your weapon tightly."
Night patrols required patrol vehicles featuring bulletproof ss, two driving modes (floating and road), and autonomous driving and navigation functions.
Martin sat in the driver''s seat, Simon in the passenger seat, and the others in the back. The patrol vehicle lifted into the air and headed towards Dock Five.
The dock, originally filled with stacks of containers, was now deserted.
Due to a previous bombing incident, the area had been closed for some time, and all the cargo had been cleared. The damaged part of the dock had been mostly repaired, and it was expected to resume operations the day after tomorrow.
Construction equipment and debris were scattered around the dock, making it appear somewhat chaotic.
Dock Five had arge area for amodating massive cargo ships. At its busiest times, several ships could dock and unload cargo simultaneously.
The patrol vehiclended on a rtively t tform, and Jonathan, Robert, and Luke got out to perform a thorough inspection. Martin and Simon stayed inside the vehicle, monitoringmunications and ready to provide support anytime.
"Despite the temporary closure of this dock, smuggling, human trafficking, and ck market deals haven''t decreased," Luke said cautiously while scanning the area with his night-vision goggles. "Let''s be careful."
The harbor operates around the clock, with peopleing and going non-stop. Lawbreakers use therge flow of people to conduct trades at the harbor. Smuggled goods are transported ashore with regr cargo and then quietly shipped away. Now, ck-market trading is even more rampant because fewer people and less attention are paid to the area, making the criminals more brazen.
Previously, they would still try to cover up their activities, but now they don''t even bother to hide. When they encounter patrolling officers, they scatter and run. Some bolder ones even dare to shoot at security officers with guns.
The gangs in the harbor area can be described in one word - rampant.
The security personnel patrolling here are risking their lives at work. Aspensation, the various fieldwork squads that are transferred to patrol the Coast Security Team will receive an additional bonus except for their sries. Withoutpensation in terms of wages, who would be willing to do such a dangerous job?
Dock Five was a floating harbor, but standing on the floating tform felt no different than standing on solid ground. There was no sense of the waves, and the tform remained perfectly stable.
Jonathan remained alert, his hand resting on his gun at all times. Even the usually talkative Robert was silent.
The only sounds were the howling of the sea breeze and the breathing of their teammates.
Patrolling involved more than just checking if anyone was around; they also needed to inspect equipment and areas prone to hiding filth.
The patrol had to be conducted in shifts. Inspecting the entire dock took over an hour, and they had to repeat the process every half hour.
Remaining vignt was mentally exhausting, especially during a tense night like this.
Jonathan and his teammate had patrolled the dock twice, taking a short break in between before continuing. By midnight, they could be ready to hand over their duties to another team.
"Three more minutes until midnight. Let''s gather at the assembly point to hand over our duties," Martin said over themunication channel. "Good job, everyone. After this, we can head back to the office."
Tonight seemed to be as peaceful and pleasant as Jonathan had hoped.
Robert couldn''t help but mutter, "Something''s not right... Why haven''t we seen anyone? Usually, we''d catch at least one or two people using drugs..."
The night was too quiet, eerily quiet.
As Jonathan passed a rusted shipping container, he suddenly felt a drop of cold liquid on his neck.
He wiped his neck with his finger, and under the night vision goggles, this drop of liquid appeared dark.
Then Jonathan smelled blood, and another drop of liquid dripped down, this time onto his night vision goggles.
Jonathan''s face changed drastically. He drew his gun and pointed it upwards, shouting simultaneously, "Something''s up!"
Robert and Luke also raised their guns, scanning their surroundings cautiously.
Jonathan saw the object above him. It was a leg hanging from the top of the three-meter-tall container. A gust of wind blew, causing the leg to roll and fall with a thud in front of Jonathan, sttering blood on his shoes.
It was a severed lower leg! The break was smooth and clean, as if it had been precisely sawed off with an electric saw.
Jonathan''s mouth twitched, and the hairs on his arms stood on end.
"Xenobiotics creature !" With his vast experience, Luke had a grim expression on his face. "Judging by the cut, it''s a Sickle Demon. Captain, we need to..."
Before Luke could finish his sentence, Jonathan''s danger avoidance instincts were triggered.
A fierce gust of wind came from his side, and a long object whipped towards him with lightning speed, as swift as a hunting ck mamba snake.
Jonathan reflexively dodged and immediately felt a chilling sensation in his abdomen. His high-fiber bulletproof vest had been instantly cut open by the object, leaving a massive gash across his stomach with blood pouring out.
Jonathan would have been sliced in half if he had been even a fraction of a second slower!
"Jonathan!" Robert fired his gun toward the direction of the attack, but it seemed Something had managed to avoid the bullets.
The twisted, horrifying Xenobiotics creature revealed its true form. It was smaller than Jonathan had imagined, about half a human''s height, and resembled a praying mantis. It had a triangr face, eyes as big as light bulbs, and two tentacles on its upper body. These tentacles were connected to the bone des of hooks, chitinous and curved.
Blood was still visible on the pair of bone des, including Jonathan''s.
The Xenobiotics creature licked its bone de contentedly before springing forward like a mantis, closing the distance. It swiftly whipped its flexible tentacles again, aiming straight at Jonathan.
In his panic, Jonathan fired his gun repeatedly. Only three bullets hit the creature, and its chitinous exoskeleton blocks them all. The speed and defense of this monster were nothing short of unbelievable.
At the veryst moment, Luke''s bullet hit the soft part of the Sickle Demon''s tentacle, causing it to retract, and Jonathan narrowly escaped the attack.
"Reinforcements are on their way!" Martin said over themunication channel. "Hold on!"
Injured, the Sickle Demon became even more frenzied, wildly swinging its tentacles and leaving deep marks on the metal container.
At that moment, the port''s lighthouse began to sh irregrly. This signified that midnight had arrived.
A new day had begun.
Simultaneously, Jonathan''s vision was suddenly engulfed in darkness.
The Xenobiotics creature, Robert, and Luke disappeared, as did the pain from the gash in his abdomen. Even the gun in his hand vanished.
Jonathan found himself alone in the dark, a familiar sensation welling up within him—this was the scene he had experienced when he had traveled to the second world!
He blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on a soft bed, looking at a peeling wall. A pile of booksy on a small table beside the bed, and next to the pillow, a phone with a lit screen rested silently.
On the seventh day of his journey to the second world, Jonathan returned to the first world as the day officially ended.
His heart pounded fiercely, and due to overwhelming emotions, he felt slightly dizzy.
Jonathan clutched his abdomen, the pain from the gash inflicted by the Xenobiotics creature''s bone de still seemingly present. However, the skin beneath his fingers was smooth and unharmed.
"I... I''m back?" Jonathan whispered incredulously.
He had left that cold, cruel world and returned to the ordinary and real human world.