Pushing off the wall, Jake performed a powerful jump, landing in front of the four gangsters. His Cloak was still active, making him nearly invisible. Now at Rank II, it was far more effective than before, and the second upgrade allowed the Cloak to adjust more seamlessly to his swift movements. Still, even though he was difficult to detect, the gangsters noticed a distortion in the air as he landed before them. They froze in their tracks, their faces reflecting their surprise.
“What the hell?” one of them yelled.
Not wasting a moment, Jake executed a swift roll and came up behind the nearest gangster, using the element of surprise to his advantage. With a quick motion, he struck, catching the thug off guard and sending him sprawling to the ground. The other three turned, eyes wide with shock, but Jake was already in motion again, utilizing his speed and agility to outmaneuver them. They had a hard time keeping track of him, his speed and the cloaking ability turning him into nothing more than a strange distortion of air weaving around them.
“It’s a wraith!” somebody yelled.
“No, it’s the freak!” another one shouted. “It can turn invisible too!”
“Get the bastard!” somebody else shouted, fumbling for his weapon.
Jake moved like a whisper through the shadows, keeping himself a step ahead of their panicked attempts to grasp the situation. He knew their patterns, their weaknesses. Each time they reacted, he was already positioned elsewhere, forcing them into an increasingly chaotic retreat. Some of them managed to pop off a few single shots, but they were reluctant to fire on full auto for fear of accidentally hitting one of their own. He was nearly invisible and constantly near them, making it hard for them to take a clear shot.
The four gangsters were now filled with fear. The freak they were hunting had transformed from a hard target into a downright nightmare. Initially apprehensive of him, they were now on the verge of succumbing to pure panic. Jake felt the thrill of the hunt, a mix of excitement and purpose coursing through him as he darted from one spot to another. Their panicked shouts echoed through the street, creating a symphony of chaos that suited him just fine.
“Stay together!” the burly one yelled, but Jake was already ahead of them, slipping behind the group as they struggled to take aim at him.
He could hear scuffing their boots, the frantic sound of breathing, the crackle of nerves. They were scared and desperate. Moving silently, he observed their every move, waiting for the moment when fear would send them scattering. He could easily dispatch all of them in mere seconds, but he needed them alive, at least for a little while. Instead of slaying the gangsters, he needed to neutralize them long enough to use Mind Reader on each of them.
The group of panicked humans struggled to keep him in their sights. Their slowness and fear amused Jake. At some point, he jumped behind them once more, and before they could turn in his direction, he darted to another spot and immediately dropped into a crouch, becoming completely motionless. With the first upgrade that decreased the time needed for him to turn invisible, Cloak was now far more effective and worked much faster than before, rendering him entirely invisible almost immediately after he went still.
“Where the fuck did it go?” one of them exhaled, sweat beading on his forehead.
The group turned this way and that, but they failed to notice him even though he was crouched just a few yards away. For a second or two, he observed them with amusement. Then, he sprang toward the group with determination, rushing at the nearest gangster who had foolishly strayed a little too far from the others. As he lunged, he thought to himself, Enough of playing around. Time to end this.
Jake smashed into the back of the gangster, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground. He perched atop the fallen man, pinning him down firmly and ensuring he couldn’t escape. The other three immediately turned toward the sudden commotion. While it was impossible for them to see him straddling the prone form of their companion, the distortion in the air and the sight of the struggling gangster were clear indicators that something was restraining him.
The three gangsters raised their weapons, aiming in his general direction. However, before they could open fire, Jake sprouted three long, bladed tentacles from his back and lashed out at them. Two of the tentacles swept the feet from beneath two gangsters, sending them crashing to the ground with a resounding thud.
The third one managed to dart to the side, but Jake lashed out with the third tentacle, slicing the human’s throat open. The gangster’s eyes widened in shock as he lost his balance and fell, his fingers wrapped around his wounded throat. He was gravely injured, but Jake knew from experience that people in this world were far more resilient than their pre-Collapse counterparts. He knew he could reach the gangster long before he bled to death.
The remaining two gangsters attempted to rise, but Jake quickly used his tentacles to pin them back to the ground. He thrust one tentacle into a gangster’s shoulder, holding him down with unwavering strength. The final gangster, the burly man covered in tattoos, proved to be stronger than the others, so Jake employed two tentacles to subdue him, stabbing into his gut and shoulder. The burly man snarled in pain and anger, desperately attempting to pull the tentacles from his body, but he stood no chance against Jake’s inhuman strength.
Now that all the gangsters were neutralized, Jake turned his attention to the human beneath him. He grabbed the back of the man’s head with one hand and activated Mind Reader. The upgraded ability functioned much better and faster now, allowing him to access several hours’ worth of the person’s memories in just a few seconds. Afterward, he checked the status of the ability—the progression bar increased by 7%, bringing it to 92%.
Having no further use for the gangster beneath him, Jake morphed one hand into a smashfist and delivered a powerful blow to the back of the man’s head, causing it to burst apart. Keeping the other two gangsters pinned down with his tentacles, Jake jumped on the man wounded in the throat and repeated the process, using Mind Reader and bringing its progress bar to 98% before finishing off the human. His next target was the burly gangster. Once he was done with him, the ability finally reached 100%. After that, Jake immediately used his last skill point from the most recent level-up to upgrade Mind Reader to Rank III.
His tentacles detached, but that was fine as he no longer needed them. The last remaining gangster, wounded in the shoulder, struggled to get up. Jake jumped on top of him, using the full weight of his body to pin him down. Grasping the man’s head with his normal hand, he activated Mind Reader. With the ability now at Rank III, he could access several days’ worth of memories instead of just a few hours. The upgraded ability allowed him to view them incredibly quickly and even skip to specific or notable moments. After finishing viewing the man’s memories, he learned where he and his now-dead companions holed up at night. After slaying the gangster, Jake stood up.
He parted his massive jaws, forming a nightmarish semblance of a grin. He had finally uncovered the location of Los Demonios’ base.
Gotcha, you sonofabitches, he thought grimly.