*"Help! Somebody, please!"*
It was late at night.
Abigail dashed toward the gates of the Echo Team facility, screaming for help.
The facility was nestled in a forest on a mountainside, similar to my own base—a natural cave repurposed for human use.
The entrance was small and hard to spot, but nearby stood a radio tower-like structure, its camouflage so poor it stood out like a sore thumb. From a distance, it was glaringly obvious.
Even without our attack, I figured the aliens would have discovered and destroyed it soon enough.
The facility was small, likely serving as an observation post to monitor alien movements and a secret communication relay station. If so, it should be equipped with various surveillance and research tools.
Our plan was simple: seize the cave base and take all its equipment intact.
First, Abigail would infiltrate the facility alone, posing as a refugee who escaped from an alien facility. It was her idea.
At the entrance, she spoke with the guards, holding my control terminal in her hand.
It was a valuable Butcher control terminal, a perfect bargaining chip. With the facility desperate for alien intel, this would open the gates effortlessly. Another one of her ideas.
Abigail's plans kept coming, each one bolder than the last. Watching her confidence, I felt a twinge of fear as the facility doors opened.
*They actually opened.*
I was starting to find Abigail intimidating.
Was she… incredibly resourceful?
Could I maintain this delicate balance of using and being used by her? Before I knew it, I might end up in the palm of her hand. It was possible. I needed to stay sharp.
As I watched her being led inside, these thoughts raced through my mind.
My initial plan—a frontal assault to kill everyone—was gently rejected. The reason? If they deemed their defense hopeless, they might destroy the facility. Fair point.
So I waited.
About thirty minutes passed.
*"Positions set. Two guards outside, two at the gate. Attack commencing."*
Abigail's message arrived.
She had modified the control terminal so she could operate it, a quick job done in just an hour.
Inside, Abigail inspected the facility and used her former Earthspin credentials to gain access to the control room. With an intelligence officer stationed there, her fake identity and Earthspin passphrase would be trusted.
Then, at the right moment, she demonstrated the control terminal I'd given her.
She explained its functions while remotely issuing commands to me.
The Echo Team, unaware of the terminal's mechanics, couldn't understand her actions. They'd never suspect she was actually sending messages to the Butcher. Abigail wouldn't be questioned. Another one of her plans.
Her strategy unfolded perfectly, step by step. How did her mind work?
I was increasingly intimidated by her.
*Yes, I'm afraid of Abigail now.*
In a way, I'm in a desperate situation.
If Abigail activates the terminal's self-destruct, my brain would explode. While it's unclear if she can remove the device on her neck, she could return to the human side.
But she claimed not to know how to trigger the self-destruct. The terminal, she said, could only send messages.
*Was she telling the truth?*
Or did she know how to blow me up and planned to kill me and escape?
Yet, outsmarting a spy in a game of deception was futile. The moment I allowed her to analyze the device, I lost control.
She wasn't lying; she didn't know how to self-destruct me. As she'd said, she distrusted the intelligence department and prioritized helping me escape. She wanted to save me, and her words were genuine. She wouldn't break her promise.
For now, I could only cling to this convenient narrative.
Just as Abigail once gambled on my humanity, I now had to gamble on her compassion.
As a result, I'm still alive.
It seems I've won the bet.
Abigail didn't betray me.
*Let's begin.*
The Butcher's massive form moved silently through the darkness.
Near the communication tower, two guards were patrolling. With a swift swipe of my claws, their heads were severed, leaving only a faint splatter in the forest's darkness.
Wielding the Butcher Knife, I swung it at the tower with full force. It collapsed with a deafening crash.
Without hesitation, I charged straight at the facility's entrance.
The two guards, unprepared for a frontal assault, were sliced down with a single strike of the Butcher Knife. With the outside guards eliminated, the remaining enemies were now trapped inside.
The facility prioritized secrecy, so no loud alarms blared. But from within, I heard murmurs of panic. The tower's collapse had alerted them to my attack.
*"Ground floor, five enemies. Basement, four. I'm heading to the basement. Attack commencing."*
*"Roger that."*
I sprinted and shoulder-charged through the door, shattering it.
*"Huh…?!"*
*"What the hell is a Butcher doing here?!"*
*"Hiii…"*
Inside, three men stood with guns drawn. At the sight of me, their faces contorted in terror. They never expected the attacker to be a Butcher.
I crushed the head of the man on my left and simultaneously cleaved the skull of the man in front.
The third man tried to flee into a back room, but I threw the crushed body at him. He was caught in the impact, letting out a dull *"Mekyaa!"* before collapsing. His neck twisted unnaturally—he was dead.
Only two left…
I dragged the knife across the floor as I searched the first level.
*"Damn it—Pegyuu!"*
I found one. He bravely fired his assault rifle, but I ignored the shots and sliced him into a wall stain. Shooting my apron was pointless. A rookie, maybe?
I continued searching for the last one, dragging the knife across the floor.
A man emerged from the hallway corner, wielding a massive gun with sparking barrels—a large-caliber laser rifle.
*"Die, you bastard!"*
I raised the Butcher Knife as a shield just as he pulled the trigger.
The laser reflected off the knife, scorching the facility's walls.
Adjusting the angle, I directed the reflected laser toward him.
*"What the—?!"*
The reflected beam singed his hair. In that instant, fearing for his own safety, he stopped firing. I didn't miss the chance.
I charged with the knife raised, slamming into him head-on.
*"Pau—"*
He hit the wall with the force of a truck collision, slumping lifelessly. Just to be sure, I crushed his head with the heel of my foot.
Part of the knife's blade, exposed to the high-power laser, had turned a reddish-brown from the heat. A red streak marked the wall.
That was close. A direct hit at close range would've caused severe burns. Lasers are dangerous in narrow spaces.
With that, the ground floor was secured.
The entrance to the basement—
I didn't need to search; stairs leading down were at the back.
But the door at the bottom was tightly sealed, a heavy metal barrier.
Breaking it with brute force seemed impossible.
I tried a strong kick anyway.
The facility shook with a deep *"Zuuhn…"* but the door didn't budge. It was sturdy.
Well…
Abigail had anticipated this. My kick was a signal.
While I could easily destroy such a door with my abilities, I didn't want to risk exposing my powers. This was an intelligence-gathering base, and I couldn't afford to leave any records of my capabilities.
So I waited patiently for Abigail.
Soon, the door opened from the inside. Angry voices spilled out.
*"Impossible! You— What the hell are you—"*
A dry *"Pan!"* sound cut off the man's voice.
Almost simultaneously, I leaped into the basement.
Before me, Abigail held a man hostage, a gun pressed to his head. Two other men pointed their guns at her. On the floor lay a man bleeding from his head.
*"Hii…?! Bu—Butcher—"*
One by one, I crushed the heads of the two men and approached Abigail.
Seeing this, she shot the hostage in the temple.
The basement was now empty except for me and Abigail.
The facility was secured.
From start to finish, it probably took less than twenty minutes. A perfect, one-sided victory.
…Abigail, you're too incredible.
Are you really just a desk worker? Your skills rival those of special forces.
Even in my prime, I'm not sure I could've pulled off such a flawless operation…
This is an elite spy…
You could be a Bond girl. Perfect. Let's play a captive spy game, torturing you until you spill your secrets. This room has just the right vibe.
Afterward, I'll rescue you as your Mr. Bond, claiming my trophy by spending the entire night with you. In short, I want to turn that stoic face into one of ecstasy.
*"I didn't expect it to go this smoothly… Your skills threw Echo off guard, and their control room was in chaos. It made things easy."*
Abigail placed her hand on my chest, looking up at me.
*"You're a professional, aren't you… Gévaudan."*
…So are you.