Mutagen

Day 260 - 9:26 PM - Barangay Toytoy, Municipality of Caramoran, Province of Catanduanes

On the southern side of an unnamed river in Barangay Toytoy, several campfires illuminated the night, surrounded by a large number of armed people.

These people were no other than the group of mercenaries and private soldiers that escaped Codon and abandoned everyone else, taking all the supplies they could carry with them.

The armed group did not have problems with food and water. However, it did not mean that their journey went smoothly. In fact, carrying large amounts of food and clean water slowed them down a whole lot as they traversed the mountainous terrain.

Although vehicles were now impossible to have, they actually had a few carts to carry their supplies when they escaped Codon Settlement. Those carts helped them escape Codon quickly as it faced destruction. However, carts could only be used in flat terrain. Climbing up unpaved mountains with those carts was impossible. It would have been fine if they could travel through the coast since the coastal areas were much flatter than the mountains. Unfortunately, that was also currently the most dangerous area. Not only the [Infected] were coming ashore from the waters surrounding the island, but enemies could come from both the sea and the mountains, possibly trapping them in the worst scenarios.

Picking the safer choice, they abandoned the carts. It may slow them down along the way carrying all the supplies. However, it was much safer than traveling through the coastal area.

Unfortunately, another problem came to light long after they entered the mountains.

The private soldiers were lagging behind the mercenaries.

It was not just because it was mostly the private soldiers who carried the supplies. It was more because they struggled to make their way up the steep mountains.

The issue was the lack of experience. It was not like the private soldiers lacked training. However, they lacked on-field experience, unlike the mercenaries who fought deadly battles in different terrains. It was not surprising. All they had to do was train within the training facilities the employer had provided. Furthermore, private armies were illegal, and training them in the open would make it easier for them to be compromised by the public. It was not like mercenaries were legal either in the Philippines, but they were trained in foreign countries where it was more or less allowed or easier to conceal.

The injuries they incurred from every battle dragged down their speed even more. They needed to make more stops to tend to the injured, and those incapacitated added to the baggage. There were even a few times they had to leave a dying comrade behind or end their lives directly. It was something that could not be helped as they had no way of tending to those fatally injured while on this dangerous journey.

With those problems, accompanied by the dangerous encounters along the way, it was no surprise that they had yet to reach their destination after several days.

"Rest properly! We'll leave early in the morning!"

Parris said to the rest of the group after finishing their lacking dinner.

They did not bring any tents, prioritizing food and water. As such, they could only sleep in makeshift shelters made using things they could gather around the campsite. It was not the most comfortable way to rest, but definitely better than nothing.

As for dinner, they had to spend their food supply sparingly. It was still far from running out,  but it would not last long. They had to reach their destination before they ran out of supplies. It was a good thing there was a river along the way where they could replenish their water stock. Of course, as mercenaries, they knew that just taking some water and drinking it up straight was not a good idea. As such, they prepared a few pots where the nighttime lookouts could boil water while guarding the campsite against enemies.

Ulric, the leader of the group, sat on a large rock by the riverside. He was looking at the sky while scribbling on a piece of paper. He was using the stars to determine the direction they should take tomorrow.

These people were mercenaries with survival knowledge. It was hard for these people to get lost even while roaming inside unfamiliar mountains and forests. The only question was how long it would take to reach their destination.

It was unfortunate. None of these people knew that this would be their last night.

***

After leaving the Napo Settlement, Mark flew south. He did not know the exact location of the mercenaries right now and would need to search a bit. He could ask the [Yasaws] for help. However, those little magical creatures were preoccupied with guarding the coasts around the island to prevent highly mutated [Infected] from sneaking into the island. It was better to leave them to their job and not disturb them.

Besides, Mark did not have to put some effort into finding his targets.

Normally, it would be better to put out campfires during the night to avoid being detected by enemies. However, the mercenaries did not think that was necessary this time. Light did not matter much for [Evolved Animals] and [Infected]. Although putting out the fire would make them less detectable, it would impair the mercenaries and private soldiers more due to the lack of sight during these darker nights. Not to mention they needed to boil water for consumption.

Furthermore, none of the mercenaries would have thought that an enemy would come at this point, an enemy that was neither an [Evolved Animal] nor an [Infected].

Mark looked down from the sky. The light in the middle of a mountainous forest shined brightly. He knew that he had found his targets.

Without a shred of emotion, while looking down on the campsite below him. Mark clenched his hand tightly. Per his own rule, he would not wantonly lay his hands on the innocents. However, these mercenaries and private soldiers were never deemed innocent. Not by the people of Codon and definitely not by their own actions.

And considering the potential danger and disharmony these people could bring into the now-stable Napo Settlement, it was better to eliminate them.

Mark wondered why he hesitated initially. Maybe he just did not want to waste any possible resource. After all, despite their conduct, some of these mercenaries were skilled in many ways. Ways that regular people could not compare to, even some so-called professionally trained soldiers, felt lacking.

"Hah."

Mark shrugged as he shook off the useless thoughts inside his head. He was overthinking again. Mark then looked down, deciding to finish it fast so that he could go home. They still have a few important activities to accomplish to prepare something for the day after tomorrow.

POOF!

Mark turned into a surge of mist as he dove down from the sky.

Hidden as black mist in the dark and his body that contained the [Aura of Death]. Mark was confident in doing a flawless assassination.

"Should I go for the leader or the small fries first?"

Mark mulled a little as he appeared behind a tree south of the campsite.

In the end, Mark decided to eliminate the sleeping private soldiers and mercenaries firsthand because they posed little to no resistance.

Mark took out the [Wind Manipulation Mental Crystal] and the [Photokinesis Mental Crystal]. Both crystals would help hide his movements.

While the idea of just bombarding his targets with [Miasmic Flames] and [Miasmic Lightning] came into Mark's mind, he decided against it. Surely, that method was faster. However, it would probably cause more damage to the surroundings, attract more [Infected] due to magical fluctuations, and destroy the loot.

Since the loss Mark experienced due to the abrupt explosion of the [Mechid Factory], he became more careful in getting returns for his activities.

After all, these mercenaries and private soldiers did not only have food and water. They also have a good amount of firearms and ammunition. Possibly also explosives. It would be such a waste to let go of such loot.

Mark disappeared, swiftly making his way toward the sleeping targets. Taking out a tanto blade made of [Blood Metal], Mark mercilessly slit the throats of his targets.

Some of the sleeping mercenaries let out a groan as their throat was slit open. However, the [Wind Manipulation Mental Crystal] prevented the sounds from being heard by the others.

But as Mark slit his fifteenth target...

"ENEMY ATTACK!"

The leader of the mercenaries, Ulric, roared out loud.

Without hesitation, the mercenary leader transformed into a large wolfman.

The mercenaries and private soldiers immediately scrambled into battle stance as they gathered in one place. They were surely trained and practiced this formation a lot.

However, it was also when Ulric and the rest noticed that they were missing many of their people. Fifteen people did not respond to the leader's roar. They could see the bodies of the fifteen mercenaries and soldiers, but none of them were woken up by Ulric's roar.

Worse, none of them could see any enemy within the surroundings.

It was when Ulric raised his claws and pounced in a certain direction. That surprised everyone as Ulric slashed his wolfish claws toward an empty location.

CLANG!

A loud clang was heard, indicating that Ulric's claws hit something metallic.

It was when the mercenaries and private soldiers felt terrified. Even Ulric jumped back as the appearance of the assailant came to light.

A humanoid creature surrounded by a black haze mist. It was wielding a scythe which clearly was what blocked Ulric's attack.

On the other hand, Mark was frowning. He could not fathom how Ulric was able to find him. Mark's body was not supposed to be sensed by living beings because of the [Aura of Death]. It was unfathomable and made Mark curious. In the end, he had to cover his body with [Miasma] and form the scythe using the [Aura of Death]. It would not hurt to fight Ulric directly to understand what had happened.

"FIRE!"

Parris yelled. It was an order to their men while a warning for Ulric to retreat.

The mercenaries and private soldiers were terrified of the creature they were fighting. However, they did not want to die and fired their guns.

As Ulric moved out of the way, the gunshots began echoing loudly across the mountainous forest.

Mark frowned as the bullets whizzed through his body. It was such a waste of ammo.

At this time, Mark opened his wings. It terrified the targets even more. After all, the bullets did no damage to Mark, and right now, he looked like the harbinger of death to them.

Mark did not care about the emotions he was detecting from the enemies. He zoomed towards the group, ignoring Ulric. His movements, faster than the targets could react to, caused their minds to freeze.

By the time the mercenaries realized, the blade of the scythe was already centimeters before their necks.

The scythe was brandished quickly, harvesting the lives of those that faced it.

After a few deaths, the formation crumbled, and the remaining targets began to run away in fear.

No one tried to speak or negotiate with Mark. All they saw was not a person but a monster in the night.

Ulric attacked a few more times to no avail. His attacks only passed through the body of the assailant.

The remaining mercenaries and private soldiers began to scatter in different directions. It would be troublesome since it would need more effort to chase and kill them one by one if they scattered.

With a slight pause, Mark's eyes glowed red.

All the targets froze on the spot.

Ulric, Parris, and those smarter mercenaries realized something.

The [Fear Phenomenon] that happened a week ago.

Ulric cursed their luck. It seemed that they ran into the cause of that unexplainable phenomenon. Ulric was not new to this feeling. As a mercenary, he faced and wrestled with death several times. As such, he knew that the [Fear Phenomenon] was not just fear but fear of death.

"Tsk. AWWWOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Ulric clicked his tongue and roared. It was not the first time he faced death. Ulric was not afraid of it as much as others. As his body was freed from restraint, he jumped away, leaving everyone, and escaped deep into the forest.

And Mark was surprised. Ulric managed to escape the effects of his [Emotion Induction] that was enhanced by the [Aura of Death].

Mark shrugged as he waved his scythe. The mercenary leader had no way of escaping him, not to mention it was easier to chase a single person that escaped.

In this case, it was better to deal with the other enemies first, as they were already on the verge of a mental breakdown from excessive fear.

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