CHAPTER 129: CHAPTER 129: OUR FRIEND

By all means, this individual, called Darkday, must be arrested and put on trial. The DoSHA demanded it, and the police wanted it. Most of the people were waiting for it. But some, well...

Some wanted something they didn’t really know the repercussions of.

"Move out of the way! Move!"

The officers wanted to push through the crowd, but none of them were able to even slip their fingers through the small cracks they were making. It didn’t help at all that the endless flashes of light were hindering their vision.

The crowd... didn’t care for them at all. The tourists, and even locals of New York City, wanted to get to know him.

A murderer who confessed to killing a minor, two other people, and god knows who else. Darkday admitted to all of these crimes right in front of a camera without any sign of remorse at all. And yet, right now, people were crowding around him like he was some sort of celebrity. It didn’t help at all that he was even welcoming enough to their advances... and even posing for the camera. Just what sort of game could this Darkday be playing at, exactly?

"Darkday! Please! Me next!"

"How did you know that Stephanie and Mark were lovers?!"

"How did you get through Megaland’s security without being seen at all?! Did you follow Ryan Roman?!"

"Are you really only targeting abusers?! Can you kill my younger brother?! He’s been annoying me for a year now!"

"Is it true that you’re a girl?!"

Darkday was being asked a lot of questions, but never once did he actually answer any of them. He just waved and posed, nothing else.

And of course, this thinned the team leader’s patience to its limit.

[I have a clear shot, Chief. Just tell me when.]

"Don’t. You said it yourself, this guy’s a powerful TK. We don’t know if your bullet would even work. We’ll just cause panic."

Obvious frustration escaped from the team leader’s mouth. He gritted his teeth, but all he could do was stare at the crowd. He could probably fire a bullet to make them all leave, but he was trying his best not to set up a panic here—especially with all these cameras around them.

And perhaps that was even what Darkday was expecting them to do.

Based on everything he had heard from his guys who watched his battle with Replica Ricky, there was a chance that this Darkday was incredibly cunning. The only thing he could do right now was wait it out. He wasn’t about to give him a reason to be more liked by the masses.

Fortunately for his sanity, the crowd finally started to split apart again—not because they were done with ogling or trying to talk to him, but because he parted them with his TK.

He was told by his guys that Darkday needed to move a limb or two to concentrate using his abilities, but it didn’t seem that was the case at all.

The threat level he initially placed on him just doubled. The worst thing about this was that the crowd was completely oblivious to it... or perhaps they didn’t care at all.

[He’s approaching. What do we do, Chief?]

The team leader only stared at Darkday, watching each of his steps in the air, and only took his eyes away from them when he looked at his face as he stood right in front of him.

"I’m sorry about all of the mess," Darkday said, sighing as he glanced back at the crowd, and they all quickly cheered and screamed for his name. "I didn’t mean for this to happen at all."

"Ho?" The team leader smirked, "I have a feeling that’s not the case at all?"

"Well, you’re free to feel whatever you want." Darkday shrugged, leaning to the side to look at the armored van. "I’m assuming our friend’s in there?"

"Would you believe it if I said no?"

"I could, but I’ll choose not to," Darkday said, hovering forward as if he wasn’t in front of a military task force and surrounded by the police at all. Of course, the team leader immediately stepped to the side, placing his hand on Darkday’s chest, pushing him back.

The team leader’s eyes started to dilate, almost as if he was trying to look through Darkday’s helmet.

"The only way you’re getting near that van is that you’re joining him inside straight to the Supermax." The team leader did not back away at all, even lightly stomping his foot on the ground as he looked around.

"We have three snipers locked onto you. So, if I were you... I wouldn’t make any sudden moves."

"Four."

"Huh...?"

"You have four snipers on me."

"What..." The team leader’s eyes widened, watching Darkday turn his head several times, exactly where his snipers were set up.

"As much as I appreciate your invitation to the Supermax..." Darkday said with a shake of his head, sighing as he once again looked at the van. "...I have my own to run. And you happen to have my guest inside that van. Please, let’s not make this any harder than it seems."

"Wait... do you really think we’ll just hand him over to you?" The team leader scoffed.

"Yes."

"Then you’re stupid. There are dozens of us here, and only one of you."

"Replica Ricky also had the advantage in number, and you know how that turned out. No?" Darkday sighed.

"I’d really appreciate it if you just give him to me. I made the mistake of grabbing a replica because I thought that was the original. Rookie mistake, really."

"You—"

"We’re wasting time here, and I have places to be."

Darkday raised a finger before the team leader could say anything else. He was about to say something again, but Darkday raised another finger.

"What’s your name?" He asked.

"What...?" The team leader’s eyebrows lowered. "You don’t need to know my name."

"Then I’ll call you Chief from now on, since that’s what your men are calling you," Darkday said, shrugging as he raised another finger. "So, let’s do it this way, Chief."

"You have—"

"I’ll kill one person here every minute you don’t give me Replica Ricky. And to show you that I’m not bluffing." Darkday raised his other hand, and on it was an apple. And before Chief could even wonder what it was for, he watched as it exploded right in front of him.

He was about to say something, but then heard something familiar whispering from a distance—a whisper he, and any other combat veterans, would recognize from a mile away.

A gunshot.

His eyes dilated, and he quickly looked to the side—and there, he found a hole adorning the pavement.

"Do you understand what just happened?" Darkday tilted his head, placing whatever remained of the apple inside a small plastic bag so as not to litter. Chief didn’t answer right away. He stared at Darkday for a few seconds before grabbing the radio on his shoulder.

"What the fuck was that?! Is that one of you?!"

[That...That was from me, Chief.]

"Why did you—"

[My... my finger moved on its own, and... and I can’t move.]

"Wh—"

[S-same here.]

[Shit.]

[What’s going on, Chief?!]

All of Chief’s snipers spoke through the radio, and all had the same tone of confusion... with a little bit of fear.

"What..." Chief looked at Darkday’s visor. "What... did you do?"

"I think the better question is..." Darkday whispered, a small, deep chuckle escaping him. "...What are you and your men about to do?"

Chief glanced behind Darkday, looking at the crowd, who were completely oblivious of what was going on.

"So..." Darkday leaned to the side to cover the crowd. "...I assume you understand what just happened with the apple? While it’ll be technically me killing all these people, they won’t know—it would be your men, your bullets, your rifles...your crimes. I told you, this doesn’t need to turn violent."

"I..." Chief gulped. "I... can’t just give it to you. The DoSHA will—"

"You don’t have to worry about that." Darkday snapped his fingers, and the van slowly shook. And before long, a loud screeching noise creaked in the air. The crowd all covered their ears as they watched the armored van... bloom.

It opened up like a flower, revealing Replica Ricky inside.

"Oh..." Darkday muttered as he saw how disheveled Replica Ricky looked. "...That makes sense. Well..."

Darkday then placed his hand on Chief’s shoulder, "I have to do this, so that they won’t get suspicious."

"W—"

Chief felt his entire vision fade as Darkday suddenly punched him right on the gut, causing him to fold down to his knees there and then. Darkday then slowly ascended into the air, turning around to face the crowd.

"Well then, people..." He stretched his arms to the side, and Replica Ricky also started to hover behind him.

"...It has been fun. And I will see all of you again very, very soon."