<h4>Chapter 264 Critical Clue</h4>


    Mako and the group returned to their hotel after separating from Nathan and Leon back in the forest.


    Upon entering the hotel lobby, they were greeted by an unexpected wee. The hotel manager, who had previously been the epitome of professionalism, now appeared flustered as he saw the group enter through the main entrance. His demeanor was unsettling as he stammered through a greeting.


    "W-wee back, Are you guys alright?" the manager said, his voice a bit shaky.


    The group was a bit confused as to why the Hotel manager would be so concerned about them, but before they could say anything, the manager continued.


    "I heard that the shadow was spotted tonight and you hadn''t returned for so long, I was worried something might have happened to our esteemed guests."


    Something about how the manager spoke didn''t really stick well with Iris as she gave a soft yet firm reply.


    "We didn''t encounter any shadows the whole night. We just got too hung up near the vige fountain."


    "Oh... Al... Alright then... Is there anything you require? Room service, perhaps?" The manager asked trying to reestablish his professional behaviour.


    Iris exchanged nces with his friends, sensing that something was amiss. Despite the manager''s peculiar behavior, they decided not to press the issue further, attributing it to the ongoing disturbances in the vige.


    "No, thank you," Erin replied politely. "We''re just going to our rooms for some rest."


    The manager seemed relieved by their response and hastily excused himself, iming that he was busy attending to other guests, even though Mako''s group was the only one present at the moment. The encounter left them with a lingering sense of unease, but they decided to focus on the matters at hand.


    Back in their hotel room, Mako retired to his bed to rest and recover from the whole ordeal. His body was still wracked with fatigue from the intense mental attack and physical battle that he had endured, and he knew he needed time to recuperate.


    In the living room, Iris, Bill, and Erin gathered to try and piece together their information and to try ande up with a strategy that could help them progress greatly in their mission.


    Erin''s brow furrowed as she voiced her concerns, "This whole thing just doesn''t make any sense. The information that Commander Sable had given us didn''t mention anything like this so how were we supposed to be prepared for something that we didn''t even know could be a possibility."


    Bill nodded in agreement, his expression mirroring the unease that had settled over the group. "The main thing to take from this is that there have been no reports of such incidents from the vigers so this thing specifically targeted Mako meaning that it might also have other aces up its sleeve that we have no idea about."


    "We have to be prepared for anything, it is part of the job to make sure you are capable enough to counter any developments to the situation which were previously unknown. We just have to be more careful and make sure we always cover each other''s back. No more solo missions, we do everything as a group." Iris said with determination as she saw this as a hurdle to ovee in order to truly seed in bing a military officer.


    The others agreed with Iris'' wise words and resonated with her will to move together as a group so that a situation like this doesn''t ever repeat again.


    *******************


    [Back in the forest]


    Nathan and Leon had set up a camping spot within the woods after triple-checking that their perimeter was secure.


    They had just finished eating their dinner which were the same MREs they also had during the recruitment test.


    Leon volunteered to contact Commander Sable and update him on their situation. "I''ll contact Commander Sable and let him know about the situation. He would probably be able to help us out with theputer situation and probably give us more insight into what kind of abilities could create those nightmarish creatures."


    Nathan nodded as he took the responsibility of updating Ang who was also somewhere around the perimeter of the vige keeping her own watch for signs of danger that could potentially be too great for the young group.


    Leon brought out a circr device on which he pressed a couple of buttons to bring it to life before throwing it on the ground in front of him.


    The disk started to emit light from the top as it projected the holographic image of Commander Sable that materialized before them as if he was physically present there, his expression a mix of concern and determination. "Hello, Leon. What report do you have for me of your first night?"


    Leon sighed as he began recounting the events that had transpired with Mako, providing detailed information about the shadowy mist, the nightmarish creatures, and the mental attack Mako had endured as well as the clues that Mako had found at the campsite.


    Commander Sable listened intently, his holographic form flickering asionally. "This is a grave development indeed. I''ve heard of a few different ability users with unique and powerful abilities that can potentially do what you have described, but those aren''t just abilities that anyone can possess so it makes me quite skeptical"


    "Either we have apletely different kind of enemy that we have all underestimated or maybe they figured a workaround method to replicate the effects of the ability." Commander Sable said while slowly grazing his tiny beard.


    "What are your orders for us?" Leon asked.


    If it was truly the first case and Mako had just gotten lucky by barely being able to survive the initial attack on their first day, Leon wanted to know whether this mission was still something that he and his team could handle.


    "Keep going, for now, I trust your leader will be able to decide your next steps carefully," Themander ordered.


    "Yes sir, about that..." Leon said as he began to exin their current n of action and how the two of them would go back to the campground and dig deeper to find some clues.


    "That''s our n as of now, Commander. We would need assistance in identifying the probable cause of the destruction of theputers in the main office of the Starlight Campground." Leon stated.


    "Hmm... very well. Alert me as soon as you enter the premises and I will have one of our chief technicians look at the destroyedputers" Themander said before finishing the call.


    ***************


    With their course of action decided. Mako would spend time focusing on recovering from his ordeal while maintaining a low profile inside the hotel room. The rest of the group would y their roles as tourists, blending in with the other visitors to the vige.


    Nathan and Leon would continue their investigation discreetly. Since their identities were unknown to their potential adversaries, they would remain off the radar while gathering crucial information.


    As the next day came and the sun shined brightly on the horizon, Nathan and Leon made their way to the main office inside the campground location. There, they activated theirmunication disc once again, and within seconds Commander Sable''s body materialized again.


    Themander''s holographic gaze shifted to the damagedputers as Leon zoomed in on them with his device to make sure the chief technician got a good shot.


    After a brief analysis, the chief technician was able to provide Commander Sable with his assessment.


    "Theputers were damaged by a very strong electromaic pulse (EMP) weapon. EMPs can overload electronic devices, causing them to self-destruct due to the heat generated from the overload." The technician exined briefly.


    Nathan and Leon exchanged nces, finding it hard to process the answer that the technician gave to them.


    "An EMP? Are you sure, sir? I mean... couldn''t the same thing be done by using a lightning ability?" Nathan asked respectfully.


    "An EMP weapon in today''s time is quite rare as you would need a very powerful one if you wanted to destroy theputer in such a way, but there is no doubt about it, this was definitely done by using an EMP weapon. If it had been done through the lightning ability, the burnt markings and the origin of overheating wouldn''t have been uniform. This pattern can only be created through the use of an EMP weapon." The scientist exined.


    The boys took a second to absorb this crucial piece of information as it practically confirmed that this whole ordeal was done by someone and that someone had ess to some pretty dangerous toys.


    "Thank you, Commander. This information will help us in our investigation," Nathan replied.


    Commander Sable''s image nodded. "Stay vignt, and keep me updated on any developments. We need to unravel this mystery before it poses a greater threat."


    The boys nodded back fully realizing the gravity of the situation and the discovery that they had just made.


    As soon as the Commander ended his transmission, Nathan reached for their miniaturemunication device to ry this crucial information to Mako so that he could develop a strategy to catch these guys in the act and end this once and for all.