<h4>Chapter 265 Ambushed</h4>
Back at the hotel room, Mako had been patiently waiting for Nathan and Leon''s update. He knew that the information they gathered thanks to the help ofmander Sable would be crucial in devising a n to uncover the people behind the shadowy operations in the vige.
Mako stared at hismunication device, anxiously waiting for the call.
Finally, the device pinged, and Mako quickly answered. Nathan''s face appeared on the screen, and his voice was filled with urgency.
"Mako, we''ve got some important information," Nathan began, his eyes darting around to ensure their conversation remained secure. "Theputers were damaged by an EMP weapon. It''s a clear indication that someone out there has ess to advanced technology."
Mako''s brow furrowed as he processed this revtion. An EMP weapon? It was a piece of information that opened up a host of possibilities and questions, one that Mako wasn''t expecting.
Leon chimed in, "The technician confirmed that the damage couldn''t have been caused by any other source like a lightning ability or something else. It had a distinct pattern consistent with EMP damage. This means that our adversary is likely an organized group with ess to dangerous technology."
Mako nodded, deep in thought. "Thank you for rying this, Nathan. This changes our approach. We need to act swiftly, but cautiously. I''ll call Bill and the others back and we will start piecing this stuff together.
"Meanwhile, you guys try and see if you can find any information on the military database rting to rouge groups using EMPs or even if there were any other recent EMP attacks. If we can find any sort of rtion between our scenarios and some other, we can blow this case wide open." Makomanded.
Nathan nodded, slightly impressed with Mako''s quick thinking and effective decision-making. "We''re on it. We''re going to gather more information and keep you updated."
"Also..." Mako said to stop Nathan from ending the call and then paused for a few seconds as a distinct and old memory shed in his mind.
"... While you guys search for that stuff, look into if there has been any criminal activity rting to BWDs and if those cases have any connection with EMP cases" Mako added.
Nathan felt Mako''s request a bit awkward as BWDs had no rtion with theputers getting destroyed.
"Why would you ask for that?" Nathan inquired, unsure about Mako''s thought process.
"I just have a hunch that it might be somehow rted," Mako replied.
Nathan did press the issue further as after all Mako was the leader and just ended the call and started to move back to their little hideout to begin searching.
As Nathan ended the call, Mako sat back in his chair, his mind racing. He knew that they needed to piece together all the avable information to form aprehensive n.
The revtion about the EMP weapon indicated that their adversaries were well-equipped and had the capability to cause significant harm, but the more interesting fact was the revtion itself.
Mako had racked his brain all night, barely getting any sleep, but couldn''t figure out what could have caused the damage that he saw on theputers, as soon as Nathan mentioned the word "EMP", it was like a switch had been turned on inside Mako''s brain and suddenly a lot of pieces started to fit together for him, but still there were many yet to solve.
Mako pinged the group to meet back at the hotel; meanwhile, he quickly put the pieces together and new a big chunk of what had happened to himst night at the campground.
Meanwhile, the rest of Mako''s group resumed their exploration of the vige. They began by visiting the vige''s marketce which looked a bit more lively than before after the vige had received a resupply justst night.
Local vendors disyed a colorful array of fresh goods, but they were all in small quantities indicating that the vige was struggling economically after its main source of ie had been cut short.
Many of the vigers had already left the vige to try and find fortune elsewhere which was why many of the homes were abandoned throughout the vige and the north wing of the vige where the richer vigers lived in bigger houses waspletely dested and vacant as they had all moved out when their business was beginning to struggle.
Erin, Bill, and Iris strolled through the market, savoring the sights and sounds. They sampled local delicacies, engaged in friendly conversations with the vigers, and even purchased some souvenirs, all the while maintaining a watchful eye for anything out of ce.
The day had been rtively uneventful until Erin''s keen eye noticed a man who seemed to shadow their every move. Dressed inconspicuously in regr attire, he blended effortlessly into the crowd, but his relentless presence was cause for concern.
He wasn''t very close to where they were, but the fact that he was always present nearby, wherever they went was causing Erin to think that this wasn''t just a coincidence and that they might have just identified the person who they had been varying of the entire day.
Iris, Bill, and Erin stopped at a local carnival where there were many trivial games set up to y with a chance to win prizes. Iris called all the children who were ying on the street and told them that she would pay for their games and that they could y as many games as they wanted while they were there.
The faces of the children lit up with happiness as they rushed to be the first ones to y their favorite game. Some ran off to quickly bring their friends as well so that they wouldn''t miss out on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Some of the mothers even came over thanking Iris and her friends for the kind gesture which Iris received humbly saying that she just wanted to share some of the fun with her little brothers and sisters.
However, the truth was that so many kids in the area, that an abundance of noise was apparent and that was what Iris needed so that she and her friends could discuss what to do about the mysterious man who was currently sitting at a coffee shop opposite them that sold delicious and affordable coffee without getting heard.
While ying some basketball, Iris intentionally failed to continue ying; meanwhile, Bill and Erin huddled around her to show as if they were cheering her on, but they were actually discussing their next course of action, theirmunication devices vibrated in unison, a message from Mako asking them toe back to the hotel.
The message looked urgent and they took it as their cue to leave; however, before they could depart, they decided to confront the mysterious man who had been tailing them. It was a hunch, but they couldn''t afford to leave any stones unturned.
Exiting the arcade, they paid for all the carnival games before scanning the vicinity for the mysterious figure, but he had inexplicably vanished, leaving them with a growing sense of unease.
The abrupt disappearance did nothing to alleviate their suspicions, and they knew they couldn''t allow him to slip through their fingers.
They split up, each taking a discreet route to search for the man. They couldn''t afford to draw attention to themselves or reveal their true abilities among the unsuspecting vigers so they opted to just walk with haste as they searched. Minutes turned into an anxious eternity as their pursuit yielded no results.
Just as they were contemting regrouping and returning to the hotel to report their findings to Mako, a sudden twist of fate unfurled before their eyes.
A child''s ball, carelessly thrown, struck Bill from behind, rebounding into a dark alley nearby. The child''s voice called out from a distance down the road, a request for Bill to retrieve the ball from him.
"Can you get that, mister?"
Innocent enough, Bill ventured into the alley, trusting the apparent innocence of the situation. However, in an instant, a searing pain erupted at the back of his neck, causing him to stumble and fall. His vision blurred, and darkness overcame him as he lost consciousness.
The same fate befell Iris and Erin as they had fallen for a simr trap. Both of them had also stepped into the dark alley with innocence as they had already given up on the chase and were about to turn back and head towards the hotel.
However, it was exactly when they had let down their guard did the ambush came, knocking them both down inside a dark alley as well. Before any of them could react, the tranquilizer darts had finished injecting inside their bodies, sending them spiraling into unconsciousness.
From the top of the rooftop, the mysterious man whom they had been tracking this entire time revealed himself, a figure of calm and calcted precision, his sniper rifle holding the answer to their sudden ambush.
"They''re down. Round them up and bring them back. Make sure there are no eyes!" The man ordered through a miniature holophone as he gavemands to someone to gather their unconscious bodies and bring them back somewhere.