Chapter 44: A.I.F

After the types of days Gary was having, one would think that he would be having trouble sleeping, yet for some reason, the closer it got to the full moon, the more his body craved sleep. No matter how much he worried, at some point he would basically just pass out.

Still, when waking up Sunday noon, he hadn’t forgotten about what had occurred in the middle of the night. Although Gary didn’t exactly know what that piece of flesh in front of his house was supposed to mean to him it was tantamount to a war declaration.

The Omega wolf knew where he and his family lived. This time he might have brought him a ‘present’, but who’s to say that next time he won’t turn Gary’s family members into such a piece of meat. He had to find Billy and deal with him.

Luckily, it was Sunday, giving Gary the whole day to at least find some clues on the other’s whereabouts. During the week it would be far more difficult.

‘First things first,’ Gary checked every tab the Werewolf System had, in case he might have missed anything.

‘I can’t find anything in this system that would help me. Maybe he unlocked another skill, or he managed to track my scent somehow?’ Gary thought in frustration after going through everything twice. However, the Omega wolf had somehow been able to track where he was, so in theory Gary should be able to do the same.

“I'm going over to meet Stacy, I’ll be back by dinner!” Amy shouted, and the door quickly closed behind her.

Hearing this, Gary’s heart started to beat faster.

‘Shit, Billy was here at night, so could he have picked up Amy’s scent? What if the human flesh was his message to me that he intended to go after my family?! She said she would be back by dinner, and it’s not too far to Stacy’s, she’s also traveling during the day.’

‘Billy hasn’t been caught yet according to the news so she should be okay. Should I just put a Bond Mark on her just like I did Tom? But what the hell do I get her to promise me?’ Gary thought.

With the system not helping him, Gary decided to text someone who had been a big help earlier, hoping that he might have any useful information.

[STOP LOOKING FOR TROUBLE!] Kai replied back almost immediately.

[You might feel responsible for him since he was Green Fang’s debut opponent, but to Billy Buster it was just another day. Heck, he lost against three other schmooks before you, one of them even beat him three times.]

[If you go searching after the same guy the police are after, there is a good chance the Underdogs will find you. Remember they have eyes everywhere and that includes in the police force as well!]

Alas, Kai proved to be far less helpful than he had been the previous time.

Now that Gary took a moment to think about it, he realised that if Kai, or the Underdogs for that matter, knew where he was, that Billy would have most likely already been apprehended. For the moment, he was the only one who actually knew that he was an Omega wolf.

With no better solution, Gary decided to turn on the TV, in hopes there might be an update on the situation. It didn’t take long for his wish to be granted.

“This just in, this morning yet another murder victim has been found in an apartment in the area of Montay, and Chief of Police, Anton Millstun has shared more information about it. He confirmed that the modus operandi coincides with the murder of the Bruntins. Following the wishes of the late victim’s family, his name will not be shared.”

“So far, police have found no connection between the Bruntins and the dead high schooler. There has also been no news in regards to Billy Bruntin’s whereabouts and according to Mr Millstun they have to determine whether Billy is the prime suspect or just another victim.”

The news didn’t look hopeful and worse of all Gary was wondering if Billy had killed again.

‘The flesh from yesterday, was that….this new person? That would explain why it looked so…fresh. Why would he even kill a high schooler? Was it just an easy target… or was there more to it?’

Thinking about the flesh, Gary was also reminded about his system message that had appeared as he had looked over it. It had told him that there was the possibility he might grow stronger through consuming flesh.

Since Billy was the first person he had turned, Gary had no idea what the rules were. Was he the only one who could grow stronger by eating others, or was that something all werewolves shared that he himself created? Another reasonable question was whether it was a one-time thing, or if one grew stronger the more one ate of someone.

The latter possibility was far scarier. For all he knew, Billy might have eaten nearly three entire human bodies. Billy had already been unnaturally strong for his age. The only reason why Gary had been able to match up to him was due to the Werewolf System.

Even if he hadn’t gained a system of his own, it was at least safe to assume that he could transform. With that ability, as well as additional stats, would it even be possible for Gary to beat a supernatural Omega wolf?

Immediately, Gary started to prepare to leave the apartment himself.

‘It's my fault that Billy keeps killing people. What’s worse he might just get stronger as the days go by. My best chance of stopping him is stopping him now!’

Quickly leaving the home, the high schooler headed to the address of Billy’s home. It was a little far from Gary’s as it was a different neighborhood, and it also looked like his next victim was in the same area.

‘If only I could get into his room and find something that belonged to him. Given my keen nose, maybe I could just find him like a search dog?’

Wearing his usual hoodie to cover himself, Gary ended up going over the apartment block where the Bruntins used to live. The neighborhood was quite similar to Gary’s. The streets were also filled with litter and graffiti just in a different area. If Gary had to take a guess, Billy must not have exactly lived the best life either. Then again, if he had, he would have had no reason to fight underground.

It was easy enough to spot where he lived, even without using his nose, because at the very moment, Gary could see heaps of reporters interviewing those that lived in the apartment complex.

He peeked around the corner of the street down the road.

‘Damn, so much for my plan. If I so much as try to go up to the apartment, then those reporters will definitely try to question me. I can’t afford to show myself on TV!’ Sniffing the air, Gary tried to pick up any strange scents, but with all the people present, not to mention the sweats and food that was being sold by some ‘entrepreneurs’, it was impossible to do.

Gary deemed it too risky to go into the apartment, so he would just have to find Billy another way.

“Hey there, little buddy, where are you in a rush to?” A male voice addressed him from behind.

Gary looked up to see two adults blocking his way. He hadn’t noticed them, yet now they directly stood in front of him in their white and gold clothing.

“It looks to me like someone doesn’t want to be seen. What’s that famous saying? ‘The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime’?” The female commented.

“Huh, I'm no criminal, I was merely curious.” Gary answered in a panic, wondering just who these people were in the first place. He was getting ready to use Charging Heart and run away, even if it would make him look more suspicious to these strangers.

“Now hold on.” The woman grabbed onto Gary as if she had anticipated his next move. “If you’ve got nothing to hide, then you should have no problem having a little chat with us. You might not be the murderer, but it looks like you might know a few things.”

Both of them pulled out their wallets at the same time, displaying a golden badge with the symbol of a white rose, with the acronym A.I.F. on the top.

Gary gulped. ‘Oh brother, these guys are even worse than the police. Why didn’t I listen to Kai’s advice? How the hell did I manage to stumble into the Altered Investigation Force?!’

******

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