Wraith

Essex Corporation, underground base.

Obadiah Apocalypse returned to his private laboratory and slowly sat down on the massive, complex Gene Conduction Device. Countless cables and pipes converged from every direction like pilgrims paying homage.

"Sir, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has filed a formal lawsuit against us. They suspect that the previous Island Bridge Incident was connected to us." Ms. Reyes followed behind him and reported respectfully.

"Ignore them." Obadiah closed his eyes, his voice calm and utterly devoid of emotion. "They have no evidence. The 'me' sitting outside is best at dealing with these boring trivialities. Leave it to him."

With that, he slowly took out several prepared genetic samples. Invisible telekinesis supported them, suspending them one by one in the air.

His gaze swept across the test tubes. After a moment of thought, one of them slowly descended at Obadiah's command, a name clearly marked upon it.

Miles Zero.

Then, invisible telekinesis carried the test tube and slowly inserted it into the final slot of the device.

Oklahoma, Wachino Mountains.

Accompanied by the roar of powerful air pressure, the Blackbird slowly descended into a hidden valley concealed by dense forest.

Miles and the others filed out and swiftly disappeared into the woods.

A few minutes later, led by Aurora, they arrived atop a rocky outcrop and looked out at the research institute several kilometers away, sealed off behind layer upon layer of military forces.

Aegis Bioscience Research Center.

"Madeleine, do you remember this place?" Miles asked softly.

"...No." Madeleine shook her head, her face pale. "I rarely left the laboratory. On the night I lost control, I only remember having a nightmare. I dreamed of that woman... and then I knew nothing."

"The woman Jossen's hypnosis made you see?" Miles pondered. "I originally thought she might have been the manifestation of your nightmare, but now it seems... perhaps there was another reason?"

"I..." Madeleine clutched her head in pain. "I can't remember... I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Leave this place to me."

Miles stopped pressing her and instead closed his eyes, spreading out his Telepathy.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again.

"Bad news. It's another damned Psychic Shielding Device. It seems Ritts and those military people really do value this place." Miles paused, then added, "Of course, the good news is that there are currently no signs of Super Leeches nearby."

"Should we prepare to infiltrate directly?" Laura asked, extending her claws.

Warpath Prosta, standing nearby, also clenched his fists, clearly ready to move.

"No need. We have a better candidate." Miles shook his head, stopping the two who were preparing to charge out. His gaze turned toward someone else in the team. "Charlotte, it's up to you."

"No problem."

Wraith Charlotte gave Miles an OK gesture, then found a comfortable position and lay down on the ground.

"Watch over my body."

After saying that, Charlotte's body went limp, and she fell into a deep sleep.

At the same time, a spirit invisible to the naked eye rose from her body. Without the slightest hesitation, it transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the heavily guarded research center.

"Charlotte's ability is Astral Roaming. She can turn her consciousness into a spirit, move freely, and possess other people." Miles explained to Prosta. "The Psychic Shielding Device can only target Telepathy. It can't block a 'consciousness ghost' like Charlotte."

"Under these special circumstances, Charlotte is the best spy we have."

A patrolling soldier who had been holding a gun and dozing outside the perimeter wall suddenly stirred. After confirming that no one was around, he quietly left his post.

More than ten minutes later, the soldier arrived behind the rock where Miles and the others were hiding.

"Miles."

Using Charlotte's exact tone of voice, he said, "I found the location of the shielding device. Should I find a chance to blow it up?"

"Don't rush, Charlotte. The situation is special right now. It would be best if no one discovered this operation."

As Miles spoke, he removed the X Terminal from Charlotte's sleeping body and handed it to the possessed soldier. "The terminal has a dedicated encrypted signal frequency, and Aurora has enhanced the data-cracking capabilities of the remote program. Take it with you, find a way into the research center, and act according to Aurora's and my instructions."

"Understood." The soldier gave an OK gesture.

"Uh..." Moonstar Dani looked at the soldier possessed by Charlotte, then at Charlotte's body lying on the ground. "Seriously, Charlotte... doesn't it feel weird seeing your own body like that?"

"It's actually not too bad." The soldier thought for a moment before replying. "I just treat it like looking in a mirror... What feels a little uncomfortable is being in spirit form without possessing anyone. I can't physically interact with the outside world, and because I have no mass, it even feels like I'm wandering around naked, like some kind of pervert..."

"That sounds disgusting..." Dani looked utterly repulsed.

Seeing this, the soldier helplessly shrugged at her, then took the terminal and left.

Soon, he returned to his original post and casually tossed the delicate device into a toolbox, mixing it among military wrenches and screwdrivers so it drew no attention.

After doing all that, he lay down on the table and began dozing.

Not long afterward, an officer walked over. Having just seen the soldier neglecting his duty, he frowned and approached, intending to reprimand him.

As he drew close, the invisible spirit left the soldier and plunged straight into the officer's body!

The officer's body suddenly stiffened, and his eyes turned vacant.

Charlotte had possessed him.

"..."

The officer possessed by Charlotte returned to normal expression, walked calmly to the toolbox, took out the terminal, and slipped it into his pocket.

Then he returned to the dozing soldier and casually slapped him awake.

The sleeping soldier woke groggily. When he saw the face before him, he jumped in fright and instinctively stood up to salute.

"G-Good day, sir!"

After being possessed by Charlotte, most ordinary people retained no memories of the possession.

The officer put on a stern expression, looked the soldier over from head to toe, and said casually, "You're losing this month's allowance."

"Huh?" The soldier froze, then smiled helplessly. "You still love joking around, Mr. Jossen. Since when have we ever had allowances?"

"..."

Mr. Jossen, possessed by Charlotte, twitched slightly.

"Beep beep..."

Not long afterward, Miles's terminal received a communication request.

Blue light flashed. In the three-dimensional projection, a military researcher wearing a yellow sterile research uniform appeared before them as a hologram.

"Miles, I've reached the data center, but the situation is troublesome." Charlotte's voice came from the researcher's mouth. "The research center is under full lockdown. Most of the data servers here have been shut down and can't operate."

"Understood. Wait for me." Miles nodded, then said, "Aurora, can you hear me?"

"What do you need, Miles?" Aurora's voice sounded. This time, it came from her mainframe body in the underground base at Xavier Institute.

"Investigate the higher command and faction of this garrison force."

Just a few seconds later, Aurora sent back the information. "The current force belongs to the Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects and Special Assets Command. It is a cooperative department of the ATHENA Office..."

"...I knew it. That woman Ritts is behind this again." Miles snorted coldly, then said, "Aurora, crack their communications network and issue them an order in the name of the Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects and Special Assets Command. Tell them to conduct a 'data asset inventory audit.' Can you do it?"

"Three minutes." Aurora's reply was concise and efficient.

"A data asset inventory?"

Colonel Mitterrand murmured in surprise.

As the person currently in charge of the garrison at Aegis Bioscience Research Center, Colonel Mitterrand looked at the latest directive from the Pentagon. Though he did not understand his superiors' intentions, he still diligently prepared to carry it out.

"Hack? Hack!"

Colonel Mitterrand called over his adjutant and relayed the order from above.

Under the technicians' operation, the indicator lights on rows of cold server racks deep within the research center, once silent as a graveyard, lit up one after another. The server arrays throughout the vast computer room began to emit a fierce hum in unison.

It worked?

The researcher possessed by Charlotte mingled among the crowd, silently marveling at Miles's and Aurora's abilities. Then he quietly slipped away, reached a concealed corner, and once again took out the terminal to report to Miles.

"Miles, all the servers are up. What do I do next?"

"Aurora's remote program is already cracking their central control system. She'll filter and back up all the important data onto a hard drive. Follow Aurora's instructions and find a way to bring that hard drive out!"

"Alright!"

The "audit operation" continued for over half an hour.

Finally, amid anxious waiting, Charlotte saw the words "Transmission Complete" appear on the terminal screen. She immediately pulled a hard drive from the server rack beside her.

But just then, an icy voice suddenly sounded behind her, making every hair on her body stand on end.

"What are you doing?"

Charlotte controlled the researcher's body and slowly turned around stiffly.

Behind her, a figure stared into her eyes with a blade-sharp gaze.

Colonel Mitterrand.

"Don't move!!"

The next moment, several soldiers rushed in from both sides, their black gun barrels aimed at her. Before she could react, a tremendous force slammed her to the ground, her cheek pressed viciously against the cold floor.

"A spy?"

Colonel Mitterrand muttered to himself. He took the hard drive and terminal from a subordinate and was just about to say something when his body suddenly stiffened again!

Charlotte had possessed him.

At the same time, the researcher who had still been struggling wildly instantly lost consciousness and collapsed.

"What happened? Why did he pass out?"

"Go get a doctor!"

The scene immediately descended into chaos. The soldiers hurriedly carried the unconscious researcher away, and no one noticed anything unusual about their commanding officer.

Watching as the "spy" caught red-handed was carried away by the soldiers, Colonel Mitterrand's face twisted as he did everything he could to conceal his abnormality.

"Sir, what's wrong?" the adjutant beside him asked carefully. He noticed that Colonel Mitterrand's complexion seemed rather poor.

"Nothing. I just didn't sleep well last night."

Colonel Mitterrand answered casually. "Let's go. I need to report what happened here to the higher-ups as soon as possible."

Not long afterward, Colonel Mitterrand left the research institute alone, carrying the hard drive and terminal.

Along the way, his steps alternated between fast and slow, and his body staggered from time to time as though he were drunk. His expression also shifted between twisted and pained.

"This guy is hard to deal with..." Charlotte gritted her teeth and muttered through Colonel Mitterrand's body.

Unlike the others, Colonel Mitterrand had an exceptionally strong will. Charlotte found it difficult to completely suppress his consciousness, which had caused the earlier abnormalities.

But fortunately... she had finally brought the data out. Now she only needed to hand this hard drive over to Miles...

Bang!

A piercing gunshot rang out, kicking up a cloud of dust from the concrete by her feet.

"Sir, where are you going?"

Charlotte's entire body stiffened. She slowly raised her hands and turned around.

Not far away, her adjutant Hack was pointing a gun at her with a grave expression. Behind him stood a squad of armed soldiers.

"Sir, please stop." Hack looked at her seriously. "Under military regulations, your actions are suspected of leaking top-secret military intelligence. Please come back with me."

She had been exposed!

Without hesitation, Charlotte controlled Mitterrand's body, turned, and sprinted toward the nearby forest!

Bang!!

Another gunshot rang out.

Charlotte felt a sharp pain explode in her left knee. Her body pitched uncontrollably forward, and the hard drive and terminal flew from her grasp, rolling far across the ground.

"Sir, I'm sorry..."

Hack was about to step forward when he saw the soldier closest to the hard drive strangely tremble the instant he picked it up.

Then the soldier suddenly went mad, clutching the hard drive and turning to run!

"Something's wrong!" Adjutant Hack instantly realized something. Pointing at the soldier, he shouted, "Catch him!"

Another chaotic pursuit broke out. The possessed soldier was soon struck by bullets as well and fell to the ground with a scream.

But at that moment, two unfamiliar figures suddenly sprang out from the nearby forest!

Clang!

A sharp metallic screech rang out. Steel claws extended from Laura's hands, and her figure flashed forward like lightning, instantly tackling the nearest soldier!

As the person beside him started to turn his gun, he saw a flash of cold light rapidly fill his vision!

"Urgh!"

"Argh!!"

Screams rose one after another. This was not a battle at all, but a one-sided slaughter. Laura and Prosta charged into the soldiers like tigers among sheep, taking down the entire squad in the blink of an eye.

"M-Mutants!"

Adjutant Hack's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to take out his communicator and report in, his body suddenly stiffened against his will.

A cold, unfamiliar will forcibly squeezed into his brain and took control of everything.

Then, with vacant eyes, he bent down, trembling as he picked up the hard drive and terminal from the ground. He straightened up and slowly walked toward the bushes ahead.

Before him, Miles slowly emerged from behind the bushes and walked toward him.

A few minutes later, the Blackbird took off again and entered stealth mode.

"I erased their memories of the past hour. No one will know we were here for the time being." As Miles spoke, he inserted the hard drive into the Blackbird's read-write slot, then closed his eyes.

On the console screen, an enormous amount of data once again flowed like a waterfall, rapidly streaming past as Miles filtered and organized it one item at a time.

"You'd better pray there's something useful in there, Miles." Charlotte, clutching her leg nearby, asked weakly. "Damn it, do you know how many times I got shot?"

"There's a saying in my homeland: 'Pain is proof that a warrior is alive.'" Prosta suddenly said.

"Shit, you weren't the one getting shot!"

"I get shot often too."

"Don't compare me to you. I don't have your enhanced physique." Charlotte said helplessly.

"They weren't shooting your real body. Do you still feel pain?" Dani asked curiously.

"Yes." Charlotte nodded. "Once, I possessed someone else and got one of their legs blown off. After returning to my own body, I couldn't walk properly for several days."

"That really was an amazing ability," Dani murmured, then asked, "So while you were in ghost form, could you pass through obstacles like walls easily?"

"Yes. I could even fly around."

"Uh..." Dani thought for a moment and was just about to say something when movement came from Miles's side.

"Charlotte, nice work!"

Miles opened his eyes and said slowly, "I have a lead..."

Then blue light lit up before them again, forming a three-dimensional holographic model.

"I compared all encrypted data exchange records from the research center, especially those suspected of being connected to Dr. Stasis. The institutions and facilities still in contact with the research center where Stasis might be are as follows..."

A three-dimensional world map appeared on the screen before them, marked with dozens of blinking points of light.

"That many?" Charlotte frowned.

"Don't worry," Miles continued. "Combined with Aurora's investigation on the network level, most of them are only temporary collaborations. What I need to find are places with long-term, deep cooperation with Dr. Stasis, or even places that belong to his own category of 'safehouses'..."

"He would most likely keep things as confidential as possible, but records such as personal account information, financial transactions, and the flow of supplies genuinely exist..."

As soon as he finished speaking, ninety percent of the points on the map went dark.

"Then Aurora can conduct infiltrative investigations of these locations through the network, searching for traces of Dr. Stasis..."

Very soon, the remaining points of light began to go out one by one.

In the end, only one final point of light remained on the vast map.

"California, Alameda Secret Research Center!"