Return, Droppings, and the Giant Rat

Inside the Black Shield Police Department.

Director Hogg sat at his desk. Before him stood a small glass vial.

It held four teeth still stained with traces of blood—the Blood Slave teeth Carmen had brought in a few days earlier.

Hogg struggled to control the restless urge inside him, trying to master it.

His body had to answer to him.

At last.

After repeated attempts, his left hand began to change. His already broad palm thickened, and coarse gray-black wolf fur sprouted across it.

His fingers grew longer and thicker, while his nails extended into hard, sharp claws that glinted coldly.

In less than ten seconds, Director Hogg's left hand no longer looked human. It was a massive wolf claw.

The fur thinned rapidly past his wrist, however, and his arm looked human again above the middle of his forearm.

Hogg felt his control over the power and smiled with satisfaction.

"Finally, I can change at will!"

Knock, knock, knock—

At the sudden knock, Hogg's left hand immediately returned to normal. He slipped the small vial of Blood Slave teeth into a drawer.

"Come in!"

The door opened, revealing Commander Old Ke.

"Director, the fighting in North City is over, and we've made contact with Carmen."

"Oh? What did he say?" Hogg raised an eyebrow.

"They wiped out forty-seven people from the Burning Fortress and twenty-one from Marauder Prison. Also..." Old Ke looked excited, drawing Hogg's full attention.

"One of the Marauder Prison casualties was a special combatant, apparently a mechanically augmented human. The body is being brought back..."

What?

Hogg's eyes widened as he stared at Old Ke.

"A mechanically augmented human? Marauder Prison... Could this be the secret weapon we suspected they had?"

"Most likely. Director, according to Carmen's report, this mechanically augmented human destroyed an armed Armored