My Werewolf System Chapter 266 - 270 (Patreon)

Inside a big white house in a certain room, constant banging was heard one after another. In between there would be grunts and yells that could be heard even with the doors closed, and after a while it had stopped.

Inside the office itself, Slough’s mayor was standing in the centre huffing and panting, his fists bloody. He was out of breath and the room itself had been turned upside down like there had been a robbery.

Papers were strewn all across the floor, broken chairs, smashed paintings, ripped books and more.

‘Those damned Howlers… why did they have to appear NOW?! They could ruin EVERYTHING!!! Everything I’ve painstakingly built up! I chose this town carefully. I carefully made all my connections… I was so close, and now they’re about to ruin it ALL!!!’ Ben clenched his fist, and it looked like he was about to attempt to smash his desk as well, until a knock just outside his door was heard.

Putting it down, and now noticing the mess he had caused, Ben straightened out his clothes while heading towards the door, opening it himself. At the door itself was D, leader of the Rising Dragon gang, who seemed to be spending most of his time at the mayor’s.

“The NIRV corp respective is here.” D explained.

Arriving home after the dreaded meeting he had, Ben had completely forgotten about his appointment today. On top of that, it was quite the important one that he couldn’t miss.

“Tell him I will be with him in just a minute, and let's move the meeting to the living room, make sure the doors are locked after me as well.” Ben ordered.

After a few minutes, Ben Clove had gone down to the living room, where his daughter and wife were already present. The two of them were sitting down peacefully chatting to the guest that would be there today. The guest himself was an older looking gentleman with grey hair and classes, on top of that he wore a lab coat.

‘These figures from NIRV seem to never leave without their coats.’ Ben thought as he put on a smile and went for a handshake. The representative stood up and shook the mayor’s hand, while noticing his hands were bandaged up.

“I didn't expect your profession to cause you to use your hands in such ways.” The representative sounded surprised, as he pushed glasses back up onto the top of his face. Noticing that both of them were bandaged up, he assumed it had come from hitting something.

Once again, Ben smiled, but it was a forced smile. NIRV was one of the, if not THE biggest corporation in the world. They were the first ones that were able to successfully create an Altered. Ever since they have been leading the way, always coming up with better technologies, making the process safer and on top of that, finding a vast amount of ancient beast fossils to be used as Altered.

Of course, this was why Ben had called them, because they were the best of the best, and his daughter only deserved the best in his eyes. However, as the market leader, NIRV’s headquarters was naturally located in a Tier-1 city. This house visit alone had cost the Clove family a small fortune.

Not everyone, but there were people in Tier-1 Cities that tended to look down on those living in lower tiers. Which made Ben have a disliking for most of those in the Tier-1 cities, even though he wished to be one of those people one day.

“I just needed to release some anger, it's a stressful job, after all.” Ben explained.

The NIRV employee didn’t comment any further. Instead, he turned on the large TV while in the room. What followed was a presentation of sorts, the employee went through all the benefits and the risks that one had to be aware of when undergoing the Altered process.

In the past, there was a high risk of the person dying, but nowadays NIRV had managed to decrease the fatality chance to around one in a million. However, there were some clear points to take away from the presentation.

Once a person selected a specific type of Altered, there was no way to change into another Altered. On top of that, there was also no way for them to reverse the process once it had been completed. Learning to control the Altered form would differ from person to person.

Interestingly, there was the possibility to upgrade one’s Altered form though. At times NIRV had managed to find similar beasts. When the procedure was performed on an Altered, it was possible that they could be strengthened if the fossil turned out to be stronger than the original. If this was the case they would be happy to upgrade the Altered free of charge.

“Now, as you have wished, I’ve brought along a selection for you to choose from. All this Altered DNA has yet to appear on the market and not a single person has had access to. In other words, it will be unique to her… unless of course someone manages to find more of that type of fossil.” The representative explained.

There was a reason why Ben had asked for this. It would have been a lot cheaper if they had asked for a more common Altered form. Although some of them could climb the ladder of fame with their strength, if they didn't, they would be left as guards to corporations or amount to very little in the world.

On the other hand, a unique Altered would be able to garner a lot of attention from corporations and more. If Xin didn't make it as an Altered fighter like she wished, then her father still wanted his only daughter to have an easy and good life. Even if it was costly, the mayor was sure that it would be worth every penny.

‘I want my family to be safe… even after I leave.’ Ben thought.

“Since you don’t seem to have any questions, shall we proceed?” The employee lifted a small metal briefcase and placed it out on the table in front of him. “At NIRV, we strive to perfect the Alterification process. Since you’ve chosen our top option, we’ve prepared something special for you. It will be announced at our next press conference, but there’s no longer even a need to go to a lab.”

As the man explained everything, he opened up the metal briefcase and inside there were three syringes with liquid inside. “Now all that is needed is just a simple injection.” He smiled.

******

The syringes in the special metallic suitcase were quite large. The needle itself was a good three inches long, which didn't exactly make Xin jump for joy when she saw them. However, she had heard that the Altered process in the past was quite the painful one.

So perhaps this was an easier alternative compared to before, which she was pleased about. When looking at them closely she could see that the liquid that was filled inside each one of them was a different colour, one green, one blue and finally the last one was a yellow colour.

“Of course, there is only so much data that we can gather based on the fossils of the beast we dig up.” The NIRV employee continued. “Still, I will try to do my best to describe the type of beast that each syringe contains to make your choice easier.”

The TV screen behind the man changed once again, bringing up a 3D render of the beast. The graphics made it look so real and alive, but the man assured them that it was all simulated by computer graphics.

On screen, there was what looked like a giant serpent-like creature. It had long hard green scales with no pattern on its body. However, its tail had two spikes sticking out from the end, making it appear like a hammer. Other than it moving around in an empty room, there was nothing else shown on screen.

“Please bear in mind that we can only help portray the appearance of the beast. We are unsure what traits will be passed on from the beast to the Altered. Perhaps they will be minimal, or there might be even something that we’ve unable to uncover.” The man explained.

Xin knew that based on her brother's experience. In Jayden’s case, his sponsor had believed that he was just consuming a normal beast that looked like a tiger. It came as a shock to everyone and the whole world when it turned out that the fossil had seemingly belonged to a special type, a white tiger. There were even more special things that the public didn’t know much about.

The video screen changed and moved onto the next beast. The scenery changed, and it looked like now there was a body of water. Xin could see a creature swimming through it. It was hard to tell the size of the creature from the scale, but to her, it looked very elegant.

Similar to the creature before, it had one long body. There were two large fins that were flat and wide on the side of its body, as well as a single long fin that allowed it to cut through the water. Aside from that, it also had a sharp horn on the top of its head.

Then there was the final one, though before they could see anything the screen went dark. At first, Xin thought that the video might have been broken, but a few seconds later she could see an outline of something. Glowing light in and out, in the shape of a large bird.

The shape of the bird was not regular, though. Its wings looked to be jagged as if it was made from pointy rocks, and it was the same for its head as well. The longer Xin stared at the beast, the more she could make out what it was, which was sending shivers running through her whole body.

With that, the presentation was over.

“What was with the last one?” Natalia Clove asked.

“Ah, that video? Well, I believe the CGI team must have gotten quite creative with that one. After all, it's quite boring just seeing the beasts in the same room all the time.” The man replied with a nervous chuckle.

It was time for Xin to pick, and she intensely looked at all three syringes, thinking back to the videos. The employee of NIRV thought he had a pretty good idea which one the lady would pick. Young girls like hers usually picked those that would be the most elegant, and he had seen the teenage girl’s eyes light up when she looked at the water type beast. After all, the appearance of the Altered forms were important to a lot of people.

“I want to go for the one that made the most impact on me. For some reason, I just can't keep forgetting about It. This one.” Xin said as she picked up the yellow syringe. “I'm serious about doing well in the AFC, so It has to be this one.”

It was safe to say that the man was shocked, but he was also happy with her choice. The man handed her a little pamphlet that explained what they were about to do. How to administer the injection, along with details of whom to contact if she were to experience any side effects.

“Can’t you administer the injection now for us?” Natalia asked.

“Sure, I was going to suggest staying a couple of days to see how she was doing anyway. It would be great to gather some data as well. Why don't you head to your room, Young Miss Clove, and get ready? I’ll be with you in a second.” The man agreed.

Xin and her mother quickly headed upstairs excited, while waiting for the man. As he packed up his suitcase, though, Ben grabbed the man’s hand before it was closed.

“Wait, since you’re already here, and you’ve brought those syringes with you, how about parting with one more?” Ben asked.

After seeing those beasts on screen, and after what had transpired at the meeting, the middle-aged man couldn’t resist this change to become an Altered himself. As the mayor, Ben Clove never wanted to go through a similar situation again. He hated having to rely on others like D for the protection of himself and his family, and these syringes could spell the end to that…

“According to your finances, you do have enough money for one syringe, but a second one would bring you close to bankruptcy. NIRV would need some type of collateral if you wish to purchase another one. With all due respect, Mr Clove, are you sure you wish to do that?” The man in a coat questioned him.

Ben Clover was a little scared about when and how that company had looked into his finances, but what he was saying was unfortunately the truth. The Clove family could afford one, but that was only because Jayden had given his father a rather large cheque, so they could afford the best treatment for Xin.

Their own funds would not suffice to pay for a second syringe… unless he used ‘other’ funds.

“There are always other ways to make money, especially as an Altered in a city like this.” Ben said.

“Very well, then. NIRV happens to have a contract for such a situation, which I will need you to sign. But for now, please choose whichever one you would like.” The man said with a slight smile, opening up the suitcase once again.

******

Lately, Anton Millstun had been spending more time inside his office rather than out on the field. Not because there weren't many crimes going on in Slough, it was quite the opposite. It was because lately, a certain case of his had become an obsession. In his office he had made a board, with photos of different cases and linking them all together with names written underneath.

“There really haven’t been any more killings done by a crazed Altered ever since Billy has been dealt with.” The Chief of Police talked out loud, as he often did, since it helped him think more clearly.

“All the deaths can be added up to him, but there are still things that don’t make sense. The main one being the blood that was found at the alleyway and the death of Barry. Altered Hunters don't go after anyone other than Altered.

“The theory that an Altered Hunter is also an Altered himself doesn't make sense in the case of Barry’s death, and what reason would Billy have had to go after him? There was zero relation between the two. Yet with all Billy's other victims, we were able to pinpoint them to those underground fights he had.

“I’m sure of it, although maybe not a mass murderer, there is another Altered that is involved in all of this. One that isn’t Billy, but there hasn't been any matches for their blood that was found on the scene. On top of that, the case that started this all. The first kill of Billy would have had to have been his parents. Which means the first case at the building site is unrelated at all.”

Heading over to his desk, Anton grabbed another picture and pinned it up onto his board. It was a school student and a fairly large one as well, with the name Gil written underneath it.

“According to the teachers at Westbridge, Gil was undoubtedly Barry’s closest friend. However, not long after his death, the teenager has dropped out of school and no one has been able to get in contact with him. According to his classmates he did sometimes claim that he would just join the grey colour gang. However, after an attack they have seemingly disbanded, and gotten absorbed by the red colour gang, which means they're no help any more either.

“Could he be the Altered I’m looking for? Regardless, even if he isn't, he might be able to provide me another perspective. Something, that I might not be aware of.”

Finally, heading back to the table once more, the officer picked up another picture and put a pin in the centre. On it, there was a green haired boy which he put next to the picture of a black boy with blonde hair.

“Both of them fought against Billy in those underground matches, and on top of that they go to the same school as Barry and Gil. Somehow, this whole school just seems to be a beacon for trouble. That green haired kid, in particular… I remember him, he was the one that rebelled against the red colour gang members.”

Taking out a big red marker, right by Gary’s picture, Anton wrote Altered with a question mark.

‘The picture I have of him at the moment, he looks different than when I saw him.’

He had found the next person to interrogate, just then there was a knock on the door. Before Anton could even answer, the door was opened from the other side.

“Now, who’s the lucky guy who just volunteered to clean the toilets for the next two weeks?” Anton asked, turning around, but when he saw who it was, he wasn’t so surprised any more.

“We just came to inform you that we will be leaving Slough tomorrow.” Sadie declared, looking around at the mess inside of the room. If she didn’t know any better, the woman would have thought to have stumbled into the lair of a psychopath.

“What about the second Altered Killer and what about the Altered Hunters?” Anton raised his eyebrow.

“You mean the ones who dealt with Billy for us? If there had been any news, I’m sure you would have heard about it. Anyway, our superiors have deemed the case to have been closed.” Sadie answered. “Of course, we initially came here because of the three gang members deaths and although Billy’s blood wasn’t found at the scene, the markings on their bodies do fit the other deaths.”

“That’s bull crap, and you know it!” Anton slammed his hands on the desk. “Altered or not, an attack with bare hands should leave DNA! And what about the one that attacked the high school student? There is still a lot to do.”

Sadie folded her arms like she knew that something like this was going to happen, but she couldn't be bothered to explain. Her partner Frank knew that as well. Slough’s Chief of Police wouldn’t give up so easily.

“Sorry, Anton, but you know that the power of us White Rose agents is limited. Even if we suspect that another Altered Killer might be out there, for all we know he might have fled somewhere else. If there is another death then we will come back as soon as possible, but for now with no leads, there isn't much we can do.”

“No leads?” Anton then revealed the board he had been working on as he stepped to the side and placed his hand towards the two students. “Here’s your lead!”

Seeing this, Sadie couldn't help but scoff.

“Well, that just proves you have nothing but assumptions at best, and not even good ones. We already went to the school and tested him. Don’t bother reading the report, there was nothing. That kid’s blood was as red as can be. Misguided as he might be, we know for sure that he isn’t an Altered. Anyway, we have said what we needed to say.”

Before Anton could say anything else, Sadie left the room. Frank gave him an apologetic look before closing the door. It was clear Anton was frustrated, but turning around, he grabbed his pen and drew a big red X on Gary’s picture.

‘If they say he’s not an Altered then they must have tested him, I guess he really isn't one.’

Taking the picture off the wall, Anton paused for a second.

“What made them think that he was an Altered in the first place? The two of us came to the same conclusion but… why?”

Maybe there was still some hope in this case after all.

——

After leaving the police station, the two White Rose agents had hailed down a cab and were heading to their hotel room. Sadie was celery annoyed and Frank was trying to figure out what to say.

“You know, he's a good police officer. He's working hard, you shouldn't give him such a hard time.” Frank said. Letting out a big sigh, Sadie finally unfolded her arms. She then paused for a second before proceeding to rub the area around her ankle.

“I know… I'm just frustrated. The wound still hasn’t healed from that day, and for some reason it's been starting to itch more and more. On top of that… well… you know the rest already.”

Lately, Sadie had been experiencing some side effects and from the sounds of it, they were getting worse.

“Don't worry, that's why we are heading back to the White Rose base. The guy from the lab will take a look at you and find out what’s wrong with it. You will be okay in no time, don't worry.” Frank patted his partner on her shoulder.

*****

When school came to an end, Tom picked up his speed to get home, unable to contain his excitement any longer. Today he would be leaving Slough. Not forever, of course, but he would spend the next week or so gaining valuable work experience. The best thing about it, he would be doing so under his parents’ supervision.

Honestly, Tom had always been interested in what exactly his parents were doing. When asked about it, they would explain a few details here and there, but they seemed to avoid that particular question, always stating that they would tell him once he was older.

This curiosity drove Tom mad and in the end, it had largely contributed to his desire to want to follow in his parent's footsteps. It seemed like a silly reason, to follow in his parent's footsteps just so he could find out what their work actually was. Nevertheless, it was a goal that allowed him to focus on school and not so much on his other passion, playing video games.

Accepting Tom to now finally go to his parents' workplace, meant he was a step closer to his goal.

Outside his house, he could see his parents already waiting, and it looked like they had already packed his bags for him as well. The Green couple were always the type to be in a rush and were rarely home as well. Another reason why Tom desired to be in the same field as them, just so he could spend more time with them, and not feel so… distant.

“We’ll be out of town for a full week.” James Green said as he was ready to start the car. “You made sure to tell all your friends and teacher, right?”

“Sure did. Mom also had a talk with Headmistress Young, so I’m all good to go.” Tom replied, bouncing up and down in his seat. “Come on, let’s go. No time to waste.”

The car went out of slough and onto the highway, and for the first time, Tom could see the sign to  Brocknell. During the drive, Tom couldn’t help but think about his best friend. Were it not for Gary having turned into a Werewolf, he would probably just miss him slightly, but now? Who knew what could happen in the span of a single week?

When entering the Tier-2 city Tom couldn't help but stare out the window, admiring all the sights. Technically this wasn’t the first time he had been here, but the last time had been then, he had been a lot younger. His memory of that time was naturally a little fuzzy.

Still, it was just as impressive as he remembered it to be. There were more skyscraper buildings out here. Used for large corporations with offices, or for the rich that like to live at the top and stare out at the city.

Another prominent thing were the advertisements. Digital screens all over the different buildings were advertising for clothes, restaurants and other things, mostly luxury items that might cost more than one month’s paycheck from his parents combined.

The people on the street themselves were walking in nice clothes, and each of them looked clean cut and presentable. The biggest difference of them, however, was the fact that nowhere in the city, not even in the different areas, did there seem to be any sign of poverty.

There was no graffiti, no litter on the street, nor any signs of gangs just walking around at a certain time of day. Tom was witnessing the difference between a single rank in Tiers.

However, seeing all of this just made Tom wonder how great a Tier-1 city would look like. That was something he had never experienced before. Those cities were similar to gated communities, and they didn’t just allow tourism. Those that worked or lived there would be given special passes to enter and leave the city.

It truly was a place that was only for the select few… in other words the rich and mighty.

Eventually, the car came to a stop, and Tom’s eyes were lighting up. They hadn't gone to the apartment that his parents would usually use. Instead, they had gone straight to the lab itself.

“Sorry about this Tom, I know you must be tired after school, but there are just a few things that we need to finish up. I hope you don't mind?” His father asked.

“Of course, I don't mind. I wouldn't have been able to sleep today thinking about this anyway. This is much better!” Tom shook his head, quickly getting out of the car, leaving his mother to park it some place else.

The lab was quite large in size, it was placed on its own square of space. There was an open area for employees and the public to walk on. While the road continued in a square on the side. So there were no other buildings next to it.

The shape of the building itself was quite strange.  It was like a tear drop on its side. The higher tier cities did tend to have more impractical architectural designs, but still. The lab was large and impressive nonetheless.

Eventually, father and son reached the front of the building, and Tom stopped right outside for a second. He couldn't move any further as he stared at the letters that were placed above the building.

“What is this, Dad?!” Tom asked. “I had no idea they had a building in this city? Why did you keep this a secret from me? How could you and Mom never mention this to me?!”

Scratching the back of his head, Tom’s father was a bit nervous at his son’s reaction.

“There are quite a few reasons I didn't tell you, and I never knew it was such a big deal, honestly. It's just our job and what we love to do.” His dad smiled.

Rushing in after his dad, the two headed into the building, with the letters, NIRV written above.

******

Even at this late hour, inside the reception hall, Tom could see countless workers in their white lab coats all around the place. It seemed like a building that never went to sleep. Regardless, this was just the reception hall and there was not really anything to see here, the real interesting stuff was inside.

Walking up to the desk, it looked like his father was speaking to the receptionist for a while, and eventually, they handed over a digital tablet to him.

“You need to read this and sign here before we can give you a temporary pass for your internship.” His father explained as he handed over the tablet.

“This… it's a contract? An NDA contract? So I can't talk about anything that I see inside with anyone else outside, is that right?'' Tom asked after quickly skimming over the pages. There were a lot of technical terms, and Tom felt like he would be here for half an hour if he was to read them all.

“You need to actually read everything written in there, Tom. Don't just click agree like you would on a computer. It’s important you understand what you are signing.” His father insisted. “I had to really pull some strings to get you in here.

“A temp intern position didn’t even exist last week, but hey, your old man knows a few people.” James said, cracking his knuckles, which just embarrassed his son.

Sitting down at the few seats at the side, Tom decided to read them all, and his mother soon came to join them. The terms essentially were very strict. It felt like he was about to learn the secrets of the world, and that this legal mumbo jumbo was there for him to prepare for the repercussions.

Now he was starting to understand why his mother and father had only been able to tell him so much. They were just following the rules that had been set out. In the end, Tom signed it. After all, if anything, this level of secrecy only got him more excited about what was hidden inside.

After returning the tablet, Tom was given a pass but no lab coat, which made him feel a little disheartened, but he understood. Walking through, Tom was expecting to see some big secrets, but instead what followed were just… hallways.

There were countless hallways of people walking past heading to where they needed to be.

“You look disappointed.” His father chuckled. “Unfortunately, we are only allowed to see what we are working on. So our projects remains a secret from each other.”

Walking through the hallways, for the first time, Tom also noticed a group of people that weren't wearing lab coats at all. In fact, the way they walked around the place, their clothing and strange hairstyle, they seemed very out of place. They looked more like gangsters he would expect to find in Slough.

‘No, that's impossible, there can't be gangsters in a place like this. Even if they owned the place, they would be in Tier-1 city, not this lab.’ Tom thought as they took a turn away from them.

Eventually, the three of them stopped outside a large oval door. His father used his pass and the door opened, allowing for Tom's eyes to lay on a magnificent, gigantic fossil in front of him. The room opened up and was placed in giant glass containers containing not just one fossil, but countless different fossils all over the place, with numerous workers around each one.

“Remember when you asked me about beasts before? You can’t imagine how nervous I got, afraid that someone had leaked some intel or spread rumour.” James explained while walking to the fossil of the beast they were working on.

It was a small one, the bones looked like that of a dog, and his mother was typing away on the computer that was placed just underneath it.

“So, is this where they make the Altered DNA? Form the beast fossils? That's so cool!” Tom commented.

“Actually, it's a little more complicated than that, Tom. You see, what I'm about to tell you is something that the public has no idea about with regard to Altered. Of course, I don’t have to tell you that all of this information is completely classified.”

His father waited until Tom nodded, and then continued with his explanation.

“You see, we can’t actually extract much at all from these Fossils. It's impossible to make Altered from the fossils. Now I know you're going to be confused for a second, so I need to hear me out.

“There is a reason why only one fossil can create one Altered, and that's because what we need to do with this fossil is bring it back to life. Now our job is to extract the bones and as much of the original beast as we can from here.

“Then, it goes onto another section of the lab. I’ve never seen it myself, but there they have something they call a ‘Nest Crystal’. From what I gather, it’s quite the special energy generator, though they make it sound like stuff out of fairy tales. I mean, can you imagine a single crystal being able to supply enough energy to run the whole world?

“Anyway, they somehow use their Nest Crystal on the fossil and as long as we have done our job properly. It brings the fossil back to life.”

It took a second for Tom to take everything in there. It sounded like some type of rumour he would have heard from the internet and if anyone else, but his father was saying these things. Were it someone else, he would have called them out for being a liar.

“So are you saying that there are still beats, there are real beasts in this world?” Tom asked.

“Well, not any natural beasts anyway. However, NIRV seems able to bring back the beast to life, though they don’t live for long. After a few tests, they should be sent to a special team. The group we’ve passed on the way here, the ones without the lab coats, are part of that.

“They then have to kill the beast, and once the beast is dead inside they seemingly have their own special crystals. Those crystals from the dead beast is what is used to gather the Altered DNA. That is how the world came to create the Altered we know today.”

Listening to everything, it seemed like Gary was onto something when he had asked his best friend if beasts still existed.

The only question now was what had prompted the green haired teenager to ask that very bizzare question in the first place?