ETERNAL NIGHT STRANGER

The power of taboo

Megan led Zero through the secret passage and then precisely triggered the mechanism hidden on the side of the wall. With a slight mechanical clang, the solid wall slowly moved away and an elevator door came into Zero's eyes.

"Get in, the elevator will take you to the hidden mezzanine, you'll be safe there, don't leave until help arrives." Megan pointed towards the elevator.

"Are you with me?" Zero asked.

"No, I'm going to distract them." Megan switched to a fresh clip as the shouts of the thugs gradually pressed in, her eyes and muzzle focused unwaveringly ahead, but the gash on her forehead grew more and more livid.

Bright red blood irritated Zero's nerves, stinging unknown corners of broken memories.

"Don't hesitate to go, Zero. Your life is more important than everything else here." Megan's eyes remained straight ahead.

Zero was caught in a dilemma.

'The enemy has come to kill me, and the man in front of me is about to die for me.' The adjutant, the guardsmen, are all shedding blood to protect me at the cost of their lives, am I really that important?''

"Look at his dull face, he's still just a loser now, right? ......"

"Do it together! Without that man, we can truly be free!"

The words spoken by the thugs constantly echoed in Zero's mind.

Zero vaguely sensed that behind these killing intent, there was a deep fear of themselves hidden in them. Perhaps there really was some kind of power in himself that suppressed them, but it just hadn't awakened yet.

Zero put his hand on Megan's shoulder and said, "I can stop them right? They seem to fear me in their hearts. How do I use my power to suppress those who want to kill me?"

Megan shook her head, ''There's no way I can help you get your power back, you've only just awakened, and the repair program hasn't been completed yet, your body is very weak. That infected's ability just now will trigger an electromagnetic pulse, and the traps here will soon be destroyed. So don't hesitate."

Zero bowed his head and said, "There is no point in hiding like this, if there is no way to find the power. Then please give me a g*n so that I can stand firm with you."

"...... It seems you're stronger than anyone thought." Megan glanced at Zero then turned towards the elevator.

She changed the elevator's command, the destination floor number changed, and the display suddenly flashed a red warning light.

"The combat power within the Authority is indeed no longer enough to hold out until reinforcements arrive, there is still the only way to quell this riot ...... in the depths of the Detention Facility, a f*******n power sleeps in the depths of the Detention Facility, and it is stronger and more dangerous than any of the enemies in front of us. ...... That's the power that belongs to you, go and awaken it, if it's you, you can surely harness it." Megan said.

DING - The elevator doors opened and the thugs poked around the corner at the same time. Before their bullets could reach them, Megan pushed Zero into the elevator with one hand.

Zero reached out and tried to pull Megan into the elevator as well. Megan refused and turned around and threw a grenade at the thugs.

Zero yelled at Megan from the elevator "Hang on! Don't die." She didn't respond.

As the elevator doors close, a violent explosion rocks the space - and Zero comes to his senses.

When Zero came to his senses, the elevator had stalled in the darkness, the metal doors opening and closing helplessly, and the empty, silent confinement room beyond.

A sharp pain came from Zero's forehead, it should be an injury from the explosion earlier." Is this the detention center? Why is it so dark?"

He stood up and slowly walked out of the elevator with his hand on the wall, through the normally closed metal doors.

The doors to all the confinement rooms had been fully opened, and Zero's mind echoed with Megan's last instructions.

"After exiting the elevator, take the first corridor and go all the way to the end, turn right and go down one floor, the exact location of the target is in the D-02 area numbered ......"

"Big brother, this way, this way!" A young girl's shout interrupted Zero's memories.

"Are you the new big brother guard? My name is Susie."

"I'm not like those big bad guys, you see, I didn't do any damage nor did I take the opportunity to escape."

"I'm so scared ...... those bad guys are so fierce, he ...... they want to kill me, they said they will come back to kill me later!"

"Big brother, will you let me out, please."

Zero stepped back examining the containment room "Is she the one I'm looking for?"

The door lock had obviously been violently damaged by a blunt object, and the broken screen was constantly flashing the warning 'unlock failed' - and there was a twisted steel pipe hidden right next to Suzie.

Suzy seemed to notice that Zero had observed the tool at her feet, then explained, "This, this is what those bad guys smashed with, I have nothing to do with it, believe me, big brother, please let me out, I ......"

"I have begged you so many times, are you going to let go or not?!!!"

Suzy suddenly showed her fierce image, her hand sprang out and yanked Zero's collar yanking it towards herself with a surprising amount of force.

Zero slammed into the isolation glass, followed by a steel pipe strangling him.

In his restricted field of vision, Zero saw sparks splash onto Suzie's pale skin, making a burn mark before healing quickly.

Zero tried to break away from the young girl, Suzy spoke, "Open the door quickly, don't force me, I'm not messing with you."

"I don't have time to spend with you, I'm counting 5 more seconds to open the door or I'll strangle you!"

"5--4--3--2--"

"Yikes!"

A cloud of black shadow passed in front of Zero's eyes, followed by a scream from Suzie behind her as the pole fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"...... you asshole!"

Directly across from Zero You and Suzie, the door to the confinement room opens, the silent shadows slowly creeping in. An air of uncertainty filled the air.

In the center of the shadows, a slender female figure sat against the wall.

"...... Come back." The man in the shadows bellowed, and the dark shadow immediately left Suzy returning to become one with the darkness beside the man.

"...... A f*******n power lies dormant in the depths of the detention center, and it is more powerful and dangerous than any of the enemies before us." Zero instantly remembered Megan's words.

She was the 'f*******n Power'? Number SSS-02

The woman in the shadows looked at Suzy with contempt and said, "Kill him? Ridiculous, his life can only be ended by me."

"Let go of me! Bastard! Let go of me!" Suzy roared towards the woman

Zero twisted his head around only to realize that Suzy had been tightly bound by the black shadows extending from the woman's feet. Immediately after Zero turned back to the woman in the darkness, only to see her slowly stand up, along with the shadows flowing under her feet leaving the darkness and walking towards Zero.

By the time Zero realized it, the shadow had already wrapped around Zero's limbs, and a chill penetrated his veins and went deep into his bones. Zero subconsciously tried to struggle, but was kindly reminded by the woman.

"Don't move ...... it hates prey struggling in its hands ......"

"Unlike the riots outside, it's the ones housed here that are the real crisis."

The woman looked straight into Zero's eyes, the shadows had a stranglehold on his throat, and the piercing murderous intent stimulated Zero's every nerve.

"Well? Zero, have you ...... who constrain us and bind us found the 'deed'?"

"You ...... recognize me?" Zero, who had been strangled by the throat, let out a voice with difficulty.

"Oh ...... more than recognizing that we are originally one with each other." The woman let out a sardonic laugh.

"How about it, want to get back the power that belongs to you? That enough power to dominate everything!"

Zero suddenly got scared, he vaguely felt that the woman in front of him was like Pandora's magic box, opening the box could get everything, and at the same time could devour everything.

"I just want to know about my past and ...... stop the riots ......" Zero said.

"Then let me accompany you to retrieve the past, and then once again join you to reign over the world." The woman's tone revealed a hint of fervor.

She took Zero's hand and lightly pressed it against her collarbone, saying "Next time, don't forget my name, Lilith." Everything fell into darkness in this instant.

In the darkness, you could only see Lilith in front of you. Under her icy gaze, a cacophonous jumble of words crawls into your body, colliding with itself in your head, screaming ware to tear your soul apart.

"Control it, or end it ...... you know what to do ......"