"This... Isn't going to trigger more gangs to come for us? We don't need all to attack for the defense of a handful." I asked.
"Pfft, the gangsters will fight anyone. You're just unlucky. Don't be so obsessed with yourself Chief." Hella decided.
I opened my mouth to retort.
"This is a place of the law of the jungle. Every summer, the gangs fight themselves to death to be the 'Syndicate Boss.'"
"Hundreds of passersby get dragged into these idiots' fights and die for nothing.
Be careful, Ma'am. Don't get yourself killed in your first mission!"
I wanted to tell her it was technically my second mission really, but maybe she wasn't counting our encounter with Suspect R.
"It's your job to protect the Chief. I'll deal with you if you fail to do so." Hecate threatened.
Hecate is still as cold and stiff as always.
She may "follow your orders", but as someone whom you have no idea what's on her mind, she may be further away from you than you think.
Hella shrink back in fear. "Okay, okay, okay! I'm showing you the way now, alright? Get your monster away, you gloomy guy!" She exclaimed.
"Strange. " Hella noted as we resumed walking.
"What is?" I asked. The thugs on the ground have been beaten into silence, but they're still writhing around struggling and becoming more and more exhilarated that they even left bite marks on the steel pipes.
"They should have had the final showdown a month ago. How come they are still so rowdy...?"
"Huh-" I started to question.
"This is not their ordinary power." Hecate spoke.
Suddenly she was on alert. "Chief! Stand back!"
More thugs are stumbling toward me from street corners with bloodshot eyes and distorted faces, seemingly unable to control their bodies.
"I played a zombie apocalypse game that started like this." I added helpfully.
A distinctive figure appears in the mob.
It was a young, thin girl with gray hair. She stares at you with hollow eyes, while a dark mist emanates from her body—the shackles in your hands suddenly begin to shake.
'She's a Sinner too ... She looks younger than Hella....'
"Hehe. Now I remember that a group in Syndicate will be very interested in you." Hella grinned.
"Gee thanks for the heads up about the Sinners here," I snarked.
"Your shackles are an absolute restraint to Sinners, which means you are their worst enemy. They will try to kill you any way they can." Hecate voiced.
"Rub salt on the wound why don't you?" I asked.
Hecate looked mildly apologetic but it didn't stretch from her eyes to the rest of her face.
The gray-haired girl raises her hand, then the dark mist from her body spreads outward. Wherever the mist reaches, the thugs howl and furiously charge past her toward you.
"I just remembered how I survived the first chapter of that game! Dodge!"
"It's Mania!" Hecate grabbed me as well split directions.
The deranged rioters charge at me and more gangs are dragged into the mayhem.
"Damn so many people are getting dragged into this..." I lamented.
"They call it a classified operation? See? They already know." Hella said.
"Catch that Sinner! Find out who betrayed us!" Hella ordered.
"I thought I was calling the shots here-" I argued.
"No, protect the Chief. The enemy is targeting." Hecate corrected.
Before the sentence was finished, a black beam jabs at me.
"Whoa fuck-!" I instinctively block it with my hand, but it is impossible to be blocked.
Everything suddenly slows down. This moment, I locked eyes with the Sinner.
Those hollow eyes show no emotions. No bloodthirsty madness, nor the slightest confusion or hesitation—only your death is reflected in them.
"Chief!" Hecate yelled.
"Speaking of emotionless people," I muttered.
"I'm alright!" I told her. "Get her now!"
Repeated bang noises sounded. It was a gun. Immediately I thought of Nightingale, but she was still at the MBCC.
The gray-haired girl tumbled down to the ground. The bullets miss the vital parts but leave several bloody holes on her lean body. Her face grows paler as she stumbles toward the dark alley.
"Catch her! She needs medical help!" I told my companions. Hella looked like she was going to correct me.
They lunged to move but a voice interrupted us.
"Don't go after her!" A red hair man stood out from the crowd.
"Huh The fu- Sorry but this is kinda my job!" I argued.
"The gangs ahead have been infected by her Mania. It's too dangerous. Follow me." He advised.
I couldn't help but feel on guard. But I did follow him to the alleyway.
We turn into the dark alleys to escape the rioter fights. The whole area descends into chaos and madness.
The thugs are growing stronger, while their minds break down one after another. Sounds of gunfire, lights reflecting from swinging blades, they fly everywhere while the thugs are losing their minds to the desire of killing and destruction.
"You big cheese from the east must have never seen this side of the DisCity."
I wisely don't comment on the cheese title.
"The world's most prosperous and affluent megalopolis has been given the notorious name of "The City of Sins". The crime rate is increasing, yet the authorities see no solution." The red haired man explained.
"It's all because of this Mania plague, which pollutes the minds, amplifies human evil, empowers the wicked, and leads to collective madness."
Those Sinner monsters are the source of the Mania.
"..! Careful with your words-!" I argued.
"Watch your mouth, scoundrel. Who did you call a monster?" Hella seethed.
Hella's pipe dents the rusted pipes in the alley. The man shoots Hella a cold glance while remaining indifferent.
"It is precisely this evil power that comes from Mania and spreads Mania. They have turned Syndicate into a mess." He scowled.
"Did you lead us to this hidden alley to insult my companions?" I snapped.
"Sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet." He said. But he didn't sound too sorry.
"I'm Ted, an informant and assistant for the local security precinct in Syndicate. The Bureau sent me here to meet you." He said.