The next day, I received another major update. Larry, Robbin, Lucy, and I rushed to the main monitoring room.
Upon arrival, Col. Peterson greeted me and immediately asked me to look at the largest screen. I also saw Simone and Imelda intently staring at the screen.
Col. Peterson said the reconnaissance aircraft assigned to one of the nuclear power plants yesterday had obtained new videos that stunned almost everyone.
In one of the videos, which used infrared imaging, the portal-like energy waves were gone, and all the monsters there appeared to have been wiped out. When one of the generals asked to show what had happened earlier, I saw the silhouette of a man, blindly attacking the large horde of monsters alone.
He shot the monsters, then as the monster approached him, he threw it to the ground, stomping it with one foot until it died crushed. He also appeared to tear it's body almost in half with his hands, easily tearing it apart.
The people in the room had varying expressions: some were horrified like Imelda, and many were elated like Simone. Yes, that's right, it was a Hellraider in action. Col. Peterson stated that this video was the first in the world to successfully document a Hellraider.
After nearly killing all the monsters, we saw some of the monster went back to the portal or even fleed the nuclear power plant area. The infrared image shows the Hellraider easily entering the portal. The video is fast-forwarded to 30 minutes. Then, after that, the Hellraider exits the portal, and it immediately collapses.
As he flees the nuclear power plant, the camera suddenly experiences glitches for a few seconds. After returning to normal, when trying to trace the Hellraider's whereabouts, the surveillance drones couldn't track him, even when the cameras gradually zoomed out to cover the entire city.
This was the strangest thing according to Col. Peterson. But unexpectedly, the portals located at several nuclear power plants around the world instantly disappeared when one of the five nuclear power plants containing them was destroyed by the Hellraider. I heard many cheering for the Hellraider's abilities.
I was reminded of this incident as it related to the lore of The Mayhem. My assumption is that the surveillance drone's camera immediately malfunctioned when it tried to track Hellraider's whereabouts because he already knew it was being watched from the sky throughout his actions.
I also speculated, after completed his mission, he used the Mendicore device, which immediately caused the camera to malfunction, and Hellraider entered the portal it had created. The Mendicore is a powerful tool because it was originated from a dimension other than Earth.
Hellraider's entry into the portal was to eradicate the remaining monsters in those hell realm.
According to lore, the main hell dimension can be separated to allow invasions into other worlds through "satellite" hells without having to open the main hell portal. These satellite hells also have the ability to create other portals, likely located in nuclear power plants in other countries. These satellite hells are controlled by powerful demons who are directly commanded by the main hell leader.
I also recently realized that the elite-level monsters never leave their portals to guard the satellite hells, but they and their leader were ultimately defeated by Hellraider.
I asked Col. Peterson what happened to the other four nuclear power plants. He said he hadn't received any further reports from the Air Force, the actual authority in this aerial reconnaissance mission.
Suddenly, one of the generals stepped up to the podium near the largest screen and made another announcement. He said he had just received the latest report from Air Force headquarters: the portals and monsters at three nuclear power plants had been destroyed, and the number of portals worldwide had reportedly decreased drastically.
Everyone in the room shouted with joy, and some even cried hysterically. I could sense they believed the catastrophe that had befallen the world could finally end quickly.
"I would say that this Hellraider is truly the only one who can protect humanity from this global catastrophe. Well... even though I know once he has committed heinous act" Col. Peterson said with a slight sigh and a smile.
What I felt wasn't the joy that most people in this room felt. Instead, with the information I had learned, I wondered if all the disasters in this world were coming from me.
I remembered Imelda's words yesterday that there was something very strange about this sequence of events linked to mine. I shuddered to know that the main source was me. Why did all these major problems seem to center on myself? I didn't know the answer and wouldn't ask anyone, including Imelda, whom I trusted.
Robbin and I were having lunch together in the great hall with the other soldiers. Suddenly, Larry came in, drinking a can of soda, and sat with us.
"What the hell is this Hellraider? He's now revered worldwide for his actions in stopping the monster invasion. We'll never forget what he did to our friend Navel! I wouldn't praise him either! If the whole world knew what he did to Navel, would they still praise him?!" Larry said in an annoyed tone, immediately crushing his empty soda can.
"Don't be so rash about it, Larry. Look, almost all the soldiers here know that news, but they didn't immediately deny it when it was announced not long ago. The most important thing is that there aren't more casualties from this monster invasion. We'll never be able to account for his motives for doing so." Robbin said as he finished his lunch. I nodded slightly at Robbin.
"Huh... You support him too, right?! I still won't agree with him, make my words!!" Larry said curtly as he walked away from us.
"Just leave him be. Maybe he's still upset and rejecting the recent euphoria." Robbin replied. I agreed.
I was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
I actually had a plan for what I should do. A real Hellraider had come to my world, and I wondered if there was a reason he was here other than to exterminate the monster. This thought was reinforced by my dream two nights ago, when I met him in person in a hellish place.
His movements seemed to signal that he wanted me to follow him. Of course, such a dream felt odd. In all my life and being a die-hard fan of The Mayhem, I've never had a dream about him. I've never dreamed of being a Hellraider, seeing him in action, or even just meeting his eyes before.
My instinct now is that I should started follow his journey from behind. The big question is, how?
From the lore I've read, the presence of a Hellraider has two potential consequences for his enemies. First, enemies, especially the lower rank, will immediately flee upon seeing him, as his nickname was given to them by the legions of hell.
Second, if they see an elite monster, they will immediately attack the Hellraider. This is because he possesses a powerful aura of rage, which can act as a powerful pressure or very attractive bait.
Judging from the surveillance video yesterday, the small fry monsters was actually attacked the Hellraider. I think perhaps they were ordered to guard the portal to prevent the Hellraider from entering, but they were actually very scared.
It would be very useful if I were within the Hellraider's aura, which could act as a natural shield, but it's a different story if he were fighting an elite monster or a boss. Not to mention the risk of being discovered by Hellraider, who might end up killing me, just like Navel. I was struggling to find a solution.
Suddenly, Robbin came to me and said he had just received further news about the portal at the last nuclear power plant.
"Did Hellraider successfully destroy the last portal? Are we truly free from the monster invasion?" I asked Robbin.
I would have been disappointed if all the portals had finally disappeared and Hellraider had left Earth, having completed his mission.
"The good news is, all the monsters at the nuclear power plant and the remaining portals across the globe are gone. But here's the main problem: a huge portal silhouette appeared at the last nuclear power plant, and strangely, no monsters came out," Robbin replied with mixed feelings.
I was also shocked to hear this. How could this be? This certainly didn't fit the game's lore. I took Robbin to the main monitor room to seek further explanation. There, I saw Imelda talking with Col. Peterson. I immediately went to meet him.
"Ahh Johann, I'm glad you came just in time. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," said Col. Peterson.
He led me and the others to a quiet corner. There, Col. Peterson explained what had really happened. What Robbin had said earlier was true. It was exactly the Hellraider eliminated the monster that was blocking his way and after that he entered the portal.
However, after waiting for a while, what happened wasn't the Hellraider coming back out. Instead, infrared images showed the portal in the nuclear reactor room suddenly changing size and its frequency wave becoming larger and stronger. After that, no one came out, not even the Hellraider himself.
Col. Peterson speculated whether he was actually still trapped inside the portal. He asked for my opinion from my perspective as a fan of The Mayhem lore.
I thought for a moment and then explained that my interpretation was that the five portals in the nuclear power plant functioned as a main network of portals to hell, but still remained as satellite hells.
The portals around the world were branches of the five nuclear power plant portals; if all of them were destroyed, all portals on Earth would also disappear.
I came to my most terrifying understanding: perhaps that single portal was the portal to the true realm of hell. It was possible that the Hellraider was trapped there, as I had just realized another plot twist in The Mayhem.
In one of the final scenes of the old series, the subsequent sequels of which were games with a more modern concept, the Hellraider decided to sacrifice himself, trapping himself forever in the main hell realm in order to permanently close the portal to Earth.
Col. Peterson nodded at my explanation. Imelda began to share her thoughts. She argued that even though no more monsters were emerging from that single portal, it would still pose a significant hidden threat, as the Hellraider was deemed unable to complete the portal and seemed trapped within it. She stated that now was the right time for the nation's military to step in and find a solution.
"Imelda, I need you to come with me to discuss this with the other Army officials here. Johann, thank you for that important explanation. You may rest now," Col. Peterson said, smiling at me.
I left the room, reflecting on Imelda's ingenuity in forming an understanding from my knowledge. I felt very grateful to be such a good friend of hers, despite our vastly different backgrounds.
That night, as I lay awake, waiting for sleep to overtake me, I began to think again about the existence of the Hellraider.
If my main goal right now is to carefully and diligently follow Hellraider's trail, then I must enter his true world in the realm of hell.
But according to lore, if a normal living human enters hell, they will immediately become psychologically deranged and soon their body will become disfigured like a living corpse.
However, that won't happen to Hellraider himself because I believe the plot is designed that way.
So what about me? I think instead of following him, I will be tortured forever in hell.
I haven't found a surefire way that is safe enough, and I already feel my eyelids getting heavy.