Chapter 4: Ability Extraction: The Importance of Having Backup
For Danny, the crisis was over.
But for Jessie and the others, there were still two mutant cannibals hiding in the shadows, and the most important thing was to get out and call the cops.
The four chose to stick together and escape.
Danny fell behind midway—he had to go back and check. If One Eye actually died and he couldn't contain him, it would be a massive waste.
In a world where supernatural killers might appear at any moment, not containing a few more monsters really didn't provide peace of mind.
Following the mental link with Three Finger,
Danny found the two mutants in a clearing. One Eye was pinned against a tree by Three Finger, unable to move, constantly releasing guttural roars.
Danny didn't understand the family dynamics and didn't care to. With a thought, a Two of Clubs appeared in his hand.
[Containable entity detected: One Eye (Hillicker)]
[Contain? Yes/No]
[Contain.]
The Two of Clubs automatically flew out and plunged into One Eye's chest, instantly absorbing his entire being into the card, which then returned to Danny's hand.
Danny caught the Two of Clubs. On it was the image of a Hillicker, but different from the first one he'd contained.
This one was much larger and more muscular.
That meant he was the most severely mutated—he'd been exposed to more toxic waste than his brothers.
Looking at Three Finger beside him,
even in the pitch-black forest, Danny felt completely safe. This was the value of having backup.
Danny hadn't forgotten the cards had another function:
[Extract.]
Each card could extract one ability from the contained entity, though this ability might only be half or even ten percent of the original, depending on luck.
Of course, if he extracted an unsatisfactory ability, he could choose to discard it directly.
This function was quite clever.
What if he extracted chemical mutation and couldn't discard it, eventually fusing and turning into a Hillicker? That would be a nightmare.
Danny was quite satisfied with his current appearance and had no desire to become deformed.
Besides, if he really wanted to change, he could always choose to fuse voluntarily.
[Contained Entity: One Eye (Hillicker)]
[Extractable Abilities: Toxic Mutation, Strength Enhancement, Durability Enhancement, Reduced Intelligence, Pain Suppression]
Five abilities total, but only two were useful.
Three were useless—toxic mutation and reduced intelligence were obvious non-starters.
With pain suppression, he wouldn't even notice if someone slit his throat in his sleep.
Danny then checked Three Finger's abilities.
[Contained Entity: Three Finger (Hillicker)]
[Extractable Abilities: Toxic Mutation, Strength Enhancement, Enhanced Vision, Durability Enhancement, Reduced Intelligence, Pain Suppression]
He had Enhanced Vision compared to One Eye—fitting for the archer of the family.
Danny chose to extract from both simultaneously. Soon, the two cards began cycling rapidly through the various abilities and finally stopped at:
[Extractable Abilities: Toxic Mutation, Enhanced Vision]
His luck was decent—a two-fifths chance after all. Seeing this, Danny discarded toxic mutation and chose enhanced vision. Though it was a minor ability, it was at least useful.
[Fuse.]
The next second, Danny closed his eyes, feeling a cool sensation wash over them.
When he opened his eyes again, the dark forest had become clearer. He could actually see the path ahead. It was like wearing night-vision goggles, but slightly weaker.
Only fifty percent effective, but already very good. The Hillickers were just mutants—they weren't particularly powerful monsters in the American horror pantheon.
Now, Danny wondered where the remaining Hillicker had gone.
In his opinion, a family should be complete and together.
Running away alone wasn't something a good little mutant should do.
On the highway.
Chris looked like he'd narrowly escaped death. He was an ordinary guy heading to Raleigh for a job interview who'd decided to take a shortcut, only to encounter mutant cannibals.
This job was definitely ruined. His boss would never believe a story about inbred freaks in the woods.
Just as Chris was about to continue walking, Jessie and Carly started arguing.
The issue was that Danny had disappeared midway.
Jessie believed they shouldn't leave Danny alone and should go back to find him, but Carly, who'd just reunited with her boyfriend, absolutely refused to return to that hellhole.
Scott wanted to go back and help—Danny had saved his life.
Chris heard the argument. His rational mind said to get to safety first and call the police, but his conscience told him they shouldn't just abandon Danny like that.
Danny was listening to their debate from the tree line.
He'd just arrived. Saw Tooth had hidden somewhere, so he decided to meet up with Chris and the others first.
Though Chris and the group were a bit naive, they had good hearts.
Danny recalled the two Hillickers into the Hearts and Clubs cards, then walked out into the open.
The initial movement startled them.
When they saw it was Danny, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Jessie rushed forward and hugged Danny tightly, excited, saying things like, "Thank God you're okay."
"Alright, Jessie, I'm not big on God. Let's get out of here first."
Danny was a bit overwhelmed by Jessie's enthusiasm. The main issue was the season—they were dressed lightly, and the feeling of her pressed against him made him restless. Jessie practically wanted to climb on him.
Fortunately, everyone's rationality remained intact. After a brief reunion, they began walking along the highway.
When they were almost at the main road, their phones finally got signal.
They immediately called the police. Seeing passing vehicles, they all felt a greater sense of security.
Danny, as if performing a magic trick, produced two cards in his hand, then made them disappear again. American police couldn't give him peace of mind, but mutant cannibals could.
When the police arrived at the scene,
Chris explained the situation, but the cops refused to believe anything about mutant cannibals and said they'd "investigate."
Jessie and the others wanted to scream in frustration.
Finally, the group was taken back to the police station for questioning.
The main reason was that a young couple had died—Evan and Francine, who'd initially refused to call for help and instead stayed to guard the vehicles.
Chris's anxiety finally eased when they arrived at the police station. Those monsters couldn't possibly run into a police station and kill people, right?
After giving their statements, Danny and the others found a motel in town and checked in.
It was too late tonight—they needed to rest.
Chris got a single room.
It was natural for Scott and Carly to share a room as a couple.
As for Jessie, after witnessing Danny's capabilities, she insisted on staying with him. Here in America, everyone admired strength and competence.
If Jessie had initially just been interested in Danny, that interest transformed into genuine desire after he proved himself capable and powerful.
"Jessie—"
But Danny wasn't particularly interested in Jessie romantically. He wasn't asexual—Jessie simply didn't meet his standards for a serious girlfriend.
She'd either have to be exceptionally beautiful or possess other remarkable abilities. Jessie met neither criteria, but for just one night? Danny could accept it.
Second floor of the motel.
Jessie was showering in the bathroom while Danny used a temporarily rented laptop, searching for information about mutant cannibals, ghosts, and vengeful spirits online.
When he'd first arrived in this world, Danny thought it was just an ordinary reality. After encountering Valak, he'd considered leaving Connecticut to lay low.
Now that he had time, he needed to research.
It was fine before he started searching, but afterward, Danny found an alarming number of cases online. The more he read, the more familiar and terrified he became.
Because he even found a TV show specifically dedicated to investigating paranormal activity.
The more he watched this show, the more it resembled...
Supernatural.
Sam and Dean Winchester. Two brothers who hunted demons, ghosts, and monsters across America.
Danny's blood ran cold. If the Winchesters existed, that meant this world had everything from vengeful spirits to angels and demons to Lucifer himself.
He was so screwed.
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