Chapter 9 THE SECOND STRIKE

WUHAN,CHINA

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The famous pizza eatery could be seen,with large amount of

people trooping in and out at the same time. Some took to

seats to have their pizza served while some requested them

packaged as they could be seen holding plastic lunch box as

they walked out of the eatery. At the serving counter were

three teenagers,two boys and a girl,each focused on their jobs

as they quickly attended to the demanding consumers in front

of them. While this lasted,another boy emerged from the

kitchen,carrying a box of fully cooked ingredients and beef. He

walked towards the serving counter from behind and as he got

near the serving girl among them,he dropped what he was

carrying below the counter second step.

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"Hey ,the beef is down here should the ones you have gets

exhausted....I'll be going back to the kitchen now" The boy

said. The girl took a quick glance at the box and returned her

gaze back at what she was doing. Few moments later as

evening approached,costumers had already left the eatery and

no one was advancing anymore. Quickly,one of the serving

boys walked over to the door and upturned the 'open' sign

over,signifying that they've closed for the day. As the girl

among them rounded off what she was doing,a call suddenly

interrupted her. Of course as an employee, it was against the

rules to pick a call in there. She smiled at the phone

screen,tucked the phone into her jean pocket and bade her

colleagues goodbye. Few minutes later after she came out of

the eatery,a text rang up on her phone. She didn't bother to

even check it this time but instead,she fastened her

pace,obviously heading home in a hurry. A few while after she

got to a street side,three able bodied and muscular men

blocked her while heading home,demanding for her wallet and

every valuables on her.

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"Hey girl....Where's your wallet? We need it" One of the men

said,playing with the tip of the pen knife he was holding.

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"And your phone too....You're not looking bad as well" the

second man said,trying to touch the girl's face. The girl

slapped his hands aside.

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"Don't you ever attempt to touch me,fool....Let me go right

now or else,you'll have a different story to tell" she said

boldly,staring at the the first man who seem to be the leader

of the gang.

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"What are you gonna do,young lady? Beat us down?" The

man said and the two others bursted into laughter.

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"No...but maybe something worse than beating...Like this"

The girl said and forcefully threw a spin kick into the face of

the man standing before her. The effect made him pass out

immediately. Angered by the girl's action,the leader

commanded the second guy to attack the girl. The girl stood

her ground,dropping her backpack on the ground as the

second man carefully walked towards her with a long knife in

his grip. Suddenly,he charged forward intending to stab the

girl but she stepped aside,making the knife miss her. She

grabbed the man's arm,broke his phalanges and flipped him

over,smashing his back region on the strong concrete ground.

She then placed a leg on his neck and pressed it so he won't

be able to get up. She raised her face at the standing and

speechless gang leader.

.

"Do you still want my wallet?" She said sarcastically. The

gang leader couldn't speak but he immediately wielded a gun

and shot at the girl. She dodged the first bullet,making it hit a

nearby car. He shot another bullet at her but she made a very

high jump,landing right in front of the man. He made to shoot

her again but the girl knocked the gun off his hands and

grabbed him by the neck. The second man got up behind her

and began advancing with the long knife in his second hand

which was in good condition,unlike the first hand which had a

set of twisted and broken fingers. Immediately she sensed

this,she flipped the man she was holding backwards,making

him collide with the incoming thug behind her. They both

crashed uncontrollably into a nearby waste bin,jerking the bin

forward by its wheels. The girl smiled,grabbed her backpack

and walked away,leaving the passed out and the two groaning

men there in the backstreets.

She got to her apartment few minutes later and that was

when she checked her phone for the text that rang up earlier.

She opened the message box and kept the phone at first. She

pulled off her top,leaving her with only her half chest training

singlet. She then took her phone and went through the

message for few seconds.

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"Strange...Why does Lexi wants me to come over to NY?" She

muttered to herself after reading the message. Somehow,she

knew there must be something important going on and that's

why he sent the impromptu message,requesting her to come

over. She walked to her standing white wardrobe and as she

opened it,her combat suit and a computerized shield stood in

it,shining out their pure black colours. She smiled to herself

and closed it back,resorting to leaving for New York in two

days time .

.

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Two days later after the visit to Lexi's secret facility,I stayed

home subjecting myself to some useless stuffs. My mom was

in the kitchen preparing dinner while I sat on the couch,busily

playing games. Like i was being triggered by something,I

immediately switched on the television and took to watching

movies. Few minutes into that,a sound began penetrating my

ear. It was definitely sounds of screams and cries for

help,alongside chaos unleashing voices. Without thinking

twice,I immediately knew something was wrong somewhere. I

quickly got up and faced my mom who was in the kitchen.

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"Um...Mom,I need to go check on something right away...I'll

be back soon" I said. My mom stopped what she was doing

for a while,staring at me and wondering where I was planning

on going to but being an expert in excuses,I didn't put up a

suspicious look but focused on my phone instead.

.

"Alright...Make sure you return soon,Arthur" she said

concisely. .

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"I'll be back soon" I yelled as I stormed out of the house

through the main door. Few minutes later,I arrived at the

scene and accessed the situation. It was a skyscraper with the

upper last floor on some sort of fire outbreak. I ran info a dark

corner and returned,already changed into my human beast

mode....Being a mutant,I had two forms...The first one is my

average body turning my skin into a green color while the

second one was changing into a huge bulky green beast....I

took to the first one around here and this was because I hated

scaring people away. As I came out of the corner, I looked up

and saw a woman holding unto a steel rod to prevent her from

falling from the height she was hanging. I jumped and landed

in a car. Soon,some people who were brave enough to stay

began recording the whole thing with their phones but that

didn't last long as the cops arrived while I was still standing

on the car. Seeing the cops organise the people around,I

looked up and saw the woman still holding unto the steel rod.

I landed from the car's top and walked to an officer there.

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"Officer....I need you to stop anyone that tries to go inside or

come out of this building....It's very important" I said with my

changed voice which now sounded like that of an alien robot.

.

"Shit...Fuck this...I don't take orders from a green boy" the

officer said rudely. Suddenly,I heard a scream and looked up

to see the woman falling. I jumped very high,meeting with her

and grabbing her. I landed with on my back,still carrying the

woman on top of me to prevent her from injuring herself. I

immediately let her go immediately I respawn from the fall. I

headed back to the officer who was now surprised,with his

mouth opened in surprise.

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"Will you do that now officer?" I asked once again. He then

faced his men and ordered them not to allow anyone into or

out of the building currently under an unknown attack. Few

seconds after that,I immediately sighted a dead body being

thrown out of the last floor. The dead body landed right on top

of a stationary car,with the head which was split open and the

brain gone.

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"Brain Puncher....Brain Puncher!!!" I yelled. The effect of my

loud monstrous voice broke almost all the cars glasses

around me. Immediately after I yelled,I saw Brain Puncher

jump out of the building last floor which was on fire. As he

made to escape through another building top,a figure from

above attacked him and punched him back towards the

ground,making him crash heavily unto another truck on the

ground .

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"You're fast at accessing situations,green guy" Kenzie said

from behind. I turned at her and when she saw my face,she

frowned.

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"What's up with you?" She asked. I diverted my sight at the

dead body thrown out of the building earlier. When she saw it

as well,she became infuriated,clenching and tightening her fist

very hardly.

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"Let's get this creature this time" I said,tightening my clenched

fists also. Just immediately,Brain Puncher respawn himself

and jumped at us. I pushed Kenzie aside,making him punch

me instead,with the impact sending me backwards. I grunted

loudly and leaped forward,retaliating the punch. Few moments

later,Boyka and Victor arrived the scene.

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"This son of a bitch is disturbing again?" Victor asked as he

and Boyka jumped down from the top of the building opposite

the attacked skyscraper.

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"Everyone,check out hostages....I can handle him alone" I

ordered in seriousness that moment. In a flash,everyone took

to different directions,leaving me alone with Brain Puncher.

The bastard was already up again,making some weird sounds

with his blood stained mouth. It was obvious he had eaten

some few brains just before our arrival and that alone was

making me furious. Angrily,I grabbed a damaged car door and

flung it at him. The door smashed into his face,pushing him

backwards. He balanced up again and leaped forward at me

with a punch. I swiftly avoided it and sent another punch into

his ribs region,pushing and hitting him against a building wall

behind him. I charged at him again and this time,he made use

of his reflexes and charged forward,pushing me backwards.

He came again,intending to hit me with the door i threw at

him earlier. I jumped very high and before he knew what I was

up to,I landed right on top of him and began dealing

destructive punches into his body. The effect of my punches

slowly began to bury him bit by bit as his body continued

breaking the ground. I yelled as I punched him non stop into

that ground but somehow,he was able to attempt a push

kick,forcefully pushing me backwards. Before I could balance

normally,another of his punch hit me on the chest,sending me

crashing into a building.

As powerful as it may look like,it was very obvious that my

destructive punches didn't really had a rippling effect on Brain

Puncher as he was still standing without even staggering a

bit. I wasn't obsessed with the aim of defeating him that

moment but all I wanted was to see his human form which I

believed will take place after a long battle beatings but as

strange as it seem,I was totally wrong . As I stepped out of

the building I crashed into,Brain Puncher was gone already. I

angrily punched a wall,breaking through it. I fell on my

knees,slowly changing back into the normal Arthur Griffo I

used to be. My hair was smoking hot and my muscles

twitched as they gradually returned back to their normal state.

After changing back into my normal human state,the others

then arrived and met me on my knees panting heavily. The

street was empty as fuck that moment as everyone had

already fled for their dear lives.

.

"He escaped again???" Kenzie asked as she readily had a

mist ball evolved and waiting in her hands. Victor was also

holding electric balls in his both hands while Boyka's fist were

tightly clenched. It was after a while before they powered

down.

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"Yes...He's gone again....smashed me into this building and

before I was out again,he's gone" I answered,standing up on

my feet again....

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We all went our various ways a few minutes after leaving the

fight centre for the US government to make amends. I got

home that night and met my mom,sitting and waiting for me.

As soon as she saw how dirt drenched I was,she gasped.

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"Did you jump into a dirt pool? Look at you...Your wears are

dirty all over" she said,folding herself away from me.

.

"Um..No mom....Actually I tripped and fell into a

ditch....Wasn't that deep anyway...I came out unhurt" I said

and luckily that night,the lie convinced my mom. I headed into

my room,had a cold shower and went to bed without taking

dinner....