Lovecraft's Apartment
Upon receiving the encrypted text message from Shuichi Akai outlining the situation, Howard's expression immediately turned grim. He grabbed Lovecraft by the arm, pulling the terrified photographer along.
"Let's go! We must leave now!" Howard ordered. "We need to rendezvous at the perimeter of Innsmouth immediately!"
Lovecraft, however, dug his heels in, somewhat paralyzed by fear.
He was absolutely terrified. Even having miraculously discovered the power of "exorcism," he was still just a lazy, unambitious internet streamer at heart. Not to mention, he had just narrowly survived a life-or-death crisis with a spectral monster trying to rip out his soul.
"Listen to me!" Howard barked, his eyes red and wide with adrenaline. This was a critical, apocalyptic moment. There wasn't any time left to explain. "If you don't go with me, you still won't escape death! You are a person bound by their Oath! They won't let you go, and they will definitely come after you in the future to claim you!"
After shouting that harsh truth, Howard didn't wait to see whether Lovecraft listened or not. He let go of the man and simply ran out the door towards the agreed FBI destination like a madman.
Left behind in the dark apartment, Lovecraft gritted his teeth, his pale lips trembling as his expression shifted from sheer terror to desperate resolve.
'Damn it! I'll just have to risk it all!' Lovecraft thought.
After all, Father Howard was absolutely right. Even if he wanted to run away and hide, he couldn't. As a bearer of the Third Oath, the Deep Ones were biologically and spiritually bound to come after him. Immediately, Lovecraft turned and sprinted down the stairs, running after Howard.
Life or death, it all depended on the outcome of whatever was about to happen in that rotting coastal town…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the operation, Shuichi Akai sat in his tactical vehicle listening to his superior's rambling, bureaucratic excuses over the secure phone line. The veins on his forehead bulged dangerously.
'What the hell is going on?!' Akai thought, grinding his teeth. 'He is still thinking about jurisdictional red tape at a time like this?!'
"FUCK!!" Akai finally roared into the receiver, completely shattering his usual stoic demeanor. "If you don't want me to shove your own head up your ass tonight, you need to listen to me! Immediately! Right now!! I need manpower! I need heavily armed tactical manpower!"
"Agent Akai, you are out of line—"
"I'm not kidding! There are monsters in Innsmouth! Lots of monsters! I don't care if you classify it to the press as a nuclear leak or an illegal Black Organization bio-experiment, I just want a tactical strike team under my command right now!!"
'Damn the Black Organization... Damn this stupid bureaucratic boss...' Akai was furious, acting like a completely different person from the calm and composed Silver Bullet he used to be.
This break in composure was inevitable. The ever-changing, horrified expression on his face was impossible to erase after what he had learned. His chest heaved like a bellows, and his breathing was extremely labored. He didn't know exactly what was about to happen in Innsmouth. But based on the numerous occult clues, it was undoubtedly a cosmic disaster he desperately didn't want to see unfold.
FBI Headquarters: Washington D.C.
On the other end of the phone, Director Joseph, the high-ranking head of the FBI's Investigation Division, was trembling with rage, his face ashen.
He had just been violently berated by a field subordinate who had literally threatened to shove his head up his ass. Any Director would be furious.
Besides, it wasn't like he was actively unwilling to transfer a tactical team. He had seen Shuichi Akai's elite abilities firsthand over the years. If Akai said there was a massive problem, it was very likely true. It was just that America has many complex legal problems; it isn't as simple as just getting a blank warrant to militarily besiege an entire civilian town.
But with a visiting VIP watching him from across the office, Director Joseph could only manage an extremely awkward smile. He decided he had to suppress Akai's arrogance first to save face.
A problem? Sorry. Innsmouth, after all, wasn't strictly under federal jurisdiction without proper state cause. Although the Bureau of Investigation had a wide reach, they couldn't just invade.
"Forgive this clueless, hot-headed young man, old friend," Director Joseph sighed, hanging up the phone and looking at his guest. "You know, it's hard to find a respectful, reliable subordinate these days…"
Sitting across from him, Sheriff Gray offered a wry, knowing smile.
Since the last major, highly classified incident in the Longleaf Pine Forest, Sheriff Gray had been heavily relied upon by his state governor for handling "bizarre" cases. Recently, the famous novelist and consultant Yusaku Kudo seemed to be engrossed in some "old stories," becoming increasingly obsessed with myths and legends after encountering the supernatural, hoping to emulate legendary detectives of the past.
After Sheriff Gray offered a few words of polite persuasion to calm the room, Director Joseph's angry expression improved considerably.
The Director simply grumbled irritably while pouring a coffee. "Saying there's a literal monster in Innsmouth? I think Akai is the monster, talking to his boss like that..."
Sheriff Gray didn't hear the rest of the sentence.
He just stared blankly at Director Joseph, the coffee cup freezing halfway to his mouth.
What did he just say? A monster in Innsmouth?
'An exaggeration?' The logical thought was immediately banished to the latrine by Sheriff Gray's seasoned instincts.
In an instant, Gray felt a freezing chill run down his spine. His heart pounded wildly against his ribs, and his tongue felt completely frozen, unable to utter a word.
'Could it be... another extraordinary, supernatural event?!'
"Gray? Gray! My God, old friend, what are you thinking so hard about?" Director Joseph's concerned voice finally made Sheriff Gray tremble and snap back to reality.
Gray opened his mouth to speak, but quickly fell silent, his face pale. He immediately pulled out his own secure cell phone and dialed a highly classified number.
"Old man, it's Innsmouth!" Sheriff Gray barked into his phone the second it connected. "Something apocalyptic has happened in Innsmouth! Get the Governor!"
He hung up immediately, looked at the dumbfounded, confused Director Joseph, and took a deep, trembling breath, issuing a very serious warning.
"Old friend, if I were you, I would send far more tactical teams than your subordinate just requested!"
"Why?" Joseph asked, bewildered.
"Because the monster he is talking about... is very likely real."
Real?
Director Joseph's mind went entirely blank. The monster... is real?
'Ha…' Joseph thought weakly. 'My old friend really loves to joke…'
But the playful, dismissive expression on the Director's face instantly froze. Because he saw Sheriff Gray's deadly serious expression, and the naked look of sheer terror on his face as he had reported to the governor just seconds prior.
After a heavy moment of silence, Director Joseph expressionlessly reached out and grabbed Sheriff Gray's arm.
The two were old war buddies and would never joke about such a serious deployment of state power. Not to mention, Gray was actively notifying quite a few powerful people behind the scenes. Among them was a high-ranking state governor. In other words, what his old friend said wasn't a joke at all…
Yes. He didn't believe Shuichi Akai's panicked statement over the phone. But he absolutely believed the terrified statement of a high-ranking Sheriff who had seen the dark side of the world. And he believed it without a shadow of a doubt.
In an instant, Director Joseph's expression twisted into a grotesque grimace of panic.
"Damn it! Tell me this isn't real!!" Joseph yelled, diving for his desk phone.
He quickly called Shuichi Akai back, unleashing a furious roar of his own before the agent could even speak.
"Listen to me, Akai! I'm giving you full, unrestricted operational authority! Get this under control! I don't care what the hell is going on in Innsmouth, just control it! You absolutely must control it before it spreads!!"
He slammed the phone down without waiting for Akai's response. Cold sweat beaded on the Director's forehead as he looked at Sheriff Gray with desperate hope.
"Was this enough?" Joseph asked breathlessly.
"...No, it might not be enough," Sheriff Gray replied grimly, dialing another number. "I'll send my specialized people to help you. If possible, Joseph, call more of our old friends in the military..."
These words sent fresh chills down Director Joseph's spine.
'What the hell is going on?!' Joseph panicked. 'Could it really be an Innsmouth nuclear leak causing mutations? A monster... What kind of ungodly monster is it...?'
"Old friend, can you give me a heads-up on what we are facing...?" Joseph begged.
Faced with his old friend's desperate concern, Sheriff Gray only let out a very heavy, exhausted sigh.
That sigh made Director Joseph's heart tremble violently. He slumped silently back into his leather chair, staring blankly at the ceiling tiles.
'God...' Joseph thought, closing his eyes. 'This time it looks like something truly terrible is going to happen...'
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Give me powerstones.
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