NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48: Attack
The cart wheels squeaked as Jace pushed it down the aisle, one hand resting on the bar, the other dropping in another pack of eggs.
This was more food than he'd ever bought in his life. The cart was already packed halfway, and he wasn't even done yet.
It made sense, though. He had two mouths to feed now, his and Serai's.
And Serai ate like a beast. Twice as much as a normal human, easily. Maybe more when she really settled in.
Not that he could talk. His own appetite had shot up since all this started. His body craved more, demanded it.
Whatever energy fueled his powers wasn't directly tied to food, but the exertion took its toll.
The more he pushed himself, the hungrier he got.
[That's because food still matters,] Zin chimed in. [Your kinetic ability doesn't generate from calories, it's internal energy, but your body still burns through fuel keeping itself stable. More power means more strain. More strain means more recovery. Which means, you guessed it, more food.]
Jace tossed another loaf of bread into the cart, shaking his head. "So basically, I'm going to be broke just trying to eat."
[Correction, you would be broke if I wasn't funneling in cash. But as it stands, our little laundering web is covering all expenses. Relax, we're good.]
"Mm." Jace's eyes skimmed the shelves, but his mind was elsewhere. He had another idea for money.
Something cleaner. Something that could scale. He wanted to test it with Zin first, but chances were, the AI already knew.
He smirked faintly to himself. "You already dug it out of my head, didn't you?"
[Maybe. But it's more fun hearing you pitch it.]
Jace exhaled through his nose, pulling the cart toward the next aisle. The stack of groceries rattled with the motion, and he could already feel people staring. A single guy stocking up like this wasn't subtle.
Didn't matter. He had bigger things to worry about.
Serai jogged up to him, her steps a little too eager, earning curious glances from a few shoppers passing by.
Jace slowed his pace just enough so she could match stride beside him, though he kept his tone sharp.
"Keep up. You don't want people staring more than they already are."
She nodded quickly, pulling the hood of her sweatshirt a little lower.
The disguise Zin had helped refine was holding, her skin tone steady, her hair white but passing as dyed, but her looks alone were enough to turn heads.
Too much attention was the last thing he wanted.
Jace adjusted the bags in his hand and glanced at her wrists. Both were covered, hidden beneath long sleeves and tight bandages.
The faint glow she carried underneath couldn't risk slipping through. One slip was all it would take for the wrong kind of eyes to notice.
He had brought her here because Zin insisted.
[She needs to adapt,] Zin had said earlier that morning. [Observing humans in public spaces, learning their patterns, speech, and behavior, it's essential. Otherwise she'll never blend in.]
And while Zin had a point, Jace didn't love the role of babysitter. He couldn't drag her around every time he stepped outside. She had to learn to move on her own, eventually.
Still, when he looked at her now, eyes wide, darting from faces to shelves to traffic lights like everything was new, he knew Zin was right. She wasn't ready yet.
He sighed under his breath, shifting the grocery bags again. "Alright, rule one. Don't stare. People will think you're weird if you lock eyes too long."
Serai tilted her head slightly, lips parting as if to ask something, then closed them again. She gave a short nod, even if she didn't fully understand.
Jace kept walking, weaving through the street crowd with her at his side.
Outside the mall complex, traffic was thick and restless. Horns blared as cars edged through the evening rush, but the normal noise was shattered when a nearby sewage cover suddenly burst free from the ground.
The heavy iron disk flew several meters into the air before crashing down onto the hood of a sedan, crumpling metal and triggering more furious honks.
At first, bystanders only stared, confused. Some even crept closer to the hole as if curiosity outweighed common sense.
That was their mistake.
A massive green hand shot out, fingers long and clawed, wrapping around the nearest man in the crowd. Screams erupted immediately.
The asphalt cracked wider as a towering figure dragged itself out of the ground. It stood nearly 9 feet tall (about 274 cm), its body bulky and grotesque, the skin a mottled green that looked almost armored.
It lifted the man it held to eye level.
"Where is your hero?" the alien growled, its voice a deep rumble that carried across the street.
The man's body shook violently. His pants were soaked, his cheeks streaked with tears and mucus. Words failed him.
The alien's grip tightened before it whipped him toward a nearby building. His body hit the wall with a sickening crunch, leaving behind nothing but a bloody smear.
Gasps turned to shrieks as panic ripped through the crowd. People scattered in every direction, tripping over each other to escape.
The ground shook again. From the same sewage hole, another giant pulled itself free. This one was even larger, its skin a darker red, almost crimson in the light.
The two monsters locked eyes briefly, as if exchanging thoughts without words. Then the red one spoke, his speech broken but clear.
"Where… look?"
The green brute sniffed the air, turning toward the mass of fleeing humans. "They say… crush city. Not find hero. This place has… many humans."
Without another word, the pair stomped forward, their heavy steps making the ground tremble.
Their eyes locked on the mall complex ahead, the same place Jace and Serai were still walking through.
And then they broke into a run.
The glass front of the mall exploded inward with a deafening crash. Shards rained down like daggers as people inside screamed and scattered.
The green brute charged first, its massive frame tearing through the entrance. With one swipe of its arm, it sent a cluster of fleeing shoppers flying, their bodies slamming into kiosks and pillars. Blood streaked the tiled floor.
The red alien followed, its weight cracking the floor beneath every step.
It grabbed a man by the leg mid-run and smashed him against the ground like a ragdoll. Once. Twice. The third hit left only a limp body that it tossed aside.
Panic consumed the building. Parents dragged children, shoppers tripped over each other, phones clattered to the floor as people tried recording even while running.
The green one roared, the sound rattling the glass still left intact. "WHERE IS HERO?!"
A woman screamed back, not in defiance, but pure terror. The alien stomped her into the ground, silencing her instantly.
The red brute tore through a food court stall, ripping a metal counter clean off the ground and hurling it across the hall.
It crashed into a crowd of people trying to reach the escalators, crushing several beneath the wreckage.
Everywhere they moved, death followed.
In the chaos, Jace and Serai turned at the sound of the first screams. From the second floor walkway, they had a clear view of the massacre below.
Jace's chest tightened, his fists clenching as he watched the monsters tear through helpless people.
Serai's eyes widened, her hands gripping the railing as if she could stop herself from trembling.