As soon as the encrypted elevator leading to the bunker opened, William, through his Black Hornet drone's live feed, saw the corridor's interior displayed vividly in his mind.
The success of teleportation relied heavily on familiarity with the destination. The clearer and more detailed the mental image, the higher the success rate, and the shorter the time required to open a portal. With the 360-degree drone footage providing a perfect view, William casually twisted his fingers in a circular motion, and a portal appeared outside the elevator doors.
Moments later, deep, guttural growls echoed through the corridor.
Inside the elevator, several soldiers barely had time to raise their weapons before two werewolves charged in, tearing into the nearest men with feral brutality.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The gunfire lasted only five or six seconds before it was silenced.
Four werewolves, released by William, quickly began feeding on the soldiers. Meanwhile, the elevator doors closed and resumed its descent deeper into the bunker.
In the command room, U.S. soldiers who had witnessed the elevator's breach via security cameras swiftly organized a defensive response. Ten men armed with rifles, shotguns, and riot shields positioned themselves outside the elevator shaft.
Twenty seconds later, with a soft ding, the elevator arrived.
"Ratatatatat!"
As soon as the elevator doors slid open, the soldiers opened fire without waiting for orders. The confined corridor filled with the deafening cacophony of gunfire, bullets ricocheting off steel and flesh.
The first werewolf out of the elevator was riddled with bullets, including a direct hit through the eyes, and collapsed dead within moments. But in the brief time it took to bring down the first werewolf, the remaining three emerged.
These werewolves wore steel armor covering their heads and torsos. Unless a bullet struck a vital point like the eyes, they were nearly unstoppable. The soldiers instinctively shifted their aim to the nearest targets, but their firepower quickly lost cohesion.
In seconds, the armored werewolves tore through the defensive line. Claws and fangs shredded flesh, and gunshots were replaced by the screams of dying men.
As the werewolves began feeding on the fallen soldiers to heal their wounds, William remained unfazed, watching the scene unfold. The werewolves had already accomplished their task by securing the elevator shaft.
Meanwhile, spider-bots hidden among the werewolves continued their objective: infiltrating the bunker's independent network and servers. However, the delay gave the base personnel enough time to regroup and strengthen their defenses.
William contemplated his next move, but Sunday interrupted with a suggestion.
"Sir, perhaps we can use the recorded howl of Marius to draw more werewolves into the bunker."
William blinked in surprise, then smirked. "You recorded it?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Then let's give it a try."
Within minutes, as spider-bots reached the server room and hacked into the base's systems, Marius's guttural howl began to echo through the bunker's PA system.
Nearby werewolves, their ears twitching, paused mid-kill and began searching for the source of the sound.
"Increase the volume," William ordered.
"Understood, Sir."
Soon, the howl reverberated throughout the entire base. Werewolves across the facility perked up and instinctively moved toward the elevator shaft, where the sound was loudest. Those closest to the elevator slammed into its doors, denting them with a loud clang. The reinforced doors deformed, allowing the sound to travel even more clearly to the surface.
More and more werewolves climbed down the elevator shaft, eventually joining the three survivors. Meanwhile, Sunday shut off nearby speakers, leaving only the deeper sections of the bunker echoing with Marius's calls.
Guided by the sound, the werewolves stormed through the base. Any electronically controlled doors were remotely unlocked by Sunday, clearing their path.
"Ahhh! Ahhh!"
"Ratatatatat!"
Gunfire and screams echoed throughout the bunker as soldiers desperately fought off the onslaught.
The chaos continued until William received confirmation that both of the main conspirators behind the shipyard attack had been killed. Only then did his attention shift to Robert's son, Luke.
"What about Robert's son? Have you located him?"
"Yes, Sir. Luke is currently at a Long Island police station, giving a statement."
"Good."
Smiling coldly, William teleported to Marius's cell and extracted a vial of his blood. He watched through Sunday's surveillance feed as the spider-bots monitored Luke at the station.
"Can the spiders be built from non-metallic materials?" William asked.
"Yes, Sir. I'll begin producing a batch immediately."
Within two hours, Luke had completed his statement and was taken into FBI custody for transport to a secure safe house. In the meantime, Sunday had already produced a small batch of non-metallic spider-bots, with prototypes adjusted according to William's specifications.
Once Luke was settled into the safe house, FBI agents briefed him on security protocols and handed him an emergency alarm pendant. Exhausted and traumatized from the night's events, Luke eventually drifted off to sleep.
Taking advantage of the situation, William opened a small portal near Luke's neck and cast a sleep spell on him. Stepping through the portal, he loomed over the unconscious teenager.
"Blame your father for this," William muttered.
He injected Marius's blood directly into Luke's neck and slipped several orb-like spider-bots loaded with special drugs down his throat. He waited, but Luke showed no immediate signs of transformation.
Frustrated, William drew more blood from Marius and repeated the process, injecting another dose into Luke. This time, he added a curse of dark possession to ensure the transformation took hold.
Finally, gray fur began to sprout from Luke's skin.
Satisfied, William opened a portal and prepared to leave. As he stepped through, he jabbed a needle into Luke's exposed shoulder.
"Ahhh!"
The sudden pain jolted Luke awake. He groggily touched his shoulder, feeling warm blood on his fingertips. Panicked, he scanned the room but saw no one. His mind raced with paranoia.
"Was it a mosquito? In March? No way..."
His thoughts turned darker as he remembered the brutal death of his family. Heart pounding, he pressed the emergency alert button just as searing pain coursed through his entire body.
He gasped in horror as gray fur rapidly spread across the back of his hand.
(End of Chapter)
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