Ex-Human Morphus [A Mutant Evolution Apocalypse LitRPG]
Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Jake sprinted through the overgrown streets, heading for the Los Demonios’ base. After extracting information from the last gangster he had slain, he learned the exact location of the base. His Enhanced Intelligence functioned much like a GPS, forming a detailed mental map in his mind and guiding him to his destination.

The base was situated in a part of the city where he had not been in quite a while. The last time he visited that area, there had been no base, as there had not been a significant presence of Los Demonios in the city at that time. This meant the gangsters must have established the base only recently. The realization sparked numerous questions in Jake’s mind, and he hoped to find the answers soon.

After watching several days’ worth of the gangster’s memories, Jake discovered that the man had joined the gang just a few days ago. By that time, the gang had already set up their base, leaving Jake without crucial information about when exactly it happened or where its resources came from. He hoped that he would eventually piece together those missing details.

As he neared his destination, Jake slowed down. His Cloak was disabled, as the ability consumed a significant amount of mana, especially during active movement, working in overdrive to keep him concealed. For this reason, Jake only activated Cloak when he truly needed to hide himself and kept it turned off while simply navigating the city. Now, drawing closer to the Los Demonios base, he activated the ability, rendering himself nearly invisible as he transitioned to a jog.

At some point, Jake halted completely to gather his thoughts. The base was situated about half a block ahead. He recalled there used to be an open area there. It had likely been a small park before the Collapse. From what he had gleaned from the gangster’s memories, this once-open space was now home to their base. Rather than sprinting out into the open and risking being detected, Jake decided to take a different approach.

He approached one of the high-rises on the right side of the street and jumped, activating Gravity Leap. As he reached the peak of his ascent, he executed a second jump, as if pushing off an invisible solid surface. He soared a few more meters up, defying gravity until his upward momentum started to wane. Quickly, he pressed the tips of his fingers and toes against the building wall, employing Adhesive Secretion. The glue-like substance oozing from the small pores on his textured body anchored him securely to the wall. Moving like a giant insect, he began to crawl across the facade.  

When he reached the corner, Jake propelled himself off the wall, executing a mana-infused jump. Dashing through the air like a powerful projectile, he flew across the gap to the next building. Upon hitting its wall, Adhesive Secretion took effect once more, firmly anchoring him to the surface. Jake crawled across the walls of the buildings, jumping from one high-rise to another, gradually closing in on his destination. At one point, he activated Cloak as he neared the base and wanted to avoid detection.

Finally, he reached the last building in the block. He crawled from one exterior wall to the one overlooking what had once been a small park. As expected, he was greeted by the sight of the Los Demonios base, which occupied the entire area where the park had once been. The base was surrounded by sturdy concrete walls, several meters tall, obscuring his view of the inside.

Undeterred, Jake crawled a few floors up the side of the building until he achieved a bird’s-eye view of the base. He turned around so as his back was to the wall behind him now, still pressing his hands and feet to the building. Clinging to the wall, completely motionless and invisible, he studied the complex below.

Inside the tall concrete walls sat several buildings, along with various strange-looking structures and large contraptions he had never seen in his life before. He could only speculate on what they were used for. Dominating the center of the base was the largest building, a boxy two-story concrete structure with a flat roof. Encircling this main facility were smaller buildings, an array of strange mechanisms, and a few tents scattered about.

Walkways ran along the inner sides of the perimeter walls, patrolled by armed guards who surveyed the area outside the base. At the corners stood watchtowers fitted with turrets, which seemed to be operated either autonomously by an AI or remotely by an operator, possibly stationed in the main building or one of the smaller structures. The turrets had the capacity to rotate a full 360 degrees, though their barrels were currently aimed outward. Jake noticed the barrels slowly sweeping from side to side, scanning the surroundings for any potential threats. He couldn’t shake the feeling that these turrets were fully operated by an AI.

Jake couldn’t help but marvel at what he was seeing. Back when he was a survivor, he had learned that there was a crafting system in this world. While he had never had the opportunity to learn how it worked, he had assumed it would let him create small items or simple contraptions. However, observing the base below, he realized the crafting system allowed survivors to construct not just makeshift items, but entire fortified bases equipped with advanced technologies like those sophisticated turrets that could automatically target threats.

Jake also couldn’t help but wonder where the resources for such an advanced base came from. The regular survivors he had encountered took refuge in various rooms of existing high-rise buildings. This base was something entirely different—it had been built from scratch, having come into existence only a couple of weeks ago. Jake was eager to learn how Los Demonios had managed to create such a facility while the average survivors seemed unable to accomplish anything remotely similar.

He knew his ultimate goal was to obliterate Los Demonios, erasing that bandit organization from existence. Yet, he found himself intrigued by the inner workings of the base and was eager to learn how everything operated within the base. Instead of immediately charging in to recklessly wreak havoc, he felt compelled to gather more information. Therefore, he chose to stay put for a while, taking the time to scrutinize the facility and discover how things worked within its walls.

There were people milling about inside the base, engaged in various tasks that kept the place running smoothly. Scattered throughout the camp, various structures and contraptions hummed with activity, producing an array of items. Jake, feeling a mix of curiosity and awe, pressed himself against the cool stone wall of the building. Captivated by the hustle and bustle, he intently watched the daily routine play out within the base down below.

Happy New Year! :)