Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 468: The ruthless search

Right after supplying the markets with fresh supplies in the morning, Vicente called for a meeting in his residence. It was the vacation home of the former councilman, too big and too tall.

Those invited were not allowed inside. Vicente claimed it was too hot. Everybody stood outside, watching the man who stood in front at the center. The air around him had a dark grey color with little spots of white.

He looked less like a human and more like a ghost or something similar to it.

Vicente held up a flyer. "Two women," he declared, his tone sharp and cold. "They are worth more than blood, more than mushrooms and meat, more than grain and more than gold. Whoever brings them to me will get a share in the bounty. I know that everyone in this town is already on the lookout, especially for this Fiona Quinn.

Today, my enforcers will begin the official hunt through the rest of the city. From Ferry Island to Kingsbridge. Spread the word. I expect no resistance. No door will remain closed."

At a safe distance from him, but still close enough to appear like they were protecting him, loyal enforcers reacted. They were men and women, most superhuman but others ordinary humans with notable strength. Some wore light clothing, some were clad in leather and armor, some were bare chested. All were carrying weapons from guns to iron clubs.

The meeting ended with a single command: Begin.

A dingy van that had survived two meteor strikes and a dozen frost stones went ahead of them. Two large megaphones were tied to the front and back.

A woman in calmly voice in the back of the van relayed the message. "This is a search for two fugitives that maybe hiding in the city. We urge you all to remain calm and let the enforcers inside. Any resistance will be met with equal resistance.

If you have any information on Moon Raine and Fiona Quinn, you are encouraged to pass by council house and share it with our great leader Vicente. For your honesty, you will receive a share of the bounty he recovers.

He can be trusted. How do we know this? Because the markets are flush with fresh supplies today. Supplies he went into the mist to acquire for us. With Vicente, we will not starve, and we will be protected.

Trust in Vicente, love Vicente."

She paused for a breath, waiting for five minutes to elapse before sharing the same message again.

Meanwhile, people rushed back to their residences. Some had secrets to hide. Some wanted to protect their supplies. Some wanted to meet superhumans up close.

Different people with different reasons.

Enforcers fanned out into the narrow streets, their boots striking against the ground. Some walked, some run, some flew by way of the wind and others leaped from building to building. Doors were pounded open, families dragged into the streets, questions barked with threats of steel.

In one house that yielded nothing but a frightened old couple that trembled as their cupboard were rummaged, Veronica felt a pinch of guilt. They were scaring people and all for what? Thirty million?

"Wrap it up Donnie. I don’t think they are hiding in the cupboards." She said.

As they moved on, the old man spat and sneered.

He did not trust Vicente.

He did not love Vicente.

And neither did his wife that was still trembling while picking up a broken frame which had pictures of their children.

At another house, tension snapped. A petty thief known as the Babel lock whisperer tried to flee past them with some wares he had snatched the previous night. He claimed he had seen the two women by the broken bridge.

But when Vicente was called to step in, his toxin scented hand had wrapped around the lock whisperer’s throat. The truth had spilled out quickly. The thief had been lying to hide his stolen goods.

Vicente’s grip tightened. "A waste of air and time." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

With a swift motion, he snapped the man’s neck. As the body crumpled to the ground, the crowd peeking inside gasped. Enforcers dumped the body outside as a warning to others that planned to lie.

The hunt pressed on. At another house, enforcers forced their way inside, overturning mattresses and ripping open locked chests. What they found was not the fugitives but something worse.

In the bathtub, inside a cage that rattled was a creature that should not have existed in the town--a mutated pet. Vicente was strict about that. They were not allowed in his territory.

This was a mutated dog with three heads. Its fur mottled with scales, its eyes glowing with an unnatural light. It barked, baring its teeth at them.

Poe, the enforcer leading the search in that house narrowed his eyes. "Illegal."

The homeowner, a gaunt man with trembling hands begged for mercy. "She may be mutated but she is small and harmless. Please, she is all I have!"

But the enforcers knew the law. The had also seen small, mutated beasts ripping apart people like they were slicing butter. Most ordinary humans hid behind closed doors during an attack, that is why they did not understand the danger like them.

The existence of these things was a threat to the fragile order they were trying to build. Without hesitation, Poe burned the cage, along with the dog. It shrieked, thrashing violently.

The man wailed, but another enforcer pinned him down. "You will be put on the list of those to be watched since you broke the rules and endangered the lives of others."

The enforcers left the house in ruins, the smell of blood, flesh and fear clinging to the air.

By now, the town was live with chaos. Word of the merciless manhunt had spread to every corner. Some families locked their doors, children cried.

Those who had bunkers and safe houses locked them even tighter.

In the midst of the despair, whispers of greed and discontent spread. Some people thought the bounty was fair to everyone. Why did Vicente and his enforcers have to be the ones to collect it? The bounty stirred greed in the hearts of desperate men.

Some thought of hiding the fugitives for themselves and later collecting the bounty.

The enforcers continued to move with purpose, sweeping through the town, trailing like wolves, following the smell of blood.

The streets echoed with shouts: "Search the cellars!" "Check the attic!" "Block all exit points in and out of the town. No one leaves!"

Criminals tried to escape but many were dragged into the street and beaten. Their cries for mercy were drowned out the screeching of the watchers that had gathered to watch.

Vicente eventually reached out to his people. "We are not here for thieves. We are here for the women. Focus."

The enforcers obeyed, but the tension remained. Everyone wanted that thirty million. To them, every shadow seemed alive, every passerby a potential target or traitor.

And the town seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for an inevitable clash.

Vicente gave them a little food, it was true. But he was also ruthless at times. Like now.

They did not trust in him. They did not love him.