Chapter 26 – A Shifter

"Which part had the least number of cameras?" Dion asked Ella.

"Hmm… around that church."

'Let's pray I'm on point. The street has all entertainment activities but a religious site finds its way there? Besides, it is a low-key, dark street,' Dion thought and his eyes scanned his location.

He spotted an open window from the upper deck and he sprinted towards it. With a swift flip, Dion jumped out of the building and landed in a crouched position.

He stood up and sprinted at full speed after landing towards the next street using the alleys. The darkness covered his tracks and the mask veiled his face. No time to change his attire.

When Dion reached the church, like a lizard, he used the protrusion to scale the roof. From his vantage point on the roof, he peered through the window, searching for any signs of illicit activity.

All appeared normal, leaving his face contorted in confusion beneath the mask. 'Am I wrong?'

But he activated his eye intent to improve his body activity. He quieted and observed intently with all his senses.

Surrounding sounds faded into the background as he focused his attention. It was then that he detected faint, muffled voices, previously drowned out by the clamor.

"... Counted it."

"...yeah… correct drugs."

"...seems… right."

"...nine million dollars."

Although the spoken figure differed from what he expected, Dion knew he had arrived at the right place. It would be tempting to burst in, using his superhuman strength to incapacitate everyone in his path. But reason prevailed; he had to play smart.

'No.' Dion thought, dismissing the impulsive notion. 'That's stupid. I should wait for them to come out and chase the person who has the cash alone. I'm not impervious to bullets.'

Dion lay silently on the roof, his eyes fixed below on the ongoing church service. Abruptly, a bell rang, signaling the end of the speaker's address. The congregation rose from their seats, filtering towards the exit. However, instead of the main entrance, another door swung open, revealing a stream of individuals dressed in a range of attire, from casual to formal. They seamlessly blended into the departing crowd, each carrying a myriad of bags—travel bags, shopping bags, boutique bags, briefcases…

They kept coming out and spreading in various directions.

Dion's heart quickened, his gaze darting anxiously from person to person. Who among them carried the money, and who concealed the drugs? It was impossible to discern.

What if they spread the drugs and money among themselves to facilitate easy transport?

'F**k me!' Dion muttered in disbelief, caught off guard by the unfolding situation.

A wave of disbelief washed over Dion, catching him off guard. His eyes continued to roam, scanning the ever-growing multitude of figures, each one contributing to the escalating tension.

"Use your nose, idiot!" Ella scolded him sharply through the earbud, breaking her silence.

"I'm not a pro at that like you dogs, who can just sniff the air and find what you're looking for!" Dion snapped back, his frustration evident. Nevertheless, he begrudgingly followed her advice.

He took a deep breath, attempting to calm his anxious heart as he inhaled the mixed scent that hung in the air. Rowan, with his keen sense of smell, could easily dissect the various odors, but for Dion, it was always a struggle. The jumbled mixture of scents seemed to be everywhere, making it difficult for him to isolate any single one.

To those with bloodlines, the air that seemed normal to others carried a distinct scent, an amalgamation of various odors. Dion strained to separate and identify the scents that surrounded him.

Dion tried to use his nose to dissect the various scents he was perceiving in the air.

Like she could read his mind, Ella's voice whispered through the earbud, her words carrying a sense of urgency. "Forget about separating the air. Focus on finding the scent of cash. Remember, cash is typically clean and bundled, so the smell should still be noticeable. Your nose should be able to differentiate between drugs and cash, as they have distinct scents.

Know the smell of one and use it to find the rest. That is, if the cash is separated among multiple individuals. However, if it's kept together by one person, the scent will be concentrated and heavy."

Dion lay still on the roof and tried to find the scent of money.

The various scents swirled around him like a chaotic symphony, each note blending into the next, eluding his senses. The scent tugged his senses away from his goal but he persisted. Mostly strange chemicals, which must be the drugs.

Then, suddenly, his nose caught a whiff of something distinct, cutting through the cluster of odors. It was a unique scent, unlike the rest, and it emanated strongly from a particular direction.

With a quick movement, Dion turned his gaze towards the source of the scent. He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the sparsely populated road. His gaze finally settled on the unsuspecting figure in the tracksuit. And there, amidst the sea of people, he spotted him—a seemingly innocent man in a tracksuit, calmly strolling down the street, a blue duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

'Rocky takes big risks,' Dion thought, his narrowed eyes gleaming like a lurking viper. 'He didn't separate and spread the cash. He gave it all to one person. That just makes my job easier.'

"I've informed the rest and they are coming towards your location. The other masked dude is not Rocky, but a fake dude with a bag full of old exam papers. So, the cops should be trying to find the correct location," Ella dropped the information quickly before warning sternly, "Remember, the backup for the police has arrived. No recklessness."

"Understood."

Crawling down from the roof, Dion swiftly removed his mask and black jacket, replacing them with a discreet black soft hat he had stowed away in his pocket.

Emerging from the dark corner beside the church, he trailed the man from a cautious distance, his steps measured and composed.

The street lacked the vibrant illumination of the previous one where One Time Club is located.

Maintaining a safe distance, Dion and the man strolled nonchalantly, their movements carefully calculated to evade suspicion. Their casual demeanor disguised any hint of their true intentions.

Then, in a sudden twist, the man abruptly veered into a dimly lit alley between two towering buildings, his footsteps quickening as if he suddenly remembered something urgent.

'My chance,' Dion thought and increased his walking pace.

As Dion reached the mouth of the alley, he peered into its depths, a quiet abyss shrouded in profound darkness, with scattered debris littering the floor. The man's solitary footsteps reverberated through the blackness, the weight of a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

A smirk danced across Dion's face as he fastened his black, sewn mask with its haunting white, blind eyes.

With lightning-fast strides, Dion's feet barely touched the ground as he raced towards the man. The pounding of his footsteps echoed in his ears, matching the thundering beat of his heart. The wind whipped against his face and tugged at his hair as he closed the distance.

As Dion drew closer, his focus narrowed on the duffel bag slung over the man's shoulder. It was his prize, the key to escaping the hunger that had consumed him for weeks. He could almost taste the victory, and feel the weight of his triumph in his hands.

Time stretched its arms and slowed its pace, as if unwilling to let Dion's hand grasp the elusive bag. The world around him blurred, colors blending into a haze of motion. His muscles grew taut like a compressed spring, ready to unleash their force at the precise moment.

Just when his hand was a hair's breadth away from the bag, the man twisted his body with fluid grace, evading Dion's timed launch. In that split second, time seemed to suspend, as if holding its breath.

Mid-air, Dion twisted his head, shock and fear etched on his face as he gazed at the man. A smirk plastered on the man's lips. Thoughts flooded Dion's head while still in the air.

'No ordinary human could react to my speed. It's impossible. Is he a realm wanderer? A Hexz hunter?'

With a resounding crash, Dion collided with the ground, quickly recovering and springing to his feet.

The man and Dion locked eyes, a tense silence enveloping them. Serene whispers of the wind mingled with an undercurrent of charged energy.

After a beat, the man's voice dripped with sarcasm as he taunted, "You've been chasing me for quite some time. Couldn't wait any longer, huh?"

Dion stared in silence, his mask hiding his expression.

"Who would have thought I would find a nice delicacy tonight? A realm wanderer. My grade is about to change. Hahahaha," the man sneered, a burst of wicked laughter escaping his lips as his fingernails twisted and elongated into razor-sharp claws.

Dion's eyes widened as he witnessed the man's teeth morphing into fangs, and a silver, glowing ring materializing around the rim of his iris.

'A silver rim around the iris, extensible fingernails, and growing fangs. He's a...'

"Dion, he's a Grade-One Shifter!" Ella's urgent voice echoed through the earbud, mirroring his thoughts.