Strongest Nova: Path of Vengeance

Chapter 102: Brainwashed

Stanley was in a bit of awe and confusion, not because of the mayor or his brother, but rather everything around them. He couldn’t tell what he was looking at.

There were large metal objects all around the mayor, all of which had parts on it that glowed. Were those words on them?

One of them had a moving red line, that continuously jumped up and down, making an exaggerated sound of a heartbeat as it did so.

The glowing parts on the metal flickered from time to time, as lights flashed from it. There was some sound coming from the other metal contraptions, but they were mostly incoherent.

The old bearded man took away Stanley’s attention as he placed a bloody knife on the metal tray next to him, the metals clinking together. The rusty smell of the blood was finally making up to Stanley now that he wasn’t standing in the rain anymore.

The mayor tore away his brother’s clothes, revealing broken limbs that look painful even from such a distance away.

The mayor then pulled out something metallic again, one that was attached to a clear tube. A ringing, wheezing sound came as he started placing it on Bradley’s body.

Something was happening, but Stanley wasn’t aware of what exactly. Actually, he hadn’t understood what was happening for a while now.

Then something happened that surprised him all the more. Right in the middle of the room, away from all the glowing metal and glass stuff, there was a floating picture made up of nothing but just light in the air.

And it showed the image of a human body.

Stanley wanted to step in closer to see what he was looking at when suddenly he himself die from an attack on his back.

He moved suddenly as his hand reached out and grabbed for whatever was reaching for him. His hand had moved into empty space, but a moment later he had caught the hand of a girl, who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

He looked at the girl, then the hand, then back at the girl with a confusion-ridden face. He recognized that girl.

"Sheila?" he asked.

Sheila’s eyes widened in surprise and she tried to pull back her arm, but Stanley’s grip was too strong.

His eyes narrowed, even in confusion, as he knew that his powers had only activated because his life was in danger.

He looked at the short metal thing she was holding and knew that it was what she intended to kill him with.

He moved in, twisting her arm as he did, and grabbed her other arm from behind before bringing it around her from the front while his own arm squeezed her by the throat.

His legs wrapped around her in an instant as he stopped her legs from moving as well.

Sheila’s eyes widened in shock and tried to move, but she soon found that she was unable to. She was being overpowered by the young man in front of her.

The mayor heard the short noise and turned around to look at the hallway. He walked to the door to look left and right, but he saw nothing. So, he went back into the room and focused on Bradley.

Stanley looked at the old man’s back with a confused look. ’Why couldn’t he see us?’ he thought.

"Let go of me," Sheila cried out in a soft voice that was barely more than a whisper. She struggled, but Stanley’s grip around her was too strong for her to do anything.

She couldn’t even pull the trigger on her gun.

Stanley wanted to see his brother get healed, but his focus changed as the girl struggled under him. "Why are you trying to kill me?" he asked with a low voice, almost imitating her.

He wasn’t sure if he was imitating because it was what she did, or because for some reason he knew not to make any noise right now.

"Bastard! You’re brainwashed and you don’t even know it," the girl whispered. "Let go of me."

Stanley was even more confused. "What do you mean brainwashed?" he asked. "What does that mean?"

"You won’t understand," the girl said. "You must have lived your entire life in the mansion, being taught from a young age to never question anything that happened here and to kill anyone that came in. You won’t understand."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Stanley got angry. "I came here because my brother was injured. I’m here to see him get treated."

"Oh yeah? Then how did you know where the hidden door was? I have been searching for it for half an hour, and you come in and open it so easily. Yet you expect me to believe that you haven’t lived here your whole life?" she asked.

"I haven’t!" Stanley said. "Can’t you see that I’m just a normal young man from the town? What has gotten into you, Sheila?"

The girl paused. "How do you know my name?" she asked.

"What do you mean? Don’t you recognize me?" he asked. "I’ve been to your noodle shop multiple times. What are you doing here?"

The girl frowned before slowly turning back to look at him. Her eyes narrowed for a while it widened. "It’s you!" she finally recognized him. "Are... are you really not from the mansion?"

"No, I’m here to get my brother treated," Stanley said. "He’s injured and needs the mayor to heal him with his powers."

Sheila frowned. "But... I don’t think he has any healing powers," she said.

"Huh?" Stanley looked at her for an explanation, but something else took both of their attention. The rhythmic sound that the metal had been making for a while suddenly got weaker and weaker, and then the Mayor sighed.

"How did you get involved with her, Bradley?" he asked. "Why did she fight you? Look at what she’s done to you."

The mayor reached for something with his left arm and grabbed a blade.

"I should be able to save you," the mayor said. "But honestly, that’s a lot of work. Goodbye."

Then, he stabbed Bradley in the chest and killed him.