Chapter 120 - 121: The Morgue

Chapter 120: Chapter 121: The Morgue

Chapter 121: The Morgue

Under the night sky behind the old mansion, Axel Vance continued testing the enchanted double-barreled shotgun while Heather Miller watched from the porch. Each supernatural blast tore into the empty practice area with enough force to make her flinch at first, but after several shots, the fear gradually faded into an unexpected sense of security. Axel ignored her attention completely, focusing instead on the growing resonance between the firearm, the Blood Jade, and his Psionic Power.

With every shot, the weapon felt less like an unfamiliar antique and more like an extension of his own supernatural ability. The flow of Psionic Power became smoother, faster, and more natural until the pale-blue system panel appeared before his eyes. Psionic Shooting had reached 998/1000, leaving only one final step before the next level.

Axel prepared another compatible supernatural round and fired again. The gun answered with a deeper roar than before, and the moment the energy discharged, a warm current spread through his entire body as the system updated. The connection between him and the old shotgun changed almost instantly.

[Psionic Shooting Lv.2 — 0/2000]

[Psionic Power specialization bonus: +0.2]

[Psionic Power: 2.9]

Axel could immediately feel the difference. Before, he had needed to consciously guide Psionic Power through the weapon, but now the energy responded almost as soon as he thought about it, spreading naturally through the Blood Jade’s supernatural channels. Even ordinary ammunition accepted a limited amount more smoothly than before, although it still remained far inferior to the specially prepared rounds.

That settled it.

The enchanted shotgun had finally become a true part of Axel’s combat system.

By the following night, the group was positioned near Miami Central Medical Center. Dr. Seth Brundle had converted one of their vehicles into a temporary support station using whatever general architectural information he had managed to gather, while Carrie White and Lionel Cosgrove remained nearby as backup. Carrie’s psychic awareness gave them an additional way to keep track of Axel if the situation inside the medical complex went wrong.

Axel prepared himself without unnecessary ceremony. The Chainsaw Sword and enchanted shotgun came with him, while everything else was kept as light and practical as possible for a supernatural investigation inside a crowded hospital. His goal was not to start a battle among civilians but to reach whatever hidden facility was calling Heather and confirm whether the Church of Science was truly operating beneath the medical center.

From the front of the support vehicle, Clarice Starling looked back at him. "Jigsaw’s people are already nearby. They’ll create distractions if we need them, but they’re staying out of the actual entry unless things collapse." Axel nodded, then turned toward Heather.

She had changed into plain clothing, but her unusual height and transformed appearance still made her difficult to overlook. More importantly, she was already trembling, because the closer they came to the medical center, the stronger the invisible pull inside her mind became. Axel asked, "Ready?"

Heather took a long breath and nodded. "As ready as I’m going to be." Axel opened the vehicle door, and the two of them entered the brightly lit hospital like ordinary visitors.

The change in Heather was immediate.

The moment she crossed into the medical complex, her face lost color and a sheen of cold sweat appeared across her forehead. She grabbed Axel’s arm and whispered, "It’s stronger here. Much stronger. It keeps pulling me downward."

"Then use it," Axel said quietly. "Don’t fight the direction. Just tell me where it wants you to go." He kept close enough to steady her whenever the compulsion surged, making sure fear did not overwhelm her before they reached the source.

Seth’s voice came through the communication link with broad directions based on the building information he had studied. Axel and Heather moved deeper into the medical center while Jigsaw’s people created small distractions elsewhere, enough to redirect attention without dragging innocent patients into danger. The operation remained tense but controlled, and for several minutes the hospital continued functioning around them as though nothing unusual was happening.

The deeper they went, however, the worse Heather became.

Her steps faltered.

Then her entire body went rigid.

"It knows," she gasped, pressing a hand to her head. "Something knows I’m here. It’s warning me."

Almost immediately, the atmosphere changed.

Lights across the lower level flickered, alarms began sounding, and security procedures suddenly activated around the restricted areas. Seth’s voice sharpened through the communicator as he warned Axel that the building had shifted into an internal emergency response and that whatever was hidden below was no longer pretending not to notice them.

Hospital staff began moving quickly as the alarms spread, while patients and visitors looked around in confusion. A larger disturbance outside the building erupted moments later, almost certainly the work of Jigsaw’s people, and enough attention shifted toward the exterior emergency to prevent the lower level from completely locking down around Axel and Heather. It was messy, but it bought them time.

"Keep moving," Axel told Heather.

She was barely holding herself together now.

The invisible pull inside her mind had become almost unbearable, but that same pressure finally gave her something close to a definite direction. Axel kept her upright as they moved through the lower corridors, following instinct rather than trying to search every room themselves.

Seth’s voice continued in Axel’s ear, but Axel barely listened. At this point, Heather was a better guide than any map they possessed. Every step deeper into the medical center made her breathing rougher and her expression more frightened.

Then she suddenly stopped.

Her hand rose.

Heather pointed toward an unremarkable door farther down the corridor.

Axel followed her gaze and saw a simple sign mounted beside it.

MORGUE

Heather’s legs finally gave out.

Axel caught her before she hit the floor, but she still stared at the closed door as though something on the other side had reached directly into her mind. Her voice came out barely above a whisper.

"This is it."

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