Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening-Chapter 120: Trap (1)

"..."

The bandit leader was momentarily confused. Swiftly getting back to his feet, he looked around, narrowing his eyes at the grey mist and then back to the catwoman standing in front of him.

"This is your doing." He stated more than questioned. "Who the fuck are you?"

The bandit had come across a lot of people in the past; strong and weak alike. Yet, he had never seen or heard of a person capable of casting such a wide area spell like what he experienced.

For a spell to be capable of affecting the senses to such an extent could only mean one thing; the woman was very powerful. This realization made him take a step back.

"Weren’t you paying attention to those two men earlier?" The catwoman asked with a smile, her head tilted slightly.

Naturally, the bandit put two and two together. But what he actually wanted was to know the identity of the person standing before him.

"Your business had nothing to do with mine." The bandit said. "Sure, we wanted them dead, but after that and all this... you could have left with them. So why?"

He didn’t like the fact that all his men were killed. While he wasn’t sure, they were wanted criminals who had evaded the law for years.

"Because you guys are bandits?" Jess raised her brows with a chuckle. "You and your people have evaded the knights for years. Did you honestly think there wouldn’t be a bounty on your heads?"

The bandit gritted his teeth in anger, wanting nothing more than to rip Jess to shreds. But he knew the truth; he wasn’t strong enough to take the cat.

And with the grey mist still swirling around them, there was no escape route. His options were limited, but he wasn’t going to get arrested without putting up a fight.

"You don’t seriously think I’ll be going with you without a fight, do you?" He brought out his giant battle axe, putting it over his shoulder. "You may be stronger than me, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve!"

The bandit made the first move, channelling his mana into a speed spell and closing the distance to Jess in but a second.

"Die!"

The bandit swung his weapon at Jess, aiming to cleave her in half from waist to waist. His moves were impressive and his ferocious aura made him appear very intimidating.

The former Jess would have had a hard time dealing with someone like the bandit leader. Now, however, she was far stronger than most knight commanders, with abilities that would render any spell or attack useless.

Jess grinned softly as she looked at the bandit’s hardened expression, the axe cutting through the air and towards her waist. With her improved cognitive function and reaction speed, everything appeared in slow motion.

The bandit’s eyes widened when his swing missed the target. He didn’t expect much, but he was hoping Jess would attempt to block or even evade.

’Where did she go?’

A sudden kick to his back answered his question. The kick produced a resounding crack that sent the bandit flying into a tree stem. The impact dealt more damage to his already broken back, prompting a loud groan from him.

"You didn’t seriously think you could take me on, did you?" Jess asked from the back. "Maybe you were not paying attention."

The man gritted his bloody teeth as he struggled to get back to his feet. Turning his head around, he saw Jess approaching him with calm and steady steps.

’Fucking bitch.’ He flashed a bloody grin. ’A little closer and you’ll find out just how weak I am...’ His axe was out of his hand, lying somewhere else, but that didn’t matter.

Jess grabbed the bandit’s hair and raised it, only to have the bandit react by retrieving a hidden blade and plunging it into her chest – or so he thought.

The man’s eyes widened in shock, seeing his blade and hand phase through the person he intended to kill via surprise. His shock came to an abrupt end when a sudden jolt of lightning coursed through his body.

"Ah....!"

The bandit collapsed to the ground, letting go of his weapon while his body spasmed uncontrollably. The shock therapy nearly knocked him unconscious.

"Hah... People really do find it hard to give up even in the face of overwhelming odds, huh." Jess muttered as she shook her head. "Can’t say I’m any different."

"Hehe, that’s our nature." A male voice came from above, but the bandit was too out of it to care. "We resist until there’s nothing left."

Caleb leapt off the branch and landed beside Jess with a thud, looking at the bandit who was slowly losing consciousness.

The bandit boss couldn’t make out most of what Caleb said earlier. However, with him close enough, he could make out their conversation.

"Have you crippled them like you said you would?" Jess turned to ask Caleb. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

"Not exactly. I just took away their ability to use magic, their increased strength and senses."

The bandit was confused hearing those words. Looking up at Caleb, he saw those turquoise eyes stare into his own. There was only calmness within.

"And the guys from Dack Knights?"

"I got what I needed from them. We have the location of their base." Caleb replied, getting in close to the bandit. "He’s the only one left. Once I’m done with him, I will let Silvia send her men over. This banditry madness is over."

As the drowsiness kicked in, the bandit heard a few more words before passing out completely. What he had avoided for so many years was finally at his doorstep.

"You’ve been quite the thorn in the Duchess’ side, haven’t you?" Caleb grinned softly. "You should be glad you won’t be dying today. When you wake up, you’ll begin your new life in a cold, dark cell. Sleep tight, Cecil."

The bandit’s heart skipped a beat hearing his own name; a name he thought no one knew, not even his own men. So how could this man know? Unfortunately for him, his questions would have to wait as his eyes finally closed.

"Hah, that takes care of that." Caleb rose to his feet, retrieving his call artefact. "Hey, sweetheart. I’ve got a little present for you..."