Chapter 470 Infiltration (1)

While his summons were busy taking over the Garuda facility, Ashton was busy making plans to storm Tartarus. Unlike the rest of the facilities, information about Tartarus was tough to come by, even information dealers not wanting anything to do with it.

That's why finding Alina and persuading her over to his side was the primary objective. At the moment, Anna was hot on Alina's tail. However, Ashton had requested her not to get into an altercation with her.

Alina's powers were frightening, and even Atlas would not stand a chance against her. Psychological attacks are a weakness of those who do not possess high intelligence.

Although not sure, Ashton assumed Alina's attacks were either psychological or similar to succubi, and she could also manipulate her target using sexual appeal.

However, the possibility of it being the latter was negligible, and Ashton was pretty sure of it as he had witnessed Alina at work. She did not even lift a finger before the assailants began killing each other like psychopaths.

Another reason to back up Ashton's theory was the lack of a 'medium' for Alina to influence a bunch of undead. Humans, even those with abilities, lacked 'aura', the medium by which succubi control their prey's mind.

Since Alina did not possess 'aura', it was unlikely she was a succubi hybrid or something similar.

[Even if these undead were in contact with intergalactic species, no sane space-dweller would ever give something as precious as a succubus to a bunch of bastards who can't even get aroused.]

Ashton chuckled and continued with his research to get any information on Tartarus. Although getting on Alina's good side would be fruitful, it would be good to have a backup plan in place if things went south.

[Remind me again, how many times have you hacked into their servers only to find nothing useful? Why do you keep entertaining useless things?]

"I entertain you, don't I?" Ashton mumbled without taking his eyes off the screen, "Besides, if I start getting rid of useless things, your mouth would be the first on the list."

[If you did, who would have given you the idea of hacking into their servers?]

"Taking your previously spoken words into consideration, you gave me a useless idea then?"

[...]

"Either way, I got a lead. Well, it seems like one." Ashton snapped his fingers in excitement, "According to this, the final blueprint of Tartarus should be somewhere inside the governor's office. Hmm..."

[What's wrong?]

Ashton hummed and hawed before replying, "It's a trap. Someone has caught on to our shenanigans."

[What makes you think it's a trap-]

"Two things," Ashton confidently replied, "Firstly, considering Tartarus's secrecy, it's unlikely such crucial information would be kept inside a public building. And secondly, this isn't the first time I have hacked into the defence servers, and nothing like this was here before."

[Interesting. Someone wants to fish you out. Thankfully, you're not going to fall for it.]

Ashton's silence made Astaroth uncomfortable, so he continued.

[You're not going to fall for it, right?]

"I heard you well enough the first time, Asta." Ashton replied while erasing any trace that he had been within the servers, "Unfortunately, it would be rude of me not to attend a party organised for myself."

Astaroth sighed, but even he couldn't shake off the excitement surrounding the 'event'. After all, it had been a long time since Ashton had had the chance to use his skills.

Not to mention, it was an excellent opportunity to analyse the undead's strategies and defence capabilities.

In other words, it was too good of an opportunity to pass on.

"Let's get going."

***

Later that day...

Wearing a hoodie to cover his face, Ashton stood in the rain, staring at the massive building. It wouldn't be an understatement to say the governor's office was the most protected place in Fright City, with the exception of hidden facilities.

After a quick scan around the area, Ashton found roughly six hundred troops assigned to protect the office. That many soldiers would have been enough to scare off earthlings, but it wasn't enough to make Ashton flinch.

Had he wished, Ashton could have burst through the doors with ease to demonstrate his strength. But what was the fun in that?

'If I am infiltrating them, I should do it properly.'

[Aren't you enjoying it a bit too much?]

'I'm just getting started.'

Despite hating Phantom from the bottom of his core, Ashton could not deny the efficiency of his tricks. So, he decided to use his technique of disguising himself and causing confusion on a scale no one on Earth had ever faced.

[Good plan, but your new look would require a new disguise.]

'Don't worry; I have it all planned.' Ashton replied as he noticed a maintenance truck parked in the alley next to the office.

Ten seconds that's all it took for Ashton to acquire a new uniform. Ashton went a step further to ensure nothing was out of place and changed his appearance to match the maintenance guy. That way, he could use the man's ID without any issues.

Following his confident smile, Ashton's face changed beyond recognition. The [Alteration] ability wasn't one of his frequently used abilities. Yet, Ashton was proficient enough to use it with little effort.

With his smile, he headed towards the rear exit. The guards there checked his ID and let him in.

"Make sure the cafeteria is clean." One of the guards commented, "The new governor is a bit of a freak regarding cleanliness. You know what, clean the kitchen first-"

"Jock, let the man go and focus on your job." Someone smacked the man before pushing Ashton inside, "The fuck are you waiting for? Get going!"

Ashton nodded and headed inside with his cart. While waiting for the elevator, two men joined him. Judging by their uniforms, one would assume they were clerks in the office. However, their stern demeanour gave them away.

The governor decided six hundred soldiers were not enough to stop the 'intruders' and had some more dressed to go undercover.

'Tsk, I almost feel bad for the exp I'd be wasting by killing them.'