Mutated animals could develop abilities. That wasn't news to Khan. However, seeing the wolf use his spell made his mind go blank.
Thoughts quickly returned and allowed Khan to make some sense of the event. The spherical version of the Wave spell wasn't the result of the human arts. It was a mere explosion founded on an intense feeling. In the wolf's case, hunger probably was the fuel.
The spell continued to expand, digging a hole into the ground and putting the monster in a problematic situation. As soon as the purple-red color vanished, the wolf found itself at the bottom of a pit, which wasn't easy to escape with two broken legs.
The difficult situation didn't demoralize the wolf. It howled and growled in hunger while doing its best to crawl out of the hole. The creature didn't have anything else in mind.
Khan inspected the scene for a few seconds before tapping the air behind him. His figure disappeared, and cracking noises followed. The wolf noticed Khan only when he placed his foot above its head, and trying to grab him revealed that its remaining intact knees had been crushed.
The injuries and pain didn't get in the way of the wolf's frenzy. It continued to struggle and drool, focusing only on trying to get a taste of Khan. His position made that attempt structurally impossible, but the Tainted animal didn't care.
Khan felt both disappointed and curious. The spell and frenzy confirmed connections to the Nak, but the wolf was too weak to explore the topic any further. Its mindless state also prevented it from showing more clues.
The wolf struggled a bit longer, but Khan's foot didn't move, so it accumulated its mana. The creature wanted to summon the Wave spell again, but its head slammed into the ground before it could complete the casting.
The impact didn't make the monster give up, but Khan pressed on its head again, sending it deeper into the ground. Luckily for him, the wolf was pretty sturdy, so he didn't have to worry about holding back too much.
Khan had to repeat the stomping twice before the wolf finally fainted. Some blood accumulated in the hole created by its head, but it was alive, which was enough for Khan.
Caspar and the team in the trench didn't dare to leave their posts since Khan had given clear orders. Still, their eyes had remained glued on the scanners or battle, so they noticed Khan walking out of the hole.
Nevertheless, the soldiers' eyes widened when more of Khan became visible. He wasn't only leaving the hole. His right hand clung firmly to one of the wolf's paws as he dragged the creature out in the open.
"Caspar!" Khan called as he pulled the wolf toward the trench. "I got it!"
Khan was close to the trench, so everyone could hear his shout, and Caspar didn't hesitate to add new orders. "Get the binding equipment! Captain Khan got a live one!"
A few soldiers dropped their rifles to climb out of the trench and approach their vehicles' trunks to retrieve the appropriate equipment. A series of metal ropes and syringes soon appeared in their hands, and they brought them to the other side of the area to reach for Khan.
"You know what you are doing, right?" Khan asked, letting go of the wolf's paw and stepping away to create room for the four soldiers.
"Yes, sir!" One of the soldiers declared while her companions injected the syringes' contents into the monster. "This sedative comes directly from our scientists, who have already tested it."
'You wouldn't use metal ropes if the sedative were so reliable,' Khan thought without expressing his concerns. As long as he was there, the wolf couldn't take the team by surprise.
The soldiers bound the wolf's broken legs and mouth before dragging it toward the trench. Meanwhile, Caspar gave more orders, building a metal bridge that led directly to the vehicles. Everyone appeared ready and used to that practice, which partially reassured Khan.
"I remember reading that the scientists wanted a Tainted animal," Khan commented, crouching on the metal reinforcement while watching the soldiers load the sedated wolf onto a vehicle.
"That mission never leaves," Caspar explained from the bottom of the trench. "The white coats always want more guinea pigs."
"How does this work?" Khan wondered.
"A team will deliver the Tainted animal and return here," Caspar responded.
"Directly to the scientists?" Khan asked.
"Sort of," Caspar remained vague. "Their side of the building has a drop zone. We just leave the beast and get out."
'No contact even there,' Khan thought. 'Maybe I can pull some strings.'
"Do you expect more Tainted animals to arrive?" Khan questioned.
"We'll see," Caspar sighed, peeking into the empty area illuminated by the headlights. "We might have more leftovers coming, but that's usually rare."
Khan also stopped looking at the sedated wolf to eye the illuminated area. The symphony still carried traces of his battle, but his gaze stretched past that. He searched for more Tainted animals, but the plain disappointed him.
'I won't miss anything if I leave now, right?' Khan considered before checking the time on his phone. The night was still in its early stages, but an attack had just arrived. The chances of getting more in the next few hours were low.
"I'll handle the delivery," Khan eventually declared, standing up and jumping on the other side of the trench. "I'll come back soon."
"Captain, the soldiers can handle that," Caspar pointed out.
"It's my chance to get used to the area," Khan casually justified. "It won't take long."
Caspar couldn't add much to that statement, and the soldiers loading up the wolf also heard everything. Khan didn't need to say anything else to make those underlings step aside and let him enter the vehicle.
A car was nothing compared to a ship, especially since the former had auto-pilot options too. Khan could get going as soon as the menus confirmed the complete isolation from the outside world, and a map even appeared when he inserted his directives.
It didn't take long for Khan to return to the building, but the map didn't point him at the main gate. Instead, it made him ride to the structure's right side, which featured a less flashy passage.
"Requesting authorization to drop a live Tainted animal," Khan stated as soon as the vehicle established a connection with the entrance.
A few seconds had to pass before the hidden gate opened to reveal a small and empty warehouse. Khan tried to get inside, but the vehicle didn't respond to his directives. The auto-pilot had activated, making the car slowly advance and stop at the center of the new area.
The entrance quickly closed, and Khan planned to wait a bit to study his situation. However, a robotic voice suddenly came out of the control desk. "Drop the cargo."
That wasn't the end of it. The car's four doors unlocked and completely opened, almost forcing Khan to leave. He wasn't sure whether the scanners had checked his identity, but it was clear that the scientific division didn't care about such things.
'Is this process automated?' Khan wondered, jumping out of the car to inspect the area. He couldn't see any menu or camera in his surroundings, and even the flow of synthetic mana remained hidden behind the warehouse's metal surfaces.
Khan glanced at the sedated wolf on the car's roof before experiencing some annoyance. He understood his role on Cegnore and even accepted it, but that treatment wouldn't do. He deserved better.
"I'm Captain Khan," Khan shouted, performing a military salute out of habit. "Professor Joshua Parver and Headmistress Leticia Holwen can vouch for my qualifications as a scout."
Khan let a whole minute pass after his announcement, but no reply arrived. The warehouse remained silent and completely ignored his introduction.
"I request a meeting with a representative of the scientific section!" Khan continued, hoping that a direct approach could work. Sadly for him, the scientists had different plans.
"Drop the cargo," The robotic voice came out of the car again. "Captain Khan."
Khan glanced at the car before fixing his gaze on the wall before him. That wasn't the work of a program. Someone was behind the robotic voice, but Khan's request didn't affect them in the slightest.
'I should just lay low and focus on the Thilku side,' Khan thought as his annoyance intensified.
"To the one behind the speaker," Khan announced. "Think of someone that can order you around. I had their superiors at dinner, so drop the act."
Khan's plan would endanger the soldiers and his career, so he wanted to gather as much information as possible before employing it. The human scientific team could help, so he didn't refrain from using his fame, hoping to bend some rules. As for eventual consequences, he would deal with them afterward.
The silence returned and reigned for a few seconds, but a whooshing noise eventually broke it. Part of the wall to Khan's right moved, revealing a narrow passage from which a young man donning a long white coat came out.
"Captain Khan," The young man called in a scolding tone while approaching the car. "This is highly irregular. We have procedures for a reaso-!"
The scientist didn't have the chance to finish his line since Khan materialized before him. The young man was only a second-level warrior, so his eyes couldn't follow Khan at all, and his sudden sprint threatened to make him lose his balance.
"Were you scolding me?" Khan asked, his tone conveying a chilling vibe that made sweat pour out of the scientist's back.
"S-sir," The scientist stuttered. "There are regulations here."
"I know," Khan wore a fake smile. "I only wanted to see if our scientists were kind enough to indulge me."
"I," The scientist gasped before that blatant façade. "I can't speak for the scientific department."
"Then go to someone who can," Khan ordered, dropping his smile to show his real colors, "And tell them that I want an actual report."
