The guy who met Chris was a Dark skinned man, while the one who met Eddie was Sheva, whom he'd last seen only a few days earlier.
"You've grown prettier, Sheva." Eddie gave her a hug.
"Thanks; you're still as handsome as ever. Come with me—we're just about to investigate a strange incident that's stirred up the townsfolk against the area's new power." Sheva led the way.
Eddie's gaze drifted involuntarily to Sheva's back; the woman, though black, had a unique charm.
Jill elbowed her husband. "Let's go; this isn't a sightseeing spot."
Sheva paused, then smiled where no one could see; apparently she still had some appeal.
The town was backward—flies everywhere, dirt roads that turned to sludge the moment it rained.
Now and then they saw overweight black women balancing baskets on their heads, a scene full of African flavor.
They'd barely walked a block when a Dark skinned man came running, only to be caught by several others who beat him and dragged him into an alley.
He kept shouting for help, but hardly anyone paid attention.
Eddie noticed the locals kept glancing at him; Jill caught it too. "They're watching us?"
"They're all townsfolk," Sheva said. "Anyone of another race draws stares and curiosity. The local militia was only just set up, so they're naturally jumpy."
"Doesn't look like that to me—they seem poisoned." Eddie saw the watchers' eyes were bloodshot.
Sheva didn't argue. "You've spotted something new?"
"Forget it. Let's find somewhere for tea; it's hot." Eddie looked around.
Jill frowned. "I wouldn't dare drink tea here."
Sheva sighed. "If you want a drink, make sure it's safe first. People love dropping things—sometimes even feces—into the wells. Our branch has its own supply."
Embarrassing as it was, that was Africa: dirt-poor, yet still churning out babies—maybe that's men for you, always thinking with something other than their brains.
Eddie clearly thought the same. "All right, just kidding."
At the street corner they ran straight into Chris.
"Eddie, what are you doing here? Jill, you came too?" Chris asked.
"Investigating. A friend's brother was killed by the local bioweapons developer; I'm helping her find the murderer." Eddie explained.
"Morpheus, I knew it. Be careful—the local militia just changed hands." With that, Chris went off with his contact.
Chapter 527 – Bewildered Beauty Sheva
Eddie grabbed the man. "Hey, what do you think you're doing? I haven't even moved yet and you dare jump the queue? Huh? Tired of living?"
The black guy was about to retort until he saw the cash in his hand; he nodded, stepped aside, and waved them through.
Money makes the devil push the millstone; right now this guy was just a paid ghost.
Sheva shot Eddie a surprised look. "Nonsense! I bet you've got the heart but not the guts. Careful or I'll tell Aunt Anlra!"
Anlra was Uncle Kenneth's wife; the daughter Anlra gave birth to was actually Eddie's, though few knew it.
Jill's expression turned odd; apparently Sheva had some interest—hardly surprising, given her good taste in snagging such a fine husband.
After passing the gate the chaos grew worse. Dead animals lay about, flies swarming over the carrion, the air thick with a nauseating stench.
Sheva's radio crackled: "Captain, we've assembled and are waiting in the northern square."
"Roger, hold position, I'll link up." Sheva turned. "A UN investigator vanished nearby; someone saw him in the village. We're here to extract him."
"Another clichéd kidnapping? Boring. Come on, I'll tag along." Eddie muttered.
As they advanced, the once-crowded village became eerily empty, as though the people had simply evaporated.
In the northern square a throng of blacks, men and women alike, all had blood-red eyes yet otherwise looked normal.
There were no elders or children; apparently the Plaga parasite killed those too weak to endure it.
Sheva's squad numbered seven, all locally recruited blacks armed with quality gear.
The men merely glanced at Eddie and company before focusing on the square.
"Get up on that roof for a better view." Sheva pointed to a five-storey concrete building ahead.
Eddie sprinted, leapt to the third-floor balcony, kicked off again, and landed on the fifth in under a minute, leaving Sheva's squad dumbstruck.
"Captain, isn't he a desk jockey? How's he that good?" a black trooper asked.
A spark of curiosity flashed in Sheva's eyes. "Mind your own business; focus."
Jill and Hilda bounded up just as fast; they could have flown, but that would have looked too outrageous—jumping was easier to explain.
On a dais a Dark skinned man shouted through a megaphone while the crowd below bounced and yelled; without a DJ it felt like a block party—only there wasn't a gravestone in sight.
On the platform two men held down a white man; both blacks had crimson parasite eyes.
"What are they doing?" Eddie wondered.
Sheva, arriving, saw the captive. "That's Fisher, the local intel broker who tipped us about the investigator."
Just then a 2.5-meter giant strode onstage, robed and studded with bloody pushpins, dragging a huge axe that doubled as a hammer.
One side was a blade, the other a wide maul for both cleaving and crushing.
A sunglassed Dark skinned man barked something, and the crowd below roared.
Fisher still tried to explain, but the parasite-driven didn't care about family or excuses.
The giant raised the axe to split Fisher in two.
Bang! A gunshot sent the axe-man staggering.
Chris stepped out with a custom shotgun, BSAA agents behind him, opening fire on the villagers.
They'd already run into parasitized locals and been attacked.
Fortunately Chris was used to surprises and had dropped the assailant without hesitation.
The infected were still basically human—just a bit more fearless, nothing more.
"It's Chris! Honey, do we help?" Jill didn't act on her own; she'd seen how badly Claire had been chewed out—Claire couldn't even walk to dinner for a while.
"Sheva, what about your op? Bypass or assist?" Eddie asked the local for her call.