Universal Power System

'Can this get any worse?!' Mako screamed in his thoughts.

El Diablo would be visiting the warehouse that Mako was going to sabotage tonight. This was something that Mako didn't calculate in his plans. With him in the picture, the mission would be significantly more difficult, if not impossible.

The reason for this other than the fact he is the leader of the biggest gang in Emerald City and a force to be reckoned with is the fact that El Diablo holds four different abilities; one more ability than Paul.

Holding three or even four different abilities might sound not that bad since Bill also has three abilities, but we have to look at the fact that Bill's third ability was a resonance of his two other abilities, making it less versatile. El Diablo and Paul each held unique abilities and all of them were of high level.

Paul held a level 8 Wind ability, a level 7 Speed ability, and a level 5 Telekinesis ability. It was not a very overpowered combo but taking into account that Paul held an elemental, enhancement, and mental ability, and all of them at a high level with many skills making him a deadly opponent at this stage of Mako's journey.

El Diablo on the other hand was an even more deadly force because his abilities complemented each other quite well. El Diablo didn't possess any elemental abilities; instead, he held a level 8 Strength ability, a Level 8 Hardening ability, a level 5 Influence ability, and a Level 5 Force-Field Manipulation ability.

El Diablo had two enhancement abilities that gave him superior strength and defense. His third ability was rarer as it allowed him to mentally affect people who had weaker willpower than him and his last ability was just like telekinesis and also a direct counter to it.

With two out of four abilities just boosting the body, El Diablo's biggest weakness should have been elemental attacks since they have a bigger range and can be more versatile, but with an ability like Force-Field Manipulation, El Diablo can create and manipulate invisible barriers that protect him from any kind of attacks. The force fields also block mental waves so Paul's telekinesis can't affect it or anything within it.

Paul and El Diablo were the only two people in the city who were able to achieve this level of power without any support from the government and the military and they both made Emerald City their domain which they had constantly fought over. There were, of course, other gangs in the city too who occupied minimal space and were careful to not get in the way of them otherwise they would be completely destroyed by them.

*************

Mako was now in a very tough situation. He had to decide whether he should continue with the mission or not.

The plan was meant to be executed just after the sun went down, and the warden did say that El Diablo would visit them at night so they might be able to get away with it before his arrival because if arrived then it would be game over for everyone.

If Mako decides to call it off then, the other guys would be able to carry out the mission at the other warehouses as intended and then everyone would be on high alert here with increased security which meant that Mako wouldn't be able to break out the prisoners who were imprisoned here.

Mako could call for backup or anything because Paul had made it clear that this mission could not be traced back to him in any way, shape, or form because currently, the two gangs were in a stalemate with no one making a move just yet and Paul wanted to keep it that way

'What should I do? What should I exactly do here?!' Mako asked himself in full panic. He couldn't decide whether to continue or not.

Mako just stood there in the vent, going over different scenarios in his head, trying to figure out which decision was more worth it. Mako couldn't just wait around either since he would have to return to duty.

If he didn't show up, the warden will notice a man missing, and then everyone would be on high alert. On the other hand, if he did show up, he could be recognized by EL Diablo because, after all, he was the one who defeated Bill and made him lose money which inevitably led to Bill's punishment.

Every scenario had a risk, every scenario could result in his death and the death of many innocents. He knew from the beginning that some people would die doing this. The people that paul had given him and Bill's friends all signed up for this after acknowledging this fact. Down in the prison, the inmates also promised to fight for their freedom alongside him knowing they might die.

"I have to give this a shot. I can't back down. The hopes of all these people are riding on this and they won't get a second chance at freedom." Mako muttered to himself as he decided to continue with the plan, hoping they could execute it and escape before El Diablo's arrival.

This was their best shot at getting this done and coming out of it alive with the least amount of lives lost.

Mako continued toward the gate to plant the explosives and then he would first have to do a shift before he could meet up with Jacob since it was now nearly noon. The night guard has to do another shift in the daytime as well and he couldn't ditch it if he wanted to avoid suspicion. After that, he could join Jacob to take out the communications and then release the prisoners.

After getting near the gate, Mako dropped down from the vent near some boxes where nobody could see him.

[Silent Steps have been activated]

[Dash has been activated]

Mako sped through, going from cover to cover. With his increased speed and no noise, Mako was able to plant the explosives without anyone noticing. He didn't have to think where to put the bombs unlike Jacob since this door was meant to be destroyed and completely blocked off. This would only leave the entrance that was closer to the basement which would make it easier and faster for the prisoners to escape.

After successfully planting the bombs, Mako used the vents again to return to his room and shower because he was covered in filth from all that moving around in the vents.

After putting on his uniform again, Mako came out of his room and looked over the timetable that was put on display in the lounge area. He was to be on patrol duty this time, and this couldn't have worked better in his favor because he could meet up with the other two guys and exchange information about the current predicament.

He quickly got out of the room and took the long way to his position, meeting Jacob halfway at a predetermined spot. Jacob's shift was over and now he was free to go to the lounge. Mako explained to him what he heard about El Diablo's surprise visit

At first, he was quite shaken up by the fact that he might face El Diablo later tonight but he soon composed himself with a look of determination. It seemed as if he held a personal grudge against him as many people did, and Mako didn't want to pry on his personal life, so he didn't ask.

Jacob agreed with his decision to continue on with the mission; however, Jacob had an even better idea. Instead of what was originally planned that Mako and Jacob would take out communications which were going to take the longest time because of Mako's shift. Jacob and the two other guys who were also done with their shifts could take over this job and be done much faster so that the final phase can commence sooner.

Mako hadn't thought about it that way since he was only thinking from his perspective, something he had to learn to change going forward since he wasn't alone anymore. Mako agreed to the plan and went out to his post to start the patrol.

As he arrived, two guys were about to leave as their shift was over. Mako quickly explained to them the updated plan and they nodded before heading back to the lounge to meet up with Jacob.

With them completing the task of taking down communications, they would also take down the jammer which meant that they could signal Mako through their communication device when it was time for action.

*************

[About 2 hours later]

The earpiece in Mako's ear started to vibrate. He clicked it once with his finger once and Jacob's voice came through from the other end.

"Job done! We are heading to the basement now. The prisoners would be transported back here for their meal. We will let you know once we are in position. After that detonate the bombs using the remote and we can all get out of here!" Jacob said

A smile appeared on Mako's face as he replied," Roger that!"