My Werewolf System

Chapter 1680  The Last Doubts

Since everyone had agreed to meet again in a few days’ time, Gary and the others needed to decide where they would stay. In the end, the decision had been simple. They would remain with Steve and his pack until the meeting took place. It felt like the safest option, and more importantly, it felt right.

Returning to Jack’s pack so soon after everything that had happened didn’t sit well with any of them. Not after the choices they had made, and not after the tension that had filled the air during the duel. Steve’s pack, on the other hand, seemed calmer toward them now. While there was still caution, the hostility had faded, replaced with something closer to understanding.

Even so, the mood among the three of them was subdued.

They had all assumed that after witnessing what they believed would be the end of Unzoku, at least in this time, they would be pulled back to their own era immediately. That hadn’t happened. And now that they had time to sit with the reality of it, the thought left them strangely unsettled.

If this truly was the past, real or not, then the people around them weren’t just figures in history. They were individuals with lives, emotions, and futures. People they might never see again. If they were to disappear suddenly, without warning, there were goodbyes they would never get the chance to say.

That thought lingered heavily.

Although no words had been exchanged between Bluebird and the trio as he departed alongside Jack, he had paused for just a moment before leaving. Turning back, he gave them a simple thumbs-up. Nothing more was needed.

Kai was certain of it. Even if they hadn’t been there at all, Bluebird would have stepped in and stopped the situation from spiraling into all-out war. And even if that hadn’t been enough, Bliss and Lenny would have arrived regardless. Their presence, their intervention, felt inevitable.

Right now, the three of them were seated near the edge of Steve’s camp, positioned close enough to the village to see the distant lights but far enough to enjoy a rare moment of peace. Beyond them stretched open greenery, giving way to the forest just beyond. It was quiet. Too quiet, almost.

The stillness gave them time to think.

“So Steve said he’d allow us to go with him, right?” Gary asked, breaking the silence. “Is he bringing anyone else from his pack? I mean, they said they wanted more people to help deal with Unzoku.”

Kai shook his head slowly. “No. He said it would just be him, us, and whoever Jack decides to bring.”

Gary frowned slightly, waiting for him to continue.

“From Steve’s pack, there really isn’t anyone strong enough to face Unzoku directly,” Kai went on. “And there’s too much risk. If Bliss’s plan fails, there’s a real chance Unzoku could influence or control them. Bringing more people would just increase the danger.”

Lupus nodded in agreement. “They’d just be liabilities in a fight like that.”

The others silently agreed. From Jack’s side, they all assumed Bluebird would be coming. As a human, Unzoku had no influence over him, and his strength alone made him an invaluable ally. If there were other heroes like him, perhaps they could have joined as well, but with so many powerful individuals already involved, it seemed unnecessary.

Too many people could complicate things.

“I’ve been thinking about what that woman said,” Kai spoke again, absently picking up a stick and tracing lines into the dirt. “Bliss. About the device she’s creating.”

The others turned their attention to him.

“She said we’d recognize it when we saw it,” Kai continued. “And honestly, I think I have a pretty good idea of what it might be. Hopefully, it already exists in our time. If that’s the case, then we don’t need to search for it, we just need to learn how to use it properly.”

Gary leaned back slightly. “And if we do?”

Kai hesitated. “Then the real question is… can we defeat Unzoku ourselves?”

Lupus answered without hesitation. “I fought him before.”

Both Gary and Kai turned toward him.

“He was strong,” Lupus admitted. “Stronger than I expected. But the worst part wasn’t his strength, it was the control. The way it felt like my body wasn’t fully my own.”

He clenched his fist slowly.

“With what I’ve learned here,” Lupus continued, “with better Qi control, better awareness, and if all of us fight together… I honestly believe we can take him. The only thing we have to prepare for is what Bliss warned us about.”

“When he’s close to death,” Gary said quietly.

Lupus nodded. “That surge of power. We’ll need to be ready for it.”

Gary fell silent, his thoughts drifting elsewhere. He still had his trump card, the Golden Dragon Form. While in that state, Unzoku had been unable to control him. And he still had a limited number of uses left. It was a reassuring thought, even if it came with its own risks.

“There’s something else that’s been bothering me,” Gary said after a moment. “Didn’t that Lenny guy look… familiar?”

Kai scoffed lightly. “Familiar how? From our time? If he’s really that old, don’t you think he’d have to be some kind of, ”

Kai stopped mid-sentence, realization flashing across his face.

“…Vampire.”

Gary straightened slightly. “Exactly.”

Kai exhaled slowly. “He looks like Rickle. The founder of NIRV. I know it sounds insane, but the resemblance was there. The face, the build… it can’t be him, right? Vampires live long, but that long?”

“They live far longer than we do,” Lupus said calmly. “But even then, I don’t know if it’s possible. It could be a doppelgänger. Or a relative. Or a descendant.”

He paused, then added, “Even vampires have families. Bloodlines don’t just disappear.”

The idea lingered uneasily between them.

As the days passed, the camp remained tense but stable. No new incidents occurred, and the uneasy peace held. Eventually, Jack returned, and with him came the understanding that the time had come.

Soon, they would face Unzoku.

And soon after that, if fate allowed it, the trio would finally leave this place behind.

****