"I don’t believe you,"
He replied, watching her puff another cloud of smoke from her lips.
"Which part?"
"The part about you being able to protect me or keep my ’secret’ safe," he answered, continuing before she could respond.
"You said you wanted me to work for you, not for us, which means you’re most likely just a loner without any organization backing you."
"The Mechnoheart Organization alone is continent-wide, with possibly hundreds of powerful Nexians beneath them."
"If they were ordered to bring my head to the table, are you saying that you can fight against more than a hundred Nexians all on your own?" he asked, watching her inhale from her cigarette before slowly exhaling another cloud of smoke.
"And that’s just one organization. In Frit City alone, there are two more organizations just as powerful."
"You’ll be helpless."
"So your first promise was a lie. You can’t protect me."
"Your second promise, to keep my secret safe, has no guarantee beyond your word."
"If you’re pressured enough, I’m an easy card for you to throw away to save your own life, and just as you said, you could even gain something from selling me out."
"So, I’m always at a risk of being sold out even after whatever hours I put into working for you."
Declan made his position clear, watching as the woman’s hand holding the cigarette paused.
She brought it to her lips and took another long inhale, reducing the cigarette to half its original length.
"It’s really funny, isn’t it?" she said, a puff of smoke escaping her lips as she turned toward Declan.
"Here I am, thinking you’re not worthy of my plans. You’re too weak, and your potential is still doubtful at best."
"And here you are, thinking my promises are impossible."
"So, you think I’m not enough, and I think you’re not enough..."
She drew in a slow breath before sitting on the desk.
Her legs crossed gracefully, her hands propping up her face as though she were genuinely lost in thought.
"What to do... what to do..."
BEEP!
BEEP!
A sudden series of beeps echoed throughout the room.
Declan watched as she slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out a seven-inch, glass-like device.
"Oh," she muttered to herself.
A faint glint crossed her crimson eyes before she slipped the device back into her pocket.
"I have a solution."
She took one last puff from her cigarette before flicking the burning butt toward the glass chamber containing Declan.
The tiny cigarette butt, no heavier than a pebble, struck the glass.
CRACK!
Cracks instantly spread across the entire surface.
Then,
SHATTER!
The glass exploded apart, sending shards raining across the laboratory floor as Declan naturally fell from the broken chamber.
The liquid inside came rushing out, flooding across the lab.
Yet, for some reason, a five-centimeter radius around the woman remained completely dry.
Declan was briefly buried beneath the flowing liquid before bursting out.
The first thing he did was reach for the heavy mask covering his nose and tear it away.
Next came the steel cuffs holding his hands apart.
With a sharp pull, he broke them free before yanking the restraints from his ankles as well.
Freedom.
It felt as though an entirely new life had been given to him.
He could finally move freely, and with that freedom came the familiar feeling of strength returning to his body.
But then he paused, his head slowly tilting upward.
Only now did Declan realize just how abnormal this woman truly was.
He had been suspended high above the floor inside the glass chamber, making her appear smaller from his previous position.
Now that they stood on the same level, however...
She wasn’t merely tall; she was almost twice his height.
Approximately three meters tall!
"You’ll come with me to Veyron City," she announced.
Her voice was cold and grating to the ear.
Without waiting for his response, she turned her back to Declan and began walking toward the door.
Declan’s fingers immediately tightened into fists, his body leaning forward slightly.
This was his chance.
He could kill her, escape this place, and disappear.
The organization didn’t know he was alive, and nobody would know his secret.
He could grow in silence, without falling under anyone’s radar.
The only thing standing in his way was this woman, and if he destroyed her now, he would be free.
But before he could move an inch more,
[DON’T!]
[DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!]
The system panel flashed repeatedly in bold red letters, and Declan froze.
’Why?’
The panel immediately responded.
[The System cannot accurately access her power level. That means she most likely possesses enough power to one-shot the Host to death!]
Declan’s jaw dropped.
’What?’
His eyes widened as he stared at the woman’s back, and in that moment, she suddenly paused and turned to him.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she noticed Declan crouching slightlyt behind her.
She slowly raised an eyebrow, then, as though she had suddenly remembered something, spoke.
"If you need some clothes, you’ll find some in the room opposite."
"I’ll be waiting outside..."
With that, she left the laboratory, the door closing behind her.
’Wait... some clothes?’
The thought finally registered, and Declan slowly looked down at himself.
His face immediately turned red.
Right now, he wasn’t just naked, he was dick naked.
His legs instantly crossed together while both hands covered himself.
"She... she saw everything!"
[The whole time, hehe.]
The System teased, and Declan’s breathing grew ragged.
His entire head turned crimson as embarrassment overwhelmed him.
Then,
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
His scream echoed throughout the laboratory.
___________
"Quite the interesting kid."
The woman mused to herself with a mocking grin tugging at the corner of her lips.
But the expression lasted for barely three seconds, before her usual cold demeanor quickly returned.
Her hand slipped into her coat, and she pulled out the cigarette box.
She removed another cigarette and placed it between her lips before walking away into the darkness.
CLINCK.
The sound of a lighter being ignited echoed through the corridor, and then, silence returned.