"Now. Did you finish your task?"
The voice echoed down the corridor, heavy and overbearing. My legs were trembling, threatening to buckle, but instinct took over. I slammed my heels together, forcing my spine straight, and barked out a response alongside Tayley.
"SIR, YES, SIR!"
No matter how pulverized my muscles felt, my body obeyed within a fraction of a second. I guess my "submissive talent" was really blooming under pressure. My train of thought couldn't have been faster if it tried.
Thirty laps. Five hours of relentless running. Yeah, I'll admit it—we cheated a bit. We slipped away to catch our breath and let our asses hit the floor in the shade whenever the Captain wasn't looking. Running for a five-hour streak without stopping isn't exactly my idea of a good time. Even the legendary Usain Bolt couldn't make that look easy, let alone me. Honestly? I'd prefer getting stomped by Lady Lisa. My little guy down there specifically needs a bit of stomping, you see? Hehe.
"Good. Now come inside," the Captain rumbled. "But strip off your clothes and trousers first. You smell like absolute shit."
"Naked?" I blurted out before my brain could filter it.
"Just keep your underwear on."
"SIR, YES, SIR—but," Tayley started, but I cut him off.
"I didn't wear any, Sir."
I stared blankly at the Captain. I swear, it's not my fault! I was kidnapped two days ago, and I hadn't exactly had a chance to hit the local market for essentials. The wardrobe in my room? It only contained formal sets. I checked every inch of it! What did you expect me to do, wear the same dirty, crusty underwear from two days ago? For God's sake, even if I look like a mess, I keep my guy hygienic. You never know when a girl might want to taste him, and I refuse to let the customer be disappointed. I'm just trying to deliver a premium product. Really.
"What was your name again?" The Captain massaged his temples, looking like he was seconds away from a stroke. "I've only been dealing with you for an hour, and you're already testing the absolute limits of my patience."
"It's Edgar, Sir! Edgar the Lankat."
"Now, Mr. Lankat, strip. I will not have my office reeking of your stench."
I didn't argue. I stripped down to my birthday suit, leaving my sweat-drenched shirt and trousers in a heap. The fabric was foul—especially around the armpits. Fuughh. This is exactly why I don't believe in God. I literally prayed to the Armpit God for a blessing this morning, and he—or she, never mind, I can't actually see a deity's junk to confirm—completely ignored me. Why should I believe in something that doesn't care about my basic wellbeing?
"Yohooo," a voice chirped.
I looked up to see the girl with the traditional Chinese-style buns staring directly at my crotch. She wasn't even blinking. Her eyes were wide, locked onto my guy with an intensity that made me want to cover myself. Fuughh.
"Now, get inside, both of you," the Captain commanded.
Shhsss. The hydraulic door hissed shut behind us.
I scanned the room. It looked like a standard, boring corporate office, smelling faintly of oak and ginger. But what caught my eye was the ornament mounted on the wall directly above the Captain's head. It was a lizard—a Komodo dragon, the kind that only lived on Komodo Island before the Doom. But instead of the usual black-grey scales, this one was a deep, vibrant purple. Mutation? I pondered. My luck today was absolute trash, so it was probably a really bad omen for betting tonight.
The Captain sat rigidly in his chair, pulled a report from his desk, and began to read aloud.
"Mr. Edgar. Born in Krakatoa City, Outer Lingkar 7 District, December 26, 2740."
He glanced up. "At seventeen, you were certified as a 'Detection Wavelength Awakened' by the Ministry of Research and Development. And what do we have here? Currently working as a herb-gathering guide in the wilderness?"
"The data is correct, Sir," I replied. "Though it might need a slight adjustment. I'm currently unemploy—"
"Unemployment these days is a scary thing," he cut me off. "We found records of you using hypnosis to swindle people out of their money. Or perhaps you prefer the term 'street performer,' Mr. Lankat?"
"I'm not going to argue with that," I admitted. "It was my lifeline to keep breathing in this environment." I didn't bother lying. I knew they were the ones who kidnapped me right after my performance.
"Miss Liu, fetch the other report from the table across the room," the Captain ordered.
The bun-haired girl stood up, but she didn't look at the table. She was still staring at my guy, a thin trail of saliva leaking from the corner of her mouth. I'll be damned. I silently pleaded with my little guy: Please, don't betray me. Stay soft.
"Here's the report, Boss. It has the newly updated da—" She paused, dropping the file onto the desk. Her eyes widened, her expression a mix of shock and pure starvation. "Awww, I think we have a brave one here."
She reached for the tactical gear pocket strapped to her thigh, pulled out her phone, and—
Ckrik.
I stood there, frozen, my mind completely blank. D-did she just take a picture of my fully erect penis? Nineteen centimeters in length and six point five centimeters in diameter?
My face literally betray me. My grinning smile cover the whole left to right. I glanced at the scarred man sitting nearby, who looked utterly irritated by the sight of my guy down he-
"Stop what you're doing, motherfuckers!" the Captain roared, slamming his hand on the desk. "We are in a meeting. Behave yourselves."
The attention finally shifted away from my lower half. The scarred man clicked his tongue in annoyance. The fuck is his problem? I bet he's packing a micro-sized guy down there. Poor bastard probably hasn't made a girl see heaven in his entire miserable life. And the bun girl? She was still looking at me, making a subtle, suggestive gesture with her mouth and hand signaling an offer for a blowj-
"Now, back to the report," the Captain growled. "You became a street-criminal hypnotist two years ago?"
Fucckk. How many times today was my train of thought going to get shorted? It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
"Yes, two years ago."
"And you belong to a syndicate called 'Strong Night.' Seven members, including your leader, Ade, and the manager, Lucy. Both of them are Awakened. Correct?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"And what is your role in this syndicate?"
"I pay a weekly tax of 20 silver to the gang, and I always work alone."
"It lines up with our intelligence," the Captain mused. "You claim you can hypnotize people. Can I assume you aren't just detecting Earth Pole wavelengths, but actively using your ability to aid in your crimes?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"It seems you are a Tier 2 Receiver, and self-taught at that. That's a talent level slightly above average. I'll give you that much. Any other valuable intel that I missed?"
"No, Sir—wait, there is one thing," just before i finished my words when i thought this suspensed interview finally over. Tayley suddenly interjected.
Huuft. Should I start counting how many times my sentences get interrupted today and play those numbers in the lottery? Might be a winning strategy on tonight betting.
"What is it, Tayley?" the Captain asked, sounding impatient.
"Tonight, Mr. Edgar opened the secret wardrobe drawer that holds the analysis orb," Tayley said, puffing out his chest with a proud, smug grin.
Pfttt.
HAHAhaha.
What a letdown.
Haiiyaa.
The four elites literally burst into mocking laughter. I felt like crawling into a hole. What did I even do wrong?
"Enough," the Captain sighed. "You could have opened it by telling him the exact button to press—"
"He opened it on his own," Tayley cut back in, his voice rising. "Before I even told him which button to push. Meaning he bypassed it with his own detection ability alone. No less."
God must be blind to let Tayley speak. I glared at him. He was the one who made us run for five hours, TAYLEYY!!.
The Captain went quiet. He stared at me with an intense, predatory interest, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face.
"Now we're talking. Kehh... hehe."
He smiled. That motherfucker actually smiled. Just what kind of hell did I walk into today? Huuuftt. I really, really miss my cigarettes.