Chapter #19

AN: I would like to clarify that all the mental talks are all Zeno just different parts of his mentality. Even the system is like that, so this technically makes Zeno schizophrenic just reminding if it wasn't obvious.

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Over the past year, Zeno truly tried hard to rein his instincts. Still he found himself staring at girls more and more as the days passed.

It was even worse with Dana due to her choice of clothing and her casualness around him.

Naturally his staring didn't go unnoticed but Dana didn't mind it, she too was taking glances at Zeno's body whenever she could.

While he wasn't muscular, Dana knew how strong he was, not to mention he was handsome too.

This caused many problems for him since girls suddenly started to find him pleasing rather than scary.

This situation pissed off Zeno and Dana for different reasons.

Zeno was pissed that he had to waste time on useless girls that were not even pretty.

Dana on the other hand felt like they were trying to steal something from her. Suddenly all the girls had once again become her enemy.

She had made some superficial friends over the years once the bullying had stopped but now she can't help but be suspicious of them.

'How dare they try to steal my Zeno! I was here first!' She thought to herself.

"Hey Dana, can I ask a question?" Her friend Hannah asked.

They were currently listening to music at Hannah's house as usual, the other girls were talking about random stuff in their lives.

"Shoot." Dana answered.

"Does Zeno have a girlfriend? He said he doesn't have one when Kim asked him the other day but we don't believe it." Hannah asked in a meaningful way.

"Huh, not that I know of. Zeno usually stays at home and works on his computer. He does have to earn his own money after all." Dana answered.

It took Dana a lot of effort but she finally learned what was at the garage. She couldn't believe her childhood friend was a white hat hacker.

She immediately asked for him to teach her, such skills would come in handy for her in her dream job.

Zeno was reluctant since he could guess she wouldn't use those skills for 'good' but she managed to convince him with what he calls puppy eyes.

In the whole school only she knew what he does on that computer, the others think he does translations, solves math problems and such for money since he is Asian.

"So, you two are not together?" Another girl joined the conversation.

"I wish we were but no." Dana answered but she also felt sad about it.

She doesn't know what she feels about Zeno, he was with her as far as she can remember.

He had told her that their friendship was based on his desire to be alone. By befriending her he got rid of the others.

Dana didn't mind it but, their relationship just kept going, Zeno soon befriended her brother despite the nine years age gap and the three of them got closer.

Still, Zeno doesn't go around telling all his secrets but neither does her brother. She knows he works at Gentek but she doesn't know what he is doing there.

Dana already lost her brother to his work and she doesn't want to lose Zeno, she'd go out with him if that meant he'd stay with her but Zeno does nothing other than staring.

'Maybe I can push him to bed… No, Zeno wouldn't like that. He is too systematic for such surprises.' Dana thought.

Indeed Zeno plans every part of his life and executes it systematically, at least when the plans don't go to trash. That was an influence not even his past life could remove from his Origin.

"You're being honest right?" Hannah said.

Dana's eyebrows twitched but she still answered. "We're not together."

The girls didn't believe her but they didn't press on. They learned the hard way to not pressure Dana since she can ruin people with words alone.

'Ah, the perks of knowing everyone's dirty secrets. Truly I was born to be a journalist.' Dana thought.

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Zeno was in his room, without his pants. He was looking at his scale covered hand and his Dragon with sad eyes.

[Zeno my friend, I think your hands will not be enough for you to calm down any longer.] System delivered the bad news.

'I see, I have finally reached my limit...' Zeno dramatically fell on one knee, the scales on his palm disappeared as well.

[Now, you must surpass your limits!] System encouraged him.

'*Unintelligible Screaming*'

{Sigh...}

It was at this moment the door of his room was opened. Dana on the other side of the door was looking at Zeno with her mouth wide open.

Zeno was too busy dealing with his system and previous life laughing at him to take the initiative, Dana was too busy admiring the view, so they remained like that for a solid minute.

"Sorry I forgot to lock the door." Zeno quickly apologized while he pulled his pants.

It was not out of shame or anything, Zeno had long discarded such things. He just figured it would be rude to have his dick out during a conversation.

"Well it's your house, and you have seen me in embarrassing situations all my life, it's time I saw something myself." Dana shrugged and entered the room without hesitation.

Inside she was freaking out. 'He doesn't call himself a dragon for no reason!'

Dana sat at the edge of the bed as she went through Zeno's stash of porno.

Truly, Zeno missed the times when everything was on the internet, so much paper wasted for his desires.

"Why do you have so much different stuff? I mean can't you just pick a category like brunette and go with it?" Dana grumbled as she looked at all the porn.

There was every type she could ever imagine, it seemed Zeno didn't have a favorite.

"If there was anything I learned from my grandma was that one must taste every flavor." Zeno shamelessly replied.

Zeno didn't know where his relationship with Dana would go but he can at least be a little honest.

He definitely didn't have the loyalty for a monogamous relationship, especially since he didn't know when he could come back to these worlds he was traveling to.

"Wow!" Dana was naturally shocked.

"Harems are totally doable." Zeno shrugged.

"If the other girls had heard you there would be a lynch, everyone wants you for themselves." Dana laughed.

"Well I don't think just one could satisfy me and we both know I am trash." Zeno replied while packing up his stash.

"I prefer honest trash over a lying knight." Dana said.

Zeno ignored the underlying meaning in her words, after all he is not entirely honest with her.

Seeing him intentionally nor answering Dana pouted.

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Soon Dana and Zeno graduated from High School, this was unfortunately where they were going to their own path.

Dana, who wanted to be a journalist, decided to go to Journalism School at NYU. Alex and Zeno helped her move out, leaving their mother alone.

Zeno had tried to convince her to select Software Engineering or any other computer sciences since she has a knack for it.

Alas, she wanted to be a journalist, Zeno respected her decision. It's not like he can cut through her bulletproof ego.

Dana can be really stubborn when she decides on something, and as her 'just a friend', Zeno figured it's not his place to push.

Alex was too busy with playing with bioweapons, but he did support Zeno about Dana's education and still all have failed.

Zeno on the other hand already had the knowledge of Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Nanotechnology.

He decided to go with Biochemistry once again since he could just bribe people to let him just take the tests and finish the major in less than three years.

Zeno didn't want to bother with another major in this world since he knew the outbreak would happen when he was around twenty years old.

Tyrone had outdid himself and gathered the resources Zeno needed.

Zeno had them gathered at a safe house he prepared, he had several of such places just in case he needed to bail out.

Also he needed to take Dana with him when Blackwatch decided to kill Alex and by proxy Dana and possibly him.

In one of his safe houses Zeno started working on his Nanosuit, at least he started to build the machinery needed.

'I have yet to find a way to get my hands on those regulated resources. I might need to wait until Alex gets his powers.' Zeno thought.

Zeno had already hacked Gentek and Blackwatch and got the data about Redlight and Blacklight that was still in development.

Using his own knowledge he concluded that Alex would survive and become a Prototype similar to James Heller if he took the virus before getting killed.

While paranoid and depressive, Alex was still his friend and Zeno didn't want him to die and get his body taken over by Blacklight.

'I should have a conversation with him soon.' Zeno quickly added that to his mental notepad and went back to work.