Jacob Jake Willy Patty Malcom Janet - Main Characters

Just then the chief started the meeting and everyone stopped gossiping.

" All non-duty staff have been called today to discuss something which can be considered as important." The chief said.

Pausing for a while, the chief continued," The biggest shareholders of our hospital and also the members of our board of directors, Glory and Wilson enterprise are changing CEOs today. Their sons will be replacing them everywhere. As you all know that our hospital wants to start a charity program for the patients who are suffering from HIV which is a very common disease these days and for that we need a huge amount of funds. We have high hopes from these two companies and we are sure that they will help us. The two CEOs will be coming over for a short seminar which will be held in this month itself. A few nurses and doctors will be appointed for this project so those who are interested should give their names when they are asked to."

Janet frowned and murmured," As usual boring meetings."

" I heard that two CEOs are young and handsome." someone said from behind.

" Yes, I heard that two." Another nurse said.

" That is all for today. If you want, you can watch their interview which we will be showing at the cafeteria. Have a good day." The chief said.

As soon as the chief left, everyone ran towards the cafeteria.

" I am hungry." Ron said.

" I am hungry too but I guess I'll go home and eat with Rocky." Janet said.

Ron fronwed and said," You people have really forgotten about me after getting yourself a hot man."

" I'll go and look for Kevin at the main mansion." Silvia said.

Just then Ron grabbed their hands and started dragging them towards the cafeteria," Eat with me first and I won't hear any excuse."

….

Inside the cafeteria.

Ron and Janet were busy ordering food while Silvia was busy calling Kevin who wasn't receiving her call. Now she was more pissed than anxious.

Janet and Ron brought the food over and said," The cafeteria is really crowded today."

" They want to see the hot CEOs I guess." Ron said.

After calling Kevin for one last time, Silvia grabbed her bag and was ready to leave.

" Where are you going?" Ron asked.

" Kevin is going to get a good beating from me today." Silvia said.

Seeing her angry red face, Ron grabbed her shoulders and forced her to sit down.

Passing her a bottle of water, Ron said," Geez girl calm down and drink this."

Opening the lid, Silvia was gulping down the water when she heard the host from the program say," Let us welcome the hot and the most dashing men of the business worl Kevin Austin, Jacob Wilson and Chris Walker."

*PFFFTTT* 

Silvia spat out the entire water from here mouth on Ron when she heard the two familiar names.

Janet widened her eyes in shock and turned towards the television and when she saw the three men on the screen, she got up and gasped while Silvia started coughing vigorously.

" Will you two shut up and let us watch this eye feasting show?" Someone shouted.

Silvia grabbed Ron's hand and asked," Isn't that my husband?"

Ron quickly took out his phone and typed Kevin's name on the search list. The news about him taking over Glory enterprise was all over the net. 

Ron's expression darkened when he read about an article which had Kevin's history on it. 

Passing the phone to Silvia, Ron left the cafeteria.

Scrolling down, Silvia couldn't believe what she was seeing. The information was too much to digest in one go. 

Taking the phone from Silvia's hand, Janet gasped louder when she read the information about Kevin. She then quickly typed her boyfriend's name and almost fainted after reading the article. 

" So all you three are childhood buddies and have been to the military together?" The host asked.

Rocky nodded his head and said," Yes."

" And is it also true that Mr Walker retired a few years back while the two of you retired recently?" The host asked.

" That is true. We retired to take over our family business." Kevin said.

" As we know, Mr Walker took over Sparkle and shine a few years back but never attended any kind of public interview and function. Then why now? Especially today?" The host asked.

Chris smiled and said," I was waiting for my buddies because I knew that one day or the other they have to take over and we always do everything together so why to leave this behind right?"

The host laughed and said," That is true."

Pausing for a while, the host asked," Everyone in the business world or related to the business world knows about the rivalry between Glory and Wilson enterprise. I want to know your point of view on that."

" Well, that is something that was going on between our fathers and I don't want to say anything about that. But now that we are taking charge, no more rivalry. As everyone knows, the two companies will be collaborating in many projects in the future. The rivalry legacy ends with our fathers." Kevin said.

" Yes and there is no way I am going to go against or fight with my bro for some business or my father's sake." Rocky said.

" It's between our fathers and we will just leave it to them to solve and discuss." Kevin said.

The host nodded her head in satisfaction and said," So now let's talk about something else." Before changing the cue card.

" Three hot men sitting right now in front of me and with thousands of woman seeing you three over the screen looking all handsome and dashing, I am sure the woman out there might be going crazy about it. So how do you feel and how are you planning to avoid the uncountable numbers of girls who are just going drool all over you?" The host asked.

Raising his left hand up, Kevin said," I am happily married to a beautiful woman."

Raising his left hand up, Chris said," And I am already engaged to my long time girlfriend."

Rocky chuckled and said," Though I don't have a ring to flaunt like them but even I have a girlfriend."

The pouted her lips and said," So all the three hot men sitting in front of me are taken? Ahh how disappointing is that? You three broke millions of hearts in a second." 

….

" I cannot believe they are already taken? How depressing is that?" Someone said.

" And that hot guy wearing that light blue suit is married. Can you believe that?" Another woman said.

" So what if they are married or taken? Rich people fool around with all kinds of women behind their wife's back. They have countless numbers of mistress's outside. So it doesn't really matter whether they are taken or married." Someone from the crowd said.

" Ahh I can willingly become his mistress and do whatever he wants me to." Another woman said before letting out a chuckle.

Silvia clenched her hand into a fist before grabbing her bag and dashing out of the cafeteria.

Janet was about to leave when she finally received a call from Rocky.

Pressing the reject button, Janet grabbed her bag and left too.


[Warning: This novel features mature content]
Love takes off the mask we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within. 
 -James Baldwin 
It’s hard to forget someone who was once very close to you but it’s harder to stop loving them.

This is a story about a young and beautiful woman, Silvia Green who believes that one day she will find someone who will love and cherish her like she is the most precious thing in his life and Kevin Austin whose heart has been broken into tiny pieces by the only important person in his life. His trust and believe in true love also broke into tiny pieces along with his heart.

What do you think will happen when a woman who is desperate for love and a man who doesn’t have any faith in love come together? 

Will they ever find love? 

Will Silvia manage to ignite the magic of love in Kevin’s heart again or will Kevin make Silvia lose her strong faith in love

..... 

In the middle of the night 

Silvia woke up when she saw him sitting up straight in the bed. Placing her hand on his shoulder, Silvia asked, "What’s wrong?"

Pulling her into his embrace, Kevin murmured, "Help me please. I don’t wanna be like this.” 

.....

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P.S: The cover doesn’t belong to me.

Numerical series card! This thought suddenly emerged in Janet's mind. And it was precisely this thought that caused her to lose her mind. It was a numerical series card! This set of cards were so famous that it was impossible for any card salesperson to not know them. When 013 was sold, she watched the entire livestream. When she saw a four star card being sold at a sky-high price, she almost lost it.
She didn't know for sure how powerful these cards were. But as a professional salesperson, she was directly impacted by how valuable these cards were! Any three star card from this series could be sold for several ten millions! This fact made her drop her jaw. She always thought that the residents in the common residential districts were poor, until she saw the livestream, and realized that they were actually loaded!
It was also that very livestream that changed her many views on the common residential districts. She, like most people, had thought that good card masters were only found in the Five Flourishing Districts or Kyoto. Their impression of the common residential districts were a poor, backward place. However, when they saw Madame Zhilian, or Jie Yanbai, of the Central Repository of the Classics, Zhu Ning of the Federation Comprehensive Academy, and Faya chasing after the numerical series cards, only did they knew that the common residential district was full of rich people.
The mysterious card master did not appear all these while. Does anyone know who he actually was? But his fame has spread throughout the Federation along with the appearance of the numerical series cards. Rumor has it that somebody were collecting the patterns of the numerical series cards, attempting to compile a collection. Now that they were being collected, these cards were spreading like wildfire in the card master communities. Every single card master who saw these patterns would idolize the unknown card master.
But now...
Janet felt her heart beating unusually fast, so fast that she almost couldn't catch her breath. Her mouth was dry. She was nervous! Abnormally nervous!
Damnit, how could I be nervous!
She wanted to yell at herself, but no voice came through her mouth. The legendary, mysterious grand master could be the very masked man standing before him. How could she not be nervous? It was like snowing Oudi in her eyes!
Godammit, that's loads of money!
She bit her own tongue and the flash of pain brought her back to reality.
"Is there an issue?" Chen Mu was curious when he saw Janet's stupefied face. He could not imagine that the remark on his own card would create a world of imagination in her head. The remark was written down by himself. The numerical series cards were trending in Pomelo, several ten thousand miles away. He didn't think that an incident in a typical city within the common residential district would spread all the way here, to the Five Flourishing Districts, and it would still be remembered.
In Pomelo, he made 22 numerical series cards. The [Wheel] on Xiao Bo's hand was 023. To thank Xiao Liqian, he made five more cards for her. This [Explosive Projectile] was numbered 029 by himself. When he made it he marked the number down without a thought. It seemed like Chen Mu still had quite some habits of a technician.
"Not at all! Not a problem!" Janet was all smiles when she finally got herself together. She respectfully handed the [Explosive Projectile] back to Chen Mu, "Please, ignore these two rude fellas! This way, respected grand master."
Grand master? Chen Mu was dumbfounded and amused. In what way was he a grand master? But since his mask covered his face, his expressions were hidden. And it was too much a hassle to explain himself, so he received the card from Janet and followed her. Just when he took his first few steps, he asked, "Where to?"
In Janet's eyes, Chen Mu was a human figurine made out of pure Oudi. Then, her smile got a lot sweeter, "to celebrate your masterpiece, we have prepared a celebratory banquet. This way, please."
"Masterpiece? Haha, how is this even a masterpiece?" Chen Mu laughed nonchalantly. But after making cards with his full concentration for a whole day, he was quite hungry. As long as there is food, he's good.
As expected from a grand master! Janet's admiration was overflowing from her eyes. See, this is why he can earn so much!
Janet's pace has never been faster. With a "human Oudi" beside her, she'd achieved record-breaking efficiency. As they were on their way, she passed down orders via a communication card with a low voice. When they arrived at the VIP hall, a mini banquet has been set.
When he saw the table full of food, Chen Mu's stomach let out a cry. He did not pretend to be courteous, but started to stuff his mouth with food.
Since he was eating, he had to pry his mask open a little.
He seems young! Janet stared attentively at Chen Mu's exposed chin. Generally, women are more sensitive about skin. She secretly judged that the masked man was no older than 35. When she thought of this, Chen Mu's value in her eyes was immediately raised by a lot. In these times, capable people were rare, and capable young people were even rarer. The rarer the more valuable!
Looking at Chen Mu stuffing himself, Janet's smile was turning her eyes into lines. But when she saw Mu Chen slowing down, she adjusted her face and went back to the professional smile.
Chen Mu was finally satisfied. Janet, who was waiting at the side all the while went up to him, "How was it, grand master? Was it to your taste?"
"Not bad," Chen Mu was fairly pleased. Although his economic condition was much better than before, but most of his thoughts were spent on making cards and battling. So he didn't put much attention on enjoying life. Moreover, Janet has ordered for a banquet of the highest class, how could Chen Mu be not satisfied? When he heard her referring to himself as a grand master, he felt a little strange. But he saw this as a commercial tactic, just another salesperson calling a potential buyer 'grand master'.
Janet was covertly happy when he saw Chen Mu satisfied. Getting his approval, even a little, would be beneficial to her career advancement.
"Say, grand master, did you just arrive at Dongrui City?" Janet saw the alarm in his eyes, so she quickly said, "As a grand master of your level, you must have your own card making room, right? I was born and raised here in Dongrui, but I've never seen such an amazing card master like yourself!"
You are the maker of the numerical series cards, it's impossible you're from around here. Janet thought.
"Oh," Chen Mu expressed his relief.
"Wasn't it fate that you've come to our humble shop? Allow me to gift this golden card to you, grand master. With this card, all your expenses and material cost here will get a 30% discount! From today onwards, you will enjoy the privilege of the highest class!" Janet continued to exploit the opportunity.
After taking a suspicious look at her, Chen Mu took the golden card. He scanned the card and found out that other than a pattern used for recognition, there was nothing else on the card.　　
After gifting the golden card, Janet asked cautiously, "So, grand master, what do you plan to do with this [Explosive Projectile]?"
Sensing the doubt from Chen Mu, Janet quickly explained, "If you'd like to sell it, our humble store could retail it for you. We are not the largest card store in Dongrui, but with a history of 45 years, we are somewhat popular locally. You do not have to worry about the price. This card is very valuable! To show our sincerity, we will only take 8% as commission, what do you think?"
Chen Mu finally understood her intentions, and he laughed unintentionally, "I plan to gift this to someone. I'm not selling."
Janet's disappointment was apparent on her countenance. But she was quick to react, "Do we have the pleasure of producing cards for you? Price is not a problem."
Chen Mu did not think of this possibility, so he was startled. But he shook his head, "I will not be needing this service at the moment."
Janet has recovered by that time, "If you are interested in the future, you are always welcomed here!" her voice was humble and respectful.
Chen Mu smiled cooly, "Hmm, I will come to you if I need to sell my cards." If he didn't had to change cards for Sang Hanshui, he would not even think of making cards. At the moment, his first priority was to get the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus. As such, improving battle capabilities was the most urgent problem he has to solve. As for card making, he would have ample time for them after this. More importantly, he wasn't in need of money.
Just after Janet saw Chen Mu's leave, Zhan Ken and Tapster came over angrilly.
"Where is that grand master?" Zhan Ken asked nervously.
"He left" Janet replied dismissively.
"What? You just let him go like that?" Tapster raised his voice unintentionally, then stomped his feet and sighed. Beside him, Zhan Ken sighed as well.
Janet rolled her eyes at Tapster, "Oh, should I have detained him?"
Tapster was stunned when he heard that. The three of them did not have the rights to do that. Who would dare to detain a grand master of that calibre? Grand masters usually have powerful card artisans among their friends. Only big corporations that can bend the rules do that. It was not a tactic a small store like them dared to use.
As for Chen Mu's identity, Janet did not tell the both of them about her guess. She was just a sales supervisor. She did not even plan to report this to her superiors. Her guess would only be beneficial if Chen Mu does come again. That was why she gave him a golden card.
The golden card gives a 30% discount if the holder wants to make cards or use the card making room the next time. This was where Janet was smart.
30% discount! This is a big investment! Janet thought as she gritted her teeth.
*******************************************************************
There was a mistake in the last chapter on the mask Chen Mu was wearing. Instead of a white mask with black lines, it was a matte black mask with red cross underneath each eye.


This is both a work of science fiction and an exploration of the meaning of life, love, literature and art. Brainpower is no longer the main ingredient for being human in this far distant future world.  Spirituality, physical balance, and diligence all come together as integrity for Chen Mu, the Card Apprentice.  The cards which Chen Mu masters in his own scrappy way, distill all the powers of the cosmos –  human and nonhuman –  into something that is not a book, not technology, and neither art nor magic, but is these and more.  Learn about these strange cards, which can embody everything you might imagine for the future of technology, but also a future beyond technology which promotes the best, and sometimes the worst, from mankind’s past.

The loud sound of rain drops beating against the window pane was music to his ears. The temperature had dropped by roughly 15 degrees overnight. The warmth given off by the heater felt like some heavenly comfort. Henry sat there,his hands gripping Janet's , who was still asleep. The more he thought about the events of the previous night, the lesser everything made sense. The memories he received didn't even feel his own. They were in direct contradiction to what he already remembered. To make matters worse, he could not remember any memory completely. The more he focussed on one, the hazier it kept getting. These contrasting memories were causing him a severe headache. 

But all of that didn't matter at that moment. All that mattered was that Janet was there with him and for the first time ever, he didn't feel lost or out of place. The world, that was always monochromatic for him suddenly seemed colorful as a rainbow. Even the white walls of the hospital seemed so cheerful and full of life. Henry wished that time would stop and he could sit there his entire life, just looking at her. His prayer went instantly rejected as Janet slowly opened her eyelids. Her eyes were blue like an ocean. An ocean in which Henry wanted to get lost and never find his way back.

The door of the ward opened and the medroid(medic robot) in charge of Janet rolled in. After a series of tests and beeping, Janet was declared fit for discharge. As they were walking down the stairs, Henry gently took her hand in his own , feeling a sense of satisfaction and fullness. They decided to not go to school and hang out together.

                  -----#####-----

"You know , the day after tomorrow is my birthday", said Janet as she gulped down her mouthful of noodles. "You are finally coming of age, right? How will you celebrate" interrogated Henry with excitement. "Well, I don't like celebrating birthdays. But I am happy that I am coming of age. I will finally be able to live life independently" Janet said in  a noticeable tone of dejection."For some reason, birthdays always make me sad. I never celebrated my birthday in the orphanage. Once I come of age , I will leave that place forever" Janet added. So she lived in an orphanage too, Henry wondered. After all that had happened, could this be a coincidence or was something really big at play here?

"Everybody pay attention please", the restaurant shopdroid said in a robotic voice , " there is a new announcement that will be made by the INTELLIGENCE. Everybody must follow whatever is being said".

"Good Day , fellow Earthlings, its time for Friction recruitment for the month of December. All who are interested can fill the forms that will be uploaded into your integrated network system registered devices. Remember, Once selected, there is no going back."

No one knew where the INTELLIGENCE was located. Neither was the location of Friction's HQ known. The only way to contact friction was through the INS devices. All communication to the INTELLIGENCE was made via Friction.

The recruitment happened every three months and the exact process of selection was unknown. Those who are selected receive free food and shelter for themselves and their family at the cost that they will never get to see their family again. Mainly, the lower classes signed up for recruitment and no one ever heard from those who were selected.

 As they got up to leave ,Henry suddenly remembered one of the acquired memories from the previous night. The memory was short. A person, with his face hidden under a cloak and a Δ on his pocket spoke to a camera, " It's all a show. Don't trust Friction. Don't trust the INTELLIGENCE". Henry did not know what to make of the memory. He did not what to make of anything that was happening. He did not even know if the memories were his. All he knew was that the acquired memories were more real than what he already had. Any sort of defiance against INTELLIGENCE was punishable by law. So Henry stayed silent but he knew, there was something wrong with friction and these memories were an indication that he had to figure it out.

When Henry reached home, he passed out from the pain in his forehead. The entire next day, he kept losing and gaining consciousness. Each time he woke up, a part of his orphanage memory was completely lost and replaced by the acquired memories. When he finally woke up on 26th December, he knew , the acquired memories were real and the previous ones were fake. The memories that had replaced the fake ones from way back in the past were more difficult to recall than the ones that had replaced recent ones. There were still gaps between the new memories that were filled with the old memories. However,  all memories from the last 3 years were completely unaltered. He had so many questions but he had no idea about where to start looking for the answers.



-----#####-----

"Happy Birthday Janet" whispered Henry into Janet's ears as he sneaked up to her. "Thank you" said Janet in a voice that lacked any excitement. She gave him a small peck and left for her class. From just the look in her eyes, Henry could say that she was hurting but as to why, that was beyond him. He wondered if it had anything to do with the memories. His daydreaming was cut short by the announcement, "Henry Parker, come to the principal's office right away". After all, he could not have expected to skip classes two days in a row without any consequences.

After 20 minutes of explaining and apologizing, he left the office and headed for his class. As he entered the Lecture theater, every eye was glued on him. The news about Henry spending a night alone with Janet at the hospital spread like wildfire. "So, did you guys kiss already" an excited David interrogated. Henry wasn't sure if it was a good idea to be talk about what happened and thought that it might hurt Janet. So, he decided to keep his silence and avoiding his question, asked one himself "Wanna go out for a movie". David was perplexed. Never in his life has Henry ever said yes when David asked him to hang out. Although, he wasn't gonna let the opportunity go by complaining. "Yeah, The legend of Papronicus had excellent audience response. Want me to book tickets?" asked David with a grin. Henry didn't plan for this. He simply wanted to avoid the question."I didn't say today. Some other day, perhaps", Henry came up with the best excuse he could.

       -----#####-----

"How about shopping?" asked Henry as they were walking home after school. "Seriously? The whole idea of shopping seems absurd to me. Walking into the store first and deciding what to buy later just doesn't make much sense" replied Janet. "How about a movie?" asked Henry almost instantly. "The legend of Papronicus had excellent audience response", he added after a little thought. Janet knew that Henry wasn't going to give up. So, she agreed for the movie. Henry wanted to ask her if she also experienced anything that night but he was unsure how he would explain himself if her answer was negative. So , he just let the idea go.


As Henry stood in the queue for the tickets, he received an encrypted cryptomail. Seeing the contents of the mail, Henry couldn't believe his eyes. There was a picture of five kids; Him, Janet , two other boys and a girl. The picture was followed by a text : " If you want answers , meet me at 31st and Crabbe in 30 minutes and bring Janet with you". His heart was pounding hard. On one side , he wanted answers and on the other, he knew that all of this could and would get him into trouble. He walked slowly towards Janet. It was time. He had to ask if she remembered anything. As he reached her, he did not need to ask. The look on her face as she looked at the photo on her phone gave him his answer. "Let's go" said Henry. Janet nodded and they drove off towards 31st and Janet, unsure of what to expect. 

The cool breeze in the air seemed full of mysteries. Henry had this internal strife with himself. He wasn't sure if he really wanted answers or not. His life , after all this time of being dull, finally started gaining color when Janet came in it. Now, he had a fear. The fear of losing her. "Are the answers worth risking everything", he constantly kept asking the entire way. As the car pulled over near the warehouse, he still wasn't sure.

When they reached the abandoned warehouse at the designated address, it seemed completely empty. There was a nauseating smell that filled the space inside the warehouse. "HELLO", called out Henry into the darkness. "Hello Henry Robinson and Janet Smith. Welcome to Delta. Before I continue, take some rest" replied the darkness. The name delta seemed familiar although they had never heard it. Before they could process what just happened, something stung their neck and they passed out.

Their bodies were loaded onto a truck by mysterious men in hoodies and the truck drove off.

In the year 2101, Science is the only religion and Friction, the only ruler.

Justice system as we know it, is obsolete and the AI "GRID" makes the rules.

World is progressing at a rate that is unheard of in history. But history itself is something that the people don't completely recall.

Join the journey as Janet and Henry go on the epic journey to find out answers about themselves and the history of the world. A mission that could be THE LAST HOPE of humanity or perhaps , the end of the world as we know it.




* This is my first time writing something so please keep it in mind while judging. I am a student and at times, if I have work to do, chapters might get a little delayed. So bear with me.

Melinda Larkinson had a busy life. As a junior member of the Bentheim Planetary Guard, she spent most of the time on patrols or back at base learning the ropes. As she was determined to reach the pinnacle of mech piloting, she continually sharpened her skills by sorting out troublemakers and sparring against her fellow guardsmen.
A huge amount of business flowed through Bentheim, the economic 'port' of the Bright Republic. Due to a complex system of spatial distortions, spaceships had an easier time navigating towards Bentheim. This especially facilitated ultra-long-ranged FTL or faster-than-light travel. Put simply, a ship could travel directly towards Bentheim without making any stops in between in order to reorient themselves and cycle the FTL drive.
Humanity actually stole the FTL technology they used today from a long-exterminated alien race. Through hundreds of years of study and refinement, they had already pushed their knowledge base on the tech to its limits. Nowadays, to go from one end of human space to the other only required a couple of years of non-stop travel. The existence of FTL-friendly ports formed the basis that made this swift travel possible.
Bentheim therefore formed the economic heart that kept the Bright Republic prosperous. It also invited greedy eyes, such as their ever-present rival the Vesia Kingdom. Not content with their own port system, they always hungered to invade the Bright Republic's territory and snatch the strategic planet away for themselves. Some of the trouble the Bentheim Planetary Guard had to handle could be traced to the covert actions of the Vesians.
Just last month alone Melinda had to respond to several emergencies. One case was a lone wolf who took an illicit drug and went on a rampage with his heavy mech. Another case involved a family who fell into ruin in the past returning from the dead and taking on one of Bentheim's established family businesses. Then there were the ever-present pirates skulking in the outskirts, ready to snap up a lightly defended transport convoy.
Though only in the service for four years, the amount of petty and not-so-petty conflicts she had to resolve numbered in the hundreds. While not a genuine substitute to the high intensity battles of a full-scale war, Melinda was able to increase her experience and sharpen her initially rough piloting skills.
Right now, Melinda finished her shift for the day. She deposited her mech at the hanger, waved the technicians goodbye, and left for the Guard's exclusive training center.
"Hey Melly." A fellow junior Guard pilot sidled up to Melinda. "What's up? I can see the smile in your eyes a light-year away. Got a date or something?"
Melinda huffed. "I wish Janet. Nah, I nagged my uncle for a few thousand credits and pried it out of his hands."
"Wow. And he let you do that? Must be nice to be a Larkinson." Janet held out her hand as if she was a crippled grandmother. "Spare some alms for a poor commoner?"
"Ouch!" Janet received a playful punch in return.
"Scram! I already have something in mind."
Melinda entered the training center with a curious Janet trailing after her. They skipped past the physical exercise rooms and entered the virtual simulation area.
"Oh, are you going to spar against someone again?"
"Not really." Melinda grinned. She picked a random simulator pod and hopped right inside. "I'm going to play a game."
"Iron Spirit? Haha, it's been a long time since I last logged in. I must have dropped down to the bottom of the Platinum League by now." Janet laughed with faint contempt. After all, playing a game never beat the real deal.
Shaking her head, Melinda was about to close the pod. "I'm not logging into the game just to fool around. Grab a pod and log into the game. Let's add each other to our friend lists. I'll show you what I'm about in-game."
Shrugging, Janet hopped into a pod, curious what Melinda wanted to do with a large bunch of credits. "Don't tell me she wants to buy a virtual mech? Is she crazy? If she wants to gain experience with advanced mechs, there's plenty of other programs installed in the simulators."
After the two young women logged into the game, they searched for their counterpart and added each other to their lists. Janet playfully hugged Melinda's virtual body. "I'm here now! Please tell me what you're up to now."
"We'll have to take a visit to the market for that."
They both entered the market, encountering a bustle of virtual avatars and computer-controlled personnel. Instead of approaching one of the many public access terminals to call up a shopping interface, Melinda led her colleague through the narrow streets of the simulated market city. She took a sharp turn into an alley and entered a small, rickety shop with a wooden door that almost seemed to fall apart. The interior hosted no furniture and almost appeared abandoned if not for the glowing blue ball floating in the room.
"Welcome to Chasing Clouds Mech Shop. How may I assist you, customers?" The default robotic shopkeeper asked the pair.
"Wow Mel, are you sure you want to buy something from this shifty store? I don't think the owner even bothered investing a single penny in this store."
Melinda just bumped Janet onto the head. "This store's owned by my cousin, dweeb. He's a little short on cash so he can't waste it on a frivolous expenditure like a virtual shop."
Most sales happened through the public terminals or from a mech pilot's exclusive room. The lively city and its many ancient-looking storefronts were only recent additions to the game. The BSBH Corporation wanted to increase Iron Spirit's appeal by facilitating social interactions.
"The only reason why I brought you here is so you can take a closer look at the Mech my cousin designed."
"Oh? This is the first time I heard of you having a cousin who works as a mech designer. Is it an original design?"
"How can it be an original design." Melinda shook her head as she navigated the menu provided by the shopkeeper. "It's only a variant, but it's also quite impressive."
With a final press of her finger, the dark and empty shop seemed to fade away into an endless starry sight. A mech gradually materialized in front of the two women. The Marc Antony revealed its dark and menacing visage to the two women for the first time.
"This..."
"My cousin calls it the Marc Antony. It's a cheaper variant of the Caesar Augustus. Impressive, huh?"
"Wow. And you say it's cheap? It looks just as grand as the original Caesar Augustus, just with a different flavor."
The dark armor plates, the blood-red shield with its lightning bolts and eagle wings, the various red and bronze accents, they all contributed to an image of unbridled blood lust and aggression.
"What's that cool looking thing at the top?" Janet curiously asked as she spotted the strange helmet crest and the red vapor spouting quietly from the slit at the top.
"Beats me. My cousin used the Festive Cloud Generator that's famous on his home planet to achieve this effect."
"Haha, he actually used a party trick on such a serious mech." Janet laughed, though she inwardly admitted that it added very nicely to the mech's flamboyant flair. "So what's its tier and how much for one?"
"It's a middling tier 5 mech, but it costs just 25,000 credits."
"Sounds like a good deal to me." Janet nodded. Despite not having logged in for a year, she still retained much of her knowledge of the game, including the going prices of virtual mechs. "If it's as good as the Caesar Augustus, then it's a steal."
Melinda swiped her hand, removing the illusion and returning the pair back to the shop. She went through with the purchase. "How can my cousin throw away money like that? He made a lot of changes, but the most important one is he replaced the stock armor with the 1004-HRF."
"HRF? That crappy armor system the bean counters at the office love so much? Wow, your cousin should win an award for using such a cheap material to make such a cool looking mech. No wonder it carries such a huge shield."
Once Melinda finished her purchase, the pair exited the store and they walked back to the central plaza where they could transfer to different areas.
"Give me 15 minutes so I can get the hang of my new mech. Let's head into a match after that, okay?"
"Sure, Melly. I need to go through my mech stable and make sure my mechs are still configured right. I haven't played in ages, after all. What game mode do you want to queue up for? I vote for the 2v2 Arena."
Melinda shook her head. "I won't be able to play the Marc Antony to its fullest potential in an arena match. Let's queue up for the Wartorn Instances."
"Damn, sister, so you wanna jump straight into it. I'll go prepare a long-ranged support mech for you then, because you'll need the cover."
As Janet left to sort out her neglected game account, Melinda entered her mech stable and walked to the stall where her new purchase awaited her entry. The dark mech emanated an invisible aura even as it silently stood inert.
"It feels as if I'm being sucked into hell." Melinda shivered a little, unnerved that a mech that hadn't even started up gave out so much intensity even if she couldn't describe what she felt. "It's as if this mech is not a machine but a god."
Even as she closed the distance, the unease increased. She activated a lift to bring her up to the cockpit that opened up from the chest. Like entering the belly of a beast, she slipped inside and strapped herself to the chair.
"It's just a mech and not a monster, so why am I being so melodramatic?"
She calmed herself down and booted up the mech. It came to life with a flicker, causing its golden eyes to shine like twin suns as various systems engaged their checks. After all the systems reported no errors, Melinda finally gained full control over the mech. It blew away the constant unease Melinda felt before. It was as if it was all an illusion.
"Okay now, I only have a few minutes to get used to its quirks."
Melinda dove into controlling her mech with gusto. After using the neural interface to connect with her mech, she felt as if she had become a giant filled with strength. The neural interface worked great, with no lingering issues unlike with older, second-hand interfaces.
The Marc Antony's shield overburdened her shield arm, throwing her mech out of balance. She carefully trod then jogged then sprinted with her mech, getting familiar with the angled posture required to move with her tower shield held in front. She then repeated the same motions only without the shield, just to see how much her speed had been affected.
The fifteen minutes came and went in a flash. Janet opened up a private conversation with Melinda. "Come on Melly, show me what you can do with that beast."
"Alright. I'm kind of curious as well if my cousin's work can stand up to a real fight."
The both of them paired up and entered matchmaking for one of Iron Spirit's larger game mode, the Wartorn Instances. It simulated real battlefield circumstances, as most mech battles between the smaller human states employed at least a few dozen mechs. Wartorn Instances usually played out as a team deathmatch mode with an impressive amount of players on each team, ranging from the standard 50v50 to a gigantic 1,000v1,000 during special events.
Since Melinda wanted to drop into combat immediately, she selected the fastest 50v50 mode. Only a couple of minutes were required for Iron Spirit to match them up with 98 other Platinum League players around the galaxy.
Iron Spirit customarily limited the matchmaking for Bronze League to a single planet or star system. Only until a player reached Silver, they'd be able to play with mech pilots from many light-years away, though in the lower leagues most of their teammates and opponents came from the same star sector.
Naturally, as career pilots, Melinda and Janet easily achieved their Platinum ranks, and had the qualifications to play in a league filled with veterans, e-sports athletes and geniuses.
As the large map started to load, the fifty players of team blue, evidenced by the blue glow encompassing the name tags above their mech's heads, came together in a large holding area.
One impressive looking flying mech had a small crown hovering over his name tag. He was the highest ranked player in their team, and enjoyed commanding privileges as a result.
"The name's Jaxon645, as you can read. I'm too lazy to form a plan, so you can do whatever you want to do. It's not as if you're kids."
Janet and Melinda both shook their heads. Just because most of the players in the Platinum League were professional pilots in the real universe, didn't mean that leadership was unnecessary to win in the game. But it was usually difficult for fifty complete strangers to agree to a single person's ideas, so nobody really bothered to take over the vacuum in leadership.
So with an awkward silence, the fifty pilots waited silently in their mechs until the holding area opened up a ramp. It turned out they waited in a massive transport ship.
The lightest mechs already sprinted out the exit as soon as possible, leaving the slower medium mechs up next. Melinda in her Marc Antony and Janet piloting some kind of medium cannon-wielding mech both exited in the next batch, stepping foot into a muddy, cratered battlefield.
"Looks like it's Mud Planet. Hooray." Janet cheered without a hint of celebration. "It's going to be tough to hold a firm footing with all the wet soil. At least the bomb craters are able to provide some form of cover."
As if aware that running from one side of the battlefield to the other side posed many risks, their team stayed in place and started to entrench their positions. The enemy team must be doing the same as well. Only their light mechs had gone ahead, their nimble legs and adept piloting avoiding much of the hazards the muddy terrain posed.
A scout on their team reported back in the team-wide voice channel. "Enemy position spotted. They are backed against a small mountain. Impassable by medium mechs and heavier. My judgment is that they're in it for the long haul."
A series of groans escaped from many of the other pilots. While they had been dumped into a muddy flat ground that offered no geographic advantages, the enemy team lucked out and got deposited right next to a defensive position.
"We can't out-turtle them, so lets not bother." Jaxon645 said unwillingly. "I'm going to fly around and see how tall this mountain is. I might be able to snipe them from the top."
Thus, the nominal leader of the team left their starting position with a small crowd of other flying mechs following behind.
Melinda furrowed her brow. By taking away all their fliers, the ground mechs became vulnerable to aerial harassment. "Spread out or advance together?"
"The terrain's not bad enough to force us to spread out." A heavy mech pilot said, worried about getting ambushed from the flanks. "Let's not thin ourselves out too much and let the enemy pick some easy bargains."
"I agree. We've got a large number of heavies, so let's escort them to the front line."
Halfway to the frontline, the plodding mechs encountered an ambush. A deluge of long-ranged missiles rained down from the sky with the wrath of a god.
"Incoming! Dive for cover!"
"Goddammit, are our scouts sleeping?!"
The missiles accurately focused on two of their heavy mechs, bombarding them with so many explosions that only a couple of burning parts were left.
"There's another salvo!"
"We can't do shit here! Let's run back!"
"You retard, they're just going to keep shredding us with missiles if we turn back! There's no cover between here and our starting point. The only way we can survive is if we advance."
As another heavy mech got torn apart while another dodged in the nick of time, the team's channel devolved into chaos. Indignant at the inaction, Melinda felt her temper rise. She piloted her mech forward and banged her tower shield against the hull of a skittery heavy spider mech.
The noise deafened the arguments. "Look boys, our flyers are gone and our light mechs are asleep. We'll never get rid of the target locks on our mechs, so what's the point of running? I plan to charge at the enemy. Who is with me?"
Silence prevailed in the interlude between missile launches. The Marc Antony banged its mace against the side of its heavy shield, letting the clanging shake their minds awake.
"I asked, WHO IS WITH ME?!"
Now that everyone on the team turned to Melinda, they began to notice the mech's unusual appearance. It had an aggressive build, carrying a stylized tower shield and a bulky mace. The red vapor helmet crest lent the mech an ancient, authoritative air, as if they were facing a martial general instead of just another mech.
"WHO IS WITH ME?"
"WHO IS WITH ME?"
"WHO IS WITH ME?"
Janet stepped forward with her mech. "I am!"
Taking the opportunity to push the rest of her team into something other than sitting ducks, Melinda turned around and led Janet forward. "Follow me if you want to win!"
As if pulled by inertia, most of the medium mechs followed the strange black-and-red mech. The heavies struggled to follow in their footsteps. Soon enough, their entire team approached the enemy team's position like a wave crashing against a cliff. Lacking any fear, Melinda kept her bulky shield in front and focused her eyes for other ambushes. Her blood pumped faster as she relished the upcoming clash.


Humanity has conquered half the galaxy and the Age of Mechs reigns supreme!

Ves Larkinson lacked the genetic aptitude to become a famed mech pilot. Fighting against his fate, he studied mech design in order to express his love for mechs as a builder instead of a soldier.

When Ves graduated from college, he returned to a new but empty boutique. Left with a small, newly founded mech workshop that his father painstakingly built with a mountain of debt, Ves somehow needs to make ends meet with the bank breathing down his neck.

In the midst of his despair, he found salvation from another legacy his father had left.

"Welcome to the Mech Designer System. Please design your new mech."

--Join The Mech Touch's unofficial Discord server: https://discord.gg/APB5KCU

Steam rising from the hot water in the bathtub is beginning to raise the heat of the bathroom, the aphrodisiac was coming into effect causing hormones to run wild. 

"Alvin, I want you." At that point, Emily was under the influence of the strong potent scent coming from the candles causing her to act in a way where she normally would not. Whereas now Alvin is trying his best to control his primal urges and to bend her over and take her there and then. 

"Emy, stop it, don't tempt me." A low and sexy growl emanating from him, it sounded as though he is beginning to lose control and even his voice was starting to crack. His eyes were shifting between black and blue and if not for the fact that he knows Emily isn't in the right state of mind he would have just let loose of the chains he put around himself. He now has Emily restricted in a tight grip so that she wouldn't get the chance to rub herself on him which will definitely cause him to lose his ability to think straight and do something he will most likely regret. 

She pouted and whimpered while giving him puppy dog eyes which causes him to feel extremely torn apart, he wants her so badly yet he doesn't want to hurt her, what more could he possibly do. . . 

"P-please, don't you want me, Al? It hurts. . ." Her eyes were pleading him yet he could tell that there was more behind her eyes, it was as if she was trying hard to regain control of her own body yet failing miserably. At that instant, he made a tough decision and it was the decision that made Emily finally understand how she feels towards Alvin. He made sure that Emily was restricted in place and stretched his head over to the candle and blew it out even though the scent of aphrodisiac was still spread throughout the bathroom at least there won't be more of it, he grabbed a towel from the neat stack in the suspended basket hanging off ceiling at the side of bathtub and wrapped Emily with it making her look exactly like a sushi wrap. She was still slightly struggling and her eyes flashed with desperation but soon she realizes that her attempts were of no use and gave up. 

"Sorry Emy, I don't want you to regret this. Just bear with me for a while alright." Sincerity and concern were evident in his voice as he spoke. 

After wrapping her up into a sushi roll he princess carried her into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed. Even though Emily's body wanted to be taken but her heart was grateful towards Alvin's actions,  deep down she felt the warm and sweet feeling from Alvin again, this was when she truly understand that she has somehow fallen for this idiot. 

After setting her down he wrapped the blanket around her to make sure she wouldn't catch a cold and ran to the bathroom to take another towel then making her way back towards Emily and started drying her hair. There was no conversation between the two only absolute silence and the sound of Emily's hair being dried by the towel but other than that it was like a beautiful scene playing out between the main lead and female lead from a K-drama series. The moment lasted for a whole 5-10 minutes, once her hair is dried Emily was wrapped in Alvin's embrace but there was totally no inappropriate touching going on it was just pure hugging. 

Exhausted from everything that happened and all the crazed hormones caught up to Emily and Alvin causing them both to slowly fall into a deep slumber in the middle of the day, soon Emily was asleep in Alvin's arms while Alvin was laying back against the pillows behind him and fell asleep as well as if all the days of overworking caught up to him. 

Ricky's P.O.V 

Gosh, why can't this girl just seem to leave me alone!? Which part of I've already got a mate doesn't she understand?! Now I am starting to boil over the fact that Alvin sent me to lead the pack healers in healing the Shadow Claw pack. I have been constantly targetted by their pack alpha's daughter's shameless flirting, just kill me already! "Please Rick, can I go as your plus one to the upcoming party?" The squeaky high pitch voice rang out and pleaded me for the 10th time after rejecting her. 

"No Miliana, and it is Ricky to you. I've already told you I have a mate so please respect my mate and me or at least yourself." Getting up from my working desk I got out of my office in the pack hospital and went to find Carly, I need a recharge badly or I might start ripping Miliana's shameless face apart. 

Miliana's P.O.V

Ugh, why is it that he is playing so hard to get! I mean, how is it that I can't be compared to Carly. I am my father's only daughter and if he gets together with me he gets to be the next alpha. Since he has already put it that way I shall go find Alvin then. I've never once heard about him having a mate or any sort, I am sure he is more willing to bring me to whatever party they are holding. It isn't fair that those ugly bitches in my pack found their mates before me, once I am officially the Alpha female of the pack I will surely make them suffer. 

"Mili, are you there?" Hearing my dad's voice I looked around and spotted him just a distance behind me. 

"Yes, daddy?" I spoke in the sweetest voice I could. 

"There you are. I have been trying to find you for the past few minutes, I have someone to introduce to you come with me." I blinked a few times and followed him, I've never once heard that daddy has anyone he is very close to in the River Moon pack even the alpha of the pack is only considered a friend. We walked out of the hospital and continued walking to a small house in the pack premises, it is about 1km away from the pack house. The house had a small garden in front and there were fences surrounding the whole house and the garden. Making our way over my dad went to press a bell and a moment later a lady in her 40s opened the door.

"Derek! It has been a long time since we've met. I'm so sorry Logan isn't in." The shock and joy from seeing my dad was clearly displayed on the lady's face. 

"Oh that's alright, it has truly been a long time Janet, mind if we come in?" 

"Oh silly me, come in come in." She welcomed us into her home and was very hospitable. She prepared 2 cups of oolong tea and placed it on the table in front of us as we were sat down in the living area. 

"Logan is off on some pack business with the alpha and the luna and wouldn't be back for a while, I am so sorry about what happened to your pack, I hope things will get better." The lady whose name is Janet said while now sitting across us. 

"It is alright, thank you for your hospitality anyways this is my daughter Miliana." My dad introduced me and I reached my hand out and shake her hand while giving her a slight smile. 

"It is nice meeting you Miliana, I have a son about your age! He must be off playing around with Ricky and Alvin again." She seemed to be ranting but the look on her face did not seem like that at all it, it was as though she loved her son so much that no matter what he does it will always seem right to her. 

"Your son knows Ricky and Alvin? That is nice! I wish to meet him someday. By the way sorry to intrude why don't you stay in the pack house like the rest?" If he knows Alvin and Ricky it is most likely that he must be of a certain caliber as well, hopefully, they introduce him to me, I couldn't help but grin inwardly. 

"Oh honey, that. . . " the look in Janet's eyes was a look of complication and fear as if she was afraid someone will find out something. 

"Mili, let's not pry into other family's issues alright? Anyways I just wanted to bring you over to meet Janet and her husband but since Logan isn't in we can always meet him some other time, we've met in high school but Janet found out Logan is her mate so she moved in with his pack. Anyways nice catching up, I've got some pack stuff I have to handle so let's meet up soon with Logan around. " As my dad explained his face seemed to be drained of color but soon it changed and he excused us. Janet didn't stop us and thanked us for being such wonderful guest and sent us off, weird. . . 

"Daddy, I am going to go get a partner for the upcoming party okay? See you later! Ciao~" I couldn't be bothered to stay any longer and rushed off towards the pack direction leaving my daddy behind, I'm sure he has something on his mind he got to sort it out by himself from the looks of it earlier on. Alvin, here I come.

Emily is a trained assassin, her family have been killed when she was young and she was being brought up by the Chessity family, given a mission by her 'father' she had no choice but to accept and complete the mission but, what happens when the mission she is given is mouth-watering hot and can easily out smart her? She had no idea what awaits her! 

-----------------------------------------------

 Alvin, the next alpha in line, he is smart and charming, the type of guy all girls want and he knows it. He always gets what he wants and he is possessive but what happens when someone actually says no to him? Does he know what's installed for him? Why don't you read to find out?

Well it all started on a normal day a few months after I turned 18. I had just graduated from high school and was gunna go to collage. I wasn't super smart or anything so the collage I got into was pretty basic.

O yea by the way my name is Jonathan, I almost forgot to tell you guys.

So yea it was just a normal day during the summer.

I was just in my room laying in bed watching TV. My family was really rich so it didn't really matter what collage I got into anyway. My dad owns this company that buys and sells popular domains. I guess it's a pretty new style of business venture cause my parents make a shit ton of money.

Well I was just watching TV, flipping through the channels, and I saw something that caught my eye. It was one of those events where they pick the lottery numbers by using the ball machine. I don't know why I stoped on the channel it's just that for some reason the winning numbers looked kinda familiar. I got up and pulled and my wallet from one of my pants and looked through the mess of bills and receipts inside. After looking for a while I found it, a lottery ticket.

I bought the ticket a few bays back when I needed to make change for something, I think it was a bag of chips. Well anyway, I found the ticket and checked the numbers on it. I know what your expecting but no, I didn't just randomly win the lottery worth 179 million$. But I did win a mil.

Yep, I got 5 of the numbers right but I didn't get the last one so I only won a million. Even though I didn't win the whole thing I was still pretty exited. Like I just won the fucking lottery, how many people even get that lucky.

After checking the numbers again to make sure I wasn't freaking out for no reason, I called up my best friend Charlie. 

Charlie and I have completely different personalities and I sometimes wonder how we became friend in the first place. The simplest way to describe him would be, he's perfect. Imagine the school jock, nerd, and the hottest dude all combined into one person, thats Charlie. He perfect at everything he does. Sports? Yep. Grades? All A's. So yea I called him and at first he wasn't picking up. I didn't think anything of it at the time, it was like 8 in the morning when I called so he could just be asleep. I just sent him a text and wrote in all caps " DUDE I JUST WON THE FUCKING LOTTERY" 

Right after I texted him I was going to call my parents to tell them about it, but I remembered they were away on a business trip so they wouldn't pick up, so I didn't bother calling them. I didn't have any other super close friends who I would talk to about winning the lottery so I just chilled in my house playing Red Dead 2 until Charlie replied.

When he finally called me it was already like 5 in the afternoon.

"Yooooooo holy shit I just saw your text did you actually win the lottery?"

" Yea, legit I just bought a ticket to make change and it was actually a winning one."

"Damn how the fuck are you so lucky, but we gotta celebrate, come to the usual place?"

"Ye sure"

"Alright can I bring Janet with me too? I'm with her right now.

"yea thats fine"

The usual place is a small restaurant/food stall thing we go to all the time. O yea by the way Janet is Charlie's girlfriend. They started dating back when high school just started and are still going strong, which is kind of a miracle. 

I thought we were just gunna chill and eat some good food, but I guess what Charlie ment by celebrate was getting wasted. He brought a whole 24 pack of beer with him. It's not like I haven't drank before, but every time I do I get drunk way to fast. Just one sip can already have me feeling drunk, and Charlie knows that too. I didn't really think that much about it and I was just trying to have a good time so I started drinking, and before I knew it I passed out.

When I woke up I had a splitting head ache, and I couldn't move my hand or my legs. I tried to open my mouth to scream but my mouth was tied up so I couldn't really make any noise. At first I thought I got kidnapped and then drugged, hence the reason I couldn't move around. I couldn't even see because of a blindfold that was pretty much covering my whole face. The only thing I could make out was that I was in the back of a moving car because of the noises I hearing. 

After what seemed like forever I felt the car stop. I was picked up by the hands and feet and carried somewhere a few minutes away. I could tell that I was somewhere high up because of all the wind blowing against my face. When they set me down I finally heard the people talk.

" Are we really gunna do this? We can still just take him back home he's not awake yet."

"Idiot, it already to late we already drugged him. What are we going to do if he wakes at his house and cant move his hand or his feet. You think he wont ask us what happened or what we did?"

"Yea I guess, but are you sure he has the right ticket on him, maybe he left the winning one at home."

"Don't worry he already told you when he called that he only bought one ticket didn't he?"

"Well yea..."

"Then its fine quick drop him down the edge before someone see us"

I couldn't believe it. The person who I thought was my best friend was actually killing me for money. What the fuck if you needed money I would have just given it to you. Even though he sounded reluctant to do it and Janet was probably the one who thought of the plan, I was still shocked. I started to cry. Or as close as you can get to cry when you are paralyzed. I couldn't even say anything to let them know I was awake or even move. I felt them lift me up and walk towards the edge of the cliff. 

As I feel I thought that if only I could have another chance at life, one where I could enjoy it to the fullest. I've been given everything I want since I was born but I finally realized how blessed I've been in my life. 

I fell for maybe 10 seconds and hit the ground. I didn't feel any pain, probably because of the drug, but everything started to go dark. As I died I could only despise my shitty luck.

Then suddenly I heard a voice.

"Very well little one, as you long for another chance to live I shall grant your wish."

I couldn't believe it, it was like some shit out of a novel.

I began feel my body again, but I felt that it was a lot smaller than it was before. O shit I didn't just get another life I got reincarnated.

I heard strange grunting noises around me and felt myself getting picked up. As I opened my eyes to look at my new mother my first reaction was,

WHAT THE FUCK. WHY IS SHE GREEN.

Jonathan has been betrayed by the people he trusts the most.

As he died he wished he could have just one more chance to fulfill his dreams, to live again.

When he woke up again he realized his dream had become reality.

Kinda

After narrating the whole thing to Janet, Flora sighed heavily.

"There's no need to worry about this. How do you feel about the boy?" She asked.

"He's good to me. We are still getting to know each other better. Honeymoon period, you know," Flora replied her truthfully. 

She was still young but not too young to start taking her relationship seriously. Some times, one could feel it when the other is the right person. The boy doesn't have to be a perfect being, but on her baby girl's checklist, he had to be perfect. Absolutely no red flags tolerated!!!

"You've been dating for a while now. Do you see yourself with him long-term?" In order to proceed with the plan she had in mind, she needed Flora's full commitment. 

Flora thought about it for a while before nodding her head.
"Although he's my first boyfriend," she started, "he fits my Mr. Right."

"I'm not asking for much. Just someone who will care for me and put in the same energy or even more into our relationship."

Janet acknowledged her train of thought and smiled. She never expected anything less from Flora. More than her real granddaughter, Seraphina, she definitely felt closer to Flora. Flora was the same as her, but she just hadn't tapped into her full potential yet.

Janet smirked as she thought of ways to break this little girl and turn her into a true successor of her bountiful perverted knowledge.

"OK then. Let's discuss our plan."

Hearing this, Flora became more attentive.

"First: meet the parents. You'll need to pick a date with the boy."

"Second: on your visit, personally find out their preferences. It'd help if the other girl was present. She'd definitely try to show off her close relationship with her possible in-laws, so you'll learn what they like faster."

"Third: start with the dad. Once you've broken the dad, you've won about 75%."

"Fourth, don't miss any chance at being petty. Everytime Frank brings up the matter of the other girl, create an angelic image of yourself and a demonic image of her, so your man knows what he's doing."

Flora was shocked with all of these ideas. Wasn't this plainly ingratiating herself with Frank's family? Did granny J really think she was so thick-faced?

As if reading Flora's mind, Janet stopped listing.

"My dear, don't see this series of action as kissing their derriere. You need to see it as getting to know your future in-laws, so they can prepare a room for you in their home."

Flora smacked her forehead. What was the difference?
...

Frank was also receiving a similar lecture.

"Boy. It is time for you to adopt a new family. Flora's family!."

"There will be stars, but you'll be the brightest of all. There will be music, but everyone will be entranced by you instead. There will be laughter, but the sound of yours will bring peace to their hearts. Then, there will be us. You and I for a lifetime because you are bound to me amd I to you."

This was his promise to her.

"I will wait for that day to come. This is our first steps to forever. You are my final destination."

That was her promise to him.

This is the third installment of the THREE AMIGOS story. Welcome to Flora's happily ever after.

The young man wore a beige colored shirt, champagne gold tie, sunglasses, and earphones. Even with all these accessories, he still looked unequipped. He shook his hand on the steering wheel and smiled obsequiously, "If you like it, I can give them to you, what do you think?"
"Hmph! Who wants your gifts! Papa will buy it for me!" Bai Wu humphed and poked at the buttons on Xu Lan's shirt self-mindedly and said, "Right, Papa?"
Xu Lan wanted to say that he did not have the money. However, he still smiled and held that errant hand and said, "Yes."
"I knew that Papa would've promised me, I love you Papa," Bai Wu sat up happily and kissed Xu Lan between his eyebrows.
Since the last incident with Li Xiu, he developed a liking towards kissing the area between Xu Lan's eyebrows. 'Any other parts would probably be rough,' Xu Lan thought.
Xu Lan saw the young man had a shocked expression on his face from the rear-view mirror. He did not bother much and tapped on his shoulders to signal Bai Wu to sleep.
"Mr. Xu, do you like him?" The young man could not help but ask since Xu Lan did not give any explanation after some time.
"Who else will I like if I don't like my own son? Perhaps you?" Xu Lan lashed out without holding back. His expression showing a hint of frustration.
No one would believe that Bai Wu had the mentality of a three-year-old. Sometimes, even Xu Lan himself could not fathom it. However, all the facts had shown that he was just a child. One other possible factor could be that this was the normal intellect of the Dragon clan since he was the leader of his clan in the past.
"Uhm, Mr. Xu, I didn't mean that. I don't have any ill intentions. These things are very common in our country, it's even protected by the law," the bodyguard rushed to explain. He understood these things, it was just that he did not expect it to be this way.
Xu Lan rolled his eyes while he gently patted on Bai Wu's back to put him to sleep, ignoring the bodyguard who was driving.
The mountains outside the car window were covered in a layer of hoar frost and the yellowed leaves had withered. The evergreens at a distance were still standing upright, waiting to bathe in the spring breeze. The continuous stretch of mountains resembled cyan tidal waves that surged from afar.
"Are we reaching G city?"
"Hmm, it's one hour away," the young lad answered.
The bar in Lanshan area, One Street, was packed with people from the media including journalists, news reporters, and even the paparazzi joined in. They were waiting for the police to make a public announcement. The promise they made to protect the public's safety was met with brutal murders instead. If this continues, would the police force be of any use?
Both digital and print media were criticizing and condemning the police. A month had passed since the homicide case, but the killer was still on the loose. Not only that, he was becoming more rampant and started murdering those who volunteered to help in this case. How could the public still trust the police if this carried on? How could they live in peace?
Xu Lan went to the police station. Xiao Zhang was the person on duty for the day. He was shocked when Xu Lan walked in. He rushed out from his room and saw that Bai Wu and his bodyguard were following right behind him. He was so afraid that he went back into the room.
"Xu… Sergeant Xu, how can I help you?" Xiao Zhang asked fearfully.
Bai Wu's hotel incident had spread very quickly from mouth to mouth like wildfire. In addition, the whole place was a mess when everyone got there, and Li Xiu was severely hurt. Xu Lan looked at Xiao Zhang's reaction mockingly and knocked on the table top.
"Why is there no one here?"
"They are still in the Lanshan area. I heard that they can't come back because their car got blocked," Xiao Zhang felt uncomfortable under Xu Lan's gaze and answered him swiftly.
"Hmm, give me one of Sun Fei's number."
"Oh, okay. Hold on please," Xiao Zhang checked the directory immediately and copied out Sun Fei's number for Xu Lan.
At the moment, Xu Lan was at the entrance of One Street bar. He requested for a cigarette from the person beside him. After he finished smoking, he just crushed the cigarette bud on the wall, ignoring the searching glances from the surrounding crowd and lead Bai Wu towards the crime scene.
The crowd did not recognize Bai Wu, but it was difficult not to notice Xu Lan since his photos were broadcasted on the television repeatedly within these few days. It would be easy to deduce the identity of the young man he was holding hands with. However, why were they followed by a tall, handsome man?
"Xu… Sergeant Xu? How did you come here?" Xiao Li asked shockingly. He was ordered by Sun Fei to check on the situation outside, but was shocked to see Xu Lan and a grown-up Bai Wu when he lifted his head up.
"I walked over. What's the situation?"
Xiao Li closed his eyes and shook his head disappointingly. Looking at it, it was similar to past cases, where the killer was extremely careful and did not leave anything behind. Xu Lan handed Bai Wu over to the bodyguard and followed Xiao Li upstairs with the equipment.
The site of the crime was now at a hotel, which is different from the previous settings.
"Lao Xu, you're here!" Sun Fei kept a close watch on the hallway. When he saw that the first person was Xu Lan, he walked over and held his hand strongly.
Xu Lan tapped his arms and opened his mouth but he did not know what to say. He then continued to shake hands with everyone on the scene and arrived beside Hu Cheng at last.
"Director general, this is my case."
Hu Cheng gave Xu Lan a look and packed his tobacco pouch before leading him in. The 2.2 m bed was dyed bright right with fresh blood. The left breast was sliced off neatly and the private part was sewn shut. The cause of death was due to excessive bleeding. Wu Wendi was able to draw a series of numbers on the wall even though her hands were tied together.
01001001 - there was a small gap between the numbers, which could be read as 0100/1001.
"Except for a series of numbers, there's no clue at all. All of the surrounding surveillance were destroyed," Hu Cheng used two sentences to summarize the worst-case scenario.
"Who asked her out?"
Hu Cheng shook his head. He felt a little relieved after meeting Xu Lan. He wanted to tell the child's mother that he could finally recognize his son. All these years of waiting had finally paid off.
"What about Sun Fei? Did she tell you who she met last night?" Xu Lan continued asking.
"At first, she was with Li Xiu. They were gone after I dozed off. She then texted me that they were meeting Big Boss Liu. I advised her not to come over last night because all of us were too tired busy dealing with assignments, but she did not listen to me. Then, she was gone just like that!"
Sun Fei blamed himself because Hu Cheng had given him this case, and he even reminded him before leaving. However, it was too late to say anything!
"Li Xiu was there? Big Boss Liu?" Xu Lan could not figure out and asked, "Where's her cell phone?"
"Her cell phone is missing too. The killer could have taken it," Sun Fei said.
Xu Lan nodded his head to indicate that he understood. He went around the huge bed and focused his vision on that series of numbers. This was definitely left behind after the killer left. The killer was too clever to make such rudimentary mistakes.
He felt waves of trepidation and sympathy when he thought of Wu Wendi trying to write these characters under such tremendous pain. What a fine woman…
What did the series of numbers represent? Xu Lan paced back and forth in the room and recalled the likings and habits of Wu Wendi.


A young boy named Bai Wu was saved and adopted by a thirty-something police sergeant named Xu Lan. It was love at first sight for Bai Wu, and once he started getting older, his heart yearned for a taste of the forbidden fruit - the romantic love of his adoptive father. The question is, will Xu Lan ever reciprocate? With deranged serial killers, parallel dimensions, time warps, dragons, and a bit of ancient black magic, Bai Wu and Xu Lan are caught in a series of crazy adventures while discovering what they truly mean to each other. This is a story of lust and madness!

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