Chapter 92
"Ray held his breath. Silence hung kinda thick in his dim-ass apartment, broken only by his ragged breathing. A bad gut feeling shot straight from his chest all the way down to his fingertips.
’W-what idea...?’ Ray whispered. His voice was almost drowned out by fear.
’Simple as fuck,’ the girl’s voice answered casually, but her tone suddenly turned ice cold and calculating. ’Here’s the deal, Ray... since that trash system of yours is stuck to your soul and can’t be transferred to anyone else—real damn shame—I’ve only got one best option left.’
The girl let out a soft chuckle, a mocking one that stabbed right into Ray’s pride.
’Starting right now, you’re officially my slave. All you gotta do is bow down, shut the hell up, and follow every order I give without a single complaint.’
Ray’s eyes widened completely. His blood boiled instantly. ’WHAT?! You crazy?! No fucking way I’ll ever be your errand boy!’
’Hahahahaha! Aww, Ray, Ray... you really think you got any room to negotiate?’ The girl laughed hard, her voice echoing painfully inside Ray’s skull. ’Think about it real good with that brain of yours. Your room’s already wired with feds’ CCTV. I got all your secrets and dirty shit locked down. If you dare refuse or try to run, I can mess with those agents’ heads right this second and have them bust your door down to rot you in some underground prison.’
Ray clenched his fists so tight his nails dug into his palms. His brain spun hard looking for any way to fight back, but this girl could read every single thought in real time. No gaps. No place to hide.
’You... you wanna use my Common Sense Altering System through me, right?’ Ray hissed through gritted teeth.
’Bingo! Smart boy,’ the voice cut in with fake sweetness. ’That system of yours is too damn valuable to waste on your cheapass perverted fantasies. So instead of you messing up the world randomly, better you become my personal remote control that does all my commands. How about it, Ray? You gonna obey and keep breathing fresh air, or you want me to hand you over to the feds right now?’
Ray froze in place. The wall against his back felt even colder.
Ray clenched his fists tight until his knuckles turned white. Frustration and rage started eating away at his fear.
’No! I ain’t gonna be your damn lapdog!’ Ray snapped in a low voice full of annoyance. ’Just shut up already, bitch! Yapping nonstop, you’re giving me a headache!’
The girl in his head didn’t get mad. She just laughed even harder, treating Ray’s threat like a little kid’s tantrum.
’Aww, so feisty... Why you acting so reluctant anyway?’ the girl teased in a deliberately belittling tone. ’I’m actually being nice here. You won’t get ordered to mop floors or clean toilets like when you were that pathetic gym janitor! You just gotta sit pretty and press the buttons on your system however I want. Easy, right?’
Ray’s blood boiled hotter when she casually brought up his dark past. But before he could spit out more curses, the girl’s voice suddenly turned mysterious and tempting.
’But whatever... I got an interesting offer. I know what that chocolate slut is planning. If you become my slave I’ll tell you all about it.’
Ray blinked fast. ’Chocolate slut...?’
’Hehehe... no need to look shocked. I’ve been watching you for a long ass time,’ the girl replied like she could see his eye twitch directly. ’Don’t worry, I’m not lying. I know Julia’s still holding a massive grudge because of what you did. You dumbass... why’d you mess with someone’s relationship anyway? Ahahaha!’
The second Julia’s name came up, Ray’s brain automatically replayed his dark memories.
In his mind, he pictured Kevin—Julia’s ex. Back then Kevin was just some unlucky dude who was blackout drunk. But because Kevin’s mental state was completely wrecked and he was down bad, Ray’s manipulation with the Common Sense Altering System accidentally fucked up the guy’s memories.
And of course... Ray also remembered Julia herself. That exotic-skinned girl whose sweet mouth he once forced into his perverted fantasies using the system.
’BUHAHAHAHAHA!’
The girl’s laughter suddenly exploded loudly in Ray’s head, sounding so amused she was gasping for air.
’DAMN! FOR REAL, RAY?! AT A TIME LIKE THIS YOUR BRAIN’S STILL THINKING ABOUT JULIA’S MOUTH?!’ the girl howled with no mercy, sucking up every bit of Ray’s leaked thoughts. ’I swear... your life is straight up a low-budget porn comedy series! Tragic, perverted, but hilarious as hell! Hahaha!’
Ray let out a long sigh, trying to force his splitting headache to think. ’Okay, if I can’t run, at least I gotta negotiate,’ he thought to himself.
’Wuuu... someone’s trying to bargain now~’ the girl’s voice suddenly cut in playfully. Once again, his thoughts were fully read. ’Sure, sure! Go ahead, what do you wanna negotiate, Ray?’
’I’ll only follow your orders...’ Ray took a deep breath, holding back his irritation. ’...but there’s a condition. I’ll only obey if we meet face to face.’
The girl wasn’t intimidated at all. She burst out in deliberately slutty mocking laughter.
’Aww... you wanna meet in person so you can fuck my pussy, huh~? Admit it, your perverted thoughts are so obvious! Hahaha!’
’I’m dead serious, bitch!’ Ray cut in sharply, his voice cold and heavy.
The girl in his head chuckled softly, picking up on Ray’s seriousness. ’Alright, alright, chill out. Okay, I agree.’
’When?’ Ray asked quickly.
’Tomorrow’s fine,’ the girl answered casually. ’It’s already late as hell now. If we meet at night you’d probably get tempted by my perfect hot body, ahahaha! Tomorrow just go out for a walk, I’ll guide you where to go. I’ll tell you the full plan about that chocolate slut too. Deal? Byeee~’
Suddenly, the buzzing sensation in Ray’s head vanished. The voice disappeared just like that.
Right after the connection cut, an insane wave of dizziness hit him. Ray winced while gripping his temples, then collapsed onto his bed. He lay on his back, staring at the dim ceiling of his apartment.
’Fuck... my life just keeps getting more messed up,’ Ray cursed quietly into the darkness.
His thoughts wandered everywhere. From the romantic shit he never planned, to Julia’s revenge plot that was now moving behind the scenes. Ray scratched his itchy head until it was a mess. Even worse, the apartment that used to feel comfy now gave him chills. Knowing this place was wired with federal CCTV—plus his phone probably being tapped—made anxiety burn in his chest. He felt naked and watched every second.
’Ting!’
His phone screen lit up with a WhatsApp notification from Karl.
Karl: Ray! When you gonna help me promote my stand-up show at the comedy club?
Ray rubbed the bridge of his nose. His head was pounding harder. Without overthinking, his fingers typed a quick reply.
Ray: Karl, how about you just post on X, tag my account, and upload a pic of us together? Promote it yourself with your account.
Karl’s reply came almost instantly.
Karl: Damn, that’s a solid idea!!! Hey Ray, you cool if I do stand-up material about your old life tho? No problem?
Ray let out a bitter chuckle reading the message.
Ray: No problem, just play up the contrast between my old mop-pushing gym days and now suddenly going viral.
Karl: LOL!!! nice! Hey, you coming to my show?
Ray: Nah, can’t. It’d just cause chaos with fans or reporters.
Karl: Aw... how about video call? Just pop in on screen for a bit.
Ray stared at his phone screen for a few seconds. Long before that annoying girl in his head mentioned Karl, Ray already knew Karl genuinely saw him as a real best friend. In this suddenly chaotic and fake world, Karl was probably the only innocent thing left.
Ray smiled faintly, then typed his last reply.
Ray: Okay, video call’s fine! Just let me know later.
"Ray woke up the next morning feeling like shit, his head still throbbing from all the mind games. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, glancing at the clock.
’Ten in the morning, Ray. Get your ass up,’ the girl’s voice popped up suddenly in his head, clear and bossy for just a second before vanishing again.
Ray blinked, processing it quick. ’Okay, ten in the morning,’ he muttered out loud, already knowing she was listening somehow.
He dragged himself out of bed, splashed water on his face, threw on some clothes, and finally stepped out of the apartment. The sunlight hit him like a slap, but he kept walking, hands shoved in his pockets.
A few steps down the block, the girl’s voice came back, sounding amused.
’Head to the train station, slave boy. Don’t make me repeat myself.’
Ray clenched his jaw but didn’t argue. ’Yeah yeah, train station,’ he grumbled under his breath as he changed direction, already feeling that familiar mix of pissed off and trapped.
’Good boy,’ she added with a light laugh that echoed in his skull. ’Keep moving. I’ll tell you the rest when you get there.’"