Chapter 86
Ray just gave Karl a little nod, then checked the time on his phone.
They talked a bit more, still sitting on that park bench. Karl suddenly stood up and grabbed his shoulder.
"Aight I’m out, bro. It’s chest day."
Ray nodded chill. "Yeah, all good. Go for it."
Before Karl walked off, Ray asked, "Yo, how’s the gym looking these days?"
Karl let out a sigh, still looking kinda drained. "It’s starting to get empty, bro. A bunch of girls ended up beefing over nothing. Constant drama, always some bullshit."
Ray laughed right away behind his mask. "That’s good intel. Maybe I should swing by again sometime, for the nostalgia."
Karl smirked sideways. "You tryna mop the floors again?"
Ray cracked up. "Hahaha... you asshole."
Karl just shook his head while waving, then left.
Anyway, it was already evening. Ray headed back to his apartment. He sat on the couch but started getting nervous by himself. This was the first time he was actually doing a face-to-face podcast for real. Two girls were joining too, and the whole thing was livestreamed. The thought hit him hard: this time hundreds of thousands of people were probably gonna watch. And he was about to get even more famous.
Finally seven o’clock rolled around.
Ray’s phone buzzed. DM from Asmoldking came through.
"Ride’s already outside. Don’t be late." He also sent a pic of the car and the plate so Ray could find it.
Ray had been ready for a while. Plain black pants, oversized tee, mask, and a cap. He took a deep breath and left the apartment.
When he got downstairs in front of the building, he froze for a second. The car waiting wasn’t some regular ride. Black, expensive-looking, still shiny under the streetlights. He was a little shocked. He knocked on the window.
The front window rolled down. The driver looked over.
"Hop in, man. Front or back, whatever you want."
Ray thought for a sec, then opened the passenger door and sat shotgun.
As soon as the door shut, the car started rolling.
"Thanks, man," the driver said out of nowhere with a smile.
Ray looked at him, confused. "Thanks for what?"
The driver chuckled. "Oh right, haven’t introduced myself. Name’s Dyren. Jamal’s little brother."
Ray frowned behind his mask. "Jamal?"
Dyren laughed a little louder. "You don’t remember Jamal? He said you were the one who stopped him from ending it back then."
Ray went quiet for a moment. His brain jumped back to old memories. That tough-looking dude. Back when he was messing around with Global Alter and somehow made the greeting "Nii-chan" sound normal and friendly to people.
Ray laughed softly. "Oh... yeah. I remember. How’s Jamal doing these days?"
"Thank God he’s way better. He’s working at a garage now, starting to get stable again. Talks about you a lot, says there was this good dude who helped him out with just some simple words."
The car kept heading toward the podcast location. The night streets were pretty quiet.
They kept talking. Dyren’s tone was serious but still chill.
"I really believe it, man. You got given this gift to experience those weird phenomena. Not everybody can."
Ray looked over at him. "What do you think those weird phenomena even are?"
Dyren answered with zero hesitation. "Devil’s work. I’m sure of it. That’s why I’m also sure you’re the chosen one. ’Cause you’re actually a good person. Not just talk."
Ray just gave a wry little smirk behind his mask, staring out the dark window.
He never saw it coming. The result of his dumbass joking around back then... now somehow turned this dramatic in other people’s eyes.
They finally arrived.
The car pulled up in front of this pretty premium-looking building. Dyren glanced over at Ray.
"Aight, we’re here, man. Be careful."
Ray nodded, said thanks, and hopped out. The second his feet hit the pavement, two staff members came straight up and escorted him inside. No long small talk. They took him right up to the studio floor.
Inside, Asmoldking was already waiting. Turned out the guy was nothing like what Ray had pictured. Not cold or stuck-up at all. He was smiling big, walked right up and stuck his hand out.
"Ray! Finally meeting you in person. I’m Asmoldking."
Ray shook his hand. "Yeah, bro."
They chatted for a bit in the corner of the room. The vibe was chill. Ray didn’t expect Asmoldking to be this cool too—talked casual, laughed easy, zero awkward energy.
"Oh yeah," Asmoldking said, dropping his voice a little. "Don’t overthink the two girls. Honestly I didn’t even want them. But the sponsors asked for it. Said it makes the live more lively."
Ray nodded. "All good. I get it."
Asmoldking smiled, looking relieved. "Bet. Oh, and drop your bank account real quick. I’ll transfer right after the live ends."
Ray gave him the number without thinking twice. Asmoldking typed it into his phone fast.
After that, Asmoldking said, "Just hang in the private room for now. Still like fifteen minutes till eight. Chill."
Ray got shown to a small, cozy room. Soft couch, cold AC, drinks and snacks on the table. The second the door closed, Ray sat down and let out a long breath.
Damn, being viral is nice as hell.
Everything’s handled. No waiting in line, no stressing about where to sit. Just kick back.
He leaned back into the couch, opened his phone for a sec, then turned it off again. Still had time. Just relax.
Not long after, someone knocked. A staff member poked their head in, smiling.
"Excuse me, you want anything to drink? Snacks?"
Ray, being simple as always, just nodded. "Coffee. Black."
The staff noted it down quick and left. Ray leaned back into the couch again. For a second the thought crossed his mind, ’Being a celebrity really is this good, huh.’ Everything served to you, people asking what you want.
But the peace didn’t last long.
The door opened again. Two girls walked in at the same time. Instantly obvious. Sexy bodies, clean makeup, tight outfits that showed everything off. Exactly like what Ray had seen on Instagram earlier that day—full-on baddies.
They came straight up to him.
"Haiii, you’re Ray, right?" the taller one said first, smiling sweet. "I’m Sasha. This is my girl Luna."
Luna sat on the couch next to Ray, a little close. "Whoa, even hotter in person than in the videos."
They started playfully teasing him. Sasha lightly bumped Ray’s shoulder, Luna giggled and said, "Don’t be so tense, the live’s gonna be awkward."
Ray was deadass getting hard and horny. Their bodies were straight-up hard to ignore. But he kept it cool. Just gave a thin smile behind the mask and answered short.
They were actually pretty normal. Not over-the-top, not instantly cringe. Even kinda fun. But Ray wasn’t that easy to fall for the friendly act. Inside he was already on guard. This was just a tactic to make people comfortable. Whether they were trying to use him or just being professional, he couldn’t tell yet.
They kept making light small talk for a few more minutes until someone knocked again.
"Excuse me, podcast time. Let’s go."
Ray stood up. The two girls stood too, still smiling.
They walked him to the studio. The room was already set up with a long couch, a small table in front, a few cameras, good lighting. Looked exactly like those casual podcast setups full of people with star syndrome who love acting wise on camera.
Ray sat on one end of the couch. In his head there was only one thought:
’Aight. Let’s just get this started.’
Asmoldking sat on the far left of the long couch. Ray took the middle seat, and the two girls, Sasha and Luna, sat together on the right side. The cameras were already rolling, red lights on, livestream numbers climbing fast.
Asmoldking leaned forward a little, looked straight into the main camera, and smiled that easy smile of his.
"What’s good, everybody. Welcome back to the channel. Tonight we’re doing something different. No fancy title, no long intro, no bullshit. Just real talk."
He glanced over at Ray and the two girls for a second, then back at the camera.
"Sitting with me right now is Ray — yeah, *that* Ray — and two special guests, Sasha and Luna. And before y’all start typing in the chat... this podcast has zero script. No questions written down, no ’talking points,’ nothing. We’re just gonna talk. Whatever comes out is whatever comes out. For real truth only."
He leaned back, still looking chill.
"So if you came here for filtered answers or polished PR talk... you’re in the wrong live. We keeping it raw tonight."
Asmoldking turned slightly toward Ray, still speaking loud enough for the mics.
"Aight. Let’s just start."
The second Asmoldking finished speaking, the live chat exploded.
"LET’S GOOOO"
"FINALLY"
"No script? Hell yeah"
"This about to be good"
Messages kept flying in nonstop. The viewer count jumped hard within seconds. Chat was already moving so fast it was hard to even read everything.
Asmoldking glanced at the monitor on the side for a second and let out a small laugh.
"Chat already wilding, I see y’all."
He looked back at the camera, still chill.
"Aight, since y’all ready... let’s get into it."