Chapter 84
The food finally showed up. The waiter slammed two huge-ass burger plates, still-steaming fries, and two sodas down on the table with a loud clatter. Christy grinned wide, but her eyes stayed locked on Ray like she was straight-up daring him to keep going.
They started eating. The convo died for a minute. Only chewing sounds and soda slurps filled up that quiet corner of the restaurant. Ray took slow bites of his burger, but his head was pure chaos. That "target" word Christy dropped earlier kept spinning in his brain. His curiosity was going insane. He snuck a glance at her casually munching fries like nothing was weird.
After a few bites in dead silence, Ray couldn’t take it anymore. He swallowed hard, then hit her with a low but straight-up stabbing question.
"So what the fuck did you mean by ’target’ earlier?"
Christy looked up from her plate. Her smile got bigger, eyes sparkling like a kid who just got a new toy. She set her fork down all calm, then answered deadass, no bullshit, like they were just talking about the movie they watched.
"Yeah, target to sell his organs. Your body looks super healthy, Ray. Nice muscles, clean skin, steady breathing. Even if you beat off a lot, that shit doesn’t matter. Your organs are still premium for selling."
Ray immediately choked. He forced it down with effort, eyes bugging out wide. "What the fuck?! That’s straight-up criminal as hell?!"
Christy burst out laughing, loud but not too loud in the quiet spot. "Ahahaha... Chill, dude. It’s just an easy way to make extra cash. No big deal, don’t stress about it."
Ray was still in heavy shock. Throat dry as fuck. "But... don’t you know federal agents? You’re a hacker too, right?"
Christy laughed even harder, shoulders shaking a little. She grabbed her straw and took a sip before answering all casual.
"Come on, Ray. They know too. They don’t give a shit about just one or two people a year. They don’t mess with that. Plus they still need me for bigger jobs. So yeah... that’s just how it is."
Ray felt like a giant boulder was crushing his chest. He crashed hard. All this time he’d been living as a regular guy on the surface, never thought he’d hear something this fucked up. And now he was the ’Target’ of this crazy bitch sitting right across from him. His face went pale. The hand holding his burger started shaking a bit.
With a kinda raspy voice, Ray asked again, "So now... what? You still making me a target?"
Christy let out a little chuckle and shook her head slow. Smile still friendly, but her words were ice cold.
"Nah, of course not. This was just to keep tabs on you. Plus you’re viral now. My job was just to turn you into a ’Friend’. Yeah, ’Friend’ is code for marking the prey."
Ray frowned deep. "Why the hell are you like this, Christy? You already know federal agents, you work as a hacker? Why do this fucked up shit?"
Instead of a quick answer, Christy went off on a long explanation, all calm and almost proud, like she was talking about some noble mission.
"I’m a good woman, Ray. I do a lot for the world. I build tons of orphanages. I just want all the kids to get a solid education and not suffer on the streets. All the money from selling organs goes straight to paying for them. My rule is simple: whatever it takes, as long as it’s for the kids. But if those kids grow up and turn into total dumbasses, yeah, I’ll execute them too. No point letting them live."
Ray swallowed hard again. His heart was beating all wrong. ’This girl is a legit psychopath,’ he thought to himself. He felt like he just saw some dark side he never could’ve imagined from the girl who looked so innocent and hyped watching movies together. That alter effect he triggered earlier worked way too well — Christy was spilling every secret with zero filter.
They kept eating in this super weird, tense vibe. Christy was still smiling friendly like normal, sometimes commenting on how good the burger or fries tasted, but every word she said earlier made it impossible for Ray to relax. He tried to focus on eating, but his mind was total chaos.
’Who the fuck is Ekaterina Volkov really? And what else am I gonna hear today...?’
Ray took a deep gulp of his soda, trying to hide the fear creeping up his spine. Christy across from him was still giggling about funny parts in the movie like nothing happened. But Ray knew — behind that sweet smile, there was something way darker than he could ever imagine.
Ray kept chewing his burger slow, but his mind wasn’t calm at all. He secretly glanced at the system in his head — just a quick peek, no big movements. Solo Alter still had about three minutes left. Still time.
Since the effect was still active, Ray decided to fuck around and ask. He took a sip of his soda, then asked in a chill tone, like it was just normal small talk.
"How’s your real family doing? They still around?"
Christy, who was munching on fries, paused for a second. Her smile stayed, but her eyes went flat. She answered in a flat tone, zero emotion.
"None. They died from the cold."
Ray immediately felt chills run down his neck. He got even more creeped out by the girl sitting across from him. Just heard about organ selling and executing foster kids, now her real family died from the cold? Like it was nothing. Ray swallowed hard again, his hand shaking a little while holding the glass.
But Christy suddenly let out a small laugh. Not a nervous one — it was full of this weird pride. She leaned back in her chair, looked Ray up and down, then said in a casual but blunt-ass tone.
"Speaking of bodies... my pussy’s still virgin, you know. I don’t wanna get fucked by stupid men’s dicks. Especially not someone like you, Ray. You look super lame, can’t dress for shit, ahahahhaha... plus you act all cocky as fuck. You’re funny, Ray. But yeah, just funny. Your face is plain, body’s good, but damn... you just look like extra furniture in this world."
Ray blinked hard. The word "plain" stuck in his head like a thorn.
’Plain...?’
He wanted to dig deeper — ask why this girl could say shit like that so proudly, what she meant by "extra furniture", why she felt entitled to insult people however she wanted — but before his mouth could even open...
[Ding!]
A blue notification popped up in his vision.
[Solo Alter Duration Ended]
[Target: Ekaterina Volkov]
[Common Sense Alteration Expired]
Another notification also popped up, telling him if daily mission was fullfilled.
The effect vanished instantly.
Christy, who was just laughing and talking blunt, suddenly stopped. Her smile was still there, but her eyes changed. Like a wall suddenly went up again. She calmly took a sip of her drink, then spoke in a much lighter and "normal" tone.
"Eh, the burger’s really good, huh? You picked a nice spot, Ray."
Like she never talked about selling organs, her family dying from the cold, or her virgin pussy while calling Ray extra furniture.
Ray froze solid. His heart was still pounding hard. His right hand gripped the soda glass so tight his knuckles turned white.
’Fuck...’
He just realized how dangerous that alter was. And how dangerous the girl sitting in front of him right now was.
Christy smiled sweetly again, like a normal girl who just finished watching a romantic movie. But Ray knew — behind that smile, there was something way more terrifying than he could imagine.
And the alter duration was over.
Ray swallowed slowly. He didn’t know what to say now. But one thing was clear...
He just had a conversation with someone who was actually insane.
Ray tried to finish his food even though his throat felt dry. Christy in front of him was still smiling sweet, sometimes commenting on how good the burger tasted or saying "thanks for taking me to the movie" with that shy tone that used to make Ray melt. But now?
Ray didn’t feel shit.
That cute face was already confirmed as a mask. He knew behind that shy smile there was a woman who could say "my pussy’s still virgin" and "my family died from the cold" in a casual tone. He started feeling a bit small. Not scared enough to scream, but scared that if he fucked up even a little, this girl could make him disappear tomorrow morning.
Even so, Ray kept pretending. He gave a thin smile, nodded along, and sometimes replied with quiet jokes. They hung out a bit longer — walking around the upper floor of the mall, Christy sometimes pulling his arm while saying "look at that, so cute", but Ray just nodded stiff. The conversation felt off. Christy talked like a normal excited girl, Ray answered when he had to. He didn’t feel excited anymore. Just careful.
Around six in the evening, Ray said he had to go home because of "stuff". Christy didn’t push. She just smiled and said "thanks for today, Ray. I had so much fun." Ray walked her to the station, pretending to be friendly until she got on the train. Once the train left, Ray let out a long sigh.
Long story short, Ray was already back at his apartment.
Door locked tight. Room lights dim. Ray sat on the edge of the bed, silent and confused, head spinning hard. He held his temples. Just a few hours ago he was almost a target for illegal organ selling. And the girl who almost "bought him" was laughing while proudly saying "my pussy’s still virgin".
He replayed Christy’s words in his head again.
"...you just look like extra furniture in this world."
"...your face is plain, body’s good, but damn..."
Ray clenched his fists tight until his knuckles turned white. Anger rose slowly. Not just from fear, but because his pride got hit. He muttered quietly with a heavy voice, full of held-back emotion:
"If I fuck that pussy till your asshole... I’ll make your mouth a cum dump too."
He said it quiet, but there was a tremor of anger at the end. Ray even got worked up himself. He stood up, paced around the small room a few steps, then finally flopped down hard on the bed. His eyes stared at the cracked ceiling in the corner.
"What kind of fucked up world is this..." he muttered quietly, voice almost inaudible.
He closed his eyes. But his brain wouldn’t stop replaying everything that happened today. Christy laughing in the cinema. Christy saying her family died from the cold. Christy proudly saying her pussy’s still virgin while calling him lame and extra furniture.