Chapter 104 (Fixed)
Ray leaned back against his headboard, chuckling softly at Hime’s interview video on his phone screen. The power to "feel nature’s trace" and grow vegetables? Ray shook his head. In his eyes, Hime was nowhere near his level. It was pretty funny watching her act like a hero of justice when her abilities and all the crazy phenomena in the world right now, just came from a core system he pulled from a junk slot machine.
He swiped his screen, continuing to scroll through social media. Notifications hit him relentlessly. Thousands of tags and mentions poured in from netizens begging him to go live ASAP. They were demanding an explanation for the weird sight of hundreds of thousands of people lighting fireworks all at once last night.
The world had really changed and was getting way more chaotic. Hime’s ability to grow plants in a flash was living proof. On top of that, some fire-manipulating guy just introduced himself as Angelo. That dude completely hijacked social media after bending flames at an apartment building. The combo left the public both panicked and amazed; wild speculation popped up everywhere, ranging from theories that God was real to claims that the end of the world was near.
Ray just gave a cynical laugh. ’Doomsday? God? Ridiculous,’ he thought. They were all losing their minds over the work of a cheap slot machine.
Time skip, Late afternoon.
The sun started leaning west, casting an orange glow into the room. Ray had done absolutely nothing all day. Even though endless entertainment and power were right at his fingertips, he could have messed up the city again, but he just wasn’t in the mood. Total laziness.
Checking his phone as it kept buzzing, a direct message from Asmoldking popped up.
Asmoldking:
Bro, open this link ASAP. Hime is live right now, saying she’s gonna track down the guy behind last night’s event using her root powers. Watch it, I wanna get you back on the podcast tonight to talk about this.
Ray snorted, but clicked the link anyway. The screen loaded Hime Nature’s live stream. She was standing in the middle of a field, surrounded by the respect of thousands of online viewers. Hime talked a lot, about sacred roots, whispers of the wind, and how the perpetrator’s dark aura left a super thick trace.
Ray narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t care less about Hime’s preachy BS. Getting bored, Ray just closed the live stream app right then and there.
He got out of bed, walked to the window, and decided to look outside. The city view in the late afternoon looked pretty quiet, though leftover firework packaging from last night still littered the streets. Looking at the evening sky, Ray suddenly remembered his promise to Karl. His buddy had a stand-up comedy gig tonight and asked Ray to join via video call.
"Tonight, huh? Guess I gotta get ready to yap," Ray muttered under his breath.
He grabbed the window handle and shut it tight, locking out the chilly evening breeze.
’—"Hello, Ray."’
Ray flinched. A super familiar female voice suddenly echoed inside his head. It was Milady. The voice wasn’t coming from his phone or speakers, but crawling straight through his mind.
"Tch, what the hell? Why’re you popping up out of nowhere?!" Ray whispered, annoyed, his chest suddenly pounding with a bad feeling.
Inside his head, Milady just snickered, a cold, triumphant taunt.
’—"Get ready to act, Ray dear. Just play along, don’t throw a fit."’
Ray frowned deeply. "The hell do you mean? Act out what—"
NIII NOOO NIII NOOO!
Before Ray could finish his sentence, the blare of police sirens and heavy vehicles shattered the afternoon silence from outside the building. Tires screeched loudly in the parking lot below, followed by a squad leader yelling through a megaphone.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"FEDERAL AGENTS! OPEN THE DOOR! BRAVO TEAM, SECURE THE PERIMETER!"
The front door of his apartment was suddenly pounded on with extreme force, making the door hinges shake violently. The hallway outside his room filled with the rushed, heavy footsteps of combat boots.
Ray froze in place. His eyes went wide. His heart felt like it was gonna jump out of his chest.
"The fuck?! I got caught?!" he muttered in a panic. "No way.... How?!"
With trembling hands, Ray quickly grabbed his phone and reopened Hime Nature’s live stream that he had just closed.
The screen displayed a scene that made the blood drain from Ray’s face instantly. Hime was no longer in the open field. Her stream camera was now filming the parking lot area... right in front of Ray’s apartment building.
In the video, Hime had her eyes closed, touching the ground in the parking lot while thick green roots crawled through into the building’s foundation.
"My sacred roots can feel it..." ’ Hime spoke to the camera in a cold, certain tone. ’ "The thick, evil aura that brainwashed millions of souls last night... originates from right inside this building."
Behind Hime, dozens of federal agents in full tactical gear carrying assault rifles moved fast to block every exit. Ray watched from his bedroom window, the armed squad was already in the corridor of his floor.
"Damn it..." Ray whispered, stepping back as his apartment’s front door began to get breached by force.
The apartment door slammed open, shattered to pieces. Over a dozen federal agents swarmed in, aiming their rifles and tackling Ray straight to the floor with zero hesitation. Without any investigation, they instantly pinned him as the mastermind behind last night’s phenomenon.
Ray’s hands were cuffed tight. As he was dragged out of the building, camera flashes from the press and Hime’s live stream light hit him dead in the face. Right in the middle of the panic, Ray’s brain suddenly went clear. ’So this is what Milady meant? I’m being set up to play this role?’
"I don’t get it! Why am I being arrested?!" Ray yelled, playing dumb.
Hime stepped forward, giving Ray a cold glare. ’ "Drop the act, sinner. Your vile powers come from a devil’s contract!" ’
Ray was dragged forcefully into a black van, surrounded by over a dozen agents who still had their weapons aimed at him. Outside, the crowd started throwing bottles and screaming insults at the vehicle. Meanwhile, across all national TV stations, a major narrative was being spun: "Ray, the master con artist who previously posed as a phenomenon detector, was actually the real mastermind behind the world’s chaos."
Time skip to night.
In a deserted park, Karl lay on the grass. His steroid-pumped muscles were aching, but the pain in his chest was so much worse. He stared up at the sky, which was no longer exploding with fireworks. "Why, Ray?" he whispered, his voice cracking. He felt completely betrayed by the only guy he thought knew the world’s secrets. Karl closed his eyes, letting tears stream down his temples. ’Karl, you blew it again... you’re just trash leeching off your dad’s money. You’re a nobody,’ he choked back a sob, "Why, Ray? Why..."
Karl’s phone lit up as it lay on the grass, showing a "Canceled" status for his comedy club gig, along with a message dropping him just for being connected to Ray.
On the other side of town, Sonya, a middle-aged woman with golden-brown skin and an alluring, curvy build—was busy working in the kitchen. The table in front of her was stacked with food that needed to be packed immediately. While waiting, her hand holding a spoon reflexively drifted down toward her crotch, seeking a bit of comfort amid all the stress. But the motion froze instantly. Her eyes locked onto the TV screen broadcasting the breaking news. The spoon dangled stiffly in the air, inches away from her private area as she watched Ray’s face pop up on the screen, caught on camera with his hands cuffed. Sonya froze, her breath catching in her throat. "Ray... No way!!?"
Hours ticked by in the interrogation room, Ray sitting cuffed and left completely in the dark. The sheer boredom was driving him insane until Milady’s voice crept into his head.
"Keep your cool, Ray. They’re watching every move. Whatever you do, don’t open the system."’
Before Ray could react, the heavy door swung open. A man in a sharp black suit walked in with a slick smirk, clutching a iPad.
"Well, well... aren’t you a little degenerate?" the man sneered, flipping the screen toward Ray. "With all that insane power, this is what you do?"
The video showed Ray shoving his dick down Julia’s throat and slapping her face with it.
Ray scoffed, rolling his eyes. "That’s my damn privacy. She begged for it, alright? Total mutual consent."
The agent burst out laughing. "Oh yeah? Why don’t you ask the lady yourself?"
The door clicked open again, and that tanned skin bitch strutted right into the room, bursting into a loud, mocking laugh.
"Look at you, Ray. You really are an arrogant piece of trash, aren’t you?" Julia cackled, shaking her head.