Maria's once pretty face twisted into a mask of irritation, her voice dripping with incredulity, "Do you want to be dead?""No, I want to be loved by you," I responded spontaneously, my expression serious."Listen, kid," Maria's gaze pierced through me, her disappointment palpable, "I don't love you.""It's okay. As long as I love you, that's enough," I replied, my smile trying to bridge the chasm between us.Maria's eyebrows knitted together, a storm of anger and irritation brewing in her eyes. "I don't want to be loved by anyone whose bank account is less than $100 million. Now, go away."I stepped aside, watching Maria return to her work, taking note of the people in our group. As the last person in our group reported and left, leaving her standing alone, I seized the moment. With a determined stride, I approached her again and presented my smartphone."What?" she snapped, her irritation flaring anew at my persistence."That's my bank account," I said, a hint of pride in my voice,
As I reached out to grasp his hair once more to hit it on the table, an older man suddenly came in, his suit crisp and demeanor authoritative, signaling his position as the division's leader. He approached with a veneer of politeness. "Is there anything I can assist you with?""Finally," I exclaimed, my voice laced with desperation. "Sir, your distinguished appearance speaks volumes. You must be in charge here. Could you spare me a minute to demonstrate how things should be done here, without resorting to insults?"“Leader, it is…”Before the male staff member could interject. The leader silenced him with a firm "Shut up," then turned to me with an air of readiness. "Of course, what do you need?"Eagerly, I spread out the plans for the sixth and seventh floors. "I wish to rent the club activities room on these floors, all of them, for 10 years. Could you calculate the total cost so I can make the payment immediately?"The leader, initially taken aback by the bold request, quickly rega
Detective Keaton looked at me, his eyes weary and filled with resignation. He sighed dejectedly, “Or else... I will beg to take a loan from you…”I couldn’t help but laugh, the sound echoing in the stale air, “Hahahah…” He was really like the Keaton I knew in the past. “Has the price of $100,000 for each superhuman you send to the laboratory not been enough for you?”His expression shifted to one of shock, “How do you know that too?” He paused, confusion etching his features. “And it's $25,000, not $100,000.”“It is $100,000; you should check your broker’s son's bank account. He lied to you,” I countered, my voice steady as I took out my smartphone. I navigated through my banking app and, after confirming the transaction, slid it back into my pocket. “I have transferred $5 million to your account.”“Where did you send it?” Keaton asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. His smartphone buzzed with a notification; he hastily took it out, his eyes widening in disbelief at the sight of $5 m
Keaton was waiting outside the storage room, his breath visible in the cold air, surrounded by his police colleagues. One of them, a nervous-looking man, quickly asked, “Keaton, are you sure we can trust this information? Don't you think it's safer to send them to the lab?”Keaton, his face stoic yet confident, replied, “Don’t worry, they've already sent us $5 million. They won’t lie to us.” His words were cut short as his smartphone suddenly rang with a sharp, piercing tone. “Yes?” he answered, his voice firm.The man on the other end of the line responded tersely, “Now you can enter the storage building with your team.” Keaton motioned to his colleagues, urgency in his stride, as they approached the storage area. They opened the door with the password, the metal creaking loudly, to find the five prisoners still in handcuffed, their eyes wide with fear, yet still alive.“Check their hand symbols,” the voice on the phone commanded. Keaton, examining their hands closely, found them cle
Sakura was perched uncomfortably on the edge of a truck seat, rumbling from the survivors' camp toward Virginia City. She shared the space with other ability users destined for an academy and some women eager to explore job opportunities at a place called Eden Guild. Clutching a well-thumbed brochure, Sakura's eyes scanned its promises repeatedly, her mind swirling with fear. What if this new life forced her into slavery?The harsh reality of a post-apocalyptic world left her with little choice. Sakura's parents were gone, swallowed by the chaos, leaving her adrift in survivor camps where desperation and lawlessness reigned. Once celebrated as a school beauty and magazine model, she now felt vulnerable, a shadow of her former self, with nothing but her resolve to shield her.Determined to reclaim some strength and independence, Sakura knew she had to venture out and carve a path for herself.As the truck groaned to a halt at the Academy, Sakura gazed out at the imposing structure. Its
My name is John Doe, a man fueled by dreams yet tethered to lethargy. Immersed in a world of games, manga, manhua, and meganovels, I harbored a disdain for training, schooling, and work. Cloistered in my room, I squandered my parents' provisions, yearning for a miraculous transmigration to another realm like in story.Yet, the world didn't operate like that; it often moved in the opposite direction of what we wanted.One fateful day, while glued to the news, I witnessed the emergence of portals in various cities and the beast ran amok. The broadcasts were censored, but the uncensored horrors flooded the internet. Monstrous beasts preyed on humans, their ferocity chilling to the bone.I was born and raised in the tranquil Virginia City, where anger seldom brewed, and thankfully, no gates materialized. I thanked God for the peace, little knowing my peculiar wish was about to materialize in an unwelcome manner.That night, a mysterious symbol etched itself onto my right hand as I was mas
“I don’t think you can be my assistant,” I said to Sakura, fully aware of her reputation. She was the top result from the Eden Guild, known for her beauty, perfect physique, and impeccable attitude. Her intelligence was undeniable, shining through her ambition to secure me as her master.“Why?” Sakura stood in front of me, her eyes wide with a pleading intensity.“You have everything needed to be my private aide, but I doubt your heart is strong enough to follow my commands without question. I don’t want to justify my actions to you. I need a perfect ‘yes’ woman. Can you be that?” I studied her, my gaze sharp. “Can you say 'yes' without questioning, even if I do immoral things?”I could see the conflict brewing in her eyes, her resolve wavering. “I don’t force you,” I sighed, turning to walk away.“I will do everything you say without questioning it,” she declared.I sighed at her naivety. “Come, let's sit in the garden chairs,” I suggested as I sat down, patting the chair beside me.
After finishing playing with the three girls who were still sleeping on the bed, I asked Sakura to help me put back on my clothes. She did it without any protest. "Grab my hand," I said. Sakura hesitantly took my hand, and we teleported to a plaza with a gate leading to another planet. "This is a gate," I explained to Sakura who looked at it for the first time in awe. "Sometimes, beasts come through this gate to our planet."I walked to the edge of a large pit, peering down at some beasts on the lowlands. With a snap of my fingers, I stored them in the Space storage. “Can you imagine how many gates have opened in this world?” I asked.Sakura shook her head."There are about 1000 now in the whole world, but by the end of the year, it will slowly increase. This Earth will be destroyed, as more and more planets connect to us," I declared, the weight of our grim future heavy in the air. "This is the real Armageddon, the end of time, and people will die if they don't fight."I gazed deeply