Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
The Illicitor's Code #1 001: The Beginning of Everything
In The Hague, February 15th, 2100.The flashes of camera lights from dozens of journalists crowding the street towards the entrance of the international court building almost blinded him, but the old man ignores them. With quick and confident steps, he ensured that his old legs could walk step by step."Doctor ZA, as someone who created monsters that almost destroyed the human population, did you ever regret?" asked a journalist, along with others that also intercepting the old man with ridiculous questions."Can you tell us what motivated your decision to create monsters that only prey on humans, Doctor ZA?"The old man snorted. For a moment, he let the police who escorting him clear the journalists from his path—until a captivating question caught his ear."Doctor ZA, Can you tell us the story behind—""Story? Oh, I love telling a story," the old man laughed, raising one arm to silence the journalists as he spoke. "It's a story about—what's it called?—ah, a world heading towards the
The Illicitor's Code #1 002: The Presages
On the next morning, dawn came earlier than usual. Dim-Dim—who has felt something strange with his body since yesterday—sat up from his bed and touched his forehead; his temperature was normal.Hm. Weird.His hand moved down to touch his neck, and then he felt his skin tingling beneath his touch. As if there was a subtle movement there; moving up, up, up slowly, towards his face.Panicked, he threw off the blanket and leaped to the mirror attached to the wardrobe, then stared carefully at his neck and face. The lantern light give a pale reflection to his face and turn it gray—grayish like bird feathers with its patterns as well. He blinked in surprise, touched his face, and suddenly his face color returned to normal. But he was sure he had glimpsed his eyes turning red.Could he be turning into a bird? A hawk, maybe?"Well, that's just crazy!" he said to his reflection in the mirror while laughing. But he tilted his head for a moment, gazing at his reflection for a few more seconds, a
The Illicitor's Code #1 003: Monsters in Toronto
As dawn broke, sharp, piercing, ear-splitting roars suddenly echoed from a distance, startling Dim-Dim out of his pleasant dream of rowing a boat and causing him to wake up, jerking in shock and tumbling off his bed.While rubbing his head with a confused look, Dim-Dim heard the sound of the danger alarm echoing throughout the city. A warning that there are monsters in the city.But—isn't that impossible?No, only monsters can cause a venator appear in the city. This was a reason why Ms. Clark appeared in Toronto.Panicked, Dim-Dim rushed to Damian's room across his and pushed the door open. "Ms. Cl—" he began, but the Venator was nowhere to be found.Hurrying to the living room, Dim-Dim found his mother asleep on the sofa, wearing headphones. "There are monsters, Mama," he said after removing her headset. "Mama! Wake up!"Outside the house, the sound of fleeing residents' footsteps could be heard, and Dim-Dim shook his mother's body even harder. "MAMA!"When his mother finally woke u
The Illicitor's Code #1 004: The Safe City
As the van finally departed, Dim-Dim lay on the mattress, observing the only member of his brother's team whose name he didn't know. The man was slim, not too tall but not short either, and he was lazily lounging beside Dim-Dim on the mattress while texting on his cell phone with someone—looking bored. When Dim-Dim tried to find a weapon on the man's body, he glanced at Dim-Dim with his narrow eyes and said, "Say what you want, Kid.""Nothing," Dim-Dim replied spontaneously.The man scanned his face for a moment, and after that turned his head to Dim-Dim's older brother who was fast asleep on the mattress beside him. Then he looked at Dim-Dim again."You ain't look like your brother. Not even a little bit. You're also not as strong as him, even in bear form," he whispered. "Your superpowers are pretty useless, huh?"Dim-Dim's cheeks flushed. But before he could think of something to reply, he heard his brother's hoarse voice."Leave my brother alone, Parenzee."The man beside Dim-Dim
The Illicitor's Code #1 005: The Super Power Verification Test
"Your name is Dim-Dim Damisch, the second son of Justin and Karina Damisch, and the younger brother of Damian Damisch. Right?" the question was asked by an old man with graying hair, and Dim-Dim nodded quickly. "Please answer with yes or no," the old man added again, his voice slightly shaking because he was too old."Yes, sir," Dim-Dim replied."Since your father died when you were a toddler, you live alone with your mother in Toronto, Ontario Province, Canada. According to Mr. Damisch's report, you were found in a state of—ah, being metamorphosed into an eagle when monsters were attacking your city. Right?"Dim-Dim looked up at his brother on the balcony, then looked at the man again. "Actually, I transformed into a hawk, Sir. A Copper's Hawk.""Show me," said the old man, and Dim-Dim immediately transformed into the hawk with gray feathers and red eyes.The old man looked at Dim-Dim for a few seconds, then looked back down at his notes. "About ten minutes after that, a monster arri
The Illicitor's Code #1 006: The Illicitor
"Wait, Mr. Damisch!" said Jin Miller quickly. The man now stood up from his chair and looked at them seriously. "May I speak to your brother for a moment?" The man looked so pitiable and desperate now, that Dim-Dim took pity on him.Damian looked clearly ready to refuse, but Dim-Dim nodded beside him. "I will listen to you, Sir."Jin Miller immediately looked relieved. The man rummaged his drawer for a moment, and then showed Dim-Dim a very complicated, colorful paper full of diagram that he couldn't understand. "Do you see the picture on it?" he asked, pointing to a circular diagram at the top right corner of the paper that was divided into three sections. "Black means mission failure, gray means mission success with casualties, while white means success without casualties."Hearing that, Dim-Dim now looked at the diagram more seriously."Now, can you tell me which part of this circle is the biggest?" Jin Miller asked Dim-Dim-Dim."The gray one, sir," Dim-Dim replied. "That means the
The Illicitor's Code #1 007: Monsters in New Hampshire
"What I really hate about teamwork is—yeah, you know—the other team," said a man in Clarinassa's team, whom Dim-Dim knew as Icaros Alexandrovich. The Class A Venator had a large and sturdy body, though not as big as Damian's, and his bald head was covered by a black beanie. As he strapped a belt of bullets around his large, muscular arm, he looked at Dim-Dim and smiled. "Didn't mean to offend you, Kid.""No, I'm not offended," Dim-Dim replied. He did not feel offended, but somehow it feels like there was an unfriendly meaning in Icaros's sentence.All the Venators around him put on their camouflage-patterned faded blue uniforms and loaded their fire weapons.The thing is, Dim-Dim did not have a uniform. He wanted to ask Damian what he should do if he didn't have one. But as he watched his brother slip various sharp knives, daggers, and a revolver into his belt holster without looking at Dim-Dim, he realized his older brother was ignoring him. "Here, I'll lend you my old uniform," Cla
The Illicitor's Code #1 008: To Save the Little Girl
The voice of the child in the forest shocked all the Venators. Both Damian and Oriyan reflexively looked up at the almost dark sky and cursed as only a few minutes were left until the sun completely disappeared from the sky. Furthermore, when night falls, the monsters will become active, emerging from their hiding places and reacting to the presence of the kid in the forest, disrupting the Venators' plan."Watch your language, please," Clarinassa said, sounding anxious. "There's an 11-year-old boy here, remember?"Damian cursed again. "What's that little kid doing in the forest!?" he asked, ignoring Clarinassa.Clarinassa sighed in exasperation, and Oriyan laughed."How could anyone know?" Oriyan said, while observing the smartwatch embedded on his right wrist. His eyes watched the red dots on the screen enlarge and shrink. "Mathers, Alexandrovich, the sound is coming from around you.""We know," Xavera said calmly, while Icaros cursed in the background. "But we aren't sure where the k
Latest Chapter
- The Illicitor's Code #1
167: Bonus Episode #9 (FIN)
The final bonus episode! ***** Interview between the writer and the characters of The Illicitor's Code #1. Writer: "So, Dim-Dim, how do you feel now that this story has come to an end?" Dim-Dim: "A little sad. Why did it end like this? I mean, why didn't you give me a cool scene where I save my friends and family?" Writer: "Are you disappointed? Weren't you loved in this story?" Dim-Dim: "Honestly, I feel bad for Velicia. I should have been the one to save her, not the other way around." Writer: "Why? Is this about toxic masculinity?" Dim-Dim: "Oh God, Justin, tell her what toxic masculinity is!" Justin: "Don't look at me. I'm always on the writer's side. We agree on playing it safe, buddy!" Dim-Dim: "Amma, are you on my side?" Amma: "Honestly, I wonder why I'm always paired with toxic guys. I mean, I'm toxic. I know what toxic is, author. Why do you make me out to be a clueless girl who doesn't know her boyfriend is toxic?" Writer: "I—I'm sorry, Amma." Velici
- The Illicitor's Code #1
166: Bonus Episode #8
Dear, Dim-Dim, the greatest veterinarian in the world! (if not in my heart)Right now I'm in a city that is extremely remote on the border between Malaysia and Thailand. It's nice here. The air is humid and warm. The children here are quite friendly. Currently, it's Eid, so the adults are distributing food and money. I don't have much money (I think I'm broke!) so I treated them to ice cream. Look at our photo eating ice cream, isn't it sweet? I will return to France, to work and earn money to travel the world again. But I thought I'd visit you first before becoming a corporate slave again, for motivation. See you at your clinic!With love, Velicia.PS: I attached my phone number. By the time my letter arrives, I should be in your country!The letter arrived the next day, along with a piece of paper containing a phone number and a photo of a woman with curly red hair eating ice cream with five children who appear to be locals. They looked happy, so Dim-Dim felt a little jealous.Dim-D
- The Illicitor's Code #1
165: Bonus Episode #7
Therefore, the next day, after the clinic closed and they ensured the safety of the animals (Ron stayed at the clinic to ensure this), Amma and Dim-Dim dressed in their finest suits and went to visit Amma's parents at their luxurious home in Brooklyn.Dim-Dim was nervous, knowing he had never been very fond of parents. Nevertheless, he straightened his back and walked calmly beside Amma, entering the mansion.Dim-Dim had worked hard all this time, so his assets had soared. He invested his wealth, doubling the amount, but he still kept the money. If he had to use it, Dim-Dim thought about using it to expand their animal clinic building, adding more waiting room space, and building a new examination room for Amma.Now he would use some of that money to propose to the most beautiful girl he had ever met in his life, who not only came from a wealthy family but also had her own fortune."Ma, Pa, this is my future husband," Amma said to her parents as they were greeted by servants entering
- The Illicitor's Code #1
164: Episode Bonus #6
The unpleasant incident occurred one month after Amma became a partner veterinarian at the clinic where she worked.At that time, Dim-Dim had so many patients arriving that the waiting room was full. There was a child who brought twelve of his cats to be injected for scabies, and there was a dog that slipped from the third floor and needed immediate surgery. The dog's case was so severe that Dim-Dim had to consult with his university professor. He was in the midst of this important meeting via Skype when a wealthy man arrived with a bodyguard.Billy barged in uninvited into Dim-Dim's workspace, startling Dim-Dim and Ron, who were deeply engaged in a discussion with the university professor."What's going on? You can't just barge in like this!" protested Ron, but Billy's bodyguard immediately pushed him aside, causing Billy to cough and bow."Are you the owner of this clinic?" Billy asked Dim-Dim."Yes, and who are you?" Dim-Dim asked. "We're busy here.""I'm engaged to one of the vete
- The Illicitor's Code #1
163: Bonus Episode #5
Max's surgery was intense. Now, after a successful operation, Dim-Dim laid Max down in an empty cage and went out to make tea for himself, Ron, and Justin.During times like these, Dim-Dim always opted for tea instead of coffee, and it was always low-caffeine tea."So, will the dog be alright?" Justin asked, sipping his tea."Yeah, you can call their owners tomorrow," Dim-Dim replied. "Let them know Max needs to be hospitalized for at least three weeks."Justin sighed heavily, nodding. "Alright. Thanks for tonight, buddy. I gotta head back and get some rest," Justin said.Afterwards, Dim-Dim escorted him to his luxury car parked outside the clinic.Once Justin had returned home, Dim-Dim looked at Ron, who was already snoring on the couch. He closed the clinic's front door and locked it. He then took Ron's jacket from the coat rack, draped it over him, and headed upstairs to his comfortable apartment. He made his way to his soft, cozy bed.*****"Doc? It's morning already," Ron said a
- The Illicitor's Code #1
162: Bonus Episode #4
At two in the morning, Dim-Dim had just finished feeding a feverish cat when his phone rang."Dim-Dim Damisch here," he answered.The number was unfamiliar, and Dim-Dim had no idea who could be calling at this hour."Um, the animal clinic, right?" a man on the other end said. "Listen, buddy, I know it's two in the morning, but there's a dog hit by—""Tell me the address," Dim-Dim interrupted, grabbing his coat. "I'll come over.""No, I'll come over," the man insisted. "It's my neighbor's dog. I accidentally hit it. It's black, and one of my car's lights was out. I really didn't see it until my car hit it and the dog yelped. I'm afraid it won't make it through the night. Are you at the clinic right now?""Yes," Dim-Dim replied."We'll be there in five minutes," the man said."How bad is the injury?" Dim-Dim asked, hurrying to the X-ray room."It might have a broken hind leg. It's dragging both hind legs, and... oh man. I'm really sorry," the man said."Don't apologize," Dim-Dim said fi
- The Illicitor's Code #1
161: Bonus Episode #3
Should I get involved or not?Dim-Dim hesitated.He knew he shouldn't interfere in Amaliah Parenze's affairs, but he detested guys who threatened women, and even more so those who threatened defenseless pets. He was still uncertain when Amma emerged from the bathroom, fragrant and surrounded by steam."The hot water works well, unlike in my apartment," she said with a small laugh. She picked up the sweater and pajama pants Dim-Dim had laid out for her, then went back into the bathroom to change. Returning in the sweater that fit her perfectly and with the pajama pants rolled up to fit, she wrapped her hair in a towel and took a seat across from Dim-Dim at the breakfast bar."Thanks for letting me use your bathroom. You're really kind," Amma said, pouring tea into her cup, taking a sip, and smiling. "Mmm... it smells great, and it's blue. What kind of tea is this?" she asked."It's butterfly pea flower tea from Indonesia," Dim-Dim explained. "A gift from a pen pal who loves traveling."
- The Illicitor's Code #1
160: Bonus Episode #2
The operation on the Siberian Husky went smoothly. Dim-Dim has helped repair several internal and external wounds. And now, after carefully placing the Siberian Husky in a cage with soft surface, ensuring its head is facing the right direction so the dog can breathe normally even while completely anesthetized, Dim-Dim called the husky's owner.The gorgeous woman answered her phone on the first ring."Hello, doc, how's Eonnie doing?" she asked."The operation went well. Right now, Eonnie is still completely under anesthesia. Could you come pick her up in two hours?" Dim-Dim asked.There were a few seconds of unsettling silence. "Um, doc, can I pick up Eonnie later tonight? There's—there's a little... issue," Amaliah said on the other end of the phone, and Dim-Dim momentarily stroked Eonnie's fur."Okay, sure. The clinic is open until 9 PM. Make sure you come before that," he said. "Though I don't think you need to rush, Miss. Amali—""Amma," Amaliah interrupted, and Dim-Dim sighed."Am
- The Illicitor's Code #1
159: The Bonus Episode #1
Here is life if monsters did not exist!Because monsters do not exist, people with superpowers do not exist either. The world goes on as usual....*****Dim-Dim fell in love with the world of veterinary medicine. Okay, maybe he was really nervous the first time he injected a cat, and he hated dissecting frogs, but he did all these sacrifices to learn—Uh, forget all those reasons.The point is, Dim-Dim hated it when he was still a veterinary student. Now he's a doctor, managing his own veterinary clinic. In fact, Dim-Dim's clinic is the greatest veterinary clinic on the entire continent of America! The most severe cases are brought to his examination table.And today, a woman came to bring in a Siberian Husky injured in the woods. The woman was incredibly beautiful, like an angel, if Dim-Dim may exaggerate."May I examine him?" Dim-Dim asked, rolling up his sleeve to his elbow and putting on rubber gloves.The Siberian Husky brought in by the woman to his clinic was covered in blood.
