[Perspective: Aryan Spencer, Penthouse]
The scent of toasted sesame oil and searing garlic filled the penthouse kitchen, a rich aroma that completely masked the filtered air of the city high above.
I stood at the massive marble island, a freshly sharpened chef's knife in my hand, reducing a handful of scallions into perfectly uniform green rings.
The rhythmic thwack thwack thwack of the blade against the wooden cutting board was meditative.
Beside me, Kimiko was humming.
It was a low sound, a melody she was testing out in the back of her throat.
She wore a pair of dark leggings and a loose white t-shirt, her hair tied back in a messy bun, completely absorbed in stirring a pan of sizzling ginger and soy marinated chicken.
BZZT.
The familiar vibration of the Plundering System echoed directly into my frontal lobe.
[Morning, Boss. Hope you're hungry,] the System's voice chimed, radiating a digital satisfaction. [The Red Unit just clocked out. They pulled an all nighter and the haul is absolutely biblical. You want the receipt?]
I scooped the chopped scallions into a small ceramic bowl.
'Run it,' I thought.
The holographic blue interface materialized in my vision, floating seamlessly over the kitchen counter, translucent enough that I could still see Kimiko stirring the chicken through the glowing text.
[PLUNDER QUEUE: PROCESSING...]
[OPERATION: VICTORIA NEUMAN BLACK SITE]
[Supe Neutralized: Victoria Neuman (Tier 2). Power: Hemokinesis. Choose Option: Retain or Convert?]
Victoria Neuman. The head popper. The political weapon Stan Edgar had kept in his back pocket.
'Convert,' I commanded.
I already possessed the superior Tier 1 Biokinesis. I didn't need her blood tricks.
[Converting Power: Hemokinesis (Tier 2)...]
[Conversion Complete. +3,000 XP.]
…
[OPERATION: VOUGHT AGRICULTURE (ANIMAL TESTING)]
[Supes Neutralized: 1x Bio Spike Canine (Tier 4), 1x Kinetic Rodent (Tier 4), 14x Telekinetic Arachnids (Tier 5). Choose Option: Retain or Convert?]
I almost smirked at the absurdity of it. Vought's desperation to test Compound V had created a literal petting zoo of nightmares.
'Convert all.'
[Converting Animal Subjects...]
[Conversion Complete. +2,400 XP.]
…
[OPERATION: 'THE WOODS' (GODOLKIN UNIVERSITY)]
[Processing 21 Subjects (Mix of Tier 3, Tier 4, Tier 5)...]
'Convert them all.'
[Converting...]
[Conversion Complete. +15,600 XP.]
The notifications finally ceased, compiling into a grand total that glowed brightly in the center of my vision.
[HARVEST COMPLETE]
[PREVIOUS BALANCE: 56,600 XP]
[TOTAL XP GAINED: 24,000 XP]
[CURRENT TOTAL XP: 80,600]
I swiped my hand through the air, dismissing the interface.
"Aryan?"
I turned my head. Kimiko had lowered the heat on the stove. She was holding a wooden spoon, looking at me with her perceptive eyes.
"You went far away again," she said softly.
"Just thinking about logistics again," I replied smoothly, offering a warm smile.
She wiped her hands on a dish towel and took a step closer to the island, leaning against the cool marble.
"Can I... ask for a help?" she asked.
I set the chef's knife down and turned to give her my full attention. "Of course."
She looked down at her hands, her fingers picking nervously at a loose thread on the hem of her shirt. "My brother. Kenji."
The name hung in the air between us.
"I need to find him," she continued. "The Shining Light Liberation Army... they took us both. We were separated. You saved me from the basement, but Kenji is still out there. The terrorists might have him. I don't know. But I want to rescue him."
She looked up, her eyes shining with a desperate vulnerability. "Can you help me?"
"Yes."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my secure smartphone. I tapped the screen, dialing the encrypted line to the Spencer Industries executive suite.
I set the phone on the marble counter and tapped the speaker icon.
It rang exactly once.
"Director Spencer," the professional voice of Jonathan Sterling echoed from the speaker. It was my Clone, wearing the stolen face and memories of my former CFO, operating the legal side of my empire.
"Jonathan," I said, keeping my tone authoritative. "I need a high priority locator run initiated immediately. Off the books."
"Understood, sir," Clone replied without missing a beat. "Please provide the search parameters. Name, facial features, known affiliations and last approximate location."
I looked across the island at Kimiko. I gestured toward the phone with an open palm.
Kimiko leaned closer to the phone, her hands gripping the edge of the marble.
"His name is Kenji Miyashiro," she said, her voice steadying. "He is Japanese. Twenty three years old. He was taken by the Shining Light Liberation Army, a terrorist group operating in the Philippines, but they smuggle people into the United States. He works for them, or is a prisoner of them. I do not know."
"Noted," the clone's voice replied smoothly. "Can you provide specific physical identifiers?"
"Black hair. Dark eyes," she continued. She paused, looking up at my face, tracing my jawline with her eyes. "He has a thin scar on the left side of his jaw."
"We will allocate all necessary resources immediately," the clone confirmed.
"Keep me updated by the hour, Jonathan," I instructed.
"Noted, sir."
The line clicked dead. The kitchen was silent again, save for the low simmer of the chicken on the stove.
Kimiko let out a long breath, her shoulders dropping two inches as a massive weight seemed to lift from her frame. She looked at me, a profound sense of relief washing over her sharp features.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"We'll find him, Kimiko," I promised. "If he's on this continent, my network will flag him."
She smiled, a mischievous glint suddenly replacing the heavy sorrow in her eyes. She tilted her head, a playful smirk curving her lips.
"So," she said. "How can I repay you?"
I leaned back against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest. I matched her smirk.
"Well," I said, keeping my voice light. "My security detail is pretty expensive. The satellite time alone costs millions. You could always just offer yourself in repayment."
We both laughed. It was a comfortable sound that bounced off the stainless steel appliances.
But as the laughter faded, the atmosphere in the kitchen shifted. The air suddenly felt thicker.
Kimiko stopped laughing. Her dark eyes locked onto mine, tracking the movement of my chest as I breathed.
She took a step around the kitchen island.
"Really?" she asked.
I swallowed, my own pulse suddenly accelerating, hammering a rapid rhythm against my ribs.
"I was just joking…" I said.
She took another step. She was close enough now that I could feel the heat radiating from her body, close enough to smell the vanilla of her shampoo mixed with the savory scent of ginger.
"I'm not," she whispered.
She reached up, her hands tangling in the hair at the nape of my neck and pulled my face down to hers.
She kissed me.
PS: This is the fifth bonus chapter for this week. We need 81 more Power Stones for the next bonus chapter. Come on guys, let's see how many bonus chapters we can unlock this week, haha.
PS: The novel is already completed on Patreon. If you want to read the whole story at once, there are 30+ advance chapters available. www.patreon. com/Drrajnovel