"I'm John " – the man extended his hand for a handshake, but I didn't care to reciprocate.
"Ha ha... You must be angry, Mister Ranol."
I barely made any eye contact as I took a seat.
"Hmm, are you ignoring me?" he smirked. "Do you want to see something interesting?"
"Hey, bring him!" – he barked.
"Now then!"
My pupils widened as I recognized a vaguely familiar face... Yes, it was the same man who had broken my tooth, and he was screaming and begging as I saw his entire mouth covered in blood, two robots dragging him.
"Look, Mister Ranol, I personally organized this for you. He is being fired for his unprofessionalism."
He was dragged closer, and the black glass window of the vehicle was lowered. The robot forcibly opened the man's mouth as he begged for his life.
"Waste! He's been rejected and has no matches, so he has to be thrown into the extraction zone. Sigh."
All of his teeth had been removed, and blood oozed from his mouth. My stomach twisted, and my body protested to vomit, but nothing came out.
"Ohhh, my bad! You don't like it... throw him into the extraction zone!" – he barked.
"Sir, should I drive?" the bot in the suit asked.
"Drive! Who are you waiting for?!"
The robot started the vehicle.
"Okay, Mister Ranol, you are a special match for a very important person. Perhaps you've heard of his name?"
I looked at him.
"Oh, finally interested? We're going to Vale Mansion."
My pupils shrank.
"Vale Mansion?... Vale Group!"
"Ha ha ha! Your reaction is memorable, Mister Ranol," he said, rubbing his hands.
[Vale Group is one of the most successful groups in history, reigning supreme among thousands of businesses for two centuries.]
I gulped. "What is going on?"
"Hmm, it seems you did your job," he opened my mouth and said to the bot. "Hmm, it looks like it was just like that from the beginning... hmmm, sometimes trashy bots like you can also be useful."
"Sir, but..." the bot's words were cut off.
"Shut your ugly machine voice; it's damaging to my ears!"
I looked at the scenery we were passing by while traveling. The sky was turning grayer and grayer as we drove, the blue sky fading behind.
"Wake up, Mister Ranol! Did you sleep well?"
BLINK – my eyes fluttered as I jolted awake, realizing I had dozed off on his shoulder, my face contorting in disgust.
"We have arrived at our destination."
My foggy mind cleared as I gazed at the enormous gate and the massive mansion before me.
A few men carrying rifles approached and asked,
"Yes?"
"We have the elixir..." – John whispered.
"Hmm," the gate swung open, and our vehicle was driven inside.
It was larger than any building I had ever seen in the city; it resembled a small mountain more than a mansion.
It appeared to be closer, but as we drove, it seemed to recede further away. I looked around and saw a literal forest enclosed by towering walls... just what kind of fortune is this?
The expression on John's face was no different; only the bot remained expressionless.
So much has transpired, and now I am being delivered for my execution.
"Mister Ranol, are you alright? Why are you laughing?"
After about half an hour, we finally reached a door and continued walking for another hour.
"Just how large is this place, and how can a single person own such a property?"
I felt ashamed even to entertain such thoughts, especially after everything I've been through... but what does it matter? I'm already dead.
"I've accepted my position; what can a bug like me do?"
I gazed at the glowing hall, which was equivalent to hundreds of my uncle's home.
An escort led us to an elevator. I looked around and took in the vastness of this property. On one side, there was a lake and a forest... this place had everything.
I touched the glass and peered outside; it was raining, and the height we were at just kept increasing.
I glanced at the floor indicator.
"78th?" – John barked his excitement barely contained.
There were a total of 89 floors; just imagining it felt utterly impossible. Everything was sleek, from the glass to the floor we stood upon.
TING– we reached the top floor.
We entered a hall bathed in blue light, and there stood the person I had either consciously or unconsciously seen on the news or television.
"Viktor Wale" — I whispered, gazing at a man in his mid-fifties. Half of his hair was grey, he had a mustache, a chubby appearance, and a somewhat small stature.
"Hmm, a handsome lad," he gestured towards a bot that appeared light in weight compared to anything I had ever encountered. It brought a card on a tray and presented it to John.
"All for you, my friend," Viktor smirked, gesturing for him to proceed.
"Your name?"
"Ra..Ranol."
"Hmm, you have a nice face for a man."
Shall we begin with the matching processes?
"Vilon!" he barked, and a lady with long white hair approached.
"Sir, already in the medical hall," she smiled gently.
"Could you check him, would you?"
She made me sit down, and I gazed into her shining blue eyes as she smiled brightly.
"Are humans supposed to look like this?"
She seemed unreal; her beauty was inhuman, too perfect to be true.
Her fingernail brushed against my neck, and I felt a sensation akin to a mosquito bite.
A holographic system materialized in front of me, most of it resembling biological classes that I hadn't paid much attention to.
Her eyes sparkled more brightly, and I noticed something different.... She's a bot! She's not human.. I felt the warmth of her finger and an enticing aroma!... How is this even possible?
"Hey, don't get carried away by her, lad. She's one of the products that might not be sold for at least a century or three."
"Hmm.. how is this even possible!" – she mused. She was a bot, but her reactions felt no different from those of a living human.
"Sir, he had a 100% match, and I don't understand how that makes any sense at all?... I must research more into him; his compatibility is too high; it could be an error."
"An error?" – Viktor barked.
Vilon waved her hands in the air in panic.
"My system doesn't show any errors, but a 100% compatibility is just too absurd. In the case of close relatives, even offspring, the maximum compatibility is about 93 or 95%."
"Ohh," Viktor smirked, chuckling. "There might be a slight possibility."
Vilon regarded Viktor thoughtfully.
"Can you check his lineage?"
"Sir, are you sure? It might take a while!"
"How long?"
"Five minutes," Vilon replied, her tone innocent. Viktor slapped his forehead.
I felt a wave wash over my entire body; my head throbbed with pain as her fingers drew more of my blood.
Holographic images emerged, mostly filled with numbers and codes. Five minutes passed, and Viktor looked at Vilon with eager anticipation.
Her expression was joyful as she swayed her hips in excitement.
"Sir, just like you, Ranol also has a divine lineage, but..."
"A divine lineage?... He!" Viktor exclaimed, jumping from his chair and pointing at Ranol in disbelief.
"This lad!... But what?"
"His lineage, however, is 46% compared to yours, which is only 3%," Vilon said, her tone teasing.
"46%!!!" Viktor shouted, his face turning as red as a tomato, sweat dripping from his forehead. "Are you fucking kidding me!"
"My great-great-great-grandfather and even my oldest recorded ancestor had a lineage of 19% at best!" – tears streamed down Viktor's face.
"To think a random lad has a 46% divine lineage," Viktor exclaimed, filled with both jealousy and joy.
"Ha ha ha ha... I'll transfuse every last drop of you! I'll change every organ until I increase the purity of my own blood!"
"Sir, you're being creepy again!"
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.
"Monster! He's not human, but a monster in disguise!" Warm tears flowed down my cheeks.
A hand gently touched my chin.