In the hotel hallway, I run into the man with the folder containing the Red Flowers Brothel catalog.
"Looks like I'm late," he says with some disappointment.
I take the folder from his arms and look through it page by page.
-Are they all in agreement? -I ask him with a questioning look.
-Don't worry. It's consensual. Not everyone is willing to be bait. -he tells me with a hint of irony.
I give him two black tokens and show him a page.
-Bring this young woman here tonight. I'll be back at dusk. -I said calmly and walked away.
When I arrive at the Z squad reception, I see a young man with glasses, light brown hair, a sturdy build, wearing a white shirt and black pants.
I open my backpack on the reception desk and say firmly:
-Check the cores.
The young man begins to count and sort the cores. I wait while I watch the young man group the cores into different metal baskets. When he finishes, he opens a box and gives me a receipt for 297 black tokens after the 30% discount.
-Go to the captain. She'll give you the tokens. -he tells me, and I nod as I put the receipt in my pants pocket.
I walk down the hallways that used to seem gloomy to me, but now seem welcoming, and knock on the captain's office door three times.
-Come in. Come in.
I enter the office, where the hunter is filling out some forms.
-Hunter Lizand. Here's my receipt. -I say as I place the receipt on the table.
-It seems you did well during your punishment. -she says as she stamps the receipt, opens a desk drawer, places the receipt inside, and then reaches into her pocket and pulls out a metal card with the city's emblem on it. From the card, 297 black tokens fall out.
-I would have done better if most of the zombies had cores. -I said calmly as I stored the tokens in my backpack.
She puts the metal storage card back in her pocket.
I sling my backpack over my shoulder. Now I'm sure there's something like magical artifacts for storing objects.
I turn my back on her and she continues filling out the rest of the forms. But before I leave, she says to me:
"You must control yourself or I'll send you tomorrow to guard the baits that will be sent to Area 4."
After leaving the office, I walk through the building, then head to my room in the men's dormitory.
When I arrive in front of my room, I hear murmurs. I open the door and there are four men, among them the one who accompanied the D-rank man on the cleanup mission I had just participated in.
Watson is fanning one of the men with some sheets of paper. Watson's face has several bruises.
-Damn it, who are you? -I ask, lowering my backpack and covering my fists in fear.
-So...
I interrupt with a punch to the nose of the jerk Watson was fanning.
The guy writhes on the ground, his nose crushed and now bleeding profusely.
I step on the guy's head on the floor and say threateningly to the rest of the intruders:
-Buy me a clean mattress for tomorrow. I also want clean sheets, or I'll kill you." Get out.
The other three guys left. The guy with the broken nose tries to stand up, but I stop him when I ask:
-Where are you going, buddy?
-I'll do what you ask. -he said in a pained voice.
-They're enough for that task. There's a game I like to play called 'torture a friend.' Now that you've entered my room, I consider you my friend. I think we can play. -I said, smiling mischievously as I threw and caught a black token.
-If the black token lands on a skull, I will break the bones in one of your limbs into many pieces. I will toss the coin ten times. If all your limbs are broken before I reach ten tosses, I will look for something else to break. But the game would not be a game with just that, so for every skull that comes up, you can choose which part of your body you will compensate me with so that I leave your limbs alone.
I toss the black token into the air, and he looks on in disbelief. The token spins and shakes as it hits the floor.
-You're not very lucky, my friend. -I say as I cover my arms and hands in fear, then ask him. -Will you pay compensation, or should I break the bones in your right arm?
-Go to hell! -he yells at me.
-That's the spirit. I hope you don't change. -I say as I punch him in the face when he tries to defend himself. Then I put my hands on the guy's right arm.
My hands sink into the muscles covered by dark skin.
[You won: +0.07]
[You won: +0.07]
"Apparently, Watson was the first to get scared," I think as I see the notification pop up.
I bend the bones that form the subject's right forearm at a 90-degree angle, and I hear the bones snap. Then, I bend another part along the length of the bones that form the subject's forearm at a 90-degree angle.
[You won: +0.136]
[You won: +0.136]
[You won: +0.136]
I didn't stop until I bent the guy's forearm three more times, and he was now writhing in pain on the floor.
-Looks like you're having fun, buddy. I'm going to throw the black token, so you can pay attention and not say I cheated. -I say sarcastically.
I wait until the guy recovers from the pain, then I throw the black token into the air.
[You won: +0.136]
[You won: +0.136]
The subject looks with terror at the token spinning in the air as it falls.