My whole body shook, every nerve buzzing out of sync, as strange words poured into my skull like corrupted code. I couldn't make sense of most of them, but one cut through everything.
Breed.
The sound of it clawed at something buried deep, a beast shaking off a hundred years of sleep. Punishment or not, I knew I'd follow that command.
The static bled away and dizziness dragged me under. My eyelids fluttered, light stabbing through, and control bled back into my limbs. The room came into focus again, but it wasn't the same.
Symbols floated in front of me. Numbers, letters, glowing fragments of data hanging in the air like I was trapped inside a machine mid-boot.
My gaze fixed on the woman before me. Her green eyes drilled straight through, spinning like hidden gears. Around her, symbols floated in my vision, lines of code dancing over flesh.
Above her head: [Name: Rin]
Across her forehead: [Race: Semi-Human / Cyberwoman]
Over her chest: [Affection: 10%]
At her pelvis: [Body Count: 0]
Down her side: [Vitals: Stable]
At her throat: [Hack Possibility: 1%]
"How are you feeling?" Her voice slid into my ears, soft but flat, tinged with static. Robotic, almost… but the weight in it felt real.
My hand twitched, reaching for her black hair. Whatever she wanted didn't matter. The system had given me a quest, and I was ready to take it.
But Rin moved first. One sharp kick of her heel and she slid back, cloak swaying. I pushed up from the chair, my restraints already undone while I'd been unconscious, a stupid mistake from her side. I was twice her size, maybe more, and now nothing held me down.
A smug smile tugged at her lips. "What, so hungry you can't wait?" She crossed her arms, fingers drumming against her sleeve.
"Don't make it harder than it has to be. I won't bite... at least not hard." I let the words slip with a grin, teasing her, testing if she'd crack.
Her shoulders dipped, and for a heartbeat I thought she'd surrender, let me close the gap. I stepped forward, but then the world spun. She hadn't backed away. She'd driven her fist into my gut, straight through my six-pack like a piston.
Air exploded out of me. My vision blurred, body weightless as I flew back, crashing across the room.
[Danger! Danger!]
[Critical Damage Received]
[Proceeding to Self-Recover]
The warnings flashed crimson across my sight, corners of my vision pulsing like a glitching game screen.
What the hell had she put in my eyes? And this system… could I turn it against her? Hack Possibility: 1%. The number burned in my head. Too low. My luck was never that good.
Still... how the hell was she this strong? Her punch hit like a horse's kick, maybe worse. If I hadn't spent years breaking my body on iron, that one blow would've ended me.
"You're still not my match, Mike. Or should I call you Iron Fist Mike?" Her tone shifted, still robotic but dripping with mockery. Step by step she closed the gap, moving like a predator on silk legs. A wild cat circling, and I was a lion, but one she didn't seem afraid of.
Fine. I smirked. I like it when they're difficult.
"Yeah? You're the one who handed me this power. Time to play the lottery."
Her smile faltered. For the first time, something flickered in her face like she knew exactly what I was about to try.
I shouted in my mind: Hack!
My vision burned gold. A strange pull spun through my irises, circles whirling like gears. Symbols poured across her body, streams of data racing to invade her frame. Her own eyes snapped wide, green rings spinning faster, neon light spilling out like a shield. It pushed against my intrusion, holding me back.
We froze, both locked in place; my will hammering against hers, data colliding midair like clashing storms.
[You have 1 hour 30 minutes left to complete your quest.]
The timer slammed into my vision and my chest kicked. Urgency cut through everything. Hack her. Now! I had to find a weakness before that stupid green light sealed her forever. I'd rather die trying than beg for sex. I'd rather die like a champ, not a loser.
The system was running on autopilot. Could I wrestle some control back? My mind spun until a tiny tug ticked at my fingertip, like something calling me. I lifted my hand with effort. A small golden mote hovered in the air and I jabbed it.
[System Help Activated]
[Manual hack control enabled. Visualize an invisible string and color it. Move it with your mind; the hack flow will follow.]
Finally! Some direction. I swept Rin from head to toe, hunting for a seam in that shield. Flat chrome. Nothing. Then my gaze snagged on her foot: the coating there looked paper-thin, a seam nobody bothered to patch.
I pictured the string. It took four tries to sync my mind with the system; on the fifth the golden thread uncoiled and trembled like a live wire. I pulled, guided the flow, gathered everything into a single strike.
The shield shattered. Gold lines slithered up her left leg and braided around her frame. She froze, eyes wide, as if someone had pressed pause.
I pushed myself up, stomach still throbbing like fire where her fist had landed. My HUD spat recovery prompts at the edges of my sight. Rin hung there, stunned and breathing hard, caught like a rat in the system's grip
"So… bitch, are we gonna talk like adults now, or do you want a little punishment first?" My hand tore her hood aside, silky black hair spilling free.
Fuck, she was too pretty: face smooth like a doll, lips begging for sin. I ripped the cloak fully off and stepped back just to take her in.
Damn. That frame was built to ruin men. Breasts at least a C, hips curved perfect for breeding. Semi-human or not, I didn't give a damn. My cock wasn't picky.
[TARGET: HACK SUCCESSFUL. OBEDIENCE PROTOCOL ACTIVE. AWAITING PRIMARY COMMAND.]
Good… very good. I flicked my eyes to the clock: one hour, twenty-five minutes left to play.
"Strip."
The command dropped from my lips, and even with that hateful glare locked on me, her hands moved. She hooked her fingers under the sports bra and peeled it up, tits spilling free, round and perfect.