Sensing what Mike was about to ask, Tina rushed to explain,
"I know I helped Dorian's crew with the heist, but I was forced into it. I swear to you, I've never done anything that actually hurt anyone..."
To back up her claim, Tina gave him a brief rundown of her past.
It turned out that when she was in high school, both her parents died in an accident, leaving her alone to care for her two much younger siblings.
Forced to become the sole breadwinner, Tina had to drop out of school to make ends meet.
The only reason she participated in Dorian's bank robbery scheme was because both of her siblings were starting middle school this year, which required a massive lump sum for tuition and fees.
Desperate and broke, she had been forced to take out a high-interest loan from the local syndicate.
With the exorbitant interest piling up, Tina quickly found herself completely unable to pay it back. Her only option was to work off her debt by doing jobs for the gang.
That was the exact reason why she and Dorian were so clearly at odds earlier.
"It's a tragic story. And your point is?"
Listening to her explanation, Mike wasn't exactly overflowing with sympathy.
However, he was slightly surprised to find that, according to her inner thoughts, every word she said was the absolute truth.
But the world is full of people with tragic backstories; it doesn't give anyone a free pass to commit crimes.
"Then what do you want from me? Are you going to arrest me?"
Seeing Mike's unsympathetic reaction, Tina threw her hands up in defeat, preparing for the worst.
At the same time, the favorable impression she had built up for Mike was rapidly plummeting.
"How about this: join us, and everything you've done in the past gets wiped completely clean..."
Mike's expression finally softened as he revealed his true intentions.
This woman's harsh life experiences had made her incredibly adept at reading people, making her perfectly suited for gathering intelligence and running support.
Furthermore, her earlier plan to use the [Green-Faced Freak] to eliminate Dorian proved she was highly intelligent and resourceful.
Even though the execution of that plan had ultimately fallen apart, Mike was confident that with her street smarts, she would be an incredibly valuable asset to his Team X and absolutely wouldn't hold them back.
"Deal. I'm in."
Hearing Mike's offer, Tina agreed almost instantly.
She answered so fast, it was as if she was terrified he might change his mind if she hesitated for even a second.
"Don't agree so quickly. Once you join Team X, I can't guarantee your safety..."
Mike then gave her a brief rundown of the kind of work his team actually did.
Team X handled exclusively supernatural and extraterrestrial threats; the extreme danger that posed to an ordinary human went without saying.
"I'm sure. I want in~"
Even after hearing the terrifying details, Tina didn't waver.
Perhaps it was just a woman's intuition, but she felt an inexplicable, deep sense of trust toward Mike.
"Excellent. Congratulations on becoming the sixth member of the team~"
Mike offered a faint smile. "Now, let's go over your compensation package for joining Special Division X..."
"You'll receive a base salary of ten thousand dollars a month. In addition, you'll receive performance bonuses based on your specific contributions after every completed special mission."
As the newest rookie on the team, Tina's compensation was roughly on par with Wesley's.
"Ten thousand dollars?! Plus bonuses?! Are you serious?!"
In an era where the average monthly salary was only around two or three thousand dollars, Tina was absolutely floored by Mike's "generosity."
Having struggled in the real world for years while trying to raise two kids, she knew better than anyone just how hard it was to earn a dollar.
A guaranteed ten grand a month was more than enough to completely pull her family out of poverty.
At that moment, she was already intensely celebrating her decision to join.
"That's the standard package~"
Mike confirmed, then added, "You can go home for now. I'll contact you when we have a mission."
Realizing she wasn't dreaming, Tina suddenly felt a bit reluctant to part ways.
Between the incredible job offer and him saving her life earlier, her affection for Mike was practically bursting through the roof.
Studies have shown that when people experience intense, life-threatening danger together, they are highly susceptible to developing strong romantic feelings for the opposite sex in the immediate aftermath.
It's commonly known as the "suspension bridge effect."
Tina's current emotional state was a textbook example. Not to mention, Mike was almost unfairly handsome.
No matter how you sliced it, she definitely felt like she was the one getting the better end of the deal.
"Um... my place is actually really close to here. Would you like to come up for some coffee?"
Driven by a cocktail of adrenaline, gratitude, and undeniable attraction, Tina boldly threw out an invitation.
It was nearly midnight!
A woman inviting a man up to her apartment at this hour... the implication was glaringly obvious.
"Coffee? I'd love some~"
With such a stunning woman actively throwing herself at him, Mike had absolutely zero reason to decline.
...
"So, this is where I live. The neighborhood is a little rough..."
Stepping out of the luxury Tesla Roadster and walking up to her modest, working-class apartment building, Tina suddenly looked incredibly nervous.
It was only now dawning on her that her impulsive invitation might have been a bit reckless.
"It's a very warm, cozy building. You can tell the person who designed it put a lot of love into it."
Looking at the charming, lived-in structure, Mike didn't hold back his praise.
Truth be told, Tina's building was easily on par with the apartment building Connie's grandmother lived in back in Texas.
And this was right in the middle of the Big Apple.
From a certain perspective, if Tina didn't have the massive financial burden of raising two kids and paying off a loan shark, she'd actually be living quite comfortably.
"Right?! My dad actually designed and built this place himself. He really poured his heart into it..."
Hearing the compliment, a radiant, genuine smile bloomed on Tina's face.
She then proudly launched into the history of the building.
"Tina! You're finally back! Do you have any idea how worried we were..."
As Tina led Mike and Needy through the front door of her apartment, two young kids, about eleven or twelve years old, immediately rushed over.
These two kids, who looked to be around Young Sheldon's age, were Tina's younger brother and sister.
"Jerry, Katie, why are you two still awake?! It's so late!"
Tina's words sounded scolding, but her face was filled with a deeply loving, affectionate smile. "I told you a million times, if I'm working late, you don't have to wait up for me..."
As their older sister affectionately ruffled their hair, the two kids looked incredibly sweet and well-behaved.
At the same time, the two clever kids were sneaking curious glances at Mike and Needy standing just inside the doorway.
Of course, most of their attention was focused entirely on Needy.
After all, her extreme, hardcore goth aesthetic was undeniably a bit intense for a couple of middle schoolers.
"These are my friends, Mike and Needy..."
Catching her siblings staring, Tina happily introduced Mike and Needy to them.
"Alright, it's way past your bedtime. Both of you, go to sleep~"
Having satisfied their curiosity, Tina personally escorted the two kids back to their shared bedroom.
A few minutes later, having carefully prepared two cups of coffee, she walked back out into the living room. "Make yourselves comfortable for a minute. I'm just going to go change out of this..."
Setting the coffee down, the woman, still wearing her dazzling, silver sequined stage dress, gestured toward her bedroom.
"Don't. I think that dress looks perfect on you~"
Mike stood up and closed the distance between them.
The tight, shimmering silver gown clung to her curves, highlighting her incredible figure flawlessly.
With the atmosphere heavily charged, it only took a single, intense look from Mike for Tina to understand exactly what he meant.
Without another word, the two of them slipped into her separate, cozy bedroom.
As for Needy, she remained in the living room, acting as transparent and utterly silent as a ghost.
[Charm Attribute +20]... [Elegance Attribute +10]... [Flexibility Attribute +5]... [Dancing Experience +20]...
Before long, a fierce, passionate "battle" erupted inside the small bedroom.
Still wearing her sequined dress, Tina bit down hard on her lip, desperately trying to stifle her "moans" so as not to wake her siblings in the next room.
However, the harder she tried to hold back, the more aggressive Mike became.
Armed with his [Eavesdropping on Women's Hearts] ability, he understood exactly what she wanted better than she did.
And his newly acquired [Power of Transformation] opened up an infinite number of entirely new, wildly creative applications that he was more than happy to test out.