Chapter 169: Mike's Pursuit
"Wait! I'm loaded! My family has top-tier delicacies! The newest games! A massive swimming pool..."
Mike was still desperately trying to make them stay, throwing out every luxury he could think of like a frantic salesman.
Klein suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned slowly, his eyes narrowing into a dangerous, piercing glare that pinned the glowing teen in place. "You little brat. Why are you so desperate to keep us around? What kind of shady ideas are you cooking up in that head of yours?"
Hearing this, Ben and Gwen immediately shifted their stances. Their casual demeanor vanished, replaced by a sharp, suspicious edge. They trusted Klein's judgment implicitly; if he smelled a rat, there was definitely a rat.
"I don't! I mean, I..." Mike stammered, his polished facade cracking for a fraction of a second as if his darkest thoughts had just been laid bare. He quickly waved his hands, trying to deny it.
Klein stared at Mike for a long, silent moment, weighing the boy's nervous sweat. Finally, the corners of his mouth twitched upward. "Alright. We'll go with you."
Before Mike could celebrate, Klein turned to Gwen and Ben, pointing a thumb casually at the golden boy. "This kid definitely has something rotten brewing in his heart. Let's tag along and see exactly what kind of circus trick he's planning."
Mike's eye twitched. 'No, isn't it a bit rude to say that right to my face?'
Although he desperately wanted to curse them out, he swallowed his pride for Kevin's sake. He forced a stiff, overly bright smile. As long as he got them back to his house, everything would fall into place.
"Let's go!" Mike declared. He scooped up the unconscious Cuina, his entire body erupting in a brilliant, golden glow before he took off into the sky.
Klein and the others piled into Kevin's sports car, the engine roaring to life as they tailed the flying boy.
Mike's home wasn't just a house; it was a sprawling, ridiculously massive estate. His mother and stepfather occupied the colossal main mansion, while Mike had an entire, slightly smaller luxury villa entirely to himself.
Kevin parked the car outside Mike's personal villa.
"This is where I live, and it also doubles as my base of operations," Mike announced, pushing the heavy front doors open. He turned to Kevin, flashing a brilliant smile. "After you."
Klein, Ben, and Gwen immediately shot Kevin and Mike looks of absolute, unfiltered disgust.
"That's enough!" Kevin snapped, his fists clenching as he felt a vein throb in his forehead. He seriously wanted to punch something.
What kind of twisted joke was this situation? He was tall, rugged, and mighty. Yet, not only did he not have a girlfriend, but he was somehow acting as a magnet for this glowing weirdo! Did lifting weights and building muscle just attract more of the same gender? Was he too buff?
"Got it, got it." Mike raised his hands in a placating gesture. He knew he couldn't rush the process; this was a delicate art, an experience he had honed over a long time.
The group stepped into the villa. The interior was less of a living room and more of a high-tech command center, packed with humming servers, glowing monitors, and advanced computer terminals.
Ben blinked, looking around in genuine curiosity. "What kind of equipment is all this?"
"Just some of my dad's Plumber gear," Mike said casually, waving a hand at the blinking screens. "I moved it here from his headquarters."
He then smoothly slid a few inches closer to Kevin. "If you're curious, I could give you a private tour."
"Stay away from me!" Kevin barked, leaping back and avoiding Mike as if the golden boy were carrying a highly contagious plague.
But Mike was, after all, a seasoned veteran in the dating and hunting scene. He was supremely confident in his methods, simply assuming the hulking Osmosian was playing hard to get.
"Come on, I'll show you something cool," Mike coaxed, leading the group toward a massive central display screen. "My system is directly linked to the Plumbers' central monitoring network. Everything is in here: global databases, interstellar networks, Earth's law enforcement agency systems... oh, and of course, the badge communication channels."
At this point, Mike leaned in close to Kevin again, his voice dropping an octave. "Want to exchange contact info?"
"I've had enough of this! I'm going outside!" Kevin yelled, his patience completely snapping. In a fit of absolute pique, he spun around and stormed right out the front door.
"Wait for me!" Mike called out, immediately trailing right behind him like a lost puppy.
As soon as the heavy door clicked shut behind the two, the atmosphere inside the room shifted. Klein, Ben, and Gwen exchanged looks, their eyes turning sharp and dangerous.
Ben and Gwen hadn't forgotten what their cousin had said earlier. This golden boy was bad news.
Gwen crossed her arms, looking at Klein with intense curiosity. "Cousin, did you figure out what his actual angle is?"
Klein shook his head slightly, a dry, amused smirk playing on his lips. "As of right now? He just wants to 'drill' Kevin."
Meanwhile, outside, Kevin stomped over to where he had parked his beloved sports car. Seeking comfort in machinery, he popped the trunk, pulled out a greasy rag and some tools, and began to perform some impromptu maintenance.
"Oh, so you like cars, baby."
Mike suddenly materialized right behind Kevin. Without missing a beat, he reached out and gave Kevin's rear end a firm slap.
"I'm going to fcking kill you!"
Kevin's sanity snapped. He couldn't hold it in for another second. He spun around, grabbed Mike by the throat with a vice-like grip, and slammed him brutally into the dirt.
"Wait... don't..." Mike gasped, his face turning purple. He choked, his tongue sticking out and his eyes rolling back into his head, looking completely pathetic and on the verge of death.
Just at that exact moment...
"Hey! You two, there's a situation at the power plant, we should..." Ben pushed the front door open, freezing mid-sentence. He stared blankly at Kevin straddling Mike on the ground, hands wrapped around his neck in what looked incredibly compromising from a distance. "...Uh. Sorry to interrupt."
Ben slowly backed up and shut the door.
Kevin's face flushed bright red. Realizing he had completely lost his composure and created a terrible misunderstanding, he quickly released his grip and scrambled off the gasping golden boy.
"Let's go!" Kevin roared toward the villa, his voice cracking slightly. He practically threw himself into the driver's seat of his sports car, slamming the door shut.
Klein, Ben, and Gwen casually strolled out of the villa and piled into the car, none of them saying a word about what they had just witnessed.
Kevin aggressively jammed the keys into the ignition, the engine roaring as he peeled out of the driveway, speeding straight toward the local power plant.
Mike staggered to his feet, coughing and breathing heavily. He dusted off his clothes, genuinely confused about what had gone wrong with his flawless charm. Still, looking at the receding taillights, he couldn't bring himself to give up on such a prime target.
Gritting his teeth, Mike's body flared with golden light once more. He shot into the night sky, flying after Klein and the group.
Under the ink-black night sky, the sports car screeched to a halt outside the towering fences of the local power plant.
Klein stepped out, his eyes scanning the perimeter. "Looks like we aren't the only ones here tonight."
He pointed toward the heavy iron gate, which had been violently bent and forced open. Without waiting for the others, Klein pushed the mangled metal aside and led the way onto the grounds.
Walking deeper into the facility, the group was surrounded by massive cooling towers, thick cables, and towering generators. A constant, heavy buzzing sound vibrated through the air, making the hairs on their arms stand up.
"It sounds like the buzzing you always hear right before the monster attacks in those old black-and-white movies," Mike whispered, suddenly sliding up right next to Kevin again. "If you're scared, you can hide behind me."
Hearing this, Klein, Ben, and Gwen silently took three large steps away, distancing themselves from the two.
"No! It's not like that! You guys have to believe me!" Kevin pleaded, looking at the trio with absolute desperation, eager to prove his heterosexuality.
"Ahem. Kevin, I think Mike is being quite sincere," Ben advised kindly, though his eyes were dancing with mischief. "Why don't you just let him 'drill' you and get it over with?"
Gwen nodded in solemn agreement, though she had to bite her lower lip to stifle a laugh.
"Ben Tennyson! You little—" Kevin snarled, fully prepared to throttle the Dweeb right then and there.
But Klein suddenly spoke up, his tone flat and entirely serious. "Actually, I agree with Ben on this one."
"How could even you say that, Big Brother..." Kevin looked at Klein in sheer disbelief, feeling utterly betrayed and abandoned by his only pillar of support.
"Oh, just give in to me, baby," Mike purred, relentlessly pressing his advantage.
But Kevin had completely checked out. He had no energy left to argue or fight back. He just lowered his head, his shoulders slumping as he fell into a deep, dark emo state.
Seeing Kevin's defeated posture, Mike felt a massive surge of encouragement. He thought the tough guy was finally breaking down, almost completely conquered by his charm.
Soon. Soon he would be able to sink his hands into this strong man and absorb all that delicious, raw energy! Hehehehe...
Thinking of the feast to come, Mike's mood skyrocketed.
The group continued their trek into the dark depths of the power plant, handling through a maze of transformers until they finally spotted the source of the disturbance.
A high school girl, dressed in a standard plaid school uniform, was standing next to a massive generator. She was actively absorbing the raw electricity from the plant. The current crackled around her, and her eyes glowed a blinding, empty white from the sheer voltage.
Only when the girl finally stopped absorbing the power and turned around could Klein and the others get a clear look at her.
The sight was horrifying. The girl's entire body was completely withered, her skin pulled tight over her bones like a mummified zombie straight out of a horror flick. Carved into the flesh of her thin arms were distinct, circular patterns with a multi-pointed star right in the center.
Klein's eyes narrowed. He instantly recalled the exact same star patterns branded onto Cuina's arms back at the school.
Suddenly, shuffling footsteps echoed from the shadows. Dozens more female students stumbled out from behind the machinery, moving with the same stiff, zombie-like gait. Every single one of them looked just like the first girl—withered, drained of life, wearing the same school uniform, and bearing the identical star patterns on their arms.
"Hey, those are our school uniforms!" Mike quickly stepped forward, feigning shock. "They're students from my high school! Please, don't hurt them!"
Oh. Just like Cuina. From your school.
The final puzzle piece clicked into place. Klein had pretty much figured out exactly what this golden brat was actually trying to do.
If Mike really got his wish tonight, Kevin wouldn't end up as his boyfriend. He would end up exactly like these withered female students—completely drained of his life force and turned into a walking husk.
Thinking of this, Klein let out a light, dry cough. He turned his head and exchanged a very specific, knowing glance with Ben and Gwen.
Ben and Gwen, having spent enough time with their cousin to read his micro-expressions, understood instantly. Their playful teasing vanished, replaced by a cold, silent realization. They gave subtle nods.
Leaving Mike standing there alone in a daze, completely oblivious to the fact that his entire predatory scheme had just been laid bare.
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