“Just die already, you tough piece of shit!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

I continued to bombard Rodent’s complex with my Rage Vapour. The power of my fists was erupting a volcano in the middle of the street. This ceaseless abuse lasted an entire minute until I discovered his weakness.

“That’s it! His weak point is in his chest. The Rubik’s Cube must be sustaining his life force. I bet if I rip it out of him, he’ll die straight away.”

My theory was correct. Rodent proved my point when he started focusing his defence on his chest. He was desperately trying to prevent me from cutting through, but how could he stop me when I am the Strongest Chest Opener?

This special Title gifted to me by the System made it easier for me to gain access to Rodent’s chest. “Here we go.” A rush of steam blasted my face as soon as I gain entry. Even so, I kept my head fixed on my target.

Letting the smoke dissipate, I gripped Rodent’s neck with my left hand while I motioned my right hand into the steaming orifice.

“GRAH! GRAH!” Rodent tried his best to resist me. The struggler was fucking deep but I still held my own against him.

“Gotcha.” A wave of relief ran through my right hand as I grabbed onto the Resurrection Rubik’s Cube. Just as I began to pull it out, I noticed Rodent squealing like a pig. I had to punch the bastard in the face to calm him down.

Afterwards, I return my focus to the smoking Rubik’s Cube. My tight grip forced it to stop twisting. An after-effect of its motion coming to a halt caused Rodent to become catatonic almost instantly.

“Hm, this is surprising.” I was startled by how easy it was to make these Smokepires immobile. All I had to do was stop their Resurrection Rubik’s Cube from spinning. I tested this hypothesis a few times out on Rodent until it became an affirmed fact.

Perceiving the pleading glimmer reflecting off that traitor's eyes, I said to him, “You really don’t want me to destroy this thing, do you?”

“Grr…” From his low grunt, I understood his response. But I could care less about his feelings.

“Too bad for you, Rodent. This is the fate that you deserve.” Getting ready to finish this backstabber once and for all, I tensed the sinews of my right hand then prepared to pull with all my might

“Wait a minute…” At that moment, a quick thought came to mind which delayed my hand from pulling further. ‘Like how I have this shit head trap, he could come in handy until I locate Himeko’s whereabouts. If I think about it, I am going to need a guinea pig to experiment on. Although I hate his guts, he’s the only living Smokepire I have so far. Finding another right now might not be productive. Therefore, this rat will have to do.’

“It’s your lucky day, Rodent.” I decided to spare his life for now because I needed him to become my primary subject for certain methods that could potentially lead to a curative. Himeko was the number one driving force behind my decision. The second reason included me potentially having Smokepire slaves who would do my every bidding. These creatures were too powerful to go to waste.

My mind was fixed on the task to find an antidote of some sort for the Unclaimed Soul plague. I forced Rodent unconscious before I withdrew my hand from his chest. Looking around the street at the damaged that I’d caused, I noticed the lady and her dog still cowering in the corner.

“They are still there. I thought for sure that woman would have run away. I should get my ass out of here before more trouble shows up.” I climbed out of the crater with Rodent over my shoulder. Faint sounds of sirens were getting louder by the second.

“The cops are on their way.” My tree of haste grew extensively upon comprehending this matter. Glancing at my car, I was reassured of its destruction. “Seems like I have no other choice but to carry this bastard back on foot.”

The car was no longer a means of escape, hence, I activated my Smoke Dash ability to get out of there ASAP. By the time the cops drove around the corner. I was miles away from that place.

I arrived in the Valley sometime after 6’O clock. Sweat was pelting off my body like raindrops. My existing burden compelled me to curse several expletives at the wrapped-up body hanging from my shoulder.

“Damn, you’re fucking heavy. Aren’t you supposed to be a fucking corpse? Have been feasting on plump worms while you were dead or something? Geez. Should I open you up and take a look?”

I spoke to Rodent while I dashed down the sloping street, but I guess I was more speaking to myself since he was still unconscious. I continued to do so throughout the remainder of my trek.

When I made it back to the estate, I was greeted by a shocking scenery. Numerous men were walking about with materials while others were operating construction machinery, but I suppose this was expected since I commanded Razi to take care of the repairs.

As I stepped onto the compound, a strapping worker nearby saw what I was carrying and called me out. “Hey, man, what do you have wrapped up in that sheet? It looks extremely heavy. Do you want any help with that?”

Without waiting for my answer, this nosy man started walking closer to me. I quickly told him, “No need to lend a hand. I can carry this by myself. I’m stronger than I look.”

“Surely I can see that. So, which job are you supposed to be doing here? I’ve been working with this construction company for a while and ain’t never seen you before.” This guy didn’t know how to take a damn hint. He kept following me around asking me stupid questions as if he wanted me to plug his mouth shut. And I was considering doing it too. However, Razi noticed me at the right moment.

“Smoke Pac, you’re back.” She came over and dismissed the annoying worker from my breathing space. The first thing she noticed was the object cascading over my back. “What is that you brought back? It is huge and it sort of smells.”

“Never mind what I’m carrying.” I stepped over her question and asked one of my own. “What is going on here? Why are there so many material trunks lined off outside? Are you planning to rebuild the mansion into a palace?”

Hearing my question, Razi chuckled and responded, “Of course, I have to make this place more fortified, just in case those aliens show up again and cause trouble. So, do you like what I’ve done with the place so far?”

She gestured to the unfinished business that the construction workers were tending to. While taking stock of the numerous activities, the first thing that came to my mind was, “How much does all of this cost? Where do you even get the money to hire this many people? Your inherited funds shouldn’t be able to cover all of this. When I said I expected this place to be under construction by the time I return I never expected you to hire such an extravagant company. Have you even factor in the extended duration of the construction?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Razi shrugged off what I said like a mosquito in the wind. “I haven’t paid them in full yet. I’m friends with the boss’s daughter, so he did me a solid and got started early. He will be coming by later with the contract and to talk budget. A couple million Crowns should suffice. I’m sure you can squeeze that out of your pocket. Right, Smoke Pac?”

“Hold up, you want me to pay for it?” I stared at this cheeky woman with my eyes wide open. The startling expression I had on my face could drown a tiger in resentment. “Why must I spend my money to bail you out of your mess?”

Razi bumped my shoulder with her hand playfully and said, “Don’t be like that, Smoke Pac. We’re partners now.”

“In what sense?” I had to correct this girl for speaking nonsense. “This is a master-slave relationship. You do my bidding. That is how it works. What have I said that you don’t comprehend?”

“I understand you fully, for sure. But being a master also means that you have to ensure that your subjects are taken care of.” Her smart mouth kept on pressing my intelligence. “If I die then who will you have to serve you, huh?”

I blatantly told her, “I can simply replace you with someone else.”

“You could, however, it’s not the same. You will never find another chick like me out there. Don’t forget that this property is in my name now. If something bad were to happen to me then it would be your loss. So I suggest you treat me with the respect and care that I deserve.” Razi folded her arms beneath her bosom and stood there demandingly, waiting for my answer.