Chapter 42: Volunteered Prey
The next morning, Caleb didn’t waste time. He slipped out with the envelope of cash stuffed deep in his pocket.
The electronics store was brighter than he liked—white lights buzzing overhead, glossy displays everywhere. He moved through the aisles with his head down, but his eyes scanned sharp, calculating.
At first, his plan was simple: just a burner phone, nothing flashy. But when he pulled the cash out at the counter, the weight of it hit him. Thick stacks. Lucy hadn’t just given him pocket money—this was serious.
Caleb smirked. She really has no idea what I’ll do with this, huh?
He grabbed more. A mid-range laptop, sleek but light. A handycam—small, black, easy to hide. Extra memory cards, external drive. Tools. Not just for survival, but for proof.
At the register, the clerk looked surprised. "All cash?"
"Yeah." Caleb’s smile was faint, but his eyes were cold. "All cash."
Bags heavy in his hands, he stepped outside, the evening sun bleeding red across Torkside’s skyline. Caleb let out a low chuckle, lips curling into a grin.
A phone, a laptop, a camera... all the receipts I’ll ever need. My own archive. My own revenge diary.
He pictured it—the faces of everyone who laughed at him, everyone who spat his name, everyone who touched his mother’s memory. He saw their names flashing across the screen, their downfall recorded in sharp detail.
"This..." he muttered, the grin stretching wider as he walked down the street, "...this is gonna be the best documentation of my life."
Caleb kicked the door shut with his heel, dropping the heavy electronics bags onto the couch. The house was still quiet, sterile, way too expensive for someone like him.
He stretched his shoulders, cracked his neck, and let out a long breath. Just as he sat down, something sharp pierced through his mind.
[Ding!]
A mechanical chime echoed inside his skull. His vision rippled—blue text burned itself across the air.
[Daily Quest: Degenerate Fuel]
[Target: Make one individual perform a degenerate act with a full smile on their face.]
[Duration: 23:20:00.]
Caleb’s brow twitched. "The fuck is this now...?"
The panel scrolled down:
[Reward: +60 Exp. +1 Hijack Point.]
[Penalty: The Host will instantly execute their most degenerate intrusive thought in public.]
[Warning: Suppression impossible once timer runs out.]
Caleb stared at the glowing letters, lips curling into a crooked grin.
"Degenerate act, huh? And they have to smile doing it..."
The timer blinked, red numbers ticking down second by second.
23:19:55.
23:19:54.
His pulse quickened, not with fear—no, with something hotter. The thought of testing this new leash tugged at the corners of his mind.
Caleb leaned back on the couch, still grinning.
"...Guess it’s time to see what kind of monster this system wants me to be."
The timer ticked in the back of his mind. Every second pushed a thrum of heat through his chest. He exhaled, stood up, and glanced at the bags on the couch. The phone. The camera. The cash.
If the system wants degeneracy, then I’ll need more than a hoodie and cap. I’ll need a mask no one questions.
He shoved the money back into his pocket and stepped out again. The city was still busy, workers spilling out of offices, traffic snarling the streets. Caleb cut down an alley and into a dingy supply store.
Rows of janitorial gear lined the shelves. Blue coveralls. Worn gloves. Cheap caps. He grabbed them all, tossed them onto the counter without a word, paid in cash. The clerk didn’t even look twice. Perfect.
Out on the street again, Caleb ripped the coveralls from their packaging, stuffed them into his bag. No one notices an office boy. No one remembers the cleaner.
He pulled out the new phone, slid in the SIM card, powered it on. The glow lit his masked face. He scrolled, testing the signal—then froze.
Mona’s feed.
She was live, the chat bubbling as her voice rang through his earbuds.
"Yes, those suicides near Torkside were strange, but let’s be real—the ButtManiac case is what matters. This is real crime. And honestly? It’s all failed parenting. Everyone knows his mother was a single mom. That’s what raises monsters."
Caleb’s jaw clenched so hard it ached. His vision blurred red. You dare drag her into your filthy mouth again?
His breath quickened, rage mixing with something darker. He almost closed the stream—until a notification pulsed. [Mona is LIVE nearby.]
He tapped it. The screen shook—Mona jogging, sweat on her cheeks, ponytail bouncing. Behind her, Caleb saw something that made his stomach twist.
The flower shop. Lucy’s flower shop.
Caleb stopped in the middle of the street, staring at the screen. Then his lips pulled into a slow, crooked grin. The boss can wait. Mona... you’ve volunteered yourself.
Heat coiled low in his body, his cock stiff in his pants as he zoomed in on her flushed face.
He whispered under his breath, gripping the handycam strap.
"First recording goes to you, little bitch. Let’s make this a memory worth smiling about."
Caleb’s steps slowed as the flower shop came into view, Mona’s livestream still flickering in his pocket. She was a few blocks ahead, jogging carefree, laughing at her own chat. But Caleb’s eyes weren’t on her anymore.
He glanced down at the shopping bags digging into his fingers. The janitor’s coveralls. Carrying all this while moving on Mona would be sloppy. Stupid.
His lips thinned. Lucy said her right hand was guarding the shop. If that’s true... then this crap should be safe there. I’ll need both hands free for Mona.
The bell above the door chimed as he stepped inside. The place smelled of fresh lilies and roses, polished wood counters gleaming under soft yellow light. For a second, the warmth of it all clashed hard against the darkness boiling in his chest.
And then he saw them.
The so-called "right hand" Lucy had mentioned.
Caleb froze in place, eyes widening as recognition slammed into him. His grip on the shopping bag tightened.
"You...?"