Second Genesis

Chapter 378: Loose Cannon

"A loose cannon, indeed."

A woman with skin as smooth as ice and hair formed of well manicured and styled tentacles leaned back in a chair. She wore clothing that could only be described in a single word: seductive.

It was a body suit that clung to her curves, with a V-line so deep it dipped down past her collarbone, parted her large, plump breasts, and almost made it down to her belly button.

Her skin was an odd white color with an underglow of fluorescent blue. When she breathed, one could see the fluorescent light moving as though one was watching her biological processes in real time.

She was truly beautiful in more than just an exotic way, and one would have thought she wanted to rip all of Grey’s clothes off the way she was staring at him through a screen right this moment.

However, anyone who knew of Associate Producer Risha knew that this was the last thing on her mind right now. As she licked her lips, her torso tilted forward as she seemed to grind her lower half into her chair, all she could think about was promotion and opportunity.

She wasn’t angry that Grey had unearthed her plot for Amunet. If anything, she was more interested in how Grey had managed to do it. But even more than that, she was very much interested in the direction Grey would take this instead.

Originally, Risha just wanted to do a decent enough job. There was no glory to be found in leading the editing for a Cracked World. The fact that she was one of the very few Associate Producers that weren’t of the Monelay made it all the more impossible to expect a ton.

She understood her limits. This was just a stepping stone for the future.

But this Grey... he was an opportunity.

And now he had gone and pissed the Great Udon off.

"I like a man with balls. But I can’t exactly suckle and fondle on them if you’re dead, now can I?" a sultry voice left her delicate bluish violet lips, her tongue licking away at hints of saliva that threatened to drip down. "Hm?"

Risha froze for a moment. "Dammit, handsome. I’m going to need you to hurry up, otherwise my key to you will die."

Her screen shifted back to Amunet who was in the process of coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

"So handsome, yet so very cruel. No tender feelings for the fairer sex at all."

Risha knew that Grey probably knew what was happening outside the ruin. He just wasn’t in a rush nor did he care. It seemed that Amunet had really hurt him.

However... the great philosophers had always said that love and hate were the opposite sides of the same coin.

’Yes... this should work out well... but—.’

Risha’s thoughts were cut off as she received a message. Her sultry lust in her eyes vanished and her gaze became frighteningly cold. One could practically see the moistness pressing against her chair dry up in an instant.

"Now why is this bitch contacting me?"

—

[Shiikha: I have an opportunity for you.]

—

The Great Udon watched the scene, his fury-laced laughter shattering everything in his wake. The image of one of his kin impaled onto a phallic shape was blown up as large as it went. One would have thought that rather than being humiliated by it, this was exactly what he wanted to see.

Honestly, he couldn’t recall the last time he was truly enraged.

Yet, not only had Grey humiliated his people, he had called him Udon rather than by his full title.

Honestly, The Great Udon couldn’t figure out what pissed him off more.

However, the more The Great Udon laughed, the more genuine the laughter became, the rage fading into a wispy fog in the background.

There were very few participants who dared to target a host. A host was the strongest combination of freedom and control.

The Producers were beholden to the Producers ranked higher than themselves and the whims of the sponsoring host. The punishments they could suffer were quite severe if they stepped out of line, though it was still a bit tough to target them directly.

A host like the Great Udon was very hard to get rid of. He didn’t have any actual stake in the Genesis Games, and he didn’t have any power outside of being able to observe any feed he wanted to at no charge.

Not only that, but he had a team that worked for him with the same powers. It was impossible for him to pay attention to billions of participants at once. But he could assign people to pay attention to what interested him the most, and take a few moments out of his day to watch personally as well.

If one was clever enough, this power was almost too much for one person to have.

The worst that could happen to him was a firing. But doing so in the middle of the season, especially with his popularity, might as well be impossible. Not unless the Monelay both wanted to burn their investment and tank their ratings. If that happened, what chance would they have of entering the Genesis Council?

As though this wasn’t bad enough, Grey chose to piss him off at the absolute worst time. The recap episode was coming up tomorrow, and Grey actually thought this was the best time.

He was a complete loose cannon.

But... so was he, the Great Udon.

His laughter pealed across the skies, a green circuit flooding out onto his features in a neon flashing of lights. He hadn’t felt his blood roll like this in a very long time.

"Good, Grey Temolt. Good. Good. Good. Good."

A surge of power swiped the screen in front of the Great Udon, landing on a familiar octopus Assistant Producer who was about to have a very bad time.

However, judging by the panic and anxiousness in Caldrin’s movements, he seemed to know.

Unfortunately for him, he had fallen into the Great Udon’s plots as well.