Chương 96: Chapter 97: Competition

A few minutes after Stacey sent the message, the graffiti-covered door slid open to reveal an attractive woman with long purple hair, many ear piercings and tattoos down her left arm and across her belly, which were visible because of the crop top she wore.

"Wasn't expecting to see you, Stace, and you brought a friend." The woman said as she gave Adam the once over before adding, "Your boyfriend's a bit meh, isn't he?"

"Wow," Adam said.

"He isn't my boyfriend, Sue." Stacey replied with averted eyes before adding in a whisper, "Yet."

"What was that?" Susan asked with a smirk.

"Nothing, he's a friend and you, of all people, should know not to pick a man on looks alone," Stacey replied.

"Can't argue with that," Susan replied with a frown.

"Is getting insulted on my looks because I'm not a Terran part of the job description? Because if it is, I want extra." Adam cut in.

"My bad, sorry," Stacey replied apologetically.

"You're not Terran, well, that explains it and is also surprising.

"So I've heard," Adam replied curtly.

"Hey, hey, I meant no offence. I'm just looking out for Stacey. I don't want her to have to go through what I did." Susan tried to explain.

"It's fine. I'm used to being called 'plain' and such by you Terrans." Adam replied with a wave of his hand.

"I didn't say 'plain'." Susan defended.

"And meh is better?" Adam replied with a questioning look.

"Beh, whatever, you just better not hurt my friend."

"I told you he's not my boyfriend, he's…. just a friend who is watching out for me at the moment," Stacey replied with a pout.

"Sure, sure, anyway you coming in or what?" Susan said before turning around and entering the abandoned-looking building. Stacey and Adam followed her inside, and upon entry, Adam found himself inside a massive warehouse that was filled with machines that hummed and showed countless holographic screens. Many different individuals, both Terran and not were sat before different work stations working on some sort of holographic keyboards that were before them.

"This is a hacker's den, right?" Adam asked.

"Yup, have you seen one before?" Susan asked over her shoulder as she led them to her workstation before sitting down.

"No, I've just heard of them. How do you keep this place secret? Better yet, why hasn't the building been purchased and turned into something else instead of looking like it's abandoned?"

"Simple, we hacked the Trillion government database and registered the building as unsafe for occupancy because of a chemical spill that happened x number of years ago. Unfortunately, the fumes from the chemical release were so hazardous that no one is allowed entry for the next two hundred years until the fumes dissipate naturally, since they have the ability to corrode even the toughest of hazmat suits." Susan explained with a grin.

"Simple, yet clever," Adam replied with approval.

"Thanks, so what can I do for you this time, Stace?"

"It's not me who has something for you, but Jessie, I'm just here to set up a meeting," Stacey replied before explaining the situation to Susan. Susan looked at Stacey with a brow before asking, "Let me get this straight, this guy." Susan pointed at Adam before continuing.

"Came up with an idea on how to make credits off sexual recordings using a neurolink that the buyer then uses to satisfy themselves sexually?"

"Yup, basically," Stacey replied. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"Trust a man to think up something like that."

"Hey, I will have you know that I didn't think this up; it was a fully fledged business model back in my world before I was even born. I only suggested it to Jessie." Adam replied defensively.

"Whatever you say, perv." Susan replied before turning to Stacey and asking, "And Jessie wants to hire me to check out each of these recordings to make sure they're bug and virus-free before they sell them."

"Yup."

"Fuck. She knows I'm single, right?" Susan asked.

"Err, I dunno why?" Stacey asked.

"Oh come on, Stace, how do you think you and your body would react after checking out sex content all day?"

"I see your point," Stacey replied while she looked at Adam out of the corner of her eye before quickly looking away.

"Shit. What's she willing to pay me?" Susan asked.

"That's something you need to speak to her about. I'm just here to provide the introduction."

"It better be a lot considering what I'm going to have to put up with."

"Can't you make free use of the brothel services one of your conditions?" Adam suggested, causing both women to look at him.

"You really found yourself a perv here, Stace."

"I'm starting to see that." Adam looked back and forth between the two women who were staring at him with disappointing looks before he sighed and said, "Whatever, you two continue your discussion, I'll be over there." After which, he walked away to lean against one of the walls. After he left, both women smiled knowingly before Susan asked, "So what do you like about him, girl?"

"Well, for one, he saved me," Stacey replied.

"Oh, please, don't tell me you're going with that whole fallen in love with the man who saved you trope, are you?"

"I don't love him, and that's not the only reason." Stacey retorted before saying, "He knows my real identity and doesn't care."

"Seriously? You told him?" Susan replied in shock.

"Of course not. An incident happened, and it was revealed when he got into negotiations with my grandmother." Stacey replied before explaining what happened in a low whisper so those around them couldn't hear.

"Are you saying he blackmailed your grandmother?" Susan asked in even more shock before adding, "That's gotta be a first."

"Yup, other than in my family, no one treats my grandmother like that, and instead, all kiss up to her or try to lick her feet because of who she is. He's the first person I have met who wasn't swayed by her beauty, power or fame."

"I can see why he's caught your eye. I have a better impression of him now."

"Agreed, though if I'm right, the competition is tough," Stacey said with a look of worry.

"Competition? He already has a girlfriend?"

"Not that I'm aware of, though I get the feeling he did in the past, and something happened."

"Why do you say that?"

"Call it intuition, I can tell he finds me attractive because I often see him checking me out, but he seems to be purposefully holding himself back and not making a move on me." Stacey explained with disappointment in her eyes.

"Maybe it ended badly, and he's worried about committing again. I can understand that." Susan replied with anger in her eyes before she pushed it aside and asked, "What do you mean by tough competition?" Stacey sighed before saying, "Diva Lorelie."

"...." Susan gaped as she failed to find any words to voice her shock. She turned to look at Adam in the distance as if she was trying to picture him standing hand in hand with Diva Lorelie. Adam noticed the strange look Susan was giving him and raised an eyebrow, but decided against asking about it.

"Yer shitten meh. That plain guy and the universe's top diva for singers? How do you know?" She finally asked when she found her voice, though it still came out strange.

"I thought you didn't call him 'plain'?" Stacey asked with a smirk.

"Oh, shut up and answer my question." Susan snapped.

"He's a streamer, and I watched his stream from when we were attacked en route. Diva Lorelie was in his chat, and he told me himself that she had been on his ship before. Anyway, the way she spoke to him in the chat, along with how she responded to other people's messages and situations, wasn't the way a normal viewer would respond and doubly so for a celebrity who has to watch their image." Stacey explained.

"She was flirting with him?" Susan asked.

"Ummm, I wouldn't quite call it that. But it's definitely more than just a normal viewer enjoying a streamer's stream. As I said, my instincts are telling me that she's attracted to him, and she's not the only one in his chat, though one of them is so obvious about it I can't decide if she's serious or just playing around."

"Damn if you're right, that is tough competition, you can't just base it on that though, as someone's meanings and feelings can get lost or misinterpreted when sent in message form."

"You're right, I just hope I'm wrong."

"What if you're not? What do you plan to do?"

"I'm not sure," Stacey said while shaking her head with a sad look.

"You know there is…" 💫💫💫"Mr Smith, I thought you had forgotten about me," Jessie said towards the holographic image of a sound wave meter that moved as she spoke.

"My apologies, because of the increase in your asking price, a meeting had to be arranged to decide whether to accept or not." A distorted voice replied.