Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1680: Becoming a Thief: Part-1

“Forgive us, President, but we are still unable to determine Genome Beta’s exact location. The last verified signal placed her inside Beta Tower. Since then, we have conducted a full-spectrum search of the entire structure, including every laboratory, maintenance shaft, storage sector, and underground facility. Despite those efforts, we have found no trace of her.

The guards stationed on the upper research floors confirmed that Genome Beta was last seen conducting experiments alongside that slave. However, when the emergency response units entered the laboratory after the incident, neither of them were present. There were no biological remains, no genetic residue matching Genome Beta’s profile, and not even fragments of her combat frame.

Furthermore, the energy compulsion discharge completely destroyed the topmost levels of the tower. The blast overloaded every surgical drone within the affected sectors, corrupting their memory cores and neural processors. Recovery teams have attempted multiple restorations, but the laboratory recordings remain inaccessible.”

A pink-striped black mech-suit stood motionless before a towering communication display.

The command chamber stretched across hundreds of meters, filled with floating holographic interfaces, streams of data, and countless surveillance feeds projected into the darkness. Yet the enormous screen before the commander displayed only a single white line against a black background.

The line remained perfectly still for several seconds.

“Hmm…”

The voice emerged from hidden speakers throughout the chamber.

The white line suddenly fluctuated with a faint pulse.

“Even the NLC cannot locate her?”

“Yes, President.”

The mech-suit straightened further,

“The Neuro-Lock Chip lost connection. Since then, every attempt to re-establish synchronisation has failed.”

The Mech-suit hesitated, clenching the fist behind its back and added,

“And… we are unable to execute your directive.”

“…”

The fluctuating line flattened once again.

Finally, the President spoke.

“If the signal was merely lost rather than terminated, then Genome Beta is likely still alive.”

The Mech-suit said wryly,

“With respect, President, that should be impossible. The NLC network covers every registered region of the Empire. Whether she were buried beneath the deepest ocean trench, hidden within a reactor core, or flying through the upper atmosphere, the network should still detect her signature…”

A pause.

“Unless…”

The Mech-suit slowly lifted his head.

“She has crossed beyond Empire?”

“Perhaps.”

The cold voice echoed through the chamber.

“Or perhaps that slave did something far more troublesome.”

The President continued.

“Genome Beta’s disappearance and the collapse of the NLC connection occurred simultaneously. That coincidence is unacceptable. Either the slave possesses technology beyond our current understanding, or… he has received assistance from an external power.”

The line pulsed once.

“Either possibility makes him valuable.”

The Mech-suit fists tightened behind his back.

“Then our priority remains unchanged?”

“No.”

The voice sharpened.

“Our priority has increased. I no longer want that slave terminated. I want him captured alive. Whatever happened inside that laboratory, he is the only remaining witness.”

The Mech-suit nodded immediately.

“Understood, President. Following your previous directives, Beta City remains under complete lockdown. Every transit route has been sealed. The Genome Forge has suspended all civilian operations.”

“Yet it has been two days.”

The voice suddenly grew colder.

“It has been two days, Commander, and you still haven’t found a single clue regarding that slave?” The cold voice echoed through the command chamber.

“A mere slave escaped from one of the most secure laboratories in the Empire, and your soldiers, in their infinite stupidity, decided that destroying the entire top floor was an acceptable response. They obliterated evidence, crippled recovery operations, and turned a valuable research facility into a pile of molten debris.”

The voice paused briefly before continuing, its tone becoming even colder.

“Tell me, Commander. How did Genome Beta ever come to trust a group of worthless pieces of shit like all of you?”

“President…”

The commander bowed deeply.

“We accept responsibility for our failures. However, I assure you that every available resource is currently dedicated to locating both Genome Beta and the slave. We will not stop until we find them.”

The line straightened.

The display remained silent for several moments before the President finally delivered the verdict.

“I will give you one week. Find Genome Beta. Alive or dead, I no longer care. Bring me proof.”

The commander’s heartbeat accelerated.

“If you succeed, her position will become yours.”

A brief pause followed.

“If you fail to demonstrate your value, I have already identified several candidates capable of replacing her and… incompetent all of you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, President.”

“Good.”

The communication terminated instantly.

The white line vanished.

The display went dark.

For several seconds, the commander remained bowed before the empty screen. Only after the silence settled over the chamber did he finally straighten and turn around.

Rows of mech-suits worked behind translucent holographic panels. Streams of surveillance footage floated through the air. Millions of data points flowed across digital displays as advanced predictive algorithms searched for any anomaly connected to the missing slave.

The commander scanned the room.

“Status update.”

A nearby officer immediately stood.

“No confirmed sightings, Sir. Facial recognition systems have not found him anywhere. There is still no verified information regarding the slave.”

The commander frowned beneath his helmet and stared at the officer standing before him.

The report made no sense.

The Empire possessed one of the most sophisticated surveillance networks ever created, with satellites monitoring the skies, drones patrolling every street, and countless cameras embedded throughout every city. Finding a single escaped slave should have been one of the simplest tasks imaginable.

“No information?” the commander asked, his voice growing colder. “How is that possible? We have surveillance covering nearly every public sector of the Empire. Every transportation hub, commercial district, residential zone, and communication network is constantly monitored. Are you seriously telling me that a man with such a distinctive appearance has managed to disappear without leaving behind a single trace?”

As he spoke, his armoured hand suddenly grabbed the shoulder plating of the officer standing beside him.

Crack!

The metal creaked under the unexpected pressure, causing the officer to stiffen in fear.

“Commander, I apologise,” the officer quickly replied. “We are doing everything within our capabilities. Search drones have completed multiple citywide sweeps, facial recognition systems have analysed billions of recorded images, and predictive intelligence programs have reconstructed every possible escape route. However, none of our investigations has produced a reliable lead.”

The officer lowered his head slightly before continuing.

“No matter where we look, we find nothing… It is almost as though he never existed here at all.”

The commander’s grip slowly loosened.

Those words lingered uncomfortably in his mind.

Never existed?

For a brief moment, he remembered the disappearance of Genome Beta.

What if… the slave had vanished exactly the same way?

The commander released the officer completely and turned toward the holographic displays filling the command centre. Endless streams of information flowed across the screens, yet none of them contained the answer he needed.

“We only have a week,” he muttered with growing frustration.

His fist struck a nearby console hard enough to make the holographic display flicker.

“Fuck.”

***

Near the border of the Genome Forge, security measures had reached levels rarely seen even during military emergencies.

Long rows of pink-striped mech-suits stood guard along the checkpoint while armed patrol vehicles remained stationed around the perimeter. Surveillance drones floated above the streets, their scanning beams continuously sweeping over the crowds and vehicles attempting to enter or leave the city.

‘Citizens’ stood in long lines stretching across the sidewalks while fancy-looking anti-gravity vehicles formed equally long queues on the road.

Every individual wore an aura of… ‘I am rich, fuckers’ was subjected to multiple inspections before being granted passage.

Mech-suits verified Origin Cards, cross-referenced identities with databases, scanned biometric signatures, and checked travel histories before allowing anyone through the gates.

The inspections performed on vehicles were even more extensive. Specialised scanners examined every compartment while security personnel manually inspected passenger cabins. Every license number, ownership record, and travel destination was logged into the system before approval was granted.

Unsurprisingly, Elite public patience had begun to wear thin.

Among the waiting civilians stood a handsome middle-aged man dressed in an expensive business coat. After spending nearly an hour in line, he finally let out an irritated sigh.

“How much longer is this supposed to take?” he complained loudly. “It’s already been two days since that monster killed our people, and they still haven’t found him. Instead, they’re treating ordinary citizens like criminals.”

He gestured toward himself with obvious annoyance.

“Seriously, we’ve all seen the reports. That thing was ugly and impossible to miss. Do I look anything like that?”

Several nearby businessmen immediately nodded in agreement.

“You’re absolutely right,” one of them said. “Getting authorisation to pass through these gates was already irritating enough before all of this happened. Now they insist on scanning us every single day. If I’m late for another meeting, the board members are going to lose their minds.”

Another man folded his arms and shook his head.

“The Genome Forge administration has become completely paranoid. At this rate, we’ll spend more time standing in checkpoints than actually working.”

“Exactly,” the first middle aged handsome business man replied. “I understand increasing security, but this is becoming ridiculous. Just let us through already.”

At that exact moment, something collided with him from behind.

Thud!

The businessman stumbled forward and fell down on the clean, reflective pavement. His expression immediately darkened as he stood up,

“Why the hell did you push me, asshole?!!”

Standing behind him was a young man wearing a loose T-shirt, simple trousers, and a large hat that concealed much of his face. The young man immediately raised both hands apologetically.

“I-I’m sorry, sir. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Sorry?” the businessman repeated angrily. “That’s all you have to say?”

He looked down at his expensive coat before glaring back at the stranger.

“Do you have any idea how much this coat costs?”

The young man’s shoulders visibly shrank.

“I really am sorry. If I damaged it, I can compensate you.”

The businessman stared at the young man’s cheap clothing for several seconds before laughing mockingly.

“You can compensate me?”

His eyes moved from the worn shoes to the faded shirt and then back to the young man’s half-hidden face.

“Who? You? Hahaha… don’t fuck with me, asshole. Do you even know how much this coat costs?”

Several people nearby chuckled.

The young man’s body visibly shook, and his knees nearly buckled under the pressure of the man’s glare.

“I-I-I truly didn’t mean for it to happen, sir. Please forgive me.”

As he spoke, he suddenly dropped to his knees and immediately wrapped his arms around the middle-aged man’s leg.

The businessman froze in shock.

“W-What are you doing?”

“I am sorry, sir. Please don’t be angry.”

“Oi!”

The businessman tried pulling his leg free while several bystanders stared at the bizarre scene.

“Let go of me, you weirdo! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“N-No, sir, please forgive me! Please!” the young man cried as he desperately clung to the businessman’s pants. His fingers gripped the expensive fabric with surprising strength while his voice trembled with panic.

The businessman struggled to maintain his balance as more and more people in the queue turned to look at the strange scene unfolding before them. Curious glances quickly became outright stares, and whispers spread through the line.

Click.

The handsome man’s face darkened with rage.

“Let go of me, you freak!” he shouted, trying to pry the young man’s hands away. “What the hell is wrong with you? I’m a straight man. If you’re looking for that kind of attention, go bother someone else!”

Despite repeatedly shoving him, the young man refused to release his grip. It was strangely difficult to pull him away. Every time the businessman forced one hand loose, another immediately grabbed hold again.

Click.

“Guards!” the businessman barked loudly. “Get this disgusting idiot away from me! My ten-thousand-dollar coat is about to be ruined by this filth!”

The nearby mech-suit guards immediately noticed the commotion and moved in. Two guards grabbed the young man by the shoulders and attempted to pull him away.

However, even while being dragged backwards, the young man managed to grab the businessman’s wrist.

“S-Sir, I’m truly sorry,” he pleaded desperately. “Please forgive me. I won’t do it again. Please, sir. Please.”

“Fuck off!”

The businessman violently yanked his arm backwards.

“Let go of me!”

Click.

“SORRY, SIRRRR!”

The young man’s voice echoed across the checkpoint as the guards dragged him away. Many of the civilians watching couldn’t help laughing at the ridiculous sight.

“God, what a pathetic idiot,” the businessman muttered as he rubbed his wrist with an irritated expression.

He watched the young man disappear before shaking his head in disgust. “This is exactly why I hate this city. Other cities have enough sense to separate the wealthy districts from the slums. Here everyone gets mixed together.”

He spat onto the pavement and stepped forward as the queue slowly advanced.

The security line had continued moving during the disturbance, and after several minutes he finally reached the front section of the checkpoint.

“Finally,” he grumbled.

His wrist still hurt from the young man’s grip. As he absentmindedly rubbed the soreness, a strange feeling suddenly crept over him.

Something felt wrong.

The businessman frowned and looked down.

“Wait…”

His eyes narrowed.

Something was definitely missing.

He immediately checked his right wrist.

The colour drained from his face.

“What the fuck?!”

His shout instantly attracted the attention from everyone nearby.

“Where is my watch?!”

He frantically searched his sleeve.

“Where the hell is my fifty-thousand-dollar watch?!”

The surrounding crowd stared at him.

Then someone started laughing.

Soon, several people were pointing toward his waist.

Confused, the businessman looked down.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

His belt was gone.

His expensive trousers had already begun slipping downward.

“WHAT?!”

He grabbed his pants with both hands.

“WHERE IS MY TWENTY-THOUSAND-DOLLAR BELT?!”

Laughter exploded throughout the checkpoint.

Several people bent over while laughing.

Even a few guards struggled to maintain their composure.

The businessman’s face turned bright crimson as humiliation washed over him.

***

Meanwhile, far away from the crowd, the young man was thrown beyond the security perimeter.

Thud!

He hit the ground and rolled across the rough pavement before coming to a stop near a maintenance wall.

One of the guards pointed a finger at him.

“Listen carefully. The next time you cause trouble at this checkpoint, we won’t be nearly as patient.”

“A-Argh…” the young man groaned while clutching his side.

His expression looked terrified.

“Y-Yes, sir. I understand, sir.”

The guards snorted and turned away.

As soon as they disappeared from sight, the young man slowly climbed to his feet. He staggered several steps as though still shaken by the encounter and even bumped into a nearby wall while attempting to run away. Anyone watching would have assumed he was simply a frightened civilian desperate to escape further trouble.

The moment he rounded a corner and disappeared from direct observation, however, the fear vanished from his eyes.

His body took a single step forward.

Step!

A fraction of a second later, he appeared hundreds of meters away within a busy crowd moving through a commercial place. The transition was so seamless that nobody noticed anything unusual.

The young man calmly adjusted his oversized hat and continued walking among the civilians.

Hidden beneath his loose sleeve rested a luxurious watch worth fifty thousand dollars.

Tucked inside another pocket was a twenty-thousand-dollar belt.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.