Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1792: Meeting his other friend: Part-1

While they were travelling, the windows suddenly turned opaque the moment the quadcopter crossed the border Delta-Alpha.

“What’s going on?” Young Aether asked, turning toward Jonathan with a puzzled look. “Why did the windows suddenly close?”

Jonathan rested an arm on the seat before answering calmly. “Privacy and security. Alpha Division has the highest clearance level in the Empire. Once you cross the border, every transport automatically locks its windows. No one is allowed to view Alpha from the outside. Even I don’t have the authority to see most of it.”

“Hmm… that much security,” he muttered quietly, his curiosity only growing stronger. ‘For what?’

After all, why would Alpha Division have such overwhelming restrictions if there was nothing worth hiding?

There had to be something there… something important enough to conceal from the entire world.

With nothing left to see beyond the darkened windows, Young Aether leaned back into his seat with a quiet sigh.

The gentle vibration of the anti-gravity engines and the soft mechanical rhythm beneath the cabin made it surprisingly relaxing. Since there was nothing else he could do, he decided he might as well get some sleep.

Jonathan glanced at his friend and could only shake his head, wearing a mildly disappointed expression before letting out a quiet chuckle.

Several hours later, the quadcopter finally reached its destination.

SssnnnGggggG~

Hovering gracefully above the towering skyscraper’s rooftop helipad, dozens of guidance lights illuminated beneath the aircraft as an automated docking system synchronised with its landing sequence. The quadcopter slowly descended before touching the platform.

Heavy magnetic locks extended from the landing pad, clamping onto the aircraft with metallic clicks to secure it firmly in place.

Stepping outside, Young Aether paused for a moment to admire the breathtaking skyline stretching endlessly across the horizon.

Nothing looked particularly different…

Except…

His nose twitched.

A faint fragrance drifted through the air.

Yup…

The entire atmosphere smelled strangely pleasant.

It was the scent of flowers or… perfume?

Refreshingly pure and enchanting.

“Hmmm…”

Then he noticed something odd.

The quadcopter’s engines were still humming.

Turning around, he realised Jonathan and his wives hadn’t stepped out.

“What? This isn’t the place?”

Jonathan shook his head with a smile.

“No, it is. We just need to speak with the Governor first. Since I’m the commander of another division, there are a few formal procedures I have to complete before entering officially.” A grin slowly spread across his face.

“You go ahead. Give him a surprise. Trust me… he’s going to be completely shocked. Hahaha.”

“Oh? Okay.” Young Aether nodded, accepting the explanation without much thought.

It sounded perfectly reasonable.

“Floor 67,” Jonathan reminded him. “Just press the calling bell. He’ll come.”

With a final wave, the quadcopter’s anti-gravity thrusters reignited with a soft, deep hum. The magnetic clamps disengaged one after another before the aircraft rose smoothly into the sky and disappeared among the countless aerial traffic routes.

Young Aether watched it leave, waving with a bright smile before turning toward the elevator.

The elevator silently carried him downward toward the sixty-seven floor.

When the doors finally opened, he stepped into an astonishingly quiet hallway.

Just like Jonathan’s residence, the entire floor contained only a single door.

Young Aether felt his heartbeat quicken.

Not because he was nervous…

But because he was genuinely excited.

^You seem awfully excited about meeting him, aren’t you?^

RIN AI’s gentle voice echoed through his earpiece.

“Of course.” A warm smile spread across his face. “Just like Jonathan, he was also an important part of my early life. Compared to Jonny, though… he’s much more easygoing.”

His smile widened as another thought crossed his mind.

‘And he’s a huge otaku… and just a little bit of a pervert.’

Standing before the solitary door, Young Aether couldn’t help but wonder how much that familiar man had changed after everything that had happened in this world.

“Wait… what if he got married?”

Young Aether suddenly halted his hand just before it could knock on the door.

“Considering he was obsessed with harem series, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had more than just one wife. Heck, even Jonathan married two, and he was never interested in girls in the first place.”

^If he’s a gooner just like you, maybe he has ten wives?^

RIN commented, indirectly… well, directly taking a shot at him as well.

Young Aether’s lips twitched.

“I am not a gooner, just for your information!”

^Even though you filled your mothers-in-law’s vagina?^

Young Aether’s lips twitched again.

This bitch was really bringing that up.

No matter what he said, she still seemed annoyed for some reason.

Heck, RIN hadn’t sounded annoyed when he talked about his wives, but for some reason, when it came to… his mothers-in-law… she sounded genuinely furious.

Something odd here!

‘Maybe it’s related to her cultural programming or something?’

He wondered if it had something to do with the values and behavioral frameworks humans had embedded into her.

But regardless…

After surviving the absolute hell called Maiuri and Sasha, he wasn’t about to gamble with his life again.

“One must learn from their mistakes!” he declared with a solemn expression.

He tapped his earpiece.

Instantly, streams of black nanomaterial emerged from the device, flowing across his face like liquid metal before solidifying into a sleek visor that concealed every recognisable feature.

“Now everything is perfect!” he declared proudly. “Nobody is going to fall for me!”

He nodded to himself with the unwavering confidence of a truly loyal friend who would never betray the brotherhood.

^Says the man who almost enjoyed getting attention from his friend’s wives.^

“…Anyway.”

Ignoring the merciless remark, he knocked on the door before pressing the smart calling bell several times. A soft electronic chime echoed from within as he waited, barely keeping his expression under control.

Thud!

The door gave a slight vibration before silently sliding apart.

Standing behind it was a man in his thirties.

He possessed a tall, lean frame with lightly defined muscles, deep black hair, and equally dark eyes. Dressed casually in a neatly fitted shirt and trousers, he carried the composed aura of someone accustomed to responsibility.

His brows furrowed as his gaze landed on the unfamiliar boy whose face remained hidden behind a black visor.

“Who are you, boy?” the man asked in a cold, cautious voice.

Without saying a word, Young Aether tapped his earpiece once more.

The visor smoothly retracted, dissolving into microscopic nanofibers before disappearing entirely.

It revealed a face…

A face the man hadn’t seen for twenty-five years.

[+1000 AP]

His pupils shrank.

Even after all this time…

He had never forgotten that face.

A face that had pushed him forward when he had nearly given up.

A face that had helped him become who he was today.

A face that smiled even in the face of danger.

A face that had once given him hope.

“…A… A… A…”

His lips trembled as though desperately trying to form the name he had dreamed of countless nights.

Young Aether smiled warmly and casually raised a peace sign.

“Yo, man.”

He stepped forward as naturally as if no time had passed.

“Ha… Aeth—”

The man’s expression froze.

The smile that had just begun to form vanished instantly.

His eyes widened in sheer panic.

SLAM!

Without another word, he abruptly shut the door in Young Aether’s face.

“OH MY FUCKING GOD! H-H-HE REALLY CAME BACK FOR ME!! OH SHIT! SHITTTTTT!!”

A bloodcurdling scream exploded from behind the door, followed by the unmistakable sound of furniture being knocked over, hurried footsteps, and what sounded suspiciously like someone tripping over a table.

Young Aether blinked.

Then blinked again.

What the fuck was going on in there?

“LILY!! BRING ME THE SALT!! THE BIG ONE!! WE HAVE A TERRIFYING G-G-G-GHOST!!!!”

Young Aether’s lips slowly parted.

…Bro. Really?

Of all the reunions he had imagined during the flight…

This wasn’t even in the top thousand.

^Pffft…! Hahahahaha! He actually thinks you’re a ghost! HAHAHA! You spent hours imagining emotional speeches, dramatic hugs, tearful reunions… and instead your best friend is performing an exorcism! Hahahahah! This is priceless!^

RIN completely lost it.

Her laughter echoed nonstop through his earpiece, sounding less like an advanced artificial intelligence and more like a gremlin that had just witnessed the funniest thing in existence.

Young Aether’s lips twitched so violently they were on the verge of developing a personality of their own.

Meanwhile… behind the door…

Allen had wrapped both arms around the door handle like a man desperately trying to stop the apocalypse itself. His entire body trembled as he leaned back with all his weight, convinced that if he let go for even a second, the ghost outside would simply phase through the door and drag him straight to the afterlife.

Cold sweat poured down his forehead.

His breathing became increasingly frantic.

‘He’s here… That bastard is really here…’

‘I knew making fun of a dying man’s wish would come back to bite me…’

Outside… Young Aether rubbed his forehead.

“Yo, it’s me, bro! Your BFF, Aether!”

Allen froze.

His eyes widened.

Then he violently shook his head.

“N-Nice try, ghost!! You think I’m stupid?!”

“Yes?”

“You’re trying to lure me outside so you can possess my body!”

Young Aether stared blankly at the door.

“…What?”

“I’ve watched enough horror movies to know how this works!! First you pretend to be someone familiar! Then I open the door! Then BAM! Possession!”

Young Aether slowly looked upward.

‘…What the hell has this idiot been watching for fourteen years?’

“And besides!!”

Allen continued shouting from behind the door.

“You were supposed to come as a ghost woman with huge tits! That’s our deal! NOT AS A FUCKING MAN!!”

Silence.

Young Aether blinked.

Once and… Twice.

Then the memory surfaced.

Right… Those words.

Those unbelievably idiotic words they had just before he died.

His expression slowly darkened.

Veins bulged across his forehead.

“FUCK YOU, ALLEN!!” he roared.

“OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!! RIGHT! NOW!!”

The hallway echoed with his voice.

Even the smart lights overhead flickered for a brief second as the building’s sound sensors automatically lowered the corridor’s ambient volume.

Silence followed.

Several seconds passed.

Then…

Click.

The door slowly slid open.

Young Aether let out a relieved sigh.

‘Finally, the idiot came to his senses.’

He had exactly half a second to enjoy that thought.

“BEGONE, EVIL SPIRIT!!”

WHOOSH!!

An entire container of rock salt flew directly at his face.

Sssssss~

The salt exploded like a miniature white sandstorm.

Thousands of grains bounced off his hair, clothes, and shoulders before several inevitably shot straight into his mouth.

Young Aether stood there… completely frozen.

White from head to toe.

“PFFFTTT!!”

He immediately spat the salt back out.

“BLEGH! Why the hell did you throw the whole container?!”

A few grains were still stuck to his tongue.

He could practically feel his blood pressure seasoning itself.

Meanwhile… Allen stared.

Nothing happened.

The ghost didn’t disappear.

It didn’t burn.

It didn’t melt.

It didn’t even sparkle dramatically!!!

OMG!!

Young Aether simply stood there…

Looking incredibly done with life.

Allen’s face lost every remaining trace of colour.

“B-BRING ME ANOTHER CONTAINER!!”

He pointed at Young Aether with a violently shaking finger.

“THIS GHOST HAS RESISTANCE TO HOLY SALT!!”

Young Aether’s eye twitched.

‘Resistance…?’

“Quick!! The premium Himalayan Pink Salt one!! Maybe ghosts have elemental weaknesses!!”

“You… absolute moron…” Young Aether muttered through gritted teeth.

“But, Dad…”

A girl’s voice interrupted the chaos.

Allen stiffened.

A girl cautiously peeked out from behind his leg, only half of her body visible as she tilted her head toward the strange visitor.

Unlike her father… she wasn’t scared in the slightest.

[+100 AP]

More like she got interested and simply blinked with innocent curiosity.

“He looks like a human.”

Allen immediately pointed dramatically at Young Aether without taking his eyes off him.

“No, no, no! That’s exactly what ghosts are good at… tricking us! The moment you let them in… everything is over, dear! Believe me, I’ve watched every movi—”

“More like every anime, fucker!” Young Aether interrupted as he brushed the mountain of salt from his hair and clothes before casually stepping into the house without the slightest hesitation.

“SHIT! SHIT!!”

Allen practically jumped backwards.

“H-HE CAME IN ANYWAY!!”

He spun around so fast he nearly tripped over the carpet.

“We don’t have time! Lily! Bring me the holy book!”

The little girl blinked.

“…Which one?”

“The… the… ANY ONE!!”

Allen quickly raised both arms into a giant ‘+’ shape with the utmost seriousness, striking what looked like a holy gesture.

His face became solemn.

His voice deepened dramatically.

“OH, HEAVENLY FATHER! I invoke the name and authority of Your Son! I plead the precious blood of Goku over every room, wall, door, and window of this home!”

Young Aether stared.

“…”

Did… Did this idiot just say Goku?

“I-I command any unclean spirit, shadow, or unsettling presence that does not confess Naruto as Lord to leave immediately and permanently!”

Young Aether’s face went completely blank.

“…”

Motherfucker…

He really said Goku and Naruto in the same prayer.

And what was with that ‘+’ pose?

That wasn’t even a proper gesture.

That was literally Ultraman’s signature beam stance!!

Even little Lily slowly looked up at her father with an expression that screamed: “…Dad… are you okay?”

She had clearly never seen him this unhinged before.

Allen, meanwhile, was too terrified to notice either of them.

He shut his eyes tighter.

“By the sacred power of Never-Ending One Piece—”

“Fucking otaku.”

Before another anime title could escape his mouth, Young Aether grabbed Allen’s wrist.

“GYAAAH!!”