Lucas stared wide-eyed at the massive hole in the wall, his mouth gaping open wide enough to fit an entire hot dog.
Where on earth had this beautiful woman come from—and looking so fucking sexy? Could fortune finally be smiling on him? But man, her temper was nothing to sneeze at. Maybe she was another robot?
Captain Alice waited for the dust to settle, then strolled inside. She took a sweeping look around, her gaze resting on the white rat and Aurelia for a couple of seconds each.
Finally, she nodded at Lucas, as if he were an old friend, and casually raised a hand, greeting him with a dazzling smile. "Hi! How's it going?"
It had to be said that after spending so much time with a super-intelligent rat and a humanoid robot, Lucas's poor brain was basically a tangled mess of logic.
So his first reaction at seeing Alice wasn't disbelief that she'd just barged in, nor fear of the power she'd displayed by punching through the wall. Instead, he just nodded dumbly and—almost as though possessed—blurted out, "Hi there, miss. You're… really gorgeous…"
In hindsight, that single, reflexive line of flattery ended up buying him precious time—time that ultimately saved his life.
"Oh?" Alice let out a short laugh. "I'm wearing these big ol' sunglasses, and yet you think I look pretty?"
She inspected Lucas with mild curiosity. She'd assumed any thief holed up in a bomb shelter had to be scuzzy and weird, the type to bolt the second an enforcer showed up.
But this was just a young guy who seemed… kinda clueless, and not at all afraid of her. Huh. She'd been about to knock him out and haul him in. But maybe, since he looked a bit handsome, she'd be nicer and let him give himself up voluntarily—spare him a beating.
Thinking this, Alice stepped up to Lucas, leaning over so that the massive swell of her breasts practically filled his entire field of vision.
Holy crap—those things had to be at least 36F, right?
Lucas snapped out of his brief, bedazzled stupor. Wait, that uniform looks like… a cop's?!
Thankfully, Lucas kept his cool on the outside, his expression utterly blank. So even though he was freaking out inside, his mouth kept babbling,
"Uh… Even the thickest of shades can't hide genuine beauty! They just make you more mysterious and captivating. There's no blocking out a real admirer's appreciation… A true beauty remains a beauty, even shrouded in darkness! Let's start with your proportions. You know, your figure's a flawless golden ratio—"
That was basically a snippet from the endless supply of soap-opera lines Lucas had rattling around in his head. He could recite them for hours with his eyes shut. And since the woman looked startled—happy, even—at hearing his praises, he doubled down on the sweet talk while inwardly agonizing.
Stalling could only work for so long, though. Obviously, Alice hadn't popped into the shelter just to hear him ramble.
If she wasn't here to bust him, maybe she was sent by someone in the Noah Six to destroy this place, finally realizing how dangerous it was. But either way, Lucas knew he stood no chance against a woman who could punch holes through solid walls. Other than surrender, he didn't see many options.
He snuck a glance at this still-laughing enforcer and couldn't help swallowing nervously. If only I could find that "breast-enlarging gene" somewhere in this damn shelter.
Maybe then, if I shot her up with it, she'd get so big, she'd literally be crushed under her own chest, or at least be too heavy to move!
Time kept ticking by. As Captain Alice strolled around the room, her eyes glided over empty booze bottles and random stolen goods lying everywhere.
Gradually, the amused smile faded from her lips—damn it, she realized she'd been standing there listening to him for a whole hour. Didn't this guy ever get thirsty?
"Anyway," she said, clearing her throat. "You're great at flattery, and I'd love to keep hearing it… but you seemed in a huge rush just now, and I'm on a tight schedule, too—so let's cut to the chase. D-level offender #0911! You don't mind if I call you that, right?"
She gave Lucas a faintly impatient look and continued, "I'm Captain Alice, high enforcer for the Alliance, and I'm here to take you in. If you come along quietly and plead guilty, well… given how charming you've been, maybe I'll consider going on a date with you after you get out."
0911? Lucas stiffened. So that's what she's here for. Funny, though—at least that means old Gadget and Aurelia aren't in danger, right? Once I'm gone, though, will Gadget dismantle Aurelia? But it's a relief she's just after me.
What was more surprising was that Alice actually seemed to like him enough to dangle a date out there. Could this be some protagonist moment? Lucas couldn't help shifting his gaze to her insanely huge rack.
"Uh, ma'am… since you're pressed for time, how about we just have that date right now? I swear, I'll do my best… I'll make sure you come real hard, and then how about you spare me, huh?"