Lawrence's current mental state could be resumed into a single phrase

Also know as ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!

He wasn't one for exaggerations, really. He'd rather be the charismatic villain, not the buffoon. But the situation deserved it. After all, the guy he was looking for had literally been in front of his nose this whole time.

Of course it would make sense this so-called Gallutneck was his neighbor from the other side of the street. How else would he know if Lawrence's house was empty or not? He imagined this Gallutneck guy mistook Laurent from himself when he left Lawrence's house. As for Mika, well, he had no idea what the guy himself thought about it. He would ask him later.

"I'm glad I left the interrogation stuff to Mika and Christiane. I wonder how it went...?"

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Meanwhile, in between Lawrence's house and the meeting room, AKA his dungeon, nine men squirmed like undeveloped worms, uselessly fighting against the masterfully tied knots that kept them tied to... a bunch of clotheslines. As for why in the damnablest tarnation Lawrence kept clotheslines on the basement, God only knew. Christiane didn't. She did know how to use said tools to make a human as uncomfortable as possible.

She was glad she had studied bondage.

"Miss Brown, would you be so kind as to fetch one of our guests and bring him to a proper room? I'm sure Mr. Lakewood wouldn't like it if his minions tarnished his reputation as a host."

Mika got the 'I wanna interrogate this one aside' reference, nodded and headed for the whimsical-est-looking one. Christiane, however, stopped her right on her track.

"Oh, please bring the biggest of our friends. It would be a help."

Mika shrugged. she didn't particularly mind. She kicked the aforementioned prisoner in the chin, knocking him out, once again. Then, she untied him from the clothesline...

...

She untied him from the clothesline...

...

She loaded the clothesline with the guy still tied up on it on her back, not even arching under the weight. As for how she managed to fit her load through the basement bar dunegeon's door, she had no idea.

Christiane liked Mika, really. She looked cute. And was obedient. She looked like a little sister. Christiane had always wanted to be a big sister. Their personalities fit as well. Mika was the guts, and Christiane was the brain. As for Lawrence...

Lawrence was something else, really. The existence known as Lawrence Lakewood was a complete mystery for her. He was always surrounded by this... mysterious aura, would be the fittest way to describe him. This had only developed even more with the time. She was sure it was only her brain playing tricks to her, but she swore she could feel his charming aura surrounding him, like a king's mantle. His eyes also seemed to shine with an entrancing tone of purple when he felt excited, or amused. Not angry. She hadn't seen him angry. Not really. She imagined it was nearly impossible for such a great man to feel anger. Anger was a feeling that only impotence over something brought. Lawrence Lakewood simply wasn't impotent against... anything.

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At some point, the little voice of consciousness had asked her if she felt something else for him. Like love, or plain sexual attraction. She answered with an immediate and heartfelt no. She wasn't sure why she was so sure of it. If she had to compare it to something...

"Like being in love with God?"

Correctly. It would be similar. Impossible. She didn't go as far as to attribute him Godly powers. But his mind, at the very least, was in the same plane as a God's. Only someone like him could devise such an intelligent strategy. To think he had planned so much and so far! Not only that: he took the seemingly random factor she didn't even consider important, also known as the powered individual that lived in front of him, and incorporated him on his own plans. Firstly, Christiane thought he was planning what to do about him. As she saw Lawrence wasn't making a move, she made a point to strike such individual as 'not being worth their time'. It was now, after Lawrence acted, that she saw his importance in the plan. Her first approximation on the time taking over the world would need with their current resources, including Lawrence's mental power, was about fifteen years. Right now, that countdown dropped to seven.

"Mr. Lakewood really is a man worth admiring. I sometimes wonder if I might wake up and find he has already conquered the world in a single night..."

She thought about it, then shook hear head. She had realized something else. Something vital she didn't even realize she had been missing before. Her point of view had been biased all along. World domination was dream for her.

For Lawrence, it was a mere game. A way to keep himself entertained.

"Exactly" she said. "Mr. Lakewood wouldn't take over the world in one night. It would be too boring for him. More than it already is. I'm sure he must feel lonely, being the only great mind of his class in this side of the world..."

Suddenly, a lightbulb turned on over her head. Metaphorically, of course.

"That's it... My my my! I might have just discovered a way to earn myself a favor from God! It might be complicated... Yare yare, it looks like this one will be busy doing some side homework... Sorry, Mr. Lakewood, I might not work with all of my power in the next couple of years... But I can promise the result will be something you might look forward to."

She imagined just what kind of reward she could ask for the man in the top of the world. Fame, fortune? No, she was never one to take real interest in such earthly pleasures. Knowledge? She was sure she would acquire plenty of it on her journey along him. What, then, might she ask to him...

Her smile wavered a little. Maybe...? No, but that would be daring too much... But then again, if she managed to truly entertain Lawrence, wash away the boredom he suffered with her own plan, maybe she could allow herself a little selfishness...

She blushed just a little. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be a terrible idea. After all, Mr. Lawrence was probably not terribly bothered by it.

She giggled, shaking her head. She had a long, long road ahead of he. She shouldn't make castles in the clouds. She would wait until she could fulfill her self-made promise.

She pushed her disarranged thoughts aside. It wasn't the time for that. It was time for interrogations. One of the few hobbies she actually enjoyed.

She pushed the door to the guestroom, twirling her hair with one hand. There was a power drill in the other.

"I am in a terrible hurry, Mr. Prisoner, so let's end this quickly..."

She fired off the drill trigger. She never recurred to violence in interrogations. But she always carried her tool with her. Like they said: talk softly, and carry a big drill.

Or maybe that wasn't it. She didn't care. It did the trick anyways.

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Lawrence felt a shiver running down his spine. Somewhy, he felt slightly discomforted...

"Nah" he said. "Must be my imagination..."

He really hoped so...