Chapter 30: Planet Mol

Nowadays, people most often refer to me as ‘Heartstopper’, instead of Chris.

It was because the fucking cunt decided to unmask me.

I saw it coming from a mile away. It was a setback, but not too much. I had planned to unmask myself within the rebellion for some time… until I made sure I'd established contacts with the World Order’s representatives.

'Someone was advising Ivory from behind the scenes,' I realized.

Planet Mol’s southern regions. The Amhis Archipelago.

Chet's pleas echoed through the cold, damp basement, each word laced with desperation. His voice was raw from hours of screaming, and his body trembled uncontrollably, the pain I inflicted on him coursing through his every nerve.

I stared down at him, my expression void of any pity or compassion. This was not a moment for mercy. I needed answers, and I would extract them, one way or another. But his insistence—his inability to recall anything—frustrated me more than I cared to admit.

My mind flickered with doubt. Could he really not remember? Or had someone gotten to him first, erasing his memories, wiping away the very knowledge I sought?

The basement smelled of mildew and blood, a thick, suffocating combination that had long ceased to bother me. The dim light overhead flickered, casting eerie shadows across the room, accentuating the stark, brutal reality of this place. The walls, stained with the residue of previous interrogations, bore silent witness to the countless souls that had broken here.

But Chet was not yet broken. Not completely.

"I don't believe you," I said coldly, my voice echoing through the confined space. "No one forgets everything. Not like this." I let the sparks dance along my fingers, bright and menacing, a promise of the agony that awaited him if he continued to lie.

Chet whimpered, his head shaking violently from side to side. His eyes, bloodshot and wide with terror, met mine. "I swear! I swear on my life! I don't remember! Please… just stop…"

I narrowed my eyes, considering him. There was no trace of deceit in his voice, no hint of a hidden agenda. If someone had wiped his memories, they had done a thorough job. But the thought that someone—perhaps that scheming Nobody—had managed to erase Chet’s knowledge infuriated me.

Nobody. The very name made my blood boil. He was a phantom, slipping through the cracks of our plans, always a step ahead, always orchestrating chaos from the shadows. I had underestimated him once, and it had cost me dearly. But I would not make that mistake again.

Trusting him had been my first mistake.

Letting my guard down around him had been second.

I crouched down, bringing my face level with Chet’s. "What did he do to you, Chet? How did he make you forget?" My tone was softer now, almost coaxing as if I were speaking to a child.

But Chet could only sob, tears mixing with the blood on his face. "I-I don't know! I just... don't know!"

There was a long silence, broken only by the sound of Chet's ragged breathing. I studied him for a moment longer, searching his face for any sign of deception, any clue that might lead me to the truth. But there was nothing. Just a broken man who genuinely seemed to have no memory of the Nobody I hunted.

My frustration peaked. I couldn’t afford to waste more time here. Ivory was still out there, a wild card in this ever-changing game, and the rebellion was gaining momentum, threatening to unravel everything I had built. I needed to regain control, to squash this insurrection before it spiraled out of hand.

Joining the rebellion had been my third mistake.

With a sigh, I stood up, the sparks fading from my hands. "Chet, I'm going to give you one last chance. If you remember anything, anything at all, now is the time to speak."

He was barely conscious, his body slumped against the cold stone wall, too weak to hold himself up. But through his pain, he managed to look up at me, his lips trembling as if trying to form words. "I... I... I can't... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." His voice was barely a whisper, and then it broke into sobs once more.

I clenched my fists, a surge of anger bubbling up inside me. But I forced it down. There was no point in torturing a man who truly knew nothing.

With a curt nod, I turned away, leaving Chet in his miserable state. He was of no further use to me. As I ascended the stairs, leaving the dim basement behind, I allowed my thoughts to drift back to Nobody. He had become a thorn in my side, a pest that needed to be exterminated.

But that would come later. First, I had to solidify my power. The Kane Chaplaincy needed to be brought back under my control, and Ivory needed to be dealt with before she could cause more damage. And when I finally had Nobody in my grasp, I would make sure he never slipped away again.

As I stepped out into the night air, I inhaled deeply, letting the cool breeze wash over me. The stars above were obscured by thick clouds, a fitting backdrop for the darkness that had taken hold of this world.

I would find a way to regain control. I always did.

And when I did, Nobody would learn the true meaning of pain.

“A pleasant night, is it?” asked the man in the black suit, his voice carrying a forced sense of calm as he approached. He looked the part—formal, composed—but I could see the cracks in his demeanor, the slight twitch in his jaw as he tried to maintain his composure.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance, barely sparing him a glance. “There’s nothing pleasant about anything tonight,” I replied, my voice sharp with irritation. “How’s the manhunt going?”

The goon shifted uncomfortably, his formal posture faltering for a moment. He was a low-level operative from the Guard, the organization that answered directly to the World Order. Normally, they would be efficient, ruthless even, but tonight… tonight was different.

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“We can’t really use government resources at full effect with the rebellion going on,” he admitted, his tone betraying the frustration he was trying to hide. “Even if we give the highest priority to searching for this Nobody of yours, the enforcers won’t give a crap… because they’re too busy securing their safety.”

I clenched my fists, the anger bubbling beneath the surface. The chaos of the rebellion was making everything harder. Resources were stretched thin, and even the most loyal enforcers were prioritizing their own survival over the orders they were given. But that wasn’t my concern. My concern was finding this Nobody and teaching him pain.

“Excuses won’t help us catch him,” I muttered, more to myself than to the goon. “I don’t care how difficult it is. We need to find him before he does any more damage.”

The goon nodded quickly, eager to appease me. “We’ll do our best, sir. But it’s like finding a ghost in this chaos. We’ve got every available man on it, but…”

“But it’s not enough,” I cut him off, my voice cold. “Keep searching. I don’t care what it takes. I want him found.”

The goon hesitated for a moment before nodding again. “Understood. We’ll keep at it.”

Nobody had been missing for months, with only occasional whispers here and there—rumors of him advising others, moving certain pieces in the shadows, and even speaking to me through cryptic messages. He was like a ghost, always just out of reach. But recently, he had made a big appearance—back in Kane City, of all places.

Word on the street was that he had been gathering his own forces, rallying people to his cause. This was no longer a game of cat and mouse; it was becoming something much larger, something that could spiral out of control if I didn’t act quickly.

I took out my holowatch and dialed for Ivory. On paper, we were still allies, but in reality, we were already deep into the cloak-and-dagger stage, each of us watching the other closely, waiting for the right moment to strike.

As the connection was established, a hologram of Ivory erupted from my watch. It was daytime on her side, and she seemed to have just finished razing another city to the ground. Her expression was one of cold satisfaction, her eyes sharp and calculating.

“I am busy,” she began, her voice laced with impatience. “What do you want, Heartstopper?”

I met her gaze through the hologram, my expression as unyielding as hers. “Nobody has resurfaced,” I said without preamble. “He’s back in Kane City, and he’s gathering forces. We need to act before he becomes a bigger problem than he already is.”

Ivory’s eyes narrowed slightly, her interest piqued despite her earlier annoyance. “And what do you propose? I’m not wasting my resources on a phantom.”

I kept my voice steady, masking the urgency that gnawed at me. “We both know he’s more than just a phantom. He’s been pulling strings, causing disruptions. If we let him gain momentum, it won’t just be our enemies that suffer—it’ll be us too.”

She leaned back slightly, considering my words. “You want me to divert my attention from the rebellion to deal with this Nobody?”

“I want you to secure your position,” I countered. “The rebellion is already straining our resources. If Nobody undermines us from within, we’ll lose everything we’ve worked for.”

Ivory’s expression hardened. “Fine. But understand this, Heartstopper—I’m not doing this for you. If Nobody becomes a problem, I’ll deal with him my way. And if you get in my way, I won’t hesitate to cut you down.”

I gave her a curt nod. “Understood. Just make sure you don’t underestimate him. He’s proven to be resourceful, and he’s already cost us too much.”

With that, the hologram flickered and vanished, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Ivory was right to be cautious—Nobody was no ordinary adversary. But caution alone wouldn’t be enough to stop him.

I stared at the blank screen of my holowatch, experimenting in my head on how I would deal with him.

“I am too busy for this shit…” I muttered under my breath, frustration simmering beneath the surface. Ivory and I had made the decision to conquer Planet Mol from two different sides: she would subjugate the masses, while I would take control of the criminal underbelly and the villainous organizations. It was a division of labor that made sense, but it left me stretched thin.

It would be nice if I could just deal with Nobody like I would deal with a brute—swiftly and decisively. I’d love nothing more than to give him my full attention, especially after what he had done. Stealing the Kane Chaplaincy right out from under me had been the most annoying, a slight I couldn’t easily forget.

If my plans for the Kane Chaplaincy had remained intact, I could have easily dealt with the Devil Fish Clan. Not to mention dealing with Nobody.

But the truth was, I was too busy. The criminal underbelly of Planet Mol was a seething pit of chaos, and within it, the Devil Fish Clan had emerged as the most problematic. They were the only organization on the planet with global reach, a fact that made them both dangerous and difficult to ignore. While they were only beginning to fight back against my advances now, that didn’t mean I could afford to overlook them.

As I considered my next move, a rough voice broke through my thoughts. “Troubled, aren’t you?”

I turned sharply, my eyes narrowing as they landed on a man who looked to be in his forties. His appearance was unremarkable, his expression calm and unreadable.

“Who are you?” I demanded, my tone edged with suspicion.

The man gave a small, almost amused smile. “Just a nobody.”

My blood ran cold for a split second, but I quickly masked my surprise. The name, the very concept, was too familiar. “Nobody, huh?” I repeated, my voice steady as I assessed him. “Interesting choice of words.”

The man merely shrugged, his eyes betraying nothing. “Words are just words. It’s actions that matter.”

I studied him closely, trying to discern if this was the Nobody who had been haunting my every move or just another pawn in his game. But the man offered no further clues, no indication of his true identity.

“Well,” I said, forcing a casual tone, “if you’re just a nobody, then you should know that I don’t have time to entertain nobodies.”

He chuckled softly, a sound that grated against my nerves. “Perhaps. But even nobodies can cause trouble when the time is right.”

"You..." I muttered, my voice laced with doubt as I scrutinized the man before me. The last time I encountered Nobody, he had appeared younger, chirper. This man was different—older, rougher around the edges. Something about him felt off, as though he was a mere puppet, a decoy sent to distract me.

Nobody was too cautious, too elusive to walk right into my grasp like this. The person standing before me couldn't be the real deal.

"I came bearing a message," the man said, his voice calm and unflinching.

I narrowed my eyes, my suspicion deepening. Without hesitation, I reached out with my powers, hijacking his nervous system with a single thought. His motor controls should have been mine to command, but to my surprise, he merely shrugged off my control, unaffected.

"Don’t waste your time," he said coolly. "It won’t work on me… or us."

As his words hung in the air, figures emerged from the shadows, their faces obscured by white masks and hoods. They moved with a quiet, menacing precision, surrounding me on all sides. I quickly assessed the situation, my hyper-awareness kicking in. Forty-three hostiles. A small army, carefully coordinated.

My heart raced, but I kept my expression neutral, refusing to show any sign of weakness. This was a calculated move, a message sent through force rather than words. Nobody always had a knack for psychological warfare, and this was no different.

"You’ve gone through quite a lot of trouble," I said, my voice steady, "just to deliver a message. What does Nobody want?"

The man, still under my scrutiny, smirked. "It’s not about what he wants. It’s about what you’ve failed to see, Heartstopper."

I tensed, my mind racing as I tried to decipher the meaning behind his words. Before I could respond, the masked figures closed in, their presence suffocating.

The man continued, his tone casual as if discussing the weather. "You think you have control, that you’re the one pulling the strings. But the truth is, you’re already caught in the web. You’ve been playing his game all along."

My anger flared, but I forced it down. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me rattled. "If this is a game, then I’m about to change the rules," I said coldly. "Tell Nobody that."

The man’s smirk widened. "Oh, he’s counting on it."

With that, the masked figures began to close in further, their intentions clear. This was no simple confrontation—it was an ambush, carefully orchestrated to remind me of the power Nobody held over me.