CHAPTER 24: COINCIDENCE

In the gambling house control room, Zack watched the screens and cameras, watching as the babysitter dismissed the clients.

They had already occupied the building and Zack had already taken care of the right-hand monkey and released him to go to the Great Monkey.

There was a chance that the Great Monkey would find out that something had happened, but it was low.

The reason was that they also released several of the primates who had not been killed, giving the impression that what they were after was rescuing the boy’s people and not discovering the Great Monkey’s hideout.

It was a pity that it was already too late and it would soon be dawn, which meant that he had to return home.

If not for that reason, Zack would have gone to visit the Great Monkey to confront him... After all, they already knew the location of the lair.

The right hand was someone important within the organization and all the information that is known primate was stolen directly.

“I hope those jailers stop paying attention to me,” Zack muttered as he sat at the table in the control room.

“Awa... Wa...”

Only a childish babble came out this time.

The only thing left to attack the Great Monkey was to have a day available in which he had time and for that, the jailers had to stop paying attention to him.

If the Great Monkey was wary, then it would run away, but any arrogant primate that used ‘Great’ would not run away from a challenge.

“...”

As he watched the cameras, the door opened and a golden flash entered, and then a woman appeared beside him.

“So you’re Donovan’s boss?” the woman said and, smiling, asked. “I think I remember you, but at the same time I can’t remember you... Isn’t it strange? I think it’s strange. I guess it’s strange. Do you think it’s strange?”

The golden-eyed, blond-haired woman spoke quickly. She seemed to have too much energy and when he didn’t respond; she ran like an instant flash to his other side.

“That’s why I went to warn Donovan. I remembered you. You said something important. Something that... I don’t remember. So tell me,” the woman requested, watching him.

She blinked rapidly, waiting for his answer, and she started to move her leg anxiously for the answer and Zack watched her.

“You were nicer when they were pointing a gun at you,” Zack said in a grumpy tone.

“Wa... Whaa... Waa...”

The woman blinked uncomprehendingly and then gave a smile, then leaned closer...

“If you touch me...”

“Wah...”

The woman completely ignored him and fixed his gray hair and outfit as her hands moved swiftly.

She was the second best croupier the boy had ever worked with and her hands were so fast, Zack couldn’t finish speaking and the woman had already moved.

Zack gave her a look and....

“How annoying,” Zack muttered as he controlled the woman’s body and spoke through her.

He did it to placate the mind and show her some manners, but as he was in the woman’s body, he realized that everything was slow.

His body that had been knocked unconscious fell slowly on the table and Zack practically walked over, watched and withdrew, all while the body was still falling.

—What are you doing to me? Why can’t I control my body? What’s going on? —the woman asked.

The divine half-breed’s mind was still talking fast, but since it was a mental communication, Zack could keep up.

—Control your body. —Zack replied calmly.

Zack, being in the half-breed’s body, he understood why the woman was talking fast.

It wasn’t that she wanted to be annoying by talking fast and asking several questions; it was that because for her everything moved slowly and the wait made her impatient.

Proof that the power of the divine half-breed was high enough for her not to control it.

Zack gathering some of his mental strength and using the woman’s slowed and adjusted it until everything was almost back to normal.

Then he returned to his body and noticed the woman watching him again.

“Did you speed up?” the woman asked and then, watching the cameras recording at a normal pace, questioned. “Did you speed up the world?”

She was believing he sped up the world to match the woman’s speed, and Zack let out a snort.

—I simply adjusted your brain and body to act at the same speed as normal inferior beings. —Zack replied and observing that she opened her eyes, he added. —It is only a temporary effect. You are a half-breed with a strong influence on your divine ancestry.

The woman blinked back and then blinked several times in a row, as if it was hard for her to take in that everything was fast again.

“Well, what quickly comes, quickly goes,” said the woman with a shrug.

She was so quick to think that she immediately accepted not adjusting to the normal speed and then she looked at him and her eyes suddenly widened.

“Half-breed? Yes, so you told me. Am I a divine half-breed? Do you know who my father is? Why am I a half-breed? Is it the Dawn Gods? Other gods?” the woman asked and realizing he was ignoring her, she asked. “Please. Tell me. That’s why I helped Donovan. I knew the ‘boss’ behind him knew something about me. I just didn’t remember what it was.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Zack had called her a half-breed when he first encountered her with the boy in this mansion and he had wiped her memory of the clients and the workers, leaving only the boy.

However, she was a half-breed and the divine blood was strong in her, enough so that her speed power was high.

Just as Zack was about to ignore her, the woman moved quickly and appeared at his side and then the other side, practically getting in the way of his gaze.

—I don’t know who your father is. I’m not a fortune teller. At least not in my current state. —Zack muttered and looking at the woman, he explained. —But I am sure that you are a half-breed of a divine being. You are the daughter of a God, though your mortal side makes you weak, enough so that you are not even considered a demigoddess.

In some universes, the gods liked to descend into the world and have children. Most of the children inherited some of the power of their parents and became demigods and even became gods as they grew up.

However, when it was the case of procreating with mortals, it was different.

Of course, every universe had its rules and Zack didn’t know if the gods here were beings that were born out of the existence of this universe, a planetary will, mortals that ascended to godhood or concepts that took form.

Regardless of how it was, she was the daughter of a Divine Being.

—I don’t know the local gods. But look for one that is related to speed. Maybe it will help.—Zack said, and then moving the baby carrier with telekinesis, he threw it to the woman and ordered. —Now carry me.

Zack didn’t mind answering the golden girl’s questions and more if he could get her to be quiet for a moment.

The woman this time looked at the baby carrier and then grabbed him by the waist and lifted him up to put him in her arms near those drug factories.

Good thing she was thin, so those meat bags were small, though Zack was wary.

The beastly nature of this childish body could be creepy, especially when he was hungry.

It was bad enough drinking the barbaric jailer’s drug.

The woman carried him in her arms to the exit and Zack, who was stoic to keep any natural instinct from wanting to leave, felt the tug back and his consciousness floated out of his body.

Entering the boundless purple world, he traveled for three seconds and then descended back down, taking control of the girl’s body.

The squawks of some birds sounded outside and Zack, observing his surroundings, noticed that he was in some sort of log cabin.

The furniture was rustic, and the room was perfectly tidy, except for the mirror in front of him.

In the reflection was the black-haired, black-eyed girl wearing a tight-fitting gymnastics outfit.

The left eye glowed with a light blue light and the right eye by a purple light.

“Hello.”

The voice came from the mouth of the body Zack occupied, but the voice was from the brightest transcendental of all.

“I have found a clue to your prison. You are a prisoner in the Tower. Which apparently is a prison of an unknown location. I have investigated and there seems to be a man who knows of the prison. He works for a primate,” Zack said immediately.

His left eye glowed with a force that practically reflected in the mirror and....

“Are there monkeys in this world? Are they intelligent?” The woman asked aloud.

Zack blinked quizzically with the one eye.

The question sounded honest, and he got the feeling it was like the time they met, where she asked a question for a matter that was unimportant to know about his name.

“Yes. There are different kinds of monkeys in this world,” Zack said, and putting a hand to his chin as he pondered those primates, he stated. “They are not intelligent. They look kind of stupid and they’re troublemakers. I would say they have not evolved like the other inferior beings. One of them has dared to challenge me and I am about to eliminate it.”

So far, the primates Zack had encountered were to put it nicely... Beings that have lagged behind in evolution.

Each of them had physical strength, but were weak mentally and made them easy targets.

“Likewise, once I take care of that monkey, I’ll find out who the person who knows about the tower is, and once I do, I’ll set you free,” Zack said calmly.

Unfortunately, the orangutan did not know who the person the old merchant referred to was, but that orangutan knew that the Great Monkey had some close subordinates and the right-hand monkey had heard that one of them was someone who was related to the Tower.

Zack simply had to eliminate the Great Monkey, and he could find out who it was that knew about the Tower.

“That’s a perfect coincidence,” said the woman.

This time, the tone carried a certain unique tonality, and Zack frowned.

“Do you think it’s weird?” Zack asked helplessly.

The first time they met by chance... It was literally chance when the girl who wanted a genetic enhancement tried to steal his and that was how he met the most brilliant transcendental of all.

And now the Great Monkey he had wanted to eliminate was connected with a person who knew about the supposed Tower. The same tower where the most brilliant transcendental of all was locked up.

“We are transcendental beings. No one can manipulate our destinies,” Zack replied, raising his voice.

Without realizing it, he used the girl’s power and objects trembled as his mental strength appeared.

“Just saying,” the woman replied, averting her gaze and then she muttered. “You’re in a baby’s body, though.”

She mumbled on purpose and did so to imply that he was weak and was in the body of a mortal.

However, she was wrong.

Even if Zack was in the body of an inferior being, he was still the strongest transcendental of all.

While he could not use all his power at will, his mere existence was something unique, and not everyone could affect him.

For that reason, he knew when the half-breed stopped time and while he couldn’t resist it with his body or the babysitter’s, he could still feel it.

“Don’t overthink it,” the woman said, giving a half smile.

Literally a half smile as she controlled half of the face and Zack gave her a look before letting out a snort.

As much as it bothered him, he was here... He had ended up imprisoned in a baby’s body after being swallowed by a rift he couldn’t react from.

“Since you said you were going to fight against a monkey, how about if I help you? The girl is a means by which I can exercise my power and I can be of help,” the woman said and then immediately, she added. “Make no mistake, I will not intervene in your battle, but my little girl needs experience.”

Zack simply rolled his eyes at that silly excuse and then nodded.

“Order her to communicate with the Donovan boy and we’ll be in contact. I’ll take care of releasing you soon,” Zack said, and relayed the address of the minions training warehouse.

He then left the body, and this time didn’t wait for her to push him, but went out on his own and returned to the purple world.

The Astral Plane brought calm to his mind and after a couple of minutes’ journey, he opened his eyes, sensing the surrounding minds.

Zack, sensing the boy’s mind, engaged the body and saw that the babysitter was tense as he saw his main body.

“I’m fine, babysitter,” Zack said calmly, speaking from the boy’s body.

He was in the room and from the babysitter’s expression and the seriousness of the divine half-breed; it was obvious that the man was worried again about his condition.

Even when Zack had informed him of the mode with which he communicated with the brightest transcendental of all.

“I said it... He’s fine. He had simply fallen asleep and...”

Zack raised an eyebrow and the divine half-breed who was speaking fell silent as she noticed his seriousness was greater than before.

“Did something happen, young master? Is your friend alright?” the babysitter asked, slightly concerned.

Was his mood that obvious? Zack didn’t even try to calm down and nodded.

“Yes, she’s fine. We need to get ready to attack the Great Monkey. We need to have as many people as possible to use so I can use greater power,” Zack ordered, and calmly, he added. “And the girl who tried to steal from us is coming to visit us. I want you to arrange with her and keep her informed of the plan.”

Whether it was his voice or tone, the babysitter nodded, and the boy gave a mental confirmation.

Zack couldn’t hide the seriousness in his voice, not because of the confrontation with the Great Monkey, but because of the words of the brightest transcendental of all.

Zack still hadn’t figured out how he had come to this world, and if he was honest with this level of strength, it was likely he couldn’t discover the truth.

So the only thing left was to hone his skills and tricks, then when he helped the brightest transcendental, Zack might have a chance to escape.

After all, that woman hadn’t lost all her power, but she was locked up and once she was freed, she could help him.

And once Zack regained his power, he could search for the reason for his arrival in this world, and he hoped this was not a forced coincidence, or he would be angry.

Very angry.