Morning.
Delta Military Base.
In the checkpoint cabin, a guard dozed off while observing monitor screens.
Suddenly, an itching pain crawled through the underside of his skin. His eyes flew open in horror and he found himself stared by a pale-skinned mutant.
Goten Whiteskins.
The guard was astonished by his presence. He didn’t know who he was, but the fact that he entered a closed military cabin spoke volumes.
Then there was the stare. He felt as if his skin was flayed off.
"You are supposed to supervise such an important military establishment! You have to be constantly on toes against the events that have struck the city!"
Goten Whiteskins crouched in front of him and continued.
"Yet you committed a very grave dereliction of duty! Don’t you think you should be punished?"
A chilling sensation ripped through the guard’s body. Before he could reply, Goten Whiteskins answered his own question, "Yes, you should be punished! How about death by ripping out your skin?"
The guard didn’t think anything and lifted his hand. Ripples of elemental energy cascaded out of his palm and shot at Goten Whiteskins.
The latter smirked. His skin pulled off his body to the side like rubber stretched and the attack brushed past him.
BANG
The destructive ripples landed on the floor and the entire cabinet blasted exploded in an elemental storm.
The guard ran out of the debris while calling for backup.
"Where do you think you are going?"
Goten Whiteskins asked as he appeared in front of him. At the same time, the backup unit arrived with military droids.
The guard sighed in relief but then his eyes constricted. Goten Whiteskins has tapped on his forehead!
The moment he did, the guard felt his skin shedding off his body, making him experience terrible lethal pain.
"How dare you!"
The other guards shouted angrily. They have heard stories of skin ripped apart as ancient punishment before the era of evolution, but now seeing their comrade experiencing it, their bodies turned cold in terror.
They instantly aimed at Goten Whiteskins.
"Lower your weapons!"
A commanding voice ringed in everyone’s ears as a figure landed next to Goten Whiskins.
"Commander!"
The guards identified the new arrival as the new commanding officer of the base.
Marlon - the chief protector of the World President!
Marlon ignored them and focused on the guard whose skin was ripped apart, leaving behind a grotesque bloody figure. He sighed with regret knowing the guard was killed.
"How dare you do this?!" Marlon turned towards Goten Whiteskins.
"Why are you so angry?" Goten Whiteskins asked. "Shouldn’t you be grateful for me punishing a failing officer?"
Marlon creased his eyebrows and gritted his teeth. He wanted to kill the cocky bastard but he couldn’t and risk the mission.
He turned towards the guard units and commanded, "Leave."
"But sir..." A guard started but stopped when he saw the deadly stare of their commander.
After the guards left, Marlon said, "Have you forgotten the terms for leaving the Stormseal Island?"
"I have forgotten!" Goten Whiteskins replied.
"Bastard! Don’t you dare think I would allow you to act as you please!"
"But you would have to unless you don’t need me! If you don’t, then take me back or kill me!"
Goten Whiteskins laughed. He fully knew the government desperately needed his help so why shouldn’t he have fun?
It has been over a decade since he added skins to his collection!
As he thought of this, he brought out his cellphone. He tapped on the screen and checked entertainment news from Delta City.
"Look at this! So many beautiful skins!"
Goten said with starry eyes as he saw pictures from Miss Delta Pageant. The pictures of beautiful models walking on the ramp, showing off their glistening skins made him drool.
"I need to have them!"
Goten decided with bright eyes.
Marlon’s face fell and he grabbed Goten by the collar.
"Bastard! Civilians are off limit!" Marlon warned.
He dreaded the media knowing about him and ultimately the echelons of the society learning that a terrible criminal was freed from the most secured prison. If that happened, it would turn into a big scandal and bring terrible consequences for the president. Even the World Council wouldn’t hesitate in using the president as a scapegoat!
"Hehe, don’t worry! I would be good and subtle!"
Goten Whiteskins knew Marlon didn’t care about the civilians. All he cared about was the world not learning the dirty secrets of the world government.
Goten flicked his wrist and the melted skin of the fallen guard crawled up his body. In a matter of seconds, he donned the skin of the guard.
"The new round is about to start in a few hours," Goten checked his new skin and grinned. "See you later!"
Goten Whiteskins walked away...
Marlon stood with a terrible look on his face. Goten has assured him of him being subtle, but targeting contestants from the pageant would definitely become news.
If someone identified the style and connected it with the terrifying serial from back then...
"Dammit!"
***
The audience rapidly filled up the seats in the auditorium. Kiba sat down in the judge’s rows and sensed some eyes on him. He looked at his left and noticed Rivera glancing at him.
"Do you need anything?" Kiba asked his fellow judge.
"Ah... no!" Rivera was startled and looked back at the stage. Ever since yesterday when he called her a narcissistic bitch and told her to fuck off, all she thought about was him.
She couldn’t believe a man could behave like that with her! The reigning Miss Delta!
Sure she might have masked her personality and deceived the world with a cute, nice persona, but no one knew that! Yet his words implied he did!
No, what mattered was how could he throw away the chance to gain her favor? Didn’t he found her attractive?
Unless his eyes were blind, he must have found her attractive! She didn’t become Miss Delta for nothing!
But then his response yesterday...
Rivera’s thoughts were a jumbled mess. All she could do was suppress them and focus on the stage.
...
Teresa walked up the stage and greeted the audience.
"Are you all eager to know the contestants who qualified for the second round?" Teresa asked.
The audience replied with a roaring yes.
"Well, then we wouldn’t make you wait any longer!"
Teresa waved her hand.
Thirty beautiful contestants walked in, using their hips to sashay down with exaggerated movements. They spread throughout the stage, making the eyes of everyone glued on them.
"Thirty beauties but only fifteen have qualified!" Teresa announced. "Could you guess who?"
The audience cheered and screamed in excitement.
"Viivi!"
"Mina!"
"Anyoli!"
"Ranae!"
"Vilian!"
"Janine!"
"Eleonora!"
"Athina!"
On the stage, Teresa smiled at the level of excitement. The contestants, on the other hand, stood with poise and without any change in expression. Internally though, their stomachs were in knots as they waited for their fates to be declared. Even the confident ones were nervous...
"Let me declare the qualified contestants! Starting from the highest score! "
Teresa paused, making the entire auditorium silent.
"Viivi!" Teresa announced.
A smile appeared on Viivi’s face and she walked in front with her hands on her hips.
"Debora!" Teresa announced another name.
Debora smiled happily and walked in front, joining Viivi.
One after another, Teresa announced thirteen names, making the audience gasp and the remaining contestants nervous.
Rima and Natalya swallowed, their palms sweating. They realized they weren’t going to win. If only the blackmail option hasn’t failed so spectacularly...
Just then, Teresa announced the final two winners.
"Rima!"
"Natalya!"
"We also qualified?!"
For a moment, Rima and Natalya froze, too shocked by their win, but soon they recovered and joined the qualified contestants.
In the judge’s row, Rivera knitted her eyebrows. She has given them low scores so their win surprised her.
"Those two are gorgeous, but so are the rest," She remarked in a low voice. "But they lack in other aspects! How did they win?!"
Kiba listened to her question and smiled.
"They displayed exemplary courage, comradeship, and competitive spirit! So I’m not surprised they won!"
Kiba replied. Rivera’s expression turned puzzled but Kiba didn’t explain further.
On the stage, after announcing the qualified contestants, Teresa said, "Let’s have a few words from one of our honorable judges!"
She planned to give the honor to Lager for inspiring the contestants, but much to her surprise, the female audience erupted with Kiba’s name.
How was she to deny the fanatic women fanbase?
Teresa knew she couldn’t. It wouldn’t be wise to do so!
So, with a smile, she requested, "Kiba! Please!"
Kiba waved to the audience and gave them air kisses. He then picked the mike and started.
"Throughout my life, I have believed even if you lack in any aspect, you could make up for it with hard work, creativity, and sheer determination!"
Kiba took a short pause while his eyes fleetingly stopped on Rima and Natalya.
"So don’t let anyone tell you couldn’t win! It doesn’t matter if it a contest or life itself! As long as you have the courage to seek what you desire, you could achieve anything, even the impossible!"
Kiba concluded.
The female audience erupted with shocking applause and whistles. The angry males tried to boo, but their voices were completely overpowered by the supreme female audience!
The qualifying contestants smiled and plastered his words in their hearts. His words were short and nothing new, and yet, inspiring.
The qualifying contestants weren’t as affected by his words as the gloomy disqualified ones. Their faces brightened for they realized his words were also for them!
They lacked in one aspect so they were defeated! But it was only a competition! Their life has just started!
So what if they lost here?
As long as they learned what aspect made them loose, they could make up for it in other ways!
All they needed was the courage to seek what they want!
Teresa was pleasantly surprised by the surge of confidence she felt from the lost contestants.
"He knows how to build up confidence!" Teresa thought in her heart. "He truly has the qualifications of being a judge!"
She couldn’t help but remember what she read on the web portal, Wife Hunter Society. Everything written there was being proved correct!
"Just who runs that prophetic portal?" Teresa wondered in her heart.
She quickly cleared her thoughts, and in a warm tone, said, "Let’s start the next round!"Chapter 488