Chapter 185: Computer Use: Grandmaster, Cat Burglar: Advanced!

Chapter 185: Computer Use: Grandmaster, Cat Burglar: Advanced!

Out back on a massive wooden deck, the entire extended family had eagerly gathered for a large backyard BBQ piled high with savory ribs, juicy chicken, and thick burgers. I was manning the controls of the massive outdoor grill alongside Big Rick, a useful mental distinction I used to separate Kim's dad from myself.

With my high-tier cooking skill, handling the dynamic heat and smoke was incredibly easy and relaxing for the two of us. While we flipped meat and chatted, we both casually drank from cold bottles of Budweiser, the undisputed popular American beer of choice around here.

The large female group was seated together at one long wooden picnic table, while the men either cooked or lounged at a separate picnic table positioned to the side.

Kevin Smith and Karl Smith were the second and third brothers in line behind Kim. Yes, you noticed correctly; all of the siblings have names starting with the letter K.

Each of the original five sisters from the family had deliberately taken a separate letter of the alphabet for naming their own biological children, an organizational trick designed to make identifying them incredibly easy for outsiders to the massive family. Two of the wives had even explicitly kept their original Wesson last name, a strategic choice to ensure their children stayed entirely out of messy Smith corporate matters.

A few of the young boys, Big Rick's younger children from his junior sister-wives, had been hanging around the grill and watching us cook with wide, hungry eyes. Capitalizing on their curiosity, I decided to put on a flashy flipping show for them.

I skillfully utilized advanced water and coal temperature techniques to help control the smoking process, making the kids' eyes gleam with excitement as the savory aroma drifted across the deck.

I had previously mentioned that typical American men did not really cook at home, but that cultural rule goes completely out the window the exact moment it comes to a classic backyard BBQ. This specific cooking style is what real men in this country look forward to the most.

The submissive wives still took care of preparing all the side dishes and keeping track of the kids, who in rare moments of fun, were granted their own separate table. This arrangement gave them complete freedom from their annoying parents' every control.

Yeah, the designated kid table was entirely free from parent harassment for the afternoon.

Big Rick was kind enough to gift me my own adjustable baseball cap featuring a prominent UKA logo set against a vibrant red, white, and blue flag background. He joked loudly that I could not be considered a real man in these territories without wearing a ball-cap, a rugged cowboy hat, or a sharp Bowler hat.

He noted that nobody wore formal top-hats around the city anymore, dismissing them as completely out of style.

Using his oversized metal tongs to gesture across the deck, Big Rick pointed toward the women's table with a genuine smile and addressed me. "Kim looks really happy," he said, his eyes softening as he watched his daughter laugh. "I have not seen her this animated since she won her high-school cheerleader competition. She had loved the Eurasian life and had big hopes for her fate. But, well you know the rest. Carol and I had believed our first baby was not going to find another partner without us introducing her to some gentleman."

I nodded slowly, taking a sip from my beer as I agreed with his assessment.

"Yeah, I have many wives, and at first I hesitated to add another," I admitted, my tone turning serious. "But... Kim is such a pure soul, that I just could not ignore her feelings. I had this feeling in my heart that told me I need to share my heart with her."

Big Rick smiled warmly at my response, letting out a chuckle as he offered a playful, speculative joke.

"Well, if you believe in reincarnation, maybe you and Kimmy loved each-other in a past life, and you just instinctively know she is the one?" he mused, leaning against the grill. "I know it is a far-fetched idea we use in movies here, but it is nice to believe that you're united with a lover in your past. Does she give you that feeling?"

His casual question struck a deep chord inside me, making me wonder. What if Kim, alongside some of my other current wives, were indeed past loves I had connected with during my ancient cycles?

Would I meet them or had I already met them in the deep past or distant future?

"I hope it is true, then I could love her again, in my next life..." I responded, choosing my words carefully to match his casual tone. "As far as a past life, it would make sense why I could never tell her no. I just hope I was a good man to her then, ha-ha!"

Big Rick, having absolutely no idea that my thoughts regarding past lives were entirely genuine, just patted me firmly on the shoulder before turning around to announce dinner to the family.

"Come and get it! We are done!" he shouted, his booming voice carrying across the entire yard. "After, I have an announcement for the family, so let's dig in, come-on partners!"

The two of us worked efficiently to dish out everyone's specific requests, with the eager kids mostly grabbing the grilled burgers. When Kim came walking by the grill to claim her plate, she handed me a cold glass of home-brewed Sweet Tea, made traditional southern style.

I took a grateful sip, noting it was thankfully not that lethally sweet stuff that Vicky always forces me to drink back home, cough.

During our meal at the men's table, Kevin casually chewed on some saucy beef-ribs before turning his head to ask me a probing question.

"So Rick, why are you marrying my sister?" he asked, his tone carrying a faint edge of skepticism. "You are a bit young to be looking for an older woman like her right?"

I set my fork down slowly, locking my eyes onto his as a confident grin crept across my face.

"Really?" I countered smoothly, letting my gaze drift momentarily toward the women's table. "Hmm, Well, even those two foreign students of mine are at least 10 years older than you, so what you're saying is... You should not look, right?"

My sharp retort instantly exposed him for staring at my companions, turning his own probing question right back around to place him in the exact same boat.

I deliberately chose not to mention that I had already gotten Hinata, the specific girl he was staring at the most, pregnant with my child.

Karl leaned forward with a wide grin, trying to capitalize on the conversation with a bold request.

"Hey, since we are brothers, mind hooking me up with one or both of them?" he asked, chuckling self-assuredly. "I would even marry them if they want? It is what a good brother would do, right?"

I assessed the two of them closely, noting that Kevin looked like a young version of Tom Cruise from my past life, while Karl bore a striking resemblance to a young John Travolta. I offered them a cold, uncompromising smile as I delivered my answer.

"Sorry, I do not share women, even with brothers," I stated firmly, letting the smile drop from my face. "Oh, and the black hair lady, Hinata, has my child in her, so yeah."

Okay, I just came right out and said it anyway, because there was absolutely no reason to hide my status like a pussy. I possess many beautiful lovers across the world, so what?!

As for Lan... We do not currently have that kind of romantic relationship, but I still find her incredibly attractive and her fierce personality is exactly one I like. If she ever explicitly decided to flirt with me, I know for a fact I would fold like a cheap house of cards.

Lan and Hinata, instinctively sensing the creepy gaze of three perverts locking onto them from across the deck, turned their heads toward our table and offered polite smiles. It was an incredibly funny sight, because both of those traditional eastern women were currently eating messy American BBQ using wooden chopsticks.

Kevin felt a bitter pill lodge tight in his heart, feeling as though his imagined future concubine had been ruthlessly snatched away right in front of him, causing him to speak up quite rudely.

"So you are just an international Playboy?" he sneered, tossing his bone onto his plate. "My sister is going to be used and forgotten, won't she? Well, not like she was going to come home to run our family business. So I guess her wish for a Eurasian man is at least fulfilled. Now she can have a half baby."

A dark, humorless chuckle escaped my throat at his blatant disrespect. Before I could move, Big Rick slammed his hand down on the table, fiercely scolding his idiot son before the entire gathering.

"Hey brat, if you like being in this house, then cut the crap," Big Rick growled, his face contorting with anger. "If you are not careful, I will let Rick here deal with you for your rudeness. I and your mother approved of Rick and Kimmy, so apologize or leave the table immediately."

Kevin snapped out of his seat, pulling his white napkin off his lap and tossing it carelessly onto his stained plate without showing any outward anger. "Sorry, I lost my appetite, good day everyone, while I rest," he muttered coldly.

As Kevin turned and walked back inside the house, his two wives quickly excused themselves from the table to follow him, completely clueless as to why their husband looked so gloomy. I actually didn't mind him leaving the party at all, because I already knew both brothers were deeply involved in the dangerous trouble heading toward this neighborhood.

Big Rick clearly suspected they were up to something shady as well, but he simply did not possess the full, intricate details that I did.

Karl, acting as a slightly more calculated snake than his arrogant older brother, offered a nervous joke to smooth over the tension. "Ah, He is only pissed because his friend Ralph Colt got wrecked by some Eurasian Hoe," Karl explained, trying to chuckle. "He had heard his own teammate betrayed him in some competition in Eurasia University fighting stuff."

Realization clicked in my mind, remembering exactly how Tina had made that arrogant bastard suffer back during the tournament. I leaned across the table to give them the unvarnished details.

"That Hoe that kicked his ass is my wife, Tina, who was making that Colt ass suffer for hurting and scolding Kim in public," I revealed, my voice dropping to a dangerous purr. "I was on that team, and Ralph Colt is a pussy fighter. So you can tell him that for me, to be beaten by a woman half his size, ha-ha!"

Karl's face violently twitched at my words, because he had only heard a sanitized version of the story from Ralph himself, and had absolutely no idea the lethal woman who almost destroyed his friend's dick was actually my wife.

Big Rick decided the mood needed a swift shift, standing up tall with his Budweiser beer bottle held high in the air to deliver an informal family toast.

"Carol and I have an announcement for the family," he called out, drawing every eye on the deck. "The wedding for Rick and Kim will not be held in three days like we originally planned. But rather, we are having a private wedding right here on the beach tomorrow morning! Surprise Kimmy, ha-ha!"

I immediately stood up from my seat, gently clinking my own Budweiser bottle against his in shared agreement.

Kim stood completely frozen at her table, thoroughly caught by surprise but looking radiantly happy as a sudden tear of joy shimmered in her green eyes. She had been incredibly nervous about meeting so many distant families on a massive public wedding day, while simultaneously dreading the past shame she felt she had brought upon her parents.

But now, all of those anxieties vanished in an instant.

I moved with agile speed across the wooden deck, catching the running Kim securely in my arms before she could crash into me, effortlessly balancing my beer in my free hand. She leaned in and kissed me passionately in front of the entire gathering, openly displaying her deepest internal feelings to her family.

It was not one of our intensely private, hyper-passionate kisses, but rather a warm, loving embrace that was perfectly fine to share in front of family members. I just smiled down into her gleaming eyes, thoroughly understanding her grateful heart.

I had noticed the immediate flash of stark panic in Karl's eye the exact moment the schedule change was brought to light. He was thoroughly blindsided by the realization that we were not getting married on Monday as the original plans expected, but rather on Saturday, which was tomorrow morning.

The treacherous bastard had clearly planned on simply not showing up to the estate on Monday during the orchestrated terrorist chaos, but now, his timeline was completely ruined. Desperate to salvage the situation for his hidden handlers, he quickly turned to his father to stage an objection.

"Dad, we cannot cancel on Monday, our guests will all be further disappointed in our family, if you cancel?" Karl argued, his voice carrying a nervous strain.

His father, seeing completely through his transparent lies and hidden agenda, only offered a calm, knowing smile as he leaned back. "Oh? We will throw our 'guests' a 'party' on Monday, but Kimmy and Rick love each-other too much to wait, so we are just doing a private wedding," Big Rick countered smoothly, his eyes narrowing slightly on his son. "So any family member that does not show on Monday, will be kicked out of the family, ha-ha! It will be a fun party!"

Karl's soul practically left his body right then and there. No, seriously, the arrogant playboy turned completely pale the exact second he heard the explicit threat that he would be permanently kicked out of the bloodline for failing to attend the gathering on Monday.

I let a cold smile play on my lips as I watched his breakdown, because he had absolutely no idea that the real, innocent guests would not even be invited to the estate for their own personal safety.

"Alright everyone, the ceremony is at noon, and we are ending dinner now," Big Rick announced, standing up to clap his hands together to conclude the evening. "Our Eurasian guests have jet-lag and need to sleep early. See everyone tomorrow."

And with that final command issued, the gathering broke up, and we all quietly retreated to our respective rooms for the night.

Down in a secure basement bedroom, which strategically served to hide the massive entrance to the hidden bomb-shelter below, Kim and I were getting ready for bed. I stepped up behind her, gently rubbing her tense shoulders to help her unwind from the long day of travel.

As she stood in front of the mirror straightening her hair for tomorrow's ceremony, I leaned down to address her softly. "I am going to ask Hinata to stay here with you tonight till you sleep, dear," I murmured, checking her reaction in the glass. "I plan on using the firing range and do some workouts before I go to bed, if that is alright with you?"

Kim paused her movements, looking thoroughly surprised by my sudden request as she turned around to face me. "You're not going to sleep in the bed tonight?" she asked, her green eyes wide with curiosity.

"If I stay in bed with you... I won't be able to wait for tomorrow," I teased softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her cheek. "Plus, I want Hinata to be not alone with your brother around, if you can keep her company for me?"

Kim nodded slowly, the realization of what I was subtly implying clicking inside her mind as she leaned her body against mine.

"Dear, if you have Fire Birds business to attend too, then just go," she whispered, her voice dropping to a low, supportive tone. "Hinata can protect me so you don't worry. I trust you honey, so just be safe if you go out, now kiss me."

I immediately leaned down and kissed my incredibly smart wife, thoroughly appreciating her intuition. Sure, she could be a total klutz in her daily life, but she knew me well enough to understand that I was trying to shield her from worry, and she was fully aware that I had local Fire Birds assets operating within the Boston sector.

She understood without me saying a word that my underground crime business had to be kept strictly on the down-low, so I simply held her tight to assure her.

As I turned to slip quietly out of the basement bedroom, Hinata was already standing silently in the dim hallway, waiting patiently to take her post inside. With no one else around the corridor, I reached out and pulled her into my chest for a gentle, lingering kiss.

"Thank you for everything you do for me, Hinata," I whispered against her lips, letting my guard down for a brief moment. "I... I love you."

Hearing my forward declaration, the fierce sword maiden instantly blushed, clearly caught off guard by being so directly confronted with my deepest romantic feelings.

"I have known that for a while now, Sensei," she replied softly, her gentle words carrying an absolute, unyielding devotion. "Hinata loves you too. Now go and be safe, leave Kim to me."

I gave her a firm nod, turning around to head straight toward my next destination while she remained on guard.

Hinata gently rubbed her belly, a soft, radiant smile spreading across her features as she watched my back disappear around the corner. Touching the bracelet on her wrist, she turned and quietly entered the bedroom to secure Kim.

Knock! Knock! I tapped my knuckles lightly against the heavy wood of Lan's door, and within a second, I heard her sharp voice grant me permission to enter.

Lan was fully expecting my arrival, standing in the center of the room still dressed in her practitioner robes. She waved a hand toward the wooden desk across the space, gesturing toward my waiting laptop before pointing to a shadow by the sofa.

"Rick, your computer is there, and next to the couch, is your infiltration gear," she reported, her eyes tracking my movements. "May I do anything else for you?"

I smiled and shook my head, keeping my voice low as I outlined my plans for the operation. "Not really, but if someone comes knocking on the door looking for me, just tell them I am sleeping here," I instructed smoothly. "I will use your window to leave and enter the home. The maids saw me come in, so any police investigation will only think I am fooling around, so an alibi is all I need."

Tap! Tap! Tap! My fingers instantly blurred across the keyboard as I began encrypting my private files and breaking straight into the local American internet servers.

My technical skills had improved so drastically lately to the point that even poor Lucy was completely toyed with whenever I launched a mock cyber attack against her networks. Though, knowing her submissive kinks, she only got incredibly turned on by the fact that I could dominate her systems.

Lan stepped up closely behind me, her head hovering right over my shoulder as she watched the glowing screen flicker from one secure network window to the next far too fast for her untrained eyes to comprehend. To her, watching me work was exactly like watching an annoying channel surfer or a hyperactive Tiktok app user.

I worked efficiently, rerouting the public street cameras to ensure I would not alert the hacker group from the Wizards of Oz, who currently maintained a tight tech leash on this entire neighborhood.

I was fully aware of the physical scouts they had stationed to watch the Smith house, and I had even accounted for the spy satellites they had illegally hacked to monitor the property from orbit above. Yeah, I had to hand it to them; those bastards were actually really badass in the tech department, considering they had successfully robbed the King's Fort Knox Gold Reserve.

Lan kept her head positioned right next to mine as she watched the data stream, and I caught a glimpse of her white hair dangling close to my cheek. I admit, my lightning-fast typing fingers slowed down for only a brief moment as the sweet scent of her perfume washed over my senses.

"My Emperor, what is it like to be Enlightened?" she asked suddenly, her voice filled with deep, intellectual amazement.

Knowing she was a combat Master trying to learn more about the mysteries of the world around her, I recognized that her curiosity was just like the others who followed me. I kept speeding through the security code while I answered her honestly.

"A normal kid gets hundreds of years of experience, and memories from another life..." I mused aloud, staring at the flashing code. "Sometimes, Lan... I wonder if the real me is me, or the memories I inherit. Do others follow my skills, or me? I was not very impressive as a young man, before I awakened. You definitely would not follow me without it, right?"

To my absolute surprise, she shook her head firmly to deny my assumption. She locked her striking blue eyes directly onto mine, her expression turning incredibly fierce and resolute.

"Mary, Kate, Lucy, Tina, Linda, and even Mercy all fell for you before your 18th birthday," Lan stated confidently. "If you had not been bullied, or lost your parents, you would have been amazing even without the awakening. All true Li have gifts, you only did not pursue yours. My guess, your gift was guns, but you never practiced it. So, you still would have been amazing in your own way. Sure, some of us are attracted by your past, but that is life. You are the Yellow Emperor, so act like one, and do what you want..."

Wow. Hearing her words sent a jolt through me, realizing she was exactly like Lucy, Mei, and Hinata. All of them fiercely refused to let me wallow in self-doubt, wanting me to be so much more than normal.

"Lan... Thanks for your words," I said softly, a genuine smile breaking across my face as I looked at her. "Hearing it from Lucy was not the same. Also, I think I like you more than I should."

Lan Chow instantly blushed crimson at the sudden, unexpected slip of my words, her composed demeanor cracking for a brief second. "I-I am honored," she stammered, crossing her arms defensively. "But, I am not worthy of liking..."

"Sorry, Lan, I was not trying to make you feel uncomfortable," I corrected gently, turning back to the screen to finalize the upload. "I have just been thinking of it for a while, and I have learned to just admit things directly. But don't worry, I would never push it on you."

Lan stood in silence, her mind pondering my statement as she realized that if she remained too stubborn or distant, I might genuinely lose interest in her altogether, causing her to quickly backpedal to salvage the opening.

"Maybe, we could go see the new Sect together when we get home, just you and me?" she offered tightly, her eyes searching mine.

Since I am absolutely not a moron when it comes to a woman's hints, I nodded immediately upon seeing her true intentions. "Then when things are settled here, I will unveil it for you," I promised, my voice turning cold as the laptop screen finalized. "Now, I have to leave... I have a Colt to kill..."

Lan's mood instantly shifted into a smilingly good state, and she stepped forward eagerly to help me gear up, adjusting my sleek black night-suit and securing my specialized Cat Burglar gear. Reaching into the folds of her robe, she pulled out a small, long box containing a set of dark incense sticks and handed them to me.

"This is the same poison gas Laura used on you once before," she explained, her voice dropping to a whisper. "It will knock out those that breathe in too much. This toxin will not show on modern blood tests and dissipates after 15 minutes, just don't leave the stick behind. Here is the antidote for you to use."

Slipping the tactical items securely into my utility waist belt, I offered a final nod to Lan as I agilely climbed out onto her window sill.

"I should be back in 2 hours," I reported, checking the dark yard below. "I need to go to the Colt home, and over to the Oz house, for my plans, be back soon. And thanks for your words again, bye..."

Without waiting another second, I dropped silently into the shadows of the estate.

Left alone in the quiet room, Lan dazedly stared out into the open window, a soft chuckle escaping her lips as she watched the darkness.

"Okay, admitting you like me before I said anything... I will forgive you for breaking my nose, fufu," she muttered under her breath, her eyes twinkling. "How did Lucy know he would like me? She is scary..."