Lust Meter System: Conquering Beauties-Chapter 157: The Boss 2

"I’m shaking in my boots."

Iggy stepped closer to Liam. Looked down at him.

He was taller. Not by much. Maybe three or four inches. But enough to make Liam have to tilt his head up slightly to keep eye contact.

Iggy’s half-closed eyes stayed on him. Studied him. Like he was trying to figure out if Liam was serious or just stupid.

"You said something about playing on my own fucking terms?"

"Yeah," Liam said. "Are you scared?"

Iggy’s mouth pulled into a small smile. The kind that didn’t reach his eyes. "Oh, man. I’m impressed. Really. But even if you beat me, my guys won’t just let you leave. Shit doesn’t work like that."

"Are you going to accept my challenge or not?"

The smile widened. Just slightly. He looked back at the crowd. Three hundred people watching. Waiting. Then he looked at Liam again. "Well, I was the one who didn’t want to talk. So let’s fucking fight."

He raised both hands in the air.

The warehouse erupted.

"Let’s fucking go!"

"Tear him apart, boss!"

"Who does this guy think he is?"

"Get that fucker!"

"Iggy! Iggy! Iggy!"

Voices overlapping. Three hundred people all at once. Shouting. Cheering. Fists pumping in the air. The sound bounced off the concrete walls, echoing back, getting louder and louder until it felt like the whole building was shaking.

Then Iggy folded his fists.

Just a quick gesture with his hands.

Silence.

Instant.

Three hundred people went quiet. Like someone had hit a mute button. The only sound left was the faint hum of the fluorescent lights overhead and the shuffle of feet on concrete.

Iggy lowered his hands. Looked at Liam. His expression hadn’t changed. Still that half-asleep, annoyed look. "Okay. But first I gotta take something real quick. If you don’t mind."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "That’s fine."

Iggy turned his head slightly. Made a small gesture with his chin. Just a nod. Barely noticeable. But it was enough.

The fake boss understood immediately.

He moved. Fast. No hesitation. He walked over to a stack of wooden crates near the left wall.

They were stacked three high, some of them marked with black symbols.

He grabbed one from the top. Lifted it with both hands. Carried it back across the floor. His boots made heavy thuds on the concrete. He set the crate down in front of Iggy with a dull thunk.

Then he turned and jogged back. Grabbed a folding chair that had been leaning against the wall. Brought it over. Opened it with a metallic snap and set it down behind the crate.

Iggy sat.

Leaned back. Stretched his legs out in front of him. Rolled his shoulders once. Cracked his neck to the left. Then the right. Relaxed completely.

The fake boss turned and jogged toward the back of the warehouse.

He disappeared into a group of people standing near the tarps. There was some shuffling. Movement. Voices too low to hear.

A few seconds later, he came back.

Carrying a briefcase.

Black. Metal. Heavy-looking. Locks on both sides gleaming under the fluorescent lights.

He walked over. Set it down on the crate in front of Iggy with a solid clunk. Stepped back. Hands at his sides. Waiting.

Iggy reached forward. His fingers moved to the locks. Flipped them open with his thumbs. One. Then the other. Both popped with sharp clicks.

He lifted the lid.

Liam looked.

Inside the briefcase, sitting in custom foam cutouts, were four glass vials. Small. Maybe three inches tall. Each one filled with liquid. Dark red. Almost black. Thick. It didn’t move like water. It moved like something heavier. Like blood mixed with oil.

Liam stared at them.

His jaw tightened. ’What the hell are those?’

Iggy looked up at him. Smiled. "You look worried. I thought you told me I could use any fucking means to fight."

Liam’s jaw tightened. He kept his voice steady. "If I was worried, I wouldn’t let you use it right now."

Iggy’s smile widened. He nodded once. "You’re right. And I thank you for that shit."

"Be quick about it."

Iggy nodded again. Reached into the briefcase and pulled out one of the vials. Held it up to the light.

The liquid inside moved slowly. Thick. Viscous. It caught the light and looked almost black in some places, dark red in others.

He set it down on the crate. Carefully. Like it was fragile.

The fake boss stepped forward again. This time he had something in his hand. A piece of cloth. White. Clean. Looked like it had been torn from a shirt.

He knelt down next to Iggy. Wrapped the cloth around Iggy’s left arm. Just above the elbow. Pulled it tight. Tied it in a knot. Pulled again to make sure it was secure.

Iggy’s veins started to bulge immediately. Dark blue lines running down his forearm. Pulsing. Visible under his skin.

Then the fake boss pulled something else from his pocket.

A syringe.

Still in its plastic wrapper. He tore it open. Pulled the syringe out. Uncapped it. The needle was long. Thin. Sharp.

He picked up the vial. Shook it once. Twice. The liquid inside moved sluggishly. Then he inserted the needle through the rubber top and started drawing the liquid out.

Slowly.

Carefully.

The syringe filled. Dark red liquid rose inside the plastic tube. He pulled the plunger all the way back. Until the syringe was full.

He pulled the needle out of the vial. Held the syringe up to the light. Tapped it twice with his finger. A small air bubble floated to the top. He pressed the plunger slightly. The bubble disappeared. A single drop of the dark red liquid dripped from the needle tip. Fell to the ground. Landed on the concrete with a tiny splat.

Then he leaned over. Found a vein in Iggy’s arm. The biggest one. Dark blue. Pulsing.

He pressed the needle against the skin.

And pushed it in.

Liam watched. Silent. His eyes locked on the syringe. On Iggy’s face. Waiting for something. Anything.

The fake boss pressed the plunger down. Slowly. The liquid disappeared into Iggy’s arm. All of it. The syringe emptied completely.

Then he pulled the needle out. A tiny drop of blood welled up at the injection site. He quickly untied the cloth around Iggy’s arm. Pulled it away.

Stepped back.

Iggy sat there.

Didn’t move.

Head tilted forward slightly. Eyes closed. Arms resting on his thighs. Completely still.

Seconds passed.

Five.

Ten.

The warehouse was silent. Three hundred people watching. Waiting.

Then Iggy’s head dropped.

Like someone had cut the strings holding it up.

His chin hit his chest.

Liam’s eyes narrowed. ’What the hell?’

Then Iggy’s head snapped back up.

Fast.

Violent.

And he started screaming.

Loud. Raw. A sound that didn’t even sound human. Pure agony.

His hands flew to his chest. Clawing. Scratching. Fingers digging into his skin through the fabric of his hoodie. His nails scraped against the fabric. Tearing at it.

He stood up.

Fast.

The chair behind him flew backward. Hit the ground with a loud clang. Skidded across the concrete.

He grabbed the front of his hoodie with both hands and ripped it off.

Tore it.

The fabric ripped down the middle. He threw it to the side. It landed in a heap on the floor.

Underneath he was wearing a black tank top. His arms were exposed now. Covered in scars. Old ones.

Faded white lines crisscrossing his skin. Some thick. Some thin. They ran from his shoulders down to his wrists. Dozens of them. Maybe more.

But now new marks were appearing.

Red lines. Spreading across his skin like cracks in glass. Starting from the injection site on his left arm and spreading outward. Across his bicep. Over his shoulder. Down his chest.

His skin looked like it was tearing itself apart from the inside.

He kept screaming. Scratching. His nails dragged down his arms. Leaving fresh cuts. Blood started running down his forearms. Thin red lines dripping onto the floor. Splattering on the concrete.

He fell to his knees.

Hit the ground hard.

His hands were still clawing at his chest. His neck. His face. Leaving red marks everywhere. Blood smeared across his skin.

Liam stood there. Staring. His heart pounding. ’What the fuck did this guy take? Why is he acting like a savage?

Then he noticed something above Iggy’s head.

The heart was changing.

The single black heart was splitting. Slowly. A crack forming down the center. Thin at first. Then wider. The two halves separated completely.

Two black hearts.

Then it stopped.

Liam stared. ’What the fuck?’

Iggy screamed again. Louder this time. His whole body convulsing. Shaking violently. Then he went completely silent.

Still.

He stayed on his knees. Head down. Breathing hard. His chest heaving. Blood dripping from his arms and chest onto the concrete. Forming small pools around his knees.

Then he moved.

Slowly.

He stood up. One foot at a time. Rolled his shoulders. Stretched his neck to the left. Crack. Then the right. Crack. He cracked his knuckles. Left hand. Then right. Pop. Pop. Pop.

His body was covered in fresh scratches. Blood running down in thin lines. But he acted like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t just been screaming in agony ten seconds ago.

He looked at Liam.

Smiled.

"This is why I don’t like fucking fighting."

Liam stared at him. His mind racing. ’He’s acting like nothing just happened. Like he didn’t just inject himself with whatever the hell that was.’

Iggy brushed some blood off his left arm with his right hand. Smeared it across his skin. Didn’t even flinch. "Okay. So. Are you ready or what?"

Liam didn’t answer right away. Just kept staring. Processing.

Iggy tilted his head. His smile widened. "I’m sorry I took so damn long to beat your ass. But I’m ready now."

Liam’s jaw tightened. He exhaled through his nose. "Okay. That’s great. Let’s get going."

Iggy grinned. Wide. Showing teeth.

Liam stepped back slightly. Just a foot. Creating space. His mind was already moving. Thinking. Planning.

He called up the system.

The interface appeared in front of him. Translucent. Hovering in his vision. Clean white text on a dark background.

**[Bound Might]**

**Activation Cost: 50 Lust Points**

**Duration: 20 minutes per activation**

**Cooldown Period: 2 hours**

**Status: INACTIVE**

**[Silent Stride]**

**Activation Cost: 30 Lust Points**

**Duration: 15 minutes per activation**

**Cooldown Period: 3 hours**

**Status: INACTIVE**

**[Lust Points: 70/70]**

’I can use both. Wipe him out fast. Then handle the rest of them.’

He hesitated for a second. Did the math.

’Fifty plus thirty is eighty. I only have seventy. I’ll go negative. Fuck it. I need this.’

He activated them.

Both at once.

**[Bound Might: ACTIVE]**

**[Silent Stride: ACTIVE]**

**[Lust Points: 5/70]**

The change hit him immediately.

His muscles tightened. Not painfully. Just firm. Solid. Like every fiber in his body had been pulled taut at the same time. His breathing steadied. Deeper. Slower. More controlled. Each breath felt deliberate.

And then the silence.

His footsteps. Gone. Completely. Even when he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, there was no sound. Nothing. No scrape of shoe against concrete. No friction. Like the world had muted him.

He felt faster. Lighter. But stronger at the same time. Like his body had been rebuilt. Optimized.

Iggy was still standing there. Smiling. Watching him. Blood still dripping from his arms. "So. Are you just gonna stand there? Or are you gonna fucking attack?"

’He’s trying to bait me. Make me come to him so he can counter. But I’m faster now. He won’t see it coming.’

Liam looked at him. Kept his voice calm. Even. "As you wish."

Iggy’s smile widened. His eyes half-closed. Relaxed. "Come on, then."

’There’s one thing he doesn’t know. I’m not normal.’

Liam moved.

Fast.

Faster than he’d ever moved before.

The space between them disappeared in less than a second. His feet didn’t make a sound. Just silent motion. Like he was gliding across the floor.

He closed the distance and swung.

Right fist. Straight at Iggy’s face. Full force. Everything he had.

The impact was massive.

The sound of it echoed through the warehouse. A deep, heavy thud that felt like it shook the air itself. Like thunder indoors.

Iggy’s head snapped to the side. Hard. Fast.

And everything around them exploded.

The crate behind Iggy flew backward. Lifted off the ground. Flew five feet. Slammed into the floor and shattered. Wood splintering. Pieces scattering everywhere.

The chair tumbled end over end. Crashed into the crowd. People scattered.

The briefcase went flying. Spun through the air. Hit the ground hard. The remaining vials inside shattered. Glass exploding. Dark red liquid splattering across the concrete.

Dust erupted from the ground where Iggy had been standing. A thick cloud spreading out in all directions. Rising up. Filling the air.

People in the crowd stumbled back. Coughing. Shielding their faces with their arms. Eyes watering.

Liam stood there. Fist still extended. Breathing steady. Controlled.

The dust started to settle.

Slowly.

And Iggy was still standing.

His head was turned to the side. Liam’s fist was pressed against his jaw. Right where it had landed. But he wasn’t moving. Wasn’t falling. Wasn’t even stumbling.

He was smiling.

Slowly, he turned his head back.

Looked at Liam.

Blood was running from the corner of his mouth. A thin line down his chin. But he was smiling.

"Oh. You’re actually pretty fucking interesting."

Liam’s eyes widened.

His face showed it. Shock. Complete disbelief.

’Fuck.’