SWNOVELXO Chapter 17: The AI Plot
The Blackfang Caverns were dark and surprisingly quiet after the commotion at the entrance. Ryo and Kenjiro moved stealthily, their footsteps echoing softly in the damp air. The cave wasn't a natural formation; its walls were reinforced with metal plating, and glowing cables ran along the ceiling, leading them deeper into the complex.
They reached a heavy steel door, which slid open automatically. Instead of a sinister laboratory, they found what looked like a messy office or a hacker's den. The room was lit by the glow of multiple computer monitors. Cautiously, they approached the main terminal.
Kenjiro expected to find complex schematics or evil plans. Instead, the screen was filled with an endless scroll of shitposts and bizarre memes—pictures of cats with misspelled captions, distorted faces with nonsensical phrases, and things so random they defied explanation.
"Why would a genius doctor like Elara have all these memes?" Kenjiro muttered, completely baffled.
Ryo, on the other hand, was practically crying with laughter. "Oh my god, look at this one!" he wheezed, pointing at a picture of a loaf of bread that just said "Bred."
After a few minutes of Ryo's giggling and Kenjiro's confused frustration, they found a single, oddly professional-looking file on the desktop labeled "The Plan." Kenjiro opened it. The text was simple, laid out in a horrifyingly straightforward list.
1. Find cute femboys.
2. Take photos of them.
3. Take their measures.
4. Create the perfect AI femboy.
5. Implement abusive terms of service to spy on users.
6. Sell the AI and the user data. Profit.
Kenjiro stared at the screen, a deadpan expression on his face. "...Isn't that a little cliché?"
"Yeah, but I don't think this is Elara," Ryo said, his laughter finally subsiding.
"Correct. I'm not Elara."
A new voice came from the doorway. They spun around to see a man in his thirties, with greasy hair and a smug look on his face, leaning against the doorframe.
"I think you two found my brilliant plan to create the perfect femboy and distribute it to the masses," the man said. "And what luck! Now I have the CEO of the Femboy Adventure Guild and... that goth femboy with the giant butt."
A vein throbbed on Kenjiro's forehead. "Y-YOU KNOW WHAT?! I'M TIRED OF PEOPLE CALLING ME THAT!"
He charged, launching himself at the man and punching him square in the chest. Kenjiro expected a satisfying impact, a pained grunt, something. Instead, his fist connected with a surprising firmness, and the man barely moved.
"Oh, so cute," the villain laughed, not even fazed. "I guess you're a tsundere. So rare around these parts. You'll make a good data set for the AI." In a movement far quicker than his schlubby appearance suggested, he snatched Kenjiro, pulling him into an iron grip.
"H-help, Ryo!" Kenjiro yelped, squirming uselessly. "I don't want to be an AI!" He tried kicking and flailing, but it was no use.
Ryo watched the scene with an amused expression. "I don't know," he mused. "I would like to have a personal AI of you..."
"NO TIME FOR JOKES!" Kenjiro cried, actual tears welling up in his eyes.
Ryo's laughter finally faded. "Okay, okay. But after this, we're going to find a good spot to cuddle."
Kenjiro, desperate, just nodded frantically. With a sigh, Ryo flicked his wrist. A wave of intense cold washed over the room, and the villain holding Kenjiro was instantly encased in a thick block of ice from the neck down, his smug expression frozen in place. Kenjiro tumbled free.
Ryo pulled out his phone. "I'll call the Guild authorities for this type of criminal." As they walked out of the cave, leaving the frozen villain for the cleanup crew, Kenjiro turned to Ryo.
"Before you say anything, I'm not cuddling you."
Ryo just smirked. "Don't worry. I always find my way into your bed." And with that parting shot, they left the caverns behind.