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Chapter 7: The Scent Laboratory
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2026-10-12 11:10:56Gibran’s car had just turned the corner toward the apartment when a silver sedan cut sharply into their lane. Gibran slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched loudly against the asphalt.
"Hey! Are you crazy? Do you want to die?" Gibran shouted, hitting the steering wheel.
A man in glasses and a neat suit stepped out of the sedan. It was Teddy. He walked calmly toward Gibran’s car, ignoring Gibran’s deadly glare.
"Gibran, relax. I just want to help our friend who is confused right now," Teddy said calmly, tapping on the window glass.
"Teddy? What are you doing here?" Budi asked, his heart pounding fast.
"Budi, get out. You look very pale. Come with me. I have a place that can calm you down," Teddy replied, staring intently at Budi’s neck.
"Don’t listen to him, Bud! He only wants to take advantage of you!" Gibran yelled, his eyes turning red as he tried to hold back his desire.
"Gibran, please. I just want to rest. I’m tired," Budi interrupted as he opened the car door.
"Budi, wait!" Gibran tried to stop him, but Teddy quickly grabbed Budi’s hand and pulled the young man into the silver sedan. The car sped away, leaving Gibran shouting in frustration in the middle of the street.
Inside the car, Teddy did not talk much. He only glanced at Budi occasionally through the rearview mirror with a mysterious thin smile. Soon, they arrived at an unmarked concrete building on the edge of town.
"What is this place, Ted? Why is it so quiet?" Budi asked hesitantly as they entered a room full of medical equipment.
"A small research lab. Relax. This is the safest place from people like Gibran or Rocky," Teddy answered while taking off his jacket.
"Do you really want to help me? Honestly, I can’t take it anymore. This smell... it has ruined my life," Budi whispered as he sat in an iron chair.
"I know, Bud. Here, give me your hand. I need to check what actually got into your bloodstream," Teddy said.
Budi held out his trembling hand. Teddy began to draw a blood sample with a syringe. The atmosphere was silent, except for the soft ticking of the monitor.
"How is it, Ted? What is wrong with me?"
"The results are interesting, Budi. Very rare," Teddy muttered while looking at the monitor screen. "You are not under a mystical curse. You were exposed to poison from an ancient extinct sea snail species. That substance reacts with your pheromone hormones, changing them into a scent that is... well, very tempting for men with high aggression levels."
"Crazy! So am I really like a walking perfume? Is there a cure? I want to be normal again!" Budi urged.
Teddy chuckled softly. He picked up a syringe filled with clear liquid. "Normal is relative, Bud. But if you want that smell gone temporarily, I can inject this."
"Can it really disappear? Thank you so much, Ted! You are truly my savior!" Budi exclaimed hopefully.
"Yes, don’t worry. But there is a condition," Teddy approached and gently injected the fluid into Budi’s arm.
Budi felt a cold sensation spreading through his veins. The usually pungent vanilla scent slowly faded, replaced by a neutral odor that allowed Budi to breathe easily.
"Wow, incredible! Did it really go away? Thanks, Ted! How much do I owe you?"
"No money needed. I just want you to come here every day for routine checks. I need data on your hormonal changes," Teddy stated, staring at Budi with an intensity that made Budi uncomfortable.
"Every day? But I work, Ted," Budi protested.
"Do you want to go back to feeling like meat being chased by lions in the streets, or do you want to live quietly under my supervision?" Teddy asked back in a cold tone.
Budi fell silent. Threats from Rocky and Gibran’s obsession suddenly flashed in his mind. "Okay, okay. I will come here. Thanks, Ted. Can I go home now?"
"Go ahead, Budi. See you tomorrow," Teddy replied with a wave.
After Budi left the laboratory, Teddy turned to his desk. He took out a notebook and wrote something in red ink.
Subject: Budi. Scent suppressor effect: Stable. Duration: 24 hours.
Teddy stared at the tightly closed door with a predator’s grin. "Enjoy your 24 hours of freedom, Budi. Because after tomorrow, you will belong entirely to my research. This scent... is too valuable to be wasted by fools like Rocky or Gibran."
Outside, Budi walked with light steps, unaware that he had just jumped from the lion’s mouth into the cage of a scientist far more hungry for power. He could only smile slightly, relieved that for the first time in a long time, the world was no longer staring at him with hungry eyes. Budi did not know that the wall clock in Teddy’s laboratory had started counting backward, tracking the remaining time before the scent returned and before Teddy began his next "harvest" phase.
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