Chapter 1: I Hate You!! Damn Pixel Mask
The kicked-in door spun through the air and embedded itself deep into the warehouse floor.
Outside the door, a man wearing a helmet with a pixelated screen slowly walked into the warehouse and stood on a red mark on the ground.
“Annoying.”
The warehouse owner, seeing this scene, pressed his throbbing temple, put down the tool in his hand, and climbed down from the strange-looking machine in the center of the warehouse.
Looking at the two door panels stuck into the floor, the warehouse owner took a deep breath. Then he looked up at the four holes in the ceiling, and his face twisted slightly.
Having the door kicked in like this meant it definitely had to be replaced. The damaged floor also needed repair, and with the five holes in the ceiling...
The warehouse owner mentally calculated the expenses and felt a chill in his heart.
Although he received a considerable amount of evil funding each month, he couldn’t be spending it all on base repairs every day.
And it was the end of the month now, so his budget was a bit tight.
He sighed, took out a calculator from the pocket of his white lab coat, tapped on it, and held it in front of the guy wearing the pixelated helmet.
“You damn pixel screen head, every time you come to my lab, you cause this much damage. Can’t you just press the doorbell outside like a normal person?”
He held back his anger and pointed at the doorbell outside, which had a nameplate next to it: “I Love Savory Tofu Pudding Association D-City Branch - Dr. Alien’s Evil Research Base.”
Unfortunately, his words had little effect. The pixel screen head disdainfully raised a middle finger at him, and at the same time, the pixel screen on his face displayed a mocking emoji.
(￢_￢)凸
Not getting the answer he wanted, Dr. Alien rolled his eyes, shook his head, and sighed.
“Forget it.”
He was already used to it.
As the evil scientist sent by the I Love Savory Tofu Pudding Association to conquer D-City, he had been in D-City for nearly half a year.
During this time, he had interacted almost daily with the ace hero of the D-City Hero Association, Pixel Mask, and had also grown accustomed to calling repair crews every week to fix his base.
Though he hadn’t caused any real damage to D-City, nor did he engage in petty evil acts like other villainous organizations in the city, he was still an evil scientist bent on conquering D-City. Naturally, few treated him kindly.
Except for the landlord who rented him the warehouse at a markup, the material suppliers, and the construction crew he frequently visited.
Dr. Alien put his hands behind his back and walked a few steps deeper into the warehouse. Then, suddenly, he pulled a remote control from his lab coat pocket and pressed a button.
A net hanging from the ceiling suddenly dropped. The paper boxes and tin cans inside scattered and were struck by a beam from the machine in the center of the warehouse.
In an instant, the random junk turned into scantily clad beautiful girls, and Pixel Mask, standing directly beneath them, had no time to react before being crushed underneath.
“Weren’t you curious why that spot had a mark? The answer is… I set a trap there~”
Dr. Alien pointed proudly at Pixel Mask, who was pinned beneath the pile.
“You're trapped, damn Pixel Mask!”
He clasped his hands behind his back, taunting Pixel Mask while circling around him.
“How does it feel to be trapped by a bunch of beautiful girls?” He looked at the pile of beauties formed from discarded paper boxes and tin cans, then back at the Pixel Mask pinned beneath, “Hmm… Do you feel like heroes also fall for beauty?”
Dr. Alien grinned wickedly at Pixel Mask, pointing at the pile of girls pinning him down.
“Even though they’re just puppets made from inorganic matter with no consciousness, biologically speaking, they’re all genuine innocent citizens. According to the Hero Code, you can’t hurt them!”
“Plus, they’re all beautiful young girls in their prime. If you move recklessly, I’ll accuse you of sexual harassment on their behalf.”
Saying that, Dr. Alien turned away, pretending to look solemnly out the window.
“In the end, failing to protect the innocents you swore to defend… I suppose that’s the sorrow of being a hero.”
Pixel Mask, pinned beneath them, tried to move slightly but had to admit Dr. Alien’s point.
Whether it was breathing or heartbeat, these girls made from paper boxes and tin cans were indistinguishable from real humans. And whether by coincidence or design, his current position avoided all sensitive areas. But any movement would make contact with those soft spots, forcing him to stay put.
The emoji on his pixel screen turned helpless.
Once sure Pixel Mask was trapped, Dr. Alien calmly returned to the central machine, placed his hand on it, and tried pushing it toward the hero.
Unfortunately, the machine was far too heavy. After much struggling, he only managed to move it a little.
“Huff… huff…”
Dr. Alien, panting, supported himself on the machine with one hand and gently pounded his lower back with the other: “I should’ve added wheels to this thing back then.”
With no other choice, he gave up pushing it.
Once his breathing calmed, Dr. Alien walked over to Pixel Mask.
He lay on the floor, placing his head level with Pixel Mask’s helmet, making sure his invention was fully visible from the hero’s perspective before getting up and pressing a button on his remote.
“Since you can see from there anyway, let me introduce today’s evil marvelous invention.”
A red curtain descended from the ceiling, perfectly covering the machine. Intense, dramatic drumming began playing, and spotlights started flashing all over.
As the music reached its climax, Dr. Alien skipped to the curtain, pulled it open to reveal the machine, and hummed along with the music.
“Ta-da! SD-189, the Super Invincible Girlification Machine!”
Dr. Alien raised his arms high, tossing colorful confetti and ribbons, while all the spotlights converged on the machine.
The emoji on Pixel Mask’s screen turned speechless.
“Just like the name says, and as you’ve seen before, this baby can turn animals, plants, even inorganic objects into beautiful girls.”
Dr. Alien spoke while climbing the ladder to the machine’s control panel and pressing a button.
The machine’s originally colorless beam turned pink.
Dr. Alien grinned wickedly.
“By the way, this baby also has a permanent girlification beam. Once hit, you’ll turn into a beautiful girl forever! And never turn back! Ever!”
“Mwahahahahahaha……”
Dr. Alien cackled while aiming the scope at the trapped Pixel Mask. His intent was clear.
“Farewell, hateful pixel screen head. And welcome, my new adorable girlified nemesis!” Dr. Alien pressed the machine’s fire button. A pink beam shot toward Pixel Mask.
Seeing this beam that threatened his manhood, Pixel Mask felt a chill below and his emoji turned panicked.
Σ(ŎдŎ)
Ignoring the risk of revealing his secret power, he vanished from the trap and reappeared midair.
The pink beam struck the pile of girls, instantly reverting them to paper boxes and tin cans, which clattered to the floor.
Dr. Alien angrily pointed at the pile: “Can’t you just stay still and let me shoot? Now they’ve turned back and can never become beautiful girls again.”
He admitted he wasn’t good at aiming, so couldn’t this guy cooperate just a little?
Just stand still or something.
And what’s so hard about becoming a beautiful girl anyway? It’s not like turning into a monster.
“Wait.”
Seeing Pixel Mask floating midair, Dr. Alien paused.
That guy didn’t use flight or teleportation when he barged in today.
“I calculated it—you couldn’t use your dice in that pleasure trap to change your ability unless…”
He pulled out his phone and quickly typed a message.
“D-City’s ace hero harassed women while delivering justice. I’m posting this online!”
Dr. Alien pointed at the floating Pixel Mask.
Hearing such slander, Pixel Mask instantly flashed in front of Dr. Alien, trying to snatch his phone.
But the moment he grabbed Dr. Alien’s wrist, he saw the villain’s triumphant smile.
The emoji on Pixel Mask’s screen turned gloomy.
He’d been tricked.
Sure enough, a second later, Dr. Alien slammed the beam’s fire button.
He had aimed right in front of him in advance, waiting for Pixel Mask to walk into the trap.
The pink beam shot toward Pixel Mask.
“Hahaha! Pixel Mask, you failed for one reason only: you care too much about your ima—”
But Dr. Alien seemed to forget that Pixel Mask still had hold of his wrist.
So before he could finish, he was hurled by Pixel Mask into the path of the beam, taking the full hit and smashing the emitter in the process.
“Ow, ow, ow…”
Dr. Alien climbed off the floor, rubbing the sore spot and glaring at Pixel Mask.
The unusual viewing angle made her feel something was off.
When did that guy get so tall?
He used to be just half a head taller than her.
Now he seemed at least a whole head taller.
The emoji on Pixel Mask’s screen flickered between shock and mockery.
Her clothes felt strangely loose.
“Annoying.”
She covered her face, roughly guessing what had happened.
Then she felt her collar grabbed, and she was lifted into the air.
She moved her hand aside and saw Pixel Mask holding her by the collar, bringing her face close to his.
The emoji on his screen turned into a sinister smile.
Exactly like the one she wore when she aimed the beam at him earlier.
Dr. Alien forced an awkward smile and tried to talk her way out.
“Uh… even though it wasn’t intentional, I’m a girl now, right? As a man, shouldn’t you show a bit of gentlemanliness…”
Before she could finish, Pixel Mask grabbed her by the collar and slammed her head-first into today’s evil marvelous invention.
Then, he jumped off the machine and walked toward the lab’s front door.
“Well… at least he didn’t beat me up and throw me into the ceiling like before.”
Dr. Alien, face planted into the machine, shrugged.
Once Pixel Mask’s footsteps faded, she bent down on all fours and forcefully pulled her head out.
Looking at the mess around her, she sighed.
The crackling sparks and familiar noise around her clearly warned of one thing—This place was about to explode.
Just a few steps after Pixel Mask exited the lab, a mushroom cloud slowly rose from the center of the facility.
“I hate you!! Damn Pixel Mask!!!”