Dangerous Repercussions...

After sitting for up to 30 minutes, Hael finally felt free as they arrived at a gargantuan gate, the top of which he couldn't see from where he was sitting.

The most mind-numbing part was when Captain Aelia suddenly zoomed toward the gate, which refused to open as Hael turned from her to the gate, then back to her, and back to the gate.

"Am I the only sane one in this room? We're going to crash into the gate, Captain Aelia!" Hael shouted, wanting to jump over her and swerve away, but his seatbelt held him in place. His eyes widened in horror as they drew closer to the gate.

They were less than 0.2 meters away from the gate.

"SHIT! My life is ending just as it began!" Hael screamed, placing his head between his laps and wrapping his hands around it, doing all he could to at least ensure he gets buried with a head still on him.

But ten seconds passed quickly, and the crash never came. Hael opened his eyes and looked outside, only to see they were now in a large parking area with hundreds of cars.

"What happened!?" he asked, surprised that he was still alive and relatively unharmed.

"That isn't a physical gate, dummy. It was made from high-frequency electromagnetic waves that scan cars to ensure they are certified by the governments of Sector H.

It just tricks your eyes to make it look like something real," Captain Aelia explained mockingly as she parked her car and switched off the engines.

"Of course, only a dummy like you would fall for it. What type of idiot has never seen an electromagnetic gate before..."

"Watch your attitude now, and keep your surprise in check. You've got an image to protect," Captain Aelia said extremely seriously as she untied her seatbelt and exited.

Hael exhaled loudly, closing his eyes for a moment before they snapped open, revealing a pair of indifferent eyes with a hint of pride.

He quickly untied the belt around his waist and moved his hands to the car door, opening it before Captain Aelia could do it for him. He had watched how she exited the car twice now and had finally grasped how to do it.

Out in the parking lot, they were close to thousands of cars in the compound, and at the far end was a gigantic skyscraper of close to 50 floors that made Hael tilt his head upward to see the top of it.

"This is the biggest structure I have ever seen..." Hael thought, but his expression remained indifferent and cold as he followed behind Captain Aelia.

After three minutes of walking, they arrived at the large revolving glass door of the skyscraper, revealing a massive hall with a high ceiling where hundreds of groups of people, adorned in the same golden and blue robes, interacted with smaller groups in regular clothes like them.

Not even 30 seconds had passed before a lady in golden and blue robes appeared from an opening in the hall. She had a golden badge with two stars on the front of her robe. When she saw Captain Aelia, her steps quickened, and the two ladies shared a deep hug.

"It's been almost three years, Aelia. It has been such a long time," the lady said as they slowly separated from the hug.

"I would say it's only been a few hours, Jessica. I made sure to call you on the phone, even though we don't see each other often. We're still pretty much in touch," Captain Aelia replied.

"Unremorseful as ever. Yep, this is the Aelia I know..." Jessica said, with a strangely satisfied expression. Her eyes finally noticed Hael standing behind her friend. She walked toward him, looking directly into his eyes.

This was Hael's first chance to clearly see her face, which was definitely above average in terms of attractiveness, with an oval shape and much whiter skin than most.

Her emerald green eyes scanned him up and down, and Hael felt a strange cool breeze on his body wherever her gaze landed. She shifted back, giving him half a meter of space.

"Is he the one? Your newest crew member?" Jessica asked, turning back to look at Aelia, who nodded.

"Yes," Captain Aelia replied curtly.

"Hmm, hi, I am Jessica Frankfurt, a second-grade cyber transfusion prodigy-grade surgeon. What's your name?" she asked, smiling warmly at Hael, which he preferred to Captain Aelia's attitude.

"I'm Hael. Hael Winterlock," Hael replied respectfully, and Jessica smiled.

"Well, Hael, you can rest assured about your cybernetic transplant. I'll give my best. However, we have been expecting your arrival for up to two hours. The transplant might be very time-consuming, so shall we begin right away?" she asked, and Hael nodded.

"Yes..."

"Good. This way, please," she instructed, leading Hael and Captain Aelia toward a strange door in the wall. As the door closed from a bottom press by Surgeon Jessica, the elevator quickly carried them upward.

---

In the elevator, Hael remained quiet as he listened to the hushed conversation between Captain Aelia and Jessica, a conversation he normally shouldn't have been able to hear but could due to his heightened perception.

"So, what do you say about the percentage of success with the prototype cybernetic transfusion?" Captain Aelia asked, her voice regaining seriousness, causing a slight change in the temperature of the small room.

"According to the reports you gave me about his prodigious bodily stats, the success rate with the prototype is less than 30%," Jessica replied.

"That's exceedingly low...." Captain Aelia retorted, her expression alarmed.

"But I promise to do my best, Aelia. At least, I can promise you he won't die from this," Jessica reassured, but Captain Aelia still looked worried.

"What are the other negative possibilities besides death?" Captain Aelia asked, clearly concerned.

"Cellular destruction of the basic organs of transplantation to devastating GP09 levels," Jessica replied.

"WHAT!!!?" Captain Aelia exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.