Chapter 4

August 2024, Utopia

Although it's still early for normal people, it wasn't for them. Each was wearing their corresponding uniform, representing their ranks and waiting for someone. At the center of a big room stood a long square desk with a thick surface and many chairs with the same design, except for two.

On one of them sat a man with blonde hair tied in a braid. Inside this room, he was the only one sitting in a lazy and relaxed manner. He stared at the table in front of him with hazel eyes. Suddenly, his gaze shifts to the seat which has the same appearance as his.

At that seat appeared a man wearing the only uniform designed for Panthoria's head general. Everyone apart from the blonde men gets up from their seats and gestures a salute to the man. The man didn't seem to mind the blonde man's behavior and just nodded, making all of the men sit back down.

Blonde man's lips curl into a smirk. He looks at the man and says, "You are late."

Gazing at the blonde, the man frowned. Though he wanted to reply to him, he had already given up after knowing him for twelve years. He sighs and tells the blonde man, "The meeting was supposed to be at six, Luca?"

Luca started to chuckle and said with a grin, "No need to thank me, Ryker."

Ryker's gaze turns into a very cold, serious one, making all the men expect Luca to shiver in fear. Luca folds his arms and starts to reason, "What if someone comes late?"

Ryker shook his head and turned it to look at the people in the room. They are all wearing their uniforms from their respective departments. There were many unfamiliar faces. All the people in this room are the ones chosen to go on a mission with him this time.

The blue surface of the desk started to lit up, revealing a hologram.

The whole room was so quiet that they could hear the sound of their own breath. Ryker broke the silence and started to tell them, "I think you all already know that two weeks ago, Nairy's military broke into our secret base, kidnapped our scientists, a group of creators that created 'Pure Nightmare'. Their current project is top-secret so I won't be talking about it. But what I can tell you is our mission, to bring them back safely."

Some men nodded to his words.

Ryker continued, " According to our scouts, the building, shown here as a hologram, is the one being used to keep them. We do not know where they are kept in here and I know lots of you are wondering why would I, 'Code-1' need help to get them out? It's simple, the building is built with a system that can detect amperes, it will explode if too much electricity was detected from a person, in another word, it's built specially to counter my power, warning us that our scientists will die if I were to go for the rescue." After those words, Ryker's eyes went back to Luca.

"He will be the one in charge of you guys," he pointed at Luca who's still uninterested in the topic with a sinister smile.

Luca jumped up from his seat feeling shocked, he quickly asked "Why me?"

"Because you are the second in command?" Ryker replied. "And aren't you my best friend? I trust you that you won't fail this mission." he covered the lower part of his face in order to hide his chuckles. He regained his cold expression without letting others notice what he just did.

---

August 2024, Earth

Charlotte went into the lift carrying her white leather shoulder bag with her. Many women would be jealous if they saw this, it's the limited edition of a famous brand in China, it only sold three of them. She was wearing a white shirt and black pants as a bottom rather than a skirt to move around more comfortably. A black blazer, tucked in one of her arms.

The elevator door opened to an underground car parking. As she walked out, a black sleek car arrived in front of her. The car door opened itself for her to get in. It was done with the control button by her secretary.

Charlotte got inside and the secretary turned his head to the back seat to greet her, he told her with a smile, "Good morning again Miss." He started to drive after saying it. He saw his boss smile back at him from the rearview mirror.

The gentle kisses of nature upon supple flesh start as they get closer to their destination. Drops fall every minute, but not enough to say it's heavy. It was stopped as their car went down to the underground parking. Charlotte went out of the car straight to the elevator while secretary Hao followed her.

They soon arrived at a big black leather door trimmed with gray glossy metal. Near the door handle, there is a sign 'Push' on it. Before she could get the door open, she saw her secretary's hands, helping her to push open it. Charlotte nodded at secretary Hao to thank him and went into the room.

They entered a medium-sized meeting room, where there was a black long desk and chairs surrounding it at the center of the room. There were already around nine people inside the room, sitting on respective chairs assigned for them.

She went past them and sat on the one that is opposite to the projector screen, it was the most comfortable place if someone were to sit and look at it for hours. Her blazer was put on her thighs that were in a cross position and she placed her shoulder bag on the table in front of her.

At the right side of the room was a white small table with various devices on top of it. Towards the left side, where there were many chairs close to the wall, secretary Hao took a seat on one of them with a business smile to the ones that were already seated. Most of them are secretaries like him but he has to be careful not to offend anyone since some could still be a relative of one of the board directors.

It was already five minutes from being ten o'clock. There were now ten people sitting on the seats of the black table. Some were having some business talks with one another while some were just waiting quietly for the main person of the meeting to arrive.

Suddenly, both sides of the big leather door opened, one more time, revealing a tall man dressed in a gray suit. His hair is white as snow and the wrinkles on his face told that he was old and seemed to be in his eighties. He was using a black cane to support himself but he looks quite healthy.

Followed by a middle-aged man with black hair in a black suit, his secretary, and a young man well dressed in a navy-colored suit with brown hair styled to the left side. He's someone who she has never seen before.

'What are you schmeing again?' Charlotte thought in her mind seeing this scene.