When the elevator doors opened, a staff member was already waiting for the group. "Please follow me," she said politely, giving a slight bow.
Adyr and the others followed her through a wide hallway. At the end, they entered a large room through a pair of double doors.
It was a spacious conference hall, with seats arranged in rows descending toward a central stage. The stage was still empty, but several people were already seated, quietly waiting for the presentation, chatting among themselves, or watching the new arrivals with interest.
As the group entered, many eyes naturally shifted to Adyr—and stayed on him. His appearance made it clear he wasn't from the same background as most of them, and that alone seemed to draw attention.
"Hey, over here," someone called out. Near the front row, a man with tied-back blond hair was waving at him.
It was Victor.
Adyr moved toward him without a word. As he walked past, the stares from the front row sharpened. No one even tried to hide it anymore.
This area was clearly reserved for higher-status players, and most of them looked less than pleased.
"I see you're still a trendsetter," Victor joked, grinning as he glanced at Adyr's uniform.
"I didn't know there was a dress code," Adyr replied with a small laugh.
The others nearby watched the two of them, clearly close friends. Many of them felt tempted to remind Adyr to mind his manners, but with Victor present, they chose to remain silent.
"Come on, take a seat. The show's about to start," Victor said as he sat down, gesturing to the empty seat beside him.
Adyr sat down and turned to his right, where a girl with purple hair was seated. She wore a simple black dress with a hint of gothic style. Despite its modest design, she looked like she carried the entire beauty of the hall on her shoulders. Her fair, flawless skin created a sharp contrast against the dark fabric.
"Hey, Selina," Adyr said.
She turned toward him as if just noticing, her eyes lighting up with a warm smile. "Adyr. What a nice surprise."
Victor leaned in and whispered into his ear, his voice low and amused. "Dude, when she found out I saved this seat for you, she made the guy on your other side get up just so she could sit next to you. You've really caught the attention of the right kind of trouble."
Adyr didn't respond. Instead, he simply pushed Victor's face away with his hand, just enough to reclaim his personal space.
At that moment, the bright lights in the conference hall dimmed, and the spotlight over the stage grew stronger. It was clear that the presentation was starting.
As a man stepped onto the stage, the last whispers in the room faded into silence. All eyes turned forward.
The only sound echoing through the hall was the steady rhythm of his footsteps as he approached the podium—a middle-aged man in a sharp suit, composed and charismatic.
His light brown eyes swept across the audience briefly. He adjusted the microphone, then began to speak in a deep, commanding voice.
"Good morning. Many of you may already know who I am, but for those who don't, allow me to introduce myself."
He paused, letting the weight of his presence settle. "My name is Henry Bates. I serve as the city's Minister of Defense."
No one in the hall reacted. There was no need. From the moment he stepped onto the stage, they all knew who he was. What surprised them wasn't his identity—it was that someone like him had come in person to address them directly.
"Understand this. While I speak here, the same address is being delivered across the other shelter cities by their own Defense Ministers. Each City Manager is listening from their respective city, including ours. Once this concludes, you'll have a chance to ask the questions on your mind.
Until then, hold them."
Henry paused—deliberately. He gave them a moment to grasp the weight of what was happening.
"You're here by choice, ready to join the city's new division. And I trust you understand—this is nothing like the STF. This is a new structure, built around a new generation. Third-generation mutants. And it won't just shape this city, but all twelve. The future starts here."
Adyr frowned. He'd already guessed how the speech would end.
Nothing…
And after thirty minutes of talking, that's exactly what Henry delivered.
More importantly, not a single word about the game's origin.
He touched briefly on its impact on genetics, mentioned mutation once or twice, but it was all vague. No depth. No answers.
Adyr couldn't tell if they were hiding something or if Victor was right—and even the top brass knew nothing.
He glanced at Victor. His eyes were closed, lightly dozing. That alone was enough to make him chuckle.
Selina wasn't much better. She kept her gaze forward, pretending to listen, but the disappointment in her eyes was hard to miss.
It was clear. Neither of them knew anything.
After Henry Bates delivered his final words, he stepped down from the stage without another glance. The room sat in silence until another man in a suit stepped forward and announced he would take questions.
The silence broke.
Voices rose from every part of the hall. These were educated, well-mannered people. At least on paper. But in this moment, none of them had the composure to hold back.
Questions came from every direction. Some were reasonable; others were not. Some could be answered; most couldn't. But the responses were always the same—vague, indirect, and uninformative.
As the minutes passed, the questions faded into quiet chatter. One by one, they realized the answers they were looking for wouldn't come. Their interest waned.
"If everyone's satisfied, we'll end the presentation and move on to the next step," the man said, as if joking.
No one laughed. No one responded. They just wanted it over with. They wanted to enter the game and find the truth on their own.
Seeing that no one had anything else to ask, the man continued. "You may now check your rooms on the 28th floor. Each room is assigned based on the number printed on your ID card. Inside, you'll find a wrist device that will replace your temporary ID. Once you enter the room, the system will register you and transfer your data to the band. From that point, you won't need the card anymore.
After registration, you may go up to the 29th floor to inspect the game pods. If you wish, you can begin testing immediately."
These were the final words everyone had been waiting for. Especially Adyr. He could finally do what he came here for.