Chapter 30
"...Anyway, this is the exchange student sent by headquarters."
In the branch hall, a group of people gathered around the table.
Six closed the document with the resume in his hand and introduced the blond man's identity to them.
What a headache... Six frowned secretly.
He actually didn't really want to recruit someone with unknown background into the branch, especially since the information showed that this person seemed to be backed by a big shot from the headquarters.
In this case, assigning him to their small branch seemed quite significant. Could it be that the president had made an enemy at the headquarters? ...I'll ask him later.
Six calmed down, composed his expression, and raised his head, then he found that the atmosphere at the table seemed a little strange.
"Hey, Huo Sen—right?" Gaudi said with a forced smile, "Welcome to our branch."
Huo Sen looked at Gaudi with a strange expression. If he remembered correctly, he was sent here because the other party asked for help. Why did it seem like he was quite hostile to him now?
However, Huo Sen was also very nervous now. He had something in his heart that he couldn't tell, so he was not in the mood to find out what was wrong with Gaudi.
"I haven't asked yet..." Huo Sen took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart. His gaze subconsciously focused on the quiet silver-eyed young man beside him. He instantly showed an uneasy look again. "You, uh, what's your name?"
The silver-eyed young man raised his eyes calmly and said lightly, "Lu Mi."
…………So similar.
No matter how you look at it, they look alike, and the more you look, the more alike they become!
Huo Sen will never forget the scene underground not long ago. The silver-blue light and shadow, and the power, are still vivid in his mind.
Even though the silver-eyed young man had calmly denied the identity he had revealed in a moment of excitement just now in front of the branch, but... could it be that he really had remembered it wrong?
Just as Huo Sen was sinking into self-doubt, there was a polite knock on the door and a man who looked extremely familiar to him walked in.
"Excuse me." A butler with an exceptionally handsome face walked in and put down the food tray in his hand.
After placing the black tea in front of Lu Mi, the butler distributed the remaining cups one by one.
The warm and mellow aroma of tea quickly filled the living room. After the last cup was placed down, the butler slowly put away the plates, bowed to everyone with ease, and then stepped aside to wait.
"Oh, Aronforth, you're just in time! I'm thirsty!" Donald, feeling sleepy, downed the drink in one gulp, exhaled comfortably, and gave a thumbs-up. "Since you came, our quality of life has really improved dramatically—and it's still as delicious as ever!"
When Donald put down his teacup contentedly, he saw the blond man's stunned expression.
"Is there any problem?" Donald scratched his head, thinking that this person was really weird. Not only had he been staring at Lu Mi since he entered the door, but now he looked like he had seen a ghost.
However, he didn't know how shocked and confused Huo Sen was at that moment!
There is no mistake. Although he has lost his horns and wings, this person is definitely one of the people who followed the gods at that time!
Huo Sen was finally completely sure that everything was not a coincidence. These were the two beings he saw underground. Perhaps the others were also here, but they had not yet shown up!
Suddenly, this small K8 score underwent a drastic change in Huo Sen's eyes.
This is not some remote, dilapidated little house; it is clearly the retreat of the gods.
Looking at Lu Mi's unusually calm expression, it now seemed to hold a deeper meaning. Even Donald, who had previously looked foolish in his eyes, now seemed inexplicably unfathomable... How could an ordinary person be so calm in the presence of a god?
Perhaps everything here was a disguise, just like the legends of gods deliberately transforming themselves into scavengers, turning magnificent palaces into shabby huts and gold into stone. Perhaps all this was not what he saw now, but merely a test or a malicious act of devotion from the gods.
Huo Sen, who felt that he had seen through the "truth", suddenly felt his mouth dry, but he didn't dare to touch the God-given tea on the table. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"You are very nervous." At this time, Lu Mi suddenly spoke, his tone was emotionless, and he seemed to glance at Aronfoss beside him.
Huo Sen shuddered as if in response to the pressure, wiped the sweat off his face awkwardly, and stammered, "No, I dare not..."
Lu Mi said nothing, but turned to look at the other document in Xikes's hand. "You seem to have something else to say."
"Yes." Xikes looked at Huo Sen's strange behavior in surprise, then nodded to Lu Mi. "Since he is an exchange student from our headquarters, he must fulfill the word 'exchange'."
"You mean, we have a chance to go to the headquarters...!" Donald was the first to jump up, his face flushed with excitement.
It's no wonder he was so excited. You have to know that the headquarters of the Extraordinary Guild is the place that almost all Extraordinary people dream of going to. There are more powerful peers, more advanced superpowers, and more advanced equipment and technology...
For many extraordinary people who aim higher and farther, stepping onto the stage of the headquarters is the real beginning of their magnificent life.
Even if he fails to stay in the headquarters to work, this experience is enough to enlighten himself, and he will be sought after by major branches after being sent back to the local area.
However, Six had to pour cold water on the other party, "Unfortunately, the higher-ups specifically asked for new members this time, and the only one in our branch who meets the requirements is Lu Mi."
"How could this be--!" Donald slammed his hand on the table, beating his chest and stamping his feet, groaning in frustration.
Xikes shook his head speechlessly, then said to Lu Mi, "This exchange will last for half a month. In theory, it's an exchange and review between our headquarters and outstanding local talents. However, if you perform well this time, there's a chance you could stay at our headquarters and develop your career."
Six paused, as if hoping to see excitement on the silver-eyed young man's face. However, his expectation was ultimately dashed. The young man's expression remained unchanged, and he only raised his eyebrows in slight surprise.
Lu Mi: "Isn't it just our branch that's participating in this exchange?"
Six replied helplessly, "Of course, there are two other branches in the K Star District that have each received a quota. As for particularly prosperous places like the A Star District, the C Star District, and the D Star District... there are countless talented people, and there will be even more quotas. You may meet them in the future..."
Speaking of this, Six couldn't help but reveal a trace of worry. Those people might not be easy to get along with.
Just as Six was worried about his child being taken away from home and being at a disadvantage, Lu Mi tilted his head and stood up. "I understand. I'll think about it."
After saying that, the silver-eyed young man left the table and seemed to be planning to go back to the archives to work.
Donald, who had buried his head in the table, stretched his legs, raised his head, and said in disbelief: "...He said, consider it?"
Xikes nodded solemnly, "Well, I'll consider it."
Donald: But... So cool!! When will he ever be this calm?
…
Shortly after the meeting, Hosen finally broke away from the enthusiastic Donald and the slightly wary Hicks and hurriedly knocked on Gaudi's door.
He now urgently needs to know what is going on here.
However, when the door opened, he was greeted by a scene resembling a three-person trial. His long-cherished accomplice, Gaudi, was standing at the center, beside the silver-eyed young man, serving tea and water.
Seeing him appear, Gaudi gave him a dissatisfied look, "Why did you come just now? You made the adults wait for a long time."
Huo Sen: I don’t know why…it’s not surprising at all!
If all this is really as he thought, if the young man's identity is true, then Gaudi's "betrayal" is really unexpected, even he himself is now...!
Huo Sen glared at Gaudi, took a deep breath, and slowly walked up to the silver-eyed young man.
"I think you already know everything." Lu Mi looked at the blond man in front of him calmly, "Then there's no need to hide it anymore."
"I'm asking directly, on whose orders did you come here?" The young man with silver eyes looked down at him condescendingly, his eyes seemingly devoid of any emotion.
This scene brought Huo Sen back to that day, and he recalled the shock he felt when he first saw the other person.
“…”
His heartbeat quickened. After a few seconds of silence, Huo Sen lowered his head and said, "Yes—" as if squeezed out from between his teeth, "…It's the [Golden Clock]."
Golden clock?
Lu Mi didn't expect to hear this answer.
He was not unfamiliar with this name, or rather, almost all extraordinary people were familiar with this force.
In the archives, it was recorded as if it were common knowledge—
The current headquarters of the Extraordinary Guild, with the president at the highest position, manages all the Extraordinary branches in the world together with the auxiliary groups under it.
Under the President, there are three successor candidates. If nothing unexpected happens, the next President will be chosen from among these three.
These three people each have their own areas of management and trusted forces, and one of them commands a special operations force called "Golden Clock".
"Are you a member of the Golden Clock?"
"No," Huo Sen hurriedly replied to Lu Mi's question. "I was just assigned a mission by them. I'm just an informant who provides them with intelligence. When I'm not on a mission, I just operate as an ordinary intelligence dealer... Compared to me, Gaudi has a closer connection with them and has collaborated with them more often."
Lu Mi glanced at Gaudi, whose eyes were blank: Oh, that's okay, he has lost his memory.
In any case, judging from the current situation, the current actions of this Golden Clock - the mere attempt to overthrow the Blue Steel Empire - must make people vigilant.
Especially since its owner is a candidate for the next president, what exactly does he want to do?
If it was just an ordinary political struggle, Lu Mi would not be interested in getting involved, but he was afraid...
He calmed himself down a bit and slowly looked at the blond man, "It seems you have made a decision." Otherwise, he wouldn't have told him these things.
"Yes, I..." Huo Sen's face flushed slightly, and he didn't know whether it was shyness or excitement. His voice was slightly hoarse, "I have joined the Black Abyss Cult."
Lu Mi: “…”
Why didn’t you say this earlier?
…
"Ah..." Donald leaned on the table and sighed deeply, "It's the first day since Lu Mi left. I miss him!"
After talking with Huo Sen, Lu Mi finally decided to go to the headquarters of the Extraordinary Guild to take a look.
It can be said that this is worthy of being a unified recruitment organized by the headquarters. The member countries around the world have cooperated extremely well and even opened up a fast transportation channel specifically to serve these exchange personnel.
Now, even the aircraft in the most remote star regions were carrying personnel from all parties and rushing all the way to the headquarters of the Saint Vando Empire at double speed.
These specialized aircraft will stop at notified stations and pick up exchange students from the star regions they pass through along the way.
There were nearly thirty extraordinary people gathered on the aircraft that Lu Mi was riding.
However, no one was familiar with each other, and at most, groups of three or four from the same star region gathered together. Only a few quick-witted individuals had already made themselves familiar with most people and led the way in organizing exchanges and understanding among all parties.
An Bo was one of these talented individuals who could get along with everyone. He came from a top-ranked chapter, had considerable talent, and came from a well-known family.
At this moment, An Bo was sitting in his seat and suddenly asked someone he had just met, "From what I understand, the strongest person here should be the sixth-level extraordinary person from the C7 star area, right?"
"Isn't it." The man came closer and looked at the front of the aircraft from a distance. He was talking about a tall man who was surrounded by a group of people. "For a newcomer, this talent is outstanding even in the headquarters. I guess he will be noticed by someone in the headquarters..." His words were full of envy.
However, Anbo flicked the Lota card in his hand and frowned slightly.
...No, the key card plus the reversed white star indicates that he will meet an important noble person in his destiny on this trip, but that person is not the obvious person he has in mind at the moment.
"That guy is so weird..." At this moment, someone sitting in the front muttered quietly, "We're all so excited, and he actually has the mind to sleep in?"
Anbo's attention was suddenly drawn to these words, and he subconsciously looked towards the corner -
Sitting there was a young man who had boarded the aircraft earlier than any of them, which meant that he came from one of the extremely remote star regions at the front of the route.
More importantly, since he boarded the aircraft, he has been sleeping with a random reading material on his head, which has forced those who wanted to talk to him to give up.
An Bo looked at the cards in his hand, frowned at the young man who was taking a nap, and then fell into deep thought.
At this moment in the K8 branch, Donald was still guessing where Lu Mi would go for this internship.
"I wonder which department I'll be assigned to, the General Academy of Sciences? The General Medical Department?" Donald's eyes lit up. "Or the Assault Force?!"
"Neither." Six looked up from the pile of documents, adjusted his glasses, and said with an inaudible worry, "It's the most troubled place in the world, the place with the most accidents in recent years—"
"!" Donald seemed to realize something, his mouth suddenly froze, and he turned back slowly, "Could it be..."
On the other side, as the aircraft slowly stopped, Lu Mi finally woke up from his half-sleep.
It's not his fault. As long as he stays on this shaky means of transportation, whether it's a ship or an aircraft, he will want to sleep especially, and his sleep quality will be qualitatively improved.
The book on his face fell to the ground with a "clatter". Lu Mi felt a strong gaze falling on him, but he didn't care and turned to look out the window -
A huge and unprecedented building appeared outside the window.
The iron wall was so high that he had to look up specially to see the top.
Even more bizarre was the fact that the entire complex was suspended in mid-air by countless thick black chains, placed atop a thousand-foot cliff. Surrounding it were countless smaller, ferocious, demonic structures, forming an inverted pyramid.
Among the steep cliffs, you can vaguely see the elevator leading to the building running up and down, but it looks so small among the boundless high cliffs and mountain streams.
There were exclamations from all around, and these chosen ones from various branches seemed to be shocked by the impact of this rough and cold style.
At the same time, the hatch slowly opened, and an electronic sound came from the top -
"This voyage has reached its destination. The current time is 2277.8.26, 14:22, weather: sunny."
"Greetings to all the exchange transcendents from various star regions."
"—Welcome to the Great Prison of Tartarus."
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