Watching the young man dash towards the entrance of Sunshine Tower, Coarmy stood in the wind, irritated. “At least let me finish speaking, you little brat!”
Clenching his teeth, he handed the megaphone to the nearby officer and, disregarding the protests, began to jog after him.
“Luca, they went to the twenty-first floor, don’t go to the wrong place!” Coarmy called out from behind.
Luca didn’t look back, giving a quick gesture to show he understood, and entered Sunshine Tower without hesitation.
As he passed through the revolving doors, what met his eyes was a pitch-black lobby.
The large lobby was eerily empty, and the only thing visible was the faint green light of emergency exit signs.
What surprised Luca was that he didn’t feel any trace of Demonic energy here.
Wasn’t there supposed to be something big around here? If there was a monster, with his Perception, there was no way he wouldn’t sense it from this close range…
“Hey! Wait for me!” Just as he was puzzling over this, Coarmy, panting heavily, finally caught up.
“What are you doing here?” Luca asked, slightly surprised. Given this guy’s abilities, if he encountered any monster inside, he’d probably be the first to fall.
And then, not only would the people inside be in danger, but he’d be at risk of losing his own life.
Out of breath, Coarmy grinned. “If something happens to you all, what use is it for me to be out here alone? Might as well come and help.”
Although Luca knew Coarmy had a point, he instinctively retorted, “Honestly, you not coming is the biggest help you could offer me.”
Coarmy instantly became furious. “No matter what, I worked my way up from the frontlines! Even Darabont has to call me ‘sir’ when he sees me! How dare you underestimate me, you little brat! Next time I see your father, I’m going to make sure he teaches you a lesson!”
“Yeah, yeah, Director, just don’t come crying to me for help later,” Luca muttered as he rolled his eyes and walked towards the stairwell, thinking to himself, “Old men are just too sensitive.”
The power supply to Sunshine Tower had been damaged.
The elevator was out of service, so they had no choice but to take the stairs.
Once Coarmy had calmed down and looked at the dark stairwell, he instinctively swallowed.
A twinge of regret suddenly struck him.
Damn it, I should’ve just waited outside.
After all, Kanade and the others were on the twenty-first floor!
For Luca and the others, this height was nothing, but for his old bones, it felt like peeling off a layer of skin.
But now that he was here, if he turned back so pathetically, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?
As Luca took a step up the stairs, Coarmy gritted his teeth and followed him.
Sunshine Tower had originally been a luxury hotel, but after its business collapsed, it was taken over and transformed into a mixed-use building, combining office spaces with residential units.
The building housed both regular residents and commercial studios, but since everyone had been safely evacuated, they didn’t encounter anyone during their ascent.
Not knowing what dangers might lurk inside the building, their pace wasn’t fast.
Taking advantage of the time, Luca asked Coarmy to fill him in on the details of the Transcendent incident, and soon, he had a rough understanding of the situation.
To put it simply, someone had called the police, claiming to have seen a terrifying monster on the twenty-first floor of Sunshine Tower.
The monster killed anyone it encountered, even wiping out everyone on the twenty-first floor before the caller lost contact.
The incident was reported to Morning Star, and due to the large number of residents in the building, the case was immediately classified as a high-priority emergency.
Yelling’s team was the first to respond, but not long after, all contact with them was lost.
When it happened, Coarmy immediately realized they were in serious trouble. Although Yelling’s Morning Star team wasn’t as extreme as Kanade’s, they were still an elite group selected through multiple layers of screening. Many of the members were former soldiers with qualities far beyond the average person.
But despite their elite status, this highly trained team and the surrounding police had all vanished without a trace. Not even a distress signal was sent out.
The case’s severity was immediately upgraded to S-tier, and Coarmy had contacted Kanade and Donlow.
Then, he received a message from Melania.
Luca glanced back at Coarmy, who was trailing behind him.
Luca knew that the reason the old man had followed him was probably because he blamed himself for the disappearance of the others. Old men were always too prideful.
The sound of their footsteps echoed through the empty hallway, the heavy thud of their steps accompanied by Coarmy’s labored breathing.
They were getting closer and closer to the second floor.
8… 3… 5…
Luca silently counted, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He could already smell the stench of blood.
And as they got closer to the second floor, the odor grew stronger, bringing with it a flood of memories from his past life on the extraterritorial battlefield—the mountains of corpses, the sea of blood.
So many had died there.
Luca tightened his grip on the hilt of his Starseeker sword and glanced upward at the darkened stairwell. A strange purple hue flickered in his eyes.
Unfortunately, his Eye of Insight revealed nothing.
There was still no Demonic energy. What exactly was up there…?
Luca furrowed his brows, delving into his memory.
Monsters came in all shapes and sizes, with countless abilities, and there were many that could conceal their own presence. But those that could evade his eyes at this stage were few and far between.
After thinking for a long time without any clue, Luca finally grew tired of pondering.
Anyway, he would find out once he went up there.
By now, they had reached the eighth floor, just three floors away from the second floor.
“Director, you stay here, I’ll—” Luca turned around to give Coarmy some instructions, but his words were cut short.
The hallway behind him was pitch dark.
Empty.
Coarmy, who had been following him just moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.
And to his shock, Luca hadn’t noticed his disappearance at all.
A fully grown man—just vanished under his nose!
Luca’s grip tightened on the hilt of Starseeker, veins bulging on his hand, his eyes flashing red.
What the hell was going on here?!
…
Meanwhile, at the Kaiser Grand Hotel in the city center.
A black Maybach slowly pulled up in front of the entrance. Two well-dressed attendants, holding umbrellas, respectfully approached and bowed, opening the car door.
A long, slender white leg extended from the car, the beige high heels touching the ground. Dressed in a blue evening gown, Yuel bent down slightly, holding her chest as she exited. Then, with a bright smile, she linked arms with Stormlook and stepped onto the red carpet, heading toward the banquet hall.
The magnificent hall was brightly lit, filled with the presence of many distinguished socialites, all dressed in luxurious gowns, exuding an air of elegance.
When Stormlook and his daughter arrived, many people greeted them with warm smiles.
“Mr. Stormlook, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
“This must be Miss Yuel, I heard you were just as beautiful as the rumors say.”
“Miss Yuel, your skin is amazing. I wonder what skincare products you use?”
“My daughter also attends Celephais High School, she often mentions you!”
…
In response to the compliments from the socialites, Yuel remained composed. Despite being the daughter of Celephais’ richest man, she didn’t let her status get to her head. Her manners were those of a true lady, and her bright smile made many young men unable to take their eyes off her.
After all, the social circle in Celephais was small, and everyone knew about Yuel’s breakup with Luler. If any of them could seize this opportunity and become her boyfriend, their future would be set!
In response to the intense gazes of the men around her, Yuel’s smile remained unchanged, though in her mind, she was considering whether she should call her senior when she got back to strengthen their bond.
She had long since outgrown the need for compliments from strangers to feed her vanity. In fact, she had become desensitized to it—after all, anyone who had grown up surrounded by constant flattery from others would likely feel the same way.
To cope with such boring social situations, she had even developed a skill of multitasking, able to handle others’ questions while thinking about her own matters at the same time.
Stormlook couldn’t help but sigh as he watched his daughter—polite on the outside but clearly distracted.
If only she could apply this level of focus to her studies, he thought to himself, he’d probably wake up laughing from his dreams.
At that moment, a stir rippled through the crowd in the hall, followed by a slight commotion. People parted to clear a path, as if some important figure was about to enter.
Father and daughter both turned toward the noise, and soon enough, they saw a group of strikingly handsome men and beautiful women walking toward them.
They were young, the oldest looking to be barely in their twenties, all dressed in custom-made clothes from renowned designers. Each one exuded a remarkable presence.
However, what stood out the most was their attitude. As they walked into the hall, chatting among themselves, they didn’t acknowledge anyone in the room, nor did they even spare a glance at the others.
Arrogant, impolite, and dismissive, it was as if everyone present was beneath them. Their eyes only paused when they spotted Stormlook and Yuel.
Stormlook, founder of Stormwind Group, had built one of the top three real estate companies in the Northern District by the age of fifty. A self-made man like him commanded respect, even from their elders. It was precisely because of his reputation that they were willing to attend the event.
Stormlook was the first to smile and speak. “You’ve all traveled far from the capital, so let’s consider this banquet a warm welcome. If there’s anything lacking in the reception, I hope you’ll forgive us.”
Yuel also smiled, though inwardly, she wasn’t particularly impressed by these wealthy young heirs from the capital. At the end of the day, they were just a bunch of second-generation rich kids riding on the coattails of their ancestors. Without the power behind them, they were nothing but ordinary people.
Of course, she was no different from them in that regard. Which is why she intended to find a man who was as powerful as her father—or even more powerful.
At the forefront of the group of heirs from the capital was a handsome young man. Upon hearing Stormlook’s words, he chuckled lightly and said, “Mr. Stormlook, you’re too kind. Our family’s patriarch often uses your entrepreneurial journey to teach us.”
“If Mr. Stormlook ever visits the capital, please do come by the James Family. Our elder would be absolutely delighted.”