Meanwhile, back in the megacity, Yuuto and Lady Aiko walked side by side through a long, dimly lit passageway. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
The sound of their footsteps echoed softly off the walls, the only noise in the otherwise silent space.
Lady Aiko’s hair swayed gently as she moved, the faint rustle of the fabric against her guild uniform adding a soft counterpoint to the steady thud of Yuuto’s boots.
Yuuto walked calmly, his eyes focused straight ahead. Lady Aiko, graceful as ever, matched his pace. With the calm look on her face, one wouldn’t know a sea of questions raged in her mind.
As they continued down the seemingly endless hallway, Lady Aiko finally broke the silence. Her voice was soft but carried a touch of curiosity.
“Master Yuuto, do you have any idea why the Union Branch Director has called us for this meeting? It seems rather sudden.”
Yuuto glanced at her briefly before returning his gaze forward. His brow furrowed slightly as he considered her question.
“I have my suspicions.”
“It must be related to the random serial murders that have been occurring lately. The patterns, the frequency—there’s something more to it. For the Director to call us in means things have escalated, possibly to a point where our involvement is necessary. And you’re right, we’re certainly not the only ones invited.”
Lady Aiko nodded thoughtfully, her brow slightly furrowed. “If that’s the case, then the situation must be dire indeed. The murders have been… unsettling, to say the least.”
Yuuto’s expression hardened, with a strange touch of familiarity. “They’ve been more than unsettling, Aiko. They’re deliberate, calculated. Whoever is behind them has a specific purpose, and it’s up to us to uncover it before more lives are lost.”
His words seemed normal considering the current scenario, but Aiko couldn’t help but feel there was more to it. Still, she decided not to say much and simply replied, “Yes, you’re right, Master.”
…
After walking for a while, they finally passed through a massive black door with complex engravings, already open. What awaited them was a large hall, a massive space with no windows, illuminated only by blue holographic screens floating in the air, as well as a massive holographic replica of the city.
In the center of the room, a massive black table dominated the space, elevated by a set of stairs, with several black chairs arranged around it.
“What took you so long, old man? It isn’t exactly like you to keep the rest of us waiting like this,” a female voice boomed across the massive hall, sounding somewhat irritated.
Yuuto turned his head towards the source, and his gaze landed on Anya, the berserker guild master, her arms folded as she leaned back in her chair, a look of impatience clearly on her face.
Around the table were the other guild representatives, all gathered at the request of the Branch Director, Aethel.
“Now now, youngster, weren’t you taught to respect your elders? Where are your manners?” Yuuto said in a playful tone as he approached one of the available seats, pulling it back and settling in.
“I’m glad you could make it, Sir Yuuto. We’ve been expecting you,” Aethel’s voice boomed. He stood at the far end of the table, behind him a massive blue holographic screen could be seen. He bowed his head, a show of respect to the old and wise Yuuto.
“Thank you, Aethel. You may rise. At least one of the youngsters here has some manners left in them,” Yuuto said, gazing intensely at the other guild representatives, especially Anya.
“Ugh, enough of the salutations already. Let’s get this over with.”
Boom!
Anya slammed her hands on the table, fingers balled into fists, anger practically radiating off her body in a visible red aura.
“Do you know how frustrated I felt when you told us all to gather here right before we could go out to the wastelands?”
“I was planning to win this year, like I always do.”
“But if you keep up with all this pointless chatter, the other guilds will start to have hope,” she said, her tone sharp and dangerous, as she glared at Aethel.
“Calm down, Miss Anya. The event will still go on for at least four more days; there is no need to be in such a hurry. This meeting will only take at most fifty minutes,” Aethel said, wanting to calm Anya down before she took things further.
“Whenever you talk like this, you make it seem like the rest of us don’t stand a chance at all,” Cheng said with a touch of anger as well.
Anya settled back into her seat as she asked, “Oh please, did you think this year would be any differen—”
“Please, now is not the time to argue amongst ourselves. We have a very important matter to address.” Aethel’s voice boomed, sharper this time, silencing both of them.
“Tsk.” Cheng sighed in a touch of annoyance, and both of them then fell silent.
Aethel observed the room, ensuring that the tension had subsided before continuing. His gaze lingered on each of the guild representatives seated around the massive black table. Though the atmosphere was calmer, the rivalry between them was still present.
Yuuto leaned back in his chair, his silver eyes reflecting the blue light from the holographic screens. He remained silent, waiting for Aethel to get to the point.
The Union Branch Director cleared his throat and began, “Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I know that time is of the essence, especially with the Wasteland Display Event underway. However, the matter at hand requires our immediate attention. As some of you may be aware, there have been a series of brutal murders in the megacity recently. These killings seem to be random acts of violence with no clear cause or motive, or at least until today.”
A holographic image materialized above the table, displaying a map of the megacity marked with several red dots. “Each of these points marks the location of a murder. As you can see, the pattern is anything but random. The victims have been indeed randomly chosen, but the killings have been carried out with a level of skill that suggests a high level of planning.”
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