Chapter 107: Meeting with Ayn

"Master Xander. Welcome back."

There existed a tall multi-story building. It was entirely covered with glass that was reflecting the bright sunlight all around. The building had over forty floors, making it very tall. 

Even though the building was tall, it was still nowhere close to the tallest building in Elisium. 

There existed a helipad on top of the building. A military helicopter was standing on the helipad. Its rotors were still swinging, highlighting the fact that it hadn't been long since the helicopter landed here.

A red-haired man had stepped out of the helicopter who was greeted by the guard who protected the lift entrance.

The man was none other than the leader of Delta Squad, Xander Blake. He had just returned to the Base of the APF. 

The team members that had left with him to Ikrego had also returned with him. They were sent there on a mission to protect the city against the dungeon dwellers that had occupied the city. 

Xander looked around but didn't find the other helicopters that were taken by his team.

"I don't see my team here. Are they not back yet?" he asked the guards. "Strange. What's taking them so long? They should have been back by now."

"Sorry, Sir. Only you have returned for now. Others are still out as far as I know," the guard answered to Xander, shaking his head.

"Alright. Thanks for the information," Xander said as he walked towards the lift. His team members followed after him.

There was a fingerprint sensor that was placed near the lift. Only the members of the APF could use their fingerprints to use the lift.

"Fingerprint accepted. Welcome, Sir Xander."

As the fingerprint matched, the system in the lift made an announcement before the door of the lift opened.

Xander and the others stepped inside.

Xander tapped two buttons. One was for the thirty-sixth floor while the other one was for the tenth floor.

The APF headquarters had a peculiar structure.

It had over forty floors. The first ten floors were assigned to the Delta Squad. The next ten floors were designated for the Beta Squad. Floor twenty-one to thirty-five were reserved for the Alpha Squad. Each squad was supposed to keep one floor separate from the floors that were assigned to them to hold prisoners that they caught.

The thirty-sixth floor was reserved for Delta Squad leader Xander. The next floor was for Beta Squad Leader, and the thirty-eighth floor was for Alpha Squad Leader Varant.

"They are carrying a heavy cage. That must be what's making them so slow. Their flying speed would obviously be affected with that much weight," A Delta Squad member claimed as he saw Xander looking concerned.

"Yeah. I was thinking the same thing," Xander acknowledged. It made sense that they were moving slower than he did.

The lift stopped on the thirty-sixth floor.

Xander stepped out of the lift. He turned back and observed the men inside the lift.

"Take a rest. You worked hard in battles," he said as he watched the lift door close.

He soon walked back to his office, where another fingerprint sensor was placed.

He placed his thumb on the sensor, which opened the door.

Xander stepped inside the room and walked around the table to sit on the chair.

"Sigh… finally, it is all over. Soon, Lucifer will be brought here. Then it would be another hard effort to bring him to the right place. I must bring him to our side and make him see the wrong he committed."

"If he joins the good side and fights with us, he can be another Varant in the future," he muttered as he tapped the wooden table before him with his fingers.

"Where did they reach, though?" 

He brought his phone out of his pocket to call Flourance to get another update.

He dialed the number and moved his thumb towards the call option; however, before his thumb could touch, the phone started ringing.

"Ayn? Her timing is just too bad," Xander thought as he smiled wryly. He accepted the call.

"Yeah, Ayn. Did you need something?" he asked right away.

In her office on the thirty-seventh floor, Ayn was looking at something inside her safe. 

"What do you mean? You came back, and you didn't even come to meet me? I wanted to ask you about the specifics of your mission," she answered to Xander as she rolled her eyes. "Hurry up. I will be leaving soon."

"Alright. I'll be right there."

Xander disconnected the call and left his office again to get to Ayn.

He was curious about what she needed, and this concern diverted his attention. He had forgotten about calling Flourance to ask him where he and the rest reached. 

...

"There it is," Ayn exclaimed as she found what she was looking for. It was a pendrive that was kept in the safe.

She brought out the Pendrive and closed the safe once again as she walked back to her chair.

After inserting the Pendrive into the laptop, she turned it on as she started waiting for Xander to arrive.

Knock!

She had just inserted the password of her laptop when she heard the knock on the door. 

"Come in."

The door of the room opened, and Xander barged inside. 

He walked straight to the chair that was placed on the other end of the table before Ayn.

Without asking for further permission, he sat on the chair. "You called for me."

"Yeah. It's about your mission related to Lucifer. The kid you were chasing after," Ayn answered.

"What about him? It is my mission. I don't believe Varant would take him from me now that I have captured him. If I put in some effort, I should be able to get my wishes. Other than that, I don't see any problem," Xander emphasized.

"It's not about him. It's about Lucifer in a different way. I have some information," Ayn claimed, sighing.

From her looks, it seemed as if the matter was grave.