155 Into the belly of the beast (I)
Simon continued his days as expected, not giving any thought to his cultivation. Meanwhile, his bodyguard did what he was supposed to do, training and waiting for his master’s command.
Only two days after their arrival, Simon finally received further instructions and how he and his bodyguard should proceed. The duo gathered in the lobby, and both wore strange helmets that seemed to hide their identities.
Simon might not be that smartest, but he knew that the meeting would involve not just the mysterious organization but also others like him that were working for it.
The mysterious organization was extremely powerful, and Simon knew he had already sold their soul to them. Still, he did not want others to know his identity since that could prove dangerous. After all, if his family were to find out about his betrayal, they would kill him on the spot.
Simon and Loras got into the elevator as instructed, but before they could touch one of the buttons, it began to move on its own and dashed down with a speed that even a Level 4 Wave Warrior would find shocking.
It stopped after a few seconds, but Simon was sure they were hundreds of meters underground. Even with the current technological advancements of the Godslayer Humankind, building an underground city was a logistical nightmare, so Simon did not expect much.
However, a sense of absolute shock assaulted Simon once the elevator doors opened. As the son of a Count, he had seen a lot throughout his life, but that sight was incredible.
It was a city, not any smaller than the one owned and controlled by the Samar Family. Despite being deep underground, natural light came from the ceiling, and the buildings were hundreds of meters tall.
The one thing in which this city could be considered different from those above ground was that it had very few people living in it. That made sense, considering that this place belonged to the mysterious organization, and there was no way they would just let anyone live in it.
.....
“My father is a Peak Wave Champion, and my great-grandfather became a Major in the Imperial Military Force thanks to his impressive feats against the Dark Races. It took all their effort, blood, and wealth to build our home, yet the mysterious organization did something even more impressive.”
Simon clenched his fist as excitement began to run through his veins.
“I am sure this is just one of the many underground cities they have across the empire, and their hands might even reach all the way to the capital!”
The idea of working for such a powerful organization made Simon’s body tremble. He was sure that with their help, he could become the next Family Head of the Samar Family!
The sound of doors opening, not too far away from him, woke Simon of his thoughts of grandeur, and he saw a couple coming from another elevator.
It was a man and a woman, but both wore Cloaking Helmets, hiding their true appearance. Still, it was not enough to cover the woman’s impressive figure.
Simon could not stop looking at the woman, and his helmet did not hide the lust emerging from his entire body.
The woman noticed it but only sneered before walking away with her guard, not paying any more attention to Simon.
‘That bitch.’
Simon grew furious as he saw the way that woman treated him. He had such a twisted mentality that he thought the woman should be grateful for his lust.
Although the scion would have wanted to teach the woman a lesson, he did not dare to break the rules of this place. Small criminal groups might be unorganized and act like savages. Nevertheless, any underground organization that managed to prosper to this level must have regulations, and they would enforce them with even more brutality than the empire itself.
“Let’s go.” Simon suppressed his wrath and spoke to Loras as the duo advanced to their final destination, a large building at the center of the underground city.
They came across many people on their way, but none interacted with the duo. There was no fear in the citizens, but they kept away from anyone new.
Simon attempted to remain calm, but the closer he got to the large building in the center, the more nervous he got. He had no idea what would happen next, and although the mysterious organization had provided him with many lucky chances, things could go south very fast.
The path toward the building was long, and Simon could not take any vehicle toward it, having to walk. Anyone smart enough would have figured out that it was done intentionally by the mysterious organization since they could instill a sense of might in the people that came to this place.
After almost an hour of walking, Simon and Loras finally reached the building, and it was even more impressive when they were right in front of it. The entire structure was built with what seemed like an obsidian metal, and special surveillance systems monitored every corner of it.
Simon took a deep breath as he walked across the gates into the building. The interior was just as amazing as the outside, and when he entered, a young blonde woman with a large smile walked toward him.
“Welcome. It is a pleasure to meet you, Young Lord. If you follow me, I will escort you to the tenth floor, where the meeting will soon occur.”
Simon was taken aback by the woman’s beauty and charm, and his body and mind instantly relaxed as they heard her voice. Once again, the mysterious organization’s schemes fooled the scion, and he did not realize the woman’s effect on him was due to a technique.
There was not much practical gain for the mysterious organization with this type of trick since Simon was already completely under its grasp. The reason was to test the scion’s mental fortitude and adjust their assessment of him.
Simon did not even think of asking her name and was about to nod when his eyes lost focus for a second. It was very fast, and no one noticed it since he was wearing a helmet, but after it happened, an urge affected his mind.
“Before that, could you please guide me to the nearest bathroom?”
The blonde woman was a little surprised by that request, but while it was odd to ask something like that at this point, there was nothing wrong with it.
“Sure. The man’s bathroom is located on the hall to your left.”
Simon nodded toward the woman and glanced at Loras before both went toward the bathroom.
The blonde woman’s eyes narrowed as he saw the duo vanishing into the bathroom. The next second, a virtual screen appeared in front of her, showing both Simon and Loras using the urinals.
There were several angles, so there was no way Simon and Loras could do anything inside the bathroom without her noticing it.
She did not find anything suspicious in Simon and Loras’ behavior, but even so, she did not let the duo out of her sight. That level of dedication and responsibility was something the mysterious organization honed in the woman’s personality since birth.
If that was the indoctrination they employed even in their lowest members, one could only imagine what those at the higher ranks went through.
The woman saw Simon and Loras leave the bathroom, and she shut down the virtual screen when they were back in her sight.
“Sorry for the delay.”
“No problem at all, Young Lord. Please follow me.” The blonde woman kept smiling at Simon as she guided the duo toward a teleportation matrix.
Simon was surprised when he saw the transportation method used in this building. Not even the home of his family had teleportation matrices.
When it came to efficiency, they were not much better than a simple elevator, but they provided incredible security. You could shut it down, stopping invaders from going to the upper floors, or do it once they were already there, trapping them.
Creating a teleportation matrix, even the most basic, required expertise that even Grand Wave Crafters did not have. That just proved the level of wealth and power of the mysterious organization.
The blonde woman guided Simon and Loras toward the matrix and saw the duo vanish before going back to the entrance of the building.
Simon and Loras saw an intense flash before appearing in a massive black room. There were no windows or any other physical exit, and the only light source was shining spheres floating on top of them.
There were already dozens of people inside the room, and many were using Cloaking Helmets. The rest also covered their faces, but they did it with robes or other devices that could only trick the human eye.
Simon was curious about the people’s real identity, but soon all his focus concentrated on the old man at the head of the room.