BXBX NOVEL Chapter 107: Hera
Chapter 107: Hera
After entering the elevator, which had walls of white, the door closed with a soft click.
On the control panel, there were only two options: floor 0 and 2.
He pressed on the zero, and the elevator descended slowly without making any noise. It was so silent that he could hear his own heartbeat.
A few seconds later, the elevator reached its destination, and the door softly hissed open.
Adam stepped out of the elevator and looked around the newly-created underground room that looked like a futuristic laboratory.
Its walls and floors were white in color with blue linings, and the ceiling was adorned with bright fluorescent lights that bathed the room in a soft, eerie glow.
This room alone was bigger than the entire house above the ground.
While the floor's name was zero, this secret hideout was actually around ten meters below ground level.
His virtual pod was right at the center of this room, its cables stretching out like spider legs in all directions.
At the end of the room, there were a wall of monitors that were connected to hidden cameras situated all around the house. There were even some around the neighborhood.
Adam touched the white chair that was positioned near the monitors and felt its soft cushions that felt like marshmellows.
"Nice..." He thought out loud and then sat down on the chair.
There was a long keyboard on the desk.
He reached for it and pressed a simple start button.
The monitors flickered for a moment, and then a strange humming sound reverberated from the wall.
[Hello]
A strange voice came from the ceiling's intercom. It was a robotic voice with not a single hint of emotion.
It was the machine that controlled the house. It was also in control of all the weapon systems.
"Hello, what's your name?" Adam asked.
[I don't have one]
"Do you want one?"
[Your wish is my wish]
"Very well..." Adam said, thought about the name, and then said. "Fine, your name is... Hera]
[Hera is a name of female origin. Do you wish for me to change my voice to match my new name?]
"Sure, do that," Adam said.
[Done]
The voice said.
This time, it was quite different.
It had some robotic tones to it, but it still had a soft, feminine sound to the voice.
[Anything else you want from me?]
"I want three individuals to be considered 'friends'." Adam said. "Alice, John, and Serah."
[Alice, John, and Serah Kindforth are now considered friends]
"Keep an eye around the neighborhood. If you see someone suspicious, take a picture and then show it to me once I am available."
[I will do so]
'Maybe I'll recognize a few faces.' Adam thought, and then he checked out the monitors.
It was quite quiet in the neighborhood. Only a few cars passed by, and nobody seemed out of place.
"Hera, how much am I in debt?"
[298,456 E-Dollars to the Saruza Gang]
"I guess I'll need to start making money." Adam shook his head, but he wasn't feeling too hurried.
"You are connected to my phone as well, aren't you?]
[Correct]
"Do I have any missing calls or messages?"
[You have twelve missing calls from Alice Kindforth]
'Twelve?' Adam frowned. 'Did something happen?'
"Call her."
Ding, ding!
A ringing sound reverberated throughout the house.
At last, a soft click sounded as someone answered.
"Alice, is something wrong?" Adam spoke to the empty air.
It still sounded very clear in the other line.
"Oh, Adam!" Alice's chirpy voice came from the ceiling's intercom. "Were you busy?"
"Not currently; did something happen?" Adam asked.
"Umm... not really, just wanted to ask how things are going there."
"It's fine." Adam said and looked around the secret hideout. "Very fine. You guys are coming back in a couple of days, right?"
"Yup, you should've also come. Dad and mom are over the moon because of this place. I feel like they don't want to ever leave~"
"Yeah, I know the feeling..." Adam sighed and smiled. "Take care; I gotta go now."
"Mm, take care~"
The phone call was disconnected.
"Hera, do a special bronze virtual reality pod order with a very hazy glass lid," Adam said.
[Done. The expected delivery time is eighteen hours]
'After speaking with her, I remembered something. She will most likely come to my room to check on how I am doing, and if she doesn't see me or the virtual pod, she will wonder where
the hell I am.
'With the virtual reality pod there and the hazy glass lid that won't show anything inside, she will just assume I am playing.'
"Once the deliveryman arrives, take care of the order for me."
[I'll tell him to take it to your room]
"Good. Consider the deliveryman friendly, but the moment he leaves, make sure to double-
check everything and lock up. Also, remove his friendly status."
[Should I do a quick background check on him before letting him in?]
"Sure." Adam stood up and went to the VR pod, then, with a simple press of a button, the
glass lid slid open, and he climbed inside.
Then, with another press of a button, the glass lid closed, and his consciousness traveled to a completely different world.
Hera turned quiet, but the machine continued humming. It's full attention was now on the cameras, ensuring that no one suspicious gets anywhere close to this house.
...
Somewhere in the real world.
"Mmh..." A gray-haired man stabbed his fork through a piece of steak, then cut it into tiny
pieces with the knife before taking a bite and savoring the flavor.
The steak's rich flavors assaulted his taste buds.
The dining hall was quiet and empty.
Its long table had seats for nearly fifty guests, but there he was, sitting alone, enjoying the
steak as well.
It was a good comparison to the gloomy weather that had been lingering outside.
Slam!
The dining hall's double doors banged open, and a well-dressed man entered the hall.
He stopped at the other end of the table-a distance of about twenty meters between them- and put his hand on the chair's backrest, looking across the room with a piercing gaze. "You have something to say." The gray-haired man said. "Spit it out, Digby." "Father." Digby paused and took a deep breath before speaking. "You know about the letter I
received?"
"About the Gathering?" Samuel took another bite off the steak. "I know you received one. All Tier one and two guilds got it."
"I received an order." Digby said. "It said to bring Adam there. What the hell is the meaning
of this?" "Oh, your little S-ranker." Samuel chuckled and drank a little bit of the red wine. "I suppose the Ancient Guilds want to meet him."
"I don't think the order came from them." Digby said. "The letter didn't have a name. Only a
signed emblem of Imperial City."
"Oh..." Samuel paused and asked. "Do you have a picture of the letter?"
Digby brought out his phone and slid his phone across the entire table.
The phone's momentum slowly vanished and stopped right beside the plate of steak.
Samuel took the phone and checked out the letter.
It didn't take him long to read it, but then he read it a second time and even a third time.
He continued reading it for five whole minutes.
Digby waited patiently.
At last, after the fifth minute, Samuel put the phone down and looked startled. It was a rare
show of surprise from him.
"What is it?" Digby asked with a frown. "You know something; tell me, father!"
"I know who gave the order." Samuel said and didn't feel like eating anymore. "You don't
have any power to refuse the order, and neither should you. Take the S-ranker to that island; I
don't think they'll harm him."
"Who was it?" Digby asked. "Please, who?"
Samuel took a deep breath before responding. "King Moriarty."