Walking through the gloomy, tense corridor, Zach's face was crestfallen. The final words of his message from four days ago still lingered in everyone's mind. Moreover, if that message had been sent 520 years ago, there was a high probability that he had already escaped imprisonment.
While walking, his comm device suddenly emitted a reddish glow. Lifting it, Zach discovered a holographic message:
"Good morning, Zach Galior. We are from the IN Department, and we kindly request that you proceed to room 156 in the Head Department building. Thank you."
Zach stared at the message for a moment before snapping out of his thoughts upon seeing the room number. He had a nagging feeling that the room was familiar, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he followed the instructions, pondering as he walked.
Ten minutes later, he arrived at a large iron door displaying two words at the top:
"Head Department," Zach muttered.
Although the words meant little by themselves, reading them eased some of his dread. After placing his hand on the scanner for a few moments, the doors parted, revealing a spacious lobby adorned with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. At the center, a massive holographic representation of Earth spun at its usual pace.
Zach stared incredulously at the hologram. Ever since joining Ola Corp, he had never imagined he would enter its Head Department.
Chime!
The clock's chime snapped him out of his thoughts. When he checked the time, a surprised expression crossed his face.
"I've been standing here for 15 minutes like a weirdo," he thought.
The realization made him shiver. Although the area exuded gloom and tension, it still retained an air of sophistication. At that moment, several people were watching him with curious expressions. Embarrassed, he quickly moved away and continued toward his destination.
Ah, that was so embarrassing! His face flushed red at the memory of those odd looks. With each new corridor he entered, the number of people dwindled until the fourth corridor was empty.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
His footsteps echoed throughout the hall as he strode toward his destination. Finally, after a few moments, a door came into view. It featured a silver nameplate bearing the name "Lincoln Loud."
Once again, that familiar feeling returned as Zach stared at the door. After a minute spent trying to recall the source of this familiarity, he concluded it must belong to a friend and stepped forward. As he placed his hand on the doorknob, a creaking sound caused him to pause. After a moment, he opened the door to find a stark contrast to the corridor behind him.
A single chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling. Bookshelves lined the left wall and another adorned the right. At the front stood a long desk, flanked on both sides. Seated there was a young man with white hair and black eyes.
"Hello, you must be Zach Galior. Please, take a seat," the young man said, gesturing to the chair in front of him with a small smile.
Zach continued to stare, the words barely registering in his ears. The young man didn't try to rouse him from his reverie, instead focusing on a piece of paper spread out before him. As Zach's eyes adjusted, he immediately recognized the young man as Lincoln Loud—the Deputy Chief of the IN Department and one of the commanders of the European army during the First Phase.
Suddenly, a faint laugh echoed in the room, snapping Zach out of his thoughts.
"Judging by your expression, it seems you finally realized who I am," Lincoln said with a faint smile. As his words sank in, Zach's face turned horrified.
"Please forgive me, Lincoln, sir," he said, bowing his head as cold sweat broke out. He had kept the Deputy Chief waiting!
Lincoln couldn't help but smile at his reaction. It had been a long time since he had seen someone react so strongly—even in such a gloomy, tense atmosphere.
"Relax, you did nothing wrong," Lincoln said calmly as he leaned back in his chair. Zach shakily raised his head and looked at him. Slowly, he calmed himself by taking deep breaths and straightening his posture.
Once certain that Zach had composed himself, Lincoln sat upright and began to introduce himself.
"I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Lincoln Loud, Deputy Chief of the IN Department at Ola Corp and commander of the European army during the First Phase."
After the introduction, Zach saluted.
"My name is Zach Galior, field officer of the Intelligence Department. It is an honor to meet you, sir."
Lincoln let out a soft chuckle before asking, "Tell me, what do you think is the reason you were called here, Zach?"
Hesitating for a moment, Zach replied, "Since I didn't know it was you, Deputy Chief, who called me, I assumed that some... old geezer wanted someone to talk to—considering I was known as the most talkative person." After finishing, he nervously looked at Lincoln, who then burst into laughter.
Lincoln's laughter echoed throughout the room as tears welled in his eyes. After several moments of continuous mirth, he finally composed himself, though a soft chuckle lingered for another minute.
"I guess you truly deserve the title 'The Most Talkative/Funniest Person in Ola Corp.' Oh, I haven't had a good laugh like that in centuries!"
Hearing his comment, Zach's face flushed with embarrassment.
"Wait, what?" he thought.
"Anyway, let's get back to the matter at hand. I called you here not for conversation, but to assign you a mission," Lincoln said, opening his drawer and retrieving a stack of papers.
Zach raised an eyebrow in confusion. Typically, missions were assigned only when something—or someone—was restricting the person who issued them. Moreover, Lincoln had no such constraints; even Auto had failed to stop him from gathering information about his generals and his latest experiment. Zach paused, contemplating what might be holding Lincoln back, when a thought suddenly occurred.
"Could it be that you and the commanders are meeting?" he asked hesitantly.
Lincoln smiled and nodded. Zach looked at him in shock; it was widely known that the commanders met only when something urgent arose—and since the founding of Ola Corp, they had met only once before, during the First Phase.
"I won't elaborate further, but I want you, Zach, to undertake this mission, as you are one of the most competent field officers in the IN Department. However, the decision to accept the mission is yours," Lincoln said, his expression serious and underscoring the gravity of the assignment. Even during the First Phase, the commanders rarely showed such solemnity, and now, seeing Lincoln so serious, Zach felt fear—an emotion he hadn't experienced in a millennium.
Glancing at the stack of papers before him, Lincoln flicked his arm, sending them flying toward Zach. As he caught them, Zach noticed a title boldly printed at the top:
"Mission: Gather Information about the New Earth."