Chapter 804: Unexpected Proposal [3]

I stepped outside and took a deep breath.

The mask rubbed against my face, but I didn’t bother adjusting it immediately. For a moment, I simply stood there, looking at the space in front of me.

"Stuck, I no longer am."

Air.

Oh, air.

It was the same old air, but it just felt different.

"It’s... like it’s kissing me."

I kissed it back.

"I don’t know how you did it, but I’ll be keeping a close watch on you."

My shoulders lowered a little.

Turning around, I found Investigator Hale standing a short distance behind me. He held several papers in his hand, which he extended towards me as I approached.

I took them with my good hand.

"We’ll be sending a doctor for a weekly checkup. The Guild will also be required to keep us informed of your condition."

"Right."

"And if anything changes, no matter how small, you’re to report it immediately."

I looked down at the papers.

There were quite a few conditions listed.

"If we decide that you need to be quarantined again, you’ll return immediately. That will happen regardless of which Guild is backing you."

I lifted my head.

"I understand."

"You’re being transferred... You haven’t been cleared. I want you to understand this point clearly."

"Yes, I understand that too."

His gaze remained on me for another moment.

I nodded again, just to make sure.

Thankfully, he seemed satisfied with that. Or at least, he had no choice but to be satisfied with that.

A black car approached shortly afterwards, slowing until it stopped in front of us. The driver stepped out and spoke briefly with investigator Hale before opening the rear door.

I looked inside.

The inside was quite spacious, the leather finish of the chair looking really comfortable.

How pleasant.

Folding the papers, I stepped into the car and settled into the back. A partition separated me from the driver, although I didn’t particularly mind this one.

At least it wasn’t stopping me from leaving.

Investigator Hale remained outside as the door closed.

I gave him a small wave.

He didn’t wave back.

Well, whatever. I didn’t stop. I just continued to wave back at him, only feeling better when I saw him frown.

The car started moving, and I watched the hospital slowly disappear behind us.

Finding someone to contact the Guild Master turned out to be rather easy. I only needed to speak to the agent outside my room.

After that, everything moved quite quickly.

There were papers to sign, a few more people to speak with, and several reminders about what I wasn’t allowed to do.

But I was finally out.

I leaned back and looked through the window.

’Now, then...’

Obsidian Bastion.

For the next two months, I would be staying with them.

There were still quite a few things I didn’t understand about the arrangement, but for now, I decided to appreciate the fact that I could look at something besides a hospital wall.

That alone was worth quite a lot.

*

The building came into view before we reached the surrounding walls.

Its enormous rectangular frame caught the sunlight in sharp glints, while the obsidian exterior seemed to swallow the light rather than reflect it.

I leaned forward slightly.

Even from here, it took up a considerable part of the view.

Towering walls enclosed the entire complex, with several roads feeding towards it from different directions. They crossed and overlapped, carrying a steady stream of cars towards the Guild.

My eyes followed one of the roads before losing track of it beneath another.

"....."

Right.

I would have to make sure someone showed me the way out.

The car eventually left the main stream of traffic and turned towards a private path. A section of the wall slid open as we approached, revealing the entrance to the underground parking area.

Bright lights replaced the sunlight.

Rows of dark SUVs stretched out on either side, their surfaces reflecting the lights above. The ceiling was high enough that the vehicles looked rather small beneath it.

I watched us pass one row.

Then another.

Eventually, the car stopped.

"We’re here."

The driver’s voice came through the speaker.

I nodded and reached for the door.

Stepping outside, I adjusted the mask against my face before looking towards the entrance leading into the building.

There weren’t many people around.

A couple of guards stood near the doors, while a man in a dark suit waited a short distance away. The moment he saw me, he put away the tablet in his hand and approached.

"Welcome."

His gaze briefly moved towards the car before returning to me.

"I’ll be taking you to the Containment Department."

"Ah. Alright."

I glanced towards the guards.

Neither seemed particularly interested in me.

That was good.

"Do you know...?"

"I’ve been informed of your circumstances."

The man answered before I could finish.

"Please keep your mask on. The people who need to know about your arrival are already aware. I’ve been told that you are also carrying another disguise...?"

"Yup."

The mask was just something extra I put on.

Made me feel more mysterious.

"Alright, follow me."

Following him inside, I looked around as we passed through the doors.

The guards checked something on a display beside them, and one gave the man a small nod.

Neither asked me to stop.

For some reason, that alone made the place feel rather welcoming.

We reached the elevators shortly afterwards.

The man held his card against a panel beside one of them. A small light appeared, followed by the quiet sound of the doors opening.

"This way."

I stepped inside.

Instead of pressing one of the buttons, he selected something on the panel with his card still resting against it.

The doors closed, and we started descending.

"Most of the administrative offices are above us. The Containment Department operates across several of the lower levels."

"Several?"

Well, I guess it isn’t much different from the Severed Stars Guild.

"Yes. You’ll be shown the areas relevant to your assignment first."

I looked towards the floor display.

The numbers continued changing.

"Your access is limited for now. If you need to go somewhere outside the approved areas, speak with the person assigned to you."

"Another person?"

"I’m only handling your arrival."

"Ah."

That made sense.

Although I was starting to wonder how many people would be handling me before I could finally sit down somewhere.

"Your accommodation is being prepared. We’ll finish your registration at the department before taking you there."

"It’s a good room, right?"

The man looked at me.

"...It should have everything you need."

"How reassuring."

He seemed unsure whether to answer that.

Thankfully, the elevator stopped before he needed to.

Ding!

The doors slid open.

I took a step forward.

Then I stopped.

"....."

A wide room stretched out beyond the entrance, with rows of workstations arranged beneath a wall of displays. Each screen showed something different. Corridors, sealed rooms, people working behind glass.

There were considerably more people here than I expected.

All of them wore dark suits.

Not just suits, either.

Their jackets fit neatly across their shoulders, their collars sat straight, and even the people moving quickly between the desks looked as though someone checked them before allowing them inside.

I glanced down at my own shirt.

Hmm.

The man beside me continued walking, and I followed before the elevator doors could close.

At the nearest workstation, a woman moved an image across her screen with two fingers. The same image immediately appeared on one of the larger displays ahead, expanding to show a sealed case from several different angles.

She studied it briefly.

"Send it to the next bay."

A man at another desk touched his earpiece.

"Ready."

Beyond a glass wall to our right, a platform started moving.

A metal container rested on top of it, secured beneath several thick clamps. Nobody was pushing it. It followed a narrow strip along the floor before stopping in front of a closed door.

The woman touched her screen again.

The door opened.

I watched the container disappear through it before looking back at her.

She was already reviewing something else.

"...Oh."

Farther ahead, two men approached another set of doors. Neither slowed down until a panel beside the entrance lit up.

One placed his hand against it.

The other waited.

Only after both finished did the doors open.

A new image appeared on the wall.

Three people looked up at the same time.

One pointed towards a section of it, and the others were already moving before he lowered his hand.

My steps slowed a little.

The man leading me noticed.

"Is something wrong?"

"No."

I looked past him towards another passage. More workstations were visible beyond it, along with a separate set of doors that remained closed.

"This is the Containment Department?"

"The reception and monitoring area."

"...The reception?"

"Yes."

I looked around again.

At the screens.

The equipment.

The people walking past in their neatly fitted suits...

Then I lowered my gaze towards my sleeve and pulled it down a little.

"....."

Perhaps I should’ve dressed better.