Miserable Reincarnation

46 – Special Request (Part 2)

Lian strolled through the streets, fiddling with the newly activated phone. Naturally, it wasn’t a random walk.

‘…It was supposed to be somewhere around here.’

A quiet area considering it’s the inner sector.

The first client, Valentino Yudis, had chosen this place to meet.

There were few people coming and going immediately, and most of the ones wandering around the nearby park were with their families.

A scenery unimaginable in the outer sectors.

Of course, Lian was well aware that this scenery was anything but peaceful.

Differentiation through the separation of the inner and outer sectors.

For the people in the outer sectors, it instilled anger towards the privileged class, while for those in the inner sectors, it provided the anxiety of being expelled outside at any moment.

In the end, the citizens’ gaze would naturally turn towards those opposite to the government that erected the barriers, not towards the government itself.

As a corrupt government, there might not have been any better way to appease the discontent of the citizens.

‘Of course, that’s not everything.’

If they wanted to discriminate, they could simply reject without building barriers.

How long had they waited like this?

Click!

A luxurious sedan revealed itself on the nearby road.

A high-class limousine emitting a sophisticated aura, Recon.

It was the same model as the limousine that had taken Riley Yudis a month ago.

Thunk!

The front door of the Recon opened, and a man dressed in a suit stepped out from the driver’s seat.

He briefly looked around, then, confirming Lian, started approaching in her direction.

“Lian-nim. Is that correct?”

More like a bodyguard than a secretary in terms of appearance.

Of course, he didn’t look like someone who could give orders like a high-ranking executive.

“Yes.”

“Please get in. I will guide you.”

Where are we going?

But Lian didn’t voice such thoughts. The other person was in a position high enough to casually drive a car worth billions of won. Lian knew from past experiences that it was better for someone like that to act gentlemanly.

“If I refuse once, they’ll start playing dirty tricks.”

Nodding her head, Lian got into the back seat. Whether it was because it was expensive or not, the sensation of the ride was definitely different.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll find out when we arrive.”

That’s not a lie. From the moment they started driving on the exclusive road that regular cars couldn’t even pass through, the destination was already set.

The corporate district where the megacorps gathered.

As evidence of that, the tall buildings were getting closer as they drove with heavily tinted windows.

Of course, if they didn’t know that fact, they wouldn’t have been able to know the destination until they arrived.

It felt like they were being overly cautious on this side, as if treating them as an important guest.

Finally, the car stopped moving.

“Please get out.”

“…….”

It’s not a mistake to feel uncomfortable about this side. I roughly knew why, after all.

Whether or not, Lianne lifted her head without a care.

Skyscrapers soaring higher than clouds.

The headquarters of Decard, the world’s largest defense industry.

*****

As befitting a leading corporation, there were over a few hundred employees circulating in the lobby. Considering it was prime working hours, the lobby would probably be packed during rush hours.

“Sorry, that area is for employees only-“

“The young lady is a guest.”

Before the desk clerk could finish, a man cut her off and entered.

For a moment, the woman furrowed her brow, and the face of the employee visibly stiffened as he confirmed the man’s face.

“Mr. Layton…!”

“Do I need to hear it twice?”

“S-sorry!”

In an instant, the atmosphere turned tense.

But Lianne swallowed a sarcastic laugh as she observed the scene.

Due to the man constantly bowing over there, all eyes were now focused in this direction.

No matter how composed a person might be, being the center of hundreds of gazes at once would undoubtedly cause some embarrassment.

He was using that situation to his advantage, trying to tame himself before reaching the client’s location.

If he stayed silent and waited or showed signs of checking his surroundings, he would be caught immediately.

As evidence, Layton continued to intimidate the employee while subtly glancing in this direction beyond his sunglasses.

‘Interesting.’

That employee who kept bowing his head must have been a loser from the beginning.

Whether in this life or the previous one, why do humans who want to rule over others have the same thoughts?

Lian looked at Layton with an expressionless face and said,

“Is that what the client ordered you to do?”

“…Yes?”

“Or should I just leave? I understand that you don’t like it, but why are you doing something that the client didn’t ask for? You’re already busy enough.”

“…!!”

Layton’s face turned red in an instant.

Not only was his inner thoughts exposed, but he also received a direct hit, so it’s not surprising that he’s flustered.

However, instead of expressing those emotions outwardly, Layton swallowed them inwardly.

“…I apologize.”

In response to that, Lian’s eyebrows twitched.

She expected Layton to curse at her right away, but he seems to be skilled at suppressing his emotions more than she thought.

“Perhaps he judged that there’s nothing to gain from fighting once his inner thoughts were revealed.”

His judgment of the situation isn’t bad, considering.

“Or maybe he intended to test me from the beginning.”

From Noble mtl dot com

Thinking that way, it seemed better to be the former. If it was the latter, it would be the same as being tested in real-time since boarding the Rekon.

“I will guide you right away.”

Judging by Layton’s attitude, which became noticeably polite, it seemed that it was more likely to be the latter.

Lian bit her tongue inwardly and boarded the elevator for employees only.

Ooong!

As expected from an elevator used by employees, it was incredibly fast. It ascended dozens of floors in just a few seconds.

The security was also thorough. I couldn’t even count how many intense presences I sensed in the brief moments the elevator moved.

There must be at least dozens of powerful individuals stationed around this elevator.

“You can get off here.”

Lian suppressed a laugh as she looked at the number displayed on the indicator light.

“The 170th floor.”

It wasn’t the top floor at 200, but in a company where height symbolized social standing, the 170th floor was by no means a low floor.

However, as soon as the doors opened, a completely different scene unfolded before their eyes.

Researchers in white gowns bustling around. It seemed like they were conducting various experiments, as the pungent smell of chemicals stung their noses.

“This is the durability testing lab.”

“…….”

Rather than explaining what this place was, it was probably because the person they were about to meet had a close relationship with this lab.

Lian tilted her head and followed behind Layton.

“….I really have no clue.”

A high-ranking executive of Decad. And among them, someone specialized in research.

No matter how much she thought about it, there was no way for them to have any connection—.

“…….”

Lian stopped in her tracks, her gaze fixed on the familiar figure that entered her line of sight.

“The D-type prototype has overwhelming chemical resistance compared to other prototypes. However, it seems to have clear shortcomings in terms of magical fluidity.”

The person being reported by the researchers was none other than a little girl.

She had a dignified, cat-like appearance.

“What about Type E?”

“Type E is exactly the opposite situation. Excellent magical fluidity and pressure resistance, but relatively difficult to handle chemically.”

“So we still have a long way to go.”

The girl lightly furrowed her brow.

“For now, let’s stop here for today. Everyone can disperse.”

The researchers dispersed with a rush.

Even though the girl’s words clearly seemed more mature than her appearance, they nodded their heads in acceptance instead of arguing.

The fact that the girl in front of them had the ability and position to satisfy the researchers and still have something left over.

“…….”

That’s why Lian couldn’t hide his surprise even more.

“Riley Yudis.”

He never dreamed that he would meet the girl who had been kidnapped in the outskirts sector in this place. Now that he thought about it, Riley Yudis was probably a pseudonym from the start.

He didn’t know the reason for the kidnapping, but thanks to that, one thing became clear.

Who was the mastermind who called him here.

“It’s been a while?”

“…You were never a lieutenant to begin with.”

“Of course.”

Riley, with a dignified face, looked at Lian. His bewildered expression was quite pleasing to see.

During the meeting with the researchers, I felt Lian’s gaze. It must have been so difficult for her to restrain herself and pretend to be mature, to speak less and appear troubled.

But thanks to that, we succeeded.

Riley took a deep breath and spoke.

“I didn’t call you here to brag. Considering various circumstances, I judged that you were the most suitable for the security task.”

“……”

Security. It was undoubtedly the content of the request.

Though now, I’m not sure what significance it holds.

“Starting tomorrow, for a month, we will visit Turas Academy. You will accompany me there.”

*****