In the lobby, some sat on sofas, others stood staring blankly. In total, there were seven people.
None of the seven spoke, silently waiting for the mastermind behind all of this to appear.
They all knew this was an abnormal journey, yet they had to suppress the strangeness in their hearts and pretend to be normal.
But in reality, in the eyes of others, their current atmosphere was the most abnormal.
The three front desk ladies watched the scene in the lobby, at a loss.
They had been working here for less than two weeks. Faced with such an unusual situation, they didn't know what to do for a moment.
One of the front desk ladies reached for the phone. Just as she was about to dial the president's office, the elevator in the lobby chimed "ding."
She instinctively looked towards the elevator, only to see a ten-year-old child in a children's suit step out of the elevator and stroll over.
The front desk lady recognized him. This child was the boss's child, named Selim Bradley, and he often stayed with the boss and the security chief.
Pride walked to the center of the lobby, turned to face the seven people, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Everyone, you've all passed the test, right?"
"Next, I will lead you to the top floor."
Pride assumed the appearance of a well-behaved child, looked at the crowd, and invited them.
"A child?"
Andres looked at the short figure that came before them, feeling a little surprised, his expression subtly changing.
Alvin and Riley, on the other hand, had a hint of astonishment flash in their eyes. They hadn't expected that the one who came to greet them would be a child.
Unlike the other three, Caesar, Ahmed, Julius, and Erik were filled with wariness. In their eyes, looking at Pride, there was more or less apprehension.
Especially Julius, his keen sixth sense very clearly perceived that the person in the form of a child in front of him was extremely dangerous.
The feeling he got from him was like encountering the king of beasts, a tiger, in a wild forest in his early years.
That feeling of even his skin surface slightly tingling was something he hadn't experienced for a long time since he began cultivating.
"Let's go."
Pride turned and walked towards the elevator. The group hesitated for a moment, but still followed his footsteps.
Inside the elevator, the atmosphere among the group was subtle. No one spoke, each wary of the others.
"Ding!"
Soon, the high-speed elevator reached the 51st floor, and the elevator doors opened.
The first thing that came into view was a rectangular panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, through which one could see the vast snowy landscape outside.
The 51st floor had no aisles or corridors, because the entire 51st floor was the president's office.
The room was very spacious, but also exceptionally cold and quiet. In the center were three sofas and a coffee table, while the space to the left held a red solid wood desk and two dark red bookshelves, neatly arranged with various books.
The seven people followed Pride out of the elevator and into the center of the president's office, surveying the spacious room.
"The person who invited us here is here?"
In their line of sight, Greed sat on a sofa, looking at them with disdain.
Envy and King Bradley stood with their backs to them in front of the panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, gently swirling red wine in their hands.
Pride walked to stand beside Envy, drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone has kept their promise and arrived at the destination on time."
Just as they were observing Envy, Envy suddenly spoke. He and King Bradley slowly turned to face them.
"Welcome, everyone, traveling far and wide, to the Umbrella Biohazard Technology Company Headquarters."
The group looked at his young face, feeling extremely suppressed in their hearts.
They had imagined that the person capable of creating such tests, even if not a forty or fifty-year-old elder, shouldn't appear to be in his twenties.
In contrast, the middle-aged man beside him, dressed in an expensive suit and wearing an eye patch, had a more commanding presence.
"Are you the one who created those test questions and invited us?" Andres frowned and asked.
"No, to be precise, I am the initiator, but not the executor."
Envy chuckled lightly, raised the stem glass in his hand, and took a small sip of red wine.
"I am the executor."
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded out of thin air, startling everyone.
"Crackle~"
Just as they were searching for the source of the sound, a screen slowly descended from the ceiling, and a cartoon character appeared on the screen.
"It's you!"
Looking at the familiar cartoon character and hearing the familiar voice, it was indeed the mysterious person from that phone call.
Envy's gaze swept across everyone, observing the different emotions emanating from them. Among the seven people present, except for that girl, all were cunning and deep-scheming individuals.
If he didn't possess the ability to perceive emotions, he probably wouldn't have noticed the subtle changes in their expressions.
"Then who is he?"
The blonde girl pointed at Envy, asking in confusion.
"He is the boss, the main initiator of this test invitation."
Following Ikshampe's explanation, the seven people redirected their gaze back to Envy.
Julius surveyed the scene. For some reason, the four people here, despite doing nothing, gave them a sense of deterrence.
Whether it was their tone or their movements, there was a strong, compelling confidence, as if everything was under their complete control.
This ability to control the situation and atmosphere of the scene caused the seven individuals present to feel a profound apprehension deep in their hearts. They actually stood obediently in place, not daring to move.
Caesar was no different. In his eyes, these people, with their subtle movements and words, imposed an invisible, heavy pressure on everyone.
This was a feeling he had only witnessed from national-level figures.
It was a feeling that the other party knew everything about you, and no matter what, you could not escape their control, leading to mental exhaustion and deep apprehension.
"What is your purpose in inviting me here?"
"Can you tell us now?"
Andres had a bead of sweat running down his face. He took a step forward, struggling to break free from the suffocating pressure in the room, and questioned him.
"King, over to you."
Envy closed his eyes and chuckled softly. King Bradley nodded gently, took a step forward. It was his turn to speak.
"Every one of you present has corresponding desires you wish to fulfill."
King Bradley stood with his hands behind his back, his highly oppressive gaze sweeping across everyone's faces, and said in a deep voice.
"As for what's on your minds, I can tell you."
"Here, everything can be achieved."
"Of course, you should also be mentally prepared for the price you'll have to pay."
"Since you've chosen to come, you cannot withdraw midway, otherwise..."
"Whoosh!"
Streaks of black shadow suddenly shot out from beneath Pride's feet, instantly passing between everyone. They only felt a blur before their eyes, as if a cold blade had sliced past their ears.
A moment later, a strand of severed hair floated down from beside their ears. The scene was silent.
"You... want us to participate in something?"
Caesar's pupils constricted. This kind of incident, even in his twenty years as a spy, he had never experienced.
That was... a shadow?
A large number of shadows shot out from beneath that child's feet?
He clearly saw that the moment the shadows appeared, a scarlet giant eye, along with a mouth full of sharp teeth, also appeared in the shadow beneath the child's feet.
"Some desire power, some wish to explore the mysteries of the soul, some want to evolve further..."
"All of this, in fact, is no longer difficult in this world."
"You all saw everything just now, didn't you?"
Following King Bradley's words, everyone shifted their gaze to Pride, who stood beside Envy, their eyes filled with apprehension.
"That wasn't magic, nor was it some kind of mechanism."
"You might not believe it, but in fact, this is a power everyone possesses."
"Although it's incredible, we can grant you this power, allowing you to complete your evolution in your respective fields."
"And this is just the beginning."
As King Bradley's words fell, the shadow beneath Pride's feet suddenly shot out, covering the entire office, leaving no trace of light.
"What's going on!?"
Alvin shouted loudly. Everyone was shocked by this sudden scene. The office, which had been bright just a moment ago, suddenly became dark and lightless.
"Swish!"
Suddenly, a scarlet giant eye opened on the ceiling.
"Swish, swish, swish..."
Not only that, but on the floor, on the walls, and even on the sofas, countless densely packed scarlet eyes continuously appeared and opened, making their scalps tingle.
"Gulp..."
For a moment, the office fell into an eerie silence. They stared in horror at the darkness and scarlet eyes that filled the entire floor, especially that colossal scarlet pupil directly above them, staring intently at them.
Sweat poured down.
"Swish!"
Suddenly, the scarlet giant eye closed, the darkness receded, and the room returned to its bright and spacious state.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Only then did everyone seem to awaken from a dream, panting heavily, their faces full of disbelief.
"Hehe..."
"Hehehe..."
Suddenly, someone among the seven let out a hysterical laugh. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
They saw Erik, head bowed, his body trembling, his laughter growing louder, mixed with madness. One could vaguely see the terrifying cold glint in his eyes.
"So, here's the question."
Julius, having recovered from the series of shocks, looked at King Bradley and said.
"How can you be sure that after we possess such abilities, we will definitely work for you?"
"Tch, hahahaha..."
As soon as Julius spoke, Greed burst into roaring laughter. He looked at Julius, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed, and his entire being suddenly exuded a dangerous aura.
"Do you want to die?"
A thick surge of murderous intent silently erupted from Greed, instantly sweeping through the entire room, pressing down on everyone so hard they couldn't even breathe.
"Even if you awaken your abilities, if I want to kill you, it's just a blink of an eye."
"Besides, since we dare to do this, we naturally have the ability to bind you."
At this instant, Andres, who was previously surprised by such abilities and wanted to toy with the world, the insane Erik, the indifferently observing Caesar, the always calm Alvin and Julius, and the always bewildered Riley, all lost their composure, their expressions changing dramatically.
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