Zane couldn't believe he was in the Aetherial Haven. He'd seen it countless times online and dreamt of being there, but he never had any sliver of hope nor looked forward to his presence here.
Mia had requested him to come with her after their encounter. She had explained to him how she had come to take a stroll in the park and happened to see him. Zane was still in shock at seeing Mia in Nexus, it was completely unexpected.
Zane had also convinced her that he had come to sell paintings the previous evening after their session, telling her that he had gotten a gig through a connection.
Aetherial Haven was located just a short distance from Nexus City Park. Zane's heart thumped every time Mia looked at him. He couldn't stand it, Zane didn't believe he had actually scolded Mia. It wasn't exactly scolding, but Zane felt goosebumps whenever he thought about that encounter.
The luxurious car stopped at the grand hotel's entrance. The two bodyguards immediately got out, and doors were opened for Zane and Mia. Zane had never received such treatment, so he didn't immediately exit but stared at the young woman standing before him in an impeccable pose. Mia was watching him curiously through the other door, she had already gotten out.
Zane then realized his situation and hurriedly got out of the car while nodding at the bodyguard.
Mia circled the car and grabbed his hand.
"Come on," she said as she pulled him along.
Zane's mind was now in shambles. He silently followed Mia as she tugged his hand. Unexpectedly, his heart didn't beat hard. Zane felt surreal and calm, his heart mesmerized and warm, beating with a soft rhythm. The air was thick with Mia's perfume, which Zane savored as he followed her. His brain's circuits seemed to have switched off.
Zane didn't even notice when they entered the Aetherial Haven. He was in the greatest hotel on the continent, yet all he could think about was Mia.
The guards had stopped outside the hotel, they only protected Mia when she was out. There wasn't a safer place than the Aetherial Haven, so inside, Mia wasn't monitored.
Mia took the unresponsive Zane to her lounge on the 24th floor.
This was when Zane realized he had arrived at the destination. As Zane looked around, he was struck by the opulence of the space. The lounge was a masterpiece of luxury, with cream marble floors veined with gold and floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking panoramic view of Nexus City Park below. The centerpiece of the room was an ornate grandfather clock, its mahogany case inlaid with mother-of-pearl and topped with intricate bronze sculptures. Plush velvet armchairs in deep emerald sat arranged around a glass coffee table, while crystal chandeliers cast warm light throughout the space. Every detail screamed wealth and refinement, from the Persian rugs to the original oil paintings adorning the walls.
Zane wanted to escape from Mia. He had a lot to do and didn't want to waste time in Nexus. But how could he escape? The Aetherial Haven was highly supervised, chances of escaping were minimal to zero.
Zane knew Mia wouldn't let him go. From his experience at the gym, where Mia clung to him like a desperate student to her tutor, Zane knew that now that she had gotten hold of him, it would be difficult for her to let him go. She usually wanted him to pay full attention when he instructed her and wouldn't even give him breathing space.
Paired with her making his school life miserable, Zane wanted to avoid Mia as much as possible. He only stayed at the gym because of money and could never reject Mia since she paid a huge tip to the gym whenever she came. The manager always added $1,000 to Zane's weekly payment whenever Mia came for a session.
Mia was sitting on the chair near the window, while Zane sat on the sofa in the middle of the room. Mia was staring at him with a smile plastered on her face, her glassy emerald pupils piercing through him.
Zane was busy looking at the clock. He could feel Mia staring, but he didn't look back, he was scared. The only thoughts running through his mind were of escape.
Silence hung thick in the air. The room felt empty with only the two of them in it.
Zane finally spoke after the silence became unbearable.
"Excuse me, I'm really busy and need to return to Ashburn. Can you please let me leave?"
He said without looking at Mia. Mia smiled.
"Don't worry, we'll go in my ride. It's faster than the bus, which I presume you were planning to take. We'll arrive within an hour. Just tell me whenever you want to go."
Hearing this, Zane was genuinely glad. At least he didn't have to look for the bus station or buy a ticket. He would be in Ashburn earlier than expected. The only problem was Mia, he also had to endure the journey with her.
"Since you're offering to take me, I won't refuse. I'm currently in a hurry and would like to go now. Will you take me now?"
Zane asked, his face now brighter and happier.
"Yes, we can go now," Mia said while standing up.
"Come on, let's go," she said while heading toward Zane. She then grabbed his hands and pulled him up. Zane's mind went on another spiral.
She's holding my hand...again.
He thought as they moved to the elevator. Soon enough, they arrived at the top floor. The pilot was sitting in the waiting room, chatting with the two guards who followed Mia everywhere.
Their conversation halted the moment they saw Mia. They immediately rushed toward the door, where two doormen also bowed as they opened it. Mia passed through while pulling Zane by the hand.
When the helicopter blades started rotating, Zane was finally shaken from his trance by the loud noise. He immediately pulled his hand from Mia's hold.
Zane had never riden a helicopter before. He occasionally saw them flying overhead in Ashburn, but riding one was never on his bucket list. Now the prospect of riding one made him realize how his life had gone crazy ever since he got the Super Trading System. He already knew his life was never going to be the same, but not in this manner.
Meeting Mia was never in his calculations at all. Things were becoming more and more unexpected. But now he was going back to Ashburn, where he could unravel more of the system. He also wanted to see his father before embarking on the journey of his life. He needed money for his treatment, and he was surely going to find it.
As the chopper flew high above in the Nexus sky, Zane looked down at the city. He didn't know if he would ever return. He now wondered why he had even sold paintings when he didn't even use the money to get back home.
***
Wei Jun's life was becoming increasingly frustrating.
Wei Jun had reported the planar incident to the higher authorities. It was the only right decision after failing to catch the perpetrator. Wei Jun now regretted that very decision.
Station-79 was now bustling with activity. People were moving busily as they tried to settle into their new assignments. To accommodate the new staff members, Wei Jun had rearranged the structure of the station.
Previously, the station only had the captain's lounge, armory, command center, simulation arena, and two rooms for Wei Jun and Ashley. The rest of the chambers were buried underground, unused.
The station could readjust its structure based on the captain's command.
Due to the planar incident, the IPA had increased the number of staff at the station. The IPA suspected that something significant was happening on Planet Earth and that the breach incident could be the start of something much larger. The failure to detect the incident earlier and the escape of the perpetrator meant that a more powerful force was behind it.
Wei Jun now commanded twenty people: ten Enforcers specialized in dimensional breach containment, five Analysts trained in planar energy detection, three Technicians for equipment maintenance, and two Communications Officers for liaising with IPA headquarters.
Wei Jun was truly angry. Why couldn't they just let him have his peace? The new staff he now supervised was nothing short of frustrating. Every now and then, a staff member would come to him for advice. Wei Jun wasn't annoyed with giving advice, but rather with how trivial these concerns were.
Why would they come to me to sort their living arrangements?
Wei Jun had told Ashley to handle all the problems and only approach him when necessary. He then ordered everybody to stay away from the Captain's lounge and bring all their problems to Ashley, whom he had appointed vice captain. Wei Jun didn't want any disturbance, he wanted to return to the simple life he had grown accustomed to.
Wei Jun had reported the incident to the IPA, hoping they would handle it so he could return to his peaceful existence. He didn't expect they would dump all the responsibility on his shoulders. They had even promised to find him a spiritual node as compensation.
They can keep that spiritual node, I only want my peace.
Wei Jun thought as he stared at the poisonous paradise he had gotten accustomed to.
Wei Jun wanted to catch the perpetrator more than ever, but he had no clue where to start. The only evidence was the coin that now lay in his palm.
The moment he left the space with the coin, the dimensional pocket had collapsed and disappeared. Luckily, residual spatial energy remained where the realm had been opened, and Wei Jun had sent Enforcers to investigate the location.
There were fingerprints on the coin, though Wei Jun doubted they would be of any help. If the perpetrator had managed to infiltrate the Greyveil Expanse, they could easily change their fingerprints, there were many ways to alter appearances, including fingerprints. Nevertheless, Wei Jun ordered the prints to be filed; they might become useful in future investigations.
The coin itself was peculiar. Strange symbols were etched around its clear edges, symbols that didn't match any known dimensional script in the IPA database. Wei Jun had sent detailed scans to the research division, but so far, they had come back with nothing but theories.
What troubled Wei Jun most was the precision of the breach. Whoever had done this knew exactly what they were doing. This wasn't some amateur stumbling into dimensional manipulation, this was the work of someone with extensive knowledge of planar physics and access to sophisticated equipment, or an extremely powerful cultivator or mage with great spatial powers.
As Wei Jun stared at the coin, a thrill ran down his spine. Something told him this was just the beginning.