Tuesday’s light broke through the morning fog in a gentle way that Lohan was still learning to appreciate.
He woke up in his bedroom, feeling the softness of the high-quality sheets, and stretched, sensing every fiber of his muscles respond with vibrant vitality.
He got up and walked to the kitchen, brewing a strong cup of coffee while his mind already began to process the packed schedule that Dylan and Alice had organized for that day.
The highlight of the morning for Lohan was his curiosity about the guild interviews.
Thanks to the explosive growth of Astralis’s profile on Syn, which had already surpassed the one-million-follower mark, Dylan had kicked off the official selection process today.
Hundreds of candidates who had passed the initial profile screening would undergo real-world video calls with Dylan’s administrative team to at least ensure that the information they’d provided and verified so far was accurate.
Knowing that people from thousands of planets were competing for a spot under his command was something Lohan found fascinating.
In his previous life, he’d watched guild recruitment processes on livestreams or business-related TV shows, always as a passive spectator confined to a hospital bed.
Now, for the first time, he could actively participate in something like this, and not just as an interviewee, but as an interviewer, which seemed very interesting.
Lohan was particularly excited about the in-person interview session scheduled for the coming weekend in Elysium.
He, Lisa, Alice, and Dylan would form the final panel in the game world to evaluate not only the Players’ fundamentals but also their character and loyalty.
But for now, this grueling preliminary round was Dylan’s responsibility and that of his subordinates. Lohan trusted Dylan’s instinct for spotting opportunists, allowing him to focus on Tuesday’s other crucial commitment: the in-person meeting with Silver Lotus in the Lower Zone.
As he sipped his coffee on the terrace balcony, Lohan watched the traffic of flying vehicles in the distance.
His attention, however, was fixed on the sky just above his building, waiting for the mysterious armored car that Lisa had promised to bring.
Isabella had been emphatic in stating that he would not return to the Lower Zone in a smelly, vulnerable flying bus, insisting that his safety was Astralis’s safety.
Lohan still thought that was a complete overreaction. Although he knew that the deeper sectors were dangerous and that corporate spies might be lurking, he felt perfectly capable of taking care of himself with the reflexes and strength he’d gained from Elysium.
Lohan knew that if anything happened, his skin could harden like obsidian and his senses could anticipate attacks before they even occurred. But, realizing that this would put Isabella’s mind at ease and that she valued the guild’s protocol, he decided to just let it go and wait eagerly for the vehicle.
He had imagined she would bring a discreet executive sedan, something with reinforced glass and perhaps a camouflaged escort.
Suddenly, the sound of high-performance turbines, strangely muffled by noise-canceling technology, caught Lohan’s attention.
A dark silhouette emerged from the low clouds of pollution and began descending toward the landing pad of his building.
Lohan’s jaw dropped, and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he realized that Isabella hadn’t just gone overboard, she’d reached a level of ostentation he hadn’t believed possible for a "discreet visit."
The vehicle hovering before him was the futuristic reincarnation of a mob icon, a Mercedes G63 AMG, the legendary G-Wagon, but in a version that looked as if it had come straight out of the Vance Group’s military development hangars.
The car was entirely matte black, with a paint job that seemed to swallow the surrounding light, and all the windows were made of armored glass so dark that it was impossible to make out anything inside.
The traditional wheels had been replaced by a hybrid system of adaptive polymer tires and silent ionic turbines, allowing the "war tank" to glide with an agility that didn’t even seem possible for something so large and seemingly "clumsy."
Small holographic sensors pulsed crimson red along the edges of the front grille, and the side armor plates featured grooves indicating the presence of electronic countermeasures and heat sinks.
This was definitely the epitome of a high-end "mafia car," a statement of raw power that screamed danger.
The driver’s door opened with a soft pneumatic sound.
When Isabella Vance stepped out of the vehicle, Lohan was speechless at the sight.
She was dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit, a white silk blouse underneath, and wore sunglasses that hid her golden eyes.
Her posture was rigid and authoritative, and the aura she exuded at that moment was that of a true empress of the underworld or a leader of an elite corporate syndicate, which she, in fact, was.
Lohan didn’t know how to react for a few seconds, shifting his gaze between the G-Wagon and the girl standing in front of him.
He couldn’t help himself and started laughing, shaking his head from side to side as he waved at her. "No way, Bella... there’s no way I’m going over there like that," Lohan said between laughs, trying to process the absurdity of the situation.
Isabella maintained her character’s cold expression for a few moments, walking toward him with determined strides that echoed on the landing pad.
She stopped a few centimeters from Lohan, watching him over the lenses of her glasses with a small, triumphant smile that showed just how pleased she was with his shock.
But upon seeing the genuine amusement on Lohan’s face, she couldn’t resist either and let out a little chuckle, breaking her mafia-girl facade.
"What’s the matter, Halon? Didn’t you like what I prepared for our foray into the real world?" Isabella asked, her voice brimming with an almost childlike pride and an excitement that Lohan rarely saw outside of Elysium.
He realized she’d really spent time planning this "transportation strategy," seeing it as a way to express the importance she placed on safety and the status of their partnership.
Lohan looked at her with a gaze that mixed admiration and a hint of amusement, adopting a slightly playful and flirtatious tone so as not to disappoint her after all that effort. "To be perfectly honest, Bella... you look amazing. If the goal was to look like the most powerful villain in an action noir movie, you’ve definitely nailed it, haha," he complimented, causing Isabella’s cheeks to take on a subtle rosy hue under the sun on his apartment’s balcony.
He continued. "Your look and that ’Ice Queen’ attitude go perfectly with that matte black beast back there. If I were an ordinary person, I’d already be getting down on my knees and begging for forgiveness for crimes I didn’t even commit."
Isabella tilted her head, crossing her arms and letting her smile widen. "I knew you’d appreciate the style, Halon. The Vance Group never does anything halfway, and if you’re my Vice President, you’ve got to make an entrance like one," she retorted, speaking with even greater pride.
However, Lohan’s smile grew a little more serious, though the twinkle of amusement still lingered in his eyes. He took a step forward and pointed to the luxurious, imposing G-Wagon.
"But there’s a problem, Bella... and it’s a big one for our current situation. The folks at Silver Lotus, Skye and her group, they have an instinctive fear of anything that reminds them of the corporations in the Upper Zone. They live in abandoned hangars and struggle every day not to be swallowed up by the big companies. If we show up there with that futuristic war machine and you dressed like the CEO of the world, the group’s goodwill will plummet before we can even say a word."
Hearing this, Isabella froze.
She remembered that Lohan had actually mentioned this in previous conversations, describing the resistance the Lower Zone Players felt against their dominance.
Her excitement at showing her power to protect her friend had made her temporarily forget the sensitivity of the environment they were about to visit.
"I... I really did forget that detail..." Isabella admitted, biting her lower lip for a second.
She looked at the mobster’s car and then at her own silk suit, realizing that her appearance there was the exact opposite of the image they would need to gain the trust of the group Halon wanted to win over.
Especially considering that this was the only group Halon himself had taken the initiative to contact, she didn’t want to disappoint him or hinder his efforts to achieve that.
"They’ll think we’ve come to ’hire’ them by force or that we’re just another elite group coming to mock their misery," Lohan continued, approaching the landing pad. "To them, that car is the symbol of everything that’s suffocating them. If we want Astralis’s alliance with Silver Lotus to be organic and genuine, we need to be seen as powerful Players, yes, but not as the iron fist of the corporations."
Isabella sighed, removing her sunglasses and revealing her golden eyes, which now shone with a mixture of frustration and rational acceptance. "You’re right, Halon. My approach was too ’Upper Zone.’ I was so focused on making sure nothing touched you in that sector that I almost ended up creating a diplomatic barrier before we even left the building."
She looked at Lohan with a twinkle of amusement. "But don’t think I’m going to let you take the bus. I have other options in the garage that are... slightly less intimidating. But you’re going to have to help me pick the best one."
Lohan laughed, pleased and relieved that she’d gotten the point. "Deal, Bella. Let’s find a middle ground between your Vance-style luxury and something tempting but still within their acceptable range. And please, take off that suit. You look gorgeous, to be honest, but Skye’s going to want to bite you just from seeing the cut of that suit."
Isabella let out an amused snort, turning to get back into the G-Wagon to head back to the garage. "Alright, Vice President. The mafia show can wait for another day. Come with me to my garage."
Lohan watched her for a moment, realizing that despite their differences in background and her overwhelming wealth, Isabella was genuinely trying to adapt to his world, just as he was striving to learn how to lead alongside her at Elysium.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Lohan quickly sat down in the passenger seat of the car.