INTERSTELLAR ERA: MY MIND IS A LIBRARY

Max and Alfred sat in the office. The silence between them was enough to suffocate anything that came near.

Max read a document in his hand, while Alfred simply stared at him.

Suddenly, the elevator door chimed and Bryan stepped in.

He was a broad-shouldered man built more like a giant than a human. His gait and posture were so refined that one could tell at a glance that he was a warrior.

He stopped a few feet away from the desk and bowed slightly.

He was the Grand General of the Veritas Corps.

Max studied him for a moment before he dropped the document onto the desk.

"So, Bryan," Max said slowly, lifting his gaze to meet the man’s.

"You have been briefed by Alfred about the Crimson Fang, so you know their threat to the planet already."

Max slowed down at that point, letting his words sink into Bryan’s mind.

Bryan nodded in response.

"Then you must know the significance of this mission," Max said, his voice slightly raised for emphasis.

"I understand, sir. We will not fail."

Bryan’s thick voice came in response.

"Good. Go and prepare, you attack by nightfall."

Bryan bowed, then walked out of the office.

Alfred and Max were left alone. They stared at each other for a while before Alfred spoke.

"So you will allow her to follow them, even though she is not a cultivator."

Max nodded. "She should witness their destruction if that is what she wants. Moreover, she is also sharing what she knows about them."

Both sides went silent for a moment.

"And I asked Silas to protect her, is that not enough?"

Alfred exhaled. He knew Max would not change his mind whether or not he tried to convince him, so he left it at that.

While both of them spoke, Silas was already on the virtual server.

"It has been so long, over two weeks," Silas said, closing his eyes to embrace the peacefulness of the virtual server.

He did not let his mind wander too far though.

"Rion, contact the general manager for me."

This was probably his first time calling the general manager since Rion hired them. Even their gender was unknown to him. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The call rang for a while before the person picked up.

"Hello, sir," she said, her tone soft and smooth.

"Hello," Silas replied calmly. "Send me a report on the growth of the store over the past weeks."

He had been unable to monitor the store for a long time and felt the need to check.

"Okay sir," the lady replied.

"And check what I sent to you just now. I need one of the cards in the next 30 minutes too."

As Silas said those words, he hung up, not even bothering to listen to whatever she might have had to say.

The silence returned and Silas stood in it for a moment, then let out a quiet breath.

"That was rude," he said to himself.

It was a small thing compared to the problems he was facing at the moment, but he noticed it anyway.

The way urgency had made him act like that.

He stopped thinking about it. His mind drifted to the operation that would be happening that night.

Lilura stood in the middle of the room and stared at the options laid before her.

Amelia watched from the doorway, arms crossed, her expression stoic in a way that felt dangerous.

She hated the fact that Max had instructed her to help Lilura. *He could have just told a maid to do this,* Amelia thought.

"You don’t need to stress over the clothing," she said, her tone flat and neutral. "You will be changing into the corps armor soon enough. Whatever you pick now is only for a few hours."

Lilura glanced at her, then back at the clothes. "I know," she said. "I just..." she stopped mid-sentence.

Then picked a shirt. She looked around for matching trousers too.

Amelia watched her. Lilura was nervous, it was very obvious. But Amelia said nothing.

After she put on the clothes, she walked up to Amelia. "Is this okay?" she asked, her voice low.

"Yes, let’s go," Amelia said with a nod.

"Oh, okay," Lilura quickly said, following behind Amelia.

"You don’t have to be so shy or nervous," Amelia said, turning to look at the lady behind her.

Time flew by and night came.

In the Veritas Corps headquarters, Bryan stood on a podium to address all the corps members.

He began to explain the plan to them, pointing out their mode of operation, from the infiltration to the attack.

They made full use of the information they had gotten from Lilura.

"That is all for the briefing," he finally said before stepping down.

Before anyone could react, Max appeared on the podium.

*This is the first time I am using the power of space,* Max thought to himself, feeling everyone’s awe.

"Alright, settle down," he said, cutting through the noise.

"For this fight, I have brought a few things to help. Although it is not really necessary considering your power is more than enough to destroy an organization like that."

As Max said this, everyone began to cheer.

They cheered not because Max was offering them something, but because he acknowledged their strength.

Max waved gently to calm them down.

"Bryan will discuss it with you on your way. I have handed everything to him," Max said before disappearing again.

Silas, who was in the crowd, could not help but smile at Max’s antics.

He obviously had not come to talk about what he had brought for the corps. He only wanted to show off his power as a Monarch rank cultivator of the space element.

"Whatever."

Bryan’s commanding voice cut through the energy of the crowd.

"Move out!"

The corps members responded instantly, their noise dissolving into the rhythmic sound of boots against the floor as they marched towards the landing bay.

The chopper was already waiting, blades beginning to turn slowly.

Bryan boarded first, and one by one, the others followed.