Solflare: The Painter's Secret-Chapter 108: Men in Black

The room was silent and colder than the hallway. Three men dressed in black suits that seemed to absorb the weak light from the ceiling panels stood closer to the far wall.

They stood there, not fidgeting or speaking, like statues. "Come closer, Leon," Mr. Lee said in a calm voice.

He gestured for Leon to step fully into the room, then offered a thin smile to the man in the center of the trio—a man with a severe scar running from his right brow to his jawline.

Leon obeyed, his boots making soft sounds on the polished floor. His mind still carried the hum from the mortuary and the melted room as he moved slightly past Mr. Lee.

’Who are these?’ he asked low in his thoughts, his eyes driving from one impassive face to the next, assessing critically.

When his gaze paused on the slightly shorter man on the left, the familiar chime vibrated at the base of his skull.

[System Notification]

Presence Detected.

Scanning...

Name: Lu Wang

Rank: B

Hostility: Negative

The information surfaced in his mind, and before he could react, two more lines scrolled into view, assigning names to the other two faces.

Name: Hei Yung

Rank: B

Hostility: Negative

Name: Hei Luo

Rank: B

Hostility: Negative

Thud, thud, thud.

Leon heard his own heartbeat sounding louder in his ears, syncing with the pulse of the system panel hovering in his vision.

’Can they also see what I’m seeing?’ He tried looking at Mr. Lee, but saw him standing calmly, giving him clarity that it was only for his eyes.

Hei Luo detached himself from the line and took five slow steps forward, his hands clasped neatly behind his back.

The air grew denser with every swing of his legs, with even the blink of his eyes.

Leon swallowed hard through his dry throat. He tracked the man in a slow circle, turning his body to keep him in view when Hei Luo stopped behind him.

"Is he the one?" Hei Luo asked in a dry rasp, almost like stone grinding on stone.

Mr. Lee sighed. "Yeah," he confirmed, then tilted his head, his smile tightening as he met Leon’s confused stare before returning his attention to the men in black.

"Well," Hei Luo said, a faint smile resurfacing on his lips. "He seems quite fitted for the task." He unclasped his hands from behind his back and walked back to his two colleagues.

He positioned himself between Lu Wang and Hei Yung, turned his back to Leon and Mr. Lee. His head dipped low as he leaned in and whispered something simultaneously into the ears of both men.

Their secretive gesture lasted for two minutes. The hums of the building filled the silent minutes.

Hei Luo’s gaze split into two folds, one eye fixed on Leon’s dust-streaked form, and the other locked onto Mr. Lee. "What’s his age?"

Mr. Lee pulled a sleek datapad from his pocket, tapped the screen once, and gave it a sharp glance. "He’s eighteen years old."

Hei Luo nodded faintly. "Well. He’s of the same age bracket we require for the special force."

"So when should we come for him?" Lu Wang said in a quicker voice. He tightened his fingers around the handle of a slim, black alloy suitcase at his side, his knuckles whitening slightly.

Mr. Lee shook his head once. "He needs a few days to prepare."

"A few days?" Lu Wang interrupted, his lips pressing into a thin line. He tapped his index finger against the hard surface of his suitcase, in sync with his nods.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Fine. Give us a call once he’s fully ready to take part in this year’s recruitment cycle." He glanced at his colleagues, then back, his expression shifting into a strange smile. "There will be no delay when we come."

The three men walked in synchronized movement past Leon and Mr. Lee toward the door. Hei Yung, the one who didn’t say a single word, was the last to pass.

When he reached Leon’s side, he turned his head, then smiled. His pale blue eyes stayed a little longer on Leon, then turned toward the door.

The door groaned before it slammed shut.

Inside the room, Mr. Lee wiped his face with his palms, from his forehead to his chin, closing his eyes. ’Two days. Two days will have to be enough for him to prepare.’

He exhaled sharply, then turned toward Leon. "Go refresh yourself."

He gestured toward a door at the side of the room. Leon nodded, then forced a smile. The names of the men in black rang in his mind once again. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Although he knew only their names and ranks, thanks to the panel that kept popping up in his mind whenever he saw someone, an unsettling feeling still lanced through him.

He walked to the washroom, pushed it open, and closed it behind him. He stripped off his clothes, letting them fall to the tiled floor in a heap.

He stepped under the shower sprayer, then swung its handle. The lukewarm water dripped on him from his head to his toes.

He stood there for five minutes, head bowed, scrapping the vanilla soap on his body. The soapy water sluiced over his neck and shoulders.

A puffing sound erupted as he turned the water off. He toweled himself dry with a white cloth, the sweet scent of vanilla lingering in the steamy air.

He walked to the large mirror fixed to the wall beside the door and stared at his reflection.

"Hmm," he sighed. In the mirror, his jet-black hair stuck to his neck. He smiled faintly at his reflection and pulled on his black boxers, then stepped back into the main room.

"Wear this and follow me," Mr. Lee said, pointing to a neatly folded set of clothing on a brown leather chair.

Leon blinked at the fresh-looking black outfit and the polished black boots placed neatly beside it.

The fabric smoothed against his skin as he put them on. He stood straight and looked at Mr. Lee. "I’m done."

Mr. Lee gave a short nod and led the way out. The silence between them stretched as they moved a few inches past the door.

After a minute, Leon cleared his throat. "Ahem."

"Sir," he paused. "Who are those men? The ones we met in the room?"

"They are the special forces recruitment representatives for the Country of Agatha," Mr. Lee said without glancing back at Leon.

’Country of Agatha?’ Leon’s thoughts scrambled for the geography lessons from years ago.