Chapter 21 Forbidden Lounge of The Elites

Chapter 21 Forbidden Lounge of The Elites
Nolan and Nina’s eyes remained fixed on the VVIP lounge above, scanning the faces inside, but there was still no sign of Harold. To make matters worse, the room appeared dark, with only a few flashes of light that made it impossible to see anything from where they sat. Finally, driven by curiosity, Nolan—who had been sitting behind Nina and Nadine—leaned forward and took both of their hands. His eyes instantly shifted to a bright, glowing gray. A moment later, the three of them vanished. Rico, sitting right next to them, was startled for a split second, but he knew exactly what Nolan was doing and simply offered a knowing smile.

"Be careful, bro, and come back safe," Rico said to himself, then turned his attention back to the matches in the arena.

Meanwhile, within the fourth dimension, Nolan walked while holding hands with Nina and Nadine.

"Where are we going?" Nadine asked, looking at Nolan in the center.

"To the VVIP lounge up there," Nolan replied.

"Right, this way works," Nina added, glancing at the screen that looked like a parted sea beside them.

They continued along the path stretching before them. Nadine glanced back and saw three towers moving as if they were holding hands, mimicking their current position; she smiled and resumed her cheerful pace. As they took a shortcut, ascending directly into the VVIP room and entering through the window, "ugh," the three of them were instantly nauseated by the "party" inside. It was a gathering of the elite—everyone from CEOs authorized by the AI to the officials who ran the city under the AI's orders as the faces of society.

What made them sick was the sight of so many slaves serving their "masters" without a shred of shame. The elites chatted casually while naked, as their pets danced and moaned on top of them, also unclothed. Thick smoke filled the room; they seemed to be inhaling something that definitely wasn't a cigarette or a cigar, as there was a human-sized hookah-like tank with multiple hoses emitting white smoke. They drew from the hoses and exhaled, their faces twisting into expressions of pure ecstasy.

"This is disgusting. It's not human behavior at all," Nina muttered, repulsed by everything happening inside that VVIP lounge.

"Nolan... what's inside that tank?" Nadine asked, pointing toward the massive hookah.

"I don't know," Nolan answered shortly, his blood boiling at the sight of it all because he imagined his older sister being in that room without any clothes, serving her master.

Suddenly, Nadine pulled on Nolan's hand, leading them closer to the tank. They stood right in front of the screen displaying the vessel. When they finally saw clearly what was inside, Nolan’s face went pale. He gripped Nina and Nadine’s hands tightly, while the two girls covered their mouths to keep from screaming. Inside the tank was a thin, bald teenager—maybe fourteen or fifteen years old—whose body was covered in mutated Nature element Orbs. These Orbs produced a kind of extract that was being boiled along with the child, and the resulting smoke was what they were inhaling through the hoses.

"Ugh... let's get out of here," Nolan said.

"Wait."

Nadine turned to look at a fat man standing there, holding a hose and blowing smoke. She pulled Nolan toward the man.

"What is it? Let's go... I'm nauseous," Nina said, annoyed.

"Shut up," Nadine snapped.

The three of them were now positioned right in front of the fat man who was chatting with someone. The man was shirtless and wearing trousers, as was the person he was talking to—a middle-aged man also holding a hose.

"Harold... desert expedition... yellow tower," Nadine muttered.

"Huh... what are you talking about?" Nolan replied, confused.

"Shut up... I'm trying to read his lip movements, and he's talking so slowly," Nadine shot back, irritated by the interruption.

"Hmm? Harold, desert expedition? You mean Harold is out in the desert where the yellow tower is?" Nina asked.

"For heaven's sake... can you both just be quiet for a second?" Nadine asked, her frustration mounting.

Finally, Nolan and Nina went silent, letting Nadine read the fat man's lips. After a moment, Nadine turned around while still holding Nolan's hand. Her face looked annoyed and she was pouting as she looked at Nolan and Nina.

"You guys are too loud... now he's changed the subject again... he's talking about slaves. You guys suck," Nadine said crossly.

"Oh... I see... sorry," Nina said.

"Hmm... this means Harold might be out in the desert. In other words, his house is probably empty right now," Nolan replied.

"That could be it," Nina replied.

"Okay... let's head back to our seats first, then we leave," Nolan replied.

"Okay," Nina and Nadine replied.

They immediately exited the VVIP lounge and headed back across the arena below them. A moment later, they reappeared in their seats, and "whoaah," Rico—who was sitting right next to them—jumped in shock at their sudden arrival. "Urk," Nolan, Nina, and Nadine instantly covered their mouths, their faces deathly pale. Rico took one look at them and spoke up.

"Whoaaa... what’s with you guys? Your faces look like you just watched a horror movie that was absolutely terrifying and disgusting," Rico said.

"That’s pretty much it," Nolan replied shortly, still covering his mouth.

"Sorry... I’m headed to the bathroom... I can’t hold it," Nina said, standing up.

"Me too... I’m coming," Nadine added, standing up with her.

The two girls bolted toward the exit to find a restroom. Rico leaned closer to Nolan, who finally seemed to be getting his nausea under control.

"Where did you guys actually go?" Rico asked.

Nolan pointed upward toward the VVIP lounge. Rico glanced up and saw the room was dark, save for a few flickers of light like dim, rotating disco lamps. Rico turned back to Nolan.

"What exactly is going on in there?" Rico asked.

"You definitely don't want to know. Trust me on that," Nolan answered, having no desire to talk about it.

"Okay... if you say so, it must be bad. Better not tell me then. So, did you find a lead?" Rico asked.

"I did... Harold probably isn't at his house... he’s likely out in the desert where the yellow tower is," Nolan answered in a whisper.

"Ah... I see. So, what’s the next move?" Rico asked.

"I’m going to his house... after this. Let's just hope he didn't take Heidi away with him," Nolan answered.

Rico went silent, staring at Nolan and studying his face. Nolan’s jaw was tight and his fists were clenched. It was obvious that Rico wanted to help Nolan and go with him, but he knew perfectly well that if he went along, he would only be a burden to Nolan, Nina, and Nadine. Finally, he took a deep breath and exhaled, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Okay... school tomorrow, right?" Rico asked.

"Yeah... definitely. I’m heading out now; I'll just wait for them downstairs," Nolan answered.

Rico nodded and raised his fist. Nolan bumped his fist against it, then stood up and walked toward the exit. Rico watched as Nolan’s back grew smaller until he finally turned down the stairs and disappeared. After that, Rico turned his gaze back to the front.

"I don't know... but for some reason, I have a bad feeling right now," Rico muttered in his head while staring blankly toward the arena.

Meanwhile, down below, Nolan walked through a quiet hallway toward the exit, the roar of the crowd in the arena still audible as a faint murmur. Then, he saw Nina and Nadine coming out of the restroom. Both of them looked at Nolan, who gave a slight nod. They immediately nodded back and took their places on either side of him, walking together toward the exit.

"Let's go straight to Harold's house," Nolan urged.

"Yeah," Nina and Nadine replied in unison.

The three of them looked ready for battle, prepared to face whatever awaited them at their destination.