Before hanging up, Abel invited Leo to visit a secret base of WONDER located in Chiville, stating there was something very important he needed to inform him about and asked him to wait at the medical hall, as someone would soon come to pick him up.
When parting with Madame, Leo still remembered the hug she gave him. In the evening, a luxurious car arrived at the medical hall to take Leo away. The car quickly drove onto the expressway circling the city.
The driver was a forty-year-old man wearing sunglasses, dressed entirely in black and cool-looking. Leo offered him a cigarette, but the sunglasses-wearing man shook his head, “Thanks, I don’t smoke.”
Leo put the cigarette back into the pack and asked, “What’s your surname?”
“Powell,” the man with sunglasses replied sparingly.
“Mr. Powell, where are we going?” Leo asked again.
“To WONDER’s secret base in Chiville, you’ll know once we get there,” the sunglasses-wearing man stated, his face clearly proud.
Leo tried to converse, but the sunglasses-wearing man answered only in brief, revealing nothing more than necessary, and firmly stating when asked about other details, “My task is just to pick you up, nothing else.”
Losing interest in the sparse conversation, Leo simply closed his eyes to rest.
The car not only drove fast but also very steadily. Leo didn’t realize how long it took, but when he next opened his eyes, they had entered a tunnel.
The tunnel was dark, devoid of any lights except for the car’s headlights. The car slowly stopped, and in the car’s headlight, Leo could vaguely see a massive wall blocking the entire tunnel ahead.
At that moment, a fingerprint pattern appeared on the car’s central control screen, which the sunglasses-wearing man pressed his hand against.
A clicking sound ensued, and looking forward, the massive wall in front began to slowly rise.
The car moved forward, and after they entered, the wall slowly lowered back into place.
Beyond the wall, the place was brightly lit, revealing a very spacious corridor ahead. Leo estimated that even an airplane could easily drive in. The corridor was not very long, perhaps just over fifty meters.
The car pulled to the side and shut down, and the sunglasses-wearing man gestured for Leo to exit. After both alighted, the car they had been in descended below the ground, and subsequently, a platform rose to become flush with the corridor surface. Those unaware would think the car had mysteriously vanished.
Following the man with sunglasses to a spot on the right side of the wall, a holographic screen suddenly appeared in front of the man, displaying a simulated human figure. A digital female voice then said, “Identity recognized, Dean Montoya, please enter.” After the screen dissipated, a metallic door on the wall slid open from the sides.
Dean looked back at Leo, entering first. Leo followed into an area where the overhead lights were soft and bright. The ceiling was painted sky blue, simulating being under a clear blue sky, completely removing any sense of being inside a mountain.
The hallway was spacious, with rooms on both sides, though all doors were closed, concealing their contents.
Leo extended his divine sense outward, surveying the surroundings.
Instantly, the interior of the rooms became clear in his mind. In one room, three individuals of similar age to Leo sat in specialized, peculiar chairs.
They each wore a half-helmet connected to something resembling a computer tower, engaging in some unknown activity.
In another room, two individuals in lab coats were injecting something into a mouse.
Before Leo could ‘see’ everything in detail, a woman appeared around a corner walking towards him.
It was a beautiful woman, and Leo had seen her before-the woman who drove the BMW.
Leo could hardly believe he would encounter her here, but meeting her here seemed to explain many things.
He had been thoroughly tricked by her once during a game, an experience still fresh in his memory. Perhaps only a mysterious and technologically advanced organization like WONDER could manage to fully integrate a person’s consciousness and perception into a game program.
Naturally, Elizabeth spotted Leo and gave him a flirtatious wink, smiling, “Hi, handsome. What a coincidence to see you again.”
“Beauty, that’s not very kind of you. I was just hitching a ride,” Leo said with a smirk.
Elizabeth’s charming face immediately showed an apologetic expression, “Oh dear, I really should have explained things to you properly. Here’s what we’ll do: come to my office later, and I’ll apologize in person.”
Looking into Elizabeth’s puppy dog eyes and her appealing demeanor, Leo couldn’t bring himself to stay angry. “It’s a deal then; I’ll come find you later!” he replied with a sly smile.
Elizabeth cooed back, “Make sure you do, I’ll be waiting.”
Dean, although he was wearing sunglasses, twitched his cheeks twice after hearing their conversation.
It wasn’t until Elizabeth had left that Leo sensed something amiss. Considering that Dean and Elizabeth were colleagues, why didn’t they even greet each other?
Unbeknownst to Leo, Dean had once been severely tricked by this beautiful woman as well.
Continuing along the hallway for a while longer, Dean stopped and turned to Leo, “Turn left and go all the way to the end. In the last room, the leader is waiting for you.”
After giving his instructions, Dean turned and walked to the right.
Leo nodded and proceeded in the direction Dean had indicated. Arriving at the last room at the end of the hall, just as he was about to knock, the door-made from special material-automatically opened.
Stepping inside, the interior decor starkly contrasted with the sci-fi ambiance outside, presenting a grand divergence in style that made Leo question if he had entered a different place. Everything inside was antique.
After crossing a screen, Leo entered the main hall.
Abel, seeing Leo enter, smiled, “Leo, welcome.”
“Abel, you’ve really kept this place well hidden.” Just as Leo finished his remark, he suddenly widened his eyes and exclaimed, “It’s you, the old weirdo!”
Abel quickly coughed a few times, reminding Leo to watch his language.
Beau walked up to Leo, smiling, “Leo, long time no see.”
“You’re from WONDER too?” Leo had many speculations about this old man’s identity but never expected to meet him here at WONDER.