Country A, Hunter Association Headquarters.
Logan Headley was sitting in a comfortable armchair with his back as straight as a ruler. The weather was bright and pleasant, with the full sunlight looking as if no rain could set it away.
However, the vision that the omega could see was bleak, literally.
He was directly facing the opened floor-to-ceiling window, so he could only see the refined and good-looking silhouette of the man sitting behind the wide elliptical table where a golden nameplate was placed in its entire splendor.
"Chairman Homer Evans-Hunter Association," it says.
Just seeing the name was enough to rock him to the core because the man with this name, whose blonde hair is the only thing that shimmered under the sunlight, was the strongest S-Class Hunter in their country.
"So you mean to say you cannot read Shen Yuan's memories because some kind of power is blocking your ability?" Chairman Evans's thick, dominating voice boomed in the entirety of the office, startling Logan a little.
"Yes, Chairman. T-that is indeed the case."
"But you are an A-Class Mentalist, right?" Logan shivered. He may not be able to see the renowned powerful chairman, but he could feel by just the tone that the man on the opposite side was looking at him dangerously.
"Y-yes," He tried to steel his guts and replied. That is the truth, and he is not saying anything close to lies.
However, because of the pressure that he is feeling, it is impossible for him to stop his sweat from surfacing and trickling down his forehead.
The silence that followed Logan's small and quiet answer stretched longer.
'Am I getting fired because of this?' The omega already thought of the worst since he sensed things were not looking up to him.
Logan is already in the state of lamenting his future until the chairman opens his mouth and speaks, "What do you think about this?"
"Trystan," Chairman Evan's head turned to the right side where the tall and buff alpha was leisurely reclining on a navy blue couch made of expensive velvet. A paper-thin tablet was held directly to his face as if Trystan feared he would miss a millisecond of whatever he was watching.
Trystan didn't bother to pause the upbeat song playing in low volume on the tablet, and he faced his fellow S-Class Awakener sitting on the other side of the broad white table.
"What?"
Despite being used to this slacker personality of the younger man, Chairman Evans couldn't help but be ticked by this behavior because they are currently dealing with a very serious case, "Can you focus on your job just for once?"
"I am investigating."
The blonde alpha in his mid-twenties waved around the tablet in his hand.
" Hey, bastard." The cold and brooding persona that shrouded Chairman Evans showed to Logan ultimately cracked after seeing what Trystan was investigating.
It was a freaking fashion show!
"You were watching a runway show. I can't see any work on that!"
"Nah ah!" The alpha, known for being a playboy, moved his index fingers sassily. It was too painful to look at, considering that the one doing it had a lump of muscles on both his arms and a bulging chest.
"You are wrong. There is work here. See this?" Trystan used his big fingers to playback a particular part of the video. Logan and Chairman Evan saw Shen Yuan in an avant-garde outfit and makeup walking the runway.
His clothes are simply out of this world with the confusing geometric shapes infused in their styles. Everything is done to fit in the futuristic theme.
But despite this, the moment Shen Yuan reached the closest position to the camera, it perfectly captured how the omega's body gave cohesion to the complicated fashion of the clothes. Plus, the black strip of eye makeup that runs across Shen Yuan's eye line did not deter the perfection of the omega's face. Instead, it made the piercing dark eyes more pronounced.
The two dark orbs looked like they were sucking them into the abyss.
Beautiful but eccentric.
Edgy but enchanting.
The two other people turned silent, and Trystan used this gap to show more videos of Shen Yuan in different fashion shows.
There were elegant haute couture shows that made him look like a young royal who dazzled the party.
They also saw him wearing high-end streetwear that perfectly portrayed him as the rich young master that he is.
Each style was different, but the Shen Yuan in the video effortlessly pulled it off to the point that the three people inside the H. A Chairman's room who hardly ever see fashion shows are tongue-tied.
'His platinum blonde suits him,' The respected Chairman did not realize he was lost after watching the videos.
Seeing that he finally made his point, he stood up from the couch and faced the Hunter Association chairman, "I was researching Shen Yuan's previous interviews and shows, and I realized something. The Shen Yuan we met was a completely different person."
Trystan paused the video precisely when Shen Yuan's face was fully captured on the screen.
"Before the incident, he was this sullen, cold beauty. Who is getting paid millions by just walking with a sulking frown on his face, but now, he has this aura reminiscent of the bright sun that could scorch anyone he dislikes," Trystan said, his face looking as if he had eaten something sour.
The memory of when he was blatantly gunned down by Shen Yuan's bullet-sharp words replayed in his mind.
'Damn, he is the only one who could make me torn between hating and admiring,' Trystan thought.
Logan could understand the reason behind such an expression, so he lowered his head, not daring to look at the alpha.
"Trystan," Chairman Evan's voice sounded like he was tired or he found the younger blonde alpha stupid. It is something in between those lines.
"Most runways forbid their models to smile. They are promoting the brand, not their beauty."
Chairman Evans said matter of factly.
"But I watched ATALIA'S Fashion Show because of my bed buddies, and I saw the men and women of various secondary genders gracing the runway smiling. As if they are having fun walking in their underwear," the blonde alpha pointed out. His tone is like a smart-ass student who thinks he knows everything.
Chairman Evans sighed. He can't do anything to a fellow S-Class Awakener who also came from an influential family, right?
"Forget it, just say, what is your judgment on Shen Yuan? Is he faking the amnesia? Does he have the feel of someone who could commit terrorism?"
The man in silhouette moved on to the most crucial issue. His schedule as chairman of a nationwide organization is already packed as it is. He had no extra time to exchange banters.
"I am confident that he isn't faking it," Trystan didn't bat an eye to answer that straight.
'Is that because of the stark difference in behavior that you've been raving about?' Homer Evans held back from saying that because it was another lengthy conversation.
"Fine," he acquiesced and threw a very straightforward question. "Then the possibility that it has a connection to any terrorist group?"
This is one of the angles that they are considering because the group who spread the rumor of Awakening Stone is a newly-emerging worldwide terrorist group who called themselves The Cardinals.
Based on their movements, their goal was to spawn countless dungeon gates in random places. But this is an information that is yet to be verified.
"I don't know," Trystan answered truthfully. His heavy body landed back on the couch and crossed his pair of long and meaty legs.
Knowing Trystan Kingsley's attitude, the chairman of Hunter Association was quick to assume, 'Don't tell me this guy forgot his mission and just spent the entire time flirting because he is in front of a good-looking omega?'
"Shen Yuan is a married omega."
Trystan knew what played in the chairman's head, and he had no excuse for that. He is guilty as charged.
But that is not what he meant, so he quickly defended himself.
"You don't understand! I can't feel his presence when he was outside the private lounge. I only know that Shen Yuan was there when the door opened, and he entered looking unbothered when Bai Tingfeng and I were clashing our energies for dominance."
Silence reigned the H.A. Chairman's Office. And the cogs in everyone's head are turning fast.
"I can't measure the hidden blood-lust from Shen Yuan because my skill, Guardian's Intuition, is practically getting nothing from Shen Yuan."
Hearing this, the Chairman was sent into his deepest thought: if an A-Class Mentalist could not penetrate Shen Yuan's mind and even Trystan Kingsley's S-Level scouting skill that determines the killing intent around him doesn't work on him at all, then it only means one thing.
"We will thread carefully on this case. For now, let's investigate with other witnesses and treat this as an isolated case." Chairman Evans said.
Despite Logan's inability to see past the shadows on the man's face, he knew that it must be directed at them,
'Meaning it will only be treated as an unfortunate accident,' the omega thought with relief. Naturally, Shen Yuan is not part of any terrorist group. He is too kind and… divine to be part of those cruel people.
"And try not to be rude if ever we need to communicate again with Shen Yuan. I've got a feeling that he is not someone that an ordinary awakener could provoke," says the chairman, who is still shrouded by shadow. It seems like the world's ranking of awakeners will experience a change that is akin to a storm.
In the other side of the world, Bai Tingfeng's private jet has finally touched the soil of C Country.