"Can you tell me about the real owner of this house?" Adonis asked, ignoring their respective courtesies.
The old butler stiffened and replied, "We truly don't know about that, Sir. We were just told to serve you and your family from now on. Although, they gave us a letter to deliver to you."
"Where is this letter?" Adonis extended his palm.
The old butler reached into his inner pocket, then delivered the thin piece of paper.
Adonis skimmed through it, finding a single sentence:
"Stop being so stubborn, Neo Godson. You cannot escape from this."
After reading it, he crumpled the paper into a ball, then threw it into the air.
Woosh!
Whether he was angry or not, no one could tell.
"Son, what should we do now?" his mother asked.
He looked at their faces, replying, "She is right, Mom. This place is safe for you two."
From this reply alone, his mother knew her son wasn't too happy.
Nonetheless, the Godson family were set to live in the Green Vine Villa from now on.
Nina excitedly looked around in joy, while Adonis stood there, arms crossed, face expressionless.
"Whoever you are, I will find you. When I do, I will get all the answers."
The maids and the butler exchanged glances before hurriedly going off to their duties.
Meanwhile, Neo went to the Apex Nebula headquarters.
Today, he was supposed to meet his crew members.
So, along the way, he bought a fresh set of neon blue suit to make himself more presentable and professional.
Although, in this new outfit, he looked more handsome than his past goofy self.
Painfully, this suit cost him $5,000. The shopkeeper said it was comfortable to wear and had fire and radiation resistance up to 60%.
And thus, he agreed to buy it.
Upon arriving at the reception desk, Seline welcomed him with wide eyes.
"Neo Godson?"
"Yes, that's me," he replied, smiling.
"Wow! You look stunning in that suit," she complimented, genuinely impressed.
"Thank you for the praise, Seline. Can you guide me to my crew? It's my first day at work, and I don't want to be late," he said honestly.
She nodded. "Ah, yes. You're appointed to Crew Hydraw on floor 36. Let me replace myself with someone, then I will escort you there since you're so nervous."
"Thanks. I appreciate your help."
Afterward, both of them took the magnetic elevator and headed up to floor 36, where the Hydra Crew was located.
The elevator doors opened.
Before them, a long corridor with glossy metallic walls and neon blue light greeted them.
At the very end stood a wide glass door, its displaying the emblem of the Hydra Crew: A 9 headed serpent.
Seline gestured forward, "This is it."
Neo nodded before stepping ahead.
Before he could touch it, the door automatically opened upon sensing their presence.
As he looked inside, he noticed a meeting was already in progress.
The center of the room was occupied by a large oval table, seemingly crafted from dark alloy.
Above the table, a holographic projection showed geological maps, data streams, and rotating coordinates in mid-air.
There were exactly 7 men and women, and 6 of them sat there with almost bored expressions, only one person being serious.
However, the moment they noticed the unexpected guest, they all straightened their backs.
The Captain of the Crew, a man in his early 30s with striking crimson hair, also glanced at Adonis curiously.
"Who is this, Seline?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Captain Ajaz," Seline bowed low and introduced, "he is Neo Godson, appointed as your newest crew member."
Captain Ajaz smiled faintly, while the rest of the crew members ran their judgmental gazes over Neo's body.
"Phew, finally. I wouldn't have to stay the little guy anymore," the younger member said quickly, almost looking relieved of a burden.
"Shut up, Max. You're going to scare our junior like this," chided the mature woman with a refined temperament and wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair.
"I don't know, Lady Agnes, but he looks very bland to me," added the arrogant-looking youth with wild, flaming hair.
Yes, his hair was literally like living fire.
"At least he wouldn't be as annoying as you, Flame Boy," said the thick-bearded man whose whole body radiated physical supremacy.
"Settle down, you lazy asses," Captain Ajaz barked like a lion, instantly shutting their talk.
His gaze turned to Neo.
"Neo Godson... I heard about you. Honestly, I don't know what Madam Titania or Sir Viscount see in you to appoint you to us, but you're welcome anyway," he said with a hearty smile.
"Yeah, we're the lowest-ranking crew anyway. Even if you're trash, we'll gladly take you in since no one wants to join us," added Max, laughing.
Neo exhaled a breath of relief. He worried they wouldn't take him, but it seems all of his worries were unnecessary.
"Thank you, Captain. I am glad to join the Crew and explore future endeavors in the stars," he said politely.
"In the stars?" The sharp, mocking remark came from the entrance. "You must be in delusion, boy. This is Hydra Crew. Unlike their names, these people are lazy and useless. And that's why the company hasn't given us a single mission for several months."
Neo and others turned to look.
The man was equally domineering and imposing as Captain Ajaz, but his most noticeable trait was the terrifying biological modifications he had done on his chest.
The man's heart and lungs had been replaced by machines.
But the pressure he radiated made him appear anything but ordinary.
"Vice captain, please show us mercy," Max grumbled. "We have been stuck in this office since the day you fired most of the previous members for restructuring. Now, you can't say we're lazy. We're still in training to make our coordination right. So that we don't get our ass kicked among a bunch of aliens."
The vice captain snorted in disdain. "The previous members were from elite breeds and barely had the true will of endurance. That's why Ajaz and I thought of restructuring. But alas, it's been 3 months, and you all are still in training. This is such a disappointment."
Lady Agnes smiled. "Relax, Mr. Deus. Look, we've got our last member. This makes us full. We can now begin taking on assignments."