Seth smiled to himself as he began to pack up the dishes that littered the dining table.

But someone quickly rushed to stop him. Frowning, Elaine spoke, "No, no, you cooked. Let someone else wash the dishes."

Her cold gaze washed across the remaining three...

Unable to meet her gaze, the three let out helpless sighs and quickly started packing up the dishes.

"That’s more like it!" she scoffed.

Seth found the opportunity to excuse himself, leaving the four behind, with Elaine scrutinizing their duty and making sure they left everything sparkling clean.

’Good, this is an opportunity.’ Seth pondered as he made his way up the stairs.

Since they had decided to take a four-day break, he would be using this chance to complete a goal he had in mind for himself.

Which meant he’d have to be leaving for the Pentagon now if he wanted to meet up...

He got to his room and quickly boarded the shower. Though he could clean himself with essence, it didn’t hurt to soak in the cool, refreshing tub of water every once in a while.

Once he was done, he dried himself and opened the closet only to see a few scant clothes...

Seth reached for a random casual wear. Before long, he was back downstairs.

"Ah? Where are you going?" Uriel, who was reading a book, noticed Seth pass by him.

"Nowhere far, I’m going to the Pentagon." Listening to himself say this, he felt quite giddy. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Who could have imagined a day would come when he could talk about heading to the Pentagon as if he was going for a random stroll?

Uriel just nodded, turning his gaze back into his book.

Seth was about to continue walking when he noticed the stark silence throughout the mansion. He froze in his steps.

"Brandon went out too?" he asked right away.

Uriel nodded, flipping a page as he spoke. "Elaine dragged him away. She said she needed someone to help her out with shopping."

"Huh?" Seth tilted his head in confusion. Elaine was an Awakened-grade creature. Why would she need help with... anything?

It didn’t sound right... but well, it wasn’t his business.

He just shrugged and left...

"Ah, fuck, they took the only car!" Seth facepalmed the moment he got outside.

The government didn’t only provide a house; they made sure Seth and the others had every possible provision they needed.

So aside from the limousine that drove them around for official purposes, they were given another — a luxurious SUV.

"God, wait, do taxis still even exist?" he lamented, as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Until he remembered... ’I can fly!’

He shook his head, feeling stupid that he almost forgot this...

Previously, he couldn’t fly when he first left the origin realm. Well, that wasn’t because he just couldn’t — he could, but at that time he couldn’t fully control the output of his will.

And in a bid not to harm the planet, he chose to avoid doing this entirely. But now things were different.

With a burst of wind, Seth kicked himself into the skies.

His figure rode the wind, traveling at a speed that would make helicopters seem like scooters in comparison.

Staring at the sea of clouds beneath his belly, Seth ran his hands through them, letting the wind ruffle his hair as he soared excitedly.

Since his awakening, all his flying had been done during battle. He never truly had the chance to appreciate the ethereal peace and excitement it brought.

Well, frankly, why would he? He had been too busy trying to keep his head on his shoulders after all.

Within minutes, he was already above the majestic and intimidating construct called the Pentagon.

Due to how high the altitude he was flying and how fast he was moving, no one saw him at all.

But when he began to descend, it was another story entirely.

Defensive mechanisms of the gigantic structure began to whirr into action.

Laser cannons protruded from the ground, aiming their barrels at the sky.

Cameras detected motion and focused on Seth’s descending figure, blaring alarms beginning to ring.

Alarms blared, and trained troops of the military quickly rushed into order, cocking their loaded guns to the sky.

To be more specific — at Seth.

The wind blew cold as soldiers held their breaths, waiting for the clear to fire the living daylights out of whoever this figure was.

Before them, their captain stood holding a palm up, signaling them to hold fire.

The white-bearded, middle-aged agent squinted at the sky, trying to make out the figure coming closer.

The only reason he hadn’t given the clear to fire was because whoever it was was alighting gently their way, and there seemed to be zero hostility.

Seth’s clothes ruffled with the winds as he landed right into the middle of the encirclement.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he could feel the subtle tick of red laser lights aimed at his head and chest.

He sighed, causing the soldiers to flinch.

Actually, while most agents knew of Apex, only a small circle of privileged people knew them by face.

So to them, Seth was an absolute stranger. No one recognized him.

"State your name... sir!" The captain stepped forward and asked, sweat dripping down the sides of his head.

He wondered — for this man to be able to fly, was it a gene skill? His narrowed gaze examined Seth while awaiting a reply.

Seth just reached into his pockets and fished out a deep onyx-black card, carved with a single word in clean monotone red.

Apex

The captain’s eyes bulged, his hands trembling, unable to reach for the card. He knew what that identity card signified.

He knew the only figures that were allocated such identification cards!

He bowed straightaway with zero hesitance. "I-I am very sorry for the rude welcome, sir. W-we really didn’t know who your esteemed self was. Forgive us, we were blind."

Seth’s expression remained placid as he waved. "Mhm, no worries. If you’re really sorry, can you get your men to stop pointing those barrels my way now?"

The captain nodded fervently, quickly commanding his men to stand down and apologize.

And he promptly deactivated the defense mechanisms, lest he offended a member of Apex any further.

Sweat pooled on his head down to his cheeks as he just watched Seth leisurely stride away.

"Whew! That was a close one." He sighed in relief. If he had attacked an Apex, he would have been in deep trouble — not to mention he doubted their weapons would work on the guy.

After all, if defiled could tank bazookas, someone who had cleared at least eight corruption zones had to be drastically stronger.

His soldiers just silently watched Seth walk away, quite confused at their superior’s attitude, but they didn’t dare question.

In the military, a superior’s orders were law. You don’t ask questions.

So the moment they were ordered once more, "Go back to your posts, it was a false alarm!"

They could only swallow their doubts and curiosity and disperse, the laser cannons retreating back into the paved ground.

Meanwhile, on Seth’s end, his eyes flashed as he thought about his mission here today.

And it was quite simple — he needed to find a way to craft a genetic armament battle armor in four days.