Chapter 237: Uncomfortable flight
A four-hour flight definitely wasn’t easy.
Blake wasn’t sure whether he had ever gone into a plane in his past life or not, but if he had, he certainly didn’t remember it well enough to feel accustomed to the experience.
He shifted in his seat for what felt like the hundredth time.
His legs were getting stiff.
His back wasn’t exactly comfortable anymore.
And the constant humming of the engines had started to blend into the background of his thoughts.
At least he had gotten a window seat, it really gave him something to do, at least.
He turned his head toward the window and looked outside. Clouds stretched endlessly beneath the plane, bright white under the sunlight.
For a while, Blake simply watched them.
He definitely hadn’t paid for the plane ticket himself.
Considering his skill and the arrangements that had been made for the mission, he could’ve just avoided buying one. Nobody on the plane can even tell he’s there anyway.
But it wasn’t like the money had come out of his own pocket. So who cared, after all?
Blake rested his cheek against his hand.
He looked through the window again, trying to get a glimpse just a little higher into the sky.
’Aliens definitely came from up there.’
That thought never really stopped being strange.
Somewhere beyond those clouds, beyond the atmosphere, were places Blake couldn’t even imagine.
And somehow, some of those beings had ended up on this planet.
’Why did they come here in the first place?’
Blake narrowed his eyes slightly, sighing.
’More importantly, how were they even captured?’
He couldn’t stop thinking about it.
’I mean, if you’re able to travel all the way here, that means you hold high technology in your hands.’
It wasn’t the first time he had thought about it.
In fact, lately, the question had been bothering him more and more.
The conclusion he already knew about was that governments always possessed far greater technology than they publicly showed.
That much was obvious, he saw it with his own two eyes.
AL-TECH had developed weapons using alien DNA, they had conducted experiments on humans, they had managed to acquire technology and biological material that ordinary people didn’t even know existed.
But that raised another question.
If humanity had supposedly become stronger because of those discoveries... why did it feel like they had already been strong before?
’Why did they need altered humans?’
Blake’s eyebrows drew together.
He didn’t know the exact answer, but the more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t help but think...
’It could be because they want to slowly turn this world into a non-human one? Or maybe to dominate it even further? But that’s already happening now, nobody suspects AL-TECH or the government...’
He had to know at some point, and he’ll have to go back and make his own research. But these thoughts were getting worse specially because of how he had been sleeping.
Or rather, how poorly he had been sleeping.
He had been waking up in a really bad state: drenched in sweat, eyes stinging, entire body exhausted despite having slept for eight hours or more.
Sometimes he would wake up with his heart pounding, unable to remember exactly what he had dreamed about.
Other times, there was simply an uncomfortable feeling lingering in his chest.
Blake rubbed his eyes.
’It’s probably my impatience.’
He knew that was possible, considering he had so many questions, that he wanted answered immediately.
But some answers simply weren’t available yet.
’After I go ahead and help with Alfred Hicth’s murder, I’ll have to discover why Myles thinks the world’s destruction is inevitable. I’ll ask him one last time... and if he doesn’t tell me, I’ll have to search on my own again.’
He leaned back against the seat, the steady hum of the aircraft filling his ears.
His eyelids slowly became heavier.
He closed his eyes.
***
"Go back to where you came from, *** ****."
***
Blake’s eyes slowly opened.
He stared forward.
Ba-dump.
Ba-dump.
Blake blinked, yawning into his hand. Then, he looked toward the window.
’How beautiful.’
If he were here with Myles, it would’ve definitely been much funnier. All alone, he could only experience a beautiful sky.
He rubbed his forehead, as it suddenly started to throb.
Blake sighed.
’My ears are ringing so damn much!’
He leaned back again.
’Exactly what I needed.’
A few minutes later, the announcement came through the aircraft.
"The plane is departing..."
Blake raised an eyebrow.
He realized that the announcement was actually referring to the aircraft beginning its descent and the upcoming arrival procedures.
’I slept for that long? It felt like a second!’
He stretched his arms carefully, his body feeling stiff from sitting for so long.
’Well, it’s better that way I guess.’
He glanced out the window again.
The clouds had begun to thin.
Below them was land.
Drindia.
Blake leaned closer to the window.
The city gradually became clearer as the plane descended.
At first, there were only scattered buildings.
Then roads.
Cars.
Clusters of houses.
Larger structures.
The city itself wasn’t enormous, but it was noticeably more developed around the central areas.
Beyond it, there were stretches of greenery and distant hills.
Drindia was close to the borders of the Taraten region, which explained some of its unusual mixture of trade routes and international traffic.
Blake watched everything below.
’So this is it, I’m finally here!’
The plane landed smoothly.
After the usual procedures, Blake retrieved his belongings and made his way out with the other passengers.
The moment he stepped into the airport terminal, he was hit by a completely different atmosphere.
It was busier than he expected.
People moved in every direction. Some carried suitcases, others spoke into phones, while few stood around looking at signs and map.
He walked through the airport without rushing.
His skill remained active, so even while handing his (fake) documents out, everyone was just walking past him.
’Thank goodness. Sage is quite pretty, can’t imagine what I would do without this skill.
Eventually, he reached the designated pickup area.
A rented car was waiting nearby.
Blake approached it and checked the information he had been given.
Everything matched.
He opened the door and got inside.
The driver placed Blake’s luggage into the trunk before returning to the driver’s seat.
The car started moving.
Blake looked out through the window.
Drindia passed by around him. It was different from the city he was now accustomed to.
There were more international businesses around the main roads.
Hotels, restaurants, luxury stores, offices...
Also, multiple advertisements in several languages.
The closer they got to the center, the more expensive everything seemed.
Blake quietly observed the streets.
’So this is where all those important people gather, huh.’
He couldn’t help but feel a little out of place.
Sage Larue was supposed to come from a ruined family.
Someone who didn’t have much.
Yet tonight she was going to attend a masquerade filled with people who could probably buy entire buildings without thinking twice.
It was strange.
But that was exactly why the identity worked.
She wasn’t there because she belonged, she was there because she was trying to change her circumstances.
After a while, the car turned toward a quieter street.
The hotel finally appeared.
Hidden M. Hotel.
Four stars.
It wasn’t the largest hotel Blake had ever seen, but it was clearly expensive enough to fit the event’s guests.
The entrance was clean and elegant.
Several guests were coming and going.
The driver stopped.
"Thank you, even if you can’t hear me..."
Blake stepped out.
The driver retrieved his suitcase.
The lobby was quiet compared to the airport.
Soft lighting, polished floors, with reception desk near the center.
’Such beautiful plants!’
Blake approached the receptionist, finally deactivating his skill.
"Good evening."
"Good evening, Miss."
The receptionist checked the reservation.
"Your room is ready, Miss Larue."
Blake provided the necessary information. A few minutes later, he received his key card.
"Your room is on the eighth floor."
"Thank you."
Blake took the elevator.
As the doors closed, he finally let his shoulders drop.
"Ahh..."
He leaned against the wall.
’Finally.’
The elevator reached the eighth floor.
Blake stepped out and found his room, unlocking the door.
The room was considerably nicer than he expected.
Large bed desk, small sitting area, wide window overlooking part of the city, bathroom, closet...
’Damn, this looks better than my house. Although I guess it’s not difficult to achieve that.’
Blake put his suitcase down.
He walked toward the window.
The sun was already beginning to lower.
The city was gradually shifting into evening.
Lights were appearing throughout the streets.
Blake stared for a while.
Tonight, the masquerade was supposed to start. The very first night!
He looked at the clock. Of course, he still had some time.
"Alright."
Blake turned away from the window.
’Time to get ready.’
He opened his suitcase.
The dress for the evening had been prepared carefully.
He laid it out.
Then checked everything else.
Mask, documents, communication device, small necessities.
Everything was where it was supposed to be.
He went into the bathroom first.
The transformation was still active, so there wasn’t much to do beyond making sure his appearance remained consistent.
He washed his face.
Adjusted his hair.
Checked his voice.
"Hello."
Sage’s voice came out naturally.
"Good evening."
Blake turned his head from side to side.
His hair stayed in place.
’Thank God.’
He changed into the clothes prepared for the event.
Then came the more annoying part.
Making sure nothing about his appearance looked too casual. Sage couldn’t look like someone who had simply thrown on expensive clothing.
She had to look presentable.
But not overly wealthy.
Elegant, yet restrained.
Someone trying to fit into a world she wasn’t originally born into.
Blake looked at himself in the mirror.
He stared for a few seconds.
’Could’ve looked worse!’
A strange feeling settled over him.
He had spent a short time practicing that the person in the mirror almost didn’t look like him anymore.
That was exactly what he needed.
He picked up the mask.
Blake’s expression became serious.
He carefully put the mask aside for now. There was still time before he had to leave.
He checked his communication device.
Everything was working.
He checked the mission information one more time. Everything was sitting perfectly in his brain.
He took out beautiful sapphire earrings, given to him by Estelle. These actually audio recorded everything, for later to review, in case Blake missed something.
Blake took a slow breath, then looked at his reflection one final time.
"Let’s do this well."
The evening was about to begin.