When Micheal saw this, his eyes flashed darkly .

A Tower .

Towers were unusual skysc.r.a.pers that were far larger than normal ones . They only appeared in the Main Cl.u.s.ter and were very rare to see . Each Tower was typically occupied by a major power or group of some sort .

Towers had several advantages over regular skysc.r.a.pers . Each Tower was huge, boasting a large number of rooms . The insides of Towers were unique . Some had internal parks with actual trees and gra.s.s, an extraordinarily rare sight to see naturally here in the First Layer . Still others had large pools and slides, recreational areas, while others had wide, empty stages or theaters .

Apart from their unique large rooms, and plethora of unique smaller rooms, Towers also had one other unique point .

There were only 8 entrances to the entire, ma.s.sive building .

Four on the top and four on the bottom .

Unlike regular skysc.r.a.pers, there were no side entrances or things of that nature . Instead, the walls were made of the same seemingly invincible gla.s.s and steel, creating a ma.s.sive, heavily fortified fortress .

Of course, while Towers were extremely rare in the Main Cl.u.s.ter, there was one place where they were extremely common .

The center of the Main Cl.u.s.ter, where a huge collection of Towers existed, nestled together and controlled by no one . The place known simply as 'The Towers' by most .

The place where one could leave the First Layer and move onward to the Second Layer .

'Focus . ' He tossed the irrelevant thoughts from his mind, scanning the Tower as he and the rest of Ayer's team approached .

A long, metal bridge connected upward, towards the roof of the large Tower . This bridge had inlined sets of stairs, making it possible to scale all the way to the advanced height of the large building .

"Enforcer Team, Ayer's Squad, reporting in!" Ayer's voice boomed as he stepped onto the bridge . His words warbled oddly off the metal edifice, echoing . As he spoke, he held up his Arcadia Emblem, waiting patiently .

"Acknowledged . Come on up . " After a few seconds, a figure appeared standing at the end of the bridge path . The speaker was a woman wearing a set of white leather armor, with a pair of maces strapped to her waist . Her short brown hair was tied up in a tight ponytail, keeping it out of her pale blue eyes . She cut an athletic, if meaty figure, like a weightlifter .

Micheal narrowed his eyes slightly as he saw her, a.s.sessing her strength . She seemed like one of the B Rankers among the guards, one of the stronger ones .

Micheal and Ayer's team quickly made their way up the metal steps . Sunlight beat down on their necks, the noon light overhead s.h.i.+ning mercilessly, not a cloud in sight .

Advertis.e.m.e.ntIn just a few short moments, they arrived on the rooftop . Micheal got a good look around, taking it all in .

It was very large, as expected of a Tower . The solid, flat expanse of the roof was broken up by a few 5-meter-tall, 3-meter-wide pillars that pierced out of the ground, random obstacles that were a natural part of the building .

Micheal could see groups of guards looking bored as they stood at each of the four bridges . They were all talking in a relaxed manner to each other, with guns and weapons slung over their backs . A rather lax defensive force, but it wasn't really surprising . Very few people would openly attack a fortress like this .

Standing right in front of them was the woman that had called them up . A few other guards stood near her, men and women that glanced over their party .

"Kathleen . " Ayer spoke first, nodding at the apparent leader of this bridge's guard . Ayer continued,

"We're bringing in a criminal . Case number 8220 . " He cut right to the chase, not mincing words .

"Oh, it's her?" When Kathleen saw the prisoner Ayer had brought along with them, her eyes narrowed . The woman's hands had been locked together and restraints were placed on her arms and legs, preventing her from being a threat .

Their journey through the Main Cl.u.s.ter had only been marginally slowed by traveling with the prisoner . She didn't cause any trouble throughout the trip, even when the Abnormal struck .

"Tayron! Aijo!" The woman turned around, yelling to some of the other guards . Two of them stepped forward attentively, a rather tall asian man and a caucasian with a huge machete on his back .

"Take her down to the Waiting Cell . Tell the Warden she's a captured target, with a danger rating of B . " The woman's voice was authoritative as she barked out orders, her entire personality very domineering .

"Yes, madam!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The two guards immediately stepped forward and took the captured prisoner . The chained woman didn't even bother to struggle, simply following the guards as she was led mutely away .

"You must be Emissary Heron . We received word that you would be arriving today . " After handling that, Kathleen's face became all smiles as she turned to look at Micheal . Her body language s.h.i.+fted, conveying polite disinterest, her domineering nature barely restrained .

Micheal stared back, the mask on his face giving him a rather impa.s.sive appearance .

"That is me . " He nodded his head cooly .

"The Iron Eye Branch welcomes you, but I'm not sure if we have anything here that would interest you . " The woman stared at Micheal, her eyes boring into him .

He stared back in mild amus.e.m.e.nt . She appeared to be dismissing him, of all things .

"Uh, ah- that is to say . Emissary Heron, I failed to properly inform them of your arrival . " Before the situation could go any further, Enforcer Ayer stepped forward and broke into the conversation, giving Micheal a nervous smile .

Kathleen frowned as she saw this, staring at him askance . She let him continue, however, instead of rudely interrupting, her caution winning through .

"Cough- Meeting a powerful A Ranked Emissary like yourself is a rare occurrence for us . " Ayer seemed to writhe slightly under Kathleen's gaze . It appeared the woman held quite some influence, more so than just being the guard in charge of this bridge like Micheal had initially thought .

Kathleen's eyes widened for a fraction of a second as she looked from Micheal over to Ayer, and then back to Micheal . She recovered quickly, coughing lightly as she spoke up,

"Oh? A powerful A Ranked Emissary? Well, my apologies, Emissary Heron . Commander Hunter is out, but will return tomorrow morning, if you wish to speak with him . " Her body language changed to one of respect and attention, a rather jarring jump .

"The information we had was incomplete . " Her words contained the slightest hint of venom as she glanced aside at Ayer, a tone that vanished completely right after .

"I am Sub-Commander Kathleen, one of the 2 Sub-Commanders in the Iron Eye Branch . " She gave him a slow nod, her voice apologetic as she introduced herself .

Micheal couldn't blame her . Emissaries wore masks for a good reason . They were the hitmen of the Angels Arcadia, the killers that take out targets that need to be taken out . No one would want to be around them if possible, most were rather dangerous people that were no strangers to murder .

All that changed, of course, when faced with raw power . No matter how much she disliked being around an Emissary… no one would dare to disrespect someone that was an A Ranker, even a Sub-Commander of a Tower stronghold . Ayer wouldn't joke around over something like that, and thus she had no choice but to change her stance .

'The Branch Commander is out?' When Micheal heard this, he didn't react . Outwardly, he looked the same as usual, a cool, calm, and collected Emissary .

Inwardly, he couldn't help but celebrate .

'Not bad timing, not bad timing at all!' He smiled . The Branch Commander was bound to be an A Ranker, and likely a strong one . A Rankers like Boss s.h.i.+gun or Pirate Lord Brandon were strong when compared to B Rankers, but nowhere near the level of the elites in the Main Cl.u.s.ter .

Most of the truly powerful warriors either lived in the Main Cl.u.s.ter or had already moved on to the Second Layer .

None of the A Rankers back in the Stardust Cl.u.s.ter would've made the Top 10,000 in the Main Cl.u.s.ter Ranking List . There were tens of millions of people living in the Main Cl.u.s.ter, and the top 10,000 among those tens of millions were bound to be quite strong .

'Branch Commanders like him likely leave on missions not uncommonly . Few people would willingly antagonize the Angels Arcadia, incidents probably happen quite rarely here . ' The timing was lucky, but the situation itself likely wasn't all that rare .

'With the only strong A Ranker out of the picture till tomorrow morning, there's no reason to hesitate . The Sub-Commanders are very strong B Rankers at the weakest, weak to above-average A Rankers at the strongest . This will be my best opportunity . ' As all of these thoughts raced through Micheal's head, he spoke out loud,

"A pleasure to meet you, Sub-Commander Kathleen . I'm Heron, as you are aware . " He continued,

"The Branch Commander is out? Ah, that's unfortunate, but I can wait . There are a few things I'd like to talk to him about, pertaining to my mission . " His voice was magnanimous, full of confidence and quiet determination .

"Of course, sir Emissary . " Kathleen's face grew pale as she heard that a powerful Emissary had some questions for her boss, stuttering slightly .

"Nothing too worrisome, don't fret . " Micheal rea.s.sured her, his voice warm .

"Just about a target I'm looking for . "

A few more moments pa.s.sed as Micheal talked with Kathleen, creating an image of a powerful Emissary that was hunting down a dangerous criminal and wanted to talk to her Commander . With Ayer's avowed confirmation of his strength, his image in Kathleen's eyes solidified .

Shortly after, Ayer and his men parted ways . The Enforcer enthusiastically shook Micheal's hand and bid him a warm farewell, wis.h.i.+ng him luck with his mission . Micheal watched the squad leave, silently thanking the man for his unknowing a.s.sistance .

Kathleen then led him down into the Tower .

The insides of it seemed initially the same as any other skysc.r.a.per . The stairwells were well lit, but relatively small, opening up into multiple hallways .

She began to introduce him around the area, treating him like a valued guest as she showed him a selection of different or unique rooms . At the same time, she explained a bit about herself and the Iron Eye Branch .

She seemed to be trying to make up for her earlier behavior . Such a lapse was a serious error on her part, a reminder that she shouldn't a.s.sume things or be rude to people without being absolutely certain of their status .

Of course, if she had known Micheal wasn't even a member of Arcadia, she would've reacted quite differently .

According to Kathleen, when the Commander left, both Sub-Commanders were required to stay within the bounds of the Tower until he returned . This left her with a great deal of free time, time she used to avoid any and all paperwork she needed to file .

Some things never truly changed . Even in this apocalyptic world, paperwork still existed, the strict and orderly organization of the Angels Arcadia necessitating it .

Normally, the Sub-Commander could be found out hunting, ama.s.sing Points to use to buy Artifacts or to work towards powerful Abilities she wished to gain, or helping train others .

"Of the major rooms that can be found in our Tower, there is the large, Amphitheater Room one that connects to the unique Pillar Room . " Kathleen's voice slid into Micheal's ears as she led him into a large, mostly empty room set with several dozen sets of seats . A large, curtain-covered stage was visible at the end of the room .

It had already been twenty five minutes and they had only covered a tenth of the huge Tower's rooms, and that was including skipping many floors that were privy to Branch personnel only . The tour Kathleen was giving was engaging, moving them along speedily . By this point, the two had had an amiable, calm conversation, soothing the Sub-Commander's worries and helping her loosen up . She now went about the tour with genuine enthusiasm .

As Micheal glanced around, a room that connected off to the side of the Amphitheater Room caught his gaze . When Kathleen saw that, she immediately jumped to an explanation,

"That is the Directive Storage Room . Sub-Commander Borial practically lives there, guarding and going over the huge amount of information there . Most of it's boring historical orders and transfer records, but, well, it has to go somewhere . It's off limits to all personnel save the Sub-Commanders and Commander . " She finished, slightly apologetic .

Kathleen continued to give him a tour, showing him around . As an ostensible highly ranked Emissary, it would be impolite and irregular for her to do anything else for him . The Angels Arcadia took their Ranking hierarchy very seriously .

Internally, while Kathleen went on, Micheal was smiling .

'That's what I'm looking for . ' He took mental note of the exact location of the Directive Storage Room, memorizing it .

'Information . If I'm going to find the Supreme A Ranker 'Leila Almawt,' I'll need a huge amount of intel . ' The knowledge he had of the future was specific for some things, but very vague for others . He had no idea where she was stationed or worked from .

'Alright . First, I'll break through to the Peak of Mortal Tier Ki Cultivation . Right after that, we break in and steal the info we need . ' With the strongest member of their team gone, this was an ideal opportunity for him .

Micheal turned over towards Kathleen, giving her a winning smile before he remembered he was still wearing a mask and she couldn't see it .

"Ah, it's been a busy day full of travel . " He broke in as they were exiting the Amphitheater room, giving her a nod .

"I think I shall retire for lunch and then focus on my Ki Cultivation for the rest of the day, to stay out of your hair . I'll wait to meet the Commander in the morning . Would you mind escorting me to my room?" His words and tone were eminently polite .

"Ah, yes, of course!" Kathleen gave him a warm smile, her impression of him improving quite a bit .

"Right this way!"

Just a few minutes later, Micheal found himself alone in a large, luxurious suite . A grey colored carpet covered the floor, while a fancy, modern-style bedroom spread out around him . A large, black marble desk, a set of oak chairs, a fine, plush white bed, with a large window that opened out onto a magnificent view of the skysc.r.a.pers around them .

It was one of the best VIP rooms in the Tower, one that was located near the middle of the building, extremely secure . It also happened to be extremely difficult to escape from undetected, as a result . They believed his credentials, but clearly didn't trust him, not that he could blame them . It would be foolish to think otherwise .

Micheal ignored all of that as he folded his legs under him and sat down on the plush bed, concentrating .

'Well, I'm here now . No reason to delay . '

Just moments after he arrived…

He immediately stopped holding back and almost instantaneously began to break through his Mortal Tier Ki Cultivation to the final, Mortal Tier Peak Stage .

.