It was already late at night, past eleven.
But many of the offices in the PDC headquarters building on Vernal Island were still lit, including the secretary-general's office.
Clearly, Secretary-General Sai was still voluntarily working overtime.
Beyond the sealed, floor-to-ceiling windows stretched a vast, pitch-black ocean. The sea breeze outside couldn't get in, of course, but the air filtration and environmental simulation systems still recreated its strength, letting a gentle breeze stir the office curtains. The two gauzy curtains hanging there swayed lightly in the simulated wind, adding a touch of poetry to the room.
At that moment, though, neither person in the office had time to pay them any mind.
"..."
Garlnin, the PDC's rotating chair, stood before the secretary-general's enormous windows with his hands behind his back. After watching the night view for a while, he turned away in frustration and walked back.
He didn't sit down, though. Instead, he paced restlessly around the office, his face full of complicated emotions and a gloom that wouldn't lift. His brows alternately furrowed and relaxed, and his gaze kept shifting. No one could tell what he was thinking or what was troubling him.
But there was no doubt he had something on his mind. Otherwise, he wouldn't be acting like this.
"..."
As for the owner of the office, Secretary-General Sai, she sat upright behind her broad desk, calmly and methodically reading through the thick stack of urgent documents and reports in front of her.
She paid little attention to Garlnin's unusual behavior. Her hand moved swiftly and firmly as she signed her name on each document that required her review and approval. Every so often, she glanced up at him, but from beginning to end, she said nothing.
She knew why he was so agitated. It was all because