Viridian City.
This city, famed for Viridian Forest, always brimmed with the vitality of nature and urban life blending together during the day.
But when the last ray of sunlight sank below the horizon and the deep-blue canopy of night descended, the entire city quietly took on another face.
Pedestrians on the streets gradually grew scarce, and the lights of the shops went out one after another.
On the eastern side of the city, hidden amid a tranquil stretch of woods, Viridian Gym stood in silence.
The gym's main gates had long since closed, and every light in the main building had gone out. Only the innermost room beyond the courtyard still leaked a faint glow.
The room's main lights were off, with only a floor lamp in the corner lit. Its dim yellow halo divided the entire space into two sharply contrasting halves of light and shadow.
Giovanni sat in a broad leather chair, half his body concealed in darkness.
He wore a dark, high-collared suit, his black hair meticulously combed, his stern face seemingly carved from stone.
Even in the dimness, his eyes remained sharp and cold, as though they could pierce through every disguise and stare straight into one's heart.
Persian lay across his lap, its body relaxed and its tail dangling lazily.
Giovanni's hand stroked its sleek fur again and again, his movements unhurried and steady.
The large screen on the wall before him was lit, displaying a man around fifty years old.
The man had a gaunt face, with the restraint and arrogance unique to someone who had long held a high position in his brows and eyes.
He wore a dark gray suit. Behind him was an elegantly furnished study, its bookshelves filled with all manner of ancient texts.
"Giovanni." The man's voice came