Inside a villa on the outskirts of Landon City.
Hiddink sat grim-faced in a luxurious office, one hand on the armrest of his chair, the other gently stroking a White Cat sprawled across his lap.
The White Cat was fat and round, but hardly cute. Its narrowed eyes flashed with a dangerous chill from time to time, as though it might spring at anyone who came near. It was not even friendly toward its owner, Hiddink, baring its sharp fangs at him now and then. Only because he was too powerful for it to resist was it forced to submit.
Across from Hiddink stood a man and a woman. The man was in his thirties, dressed in the black military uniform of the Anomalies Bureau, with a lieutenant colonel's insignia on his shoulder. He kept his head lowered, not daring to look at Hiddink. The woman beside him wore civilian clothes. Beautiful and in her twenties, she had a full, sensual figure, but there was a gaudy, worldly air about her that made her look anything but respectable.
None of the three spoke. An invisible pressure hung over the room, and only Hiddink's hand moved, stroking the White Cat in a steady rhythm.
Several more minutes passed before Hiddink sighed. "Scott, we came to Landon City to find the entrance to a new Void World. You, Monica, and I are all here to redeem ourselves. If we carry out this mission well, our merits will wipe away our faults. But if anything goes wrong, both the old debts and the new will come due. Do you understand?"
Lieutenant Colonel Scott raised his head slightly, his expression turning even uglier. His lips moved a few times, but he said nothing.
Monica frowned deeply as well. With a sigh, she said, "Sir,