Almia Region, Angel Company headquarters.
From early that morning, wave after wave of ordinary employees who knew nothing of the situation had gathered in Angel Park in front of the building.
They looked at the company building, which had changed dramatically overnight, and its sealed entrance, unable to understand what had happened.
Most of them blankly opened their phones and asked one another in company group chats without any managers, but not one person could explain what exactly had happened.
"Don't we have to clock in today?
The security guards aren't at the entrance either. What's going on?"
"Chimimi?"
A young female employee in business attire stood with her Chimecho, looking in confusion at the tightly shut glass doors.
Discussion buzzed through the crowd. Some tried pushing the doors, only to discover that they had been locked from inside. Through the glass, they could see that the lobby was deserted. The receptionist's computer screen was still lit, as though someone had been working there just a second ago.
"Everything was fine when I left after working overtime until midnight!" A bespectacled programmer scratched his head. "How did it turn into this overnight?"
Suddenly, someone in the crowd cried out, "Look at the roof!"
Everyone looked up. A steel tower now stood on what had originally been an unremarkable rooftop, with an enormous crystal emitting an ominous purple glow embedded at its tip.
Even more unsettling were the figures in strange uniforms faintly visible moving around the crystal.
"What is that thing?"
Unease spread through the crowd. Some of the more perceptive employees had already begun quietly backing away. Their instincts told them something was wrong.
Just then, another group of public officials arrived in vehicles.
They were from the International Police.
The International Police convoy quickly and methodically parked around