System Mission: Seduce the Final Boss [BL]-Chapter 41: Boring but intriguing, I suppose

"This," the guide declared, voice polished to perfection, "is one of our nation’s most prestigious structures. A symbol of how far we’ve progressed scientifically, technologically and in every sense that matters."

The words landed exactly how they were meant to.

"How impressive."

Blake tried to pay attention anyway.

There was always a chance, buried somewhere in the scripted speech, that something useful might slip through. A detail the guide didn’t realize mattered. A contradiction.

Anything he could pocket for later.

So he listened.

Or, at least, he kept his ears open while his eyes wandered.

’God. This is so boring...’

It wasn’t entirely the guide’s fault.

Something about the timing of these missions always threw him off. They dropped into his days without warning, demanding focus he didn’t always have ready to give.

And today he just wasn’t feeling it. He had known two days in advance, sure, but he was so anxious about its dangers he couldn’t do it properly.

’I really hope all this random crap actually helps me seduce Myles in the long run. Not minding my own damn business was a braindead decision.’

But, at least, even if the guide was forgettable, the structure itself wasn’t.

It leaned hard into that sleek, almost sterile aesthetic, the kind that tried to look effortless but was clearly built down to the smallest detail.

Everything was smooth, seamless, reflective without being flashy. It didn’t scream for attention.

’Man, sometimes I forget all the sci-fi setting...’

Compared to his old world, it wasn’t wildly more advanced. Not in any obvious way, at least.

And Blake was looking carefully.

The holograms were the first thing that really held him.

They weren’t the cheap, flickering projections he used to see in movies.

These had a weight to them, in a way. It almost seemed like they had their own shadows.

They occupied space like they could be touched.

He watched one display longer than he meant to, trying to understand the way light bent around it.

’Just looking at this stuff makes me question what’s actually real around me...’

He wasn’t the only one caught by it. People lingered around the projections, drawn in despite themselves.

Some leaned closer.

Others circled them slowly, like they were trying to catch the illusion slipping.

But no one dared to touch.

Blake almost did.

’Eh... who knows if it’s safe.’

His attention moved on, but not because he was done. Just because there was too much else competing for it.

Every direction offered something new. Another display. Another system. Another detail he didn’t quite understand but didn’t want to miss.

His head turned constantly, chasing one thing after another.

"Sir," Blake cut in, catching a brief pause in the guide’s speech, "how far up are we going? The email didn’t really specify."

The guide glanced at him.

"All the way up," he said. Then, after the smallest pause, "Well. Almost. The top three floors are restricted. We’ll be avoiding those."

Blake nodded slowly.

’Avoiding them, huh.’

That answered more than the guide probably intended.

’Then that’s exactly where I’m going, then.’

...

The lower floors were easier to digest.

Still advanced, but in a structured, almost educational way. The kind of technology you could imagine being explained in a classroom, even if you wouldn’t fully understand it.

Interactive displays lined the walls, each one reacting instantly to touch. Energy systems. Material science. Environmental controls.

’Um, I can’t understand a single thing written in these screens...’

Blake skimmed most of it, stopping only when something visually interesting caught his eye.

Like the biospheres.

A glass sphere, small enough to hold in both hands, contained a fully functioning ecosystem. Trees, water, soil, even tiny shifts in weather. Rain fell in accelerated cycles, soaking into the ground before evaporating again under an artificial sun.

It was almost hypnotic.

Blake slowed just enough to watch a full cycle pass.

"Closed-loop biospheres," the guide said from ahead, not breaking stride. "Designed for off-world habitation."

Blake blinked.

’Off-world... right.’

He didn’t ask, partly because he didn’t want to sound clueless, he did win this exclusive tour for his supposed researching skills and everything.

And also because the guide didn’t sound like he wanted to explain.

Either way, the moment passed, and they kept moving.

The next floor felt different almost immediately.

Less polished? Just, more experimental.

This wasn’t technology meant to be shown, it was technology that wasn’t shown to the public yet.

One section caught Blake’s attention and held it.

Neural interfaces.

Bands, implants, thin metallic pieces shaped to fit against the skull. Screens nearby displayed looping demonstrations, people moving objects without touching them, interacting with systems through thought alone.

Blake slowed.

Then stopped.

Something about it pulled at him in a way he didn’t expect.

"Those are still in development," the guide said quickly, his tone tightening just slightly. "So they’re not available for public use."

Blake nodded, but his eyes stayed on the display.

’Yeah... I figured.’

It didn’t sound like a casual limitation.

It sounded more like a warning.

Eventually, he forced himself to move again.

But his attention didn’t fully return to the exhibits.

It shifted to the guide, instead.

There was something there. Bit obvious or anything, but it did make Blake feel uneasy.

There was a tension in his posture, a slight rush in his pacing. The way he never quite stayed long enough for questions.

Blake knew he was following a script, but it was a little ridiculous how he was trying to get through it as fast as possible.

’I mean, he must be here everyday, maybe he’s also tired of it, or something. Hm, but this is so amazing to look at, what a shame...’

The lab floor changed everything.

The moment they stepped through the doors, the illusion fell away.

This wasn’t for display, but for work.

Real work.

’Man, they look enslaved...’

Researchers moved, weaving around each other without collision, their conversations overlapped. Equipment was passed around. Something hissed softly in the background.

The air smelled off, though.

He couldn’t put his finger on it.

Blake slowed without meaning to.

Glass containers filled the room, each one holding something different.

And none of it looked stable.

Liquids shimmered in ways that didn’t match the light. Gases pulsed against their containers, expanding and contracting like they were breathing. Some substances shifted color with no visible trigger.

Blake’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’Yeah. The more I go up, the more it gets weird.’

The most unnerving thing was that he felt watched. Apart from the guide just rushing into everything, the researches were not subtly looking at him.

’Um, were they not informed about my arrival or something?’

He hesitated for half a second, then followed, glancing over his shoulder one last time.

Unease settled quietly in his chest.

’Yeah. Something’s not right here.’

They moved higher.

And with each floor, things got quieter.

Less chaotic and more controlled.

By the time they reached the final accessible level, the shift was impossible to ignore.

The doors were different.

Heavier, literally reinforced. Each one sealed and requiring authentication. The guide handled the access points quickly, efficiently, like he’d done it a thousand times.

Or like he didn’t want anyone watching too closely.

Inside, though, Blake frowned.

Offices.

Just... offices.

Desks arranged neatly. Terminals running quiet streams of data. Clean, organized spaces that felt almost aggressively normal compared to everything below.

No weird substances or funny looking machines.

It was almost disappointing.

"This is it?" Blake asked, unable to keep the skepticism out of his voice.

"Administrative and operational oversight," the guide replied smoothly. "Not everything here is designed to impress."

Blake hummed softly.

’Yeah. That’s exactly the problem.’

If anything, the normalcy made it worse.

’Why lock this down so tightly if there was nothing worth hiding?’

His gaze drifted toward the hallway.

More doors.

All secured.

And above them, three more restricted, untouched floors...

The tour wrapped up soon after.

"Thank you for your time," the guide said, his posture loosening just slightly, like he’d finally reached the end of something he’d been holding together. "This concludes the tour."

That was it.

’Mh, what to do now?’

The guide was just standing there, probably waiting for him to leave or to ask questions.

The rushed explanations.

The way he’d been guided, controlled, never allowed to linger too long in one place.

It didn’t feel like a tour at all.

’Honestly, from the main character’s mentor I expected something funnier. But again, Alfred did look scary, so...’

It felt like containment.

’There’s more here anyway, so there’s no way I’m leaving.’

His jaw tightened slightly.

’Yeah. Even if it’s not up there, I’ll dig every floor, somehow.’

That piece, he needed it more than anything else. No matter the cost, if this could get him closer to any truth regarding Myles or the plot, then he would do anything.

So, Blake really wouldn’t want to go back down, even if they dragged him.

Not when the final piece was somewhere near him.