Chapter 782 Meeting Hollie Rees
Despite Klaus' hectic start to the morning, the rest of the day was quieter than he could have imagined. It seems that for the other students on campus, Klaus has always been a star, at least since he started excelling in every field and also started dating Ashley, the campus princess. So for most people it didn't make much difference whether or not he was a famous Rise Online player or a Special Program Ambassador.
As a matter of fact, from the moment Principal Stephanie offered him this "position", it was as clear as water in a stream that it was a request from Charles Richards. And Klaus' theory was about to be confirmed.
Around four in the afternoon, while Klaus was walking with Andrew to the dormitory after his last class and chatting naturally, they spotted a woman sitting on a bench in the middle of the path. She was more elegant than the girls on campus usually dressed. She wore a black skirt and had very wavy brown hair, as well as an expression of someone who wasn't in her comfort zone.
When this woman saw Klaus approaching, she locked eyes with him and just as Kaizen was about to walk past her, trying to completely ignore the fact that she was staring at him, she stood up and said:
"Good afternoon, Klaus Park. Can we talk?"
The black-haired boy looked at her and then at Andrew. "Man, I'm going to need to sort this out. Go ahead."
Without bothering, Andrew nodded, said goodbye to Klaus with a handshake and continued walking.
Finally, Klaus turned towards the woman. "Before we start, can you tell me your name?" he asked.
She flicked her glasses with one finger to adjust them to her face and lifted her chin proudly before answering:
"I'm Hollie Rees, Secretary Manager at Hongué Holdings and Personal Assistant to Technical Director Charles Richards." She said it proudly, emphasizing each position.
However, positions didn't matter to Klaus. He merely raised his eyebrows briefly, extended his right hand and greeted Miss Rees politely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. May I ask what you need to talk to me about?"
"Mr. Richards left the premises of the Special Program campus a few hours ago. He had to go to an emergency meeting at the national headquarters of Hongué Holdings, but he asked me to stay here so that I can best assist you while the contract between you is not signed. Could you come with me, please?"
Klaus was a little stunned, but although he didn't know what to say for sure, he agreed to accompany her. After a few seconds, Klaus took a good look at her cold expression and asked:
"Hm... and why exactly would I need a secretary?"
"Oh, don't be confused, Mr. Park..."
"Please, just call me Klaus."
"As you wish... Don't be confused, Klaus. I won't be a secretary while you're here, I'll just act as an intermediary between you and Charles Richards. As you can imagine, he's a very busy man whose genius brain should be occupied with solving real problems, not those of a young adult."
"My problems?" Klaus took that as an insult. "Are you serious? I'll be the one cleaning up other people's shit and Charles Richards' shit for not setting up a system that allows admins in his game!"
Hollie's expression remained impassive in the face of Klaus' outburst. She knew how to deal with strong personalities, after all, working for Charles Richards required such skill.
"Of course, and you'll be paid very well for it, through the ambassadorial position he gave you."
Silence hung for a moment and Klaus took a deep breath. He didn't want to draw other people's attention any more than necessary.
"Klaus," Hollie continued in a calm tone of voice, "you may not fully understand what's going on, but Charles Richards sees more in you than just a skilled Rise Online player. He sees potential, something that can be molded for mutual benefit. I don't see any of that, but don't get me wrong, I'll do my job as I've been asked, I'll be the bridge between you and him."
Klaus looked at her with an expression mixed between indignation and anger, but gave in. "All right, but isn't that something that could be done over the phone?"
Hollie shook her head negatively. "Not any more. Until recently, it was possible because you didn't have a target on your back, only now you do and some of the most powerful Evolved will surely work hard to get you or get rid of you. I know it may seem ridiculous all this caution now, but you'll understand soon enough."
"I see. So that's why Charles Richards came here in person."
"Yes and no. Charles has been visiting various campuses since the first month, with the excuse of checking their conditions with his own eyes, but in fact he was just waiting for you to become an Evolved so that he could come here and meet you in person. So even if someone suspects a connection between you and him, the fact that he came here won't be conclusive."
Klaus didn't reply immediately. He was immersed in his thoughts.
"What about you? Couldn't someone start to get suspicious just because Charles Richards' secretary was walking with me on campus?"
"No problem. Few people apart from the upper echelons of Hongué Holdings know who I am and what I do. I have no social media profiles and no close family. So I'm invisible to most people. Why do you think Charles Richards trusts me?"
The confidence with which Hollie Rees spoke was evident in her coppery brown eyes and although Klaus was a little confused about her, it was undeniable that she seemed to be someone quite capable.
"Anyway, all this means that you're going to be the one to take care of the refurbishment of my house and apartment, right? As well as the private room I asked for so I can play without any problems."
"Correct, Klaus. And on that last point..." Hollie looked at Klaus with a subtle smile and continued: "Please accompany me."
Klaus followed Hollie along a path further away from the normal routes the students normally took. For a moment, his heart raced, thinking that she would take him to the area where the students used to do, well, let's just say inappropriate things. However, they had detoured onto a more private path earlier, where instead of a stone path, there was a dirt track.
When they reached a small, inconspicuous two-storey building at the end of the path, Hollie inserted a magnetic card into the panel next to the door, causing a beep to sound and the door to open silently.
She looked back and asked, "Are you ready?"
Klaus nodded immediately and followed her inside. The interior was completely different from the rest of the campus. The first space was a spacious and elegant room, with metal-coated walls that were softly illuminated with white light. In the center of the room, a deep immersion pod took pride of place. The capsule, a state-of-the-art gadget, was connected to a series of control consoles, holographic monitors and virtual reality systems.
"This will be your refuge, Klaus," announced Hollie. "Here you'll have everything you need to concentrate on the game, without external distractions, without worrying about credits or anything else. This immersion capsule has been specially designed to meet your needs as you become one of the most powerful Evolved. If the computers detect that your glucose level is too low, they will issue a warning that will disconnect them, as well as if your heart rate is at its limit."
Klaus observed the capsule with curiosity, fascinated by the details and the advanced technology in front of him. This particular one looked even more modern than the one in the Deep Immersion Room in the center of the campus. The surface of the capsule looked like a shiny silver material, and Klaus could see a series of sensors and cable connections connected to the computers next to it.
"Come in, please. Let's check how everything is set up for you," Hollie invited, indicating the capsule.
Klaus hesitated for a moment, but then decided to enter the capsule. As soon as he had settled in, Hollie began to fiddle with the settings on the surrounding consoles. Klaus felt a tingling sensation as the capsule began to adjust to his physiology, adapting to his body profile.
"This pod is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, but it hasn't completely configured itself yet, especially the biological monitoring we've implemented to ensure you're in the best physical and mental condition during your sessions, only with a few initial adjustments, you should be able to play without any problems even when I'm not here."
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