Tahimik na naka-upo si Chase sa kanyang swivel chair, low lighting ang ang loob ng office niya. Tanging liwanag lang na galing sa mga LED strips sa sahig at ang hatingglow ng cityscape sa likod ng floor-to-ceiling windows. May animation ng isang male character sa isang screen—rotating slowly in T-pose, its wireframe flickering faintly. On the desk, three curved monitors light up.
The space is high-tech, minimalist, sterile. Isang glass of whiskey sa tabi ng mechanical keyboard. Hindi pa nauubos. Chase sits, steady as ever—black compression shirt, dark-rimmed glasses. His sleeves rolled just enough to reveal a subtle tattoo of a render engine code line on his forearm. His stylus pen spins between his fingers. Sa screen, may naka-open na immigration database. Julien Prado’s name flashes.
