Following closely behind the young man, they continued walking inside, passing through various checkpoints and identity verifications along the way.
Finally, they stopped at the entrance to the innermost level, the fourth floor.
In front of a door with obvious security mechanisms, he entered a string of passwords, pressed his fingerprint against a scanner, and had his face scanned.
After completing this triple verification process, the main door finally opened slowly. The level of caution and secrecy was evident.
"Sir, I've brought them."
The young man spoke respectfully to the communication screen on the security door.
After waiting quietly for a few seconds, the security door also gave a "creak" and slowly opened.
Sieg stood quietly to the side watching. He hadn't expected that even after triple verification, the door would only open with approval from someone inside.
At the same time, he had some speculation about the "superior" the young man had mentioned.
After stepping into the mysterious fourth floor, Sieg was led by the young man into an office.
The entire office was extremely minimalistic. The first thing that caught the eye was a large "R" logo hanging on the wall, along with a projector screen displaying a map of Mauville City.
Behind the office desk sat an elegant man wearing a white suit, with short blue-green hair that made him look quite handsome.
Sieg's eyes scanned the entire office, suddenly freezing as he spotted three familiar figures in a corner. They were the twin brothers and the seductive woman "Rose" with whom he had formed an alliance last time.
The Team Rocket member beside him knelt on one knee and said respectfully to the elegant man: "Sir, everyone has arrived."
The elegant man glanced over rather indifferently, then waved his hand dismissing him. The room was left with only Sieg and the other three squad leaders from Kanto.
The atmosphere in the room gradually solidified. Facing this mysterious superior, Sieg didn't dare act out of line, maintaining his posture with his head lowered.
After a long while, a light chuckle finally broke the silence.
"Heh~"
The elegant man paced unhurriedly around the room, an invisible aura instantly enveloping the four of them.
"A powerful individual!"
This thought instantly flashed through Sieg's mind.
This kind of quality, he had only encountered in Mr. Norman before. It was an aura unique to the strong.
On the path of being a trainer, they had already walked to the pinnacle above countless others, like the very top of a pyramid. This temperament cultivated over a long time gradually transformed from intangible to tangible, evolving into what's called a presence.
"You four don't need to be nervous. After all, to stand out among the organization's many squad leaders, you can be considered among the elite."
The elegant man held a handkerchief, polishing a Luxury Ball in his hand, first offering the four some praise.
"You may have heard my name. I am Archer." The elegant man stood up, adjusting the tie at his neck.
The four of them felt their minds shake tremendously.
Archer was a celebrity within the organization. Not only had he recently been promoted to Executive, he was also a newly appointed Champion-level powerhouse, Boss Giovanni's right-hand man being intensively cultivated!
"Subordinates Black Sky (Rose, Shin'ichi, Shinji) pay respects to you, sir!"
Several people knelt on one knee. Sieg also mimicked them perfectly, his facial expression showing no flaws whatsoever, appearing completely loyal.
Archer sat down on a nearby sofa, and the pressure on the four immediately lifted considerably. They unconsciously exchanged glances, each showing relief in their eyes.
"Not bad, promising material."
Archer spoke with a hint of appreciation.
After all, for people of their low level to barely maintain composure before him was not unworthy of being called elite among Team Rocket's squad leaders.
At the very least, in terms of mental fortitude and courage, they were passable. Since he had just been transferred to Hoenn and didn't have any direct subordinates of his own yet, they could be cultivated somewhat.
"The organization is preparing to expand operations in the Hoenn region to a certain degree. You four and I are all from Kanto, so perform well."
Archer spoke with meaningful implications.
Sieg and the others immediately understood his meaning.
Nothing more than an intention to mentor and cultivate them. This superior was signaling his need to cultivate direct forces loyal to himself.
And the four of them, being from the same region, had gained an advantage and entered this superior's sights, making it onto at least the outer circle candidate list.
Taking a deep breath, Sieg knew he had no real choice in this matter, so he decisively said: "To serve you, sir, is this subordinate's honor. Black Sky pledges to work himself to death for you!"
The other three hadn't reacted yet when Sieg hurriedly expressed his loyalty, inwardly cursing.
This "Black Sky" always acted cold and taciturn, but turns out he's actually a bootlicker.
Sieg ignored the subtle contempt in their eyes.
A wise man knows when to yield and when to stand firm.
However, the other three quickly followed suit with their own pledges of loyalty, their words similar to Sieg's, expressing willingness to align themselves with Executive Archer.
Archer took out four black badges from a drawer and stared intently at the four: "You don't need to follow orders from any middle management in the base. From now on, contact me directly through these badges on a dedicated line."
Sieg kept his head lowered, using his peripheral vision to glance at the badges on the table. They had a black base color with some pure white accents.
The black and white badges looked exquisite.
Apollo waved his hand, letting the four take their badges and leave, clearly not intending to discuss anything further with them.
This left "Rose," who had hoped to build rapport or gain advancement through deeper interaction, feeling somewhat disappointed.
After leaving the room, the four exchanged glances and simultaneously let out long breaths, wiping away sweat that didn't actually exist on their foreheads.
Sieg also quietly breathed a sigh of relief internally.
This was his first time in close contact with a powerhouse of this caliber. The overwhelming pressure was something others couldn't comprehend.
Previously, when Sieg had read novels about powerful auras and dominating presences, he had scoffed at such descriptions.
After all, he had encountered two Champion-level powerhouses like Norman and Drake without feeling anything particularly special.
Now it seems he had been ignorant. This kind of aura cultivated by the strong over many years could indeed form an invisible field of presence that they could release or restrain at will.
At the very least, just now in that office, that deep sense of powerlessness had flooded his entire body, like a blade pressed hard against his throat, causing excruciating pain and making it difficult to breathe.
That indescribable feeling of suffocation was truly a first-time experience.
"This is the tragedy of the weak."
Sieg sighed helplessly in his heart.
Although his desire to grow stronger had never ceased, this experience made his resolve even firmer.
As a transmigrator, he had always carried a certain pride in his bones. So while on the outside he appeared refined and cultured, deep down he had a subtle sense of superiority over all his peers.
Believing he had tremendous advantages, that his memories from his previous life would help him become powerful.
Only when facing people like Steven would he show some restraint.
"However, this humbling experience can serve as fuel for my continued improvement!"
Sieg walked through the dim corridor. At this moment, his eyes held unprecedented determination.