CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 29: UNOFFICIAL TRAINING BEGINS

The women looked at one another and nodded. Fearing another attack was coming, Zaen immediately raised his hands to stop them.

"Stop! I’ll... think about donating, if you’ll tell me why you need it. And no bullshit reasons! I want the truth."

The women looked at each other once again and shrugged.

"Yes, we can do that," they said simultaneously. "Though, we’d have to wipe your memories in case you refuse to give the sample afterwards."

...is wiping memories some sort of fetish for you people?

***

After a couple of minutes of extensive explanations...

"So tell me if I got this straight," Zaen said, still stuck in disbelief. "You need my genetic material to learn more about the system thingy I have and my abilities?"

"Affirmative," Ann nodded.

"And you can’t do it with my blood, hair, or saliva samples because... the anomalies can corrupt them?"

Jenna nodded. "And check your fertility, whole genome sequencing for identification purposes, and anomalous pathogen screening, while we are at it."

"In short, genetic material is the primary method of identification within the organization. Everyone in here has gone through the same," Ann chimed in, being all matter-of-fact like it was the most normal thing.

Zaen would have believed it as well if the sick doctor weren’t staring at his junk like a hungry cougar.

"And about the phoenix—"

"That’s classified," Jenna quickly interrupted him. "Only a few people know about it, and since you’re not officially a part of the organization, we can’t tell you anything about it."

This time, Zaen didn’t argue. Before coming there, Zoey had already told him there were a lot of things he wouldn’t know or that they’d be hidden from him until he got the necessary clearance from the higher-ups.

The only way to get that clearance is to work your ass off fighting anomalies.

"Is it necessary?" Zaen finally mumbled, still weirded out by the circumstances.

"Yes, yes! Absolutely necessary. I’ll be right there to assist you since you’re visually impaired. After all, the visual means of arousal would prove useless for you, so I’d take a hands-on approach!"

Zaen’s mouth twitched as Ann had once again turned into the depraved doctor. She was all too eager to ’help’ him and would’ve jumped on him again if not for Jenna holding her by the nape.

"While it is recommended," Jenna said, holding Ann, who was acting like a stray cat. "We cannot force you to do it for now."

"...is it because I’m not an official member?"

Jenna nodded. "Captain will tell you more about it while Ann conducts the required tests. However, I’ll suggest you get used to the weird ways of the organization quickly because not everyone here will be flexible when it comes to protocols."

Zaen knew what she was talking about. After all, even Johann had put him in that strange suit to make him talk, as it was the protocol.

Now that I think about it, this place seems more like an underground BDSM club than anything else.

Just like that, they left the medical wing despite Ann’s protests.

***

"You refused the test?"

Johann’s eyes twitched the moment Jenna told him what happened. While he acknowledged Ann was out of line, he said there wasn’t much they could do about her.

When Zaen asked why, Johann nervously scratched his cheek, refusing to answer. Once again, Jenna had to step up.

"There’s no punishment she wouldn’t enjoy."

Those were her exact words. Ann was just that kind of a woman.

"Is it too late to back out now?" Zaen joked.

"Not at all," Johann replied, smiling like an innocent child. "We’d just have to take your measurements."

"...my measurements?"

"It would be rude to send a corpse back without a casket, right?"

"..."

Zaen was bling, not dumb, not to notice the hidden meaning behind Johann’s words. As an unofficial member, Zaen already knew too much about the organization. So, instead of erasing his memories, they’d silence him just to be sure.

However, it also meant their memory-erasing tech was flawed or had a certain weakness, or else they wouldn’t have gone to the extent of threatening him.

"So... what happens next?" Zaen asked. "I join the organization and just leave?"

"Leave? Who said anything about leaving?"

"...what do you mean?"

"F.O.R.C.E. is not a rag-tag group of volunteers one can join and leave whenever they like," Johann scoffed. "We are a secret organization way stricter than any other on this forsaken planet."

He continued, "We give free will to those who want to join us, but when it comes to leaving, they can only do so in death... if they are lucky."

"Don’t even think about deserting either," Jenna joined the conversation. "You do not want the ’wolves’ to go after you. Those sickos wouldn’t care about your family as much as we do. They would use anything, and I mean anything, to kill the deserters."

"Wolves?"

"They are a part of the organization, but instead of hunting anomalies, they are tasked with hunting humans like us. It goes without saying that they only harm those who want to harm the organization."

Zaen was taken aback by the sudden change in tone.

Since they were being so accommodating, he thought he’d ask if they could let him do something like volunteer work. That way, he could fulfill the system’s tasks and maybe even get his eyes back himself.

He was about to say something, but then Johann raised his hand, gesturing that he wasn’t done.

"However, if someday you get strong enough to not fear the wolves, then... I don’t think anyone could stop you from leaving. But I wouldn’t hold on to it, considering no one has ever defeated, let alone killed a wolf."

No one said a word for a while, as if waiting for Zaen to make a decision.

"So, what will it be?" Johann asked, tapping the table with his child-like fingers.

"...about the promise to heal my eyes."

"It can be done as long as you provide Ann with the necessary samples."

So you’re saying I have to join the organization first. I guess that makes sense. No one will do anything for anyone for free... unlike my self-righteous ass.

Zaen sighed and then... nodded.

"Fine. I’ll join. Not like I have another choice."

Johann and Jenna both smiled.

"Good choice. I’ll immediately submit your application to the higher-ups," Johann said. "However, before you undergo the training, you won’t be considered an official member."

"Training?"

"Did you think you could join our highly specialized organization without any training?"

"I was in the middle of my military—"

"Hah! You’re cute," Johann interrupted. "Even the janitors here can beat your commander’s ass within three seconds. Don’t compare our training to theirs."