CHAPTER 66: CHAPTER 65: STRANGE RECRUIT

"...Russia?" Uncle Mack asked. "What’s wrong with the current rehab facility?"

"Nothing is wrong with it," Ann explained while Rhina calmly drank tea. "The facilities in Moscow are just better equipped to handle Zaen’s case. The elite team at Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University has itself agreed to help Zaen."

Rhino put his cup down and looked at Mack with a threatening smile. He wasn’t smiling to threaten anyone, but it was the only smile he knew to use.

"One year," he mumbled, patting Zaen’s back. "In one year, he’ll be as good as new with those prosthetics. It is a special programme, that’s why it won’t be possible to conduct it here."

Uncle Mack sighed. Honestly, sending away Aeron was already a bit much for him, but now that Zaen too wanted to leave... it genuinely made him sad.

However, he knew how much Zaen missed seeing, like any blind person would. So he didn’t stop him.

"Do you want to leave?" he asked.

Zaen nodded without any hesitation.

By the time they got to his home, Ann and Rhino had already informed him about the cultists. Even as official agents, they wouldn’t recommend fighting them head-on as they were unpredictable.

Zaen didn’t tell them about his encounter with the cult, but it seemed they already knew about it. Besides, since he had already messed with them, it wasn’t safe for him to stay in the city or the same country, for that matter.

He wasn’t worried about himself, but about what would happen if they discovered his identity if he stayed back. Then, Uncle and Aeron both would be in danger.

Hence, he decided to leave for the academy and get trained there.

Uncle Mack took a deep breath and then nodded.

"If you want to leave, you can... just promise me you won’t act like a hero again."

"...I promise."

"Then, I’ll see you at Christmas?"

Zaen nodded with a smile, but inside his head, he was already thinking of the excuses to use then. After all, the path he was walking on was a grim one. Death could claim him at any moment. As such, he hoped distance would help uncle and Aeron cope better than if they remained in contact.

***

With the meeting concluded, Zaen accompanied Ann and Rhino to the airport. There, a private jet was waiting for them. Clearly, the organization had a lot of money to spare on them.

"Don’t worry," Rhino said, holding Zaen by the shoulders. "Once you graduate, owning things like this would be the least you could do."

"How much do you people really pay the employees?" Zaen asked, stifling a chuckle.

Since his parents were most likely part of the organization, it made sense why their family was uber-rich. As such, even if the org didn’t pay him a cent, he wouldn’t have to worry about spending money.

"How much do we make...? Well, it depends on your rank," Rhino mumbled, scratching his chin. "As a captain, I make around... half a million dollars a month? That’s excluding the perks, mission bonus payout, hazard pay, etc."

"..."

Zaen wanted to show off that he didn’t need their money, but after learning about the basic salary structure, he lost all will to continue the conversation.

They boarded the plane, but instead of heading to the cold north, they took a detour. Instead of Russia, they didn’t even leave Ayran. They went to a peninsula city that wasn’t on any map of the world.

It was a special city made and concealed with the help of tamed anomalies, and the private jet was the only way to get there. Why? Because the jet itself was an anomaly, capable of traveling to parallel realms.

After landing, they took a vehicle to travel through the mountain roads and entered a blocked tunnel, which cleared itself after verifying Rhino’s identity.

"The end of the tunnel is the F.O.R.C.E. academy’s East Campus," Rhino said.

"East campus? There is more than one training academy?" Zaen asked, genuinely surprised by the revelation.

"There are eight to be exact," this time Ann replied. "At first, there were only five of them—North, South, East, West, and Central. However, once the games began kidnapping more players, three more campuses were created. Inner, Outer, and Auxiliary campuses."

She continued, "Each campus is spread in over two thousand acres of artificially created land. Naturally, most of it is used for training purposes. In the end, the campus is nothing more than a secret military training institution."

"...I see," Zaen nodded. "But being cut off from the rest of the world, these campuses must have it tough, right? No supply chains, no regular entertainment."

Rhino couldn’t help but laugh after hearing Zaen’s question.

"Kid, this is a training facility first and foremost," he said through laughs. "Just because it’s called a campus doesn’t mean you’re there to enjoy your life. Your only purpose here is to train until you die and then train some more."

They drove in silence for a while before Rhino abruptly stopped the car and pointed at a dusty road.

"Zaen, grab your stuff and get off," he said. "Keep following the road for thirty kilometers and you’ll end up inside the academy."

Ann was taken aback by the strange proposition. After all, Zaen was blind, so how was he supposed to follow a road for ten kilometers without losing his way?

If that was the case, then Ann was going with him since she was technically his guardian there. However, Rhino shook his head.

"Only the students must follow this trail," he said, pointing ahead. "Your trail is up ahead. What are you waiting for then, Zaen? Chop chop, start walking, or you’ll have to sleep outside the dorms tonight."

"...right," Zaen said, jumping off the jeep.

***

Outside the campus, at a checkpoint...

Two burly men dressed in suits similar to the rest of the agents stood guard. Since there was no particular timing for the admission of recruits, two guards had to be stationed there at all times.

Sometimes recruits arrive at dawn, sometimes in the middle of the night. However, on average, it took them five hours to reach the final checkpoint.

That’s why they were surprised when someone appeared in their vision.

"Report, someone is approaching from the front," one of the guards spoke in a concealed microphone.

"Appearance?" a robotic voice replied.

"Young male, muscular, around... 6’3", wearing a blindfold. He has a stick in his hand, no other weapons visible to the naked eye."

"Scanner output?"

"No abnormality detected. The stick appears to be a slayer weapon."

"Roger. Description matches recruit Zaen Aurelia. You can proceed."

"Affirmative."

The two jumped into an off-road vehicle and headed towards the recruit. Usually, the two wouldn’t speak a word to each other, but now they couldn’t hold back.

"What’s the time since he started on the trail?"

"Little over an hour."

"...decent performance."

"Decent, indeed."

Meanwhile, Zaen kept walking, unaware of the vehicle heading in his direction.

Honestly, thirty kilometers with Zaen’s enhanced agility and endurance wasn’t a long distance. An average person would take upwards of 8 hours to finish the trail, while a professional runner would take three hours.

Zaen had been counting seconds since he left, and it had only been seventy-five minutes before he reached the gates.

Out of nowhere, a vehicle suddenly appeared within his ’vision’. Zaen was startled because even with perception, he hadn’t picked up the vehicle until it was about to hit him.

One of the bald agents poked his head out of the jeep and looked at him as if sizing him up.

"Identification?"

Zaen brought out the papers Rhino had prepared for him after his interrogation. The bald man took the papers and examined them carefully for a long time, then returned the papers and pointed behind him.

"Get in."

"I was told to walk until I reach the academy," Zaen replied, shaking his head.

Since Rhino had told him that, he thought the people there were trying to test him. If he accepted their offer, they might just drop him back to the starting point, or worse, throw him out of the academy.

"We’re aware," the driver said. "Just get in, it’s the director’s orders."

Zaen resolutely refused and kept walking.

What director? He wasn’t informed about such a person, so he could only walk like Rhino had told him to.

The two guards turned to one another, wondering if the kid had a screw or two loose. Usually, they didn’t have to repeat their words twice before the recruits jumped inside the vehicle.

After all, who wouldn’t be tired after walking thirty kilometers without breaks? It seemed they had found a psycho who wouldn’t.

With no other way, the two could only drive behind Zaen, who was running at the edge of the mountain cliff like he was running on a treadmill.

"This recruit... he can’t be actually blind, can he?"