CHAPTER 469: CHAPTER 469: SAME OLD SHIT (PART 9)

The drive to SHU gave Don nothing to dwell on. The road stayed smooth, the Mustang’s low growl steady, but his mind didn’t stir with it.

By the time the campus gates loomed, he’d set aside Cassie’s antics.

The stares came the moment he pulled in. Students stopped mid-step, some whispering, some pretending they weren’t looking.

Don ignored all of it. He parked, slid out, and crossed the open paths with the same unhurried pace, eyes forward.

His route was clear—Dean Sanchez’s office.

The closer he came down the long hall leading there, the clearer the voices grew. Mr. Xiao’s smooth baritone carried through first, calm, controlled. Sanchez’s agreement followed, quick and obsequious, like a man eager to stay on the right side of a leash.

Don neared the door. He heard Xiao’s words distinctly.

"Ah, it seems Mr. Bright is here. Let’s pick up this conversation later, shall we, Dean Sanchez?"

"Yes, of course," Sanchez answered without hesitation.

The timing aligned exactly. Don arrived at the door just as heavy steps crossed to the other side. Not Sanchez. Too measured.

The door opened.

Mr. Xiao filled the frame. His suit was pristine black, cut clean to his tall frame, the seams lined with subtle red that caught the hall’s light with each shift of fabric. A smile sat on his face—perfect, balanced, and impossible to read.

Genuine? Fake? Don couldn’t decide. What he did know was that it unsettled him enough to notice.

He didn’t let it show. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"Oh, nonsense," Xiao said easily. He stepped into the hall, moving past without another glance inside. "I was only sharing a few words with our dear old Dean."

He set the pace immediately, striding down the corridor. Don fell in step beside him, shoulders squared.

"More importantly," Xiao continued, "are you ready to meet the specialist who will help you prepare?"

Don didn’t turn his head. His eyes stayed on the stretch of hall ahead. "I suppose. Do I need to be worried?"

Xiao chuckled, a low ripple in his throat. He shook his head once. "Only if you’re not strong enough."

Don’s brow furrowed slightly. Whether it was a joke or not wasn’t clear. That was the problem.

Xiao’s posture shifted then, hands folding neatly behind his back, his stride patient and even.

"I guess we’ll find out," Don said.

Minutes later, the two of them stood before one of SHU’s larger blocks. The building was broad, rectangular, with the same beige stone and tinted glass as the rest of campus. Nothing about it announced secrets—just another academic structure, its size the only thing setting it apart.

At the entrance, the only obstacle was a lone security guard in the school’s blue uniform, checking IDs with the casual boredom of routine. A pair of scanners flanked the doorway, lights running in idle sequence.

No iron gates. No armored posts. Nothing to suggest the training hidden inside.

Xiao walked straight through without slowing, and Don followed, his eyes sweeping once over the scanners before stepping past.

At first glance, the inside of the building looked like any other campus block. The lobby had the same polished tile floors, overhead fluorescents, and walls lined with notice boards no one bothered reading.

But it was too empty. No students loitering, no professors hurrying between classes. Just wide-open space.

Elevators lined both sides of the lobby, doors of varying sizes set into the walls. Some small and ordinary. Others stretched wide enough to haul entire vehicles. One in particular dominated the far corner—massive, with reinforced plating, more suited to cargo than people.

The odd thing was, there was nowhere above to go. The building was only one story tall. Which meant all those shafts went down.

Xiao didn’t break stride. His polished shoes carried him across the empty space until he stopped before one of the standard-sized elevators. Don followed, his eyes sweeping once across the room before stepping inside with him.

The doors closed.

Xiao broke the silence first, his tone calm. "I take it this is your first time in the compound?"

The compound.

Don knew of it. Reserved mostly for second-years and up, the place had a reputation for serious training. But everything he’d read painted it as second-rate compared to SHQ’s facilities.

"Yes," Don said, voice flat. "I had no reason to come here before."

Just as he finished, one of the huge cargo doors outside slid open. Don caught a glimpse before his own doors sealed—an enormous figure stepping out.

The man looked like a metal giant. Skin wasn’t skin at all, but a dull steel sheen that caught the light in patches. Over seven feet tall, shoulders broad enough to blot out the frame, muscles stacked like armor plates.

Compared to Strauman, this wasn’t even close. The general had bulk. This thing looked carved from chrome, freakishly proportioned, more ogre than man.

Beside him shuffled an old man, hunched, hands clasped behind his back. Small, frail-looking, but the giant’s voice carried through—deep, respectful. Whoever the old man was, the brute deferred to him.

Don kept his face unreadable. Xiao only chuckled softly, as if catching his thought. The elevator doors sealed.

"Well," Xiao said, "compared to other facilities in the country, ours is lacking. But not many places can endure the training power of an S-Class elite without getting destroyed."

Don didn’t flinch. He’d heard this before. Gary, of all people, had rambled once about the compound’s past—the fact it had been built long before the Citadel, back when this site housed one of only two secret prisons for superhumans.

"I’m still far from S-Class," Don said evenly. "So it should work just fine for me."

"Don’t be modest." Xiao’s tone held amusement. "If I didn’t think you had the potential, neither I nor the specialist would impose. And the UPSDF would not have enlisted you directly."

Don gave the faintest nod. "Fair enough."

The elevator dinged. The doors split open with a hiss.

A smooth synthetic voice filled the space overhead.

"Welcome to the compound. You are currently on ground floor six. Warning: this facility contains active high-level superhuman training environments. Exposure to uncontrolled powers may result in severe injury or death. Safety protocols must be observed at all times."

Xiao stepped out first. Don followed.

The hallway was nothing like the lobby. Utilitarian walls, thick slabs of alloy with a faint matte shine. Don recognized the tone—similar to Krylistium used in the Citadel, but darker, less refined. Cameras jutted from every angle above, lenses sweeping constantly.

The floor trembled faintly with sound. Heavy booms and bangs echoed from beyond the walls.

Cells lined either side of the corridor. Not glass fronts—full armored doors, each large enough to swallow a tank. Vents were reduced to thin slits, hardly big enough to feed air.

The place seemed all about containment, not training. Exactly what it was built for in another age: cages for war prisoners too dangerous to keep elsewhere.

Xiao’s hands were folded behind his back as he walked. "This floor is off-limits to most students. It is reserved for those pursuing advanced research, usually physical... or prodigies requiring specialist oversight."

"I see," Don said, scanning the rows.

They stopped before one door that stood out—not for its design, but for the mark across it. The alloy was dented outward, a perfect imprint of a giant fist pressed into it.

The metal was meant to withstand S-Class superhumans. Yet someone had left their knuckles in it.

Xiao didn’t react. He simply looked up toward the ceiling. "Open training cell four."

The synthetic voice replied at once.

"Request received. Error: cell is currently in high-pressure use. Internal conditions as follows: gravity at 120 meters per second squared. Internal pressure equivalent to 14,000 meters below sea level. Oxygen concentration reduced to twenty percent below baseline. Temperature at 410 degrees Celsius."

The listing rolled out matter of factly, detached.

Don’s eyes narrowed slightly, cutting toward Xiao.

Xiao could feel it. He didn’t turn, but his smile was audible. "Don’t worry. This isn’t for you. Your trainer has simply decided to make use of the cell while waiting."

Don looked back at the dented alloy. His thoughts sharpened.

’What kind of monster did Xiao arrange for me?’

The digital voice cut back in.

"Cell user has initiated atmospheric normalization. Please await stabilization."