POV: Zhang
The dark was occasionally shrouded with the red glaring lights that lined the upper corners of the training room.
It was late, but I can't afford to rest during these dire times.
I needed to always be on my feet.
My fists pummeled the hard wood in front of me continuously, swirls of energy enveloping my bloodied fists in a perfect symphony, hit after hit.
Every hit forced slight drops of blood to splatter across the ground, as well as large pieces of the wood being chipped off after every swing, the sound of the impact resonating with a loud echo throughout the entire room.
After a while, I heard the double doors swing open, the sound of the door overshadowed by the shattering of the log, shards flying into the nearby walls around me.
Slight tinges of smoke whistled up into the air from the broken bottom of the log.
"S-Sir," one of my attendants spoke from the shadows of the opened door.
Looking over, I gave them an annoyed stare. They should all know I don't like being disturbed while I'm training... "What?"
"You remember that impossible 20x weight in the evaluation physical? Well," the attendant spoke. "Someone on the outer rim of Vareth, the base near the Lotus border, had finally lifted it. Even with only one hand."
I furrowed my brow slightly.
Now this was news worthy of interruption.
"Who was it?" I asked.
"It was... a recruit, tagged 79. This was from his emergency re-evaluation, approved by... General Aurelian?"
"Aurelian?" I questioned, surprised. "Seems like he saw something in a disposable."
Recruits were never meant to become anything, they were nothing. Just numbers that were easily disposable, used as mass waste to ensure total dominance over the region, and so it has worked for over a decade now.
"Wait, did you say 79?" I asked, it ringing a bell. "Where do I know that from?"
The attendant gave a loose bow. "Yes, sir, you do, and are quite familiar with him, not personally," she finally spoke.
"He was taken hostage from the Hidden Lotus raid."
"And he survived?" I asked.
She nodded. "Escaped, apparently the only one that survived."
"Well, that just is very interesting, isn't it?" I asked, not wanting an answer, and she seemed to understand that very well. Her legs trembled beneath my misplaced pressure, released from my eagerness of the situation.
"Sorry," I spoke, as I pulled back the slithers of seeping energy.
"Well, that's to great hear," I continued, as I walk over to the side of the room, grabbing another log sitting against the side of the wall.
"A-And one more thing," she stuttered, taking a step forward. "The recruit also did a... nexus capacity test, and he couldn't be evaluated properly. His scale exceeded what the machine could recognize."
A slight grin pulled at my expressionless face.
"Bring him here and put him through mine, then we can see," I replied.
"Y-Yes sir," she answered as she quickly shuffled out of the room, closing the double doors behind her with a loud bang.
***
POV: Recruit 79
I sat patiently on one of the benches in the facility.
I was told to wait for further news, as they would have to contact different facilities to see which ones could boast proper results.
In the process, I was given meals, whatever drinks I want, basically anything.
They were treating me like I was some royalty, even though I was just a recruit. Although, I'm not sure what I'll be soon. Out of the years I've spent, it was even a struggle just to get a good meal every few days.
Now, they were handing me whatever I called for.
'God, this is so stupid,' I thought to myself, biting my lip.
The moment they see something worth a benefit of their base, they hound them.
I wouldn't doubt if they try to use this as a chance to receive more funding from Zhang's upper organization as well.
"Sir," the female examiner spoke to me. Of course, she was apart of the problem. Barely batting an eye as I tried to even sign up for the evaluation, but now checking in on me every 5 minutes.
"I don't need anything, don't worry," I replied, anticipating her question.
"Actually, it's not that," she continued.
'Oh?'
"We've found a facility capable of the proper readings. However..."
"What is it?" I answered as she trailed off.
"The facility that you've been called to, is Zhang's manor," she finally answered, taking a moment to properly find the words.
'Oh that makes sense... Wait...'
"What?" I screamed. "His manor?"
"Please keep your voice down sir, this is private information," she tried to reassure me that it was all okay. "But yes, his personal attendants reached out to us. We don't even know how they found out about all of this..."
My concentrated breathing, used to help calm me down, crumbled within seconds. My breaths were half taken, as I rushed to process this information properly.
"Anyways, an assemble of personal guards will be here any minute to take you. Just know... they'll have to temporarily knock you unconscious for the journey," she continued, drops of sweat falling down her face.
"What do you mean 'unconscious'?" I asked.
"Well, in order to protect the privacy of the manor, even loyal servants to the militia cannot have any intel on the route," she finished.
'I guess that makes sense...' I thought to myself.
"I suppose it's time for me to get moving, if they'll be here any minute," I spoke as I stood up from the bench, grabbing the shirt they had gave me off to my side and sliding it on.
The lady did not speak another word, instead quickly rushing away.
'That was eventful...'
I continued down through the sections quickly, everybody rushing to give me an intense stare as I passed.
'I hate all this attention, I really do,' I thought to myself, annoyed.
***
"Well, I guess it's time to go to Zhang's manor," I whispered under my breath as I exited the facility. "I never thought I'd mutter these words. Ever."
Let's see what's in store then.