"Hey, get up?"
"Hey!"
Hex's eyes fluttered open as a soldier gave him a slight shove. He blinked groggily, then quickly straightened up as his surroundings came into focus. The inside of the truck, the presence of soldiers, and the steady hum of motion—it all snapped back into awareness.
"Wake up, kid. We've reached Sector 8."
"Hm," Hex nodded and stood up, stretching a little before stepping out and following the soldiers.
As he stepped outside, his eyes widened in awe.
Before him stood a towering skyscraper sleek, metallic, and gleaming under the artificial sun panels that floated above.
The building pierced the sky like a spear of glass and steel. Hovercrafts zipped through designated airlanes. Neon-blue pathways lit the walkways, guiding visitors through the massive complex.
Drones buzzed in formation overhead, and robotic arms occasionally emerged from panels to adjust light fixtures or clean the walls. Transparent displays hovered mid-air with real-time updates on health statuses, patient movement, and global alerts.
This was the Esper Burreau Health Centre,a marvel of architecture and technology.
Hex was left speechless. Compared to this, Sector 10 looked like a forgotten slum buried in rust and dust.
"Follow me," came a sharp call.
Hex snapped out of his thoughts. The voice belonged to Henkui. The surrounding soldiers instantly tensed up and gave a crisp salute.
Hex obediently nodded and followed.
They stepped into the building. The floors shimmered beneath their feet, changing color as they walked. People in lab coats moved briskly, and the air smelled faintly sterile with a hint of metallic tang. The group reached a glass-panel elevator, which rose silently once they entered.
As they ascended toward the 20th floor, Hex quietly observed the polished interiors. There were no buttons inside the elevator everything was controlled by voice or biometric ID.
It felt surreal.
And yet, something gnawed at him.
He was being treated too well.
He knew enough to realize this wasn't standard protocol especially for someone from a lower-tier sector.
Henkui, standing beside him, caught the look on his face.
"What?" he asked coldly.
"I feel... you're treating me quite kindly. Which shouldn't be the case."
"Don't think too much," Henkui replied without missing a beat. "It's because I believe you have potential. Chaos Born are enemies who even give experts a hard time. In terms of combat, only physical warriors can go head-to-head with them. And you defeated one."
"Hm," Hex nodded silently. He understood. Power what matters and right now, he had shown something that caught their eye.
With a smooth slide, the elevator doors opened.
They stepped into a large room bustling with activity. Several people in white coats moved between pods and terminals, monitoring data and running simulations.
Henkui stepped forward and called out, "Someone test him. He has awakened recently."
A man in a lab coat hurried over, nodded, and gestured to Hex. "This way, please."
Henkui remained near the entrance, scanning the room. "Where is the Director?" he asked aloud.
"He just finished filing the report," someone replied nearby.
"Call him," Henkui ordered firmly.
Meanwhile, the white-coated man guided Hex to a seat. He gently drew a blood sample and then attached a helmet over Hex's head, along with some monitoring gear. Finally, he gestured to a sleek pod behind him.
"Please lie down. This will scan and assess your ability structure," he said professionally.
Hex entered the pod. The door hissed shut with a soft click.
In that moment, everything changed.
It felt like his body had turned into light. His consciousness shot forward, flying through an endless starry sky. It was quiet—ethereal.
Then, in the center of that vast galaxy, a translucent screen materialized.
[System Assessing...]
The words flickered gently.
A brilliant white light enveloped Hex, and with it, his thoughts began to fade. His consciousness turned hazy and weightless, swallowed by the glow.
...….
Henkui stood at the far end of the room, silently observing the screening process. After a few moments, he turned around, reaching for a cup of coffee from the table nearby. Just then, a sharply dressed man in a neat suit walked in.
"Good afternoon, Director Sam," Henkui greeted.
"Good afternoon," the man replied with a slight nod. He was none other than the Director of the Sector 8 station.
"Have you taken care of things in Sector 10?" Sam asked, his tone casual yet probing.
Henkui set down the cup and responded, "Did the higher-ups approve the proposal to deploy a permanent central force beyond Sector 9?"
Sam's expression turned somber at the question.
"You know how it is... Earth is running almost entirely on reserve forces and trainee soldiers. All the real talent has been scouted out of the Milky Way. If we start deploying permanent forces in every sector for local security, we risk weakening our hold in high-risk war zones."
Henkui frowned, but didn't reply.
He knew the truth too well.Those in power no longer cared for Earth. Their ambition was out there, in deep space, expanding the Federation's reach across galaxies. Earth, once the center of human civilization, had lost its meaning to them.
The upper sectors, especially those rich in resources or housing political families, were secured and defended. The rest like Sector 10 were left to fend for themselves.
Elite soldiers were sent off to the Infinity Campaigns, fighting endless battles on foreign stars. If one chose to remain on Earth, it was considered a step backward—a suicide mission for those trying to grow stronger without political backing or access to interstellar resources.
And with the ongoing intergalactic war, most trained soldiers were deployed off-world. Earth was left hollow, the defenses stretched thin.
After a pause, Henkui finally spoke. "I understand. But have them take a second look. A Chaos Rift appearing in Sector 10 is unusual. That doesn't just happen. There might be something brewing underneath—and if they ignore it, it could come back to bite them."
Sam raised an eyebrow, considering the warning.
"By the way," he said, shifting the topic, "I heard you personally brought someone in for testing?"
BEEEP!
BEEEP!
Suddenly, a loud siren buzzed throughout the facility, startling both men.
They turned sharply toward the testing chamber. Their eyes widened—not in fear, but in surprise and anticipation.
"It must be greater than A-rank," Henkui murmured, heart skipping a beat.
A moment later, a mechanical voice echoed through the chamber.
[Mutation Superpower of S-Rank detected.]
A silence fell for half a breath.
Then the tension erupted like wildfire.