Alexandre woke up at dawn. Latika was still asleep, so he got up without making a sound and took a long, hot shower. He dressed, then gathered his belongings—and a few pieces of fresh fruit from the center table—before leaving silently.
Though skilled Hunters could deliberately slow their bodily functions when necessary, their metabolisms were, by default, much stronger than those of ordinary humans. The process of accelerated healing made this metabolism even stronger. As a result, Alexandre's body temperature was several degrees higher than that of a normal human.
Though he didn't feel feverish at all, his breath puffed in a thick cloud of vapor as he strolled down the wintery streets of Hunter's Paradise in the slowly growing sunlight. That same moisture almost immediately dissipated in the freeze-dried air, giving Alexandre a sort of ghostly presence as he walked toward the town's ferry. He briefly wondered if most Hunters became accustomed to stifling their body temperature in the winter, so as not to stand out from others when they wanted to blend in.
Alexandre quickly walked to the island's ferry, which linked the various islands of the archipelago together. His ferry departed at 6:12 am, and though Alexandre had assumed few other people would be up at this time, the ferry was in fact crowded with other people—mostly, it seemed, former candidates who'd taken the offered money to leave and never return.
'I wish you all luck,' Alexandre thought, as though they could hear him. 'You'd better not squander what little you've been given. This world is cruel to those who are lazy and greedy. Hopefully the last few days have driven that truth into your skulls so hard that you'll never forget it.'
But unlike these people, Alexandre wasn't heading back to the archipelago's first island to escape. He'd be leaving, true… but he'd also be back very soon.
***
After the several-hour ferry ride and a short walk, Alexandre finally arrived at the Hunter Island airfield, which was staffed by officers of both the US Marine Corps and Hunter Academy—this was technically an international border, after all, though it was a very unique one.
Alexandre purchased a ticket for the only available destination—New York City. After the lengthy process of checking in and boarding, Alexandre settled down and pondered the events of the last day.
He kept asking himself one question over and over: Was he making the right decision? Was joining the Hunters really the best way to pursue his goals?
After all, thanks to William, Alexandre now possessed a list of all the people who had made him suffer. He could potentially just leave now and pursue vengeance without giving Hunter Academy another's moment's thought.
Yet Alexandre wasn't stupid. Even if he possessed names, he knew that people as powerful and important as the Genesis Project researchers didn't simply publish their addresses for the public to see. Many of them would have obscured their true identities and locations in any number of ways. No, at the very least, Alexandre needed access to information that had been deliberately hidden by powerful people.
Perhaps he could purchase some of this information. Perhaps he could manipulate allies into giving it to him. Perhaps he could investigate on his own, when his clearance was high enough.
But one way or another, Alexandre needed to build all sorts of power for himself if he wanted to pursue his goals. In the modern world, where Hunters were simultaneously seen as superheroes and superstars, that was likely the best way to achieve this power.
For the moment, at least, he had the beginning of a lead. That would be much better than nothing at all.
***
After several hours, the plane landed. New York was considerably further north than Hunter Island, so the windy air was even colder. "Good old New York," Alexandre muttered as he took a cab back to his old apartment.
An hour later, the cab pulled up in front of the building where Alexandre had spent the last five years of his life. Alexandre paid his fare, told the cabbie there'd be a big tip if he waited for a few minutes for Alexandre to return, and went into his apartment.