The day of the Public Testing unfolded according to plan, much like the years before. The event drew a massive crowd, as it always did.
While many attendees aimed to participate in the testing, others came to support those taking the test or to catch a glimpse of their beloved heroes and celebrities, who often graced the event with their presence. People flocked from various regions, converging in the Capital Region where the ceremony was traditionally held.
Though the government orchestrated the Testing, it fell upon the esteemed Phoenix Hero Academy of the Central Region to host it.
In the world of New Earth, three authorized Hero Academies existed: The Nexus Hero Academy in the East, The Iron Stone Hero Academy in the North, and the revered Phoenix Hero Academy stationed in the Central Region. Being the oldest among the academies, Phoenix Academy had earned its moniker as 'The Best Hero Academy,' thanks to the many remarkable heroes it had produced. This reputation resonated not only with the public but also with the government.
Once the Testing concluded, the various Hero Academies initiated the assessment and registration of newly empowered Primes who met their stringent requirements.
As expected, a throng of newly minted Primes lined up for the chance to enroll at the Phoenix Hero Academy. On the flip side, IronStone Academy and Nexus Academy struggled to keep up.
Iron Stone attracted considerable interest, likely due to the prominence of its owner, Titan Strike, a renowned Tier IV Prime celebrated for his immense strength. Nexus Hero Academy, however, experienced a lukewarm response, with attendees joining the admission line either due to the academy's proximity or for other unique reasons.
With the conclusion of the Public Testing, the crowd dispersed, leaving behind a mix of disappointment and elation among the attendees.
Meanwhile, in Johnson's apartment...
An air of panic pervaded as Stare's parents anxiously paced around the living room. It had been nearly a day since their son's sudden disappearance, and their desperate search yielded no clues about his whereabouts. Stare had left his phone behind, evading any attempts at tracking, and the CCTV cameras showed nothing amiss—almost as if he had vanished into thin air.
Mrs. Johnson appeared disheveled, her clothing and hair in disarray. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she oscillated restlessly between pacing and sitting on the couch.
Mr. Johnson, though seemingly more composed, knew his facade was a fragile attempt to maintain his wife's hope. On the phone, he conversed with an official from the region's law enforcement agency. The conversation's weight was etched onto his furrowed brow, growing deeper with each passing moment. When the call concluded, his wife anticipated a glimmer of positive news, but his weary expression spoke volumes, and her hopes were dashed.
"Still no word on his whereabouts?" she asked in a hushed tone.
Reluctantly, Richard nodded, his heart heavy with concern for his missing son.
He then turned his head around and stared at their daughter, Aila, who was sleeping on a couch nearby.
She had somehow managed to overhear their discussion on her brother's sudden disappearance and ever since then had been crying her eyes out, she eventually cried herself to exhaustion and ended up falling asleep on the couch.
Mr. Johnson let out an exasperated sigh as he fell powerlessly to the couch.
After Stare's sudden disappearance, he had racked his brain, attempting to recall any moment where he might have offended anyone to the point that it would warrant the person orchestrating the kidnap of his son, and what was even more frightening was the fact that his kidnappers hadn't made any attempt in reaching out to them to discuss a ransom or something relating to it.
"Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Johnson, please don't overexert yourself, I'm pretty sure wherever Stare is, he is already devising a means of getting back…he's strong." Doush who had been silently staring at the disoriented family finally offered words of support.
He had been called earlier this morning by Stare's mother, and from the tone at which she spoke, he could already guess what had happened.
He knew they would be worried about Stare's disappearance, but he never expected them to react up to this point. On many occasions, he had been tempted to come clean about the whereabouts of Stare, but in the end, he decided to persevere.
'Was this how my parents felt when I first disappeared, so I could attend that Cold-Fingers music concert.' Doush thought.
Meanwhile, Richard stared at the best friend of his child, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
'Was that how bad they looked? The boy was obviously in the same dilemma as them as the person missing was also his best friend, yet despite that and the fact he was a lot younger than us the parents, he was still the one giving words of encouragement.'
…
Stare slowly walked down the pavement in thought.
He had left his phone to avoid tracking, hence he wasn't able to keep up with the happenings of the outside world and wasn't able to tell when the Public Testing ended, John didn't have a phone on him as well, at least he didn't have a phone capable of working in this era, so Stare was left with no other choice than relying on his previous knowledge of the Public Testing's durations.
The sky had turned dark at that point, and the moon hung up there, illuminating where it could with its light as the air around grew cooler.
The area around remained calm and quiet. Stare would have almost assumed the Public Testing was still on if he hadn't seen a couple of men drinking happily as they most likely celebrated the advancement of someone close to them in becoming a Prime.
While a few celebrated the happenings of the day, many others tried to recuperate from the same happenings of the day.
It was quite laughable.
Stare thought about what condition his parents would be in now. He had suddenly disappeared without giving them any hints on where he might be going or why he had disappeared … and Aila, what if she accidentally heard about her big brother's disappearance, she would most likely break down.
Stare suddenly started feeling bad once more, but with that feeling came more resolve.
He had to do this, they had to suffer this to prevent them from suffering something worse.
'Hmm, pretty sure that stupid cat would be the only one who doesn't share in the family's despair, and might even be wishing I don't return…would be nice destroying her stupid fantasy though.' Stare thought with a smile on his face.
While Stare was immersed in his inner monologue, his attention was suddenly drawn to what seemed to be a dispute happening not too far away from where he was.
By now the area has grown even more quiet and empty, hence Stare could hear what they were quarreling about… From what he heard it turned out not to be a quarrel as he initially thought but a robbery.
A robbery?
Stare immediately knew something was off, as cases of robbery were very rare, especially in areas like this where there was all-around surveillance and top-notch security measures.
He squinted his eyes in the direction where the noise was coming from and could see four figures.
Three of them were dressed completely in black and in their hands were blasters that looked to be at least Tier II, they were most likely the 'robbers' and in between these men was a frail-looking man, from his branded clothing and glittering ornaments, one could tell he wasn't a man of ordinary standing.
After making his deductions, Stare continued with his walk, acting as though he didn't see or hear anything.
Although he was someone who had a hero complex and would have normally rushed in to help in cases like this, he wasn't so rash as well. He could tell this wasn't a normal robbery situation, those men were likely hired by someone to take out the man in the middle.
The fact they managed to get their hands on Tier II weapons was enough proof that they were most likely hired mercenaries. Even a Tier I weapon was as rare as a diamond the size of a head, that was how strict the regulations on the illegal possession of weapons were.
Although Stare could easily beat dozens of thugs, he couldn't compare thugs to trained mercenaries. Stare estimated one of those mercenaries to be equivalent to ten thugs and there were three of them there.
While he might still be able to somehow beat them, he still decided against it, all he wanted to do now was just go home and relieve his parents from their worries. He had just gone out from one ominous entanglement and wasn't ready to get entangled in another.
While Stare continued on his way he suddenly felt a gaze strongly fixed on his back and then a loud voice came from behind him.
"Move and I shoot."