He walked for about five minutes from the library entrance to reach the parking lot. There was a large military truck parked there. As he approached, an Imperial soldier in the driver's seat hurriedly got out, saluted, and then took Benjy from his hands and roughly loaded him into the cargo bed.
Inside the canvas-covered cargo bed, there were about six other people who looked just as bewildered as Benjy did. The truck started moving before Benjy could even sit properly.
The ages of the people around him varied, although most were young. Some were even wearing school uniforms instead of work clothes like his. He wanted to ask the people next to him something, but no one seemed to know anything, so he stayed quiet.
The thought crossed his mind that, with a high probability, we might be taken away and killed. He thought of his mother, but as always, there was nothing he could do. Accepting fate quietly was the way to honor her.
The truck drove through streets without proper roads for about 20 minutes before descending into an underground road. It then sped up and continued without stopping for a long time.
Benjy, sitting in the cargo bed, gave up thinking through various scenarios and started pondering the problem he had been trying to solve at the library today. Even before dying, curiosity remained.
Time seemed to drag on, so he tried to recall his face from earlier. It was an unforgettable face. The shock and feelings from seeing him for the first time were still vivid, but he couldn't remember the details, which frustrated him. He vowed to memorize that face if he saw him again.
* * *
After what must have been more than five hours, the surroundings brightened, and the truck gradually slowed down before stopping somewhere. Voices could be heard from the front of the truck.
"State your affiliation and identity."
"..."
"There are no exceptions for passing the Capital's perimeter. State your affiliation and identity."
"Wait, rookie. Are you crazy? I apologize, Commander. Please proceed. I'll contact headquarters to expedite your return. This guy just started today, so he doesn't know much, haha..."
"It's alright, Captain Paulson. See you at the headquarters."
His resonant voice, which Benjy had heard earlier, came softly. It seemed the truck was trying to enter the capital, Leon. In the distance, three buildings rose between the mountains, reflecting the sunlight strongly.
When Benjy opened the dusty window and looked outside, the buildings seemed to get bigger.
'In reality, I am getting closer to them.'
According to what he had heard on educational broadcasts, those buildings were the headquarters of the Surcon Imperial Armed Forces, 'SHoAF.' His heart began to beat irregularly. He didn't feel particularly good or bad.
The road leading into the 'SHoAF' headquarters seemed heavily guarded. From the entrance, barricades and numerous gun barrels aiming outward could be seen. It was hard to believe this place was in the heart of the capital because the headquarters buildings stood alone, dominating the surrounding landscape.
The three buildings were shaped like matchboxes, forming perfect rectangular prisms, arranged in a U-shape enclosing a central space. From a distance, the central space wasn't visible, but up close, a large pyramid-shaped structure, about halfway up the height of the surrounding buildings, could be seen. Flags bearing the symbol of the Surcon Empire—a gun and a key—fluttered at the main gate of the headquarters.
It didn't take long for the truck to pass through the security procedures. The truck passed the gate and entered a long, tunnel-like underground garage, driving for quite a while before finally stopping. The lower-class people, including Benjy, got off the truck and lined up to enter the headquarters' underground entrance.
The man who had come to fetch Benji led the group of lower-class people to the entrance of the building on the far right, accompanied by one of his subordinates. He was very tall, making it easy for Benjy to spot him even from the back of the line.
Benjy passed through five different security zones, each with complex digital security procedures that used no mathematical encryption techniques he knew. His subordinate unlocked the first three zones, but the man himself unlocked the last two.
The interior of the headquarters was like a maze, making it seem possible to get lost and trapped inside if one lost focus. Finally, they had to drop all their belongings and pass through what looked like a metal detector.
"Wait, you there at the back. What's written on the paper inside your bag?"
"...Just some simple math problems."
Benjy added cautiously, fearing another misunderstanding.
"...Fractals. In the shape of a pentagon..."
"Leave that there and pick it up on your way out. No outsiders are allowed to record anything seen or heard inside the headquarters."
All the small notes in his bag and pockets were thoroughly inspected due to the security officer's insistence.
Then they had to walk for quite a while through the corridors again. The corridors had almost no windows, and the ceiling was dotted with complex pipes and electrical wiring.
Everything in the building was uniform, except for the changing line colors and the mysterious numbers on the doors that indicated different zones. The doors along the corridor were spaced about 15 meters apart, stretching all the way to the exit. Many people were seen chatting and laughing as they passed by.
Thinking they must be Imperial soldiers made himself flinch slightly every time they passed. Benjy had never seen such a confined and colossal space outside of the factory where he worked. After walking for a long time, the procession finally stopped in front of a certain door.
[1923 ― Identification Room]
The man and his subordinate entered the room first, and then people were called in one by one from the front. Each person took about five minutes before coming back out. Eventually, it was Benjy's turn.
Knock, knock.
When he entered after knocking, that beautiful man and his subordinate looked at him from their seats. There was a metal chair positioned in front of them.
"Jackson, you can leave now. Check the surroundings of the candidates who came today."
"…Yes, understood."
His subordinate hesitated briefly before leaving the room as ordered. The man stared at Benjy with a faintly playful smile, as if waiting for him to speak first. Sensing this, Benji asked the man a question.
"…May I sit here?"
"Yes, please sit. You must have been surprised to be suddenly called to SHoAF today. Any idea why?"
The man responded as if he had been waiting for that question, his voice filled with curiosity.
"No, I have no idea..."
"Remember the library you frequented? Why would the military spend money to build a decent library in a slum? Think about it. It's to recruit 'talented' people like you into the military. Talents too precious to waste in a slum. There aren't many crazy enough to work eleven hours a day in a filthy factory and still visit the library every single day."
What was a bewildering situation for Benjy seemed very amusing to him. Benjy began to understand why he was here. Was the library a trap of some sort?
"Especially those who borrow books on cryptography and number theory weekly. Your library book borrowing record was the first test. The cipher you just solved was the second test, and it took you exactly... 1 minute and 32 seconds to solve it. You ranked first out of five. Well done, Benjy."
Benjy knew the military was always monitoring people in every possible way, but he hadn't expected them to use that information so actively.
Although the compliment at the end of his sentence was probably just a formality, his unexpectedly gentle tone made Benjy feel like a child being praised.
"Th-thank you."
His tongue felt stiff from the tension, making it hard to speak. Cold sweat was starting to form on his back.
"You seem very nervous. Today, we'll only ask a few questions and run some tests, so don't worry. The military doesn't kill people without reason."
'Because they just make sure to find a reason after killing them...?'
Benjy swallowed my words internally.
He flipped through the papers in a binder on the desk.
"ID number D3M21P, name Benjy. Age twenty-one. East Asian male. Resident of District D3, Lot 21. Height 174 cm, weight 60 kg. IQ 162. Family relation: one mother. Mother has angina and obstructive pulmonary disease. Fortunately… it's not hereditary. No paternal side illness causing disappearance. No criminal record or probation history. Employed at Peyton Munitions Factory Inspection Department for three years. No particular illnesses, correct?"
"No, none."
Benjy answered calmly, listening to the man recite his personal details. Hearing the details of the 'Benjy' on the document from the man's mouth felt strange. However, the information accurately described him entirely. There were no secret details unknown to the document.
"Have you ever worked in... less reputable ways? It says here you're from the lowest class. Living in District D3, Lot 21. With your good looks, you might have resorted to that."
The man's face was expressionless, and his tone was even. He didn't seem to be asking the question to insult him. Benjy hesitated, blushing, before answering.
"No, never."
"Not even once? In any form?"
"…No."
He softened his expression slightly and gave a smile that lit up the gloomy room without windows.
"Good. Then there's no particular disqualification for joining the Imperial military. Although as a cryptographer, you won't have to use your body much, it depends on the situation…"
"Now, stand up and take off your clothes."
He slowly removed the leather gloves he was wearing on both hands as he gave the order.
"What? All... of them?"