Kael was now sat upright on a stool as the scientist had instructed. But he was still at gunpoint, so he knew he wasn't yet on the safe side.
"So, Kael Auron," the scientist read from a white book in his hands, opened to the middle.
"Do you notice any changes in your body, like you're reacting in some strange ways to things or doing things out of the ordinary?"
Kael waited before replying. From the question and the amount of security on him, he feared he was at a military experimental lab. If he replied wrongly, he might get cut open and explored like a lab rat.
Thinking this through, he decided to pick the best option. "Nothing out of the ordinary."
The scientist shifted his glasses on his face a little as though sensing a lie from Kael.
"Do you know what exactly happened to the world? And do you have any memory after the wave?"
Kael took his time to think, but this time, while thinking, he decided to study the scientist. The scientist also had something in common with him that was easily noticeable: he had a blue tattoo on his face. But apart from that, nothing else made him look less human.
He hadn't gained muscles like Kael, so it could be assumed he had painted that on himself just to get Kael to blurt out senselessly.
"I don't have a memory after the wave; I just got hit and woke up here."
The scientist nodded, accepting this information. He must have heard other stories like that for him to easily accept the explanation.
"Before I answer all your questions, Kael, has anything strange been occurring to you?"
Kael shook his head immediately. He wanted to mention the hologram but kept that to himself, knowing it wasn't needed.
"In that case, I shall begin explaining all that occurred to you, Kael, so listen attentively. Two years ago, the world was hit by a mysterious wave we are still investigating."
'Two years ago... that's a really long time. Mum, Dad, and my friends...'
"The wave hit the entire Earth, and a genetic mutation occurred. Humans were knocked into hibernation as we mutated slowly. It took some a year and others months, but in your case, you woke up really late, which is two years. That makes you one of the last hundred sleeping humans in this country."
Kael's throat went dry. "I'm one of the last? So my friends and... I took two years to wake up?"
"You shouldn't be shocked by that, but by what the world has become in your absence. Not just humans have become genetically enhanced, but the animals, air, land, and sea are mutated into things—beasts that are far more dangerous than you can fathom. The same goes for the insects and humans who did not evolve well enough. It might all sound unreal to you, but if you see a mosquito, run the other way. Or even a cockroach."
The last part was a joke, but Kael did not laugh. He simply stared in utter awe, lost in thought.
"This is a lot to take in, but I won't explain again. The world is mutated and far more dangerous than you can imagine. But we humans have also enhanced genetically. We have something called a soul core."
"A soul core gives you extraordinary abilities, powers that allow us to defend ourselves from the treacherous mutated beasts. But just as we have soul core abilities to defend ourselves, others haven't given less thought to using it to harm and take advantage of others. That's why I brought two men to confront you—I can't have myself get killed, you know."
He made another joke, but Kael did not find it funny. The scientist was bad at jokes, apparently.
"So, you're trying to what, see my abilities and my intentions? If you're worried about how I will use my ability, I won't hurt a damn soul," Kael admitted blankly.
A smile tore through the scientist's lips as he adjusted his glasses once again. "It's not that simple of a decision. I have to test how strong your abilities are before jumping to conclusions about whether you'll be the one hurting others."
"What?!" Kael yelled, stunned by the statement.
"We have been able to compute the genetic mutation to give grades, and we will hand over a necklace to you displaying that level."
"Simply, the strongest level is five, and the weakest is one. At this point, if you're talented, you'll get a three, and if you're less privileged, it would be a one."
Kael bit his lips a little. 'This is cringe. I can see through this tactic already. Some would think they are just saying they want to ensure you're genetically enhanced or have a strong grade so you can be praised for it, but they are trying to see if I'm worth controlling. As this man explains it, this is a system run by the government, so they would want to possess the strongest abilities in their ranks.'
Now, with the new information, Kael could spot the scientist's necklace displaying a two. He turned to the other two men who stood alert—one a grade three while the other hid his necklace.
'The strong get recruited.' Now, looking at the book in the scientist's hand, he could spot an uneven page in it, which meant there was already a contract set in his name in case he got a high grade.
'Unfortunately for them, my father—though I hate him—taught me never to accept government contracts like this. He always told me they would give you a sweet pay, but your payment back to them would be considered slavery.'
"Are you ready for the test, Mr. Kael?" The scientist put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small box made of shiny metal.
Kael nodded. "Sure."
'For now, I'll just play it safe and make myself look gullible until I see the results of the test.'