[Mission 1: Completed]

[Mission 2: Completed]

[Mission 3: Completed]

Rael looked at the transparent device before slumping on the seat within the helicopter, sighing in relief, “It’s over!”

“I don’t want to think about it for now,” Della closed her eyes, relaxing.

“A day of stress…” Foldran massaged his forehead, “Once I return, I want to play some games and relax.”

“Congratulations on passing the screening test.” The soldier seated within the helicopter smiled, saying, “You have now gained the qualifications to become a soldier.”

“That’s it, right? We don’t have to go through any other tests?” Della asked, just in case.

“Nope, that’s it.” The soldier twirled his bushy moustache, smiling, “You can rest comfortably now. Once the time limit for the third mission is up, we’ll return to the spaceship. You’ll be patched up there.”

“How…how much time until then?” Rael panted, feeling his body becoming feverish as he felt itchy everywhere.

“Around 30 minutes, not long.” The soldier replied before saying curtly, “Just to be clear, you won’t be getting any assistance from me. You’ll have to stay alive until we reach the spaceship. So, try your best to endure.”

“I’ll…do it.” Rael gasped for air, taking in slow breaths as he felt the air he exhaled turning hotter. He then patted his stomach, seeing blood on his fingers. He turned around, noticing some blood on the seat too, taking out a painkiller that he punched into his thigh.

The numbness he got from the painkiller allowed him to hold on when Della intended to treat his injuries, for he was the worst injured out of them all.

But, she had just gotten up, taking out her gauze when her vision spun, causing her to collapse to the ground before panting in laboured breaths.

“What…is happening?” She was shocked, seeing her hands tremble erratically, as if she was on the verge of having fits.

“Just some infection due to the wounds you received from the Arhkars.” The soldier smiled, “Enduring it until we reach the spaceship to get medical assistance is the final test. Usually, in many missions, even after the mission is completed, a lot would die during the return trip.”

“A mission is considered complete only if you manage to return home, alive.” He smirked, seeing their plight, not even giving her a hand to get up, calmly taking the pilot seat. He was the only soldier here.

Time passed after that as Foldran helped Della take her seat. The three of them lacked any energy to move after that, applying pressure on the most critical of their wounds.

Bang!

Followed by a resounding sound, two people rushed to the top, sporting injuries of varying levels. Among them, one was a boy, holding what seemed to be steel jugs. He used them to bash the Arhkars, sending them reeling from his punches.

He spanned a height of 190 centimetres and seemed to weigh around 100 kilograms, a bulky guy despite being a teenager. Each of his attacks contained a lot of power, directly taking on three Arhkars while gaining the edge over them.

Though, he was also getting injured from time to time. After all, there were too many enemies around.

While they were running, Rael and the group didn’t have the mind to think about others, only working to save themselves. So, access to this building was no longer feasible once they reached the top, due to the number of Arhkars roaming around while the paths were blocked.

Accompanying the bulky recruit was a tall girl, holding a pair of knives in her hands that were covered by a bundle of gauze to shield them. She also seemed to have added some other materials in there to reinforce them.

Her actions were swift, accurately defending against the claws of the Arhkars before nicking their arm joints, incapacitating them quickly in a few swings per each.

Both of them were exceptional recruits in that they had managed to reach the top through a route filled with Arhkars.

And now, despite there being twenty Arhkars at the top, they didn’t seem to be at a disadvantage, holding their ground while moving forward.

Even though their bodies were laden with injuries, their fighting spirit didn’t wane, mowing through the crowd. But, their faces were pale, their expression a hurry, pressed for time.

Suddenly, the soldier heard a ticking sound go off within the helicopter when he switched on the rotor, causing the wings to begin rotating, alarming the duo.

They hurried towards the helicopter, but the soldier didn’t seem intent to wait for them.

“Wait! They’re here!” Rael stood up in alarm, panting as he shouted at the soldier, “They’ve arrived!”

“No, they didn’t.” The soldier replied calmly, showing the time displayed on the counter, one that showed a row of zeroes, “The time limit for the third mission is already up.”

“They’ve failed the mission.”

“Wait, then at least allow them to come on board!” He shouted, “They just failed the mission. We don’t have to leave them to die there!”

“You seem to misunderstand, recruit.” The soldier said in all seriousness, “Failure to execute your mission is worse than death. As upcoming soldiers, you’ll do well to etch this in your mind.”

“That makes no sense!” Della screamed in anger, “They’ve had it worse than us. We didn’t even have to face as many Arhkars as they did. And they still managed to reach here. That’s a lot of potential!”

“So what?” The soldier said casually as his figure flashed, holding Foldran’s outstretched hands, kicking the metal rod that he held. While Rael and Della were expressing their anger, he had tried to pull the duo into the helicopter.

The metal rod fell on the rails, creating a resounding clang, one that echoed in the ears of the duo that were fighting. It was the signal that they had been abandoned, with death being their only option now.

“You’re not a soldier! You’re a fucking monster!” Foldran gritted his teeth, tearing up as he tried to attack the soldier, but was unable to even lift his head.

A mysterious pressure held the three in place as the soldier suddenly pressed some acupressure points on their bodies, causing them to become unable to move, strapping them to their seats before returning to the pilot seat.

Gritting his teeth, Rael expressed his wrath, “They are strong. They’ll become powerful soldiers in the future and save millions of lives. You’re making a mistake by abandoning them here.”

“Heh,” The soldier snorted, calmly raising the altitude of the helicopter, watching tears form on the two recruits that were left behind. Unable to handle the emotional toll, they forgot to fight, immediately being drowned by the Arhkars that feasted upon them.

The soldier seemed unconcerned about it, stating with a serious tone, “It’s not the strongest that survive, but the ones that survive are labelled the strongest.”

“You’ll come to understand it eventually once you face the Garracks.”

‘This freaking bastard!’ Rael struggled to move but was unable to do so. When the helicopter made a turn in the air, he was able to see the scene on the rooftop, for a moment making eye contact with the bulky recruit.

Helplessness! Indignation! Resignation!

Those were the emotions in the bulky recruit’s eyes, dying out immediately when an Arhkar pierced its claws through his neck.

“No!”

Katakata!

The screams of the three were drowned by the sounds of the rotor blades as the helicopter flew through the air, moving away from the testing region.

Tens of thousands of similar-looking buildings were at the place, all replicas of one another. It was apparent that the entire structure had been built exclusively for the screening test, including the signs of rust, the aged furniture and items within, the lore of the place, etc. Everything was fabricated.

The example of the duo wasn’t alone. A similar thing happened in other locations too as the recruits reached the destination a bit late and were left behind.

Some were even standing on the helipad, waving their hands in futility. After all, the helicopters had already left.

And now, they were stranded, with nothing to rely upon on the empty helipads, surrounded by Arhkars that were ready to eat them but were unable to reach them.

It was a despairing situation.

That was the final scene that was registered in his eyes as Rael fell unconscious. The seat he sat upon was covered by a layer of blood.

…

“Ugh…” He groaned, feeling his head was groggy, painful even, experiencing a ringing sensation in his ears as if a piercing sound was left on full blast in them.

He had a severe migraine while his sight was blurry. Moreover, his body felt heavy and sluggish for some reason, as if he was underwater.

Slowly, he regained clarity of mind, noticing that he was strapped atop a revolving berth of the sort, with numerous tubes inserted into his body.

As he gazed in part confusion, part fear, a doctor appeared before him, checking his vitals on a monitor before nodding in response, “Alright, everything looks stable.”

He then gazed at Rael, “Congratulations on the heart transplant. Your body is slowly adapting to the Maurta heart.”

“Maurta Heart?” Rael was alarmed, gazing at his chest to see numerous thin tubes entering him, noticing a tinge of blue underneath, “What’s happening to me? What’s up with the Maurta heart?”

The doctor ignored his questions, calmly gazing at the heart monitor before speaking, “Relax, this is a procedure that every recruit undergoes to become a soldier. Someone will be explaining everything to you shortly after.”

“Either way, you’ll be strapped to this bed for a good while. Whether it’s for nutrient supply or dialysis, everything is already fitted perfectly.” Saying so, the doctor left the room.

Shortly after, a nurse arrived and checked his body condition, nodding in response before introducing herself, “Hello there, I’m the nurse dedicated to taking care of you. If you need anything, I’ll help you.”

“Where’s this place?” Rael asked, expressing fear and worry, “What happened to me?”

He tried to look around but realised that his head had been strapped to something. So, all he was able to see was the white ceiling of the place and the edges of some machinery from the corner of his eye.

Followed by a creaking sound, a TV appeared before him, propped by a flexible stand that the nurse pulled over. She then adjusted the stand so that it was positioned at the correct distance above him, facing him.

“All the recruits would be addressed next. That’ll help clear most of your doubts. So, you must hear everything with attention, Rael.” The nurse said, switching on the TV.

The face of a woman appeared on it. White hair, mild blue-tinted skin, pointed ears, and white eyes as if there was only the sclera, no iris, no pupil.

Upon seeing her face, only one word resounded in his mind.

Mauman!

A superior version of humanity that sprang up during the interstellar era thanks to the Plasma. Though, nothing much about them was known to the regular populace like Rael. After all, every Mauman was part of the upper echelon, an elite since birth, with details about them a military secret.

After all, unlike humans, they were born with the power of Plasma in their bodies.

Her white hair was braided, with not even a strand of hair coming out of order. As her eyes were white without anything else in them, it was hard to judge her emotions. After all, a significant portion of human emotions was expressed through the eyes.

The screen only displayed the portion of her body from her shoulder and above, her stoic face staring in silence for a good ten seconds before she opened her mouth.

“All recruits, hope you’re recovering from the operation…”

“Operation…” Rael just seemed like he wanted to ask something when the nurse gently patted his shoulder.

She then motioned for him to relax, “This is just a recording. It’ll be shown to every recruit once they complete the surgery.”

“You might be wondering as to what the surgery is and what it means to transplant a Maurta race’s heart into your body.” The lady in the screen said, sporting a clear voice, using a gentle tone. Though, there was some mysterious energy in her speech, making Rael feel as if he had to salute like a soldier while facing her.

Contrary to his thoughts, her speech continued in the same fashion, “If I have to comment about the end result of this surgery, it’s simple. This allows humans to obtain, wield, and control the fourth state of matter…”

“Plasma!”