The vehicle drove up to the massive gates of New York and had to stop at a military checkpoint. Once Sergeant Skull showed his ID and explained his reason for returning to the city unexpectedly, their stern gazes changed to looks of shock, their eyes constantly shifting from Skull to me.
Some soldiers even waved at me, but I paid them no attention. I didn't come here to make friends.
Eventually, we were allowed to pass, and our vehicle entered the residential district.
To be honest, I was quite surprised.
When Sergeant Skull spoke about the residential district, I expected a filthy place for powerless humans to live, but to my surprise, the region was clean, peaceful, and secure.
I watched children playing on the streets. Not far away was a lemonade stand run by a girl my age.
The living situation here was satisfactory. It reminded me of the stories Dad used to tell us. He never missed a chance to describe how beautiful America was before the night of the Blue Death incident.
People around wore intrigued looks as they glanced at our vehicle, but I was certain they couldn't see through the tinted windows.
After an hour's drive, we exited the residential area and approached another wall similar to the first.
[As expected… Marginalization will always exist in society. The rich always search for a way to stand out to make themselves feel superior. That is why equality can never be achieved,] the voice said, but I ignored it.
Even with the height of the wall, I could see a huge spaceship in the sky with a bright red and blue siren. Unfortunately, I couldn't make out much of its figure from this distance.
"That is the Titan City Marauder… With that bad boy in the skies, no villains, deviants, or criminals can escape its all-seeing eyes," Sergeant Skull explained when he noticed my curious gaze.
"I see," I muttered and returned my attention to the scenery.
Upon entering the central district, we were met with even stricter security. Still, once they heard about the discovery of a new guardian, they eagerly let us through, giving me polite waves.
Rising high above the city streets were towering skyscrapers that pierced the sky. These skyscrapers possessed diverse architectural styles, from sleek, minimalist towers to organic, curvilinear structures.
This was completely different from the simple buildings I saw in the residential district.
Some buildings had digital screens displaying dynamic images and advertisements, while others featured lush rooftop gardens and green spaces.
But what truly caught my attention were the futuristic vehicles that glided effortlessly through the air.
"If you work hard enough and gain enough status, I'm certain you can afford one someday," Sergeant Skull said, but I simply shrugged in response, leaving the man confused.
He probably expected me to be dazzled by the beauty and wealth of this city. But this only made me realize how selfish and greedy humans are. The voice was right about them.
As we moved, we came across lush green spaces and urban parks adorned with towering trees, vibrant flowers, and meandering pathways that wound through manicured gardens and serene water features.
Just thirty minutes later, we arrived in front of a massive building with a name boldly displayed on its gates: Bureau of Guardian Affairs.
"Where is this?" I asked as we stepped out of the vehicle.
Ahead was a towering skyscraper touching the clouds. As we walked in, the automatic sliding doors, decorated with the Bureau's official insignia, opened. I was greeted with the sight of a spacious reception area bathed in natural light. To the right was a sleek, circular desk manned by a young lady dressed in a gray suit.
I soon noticed a plain-looking man in a black suit hurriedly walk up to us. It felt like he had been informed about my arrival. As soon as he reached us, he greeted Sergeant Skull while giving me a judgmental side-eye, probably because I was still covered in dirt and filth.
"This is the child you spoke of?" he asked curiously.
"Yes…" Sergeant Skull nodded with a proud smile. "Your boss will be pleased with his potential!"
"Haha, haha!" The man seemed doubtful but laughed regardless. "We'll find out after the test. Please come this way."
I was taken to a dressing room where I changed into a tight-fitted black jumpsuit filled with sensory pods on all joints. From there, we took an elevator that led to a narrow corridor, and a man stood at the other end.
It was a man in his early thirties, dressed in a white lab coat that complimented his spiky white hair and silver pupils. Even his eyebrows were white!
As we approached, I couldn't take my eyes off him. He had sickly pale skin that made slaves like me look healthy, but outwardly he seemed perfectly fine.
[This man is dangerous…] the voice said, which made me frown.
"I didn't think you would actually come, Young Master Ainsworth." Sergeant Skull wore a meek attitude as he slightly bowed while extending his hand, but the man ignored the gesture.
The sergeant could only withdraw his hand with an embarrassed smile.
"Doctor Bruce…" the man in the suit bowed as well.
"You told me you found someone promising, so I'm giving up my lunch break to evaluate him personally." Bruce Ainsworth never took his eyes off me.
The receptionist noticed my nonchalant attitude in the doctor's presence and was quickly enraged.
"In the presence of a member of the Big Four families, you bow, you wretched slave!" he growled as he reached for me, probably to force me to bow.
Pa!
Effortlessly, I caught his hand without looking in his direction. My gaze was pinned on Ainsworth and we both stared at each other in silence.
"If you ever lay your hands on me… I will kill you," I said blankly and squeezed.
Crack!
"Aaah!" the man screamed as his palm was crushed so effortlessly under my grip.
He fell to a knee while looking at his disfigured fingers. Tears ran down his eyes, but he dared not make more noise in the presence of Doctor Bruce.
Sergeant Skull paled in shock at my action and planned to intervene, but Bruce Ainsworth signaled him to stop.
"I like him." A small smile played on his lips as he stretched out his hand to the sergeant, as if requesting something.
The sergeant quickly understood what he wanted and pulled out his mobile phone. He played a video, and from the audio, I quickly deduced it was a recording of my fight with the mutant dog.
Bruce Ainsworth watched the video with a slight look of surprise in his eyes, occasionally glancing in my direction.
"What do you think?" Sergeant Skull asked nervously as the doctor handed the phone back to him.
"He is pretty decent, like you said… I'd like to test him now and decide on the appropriate potential grading." Bruce Ainsworth said before turning around and opening the door behind him.
We walked into a large white room with only a center table, on which different spherical materials were placed.
"What is this?" Sergeant Skull was confused.
He expected some physical tests to take place before an ability test. At least, that was the usual procedure.
"The video alone is enough to determine he has the physical prowess of a B-rated at best... Coupled with his healing factor, he has the potential to become an A-ranked guardian." Doctor Bruce said in an annoyed tone. "What I'm more interested in is his ability… I believe there is more to it."
"A-rated with just his physicality alone?" Sergeant Skull's face brightened up with a sheepish smile.
It seems I have already met his expectations without my Hand of God ability even being evaluated.
"What do you want to know exactly?" I ignored the daydreaming sergeant and walked towards the table with Doctor Bruce.
"I was informed you have another ability. So I was wondering how you gained such amazing strength and durability to the point where it can be considered an ability." Doctor Bruce shot me a strange smile, but I remained unfazed.
"So, what do you think could be the reason for that?" I asked blankly.
"I suspect it has something to do with your matter absorption ability," he said.
"It is not matter absorption. It is called the Hand of God," I corrected him, leaving the man with a slightly stunned expression.
"Tell me more about this Hand of God you speak of," Doctor Bruce said, intrigued.
"I can absorb matter…" I said as I picked up a steel ball on the table and absorbed it just enough to cover my hand.
"And… I can absorb the very thing that runs this society." I let the metal coating on my hand crumble before picking up the Aether-Crystal on the table.
Sergeant Skull and Doctor Bruce watched me with looks of genuine shock as my veins lit up with bright blue energy and bluish energy circuits started spreading from my hand to the rest of my body.
"This…" Doctor Bruce muttered.
"Yes. I can safely harness the power of the Aether crystals, but too much of it will cause backlash." I spoke based on the description of the ability given to me by the voice. "But you already suspected this, right?"
I didn't want the doctor to look deeper into the source of my strength, which obviously came from my fusion with the Xenovian royalty. That would only lead to more questions and may eventually cost me my life. That's why I chose to throw this man off with half-truths.
"You've been working in the mines and received abundant exposure to Aether crystals." Doctor Bruce's face lit up with excitement, and I nodded.
"This means all this time he had been secretly growing his strength while working. That explains the ridiculous strength that doesn't match his power in any way!" Sergeant Skull was stunned.
"Yes… That's why I remained in the mines for so long," I lied.