Thwack~
The sound of punches and kicks resonated throughout the entire train as the candidates fought with each other, there was no order, only chaos. A savage battle royale.
And because there was no order, there were those that didn’t fall into savagery, an example of which was everyone on Cerberus table.
Cerberus' physique alone was enough for most to avoid him, but coupled with what everyone had seen earlier that day; Cilantro and the young man’s tattoo, they were reluctant to even near the table.
‘We were asked to reduce our numbers, it doesn't matter if we attack them or not, just one more weakling that will get pushed out.’
‘This exam is for the strong and they are strong, we just have to prove we are too.’
‘There’s no way I’m going near that table, I don’t wanna die.’
Everyone each had their own thoughts but ultimately, they made sure to avoid the table. A few got funny ideas but one glance from Cerberus and they immediately attacked the person next to them.
The young man watched the whole spectacle, as unbothered as he has always been. Cilantro still sent him occasional glances and Cerberus was still trying to strike up a meaningful conversation. Black Rose just sat, her expression cold as ice without a care in the world. In this aspect, she was more unbothered than the young man.
Crash~
One of the candidates landed on the table of the quad, his eyes wide in shock and fear as he locked gaze with all of them.
“Please...” Bstzzz~
Just as he opened his mouth to apologise and plead their mercy, sparks of electricity danced around his bodysuit, sending him into a brief dance to unconsciousness.
“Wow, looks like we made him unconscious through our stares alone, hahaha!” Cerberus seemed to be having the time of his life.
“Tch, this is boring.” Cilantro spoke, his frustration apparent in his voice. Cerberus raised his hands in the air and yelled,
“Hey, don’t jinx us!”
[Well, this is certainly interesting, culling the herd is always fun. But maybe some of you are having it too easy.]
Cerberus glanced up at the speaker, his brows twitching before he turned to face Cilantro with a scowl so deep, it might as well have been carved into his features.
“What?” Cilantro flinched, he never expected that Cerberus could look so ugly. For a moment, he really did look like a hellspawn. “It's not like he’s going to come fight us himself.”
[Perhaps I should join the battle myself?]
Cerberus tilted his head at an odd angle, glaring daggers at Cilantro who was now sweating bit by bit.
“Come on, it’s just a coincidence. It’s not like...”
“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” Cerberus growled.
Pfft~
Cerberus' ears perked and even Cilantro had a surprise look on his face. They both glanced in the same direction, at black rose. That was the first human reaction they’ve gotten from her.
Even during the ride, she was totally robotic and Cerberus was beginning to think she might have been a cyborg spy sent from an enemy nation. Such things are popular on TV nowadays.
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Cerberus glanced in the young man’s direction to see that there was a slight, very very minute difference in the upward curve of his lips.
“Heh, look at us all bonding.” Cerberus' expression did a 180° change as he returned to his usual cheery self.
Cilantro gave him a weird glance while thinking ‘What bonding? I’ve only said 2 sentences to you and that is the most conversation you’ve had with any of us.’ But he made sure to keep such thoughts to himself.
Beep~
[You all can stop fighting now, the objective has been met.] The voice spoke, [I expected it to take a bit longer though...] They sounded a bit sad.
[Anyway, We need to let go of dead weight. Don’t worry, they are not dead but if the shoe buckle fits...]
There was a pause, like the voice was expecting a kind of uproar from the group or murmurs amongst them.
[Oh, I forgot y’all aren’t exactly on friendly terms right now. Too bad.]
Bang~ Tang~
The metal plates covering the window began to retreat and there was a clicking sound coming from the door too. But even though the windows were now open, the cabin only lightened up a bit.
‘A tunnel?’ the young man noticed immediately, he wasn’t the only one.
[Those in the first cabin, move all unconscious bodies to the other cabins. As for those that passed, move to the first cabin.]
[There is another engine at the end of the train to take these dead weights out and it activates in five minutes. So get moving.]
In a few minutes, the unconscious candidates had all been moved to the next cabin and the first cabin became packed full with the qualifiers.
There were about 20 tables in the cabin and each one was made to accommodate four people optimally, and in order to accommodate the over 100 remaining participants, many had to seat six to seven on a table.
But there were a few sitting even more than that, the reason being that even with how packed the cabin was, there was still a sense of hierarchy, one determined by the charisma of those present. Hence, there were some that managed to retain their usual seating of 4 per table.
One such group was Cerberus table, apart from the fact that Cerberus alone had enough charisma to deter most, and adding to the fact that he had the body of a Goliath, Black Rose icy stare, and the two tattooed young men at the table made it so that almost no one dared approached.
Those from other cabins that tried were abruptly warned by the candidates they met in the cabin.
Apart from this table, there were three others, each one occupied with candidates with an even more unique aura than Cerberus table.
“Heh, seems like we have some serious competition.” Cerberus chuckled, his voice as loud as usual. He didn’t even bother hiding his intent.
[Well then, since all that is settled, it’s time to complete the journey. Brace yourself, the rest of the journey will be pretty rough.]
Chaka~ Bang~
The moment the voice finished speaking , the sound of the metal plates returning filled the cabin. The windows and doors were bolted shut and there was a slight tug from the gangway connection between the first cabin and the rest separating.
Tssss~
The sound of gas filling the room followed and many panicked. After a short while, everyone in the carriage fell asleep.
Click~ Clack~
“Commander, have you seen this?” a young lady walked into a medium sized, well furnished office, her vest and skirt which reached just past her knees cling tightly to her figure in a charming yet appropriate way.
She had a serious expression on her face, her rosy lips pursed, her blue eyes gleaming with intelligence behind her thick glasses.
“The new batch?” came a reply. At a corner of the room, a middle-aged man sat, newspaper in hand and cigarette sticking to his lips. His black hair with stripes of grey was slicked back, his checkered vest and pants fitting neatly on his frame. He turned his head, his deep dark eyes staring at the young lady.
“Yes.” She replied as she handed over a thick file to the commander, already used to the man’s foreboding stare. “They are en route, set to arrive in about twenty minutes.”
The commander placed down his newspaper, receiving the list and glossing over it, paying attention to those listed under the special section. All of their candidates were special, after all, in order to even be considered to take the test, you had to be outstanding in your respective companies and platoons.
But even among special candidates, there were those that seemed unreal.
“This is...” the commander began, his eyes narrowing as he took his cigarette out of his mouth.
“It’s an unprecedented situation, commander. I didn’t report it earlier because I wasn’t expecting him to even qualify but it seems like he did.” The young lady added.
The commander was silent for a moment, he took another swig at his cigarette, puffing out the smoke slowly through his nose.
“Monitor him, let's see if whatever luck he has can help him pass the examination.”
“Yes sir.”
