"Does he think I'm a fool?" Staring at Tiger's devilish smile, Leon muttered to himself, then shook his head.
Right after everyone placed their books on the desk, a chiming sound erupted—making everyone marvel as the desk's top surface began to move.
"Wow, the table is splitting into two…" Mike shouted in an unmeasured joy. As the wooden top split to reveal the inner section, he placed his hand inside as if trying to stop it with his grip.
But as it was fully automated, all his efforts were useless.
"The exam you're about to write is a psychological test. Transparent sheet will become visible once the desks are fully set up."
As the anonymous speaker's voice echoed, the students began to prepare themselves to face it with a clear mind, but Tiger kept his eyes locked on Leon like a sniper and his target.
Then, just as the sheet came to view, he tore a portion of his book, crumpled it, and threw it.
"Who's that?!" As soon as it hit Leon's head, he whipped around with fury and roared.
But since the soldier's gaze never left their direction, he gave Leon a warning sign.
On the second hit, Leon clenched his jaw but still maintained his composure.
But by the third, he exploded. "TIGER?!" His voice erupted like a nuclear blast, drawing every student's attention.
Spotting the approaching soldier, Leon slowly sat down, pretending to retain a calm posture. [I will definitely kill this guy.] Part of his mind calmed him, while another part itched to strike fast.
"Hey! On your feet!" As the soldier reached him, he barked. In that instant, Tiger turned and laughed, convinced he'd won.
As Leon stood, the anonymous speaker's voice boomed again. "Congratulations to the student who stood up."
Every student's face bolted in shock and relentless fury. "What does that mean, were we to stand once the transparent sheet becomes visible? Fuck this!" Tiger snarled, watching the speaker praise Leon.
"Man, I always knew you'd have some hidden power that can't be seen or recognized with ease." Mike, still startled, gave Leon a heartfelt appraisal and then joined him by standing.
One by one, all the students rose except Tiger, who remained stubbornly seated—as if he wasn't even aware of what everyone was doing.
"Fuck you all, how can you just congratulate this filthy bastard?" He hissed through gritted teeth, then stood up as well.
---
"There's one particular student in this year's batch. I literally don't want him to go past the psychological test." Lieutenant Gray whispered to his two walk-pal comrade instructors as he showed them Leon's photo.
"This is the kid. I don't know why, but Warlord Wang came and did a thorough investigation on him without delegating one of his trained spies." The white-haired instructor's eyes widened upon hearing Lieutenant Gray's words.
"Gray, are you sure of what you're saying? A warlord wouldn't do that unless the kid is from a lost bloodline… which means… he has great potential to ascend." White-haired crumpled his hair as he whispered in a confused tone.
"Why do you think I went to Corporal Lee's office yesterday? Why would I lower myself for that fucking man if not with the cooperation of someone higher than me?"
Lieutenant Gray snapped, then turned towards his Black Mamba, leaving the other instructors behind. "See you all in two days' time. I've some urgent tasks to do before the real training starts."
As he drove off, the instructors pulled up the building's camera feed on their smart device, since it was connected to the main control room.
White-haired swiped his phone's screen, and he whispered, "Lace, look at this. I think I've found him." He zoomed in more to see that particular person he was referring to.
"How sure are you that it's him? It's only half a face we can see in this view." Lace chuckled, then went back to chug his moonshine liquid from a soda bottle.
"You'll get caught one day, Lace." Just as the perfume of the wine flew to White-Haired's nose, he whispered and then laughed.
"I bet they won't." Lace laughed and then extended the bottle for the white-haired man to take a shot.
---
As the elites walked out of the room for their bags, the anonymous speaker's voice erupted again.
"Congratulations on completing the psychological test. Now, return to your various homes and wait for the results. If you passed and got a group, you'll receive the notification within two days' time. But if nothing comes, try again in the next ten years."
"Ah! What kind of bullshit is this?" Tiger smirked, then slammed his hand on the desk, causing part of the wood to crack open.
"Why? Aren't we supposed to be given a place to rest? Why is it that all the information stated in the letters are not being followed?"
Immediately his angered voice faded, the soldier he had threatened walked straight to him with a mismatched face.
"What is he coming to do? Oh, I forgot! Come bid me farewell before you join your ancestral families." Upon closing up a bit, Tiger hissed.
"Enough!" The soldier roared, then gripped the broken desk. "One more 'F-word,' and you're done for good."
"Is that all you can say?" Tiger laughed while slamming even harder on the desk.
"If you want to stay here peacefully, don't ever try me!!" Upon hearing Tiger's voice, the soldier placed a hand on Tiger's shoulder and smiled.
Tiger laughed, brushing the soldier's hand away like a rug, and walked past him as if he was just a stray cat begging for food.
Upon standing at the edge of the gate, he shouted in a soft, steady but sharp voice. "See you on the other side."
"Why does that guy behave as if he owns the world?" Mike whispered as he watched Tiger exit the door.
"Do you think he'd have behaved like that if he wasn't from a wealthy family?" Leon turned towards Mike and asked in a soft tone.
"By the way, where do you come from?" As Mike and Leon exited, he asked Leon while they wait for the bus to come.
Upon hearing Mike's question, Leon caressed his fingers for a while, then turned towards him with a soft whisper, "Why do you ask?"
Mike lowered his gaze on Leon's ancient-like boots, then smiled. "I can just predict where you're from, so there's no need to even say it."
Then, as the bus came into view, Mike took out a card from his pocket and pressed it into Leon's hand.
"Take this; call me when you get yours first." He whispered and moved back, as if he wasn't joining the bus.
"Get what first? And where are you going?" Leon whispered in a curious tone as he saw how fast Mike's legs were moving back.