The Scavenger's code

Zain stood at the entrance of the elevator, glaring at everything in front of him. The train they had used was a military-grade train; hence, only military officials could use it. This also included Rankers, who were considered the elite combatants. However, in order to avoid curious minds, the entry points to these military-grade places were often camouflaged. In this case, the elevator Zain and the General had just come from looked like an exclusive charging parlor only used by government officials.

Across the street, Zain could see vehicles hovering off the ground, though they didn't hover high above it. Many vehicles were gliding past each other while scores of people walked by, some wearing headphones, others chatting with their friends, and some glued to their cyber screens. But the thing that connected all of them together was that they all had academic badges.

"If you're done staring at people, the academy awaits us."

Zain stood motionless at the academy gate, in awe of how marvelous and yet aesthetic the buildings on the academy grounds looked.

"Hurry up, Zain, we are late."

The General walked in front of Zain, deep in thought. His chiseled figure radiated authority and great strength. They were both wearing thick fur coats to keep themselves warm, though Zain thought the General wore his just for fashion.

Zain hurried his footsteps and caught up to General Garry.

"General Garry, do you feel cold with the fur coat?"

General Garry glanced at Zain with a mischievous smile.

"You're full of questions, aren't you? Well, it's good to be curious, but not too curious. To answer your question, no, I don't feel cold. That's because I am an S-rank. You see, my short subordinate, the higher you ascend ranks, the more resistant you become to mundane things such as the cold, fire, getting hit by a cyber vehicle, or even a cut from a steel blade. One could say those are some of the benefits of becoming a Ranker… that, and your body undergoing physical changes to accommodate the rate at which blood flows through your body."

They had now reached the academy's main building. Zain sighed heavily.

'Time to begin my journey to the good life.'