Chapter 48 - It'll Be Fun
Ricardo smiled widely and turned towards Jason with his hand extended. Jason brought his hand out, and Ricardo grabbed his forearm in a warrior's handshake as his smile widened! Ricardo's grip was like metal tightening around your forearm, but Jason's grip was just as intense! They were both A Rank in strength, so Jason could easily withstand the intensity!
"You have a nice grip there, boy! Very nice! I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun together in the Gate."
There was a look of insanity inside Ricardo's eyes and JAson felt his own eyes narrow at that. Ricardo was trying to seem friendly and outgoing, but Jason could tell that there was something else going on there. Even though his face showed that he was simply being friendly, his eyes were shaking with excitement.
Ricardo smiled wider and Jason's frown deepened before he watched Ricardo take a few steps back. Behind Ricardo, Rosa only gave a small wave and nothing else. She wasn't bothering to look at Jason, and it seemed like she was trying her best to disappear into the shadows and stay where no one could see her.
Jason knew that Ricardo was the more outgoing and exuberant one between the two of them, but for some reason, he felt more tense about Rosa and wondered what was going on.
"Ma'am, I don't remember these people being a part of the SMD testing roster. Was there a recent change that we weren't notified of?"
Keith suddenly spoke up from his place at the corner of the room. He had a serious look on his face as he glanced from Ricardo over to Rosa. There was a strange uneasiness he felt in the presence of these two, and he couldn't just accept that such a large change was made to the assessment plan without anyone knowing about it.
Liam was the highest-ranking member of the SMD after Millicent, and even Liam looked lost on what was going on, so Keith knew that there was definitely something wrong.
But Millicent simply frowned at Keith before dismissing him as unimportant.
"I thought members of the Enforcers were taught with a similar curriculum as the nation's best soldiers. If you can't even keep your thoughts to yourself, then please leave us be."
Keith snapped to attention immediately and apologized for speaking out of turn. Liam shook his head before standing up for his brother.
"Ma'am, I also find it curious. I don't recall these two, and I'm wondering why you decided to add them as the examiners."
"Hey, hey, bratza! Don't go questioning things too much now! Just take a chill pill and relax!"
Ricardo spoke up with his usual exuberance as he went and hung his hand around Liam's neck in a gesture that was too friendly. Liam easily shrugged him off and glared at him. Who did this rascal think he was hugging!? Did he think they were mates!?
"Please maintain personal distance."
Liam spoke in a clipped tone as he frowned at Ricard and Ricardo grinned before laughing.
"You bratzas are hilarious! Don't worry, I don't bite! And you, Mr. Jason! I'm sure you'll be one of the most powerful A-ranks we've ever tested! I look forward to the assessment."
Jason glanced down at Ricardo before he calmly nodded.
"Yeah, so do I."
Ricardo laughed again before he put on his sunglasses and started to leave the room. Rosa glanced in curiosity at Jason for a moment before bowing and following after her brother. Once they were gone, Millicent spoke up.
"They are good at gauging the power level of Superhumans, so they'll handle your exams. I hope you'll work well with them."
Jason gave Millicent a look of slight distrust. There was something going on here, and he knew that he would have to stay on his toes for a while.
"If that's all, then I'll see myself out."
Jason turned to leave the room without bothering to listen to anything more, and Keith opened the door for him and then followed after him. Keith was tasked with making sure that Jason didn't get harassed by guild recruiters in or around the SMD building, so he still had to finish his task.
As the two of them left, Jason heard the obvious sound of an argument beginning inside the office as Liam confronted Millicent about what just happened.
From their reactions, Jason could tell that neither Keith nor Liam knew about what Millicent had just done, and he couldn't help but wonder what she could possibly be planning.
...
Once they got outside, Jason thanked Keith for his help. Jason had gotten the artifact from Rachael a few minutes ago, and he discreetly put it in his Alternate Dimension to look at it later. Since it was done in the SMD building, Jason trusted that it was done properly.
There were numerous guild agents standing outside and waiting for Jason so they could talk to him, but once they saw Keith, most of them began to move away to make space.
Even the agents from the strongest guilds in the city were smart enough not to get on the wrong side of a Superhuman Enforcer. The Enforcers were permitted to use any form of force to subdue a fellow Superhuman if it looked like they were going against the law.
As Jason thanked Keith, Keith shook his head and told Jason that he had only been doing his job and that he didn't have to worry about it. Keith had been slightly reserved in front of Jason when they first met, but now that Keith knew more about him, he could tell that Jason was reasonable enough for him to relax.
Jason didn't bother staying around for long as he hailed a cab and left, and Keith narrowed his eyes in curiosity as he wondered what was so special about this kid that everyone in the city seemed adamant to get involved with him.
What just happened in Millicent's office was completely unprecedented, and it was something that Keith had never seen before. They had registered testers who were in charge of assessments, so why would Millicent hire another pair to handle Jason's test?
Keith couldn't find the answers to these questions, so he decided to simply return to his office. He would ask his brother about his conversation with Millicent later.
...
Jason made his way through the city and got on the inter-city bus heading towards New York. An alert came in on his phone a few minutes after he got on the bus, and Jason looked down to read it:
[Credit into Account No [283xxxx123]: USD 490,000]
[Total Balance: USD 495,234]
'They already sent it? That was quick.'
Jason simply stared at the money for a few seconds with a strange feeling in his heart. This was more money than Jason had ever seen in his account before. He was already used to a lifestyle where he barely scraped by every day and used all his savings to handle the living expenses. But with this much money, he could do whatever the fuck he wanted!
But even with the money now sitting in his account, Jason still didn't feel any form of intense emotions. The first thought that came to him then was that he had to retire his mother.
His mother had been working nonstop for nearly fifteen years now, and it was time for her to sit back and relax without worrying about anything. He would get her a new place and a car to replace the rundown one she had. Then he would move out to a better place where the neighbors wouldn't be able to hear everything happening inside his apartment.
Jason sighed as all these thoughts passed through his mind. There was so much he could do now that he had the ability to make as much money as he wanted, and he wasn't going to waste any time making sure his family had the best.
The bus coasted through the streets at cruising speed. The various buildings and fellow cars passed by in a blur as they headed towards New York, and the sound of the people chatting with each other on the bus served as background noise to Jason's thoughts.
"Uhm... Excuse me."
A cute voice spoke up from beside Jason, and he turned to look at the girl sitting there. She looked young, barely past eighteen, and she had on fashionable attire that exposed some cleavage and her thighs. It was obvious that she was either in high school or a freshman in college, and Jason gave her a small smile when he saw the slightly shy expression on her face.