Seth and his teammates didn’t go far, they didn’t have to, they just had to find a nearby spot to wait till the president called for them.
And that’s exactly what they did. Lingering in the surroundings of the White House, the five waited. Seth mostly did so in silence, lost in his own thoughts, while the other three tested out their battle suits.
And fortunately, since the earth had undergone an upgrade, they were quite free to try out a lot of things.
Time flowed like a stream, and after an hour and some minutes, government officials could be seen descending the stairs and exiting elevators in troves...
Seth’s eyes lit up, the sight snapping him out of his thoughts. This meant the meeting was over and anytime now they would be summoned...
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The alarm of the silver watch flashed and beeped, causing a smirk to form on his lips.
His teammates also got the alarm. Dismissing their armors, all five hurriedly rushed into the premises against the tide.
The crowd of officials made way for them as they walked through...
With the elevator overloaded, they took the stairs, ascending to the third floor and arriving before the situation room once more...
And they weren’t alone. Team Alpha and other elite new blood teams had been summoned.
"This is it." Seth muttered in certainty. Their group would be weaponized to eradicate an entire race from the face of the earth.
A few months ago, he could remember himself sprawled behind his back seat desk in Avalon High, his thoughts limited to what he’d be having for dinner.
And now here he was, about to embark on a mission some might argue was a genocide...
The jarring dissonance between the two realities wasn’t what alarmed Seth. It was his current reaction towards it all.
With the moral and ethical values society once held, one would expect him to enter this room with a conflicted heart, but... he felt nothing.
No guilt, no fear, not even a sense of assurance that he was doing this because the situation forced him to. None of that. Instead, all he felt was... excitement?
Seth’s eyes flashed as he stepped into the room and took a seat.
It wasn’t that he had changed. No, he was always this way — a selfish, evolution‑hungry soul who only basked in the joy of the process.
The process to grow stronger, the process of evolution, the process of domination.
And this process? He’d be sure to enjoy it well...
"Good, now that you’re all here, first of all I’d like to apologize if I gave you all a fright previously." President Cain began addressing them with an amiable grin, expressing his stance.
"You should know I am not blind, and would never disappoint those that are ready to serve the human race." He assured, his words bringing cheerful light to the eyes of the new blood elites.
It seemed indeed they were mistaken after all, and the Boss was right — things weren’t always as they seemed.
Clasping his hands under his chin, the president leaned forward, his expression growing grave.
"In truth, the main reason I didn’t want you guys to participate in the defense against the foreign monstrous invaders is quite simple..." The president intentionally paused, observing the demeanor of those around the table for a moment before continuing.
"It’s because I want you guys to be part of the attack squads!"
Everyone blinked in uncertainty. Aside from Team Apex, none of the elite teams still understood what was going on.
Seth squinted as he observed the president addressing them. It seems Mr. President had no intention of exposing the hidden factor yet, he concluded.
After all, if the man did intend to tell them, he would have started with that. Not only would it serve as the best form of motivation that would diminish any form of hesitance and guilt that might form in the minds of the new bloods...
It would also help them see this more like a quest than a genocide. Whether one liked it or not, exterminating an entire race wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
Especially for humans who were long used to peace. You’d have to eradicate both warriors and non‑warriors — that included the elderly, females, maybe even mothers and their infants.
And worse, these races weren’t beasts. They were humanoid, man‑like. They would cry, plead, they would scream.
To a bunch of teenagers and youths, that would be unbearable. And if Seth knew this, there was no way the president didn’t.
That meant two things: the president wanted the secret matter about the hidden quest function to be as tight‑knit as possible.
And second, their first mission would be against something that would ease into the psyche of the new bloods.
And there was only one race that fit this description... Dragons.
"While the rest serve as noble shields to the human race, protecting our race from the evil races that want to see our extinction, you all will be tasked with the noble identity as the mighty sword of the human race." The president paused once more, observing the reaction of the crowd before proceeding.
"These enemies will be relentless, as they would be vicious. They will expect our race to be on the defensive. After all, we are the ones with all to lose and nothing to gain... But, they will be wrong." The president declared, and by this point most of the new bloods could comprehend the gist of what was happening.
Eyes flashing with readiness, the new bloods could already understand that their part to play in this war would be different. After all, as they say, the best defense is a good offense!
"Good, I see readiness. That’s what my soldiers should be like, and that’s why I chose you all for this special task!" The president nodded in appreciation.
The president reached underneath his end of the table and flipped a switch, triggering flickering projections to come to life before them all.
A live 3D detailed map displayed the full landscape of the West.
With some regions marked red, some covered with blue, then a higher portion colored green.
They could already understand where this was going.
Red for enemies, blue for corruption zones, green for human‑occupied safe zones.
"The enemies have begun the first phase of their attacks, but you don’t have to worry. Our soldiers are on it. They have been assigned, and thanks to the new inventory function, resources have been allocated.
The soldiers should be on their way to the war front now, so before we discuss your first target..." The president paused, pulling out a list.
"Let’s divide you into divisions first..."