Hitman x Wives

Chapter 217 Chapter 217- Ascenders Test (Part 3)

"Huh?" Kai looked at Aria with confusion. He didn't even know how to react to such a sudden request.

"It's… I thought that since we're this close to the enemies, it might be better to stay in the same room just in case. That shadow figure can easily evade senses especially when we're asleep." She explained.

"..." Kai squinted his eyes for a moment as if he was trying to determine whether she was trying to do something suspicious or not. In the end, he sighed and moved to the side. In reality, Kai was a little apprehensive about this shadow figure and the fact that he couldn't find him when he roamed the city the day of the incident.

He didn't know if he could truly go unnoticed under Kai's senses but now he surely didn't want to test that. Aria was his card to reach his target, losing her now would be problematic. So, if all it took to keep her was to let her inside his room, he didn't mind it.

"Thank you." She said before she walked inside hesitantly.

"No talking. You can use the couch." He said as he pointed at the living room.

"Yes." She nodded her head as she walked there and sat down. Then, she laid down and didn't move again.

Kai watched her actions silently for a moment before he sighed and walked to the kitchen to continue making his dinner. After he finished eating, it was already around 10 PM so he decided to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day so resting his mind would go a long distance.

Since the room wasn't that big, the couch was very close to the bed. Kai found it weird that he was sleeping in the same room as the person he was intending to kill that long ago. But, irony still played him and now he was in this situation.

Turning off the lights, Kai walked slowly to the bed before he sat down. His eyes instinctively trailed to Aria who seemed to have fallen asleep quickly.

Some time passed in that state before Kai finally snapped out of it and laid down, intending to sleep. However, at that moment, he heard Aria's voice.

"I'm sorry…" She murmured, making Kai open his eyes again and look at her.

"I'm really sorry… I couldn't… Stop it… I… the truth…" She kept saying small words as she fidgeted in her sleep. A small frown appeared on her face.

Kai was surprised at first but he quickly calmed down and waited for Aria to continue speaking. Whatever she was saying, he felt like it concerned him even though there was no proof of it. However, unfortunately, she went silent after that last word.

Kai felt slightly annoyed as he really took an interest in what she was saying.

'The truth? What does she mean by that? Is she hiding some kind of truth? Or maybe it's just a dream?' He couldn't wrap his head around it even after thinking over her words for a while. Eventually, he gave up and simply laid down again. He didn't want to waste the whole night thinking over her words. If things come down to it, he can ask her tomorrow.

***

That night passed quietly for Kai and Aria. Eventually, the sun rose over the horizon, shining over the world like a beacon of hope. Kai woke up as usual and did his routine. An hour or so later, Aria also woke up.

"Thank you… for letting me in." She said to Kai with a grateful tone before she left Kai's room to get ready. They had to go to Divinity in an hour or so.

Kai intended to ask her about what he heard last night but quickly threw that idea away. He would sound like he was listening to her the whole night. Not to mention the fact that it could just be a dream and nothing much.

In any case, an hour later, he left the room along with Aria as they went back to Divinity's HQ. The entrance was packed just like yesterday if not more so they had to use the same trick to get past these waves of people.

When they reached the receptionist, they were welcomed by the same man from yesterday. Except, he looked completely and utterly exhausted. His eyes were barely open and he had huge dark circles around them. Whatever happened between yesterday and today, it was a tale that didn't need to be told.

"P-Please, ehem, make your way from here." He said as he pointed at a door behind him. There were in actuality multiple doors that candidates entered from but the man specified which one they used.

Kai nodded his head before he guided Aria toward the door. Walking inside, he was met with a long corridor that stretched for at least 100 meters. At the end of this path was an open area, akin to a gigantic hall except that it was filled to the brim with people.

The hall was vast by all means however that was everything Kai could say about it. Its walls were made out of plain, unadorned concrete walls, painted in a greyish neutral color. The interior was well-lit with bright fluorescent lighting fixtures suspended on the ceiling with durable, industrial-grade material, perhaps even infused with Origin to enhance its power.

What caught Kai's attention, however, was how the hall was organized. There were walls within the hall, made out of durable steel panels that separated the place into different sections with each section being filled with Divinity staff members, doctors, and other workers. Each section had a letter from F to A. Inside them was a multitude of equipment for training, all highly advanced state-of-the-art testing apparatuses.

All in all, the vibe it gave was that of a no-frills, business-like environment to evaluate the abilities of newcomers with efficiency and precision.

'So this is what they intended to do.' He thought to himself as he looked at Aria.

"We might need to separate soon so keep yourself aware of your surroundings." He said gently.

"Mmm, don't worry."

Nodding his head, Kai led them to the reception desk stationed right at the entrance of this place. As they waited for their turn in the line, Kai listened to the candidates speaking.

"Hey, psst, do you know what we're doing here?" One person asked another.

"I've heard that we're going to be tested for our physical strength and also our abilities."

"I see, so there is a chance we might get refused?" The first one frowned slightly.

"I don't know, man. It doesn't seem like that would be the case for me. I have a great ability." The other one said with a smile.

Meanwhile, the people at the start of the line seemed to be getting some kind of clothes to wear from the receptionist along with a device that Kai identified to be some kind of bracelet.

His eyes squinted slightly. That bracelet seemed suspicious to him but he didn't want to jump to conclusions till he got his hands on it.

Eventually, they reached the reception.

"Please, wear these clothes in the assigned dressing rooms over there and wear these bracelets that will calculate some important details needed for the tests. Please head toward section F after you finish changing. Good luck!" The woman smiled.

The clothes were orange in color, the same shade of Origin with numbers on them. They were rather simplistic and flexible, good for training and excessive body movements. However, they gave Kai the vibe of prison clothes. Especially the numbers, it felt like they were some lab rats rather than candidates.

As for the bracelet, it seemed to be made out of simple plastic. But, Kai could feel the small circuits running inside of it. He wasn't sure if it could identify anything suspicious about him but he didn't have time to test. He had to play along with it for now and act according to how the situation went.

Kai and Aria then separated and went to their assigned dressing rooms to change their clothes. After that, they headed to section F which was the closest from the entrance and the most crowded part of the whole place.

There, people were apparently being tested for their abilities. A group of Divinity scientists along with a plethora of devices were stationed inside that place. One candidate would step forward, and get strapped to these devices before they were asked to use their powers. Kai noticed a group of Ascenders inside the room that seemed to work as guards in case something got out of hand.

Each person that gets tested would then be told to proceed forward. However, Kai's eyes noticed how these scientists, clad in white lab coats were scribbling things on their notepads in secret. Although he couldn't read what they wrote, he could easily predict it.

'They're probably ranking how useful their abilities are.' He thought with a cold expression.

This test was as simple as it might appear. Perhaps the stronger one candidate would be, the higher their chances of having an easier time in Divinity. But, that posed the question.

What kind of power should Kai show to these people?