Concept: World - Chapter 4: Invitation to Battle (4)

Ethel and Yinbing sat on the floor, taking a well-earned break.

There wasn't the slightest hint of frustration on Yinbing's face after losing.

If anything...

...she looked unusually delighted.

"You're really good."

"Your fundamentals are solid, and your control over Force is practically flawless."

"No wonder you had the confidence to head straight onto the battlefield."

"Your foundation is incredibly well built."

"That said..."

"Your combat instincts could be sharper."

"You haven't actually fought many people before, have you?"

"No."

Ethel shook his head.

"Before this, all I did was what you called..."

"...those boring drills where you swing at empty air."

"Hahaha, I see."

"Just so we're clear, I'm not looking down on that kind of training."

"It's incredibly important."

"I imagine you already know that."

Ethel nodded silently.

He hated those drills...

but he couldn't deny they had built the foundation he relied on today.

This spar had also reminded him of his greatest weakness.

He depended too much on his Concept to evade attacks.

That was why he had completely fallen for Yinbing's feint and been knocked out in a single blow.

"As a reward for beating me..."

"I'll tell you something."

"What is it?"

"The truth is..."

"I'm not actually a boxer."

The revelation caught Ethel completely off guard.

Did that mean...

she'd been holding back the entire fight?

Seeing the expression on his face, Yinbing hurriedly waved both hands.

"Ah, no!"

"I don't mean I was fighting you with some style I've never used before."

"I'd never insult a duel—or my opponent—like that."

"What I mean is..."

"...I'm not nearly as dependent on my fists as I look."

So she combines them with some kind of weapon...?

Ethel silently wondered.

Brass knuckles.

A dagger.

Those were the only possibilities he could think of.

"Alright."

"That's enough resting."

"We're continuing?"

"No."

"That's it for today."

"We've got something else to do."

"Come with me."

Yinbing led Ethel out of the training room and took the elevator to the nineteenth floor—

the headquarters of the First Squad.

The elevator doors slid open.

The first thing Ethel saw...

...was a familiar face playing cards.

"Yo, Ethel!"

"What brings you here?"

Tyre greeted him loudly.

"We've got some business."

Yinbing answered.

"I thought you were running laps around the city wall today."

"I was."

"Finished my run, came over here to play a few hands while waiting for the shift change."

"You haven't met these guys yet, have you?"

"Come on, introductions."

"Caesar."

A tall man with long white hair greeted him with a brief nod.

Even sitting down, his imposing build was obvious.

"Muzhen."

The next man had short silver-white hair, tanned skin, and a single earring.

He flashed Ethel a bright, easygoing grin.

"Wanzhu."

The last man had pale skin and long black hair tied into a ponytail.

A cigarette rested between his lips.

Without saying much more than his name...

he calmly laid down a straight flush.

"Oh, come on!"

The other three groaned in unison.

Without a word, Wanzhu quietly swept all the money on the table toward himself.

"So."

Tyre asked, still trying to hide the pain of losing.

"What brings you two up here?"

"We're borrowing the scanner."

"Oh, right."

"The rookie."

"Help yourselves."

"Thank you, Senior."

Yinbing thanked him politely.

Meanwhile, Tyre had already begun shuffling the cards again, muttering under his breath.

"Damn it..."

"I'm winning it all back next round."

Walking farther inside, Ethel noticed that the nineteenth floor was laid out almost identically to the fifteenth.

Past the sparring room...

came the rows of Concept training rooms.

"Where are we going?"

he asked.

Based on the fifteenth floor's layout...

everything beyond this point should have been the captain's private quarters.

They reached the corridor that split the training rooms.

Just like downstairs...

only a single door stood at the very end.

Yinbing headed straight toward it.

"The shared equipment room."

"I thought this spot was supposed to be the captain's room."

Yinbing gave him a puzzled look.

"...Why would I be taking you to Captain Tia's room?"

"No, I..."

"I just thought every floor had the same layout."

"Captain Sot's room is in the same position on the seventeenth floor."

"But squad captains are different."

"Captain Tia's room occupies the entire twentieth floor."

"The whole floor?"

"Yep."

"She's the captain."

"Though from what I've heard..."

"...Captain Tia only uses less than a tenth of it."

"Most of the floor is completely empty."

Stopping in front of the door at the end of the corridor, Yinbing took out her ID card and swiped it against the access panel.

The room beyond looked like something straight out of a science-fiction film.

The polished white tile floor gleamed so brightly it reflected the lights overhead. Every table and corner was filled with strange instruments and machines.

The only thing that differed from a typical laboratory...

...was that everyone inside wore gray uniforms instead of white lab coats.

"That one is for medical treatment."

Yinbing pointed at a machine near the entrance that looked remarkably like a desk lamp.

"It stimulates the Force within an injured area and temporarily accelerates cellular activity, allowing wounds to heal much faster."

"Don't expect miracles, though."

"It can't bring the dead back."

"But as long as nobody's missing an arm or a leg, it'll handle most serious injuries just fine."

She shot Ethel a meaningful glance.

He immediately understood what she meant.

When they sparred...

...there was no need to hold back.

Just don't sever any limbs.

"And that one is a Force-powered generator."

"They make those?"

"They do."

"It's mainly for emergencies."

"The energy conversion efficiency is pretty terrible, though."

"You'd probably drain a Force User completely before producing enough electricity to matter."

"We don't actually have that many machines."

"Just the essentials."

"We're not a research city."

"That's the kind of work Union Dominion and Flashreach do."

Yinbing led him farther inside into another room.

A technician sat before a remarkably sophisticated-looking machine.

Beside him stood a slanted metal platform enclosed beneath a glass canopy—

just large enough to fit a single person.

"Hello."

"I've brought a new squad member to have his data recorded."

"Certainly."

The technician checked his schedule.

"Vice Captain Yinbing of the Third Squad, correct?"

"That's right."

"And the subject is... Ethel..."

"...Hmm?"

"Just 'Ethel'?"

"Just Ethel."

Seeing that there was no family name, the technician looked mildly puzzled.

Fortunately...

it didn't affect anything.

"Very well."

"I'll enter your information."

"This is your first scan, correct?"

"Uh... yes."

Ethel still had absolutely no idea what they were here for.

Only after noticing the confusion on his face did Yinbing realize...

...she had forgotten to explain.

"This is the Force Resonance Analyzer, created through Concept: Machine."

"I don't really understand how it works."

"But it records every piece of data about your body."

"Both your physical condition..."

"...and your Force."

"Concept: Machine?"

"Yep."

"It was built by one of the previous Perfected."

"Why record all this information?"

"Every Force User does."

"It's for a healer in another city."

"She needs these records if she's ever going to save your life."

"At least..."

"...that's what Captain Oenone told me."

"I've never met her myself."

"But Captain Oenone has."

"Every single time..."

"People who should've been nothing more than broken corpses..."

"...came back alive in one piece."

"She's that incredible?"

"Apparently."

"They say as long as you're still breathing..."

"...she can save you."

Turning toward the technician, Yinbing asked,

"Everything ready?"

"All set."

"Mr. Ethel, please lie down inside the scanner."

Ethel obediently climbed onto the platform.

The glass canopy slowly lowered, enclosing him inside.

"We'll begin by scanning your physical body."

"After that, we'll record your Force."

"Please remain completely still."

The technician's voice came through a speaker.

Ethel did exactly as instructed.

A thin yellow beam began at his feet and slowly traveled upward, scanning every inch of his body.

After making one complete pass...

the machine vibrated gently.

The entire chamber flashed yellow—

like the burst of a camera flash.

A few moments later...

everything fell silent.

"Good."

"Now please activate full-body Force Reinforcement."

"Once you're ready, let me know."

"And remain perfectly still."

Ethel once again guided Force through every part of his body.

After informing the technician...

the exact same process repeated.

The yellow beam.

The scan.

Another brilliant flash.

"Done."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

The glass cover lifted, allowing Ethel to step out.

"That's it?"

"That's all."

"You'll undergo another scan during your annual physical examination."

"We'll ask for your cooperation again then."

"That concludes today's session."

"See you next time, Mr. Ethel."

"Miss Yinbing."

"Please remember to upload today's data as well."

"I'll do it as soon as everything's been processed."

"Great."

"Thank you."

"See you."

Yinbing led Ethel back toward the elevator.

Just before the doors slid shut...

...he could've sworn he heard Tyre crying out in despair once again.

Somehow...

he had probably lost another round of cards.

ns216.73.217.114da2

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