The PTV rumbled forward, its massive wheels rolling smoothly over the paved roads of the inner city.
Hope sat by the window, staring outside as they left behind the grimy outskirts and entered a world that felt entirely different.
The transition was stark.
Gone were the crumbling buildings, narrow alleys, and desperate faces.
Now, he was surrounded by pristine streets, gleaming skyscrapers, and towering billboards displaying the latest advancements in technology, fashion, and entertainment.
This was the world of the privileged, the people who had never fought for a meal, never struggled to survive.
He could see children laughing as they walked beside their well-dressed parents, see workers in crisp uniforms heading toward their jobs in sleek, glass-covered towers.
For them, the world was stable, predictable.
For people like him?
It was a distant dream—one that wasn't meant for him.
Hope exhaled through his nose and leaned back against the seat, staring at the ceiling.
He felt out of place.
And he hated that feeling.
After what felt like an eternity, the PTV finally slowed to a stop.
Hope sat up.
Outside the reinforced glass window, he saw a building so massive that even the enormous PTV felt insignificant in comparison.
"Woah…"
The word escaped his lips before he could stop it.
It wasn't just a building—it was a fortress.
Towering steel walls surrounded it, stretching so high that they seemed to scrape the sky.
The main gate was a monstrous slab of reinforced metal, easily five times the height of the PTV.
Armed guards patrolled the entrance, their sleek military exosuits gleaming under the city's artificial lighting.
Surveillance drones hovered overhead, their mechanical eyes scanning every vehicle and pedestrian approaching the compound.
Hope had never seen security this tight before.
This place wasn't just important.
It was a stronghold.
Before he could stare any longer, Clara's voice snapped him back to reality.
"Follow me."
She was already stepping out of the vehicle, so Hope sighed and followed.
The moment they reached the gates, they were met by a squad of guards dressed in black armor.
They were silent, efficient, and moved with military precision.
Hope was subjected to multiple layers of security screening—
First, a biometric scan, where a blue light swept over his entire body.
Then, a retinal scan, forcing him to stare into a blinking red dot.
After that, they took a sample of his blood, which he wasn't happy about.
And finally, they passed through an energy field, which he assumed was to detect Veil-related anomalies.
When they were finally cleared, the gates groaned open, revealing the true scale of the facility.
The inside of the building was just as impressive as the outside.
The walls were sleek, covered in advanced interfaces displaying information in real time.
Holographic panels floated mid-air, showing reports, mission logs, and classified documents only authorized personnel could access.
Hope's eyes darted around as they walked.
Everywhere he looked, he saw scientists, officers, and elite personnel moving with purpose.
This place wasn't just a military base.
It was a government institute dedicated to something much bigger.
He wasn't sure if that made him uneasy or impressed.
Probably both.
After walking through a maze of hallways and checkpoints, they finally arrived at a large office.
Hope sat on a metal chair as a man in an advanced suit looked at him from behind a polished desk.
The man had a stern face, with neatly combed silver hair and sharp, calculating eyes.
He looked like someone who had spent his entire life in command, someone who had seen it all.
Hope could already tell—
He wasn't going to like this guy.
The man didn't introduce himself.
Instead, he immediately started asking questions.
"Name?"
Hope's grip on the chair tightened slightly.
He had always hated that question.
But he had no choice but to answer.
"Hopeless."
As expected, the man's eyebrows twitched slightly.
same reaction.
The same silent judgment.
Hope had seen it a hundred times before.
The moment people heard his name, they looked at him like he was some kind of joke.
Like Hope was the last thing he had.
He ignored the look.
The man continued.
"Age?"
"Sixteen."
"Former occupation?"
"Scavenger."
A slight pause.
"Have you ever been part of a criminal organization?"
"No."
That wasn't a lie.
He had dealt with criminals, but he had never belonged to them.
The questioning continued for a while, but Hope gave short, simple answers.
Eventually, the man stopped typing and leaned back.
He tapped a button, and a mechanical arm extended from the wall, holding a small badge.
He took it, examined it briefly, then slid it across the desk.