[1550 GTs bonus]
He didn’t end up seeing exactly which home Carter entered, but he at the very least had a general understanding of which direction his home was in. If he needed more in the future, this would certainly come in handy.
‘It’s unfortunate he tossed that invitation. I would have liked to see it.’
Sylas began to walk back, knowing there was no point in even trying to look for it.
Soon, he entered Bloom and Mark’s home to their greetings. Bloom seemed to still be listening for signals so Sylas didn’t do much but give her a nod.
**
Early the next morning, Sylas went out for a run and the pair of siblings once again didn’t stop him. Without his little sister trailing him, he was able to pick up the pace a bit. When that was paired with his air restriction mask, he got an excellent workout in.
Luckily, these masks were semi-common even before the Trial. At the very least, no one would give him a second glance just because he was wearing one. What they didn’t know, of course, was that he had modified it so that the restriction was even worse.
He wasn’t an engineer, but it was nothing a few extra heavy pieces of cloth couldn’t fix.
When he returned, he took a shower and had breakfast that Mark made once again. What he didn’t expect, though, was that time would just idle by so slowly.
There was nothing to do and the siblings didn’t give him any orders.
Mark was using a generator to watch old movies and Bloom was still listening. He couldn’t help but wonder if she ever got tired; he wasn’t even sure if she had slept last night.
Although their stats gave them many advantages over other humans, Sylas had already realized that nothing could replace sleep just yet. At the very least, he wasn’t so superhuman.
Dinner came and went, and Sylas went out once again. The pattern repeated and the siblings did nothing to stop him.
…
Sylas bolted down a trail. The sun was somewhat setting already; with winter approaching, the days were shorter. Without anyone in the near vicinity, he was able to unleash more of his actual Speed.
From his memory, there was a long hiking trail that he could follow that would put him about five minutes from the university. That should be great cover for his stats.
So long as there were no cars or other vehicles to judge his Speed by, most wouldn’t notice much wrong even if they came across him. But he still chose to be cautious.
His ears were constantly primed and his gaze constantly swept through the region.
This time, he didn’t wear his air restriction mask, keeping it in his pocket and pushing himself as far as he could.
The feeling was greater than he remembered. Maybe it was because he had limited himself for so long until now, but he already felt that he was close to the running high he had always loved so much.
It ended too soon.
It was a trail that should have taken 15 minutes even with a bike, but it took Sylas not even seven. Of course, that 15-minute estimation was based on a leisurely bike ride and not a sprint, but it was shockingly impressive nonetheless.
Sylas slowed down somewhat after reaching this region. There was a river nearby, the very one that rolled right into Moody Lake, and there were a few youths that were enjoying the scenery and strolling by.
The atmosphere was much less rowdy than one might expect, especially considering these were university grounds in the evening, but Sylas could imagine why.
Many of these students had probably lost their friends and family. Being out like this was the only thing they could do to ground themselves and remain sane.
The scars the world had taken on after the Trial were barely stitched together, forcefully held together by the suppression of the government and the obfuscation of the Trial’s mysteries, but if things continued like this, it was only a matter of time before everything boiled over.
Was it a good thing that he had forced things to such a state so soon? If not for him, there would at least be a light of hope to trust in. But what did the government even have now? Just a bunch of soldiers that were marginally stronger than normal humans?
What was the difference between that and just wielding a gun?
Without sufficient power, the government would only be able to control this situation for so long. Too few had survived the Trial. Even with half the world’s population gone, there were still billions of people who were slowly growing more disgruntled.
They would have to do something fast.
Once Sylas entered the main campus, he walked confidently and with long strides. He was young enough to be a student here and most wouldn’t bat an eye toward his appearance.
He smoothly entered the building, but this was where the trouble began.
The university’s supercomputer was obviously one of their most treasured facilities. He didn’t expect to be able to smoothly enter. It could be said that he was hopeful, but not expectant. He was running out of time, but he wouldn’t force the issue if he didn’t have to.
At worst, he would just check on the situation a bit.
The supercomputer was something he had seen after taking a tour of the university. It was in their computer science division and only a few had easy access to it. At a given time, there were the PhDs, the Masters students, and any high-performing undergrads who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Of those, the PhDs were the most consistently able to enter freely. The Masters students were flimsier in this regard; usually, they barely had more access than the undergrads, though there were times when they had as much freedom as the PhDs as well. It was really a crapshoot.
Sylas strolled into the building and made a beeline for the basement.
