Chapter 30：Regaining Youth (1/2)
7:30 PM, mansion of the Bone family, Henrietta Bone stood inside a dark room. One side of the room lacked a wall, replaced by glass windows that outlined another skyscraper. A certain house on the 28th floor of the building lacked any light, the destination of Henrietta's gaze. After a knock on the door, Hubert walked into the room, holding a document.
”I have obtained approval for you to visit Heima. You can accompany her for a week.” Hubert said, handing over the document. On it was a short paragraph, the seal of the military academy affixed at the bottom.
Reading the paper, Henrietta smiled. ”How are your preparations coming along? When are you scheduled for your Unranked Skill implantation?”
Hubert flashed a smile, ”It is tomorrow, first thing in the morning. I have already starved myself for the past few days. I am also exercising nonstop to exhaust my body. This will raise the success rate of the implantation.”
”That's good. Prepare well, and don't mess up.” Henrietta said, nearing Hubert, whispering into his ears, ”Father is changing, for the better. After finishing our family's Unranked Skill, he is focusing on the overall improvement of our strength. We have to make use of this chance to gain more benefits for ourselves.”
'I know,” Hubert nodded in all seriousness, ”I won't miss this opportunity and give a chance for our cousins. Don't worry, sister, I won't be hasty and do something detrimental for the overall growth of our family.”
”Focus on getting the Skill first. We'll plan later when I return after a week. Father hasn't become senile; he has just changed a little, so, we must be careful, as usual.” Henrietta exited the room, taking a lift to descend, reaching the 50th floor where the metro passed through their building.
Carrying a small suitcase filled with clothes and having changed into a set of expensive clothing, Henrietta passed through a couple of checks, boarding a metro train. As she sat on an empty seat next to a window, she noticed many gazes falling on her. Only when she noticed her reflection on the window did she realise the reason as to why.
Large eyes with a black iris, eyelids with long eyelashes, and eyebrows that resembled the rippling sea waves; she had a long, sharp nose that had a small downward curve at the tip, matching her cherry lips, accentuating her sharp jaw. Just her facial features alone were beautiful enough to mesmerise the onlookers while her long, black hair that was tied into a bun gave her a mature charm.
After absorbing plenty of energy from the Tier 4 Frenzy Beast, Ring Worm, Henrietta had made a full recovery, giving her body plenty of nutrition. With her stature taller than an average man, her body proportions—slightly wider hips with breasts blessed in plumpness—made her look beautiful. Moreover, after becoming a shifter, she had grown to look more than a decade younger. At present, she looked like someone in her early twenties.
'I wonder how shocked Heima will be when she sees me. People might assume the two of us as sisters.' As she relished in her playful thoughts, a teenager sat next to her, a slight trace of redness on his face. He calmly opened a book and read it, looking as if he was concentrating but, all his attention was on the woman seated next to him.
It took a lot of guts for him to sit here; even if he wanted to strike a conversation, he felt his brain lacking in its ability to process thoughts. Henrietta saw the book in his hands, a slight sense of curiosity in her mind. After obtaining an Unranked Skill, she felt a lot at ease. Getting some familiarity with the Unranked Skill, her confidence in surviving the upcoming Flying Signature Raid further increased.
'Instructions for City Defence: Catapults, Cleavers, and Grubbers…this, why is this kid reading this document in public?' Henrietta immediately slammed the book shut, shocking the teenager. Just when he looked to be in fluster, not knowing what to say, he heard Henrietta speak.
”Boy, how old are you?”
”Ma'am, I will turn nineteen next month.” The teenager replied in confusion, partly happy to have started a conversation with Henrietta.
”Have you been drafted for the Border Defence corps?” Henrietta inquired, thinking back to the hundred Warriors who ploughed through the Frenzy Beasts until they lost a soldier to the Ring Worm. They were usually composed of Tier 2 Amplifiers, lead by a Tier 3 Developer.
Seeing him nod, Henrietta felt the urge to give him a slap of reality; controlling her urges, she took a deep breath to calm herself, ”That book contains confidential secrets that couldn't be known to the general public.”
”But, I am just a Tier 2 Amplifier. Information accessible to Warriors like me should be known to practically everyone right?” The teenager retorted, not being able to understand her reasoning.
Henrietta pointed to a boy a couple of seats away from them. The boy looked to be 11-12 years old; he was busy playing a game, occasionally lifting his head to look for anything of interest in his surroundings. ”It might be common knowledge for adults, but it is forbidden to reveal this knowledge to children under 16 years old.”
Seeing the teenager's eyes widen in realisation, Henrietta continued, ”Moreover, this tactic is typically used by the superiors to test your trustworthiness. If you can't even prevent such knowledge from leaking out, then they would never trust you with classified secrets.”
”Ma'am, what you said makes sense, but how will my higher-ups know about this? There are no cameras inside the train, so I can't understand your reasoning.” The teenager said, clearly looking like a fellow that liked to argue.