Ara decided to accept the offer. Looking at those poor little kids made her think about the letter.
"If the General could possibly save these children from this place, this might be the opportunity I needed. Also, I will no longer marry some random guy." She let out a big sigh.
Ara called the number indicated in the letter and told the man on the other line to pick her up at the same place. The General's men showed up faster than she could have imagined, considering a fair travel by car takes up to an hour from the military facility to her place.
"Ara, we've come to pick you up. The General can't wait to see you," said a familiar face—someone she once nearly choked to death.
"I wonder how you arrived in less than half an hour. Are you even human?" Ara let out a small laugh, looking at the faces of the three men.
"Wait a minute, aren't you humans?"
All of them laughed at what Ara just said. They shrugged it off and led her into the car. Before leaving with them, she slipped a small note into one of the kids' pockets and bid her goodbye.
As soon as they reached the military facility where General Buhaden was staying, they hurried to his office and left Ara alone with the General.
"How amazing. So what they said was true—you truly are not what they said you were at first glance."
"Excuse me, General, but you're confusing me. What did they tell you about me?"
"Just enough to make me very curious. Knocking down a brute guy—I mean, a big one—with just your physique. You are one of a kind."
"I didn't come here for compliments. I'm here because of the letter and to get assurance that those four kids could live a better life."
"I will do as I say. No need to worry about them. I will personally take them into my care. So you don't need to worry about them. Now, all you need to think about are the trials I prepared to test you mentally and physically. Also, if you are emotionally capable of the upcoming trials you need to face."
"I know I need to undergo some tests, but I didn't expect it to be this serious. I mean, I'm not applying to be a soldier or anything... You know what? I think you made a mistake picking me, General. I can take care of myself back home, so I've got to go and..."
As Ara turned her back on the General, one of his men grabbed her and covered her nose with a handkerchief soaked with a sleeping potion. Ara then dropped to the floor, unconscious.
General Buhaden immediately called the facility to inform the scientists about his specimen. Delighted to hear this, they rushed to prepare the necessary things for the mutation.
---
France
A fine bakery was established just beside the Eiffel Tower. Paris is known as the City of Love, but for this young man, love wasn't made for him. Taking on the family business, his family relied on the success of every bakery. Young Diego Franchòi was the next heir to the family business. His father was too old to help, and his mother died a few years ago. Being the only child made it harder for him to follow his own path.
Even though he wanted to decide for himself, his father's health was at stake, so he couldn't do anything but follow his father's decisions. Until one tragic event happened where he was accused of food poisoning. He left without saying anything to his father. Being accused of a crime he didn't commit left him no choice but to escape.
On that unfortunate day, his cousin begged him to hire him as a baker. He was left with no choice but to hire him because he was the only one who could help with the bakery. He didn't hate working in the bakery, but he preferred to be somewhere else. Without knowledge of his cousin's motives, he trusted him. He didn't know he had made a huge mistake.
Just when he thought he could be at peace having someone else to rely on in the bakery, a group of people suddenly gathered in front of his bakery.
"Franchòi!!"
"Do you intend to kill us?!" As the crowd tried to force the bakery open, Diego's cousin rushed to calm them down, placing all the blame on Diego.
"Luca, where's Diego? The bread we bought seems inedible. What happened to the delicious bread we buy every day?" asked an old lady, starting to panic.
"All of you calm down. It seems Diego wants to ruin his father's well-known bakery. All his father's efforts are wasted because of his irresponsible actions. Those who bought the bread today, please return them so I can check for any poison. I assure you I will compensate for any damage this causes."
"Luca, you are very kind. We hope you can bring back the delicious bread we always look forward to."
"No worries, I will do my very best to manage the bakery, since Diego is on the run escaping his crime."
"Hope he gets caught soon so he won't harm anyone else."
After hearing Luca's promises, the people resumed their daily activities. Diego was still trying to find a safe place to hide from the police after the incident. He had been on the streets for four days. He slept with some homeless people he never imagined existed in Paris. They were kind to him even though they just met him. He would never forget their kindness, even if they had little food to share.
"Who are these men? They've been following me since yesterday. They can't be cops, but I still need to be careful. They might do something if I let my guard down." Diego desperately tried to distract the unknown men.
On the other hand, the men in suits noticed Diego realized he was being followed. The leader decided to take action before Diego disappeared from sight.
"Men, we need to get to him as soon as possible."
"Yes, Captain!"
Diego noticed the men getting closer. This time, they were openly following him. Two men were ready behind him to catch him, but he didn't know the Captain was already in front. Grabbing his wrists, the Captain dragged him into an empty corner. Diego's heart pounded fast as he nervously wondered what they wanted. Gasping, he tried to calm down and negotiate.
"May I know what you want from me? You don't look like police." His voice trembled but tried to sound firm.
"You're smart, yet you fled instead of defending yourself from your cousin's frame-up. It's confusing." The Captain's voice carried authority.
"Hearing you talk like that makes me feel you know everything about me."
"Yes and no. One thing left to know."
"What do you mean?"
"Everything is confidential, but we'll explain it if you agree to work for the government. We can clear your name and also…" The Captain paused, studying Diego's gestures. "We can ensure your father is sent to the best hospital in the world and we can cure his illness if you agree to our proposition."
"My father's going to be cured? But doctors said his illness is incurable." Confused but hopeful, a light flickered in his heart. His father was all he had left. He would do anything to help him live longer.
"We'll leave you a number. Call us whenever you're ready. Just so you know, we don't accept no as an answer." The Captain handed Diego a sealed envelope.
"What's the use of giving me time if you won't even let me decide for myself?!"
"Oh, I'm not letting you decide on that answer. I'm giving you time to visit your father. When you get there, you needn't worry about the bakery incident. We settled it the moment you left. Don't make us wait too long, or we'll take back our deal about your father."
"Now you're threatening me? This is nonsense!"
"If you don't go back now, it might be too late for your father." The Captain and his men left, leaving Diego confused.
Even so, his father's life was more precious than anything. It was the only way he could show his love.
Tired and hungry, Diego returned home. As the Captain said, no one dared to talk about the incident. People seemed to forget or were just good at pretending.
When he reached home, his father lay in bed, struggling to breathe. Diego immediately opened the envelope — an invitation to join the army to serve the government of France. Looking at his brokenhearted father, he dialed the number and asked them to rush his father to the hospital.
Not long after, men in black suits arrived with doctors and an ambulance. They took his father away, leaving Diego alone to pack some things. After a few minutes, he was blindfolded and taken somewhere he didn't know.