Chapter 205: Chapter 205: SHU Evaluation Day (Part 2)

After saying his goodbyes to Amanda, Don stepped outside the house, the morning air cool against his skin.As he made his way down the steps, he paused to look at himself on his phone's reflection. Visible kiss marks dotted his neck, cheek, and forehead. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

I walked into that one, I guess, he thought, shaking his head with a faint smile.

His attention then shifted to Winter, who was raking leaves in the front yard, with the H.U.S.K.Y android next to her.

The robotic dog was behaving just like its namesake, occasionally pouncing at stray leaves in a way that almost looked playful. As Don approached, Winter paused her raking, turning toward him. Her posture was straight and her movements precise as she walked over to greet him.

"Good morning, Don," she greeted, her tone as emotionless as always. "Are you also going to school today?"

Don nodded. "Yeah, first day of university." His voice was casual, but he was still a bit distracted by the kiss marks. 'Let's hope most people miss this,' he thought, his hand briefly brushing over his neck.

"I see," Winter replied. Meanwhile, the Husky trotted over, its tail-like appendage wagging as it approached Don. It sat down at his feet, looking up at him expectantly with glowing eyes, mimicking the behavior of a real dog.

Don couldn't help but grin as he looked down at the android. "I can't get over how much of real dog it looks like."

Winter nodded. "I was able to successfully upload H.U.S.K.Y with the appropriate information and updated its behavioral algorithms. It should now act much more like a real dog and be far more responsive to orders."

Don's interest piqued. "Really?" He decided to test it. "Husky, sit."

Without hesitation, the Husky sat down obediently, its mechanical movements smooth and natural. Don nodded in approval. "Wow, nice. That'll save us a lot of trouble."

Winter nodded once more. "Indeed."

After a moment, Winter's gaze flicked toward Don again. "Will you require my presence at your school today?"

Don shook his head. "No, actually, I was hoping you'd escort Amanda when she goes to the farm later. I'd feel better knowing you were there to look after her."

Winter's head tilted slightly. "Are there any specific dangers on the farm that I should be aware of?"

"Mutants," Don replied simply.

"Affirmative," Winter said, her face unreadable as always. "I will ensure her safety and monitor the house remotely through H.U.S.K.Y."

Don raised an eyebrow. "You can do that?" He paused before shaking his head with a small laugh. "Never mind, of course you can."

Winter nodded. "I will remain in contact. Have a safe journey, Don."

"Thanks," Don said, smiling at her as he walked toward the gate. "Contact me if anything comes up."

"Not a problem," Winter replied, "Safe travels."

With that, Don stepped out onto the sidewalk, closing the gate behind him. He then headed toward Donald's house next door. As he walked, he kept an eye out for any strange occurrences, but everything seemed quiet and normal—just another day in the neighborhood.

After a short walk, Don spotted Cassie's G-Wagon pulling out of the driveway. Donald was behind the wheel, and when he noticed Don on the sidewalk, he waved him over. Don jogged the rest of the way and climbed into the passenger seat, closing the door with a solid **thunk**.

"Morning," Don greeted as he adjusted his seatbelt.

"Morning," Donald replied, though his voice was weak, and his eyes were bloodshot and tired. He slumped slightly against the steering wheel, his exhaustion evident.

Don narrowed his eyes, noticing how out of it Donald looked. "Did you get any sleep, man? You look tired as hell."

Donald sighed deeply, his head resting against the steering wheel for a moment before he shook it. "I tried, but… I just couldn't get what happened yesterday out of my mind. Believe me, if you saw for yourself what was in that fucking hole at the church, you wouldn't be able to sleep either." He sighed again, rubbing his face as if trying to shake off the memories.

Don, who had indeed seen what was down there using his shadow presence, nodded sympathetically. He understood. The things they had seen were not something most people could just brush off.

If it weren't for his unfazed trait and how quickly he was adapting to this crazy new world, he might have been just as shaken. 'He'll probably need a few days to get back to normal,' Don thought.

"I get it," Don said after a moment, offering a small smile. "Why don't I drive for a bit? You look like you could use a break."

Donald blinked at him, surprised but clearly grateful. "Yeah… that's probably for the best. Thanks, man."

They both stepped out of the car and swapped seats, Donald groaning a little as he stretched his back. Once Don was settled behind the wheel, he started the car with a low **rumble** and smoothly pulled away from the curb, driving them down the quiet street.

Donald leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes for a moment. "You're a lifesaver, man."

Don chuckled as they cruised down the road. "Yeah, well, don't get too comfortable. I'm not your chauffeur."

Donald cracked a tired smile but didn't respond.

As Don drove the G-Wagon away out of the Chanel Hills Community, he decided to spark up a conversation, keeping the mood light despite the heavy thoughts looming over both of them. "By the way, man, did you know today is evaluation day for candidates in the Elite Hero Program?"

Donald, who had been dozing off from the lack of sleep, jerked upright. "Huh? Really?" he said, sounding genuinely surprised. "That explains all the hype I saw on the gram last night about watching today's evaluations."

He sighed heavily, slumping back into his seat. "That means the school's gonna be packed with content creators and scouts... just what I need," he added sarcastically, rubbing his eyes.

Don chuckled softly, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. "So, what are these evaluations usually like? I only found out this morning that I'll need to attend."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot you're a candidate too," Donald replied, his voice perking up slightly. "Most of them are full of assholes who act like they're too good to talk to regular students. Some of them come from superhero lineages, so they're all uptight and not exactly social." He sighed, clearly not a fan of that group.

Donald continued, "I've watched a bunch of ceremonies over the last few years. It's usually the same thing—flashy hero suits, people going 'ooh' and 'ahh' over the next big hero. But most of them go quiet by second or third year and end up relocating after getting offers from bigger agencies in other cities or being recruited by professional heroes."

Don raised an eyebrow at this information, amused by how much of a show it seemed to be. "Sounds like a whole business," he commented.

Donald nodded tiredly, leaning back against the seat. "Pretty much. It's all a game of publicity. You know, getting scouted, building your image..."

Suddenly, Donald narrowed his eyes at Don, scanning him with a suspicious look. "Wait a minute... where's your costume?"

Don gave a weary smile as they finally arrived at the university, which was bustling with cars and people all trying to enter through the main gates. "I don't have one. I'll just be wearing a standard suit."

Donald blinked in surprise. "You'll be the only one, then. I can't remember the last time a candidate did their evaluation in a standard training suit."

Don shrugged, unfazed. "It's no big deal."

Donald didn't press the issue and just looked at the sea of vehicles and the chaos at the gates. "Man, we're gonna be stuck here for a while," he sighed, sinking deeper into his seat.

And he was right. They crawled forward at a snail's pace, waiting in line with dozens of other cars. To pass the time, Donald kept talking, sharing more details about how evaluations typically went.

He pointed out that not everyone participating today was a candidate for the Elite Hero Program (EHP); instead, they were just the most talented individuals coming to the school.

"There are less than five EHP members at our school," Donald explained, "six, counting you. And get this, it's not even mandatory for EHP candidates to do the evaluation. Just being a candidate is proof enough of your ability. Only two or three ever bother doing it, and it's usually just to show off or get views for the school. They get paid for it, too."

Don absorbed the information, leaning back against the driver's seat. 'Well shit, I'm not getting paid' he thought as the line finally inched forward, bringing them closer to the gate.

After what felt like forever, they reached the front of the line, stopping at the booth where a stern-looking security guard stood, overseeing the vehicles entering the campus.

The guard gave them a hard look, eyeing the G-Wagon before speaking. "I.D. please."

Don rolled down the window and handed over his EHP I.D. The guard inspected it, his face tightening into a suspicious frown. "Is this a fake?" seaʀᴄh thё novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Don remained calm, keeping his tone casual. "It's real. Feel free to confirm with the agency if you want."

The guard eyed Don for another moment before stepping away to make a call. The wait was only a few minutes, but it felt longer with the cars behind them getting restless.

Finally, the guard returned, his entire demeanor changed. "Sorry for the delay, sir," he said politely, handing back the I.D. "Please go in."

Don nodded, suppressing a smirk as he started the car again. "No problem," he replied, driving past the gates.

As they rolled onto the campus, Donald shook his head in disbelief. "Man, he switched up quick. I'm really jealous how you EHP guys get treated."

Don grinned, his eyes on the road ahead. "Don't be. Trust me, it's not always fun being under the microscope."

They drove through the now less congested campus roads, eventually parking near one of the designated areas for students. As Don turned off the engine, he glanced at the time on the dashboard. "We still have some time to kill before the ceremony starts, right? Is there anything we need to get done?"

Donald rubbed his eyes and stretched, still tired from his lack of sleep. "Nah, not really. Maybe grab a coffee or something?" He yawned. "I could definitely use one."

Don chuckled, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Alright, let's go grab some coffee then."