"Hoy! Lorenzo! Have you packed your bags already? The Air Force is going to pick you up in about an hour. Did you buy winter clothes like I told you to? Antarctica is the coldest place in the world, you know?"

"Mama! What are you talking about? Have you gone senile already?"

I had just woken up from a nightmare. In that nightmare, I had been sent a letter by the government telling me that I had won a lottery out of 20 million high school graduates. I had been sleepless this past week. Binge-watching One Piece for the 6th time, this time in French Dub kept me up all night. Not that I could speak French fluently. I still read the English subtitles. At some point, during the Marineford Arc, my family had celebrated my leaving our house for some reason. I get that I had just graduated from high school and I'm 18 now. But why were they in such a rush to kick me out of the house? They told me something about going to Antarctica for some reason. And studying in some university abroad. I figured it was just some prank to get me out of my room.

"Lorenzo!"

*BAM!*

My father kicked the door of my bedroom and I could feel the intensity of his anger as he watched me snuggle comfortably in my bed.

"Oi! Lawrence... Wake up already. I know you must have been studying all night in preparation for Uni... But it's time for your departure, son. Watching you study French even while we're eating at lunch made me so proud of you."

Huh? What is Dad talking about? I just studied that to understand the meaning of Sanji's gourmet kicks.

"Dad. What on Earth are you guys talking about? It's 3:00 am. And I haven't even enrolled in college yet. The results of the entrance exam haven't even started yet."

"Hahahaha! That's a funny joke, son. Anyway, your mom knew that you were too busy studying for University so we bought you all the necessary clothes and stuff. And already packed your bags. Come on. It's time for a little breakfast to fill your stomach before you go to the Military Airfield."

Airfield? What is going on here? Fine. I'll indulge you guys in your little prank.

I stood up and saw my whole family lined up in front of me. My five siblings were tearing up. And my grandparents were looking at me with pride. The beaming joy in from their smiles made me think it was my birthday or something. And my mom especially looked at me like when I had learned how to walk.

"Lor-lor... I'll miss you so much son," my mom hugged me. "Be good over there okay? God will always be watching over you."

My whole family then gave me a huge group hug like I was dying or something. "Did I just recover from a ten-year coma or something?"

Everybody laughed at me as if what I said was a joke or something. After forcing me to shower in the morning, I was still half-asleep. Then they forced me to wear brand-new clothes that looked expensive. The fabric of the clothes had a futuristic design to them. And reminded me of something that I might have seen on the internet. But I don't exactly remember where.

Then they each told me their goodbyes. I just rolled with it. I knew at some point this prank would soon be over.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Someone was at our front door this early in the morning. Probably some neighbor complaining about the noise this early in the morning. Can't blame them. My family was exaggerating their drama for some stupid prank. As a responsible member of the community, I went towards to door. Hopefully to defuse the situation. When I opened the door, three tall soldiers in their fatigues were standing in front of me. One of them looked at his phone. He seemed to be confirming my identity.

"Are you Lorenzo Martinez?"

I was surprised but the situation seemed serious. "Yes, sir. I am. How can I help you?"

"It seems you have already said your farewells to your family. We need to hurry. We are behind schedule. You two, get his luggage."

He then grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into the black van. I struggled against his strength but a high school kid like me was no match against that goliath of a soldier.

"Wait! What are you doing? Hey! Dad!"

I turned my head to my family. But none of them were helping me. They were waving their hands at me. My little sister was crying but she just hugged Mom instead. Little did I know that was the last time I would see my family for a long time. Surrendering to my fate, I sat inside the van and the freezing temperature of the air conditioning made me shiver. Am I still dreaming? What the hell is going on? Did I commit a crime or something?

I turned my gaze toward the mysterious soldier who was reading something of a profile on his phone. It was a profile of me and lists of information about me. I didn't know what it was about. But the idea of government and military doing things like this to me weakened my resolve to resist. I had no choice but to move on. Becoming a fugitive would only endanger my family. And killing some soldiers who were just following orders seemed futile to me.

So I asked him, "Sir, can you tell me what is going on?"

He reached for something in his pocket. "You will be briefed tomorrow at 0800H. Good luck, kid. Your sacrifice for our country will not go to waste."

"What the"

He then injected me with a sedative. Being a chronic insomniac of watching anime, the sedative wasn't strong enough to fully make me lose consciousness. I could hear them talking but the drugs were the depressant type.

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"It seems we're out of luck. The Doctora said his genetics would pass the tests. But..."

"Such a waste... Our country will lose the impending war at this point."

The vehicle had stopped. And they carried me toward an airplane. The sun still hadn't peeked yet. But I could feel the flashing lights on my closed eyes.

"Is this him?" The voice was female but authoritative. "Good. By my calculations, we will arrive in Antarctica just in time for enrollment. I'll handle everything from here. You did good, captain. Dismissed."

They put me on some kind of sofa. And I could feel the jet's engines ring in my ears. It was the first time that I had been on a plane. All my life, I had never left the big island that I had been born in. It was one of the biggest islands in the archipelago. And this "Doctora" person was talking about going to Antarctica? What the heck are they going to do to me in the South Pole?

The Doctora approached me, but I could only see her waist. With my eyes half-closed, she noticed me looking at her and sprayed something in my face to make me faint.

While falling into deep sleep, I couldn't help but think that I had gone crazy or induced a large amount of cocaine. This is my initial reaction to the shock while still induced with sedatives. This wasn't the first time I had gotten myself into deep shit. Someone like me, you could say that I'm a troublemaker. Or what others would say is cursed. Or just very very unlucky. I've been in countless life-and-death situations. Accidents, disasters, kidnappings, gang wars, and trouble. If you come from a third-world country like mine with a despotic dictator, you would understand.

"Wake up. Lorenzo Martinez."

*SLAP!*

My right cheek felt a thinly spread tinge of acute pain.

"Ouch!"

I awoke inside a private jet's lounge. From the furniture and how the space had been arranged, I could tell this was a private jet. And there was a beautiful girl in front of me. She was naked and only had a towel over her head like she just came out of the shower. She had small breasts and she didn't shave her pubic hair. She looked the same age as me but she was far from being a normal teenager. Her brown skin was smooth like silk, and her figure was fit for a top model. She was the most beautiful I had ever seen.

"I can see that you are awake," she spoke with a serious tone. She then glanced at her tablet with my profile. "I can also see here that you are a virgin. Is this accurate?"

After realizing that I had been ogling her beautiful naked features, I looked away in embarrassment. "Wait! Wait! Why are you asking me that? And why are you naked? Who the hell are you!"

"So that's a yes. Hmmm... Virginity will be helpful. How do you feel right now?"

I blushed when she said those words. What is this girl talking about my virginity being helpful? And why is she naked? Without realizing it, I felt a sudden bump in my pants. And covered myself with a magazine from the seat beside me.

"Well, vitals seem to be doing fine if you are having an erection." She stood up and walked closer to me. And in my confusion, I tried to stop her from moving closer to me by extending my arms.

Within seconds, I felt something soft and tender in the palms of my hands. When I turned to see what it was, I was already holding both her breasts.

"Whaaa!"

I recoiled and hid from my shame by securing my hands in my pockets and closing my eyes.

"Hormone levels seem to be normal. Reaction time to stimuli is also normal. But-"

She paused. And verified something in her tablet. "Amazing. Brain scan shows abnormal rates of neurological activity. I was right. This might work."

"What will work?" After hearing her say something unexpected, I calmed myself. I opened my eyes and looked at her face.

"Oh?" she reacted. "You seem to have realized something."

"I don't think I'm in immediate danger right now," I responded.

"Why do you think that?" she asked as if testing me.

"If you wanted me dead, I would have died a long time ago. If you were going to torture me, I should be in restraints. It's still possible later on, after this flight but that's later on. I can't do anything about that yet. Judging from the information I have right now, I must have been chosen. And for that, it means you need me for something. So right now, I'm being given the best option, which is to cooperate. Resisting would only worsen my condition."

"How sure are you that we won't just sell your organs? Or turn you into a slave?" she challenged.

"This private flight costs more than my whole body combined. And I could just kill myself if you made me a slave, thus the risk is too high for something as dumb as forced enslavement in the 21st century. Right now, there are two possibilities. First, you need me for an experiment. Something international. If Antarctica is involved, our small island nation wouldn't be able to afford even a small building in the South Pole. The second possibility, you need a scapegoat. Some random teenager that fits the qualifications. Probably some fucked up game that the world powers are playing."

She chuckled and sat back on her seat that was facing me.

"If you want me to answer, both possibilities are right and wrong at the same time. Either way, both possibilities don't seem to be leaning in your favor, don't they?"

"No, they don't. I could try to fight you and the pilot. But I can't fly a plane. And I don't think I would stand a chance if I tried to fight someone like you."

She smiled mischievously. "What do you mean? Someone like me?"

"I might be a Natural but I'm not that stupid. You're a Designer."

"Oh? What led you to believe that?"

"It's because I look at you and I see a perfect human. But I can't feel anything human about you. Your kind, I've never met one. But this feeling I get from you, it's the first time I've felt it from anyone. And I've met all kinds of scum. Your kind's aura is on a whole other dimension."

"Do you believe that? Isn't that just some crazy Right-Wing Conspiracy? The Designer Generation Conspiracy?" She asked.

"The Designer Generation. A generation of genetically engineered humans who come from the world's most powerful families. A generation of prodigies among prodigies. And geniuses among geniuses. Children who have the power to repair the world. And the power to destroy it. Sounds insane. But it's real, isn't it? And you're one of them."

She sighed. "I guess, the jig is up. You're exactly right. I am starting to get into world-destroying mode though. Want me to?" The look in her eyes changed in front of me. Like a hungry lion detecting prey in the distance.

The atmosphere became more serious. I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. "So Doctora, what does someone like you want from someone like me?"

"As you have surmised, you fit the criteria perfectly. There is an ongoing experiment in Antarctica. And I need a scapegoat. You were right on both possibilities. But also, it's not just an experiment, it's a University, the college experience. The whole shebang. And I need you to win. Not just participate and die."

"A University? Win or die? It's not just a normal university is it?"

"Yes. You're right. I'm enrolling you at Pantheon University. A University of the Genetically Engineered. You will be among modern gods. And you will become one of them. Well, in my place at least. Since I don't want to go. That's why I have you. I could've chosen just anyone. But I found someone perfect for the job. A natural born teenager that could pass the entrance exam and graduate."

"Who?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes. Silly. You."

I laughed at her joke. A moment of awkwardness passed. Then I looked into her eyes and they gave off nothing but seriousness.

"Oh. Me. Wait what?"