Liam twisted the right grip, sending the matte-black Aero-Cycle surging forward with a smooth, rushing hum. He reached out and double-tapped the sleek center console positioned between his handlebars, triggering a soft, blue holographic projection that displayed the campus map and the current time.
Liam glanced sideways at Jack, who was staring at the glowing display. "You have one on your cycle too," Liam called out over the rushing wind. "Just double-tap that same center console. It links directly to the academy's mainframe—it shows you the real-time layout, restricted zones, and even tracks crowd movements so you don't get stuck in traffic."
Liam looked down at the map on his console, noting the red markers spreading quickly around the base of the Spire. He checked the time in the corner of the display.
"Three forty-seven," he called out. "The shift change just hit. Look at your map—the main paths are already getting crowded. If we go through the center now, we'll be stuck in the middle of it. We're taking the long way around. Just keep heading straight down this path until we hit the edge of the forest."
Jack nodded, leaning his weight forward. He twisted the right grip, feeling the smooth, instant acceleration press him back into the seat.
They rode directly outward from the Apex Amusement Park. Within ten minutes, the manicured lawns and spaced-out eucalyptus trees disappeared, abruptly blocked by the sheer, towering wall of the ancient forest marking the twenty-three-kilometer boundary
Right at the edge of the dense, looming trees, their path merged onto a massive, sweeping circular road that wrapped around the entire perimeter of the academy . They banked hard, joining the circular route. Riding this close to the forest, the air temperature dropped noticeably. The dense canopy blocked out the afternoon sun on their right side, casting heavy, cool shadows across the pavement.
"Senior Liam," Jack shouted, looking down at the heavy, reinforced duracrete road passing blazingly fast beneath his hovering tires. "If we are out on the perimeter duracrete, how is the levitation still working? I thought you said the magnetic rails were only in the white pavement."
"The surface material doesn't matter," Liam shouted back, effortlessly guiding his cycle around a gentle curve. "The magnetic levitation nodes are embedded deep underneath the actual road layer. As long as you are on a designated academy pathway, whether it's marble, duracrete, or dirt, the subsurface grid will keep the cycle hovering. But if you drive off the road and onto the raw grass? The cycle instantly drops like a rock."
They followed the circular road for several miles until Liam signaled a left turn. They left the perimeter and headed back toward the center of the campus on a long, straight path.
As they moved inland, the fresh scent of the forest faded, replaced by something much heavier. Jack wrinkled his nose at the thick, organic smell—a mix of wet soil, fermented fodder, and the unmistakable scent of livestock.
"The Agricultural Sector," Liam said, slowing his cycle to a coast.
Jack looked around. Hundreds of cows and buffaloes were grazing in large fields enclosed by duracrete fences. Beyond the pastures, massive high-tech dairy buildings stood in the distance. The constant, low hum of automated feeding belts filled the air, occasionally interrupted by the sound of the cattle.
"It looks like a standard farm, but the entire operation is automated," Liam explained, leaning casually against his handlebars. "The academy produces its own dairy and crops to stay self-reliant. It limits the number of supply trucks coming in from the outside, which reduces the risk of a security breach."
"Do the students have to work here?" Jack asked, watching a heavy mechanical drone hover silently over a long feeding trough, dropping exact measurements of grain before zipping away.
Liam let out a sudden, genuine laugh, shaking his head. "Only if they're studying advanced botany or animal biology for their power dossiers. The rest of us stay far away. Well, except for the unfortunate souls who end up in the Punishment Zone."
Jack looked around the high-tech barns and the open fields, frowning. "Is that where they make the dung cakes? I don't see anything like that around here."
"You won't see it from the main road," Liam said, a smirk playing on his lips. He pointed toward the distant eastern horizon, past the dairy silos. "It's a completely isolated facility about a kilometer that way, hidden behind a natural ridge so the rest of us don't have to look at it—or smell it."
Liam rested his forearms casually against his handlebars. "It's a high-walled compound, entirely enclosed but open to the sky. No roof, just you and the sun. There is absolutely no technology allowed inside. No machines, no tools. There's just one small, windowless stone room where you can sleep, and the rest is a dusty patch of dirt."
"You said the guy had to make a thousand of them," Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck. "How does anyone even survive that? Do they just lock you in and let you starve?"
"They don't starve you, Jack," Liam chuckled. "This is an academy, not a torture camp. Every morning, a delivery drone drops a basic nutrient packet and two liters of water at the gate. But that's it. There is zero human contact and absolutely no help."
Liam leaned closer, his tone turning serious as he laid out the grim reality. "The security bots don't even bring the materials inside. They dump the raw manure and dry hay at the main gate, and you have to haul every bit of it into the compound yourself. You are given exactly one week to finish the quota of one thousand cakes. If you fail to hit that number in seven days, the requirement doubles to two thousand. You have to mix the manure by hand, shape them, and lay them all out in the blistering sun to dry."
Jack winced, physically recoiling at the mental image.
"It's not just the physical labor," Liam added, straightening up. "It's the total humiliation. You sit out there in the dirt, entirely alone with your thoughts and the worst smell imaginable, while the rest of the academy is sleeping in comfortable beds. It breaks your ego faster than any combat training ever could. By the time you come back, the smell has soaked so deeply into your skin that it doesn't fade for weeks. Trust me, it is the ultimate deterrent."
"Understood," Jack muttered firmly, his eyes wide. "I am strictly following every single rule in the prospectus."
"Glad to hear it," Liam smiled, tapping his throttle. "Come on. If we keep heading straight down this road, we'll pass behind the cafeteria and eventually hit the West Sector. Let's go somewhere you can actually breathe properly before the sun goes down."