Chapter 58: Martial Law
by xennovelYang Bo lay comfortably in the bathtub, not angry anymore. Why?
Because earlier, the game had given him enough benefits. He had killed the B-class mutant leader and handed over the body, earning a reward of five million game coins. It was said to be a rare mutant. The leader he captured alive was rewarded with eight million game coins. The customer service also mentioned that the living B-class leader, depending on the appraisal, could very likely be worth 30 million game coins.
What conspiracy? None. The game officials were just helping me minimize losses.
Yang Bo now had a bit of a headache. All his abilities: Sonic Control, Invisibility — he knew their effects. He used Electric Power Control twice, but had no clue about Light Energy Control.
Yang Bo had conducted several experiments in the early stages, such as heating water with light energy and using Electric Power on unbreakable paintings. But that’s about it.
Why? Because in this world, using superpowers openly is illegal.
Otherwise, why don’t you see genetic evolvers flying around on this planet? Because they don’t dare to. It’s against the law to display superpowers on the planet, and the punishment is quite severe.
When Yang Bo first moved into this community, Liu Zhijie told him it was very safe because the community had a defense system to prevent outsiders from entering. This defense system was a laser cannon, part of the planetary defense system. If anyone tried to fly over for no reason, they would most likely be attacked by a laser cannon.
If Yang Bo caused a big commotion, the drone police would come immediately, and the railguns from thousands of kilometers away would lock onto him.
The railgun is made up of many laser cannon devices surrounding the entire planet. Even the top-tier mechas couldn’t handle one blast, let alone a person.
There have been genetic evolvers who thought they were invincible, but they got KO’d. No one knows exactly how many laser cannon devices are in this community. By the time you realize, you might find at least three to five, maybe seven or eight, or even more towers with laser cannons.
“Humans must have some very strong enemies.” Yang Bo thought that for humans to use such a powerful defense system against their own kind was unnecessary.
When Yang Bo purchased a house a while ago, his plan was to buy a standalone estate, add an energy shielding system to the basement, and then he could train his abilities.
The Invisibility ability, while powerful, is also quite weak. After going invisible, he can only rely on his physical strength. Once he uses other abilities, like Electric Power, the invisibility fails.
Of course, it’s still very useful for running away or sneaking around.
Naturally, Yang Bo isn’t in a hurry. Using abilities like Electric Power Control and Light Energy Control on this planet would only lead to trouble. Yang Bo didn’t want to expose himself in such a dark society. Just look at how the Gene Serum Company wanted his biological samples for drug testing. Is this something only the Gene Serum Company is doing? Don’t be ridiculous, they’re all doing it…
“Supportive abilities are still the most important.” Yang Bo had always been clear: stay low-key and avoid exposure as much as possible.
Those people from the Gene Serum Company’s Security Department were strong, weren’t they? Yet he still managed to outsmart them. If it had been a head-on confrontation, Yang Bo figured his chances of winning would have been slim, since they were professionals.
Let people think you’re as easy to crush as a dumpling, but when they try, they realize it’s made of steel. This information gap has helped Yang Bo avoid danger multiple times.
If anyone found out about Yang Bo’s abilities now, a simple report would lead to his immediate capture and investigation.
“Metal Superpower.” After his bath, Yang Bo put on his pajamas and walked up to the window. While it was easy to see out from the inside, no one outside could see in.
Just then, his wristwatch rang. Walking over to the couch, Yang Bo picked up his wristwatch and saw an email.
It was an official notification: the planetary administrator would announce the investigation report on the Red Earl incident in ten minutes, along with some changes to the law. Citizens were urged to pay attention.
Yang Bo opened the virtual screen to check the situation while his mind pondered over Metal Superpower. He already had a pretty wild idea in his head.
“Citizens, I am Pado Planet’s administrator, Raybo. Here, we observe a moment of silence for the 17,850 citizens.” In the virtual image, a nearly two-meter-tall Caucasian man with black hair and blue eyes appeared, seemingly middle-aged.
Five minutes later, Raybo continued: “The Security Department and the police have confirmed that the attack was orchestrated by the Red Earl extremist organization. This attack was against humanity, against society, and against civilization.”
“In this attack, 14,020 people were confirmed dead, while the rest are missing. Due to the carbonization of human tissues by the laser weapons, it’s impossible totermine the exact identities of the victims. We deeply regret this.”
“The government will provide compensation for the deaths, disappearances, and affected citizens in this attack.”
Yang Bo was surprised at the number of deaths. Of course, if it hadn’t been for him, the death toll would have been even higher.
“Now announcing Pado Planet’s new decree. The Alliance Parliament has decided to upgrade the planetary defense systems of all administrative stars under the Alliance, officially raising them to military-level standards.”
“Additionally, the planetary alert level has been raised to Red. The authority of the smart systems has been increased by 20%. For individuals or organizations violating these prohibitions, the defense system will autonomously determine the appropriate response.”
“It is strictly forbidden for any citizen to use superpowers in unauthorized areas.”
“The use of superpowers in any public area is forbidden…”
Yang Bo found it all a bit confusing. What is this military defense system all about?
He quickly searched online and then understood. The civilian alert system prioritizes human life over the situation at hand. In other words, as long as you don’t cause significant damage, the system won’t kill you on the spot, just like the police.
But in the military system, the priority is given to the situation. If you commit a prohibited act, it’s straight to bang-bang-bang! The defense system’s commands are split between human and AI. In the case of a conflict between human and AI commands, the civilian alert system would prioritize human commands.
With the new increase in AI authority, it means that in conflicts between human and AI commands, the AI system would likely take precedence. The exact priority distribution remains a secret.
In the past, when superpowered individuals used their abilities briefly, they might only get fined or imprisoned. Now, if they fly, and the AI defense system decides they’ve broken the rules, the surrounding laser cannons will activate… giving them no chance to repent.
Yang Bo hadn’t paid much attention to these laws before, and naturally couldn’t remember them all. He just knew that the government forbade genetic evolvers from showing their powers in front of residents.
As Yang Bo read on, he realized the changes were because most of the prominent figures killed by the Red Earl were famous politicians, and the Alliance Speaker had almost been killed. Not only that, the Red Earl’s retaliation against Pado Planet had turned the situation into a laughingstock for two other major nations. For that reason, the Alliance was forced to declare a state similar to martial law.