Chapter 73: Hello, Everyone

“Gene evolvers’ isn’t entirely accurate. It should be ‘superpower users.’ They call them gene evolvers so that ordinary people won’t feel like they’re in a different world.”

“Superpower users are mainly identified through blood tests, which analyze the strength of their cells and their energy. Cells in some organisms have incredible abilities. Some are highly poisonous, some give off light, some emit electricity, and others release sonar and more.”

“Superpower users can be divided into three types. First is the strength class, which enhances overall physical qualities. This category is straightforward; you just test their strength. An E-rank punch starts at one ton. However, some awaken below three or four tons. D-rank starts at five tons, C-rank at thirty tons, B-rank at one hundred fifty tons per punch, and A-rank at five hundred tons minimum. A-rank strength users also have ridiculous body defenses, plus their speed can reach insane levels. It varies by individual since some focus more on speed, for instance, while others on defense.”

“The second type is the elemental class. These people control things like fire, water, electricity, earth, air, ice, metals, and so on. Be careful when dealing with them. These folks are the most troublesome. They’re often mislabeled during basic strength tests, so you might think they’re an E-rank gene evolver, and suddenly they throw a fireball at you. You’ll need a blood test to confirm them, but even that isn’t always reliable. For example, I once knew a wind-type power user—fast—most mechs couldn’t keep up with him.”

“Elemental controllers make up about 5% of all evolvers. So if you come across one, run as fast as you can.”

“The last type is those with mysterious powers, abilities that no one can explain yet. These people are the worst. I mentioned earlier that someone just touched a Drone Fighter and suddenly gained access to its controls. Since then, all exhibition halls covering weapons store their energy cores separately at night. For example, mech batteries are always removed.”

“Some say these individuals are rare, classified as some type of electronic superpower user. Controlling a Drone Fighter is fine, but what if they took control of humans, especially people with chips? Do you think it’d be hard for them?”

Yang Bo was shocked and asked, “Aren’t chips supposed to be stronger than that?”

“Haha, you’re talking about chips. Too much voltage could fry anything—even biological chips. Forget chips—high voltage can damage the human brain. That’s why energy suits exist.”

“The brain is humanity’s greatest weakness. Why do you think the Red Earl’s crew wears helmets?”

“Cosmic rays and high-energy particles harm the brain. Unless you’re a mysterious intellectual evolver… Yang Bo, you may not know this, but some people can use their mind to apply pressures of several tons. I even heard of someone crushing a mech with Mind Control.”

“Such people are rated A+. They don’t exist on any conventional scale.”

“Their mental barriers rival energy shields.”

Yang Bo nodded, “That’s terrifying.”

“There’s also a rumored class called S-rank. It’s said that three nations each have one of these individuals, though no one knows if it’s true. Supposedly, these people are fully energy-based. Imagine… energy moves so fast that even a fleet couldn’t track them. If you can’t target them, your most advanced weapons are useless.” The Fat Boss was sharing so much because he wanted Yang Bo to know more. Companies start manipulating people the second they get to new places. Fat Boss continued, “They make you trade points and go through training—what do you think that’s all about? Isn’t it just to trap you?”

Yang Bo, still in shock, asked, “A fully energy-based body… wouldn’t that make them immortal?”

“I don’t know… but in my experience, it’s unlikely. The energy inside the body is limited. Even something as big as a star can go out eventually, so how could a human body be infinite?” The Fat Boss shook his head.

Yang Bo thought it made sense. Even he needed to recharge. Without energy, none of his abilities worked.

Without energy, no superpower can function, which is a massive weakness of superpower users. Mechs and warships have nearly limitless power. How could humans compare? “You should read more books. Don’t aim too high—be it secret arts or ancient martial arts, success rates tend to be low. That guy over there… nine tries before succeeding.” The Fat Boss pointed to a nearby man.

Yang Bo saw him. It was the guy who lived upstairs. Poor fool—he tried nine times? Who knows how many credits he spent? How many points did he lose?

“Now, that guy earns tens of millions of credits every year,” The Fat Boss said, pitching more dreams to Yang Bo.

Yang Bo acted envious, but it was fake. He’d heard all these promises back on Earth. Promises were only promises.

“Maybe when we get to March Planet, I’ll leave the company. I’m already a resident, so the fees wouldn’t be too high, right?” Yang Bo planned to live well and wanted to avoid Fat Boss’s dirty work. If he got stuck in the wrong crowd, was there any way out?

“The company will train you according to plan.”

“You’ll need to put in effort too. There’s a lot of perks from becoming an evolver, you know. Many of the employees were Gene Serum failures.”

“Trust in the company’s strength.”

“The company doesn’t mistreat talented workers. Once we arrive, you’ll undergo another gene evolution. If successful, you’ll be eligible for higher-level jobs. The company won’t charge you any points or fees this time.”

“So keep studying. Especially those basics of ancient martial arts. Let me know if anything odd comes up.”

Pretending to look excited, Yang Bo said, “Thank you, boss! Since I’m coming with you, I’ll stay with you.”

“Good, good, good.” The Fat Boss was pleased by Yang Bo’s response, repeating ‘good’ multiple times.

A month passed. Yang Bo had gotten used to free food, free drinks, free games, and a night of sleep—although that night was displayed through a big screen.

“What’s going on?” One night, after a month had passed, Yang Bo was sleeping. Suddenly, the fake window lit up where it should have been dark.

“Hello, everyone! Nice to meet you all. We are the Silver Moon Interstellar Pirate Group. The entire transport ship is now under our control. For the rest of the journey, we hope you cooperate. I know quite a few of you are superpower users, but we’ve got energy suits, mechs, and fighter jets. Most importantly, we’ve got a warship.”

“We don’t want to hurt anyone, but each of you is worth a decent sum to us, ha ha!” The view outside the window turned into a giant screen. The man in it wore a black energy suit, even his helmet and visors were black, sporting a silver crescent symbol on his chest.

Yang Bo froze, jumped out of bed, and rushed outside. Luckily, his door wasn’t locked, and he found that many others were already outside. The Fat Boss stood there, his face dark, staring at the screen. In fact, all screens displayed the same image.