Chapter 1

Gao Neng felt sick, because for seven days, a voice had been asking him in his mind, "Do you want to possess the most powerful ability in the world?"

Isn't that a silly question?

But the problem was that the "conditions" mentioned in the voice were too bizarre. Most importantly, he didn't know who 'Shen Ning'er' was. Who is she?

"Gao Neng, hurry up, the people from 'City of Hope' have already arrived. This is our 'Forgotten Land's' annual grand assembly!" A voice said and then rushed out of the classroom.

"Okay." Gao Neng responded, and began to pack his things.

Over a hundred years ago, a great catastrophe occurred, and he was born after the catastrophe. For the world before the catastrophe, he could only read about it in books and couldn't understand the peace and beauty of that time.

He only knew one thing: the world now is cruel, and only the fittest can survive!

Therefore, passing the college entrance exam and entering the military university in the City of Hope was his only way out of the Forgotten Land, and also the only way to find his "unknown father."

After a simple pack, Gao Neng followed the crowd to the playground.

The ground of the playground was filled with all kinds of cracks, and the walls of the surrounding teaching buildings were extremely dilapidated, with deep claw marks visible on them.

This was the Forgotten Land.

An "old city" on the outskirts of the City of Hope, a place that had gradually been forgotten by the Alliance due to the lack of energy after the catastrophe.

"Quiet down, teachers, please maintain discipline. All students, take your seats!" On the wooden platform on the east side of the square, the principal of the Third High School, 'Li Qingping,' adjusted his glasses and shouted.

There was no loudspeaker.

No sound system, no microphone.

But Li Qingping's voice was very loud, enough for everyone to hear.

The world after the catastrophe was different from the peaceful era, so as the principal of the Third High School in the Forgotten Land, Li Qingping could not be an ordinary person.

The square gradually quieted down.

Li Qingping cleared his throat again and then began his speech for the college entrance exam preparatory assembly.

"The college entrance exam, it is the moment that will decide your fate, and it is also a watershed. It will determine whether you will enter the front line and continue your studies at a military university, or step into the second line and do some logistical work to serve the Alliance. Soon, your scores will give you the answer!"

"Today, we are honored to have the heroes of the City of Hope. They will show you the path to the future. I sincerely hope that all of you can become heroes like them... pour out your youth and passion, and soar towards the bright sunrise!"

"Alright, now please stand up, and with the warmest applause, welcome the hero of the City of Hope, Lieutenant Qin Tianxiong!"

"Clap, clap, clap!"

A sparse round of applause, the students were completely unmoved by Li Qingping's passionate speech and stood up reluctantly.

Li Qingping "satisfactorily" gestured to lower the applause.

At this moment, a middle-aged man in a black military uniform stood up on the wooden platform. He looked at the sea of heads below and then took three steps forward.

"You bunch of trash!" Qin Tianxiong said.

All the students looked at the figure on the platform with confusion.

"Do you know why we only come once a year? Because it's a formality, a regulation set by the Alliance. So, it's really just a formality!" Qin Tianxiong said again.

"What do you mean?" The students' faces began to show anger.

"Look at you, idle, lazy, and incompetent. Apart from living on the cheap food provided by the Alliance, what else are you different from dog shit?"

"..."

"Two years ago, I came to this broken high school and took away five students. Last year, I came again and only took away three. I wonder if I can take away one this year?"

"..."

"Do you think you can make a significant contribution to the Alliance? Naive! I can clearly tell you that the students I took away two years ago and last year are at the bottom even in the worst military universities!"

"..."

"Do you understand what I mean by formality now?" Qin Tianxiong's gaze became sharper.

"Hmph, isn't it just because of the resource advantage?! You people from the City of Hope are born with resources, but we in the Forgotten Land have nothing!"

"Yes, that's right, it's unfair!"

"Protest!"

"If we were born in the City of Hope, it wouldn't be like this!"

The students stood up one after another, they were not convinced.

"Unconvinced?" Qin Tianxiong sneered, took two steps on the platform, and continued, "Do you know why they can live in the City of Hope, while you can only live in the Forgotten Land?"

"Because they have good parents!" a student shouted loudly.

"Right, they have good parents, but what did their parents do, and what did your parents do? Decades ago, this place was the 'City of Hope' of the human Alliance, but now it's called the Forgotten Land. Do you know why?"

"..."

This time, no one spoke.

"It's because of contribution and sacrifice! The previous generation planted the tree, and the next generation enjoys the shade. This is an unchanging truth. Your parents chose cowardice in the war decades ago, while their parents chose to fight. So, their parents built the City of Hope, and you can only stay in the Forgotten Land. The Alliance's resources are scarce, but they still have to spend food to feed you. You think it's unfair, but do you think they find it fair?!"

"..."

"Alright, I'm tired of talking. If you want to change your life, show your strength. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. I won't show you any mercy. Whether you can become the talent the Alliance needs depends on you!" Qin Tianxiong said, turned around, and nodded to the two soldiers beside him.

The two soldiers were already prepared.

They immediately carried out a black metal ore and placed it in front of Qin Tianxiong.

It was a bucket-sized ore, with a very irregular shape, rough, and clearly an ordinary mineral ore.

"Decades ago, we won the war, but we also realized that without sufficient energy support, we cannot survive in the current world. Therefore, we have 'Energy Warriors.' What I will show you now is the most basic 'Energy Extraction Technique'!" Qin Tianxiong said and walked to the black metal ore.

The students, who were originally indignant, all widened their eyes. This was the true purpose of the college entrance exam preparatory assembly.

Energy Warriors.

They were the elite after the great catastrophe.

They were not dependent on mechs or genetically modified 'aberrations,' but rather, they mastered the technology to transform energy. To put it bluntly, they were the controllers of energy.

Gao Neng also widened his eyes.

In the Forgotten Land, passing the college entrance exam and becoming a member of the military university in the City of Hope was the dream of all students, and he was no exception.

"Watch carefully, this is what the Energy Extraction Technique is!" Qin Tianxiong said, and with a light shout, he placed his hand directly on the black metal ore.

"Boom!"

The metal ore trembled.

Large amounts of gray powder began to fall off.

Then, black liquid started to flow out of the ore, like a water column, rushing towards Qin Tianxiong's palm.

Then, Qin Tianxiong's hand changed.

Not just his hand.

His body as well. The black liquid flowed over his body, and in a short while, it covered him.

"This is the Energy Extraction Technique, using human power to directly extract the energy contained in the mineral ore!" Qin Tianxiong said, and the metal ore fell to the ground with a loud thud. The originally black metal ore had turned gray.

"..." All the students widened their eyes.

"The Energy Extraction Technique can free us from the heavy wear and tear of machines. It is the fastest method. Iron is the most basic energy, but there are also aluminum, tin, copper, gold, and so on. These are metallic energies. In addition, there are non-metallic energies and rare gas energies, three major categories. The role of Energy Warriors is extensive. Just the Energy Extraction Technique alone can make a huge contribution to the Alliance. The more and rarer the energy you can extract, the greater the value!"

"..."

"Of course, the Energy Extraction Technique is not just for extracting energy; it can also be used for... combat!" Qin Tianxiong said and gave a nod to the soldiers beside him.

The two soldiers who had carried the iron ore came forward again, this time holding a piece of iron plate as thick as a palm.

"My strength can only achieve a 57% 'iron energy' extraction rate, and the ability I will use now is 'Pierce'!" As Qin Tianxiong spoke, the black liquid covering his body began to change.

The black liquid started to solidify, especially on his right hand, where sharp black metal spikes began to form.

"Break it!" Qin Tianxiong stepped forward and punched the iron plate held by the two soldiers.

"Bang!"

A dull sound.

The iron plate exploded.

The middle was completely pierced, and around it, there were dozens of holes made by the metal spikes.

"Whoa!"

All the students sucked in a cold breath.

In their eyes, Qin Tianxiong's right hand had become like a "hedgehog," with numerous metal spikes protruding, and all the spikes had pierced the iron plate.

"Great, Lieutenant Qin, a battle hero of the City of Hope, has given our students a profound lesson in energy extraction and energy combat. Everyone, let's applaud!" Principal Li Qingping stepped forward at the right moment and led the applause.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

This time, the applause was much more enthusiastic.

Not because Qin Tianxiong had convinced the students with his words, but because the strength he had displayed had left them in awe.

That was an iron plate.

Punched through in one blow!

Gao Neng's heart was also slightly excited.

Energy Warriors were really strong. By controlling iron energy, they could turn it into a powerful weapon, punching through an iron plate in one blow.

This was something he had never dared to imagine before.

"Actually, besides the basic Energy Extraction Technique, there are also Energy Fusion Technique, Energy Synthesis Technique, Energy Transformation Technique, and so on. I was just here to go through the motions and show you something simple, but you're lucky this year. I will invite another person to demonstrate another combat method, Energy Manifestation. Finally, I want to add that she is the same age as you!" Qin Tianxiong's expression became unusually respectful at the end.

"Energy Manifestation?!"

"My God, we can actually see Energy Manifestation!"

"I heard that those who can perform Energy Manifestation are very powerful combat geniuses in the Alliance. He said she is the same age as us... but we can't even do Energy Extraction, and someone our age can already perform Energy Manifestation? Impossible!"

The students were completely stunned by Qin Tianxiong's words.

"Hello everyone, my name is Shen Ning'er." A voice sounded, somewhat cold, and then a super beautiful girl in a black military uniform appeared beside Qin Tianxiong.

When she was called a super beautiful girl, she really was super beautiful!

The girl had eyebrows like a painting, eyes like stars, and skin as white as jade. In her black military uniform, she exuded a remarkable military aura.

But what Gao Neng was concerned about was not her appearance, but her name.

Shen Ning'er?!

So, this super beautiful girl was the target of his strange mission?