Chapter 2

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Ge was awakened by the strong mountain wind, only to realize that half of his body was hanging off the platform. He was startled and hurriedly sat up, pulling himself back. Then he examined his body.

"Huh? Why am I so dirty!" Wang Ge rubbed his hand, and the skin was black, as if he hadn't taken a bath for a month. A clump of mud rolled off with each rub.

Could it be... I sweated a lot while unconscious, and the wind and dust mixed with the sweat?

However, apart from being dirty, there were no other abnormalities. If he had to say something, Wang Ge felt very energetic, as if he had eaten a full meal, had a good drink, and woken up naturally after a good sleep, feeling like he had endless energy.

Wang Ge looked at his watch. He had fainted in the morning, and it was now 1:15 PM, meaning he had been unconscious for nearly two hours.

I must have been too tired recently? Wang Ge tried to recall his previous state, and this was the only explanation. Otherwise, why would he have "slept" and recovered?

"Rumble..."

Not far from the cliff, a buzzing sound could be heard. Wang Ge poked his head out and saw a team of WD800 police mechs in a long formation, advancing into Gele Mountain from the road a thousand meters below!

These police mechs were all dark blue, with a pure yellow police emblem in the middle, and the number 2 was very prominent, indicating that they belonged to the Second Bureau of the Mountain City Police.

Although he was confident they wouldn't discover him, Wang Ge still subconsciously缩了缩脖子, then cautiously poked his head out again, frowned, and observed for a while, muttering to himself:

"Just a routine patrol to prevent illegal mining and hunting three times a week, do they really need to send so many police mechs? It's not like they're chasing a fugitive... I can't come here for a while... Damn, the Federation and the four major families are really in cahoots!"

Wang Ge packed his luggage, turned around, and crawled into the cave, turning on his flashlight and descending along the dark, sloping tunnel. This cave connected to another entrance on the western side of Gele Mountain.

The cave was narrow and winding, and in some places, he had to squeeze through. It was a secret passage Wang Ge had discovered four years ago, which allowed him to easily bypass the security zone and climb to the back of Gele Mountain to gather herbs.

As he descended, he muttered to himself, "No matter what, I have to earn the money for my tuition and living expenses at Starlight University. I still have two months of summer vacation, so I have to work hard, Wang Ge!"

Wang Ge struggled but skillfully emerged from the underground cave, and before leaving, he covered the entrance. Then he left Gele Mountain unnoticed.

...

In the northwest corner of Mountain City, covering an area of about forty square kilometers, stood numerous old, dilapidated, and abandoned buildings.

This was the notorious slum of Mountain City, known as Meteor Street, which was the city's garbage disposal and processing site, and Wang Ge's next workplace.

Wang Ge, carrying a simple homemade flamethrower on his back, rode an old motorcycle, carefully navigating through the ruins and garbage of Meteor Street.

In Meteor Street, tens of thousands of impoverished and refugee residents lived by scavenging garbage or engaging in illegal activities. Survival of the fittest and crime were rampant.

If Wang Ge hadn't been carrying a gun and dressed in a way that suggested he had some background as a professional scavenger in Meteor Street, those people hiding behind the ruins and garbage might have already tried to attack him.

Actually, when he was a child, Wang Ge never imagined that his future would be closely tied to the terrifying Meteor Street.

Wang Ge's home was originally in the "Commoner District" of Mountain City.

The Commoner District of Mountain City included the "North Plain Avenue" and the "West Yuan Avenue," which tightly surrounded the east and south sides of the "Northwest Avenue" where Meteor Street was located. The area was vast and bustling with activity.

Ordinary people worked hard daily, enduring exploitation by the government, nobles, and the wealthy, earning a living to support their families.

Compared to the residents of Meteor Street, the people in the two avenues, though not living well, at least had stable jobs and a place to rest at night.

Wang Ge lived in the North Plain Avenue in the northern part of Mountain City. His parents were both technicians at the "Tiancheng Genetic Drug Company." Wang Ge and his sister attended the Seventh Primary School and Seventh Middle School not far from home, living a life that, though not affluent, was warm and happy.

However, fate can be unpredictable.

Five years ago, on November 11th, when Wang Ge was fifteen and in his first year of high school, he suddenly received the devastating news that his parents had both died in an explosion at the Tiancheng Third Research Laboratory.

Wang Ge almost fainted from crying.

A week later, the investigation results were out.

The inspection agency determined that the main cause of the explosion at the Tiancheng Third Research Laboratory on November 11th was that Wang Ge's parents had violated operating procedures during the experiment. Therefore, Wang Ge and his sister would not receive any insurance compensation and might even have to pay a substantial loss fee to the Tiancheng Genetic Drug Company.

However, since Wang Ge and his sister were under eighteen, according to the civil law of the Solar Federation, the government and insurance company would compensate on behalf of the family.

After receiving the final result, Wang Ge forced himself to pull together and dropped out of school. He used the family's limited savings to support his sister and pay for her education.

For five years, with only a junior high school education and no physical or mental talents, and without any recognition from any formal company in the Commoner District, Wang Ge had to secretly work in the underground black market of Meteor Street, taking on tasks such as collecting animal and herbal materials, hunting in restricted areas, and...

Wang Ge rode his motorcycle through the streets of Meteor Street and directly entered the underground garage of a partially completed, abandoned building that was over ten stories high.

At the far end of the dark underground garage, there was an alloy door with an electronic password lock. Wang Ge parked his motorcycle, walked to the door, and entered the password.

With a dull click, the electronic eye in the upper part of the alloy door flashed, and after confirming the person in front of it, the door opened. Wang Ge entered, carrying several scientific collection bags.

"Boss Wang, why are you so late? The training session at Platform 22 starts in twenty minutes, and you haven't even had a 'routine check' or warmed up yet!"

A short, fat middle-aged man with a floral shirt and dyed yellow hair closed the door and reminded him as he entered.

This was an underground boxing arena, and Wang Ge worked here as a sparring partner, commonly known as a "human punching bag."

No one used their real names here. "Boss Wang" was the nickname Wang Ge used, so even though he was only eighteen and a junior sparring partner, he was still called "Boss Wang."

"Brother Qiu, I'm sorry. I had a small accident while gathering herbs today and was delayed for two hours," Wang Ge said apologetically. "I didn't even have time to sell the herbs at the black market before rushing over."

"Then hurry up and get checked. I don't think you'll have time to warm up," Brother Qiu shook his head and said helplessly. "Curly Hair isn't around this afternoon and asked me to take care of you. Who knew you'd be late. If you can't warm up, be careful during your first sparring session."

"Brother Qiu, I feel good today. Can I skip the check? Please just help me pass the evaluation, and I'll warm up quickly," Wang Ge suggested after some thought.

"Really...?" Brother Qiu hesitated and said, "Are you sure, Boss Wang? The routine check before training can often detect your physical condition. If you're not in good shape, it's better to avoid it. Otherwise, if something happens while sparring with those professional black boxers, it could be very dangerous!"

After a pause, Brother Qiu added in a low voice, "Many boxers don't hold back during training. If something happens..."

Wang Ge stretched his arms and twisted his waist, smiling. "Don't worry, Brother Qiu. I know my limits. I really feel good today, so there shouldn't be any problems. I'll warm up quickly, and I'll be ready for the first session. Please arrange it for me on time."

"Well... okay, be careful," Brother Qiu sighed, seeing Wang Ge's determination, and turned to leave.

Wang Ge put the collection bags in the locker in the sparring partner's changing room, locked it, and walked to the warm-up area, bending down to pick up a pair of 25-kilogram dumbbells.

These were the lightest dumbbells, and Wang Ge usually used them for upper body warm-ups.

In the early 21st century, such a weight would have been considered professional athlete level, but now, Wang Ge was often mocked for using them to warm up.

On January 1, 2070, the Earth Federation enacted the "Trial Standards for [Life Levels]," which rated individuals based on mental, physical, and speed capabilities.

A healthy adult male typically reached Level 5.

The hard standard for Level 5 was running 100 meters in under 10 seconds, 10,000 meters in under 27 minutes, a punch of 200 kilograms, and an average of 150 kilograms for 100 punches...

In the early 21st century, the world record for the 100 meters was 9.58 seconds, but now, any healthy adult male could achieve this.

Since the establishment of the Earth Federation in 2033, Earthlings entered an era of universal martial arts training. Junior high school physical education courses included basic training in various martial arts, and the advent of genetic drugs rapidly improved the physical fitness of Earthlings, leading to the concept of Life Levels.

Wang Ge had poor talent and only a junior high school education, missing the opportunity for free genetic drugs provided by the Federation during high school. Therefore, at twenty, he was only a Level 5, a standard ordinary person.

His ability to work as a sparring partner for so long was largely due to his resilient and persistent character.

With such a character, he achieved what most people couldn't. Even when mocked and needing to work harder to compensate for his physical disadvantages, he persevered, and he had been doing so for five years...

Today, something feels different... Wang Ge used his arms to lift the dumbbells, which usually felt heavy, but today they seemed lighter. He lifted them effortlessly.

He tried a few simple movements, such as alternating front raises with the dumbbells. Normally, this movement put a significant strain on his shoulders and back, causing his body to vibrate as he alternated lifting the dumbbells, using his entire body to help.

But now, Wang Ge felt no strain, and his body remained still, relying solely on his arm strength to complete the movement.

Has my strength improved?

Wang Ge was delighted. He put down the 25-kilogram dumbbells and tried a pair of 30-kilogram dumbbells, still performing the front raise, and found it was still easy.

He then tried a pair of 35-kilogram dumbbells, which was the upper limit for Level 5 training, equivalent to the weight of an adult male.