At the center of the tense crowd, two teenage boys faced off in a bare-handed duel—no quantum blades, no energy gauntlets, just raw, gene-enhanced physicality. One was broad and stocky, his stance rooted like a carbon-titanium pillar. Each punch he threw cut through the air with a low hum, powered by the Bio-Armor Reinforcement Technique's rudimentary enhancements. It was Wang Dapang, the same jovial friend Kael had befriended during the initial selection trials.
His opponent, a scrawny youth with quick, darting movements, danced around Dapang's blows like a shadow drone. He never attempted to block—instead, he relied on gene-augmented agility to evade, clearly biding his time to exhaust Dapang's stamina before striking back.
Kael leaned against the trunk of a glowing bio-bamboo stalk, his sharp eyes fixed on the duel. Naturally, his allegiance lay with his old friend. After watching for a few minutes, he relaxed slightly. Dapang's momentum showed no sign of fading; even without advanced gene mods, his brute strength and steady rhythm meant he wouldn't fall anytime soon.
Curious about the commotion, Kael scanned the crowd for someone to ask. Nearby, a boy perched on a jagged alloy rock gesticulated wildly, muttering to himself as if coaching the fighters. "Hit his gene node—right by the temple! Kick his core stabilizer! Ugh, so close! Yeah, nail his leg implants—put some force into it!"
His tone made it clear he was rooting for Dapang. Amused by the boy's enthusiasm, Kael climbed down from his vantage point and approached.
"Senior Brother," Kael said, adopting a respectful demeanor, "do you know everyone here? Why are they fighting?"
The boy glanced up, his brow furrowed. "Who doesn't know me? I'm the Bean Counter—everyone comes to me for the scoop! They're fighting because of—wait, who are you? I've never seen you before. New recruit? No, the next intake isn't for six months. What's your deal?"
He'd started to answer, only to freeze at the sight of Kael's unfamiliar face, his curiosity quickly turning to wariness.
"I'm Kael Voss," Kael replied solemnly. "A friend of Wang Dapang's, the one fighting out there."
"Dapang's friend? I know all his buddies—you're not on the list!" the Bean Counter retorted, still suspicious.
"I've been in seclusion for the past four years, training in the Verdant Bio-Dome," Kael explained, mixing truth with half-fiction. "I haven't interacted with many apprentices lately, so it's no surprise you don't recognize me."
The Bean Counter glanced at Kael's core apprentice uniform, his skepticism fading. "Four years? Never thought there'd be someone in this Conglomerate I don't know. Alright, I'll bite."
After a few more casual exchanges, the Bean Counter could no longer contain himself—he launched into a detailed account of the conflict, living up to his reputation as the hub of gossip.
"You wouldn't believe it, Junior Brother—it's all over a gene optimization quota! Let me start from the beginning…"
The story centered on two apprentices: Wang Yang, Dapang's younger cousin and a peripheral apprentice, and Zhang Changgui, the son of a high-ranking Conglomerate logistics director and a core apprentice. Though they'd grown up in the same frontier outpost, their paths had never crossed—until a rare opportunity arose.
The Seven Luminaries offered a limited number of Tier-3 Gene Optimization Vouchers each year, granting access to advanced cellular enhancement treatments. One such voucher had been promised to Wang Yang as a reward for his work in the Resource Acquisition Division. But during a recent visit to Nova City, Zhang Changgui had set his sights on the voucher. Using his father's influence and a bribe of fifty credit chips, he'd convinced the division's overseer to reassign the voucher to himself.
Wang Yang, who'd dreamed of the optimization to treat a genetic defect inherited from his parents, was devastated. When he confronted Zhang Changgui, he was humiliated—publicly mocked for his "inferior peripheral status" and thrown out of Zhang's quarters. Desperate and hopeless, Wang Yang had snuck into a restricted gene lab that night, attempting to self-administer a bootlegged optimization serum. The experiment failed catastrophically, leaving him with irreversible cellular damage. He'd died three days later.
Dapang, who'd been like a brother to Wang Yang, had refused to let the injustice stand. He'd challenged Zhang Changgui to a series of duels—with the loser required to publicly apologize, return the voucher (or its equivalent value in credits), and surrender their next promotion opportunity.
Zhang Changgui, arrogant but aware his own gene mods were no match for Dapang's raw strength, had insisted on team duels—best of five matches to decide the outcome. Dapang had agreed without hesitation. Zhang, leveraging his family's wealth, had bribed a group of core apprentices with gene supplements and credit chips to fight on his behalf. Dapang, though lacking resources, had built a loyal following among peripheral and mid-tier apprentices over the years—many of whom owed him favors or resented the core disciples' arrogance.
As word spread, the duel had become a rallying point. What started as a personal vendetta had exploded into a clash between the Conglomerate's privileged elite and its hardscrabble lower ranks.
From the Bean Counter's tone, Kael could tell the tension between the two groups had been simmering for years—this conflict was just the spark that ignited it.
"You're here to back Dapang, right?" the Bean Counter asked, grinning. "If those rich brats cheat, we'll jump in together! Teach 'em to look down on us peripheral kids—beat 'em so bad they'll never dare hoard gene resources again!"
Kael managed a weak smile. He'd long outgrown the impulsive 热血 (passion) of his village days; four years of meditative cultivation had tempered his reactions. Besides, he had no combat training—his Unnamed Gene Calibration Protocol enhanced focus and stamina, not fighting skills. He'd be no match for even a basic gene-augmented apprentice. Once the duel ended, he planned to slip back to the Verdant Bio-Dome, far from the drama.
"YES!" the Bean Counter suddenly shouted, pumping his fist.
Kael spun around. On the dueling platform, Dapang's opponent had finally made a mistake—he'd miscalculated a dodge, and Dapang's meaty fist connected squarely with his temple, right where a key gene node was located. The scrawny boy crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Half the crowd erupted in cheers; the other half scowled, their faces dark with anger.
Dapang puffed out his chest, grinning triumphantly as he bowed to the cheering onlookers. He waddled back to his side of the platform, his earlier ferocity replaced by his usual jolly demeanor.
Two apprentices from Zhang Changgui's group hurried forward to drag their fallen comrade away. Moments later, two new fighters stepped into the ring—one wielding a humming quantum dagger, the other a sleek plasma sword.
Both were clearly hot-headed. Without a word, they charged at each other, their weapons clashing in a shower of blue and purple sparks that lit up the clearing. The next round had begun.