27th June, Year 2115, 08:30 am.
Yang Tian slung his bag over his shoulder as he arrived at the gates of Tianxiong High School.
It was the day of the Graduation Exams, and also Yang Tian's last day in high school.
"Citizens, the Shenwei Military Academy will be accepting new cadets from today onward. The requirements are that applicants must be between 18 and 20 years old, in good health, able to persevere and endure hardships… Any citizen who meets these requirements may report to the Shenwei Military Academy. Citizens are reminded to bring their identity cards during registrations. Good luck!"
At that moment, the billboard on the skyscraper opposite the school was running a recruitment advertisement on loop.
When he saw the advertisement, Yang Tian could not help but grow excited as he clenched his fists.
In this age where Monsters walked the Earth, Yang Tian's dream was to be a strong Warrior. It was also the dream of many others in this age!
When talking about Warriors, one had to begin from the year 2035.
In March 2035, humanity discovered microorganisms on Mars and brought them back to Earth.
In September 2035, the Re-Entry Vehicle transporting the microorganisms suffered an accident during the re-entry process and crashed into the ocean.
Three months later, the creatures in the ocean began to visibly mutate. They grew very aggressively and to immense proportions—it was to a point that they could even capsize aircraft carriers!
Before humanity had the chance to respond, the Sea Monsters attacked coastal cities, and hundreds of millions of lives were lost to this first attack.
With the coastal cities destroyed, humanity was forced to move further inland.
Investigations found that the change seen in sea creatures was due to the microorganism from Mars which was eventually named the YS Virus.
The YS Virus could cause mutations in animals, and give them unthinkable power. However, the virus had no visible effect on humans.
Within half a year, the YS Virus had spread to land as well, and land animals also began mutating. They started breeding in large numbers, and started devouring humans.
Humanity was forced to use nuclear weapons. However, not only were they unable to eradicate the mutated animals, the creatures mutated and grew stronger, causing the territory that humanity hung and survived on to grow even smaller.
The age where Monsters walked the Earth had begun! Humanity had to unite and find a way to fight back against the advancing tide of Monsters.
Fortunately, in the process of hunting down these Monsters, some humans unintentionally consumed the Beast Core produced in the bodies of these Monsters. It suddenly made them immeasurably stronger, with superhuman speed and strength.
This 'accident' was caused by the intensity of battle; with both hands incapacitated, someone bit into the skull of the Monster… Nobody expected that the Beast Core would be ingested.
The first
In the time to come, there would be more and more Transhumans. Through the course of their battles with Monsters, these individuals would gain more experience, refine their martial arts, and develop various complex battle tactics.
A Transhuman who had refined their battle tactics would have greatly increased combat power, and over time they were referred to as Warriors.
The birth of the Warrior signified the beginning of a new era for humanity.
With the Warriors at the center, large groups of humans started gathering, founding new cities, and creating a New Order.
During the age of Monsters, living conditions were extremely tough. To those who were weak-willed, it was a great disaster. However, to the strong it was a celebration of perseverance!
Yang Tian walked into the main gate of the school feeling excited in his heart to face the last exam in his high school life.
…
5 pm.
Ringgg!
The bell rang to indicate the end of the exam. Yang Tian put down his pen and walked out of the classroom with his friends.
"Yang Tian, how did you do?"
Yang Tian had just made it a few steps out of the classroom when a large youth ran over and slapped Yang Tian on the back as he spoke.
Yang Tian turned around and shook his head as he smiled bitterly. "Same old same old. I think I won't be getting into university. Oh yeah, what about you?"
The large youth scratched his head as he said, "My results are worse than yours! I'll be thanking god if I pass."
"Yang Tian, Zhou Hao, I was looking for you guys! Let's go! We should get a meal together. Before we all graduate, we should take our girlfriends out for a little party."
At that moment, a bespectacled, bookish looking youth ran up while smiling at both of them.
The large youth was Zhou Hao. He was 19, 1.8 meters tall, and built like a tank. The bespectacled youth was Xu Fei. He was 18, 1.7 meters tall, and slightly skinny. Both of them were Yang Tian's best friends in school.
All three of them took out their mobile phones, and connected with their respective girlfriends.
Soon, three girls arrived, and the six of them chatted and laughed before heading out of the school together.
One of the girls was wearing a white dress, and her hair was done up in a ponytail. She was the most attractive of them all; her name was Qin Fei and she was very pretty. She was the undisputed prettiest girl in the school, but it was a shame that she was with an average looking fellow like Yang Tian.
Truthfully, Yang Tian had no idea why Qin Fei would like someone like him too. He was from an average family, while Qin Fei was the daughter of a rich family. During the weekend, her chauffeur would always drive her around.
Yang Tian asked about Qin Fei's family before, but she just smiled and did not answer. After that, Yang Tian did not ask again.
Love was just that mystical! It could bring two people of such disparate backgrounds so close together.
Zhou Hao's girlfriend was Li Yan, while Xu Fei's girlfriend was Liu Qian. They were both fairly good looking girls.
As they walked toward the school gate, Li Yan held on to Zhou Hao's arm, while Xu Fei had his arm wrapped around Liu Qian's shoulder; both couples looked very sweet. Only Yang Tian and Qin Fei walked shoulder to shoulder, not even holding hands.
Even though both of them were dating, they held the boundary at holding hands. Meanwhile, both Zhou Hao and Xu Fei were constantly showing developments in their relationships.
They had that agreement because of Yang Tian's shyness and Qin Fei's strict upbringing.
The six of them had just exited the school gates when a luxurious black limousine drove over and stopped in front of them.
The door opened and a very charming young man in a branded black suit stepped out from it.
He held a flower in his hand, and paying no heed to everyone, he stepped in front of Qin Fei. He extended the flower toward her, and earnestly said, "Qin Fei, be my girlfriend!"
Qin Fei arched her eyebrows and turned him down in a calm, yet firm voice. "Sun Yu, you're not my type. Please stop bothering me."
Sun Yu smiled in response and looked at Yang Tian with disdain before speaking to Qin Fei, "How can you love a bum like him with your background and status? Even if you're willing, your family wouldn't approve. Because…both of you belong in completely different worlds."
Sun Yu had just finished talking when Qin Fei snatched the flower in his hand and threw it on the ground before taking hold of Yang Tian's hand. She said to Sun Yu, "Who I like is none of your business!"
With that, Qin Fei pulled Yang Tian along and quickly walked along the road in front of the school gate.
Sun Yu smiled coldly as he stared at Yang Tian's back.
The originally good mood the six of them were in had been ruined by Sun Yu. The three couples walked for ten minutes or so before randomly choosing a Chinese restaurant to dine in. They ordered a few dishes and a crate of beer.
When all the dishes were served, Xu Fei took out the glasses and poured beer for everyone. He lifted his glass and said, "Today, we finally graduate and face a new future. A toast to a great future. Come on! Cheers!"
"Yang Tian, now that you've graduated, what do you want to do?" Xu Fei asked after they emptied their glasses.
Yang Tian glanced at Qin Fei who was sitting next to him, and his eyes seemed to carry an air of sadness in them because he knew that he would not be able to get into university. Meanwhile, Qin Fei would definitely get in, and the two of them would be separated.
"I think I'll go to the Shenwei Military Academy tomorrow, sign up for the recruitment trials, and eventually become a Warrior!" Yang Tian shared his aspiration.
"Haha! I have the same aspiration." Zhou Hao laughed while he spoke. "Yang Tian, let's go together tomorrow!"
Yang Tian nodded.
"Xu Fei, how about you?" Zhou Hao asked Xu Fei.
Xu Fei smiled mysteriously at the group. "Take a guess!"
They all looked at Xu Fei suspiciously..
Zhou Hao said, "Xu Fei your results are so good! You must be going to university like Qin Fei!"
Xu Fei smiled and shook his head. "Okay, I won't hide it from you all. I've been accepted by the Electronic Engineering Institute. I'll be reporting to them after the summer break.
"That's great! Congratulations! Let's drink to that!" Zhou Hao raised his glass.
…
At 8 pm, a slightly tipsy Yang Tian arrived in front of his house.
He pulled out his keys to unlock the door, pushing it open and entering a warm home.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home."
Yang Tian put down the sling bag, and spoke to his parents who were watching television on the sofa.
Yang Tian's father was called Yang Lin, while his mother was called Wang Hong. They were a normal married couple who worked in a foodstuff factory in the city.
"How did the exams go?"
Yang Lin spoke calmly as he put down the remote control and beckoned Yang Tian to sit next to him.
"Not that great. I'm definitely not getting to university." Yang Tian shrugged while smiling bitterly.
Yang Lin grew silent.
Wang Hong got up to pour a glass of water for Yang Tian. "It's no big deal if you can't make it to university. You're 18, what do you want to do? If you don't have any ideas, just go to the factory! In these uncertain times, it's not bad to live a simple life like us."
Yang Tian shook his head, and said, "Mom, Dad, I want to be a Warrior like granddad."
As soon as Yang Tian said that, Yang Lin immediately raised his voice. "No!"
"Why not? I'm an adult, and I have the freedom to choose my future," Yang Tian said, his face confused. Whenever he spoke about this, his parents would vehemently oppose it.
Yang Tian knew that if his parents supported him, he could contact his grandfather's old comrades. Through those connections, he would have a very good chance of becoming a Warrior.
Yang Lin looked at his son, and sighed. "Being a Warrior seems very cool. However, they spend all their time battling Monsters outside the city. They could lose their lives at any time. If your grandfather wasn't a warrior, he would still be alive now. Even though our lives may not be easy, wouldn't it be better if we spend our days together peacefully?"
Yang Tian realized that no matter how much he tried to argue, his parents would never agree.
…
Yang Tian walked into his grandfather's room, picked up his grandfather's diary, and flipped through it.
Every time he looked through his grandfather's diary, Yang Tian felt his passions rise. Becoming a Warrior, battling Monsters, and finally ascending to become the most famous Warrior in the world. That was Yang Tian's dream since he was young!
He closed his grandfather's diary and clenched his fists. He decided to go to the Divine Might Military Institute to participate in the trials even though his chances of being selected were very low.
He went out of his grandfather's room, showered, and returned to his room.
Lying in bed, Yang Tian called Qin Fei, and they spoke for a long time. After they hung up, he went to bed with a sweet smile on my face.