John was treated for an hour in the hospital and recovered from his minor injuries.
He used advanced medical techniques that stimulated the rapid healing of his bones and muscles. It was an easy process, but a costly one. Each session cost thousands of stars, which was too expensive for most people. They opted for cheaper methods that took longer, about two weeks, to heal.
John didn't have to worry about the cost, since it was covered by public funds. He chose the fastest and safest option, even though he could have healed himself in three days by using the Fetal Breath technique. He didn't want to alarm his family with his wounds, and he also knew that Fetal Breath required a lot of nutrition. Without enough nutrients, he would be draining his life force every time he used it.
He learned from Sister Knife that Fetal Breath was a technique that activated all the cells in his body. It was like doing intense physical exercises for hours, but multiplied by ten or a hundred times. If he didn't have enough nutrients, he would shorten his lifespan.
"I can earn 5000 stars this time and buy some Green God Nutrient Potion. I hope it will fill me up and restore the life energy that I lost to my cells."
John felt the smooth white stone on his chest and shuddered. It was a death stone. He would have died in a year or so if Sister Knife hadn't warned him.
He felt a wave of hunger again.
But eating was pointless. He would still be hungry even if he stuffed himself, because ordinary food was like rocks to someone who practiced Fetal Breath.
No wonder there was a saying in the world of cultivation: "Do not eat anything cooked by people".
For those who had reached a high level of cultivation, human food was as tasteless as dirt.
He heard footsteps and saw the middle-aged police officer and his colleagues enter the ward.
"John, how are you feeling?"
"It's just some cuts, bruises, and broken bones. Nothing that can't be fixed." John checked his body and found no serious damage. He saluted, showing his military training. He had learned it in high school, like every student. He knew how to behave. "Sir, did you catch that guy? I hope you didn't arrest the wrong person."
"John, you have done a great job. You have caught the gangster. He is Phantom Fox, a member of the Terrorist Restoration Organization. He has powerful spiritual cultivation, can hypnotize people, and has a vitality of 1.1. You stopped him from escaping on the aircraft. You have made a great contribution. We will reward you with 5,000 stars, and your friend Mona Lynn will also get 1,000 stars." The middle-aged police officer said: "Give me your student chip."
"Yes sir."
John handed over his student chip, and a financial officer behind him scanned it on a portable optical computer.
Ding dong!
A voice from the computer said: "Five thousand stars, transferred successfully."
The student chip was John's bank account, identity information, fingerprints, appearance, DNZ, family members, academic performance, file credit…
People used one chip for everything. It was very convenient. The chip stayed with them for life.
"Also, we have recorded your merit. You can get a merit star. You are a one-star citizen." The middle-aged police officer said.
"A one-star citizen!" John was stunned and happy.
The merit star was a reward from the government for those who had served society and humanity. It gave them a lot of benefits in their future careers, military service, and business. They would also have priority when applying for big companies.
The government wanted to motivate citizens to do more good deeds and help the human race.
Merit stars were hard to get. A citizen had to earn merit points in his file first, and only with enough merit points could he get a merit star.
There were many ways to earn merit points, such as volunteering, donating blood or money, doing charity, making scientific breakthroughs, catching criminals, doing the right thing…
John's brother Tedd had some merit points for helping the police solve cases, but he was not a one-star citizen yet.
Even in school, having a merit star could help. The school would favor such students when choosing outstanding students and giving scholarships.
But if a student had a bad record, he would not get any support from the school, even if he was strong. Even Star and Space University would reject him. And the police department would keep an eye on him. He would be the first suspect whenever something happened.
The most important thing was that one-star citizens could buy cars.
Only those who had served humanity could buy cars and aircraft, because they polluted the environment. Ordinary citizens, no matter how rich, could not buy them.
John could buy a car now, which was a sign of status, but he didn't have the money.
He got his student chip back and checked the information. He saw a bright star in his social merits. It meant contribution, passion, youth, honor, and justice.
"All for humanity!" John stood up and saluted.
He was a reserve soldier after his military training in high school.
"John, everything is for humanity. Let's work together!" The middle-aged police officer saluted back.
All for Humanity was the common motto, ideal, and goal for the military, police, and students from childhood to adulthood.