Chapter 14: Mech Driving +8!
"Sigh." Surveying the barren garden, Yang Bo was at a loss for words. The garden was filled mainly with poisonous plants and toxic insects—there wasn't a single animal in sight. In other words, his hoped-for chance to gain a new ability during the assessment had fallen through.
The simulation exam score came out as 98. The only deduction was for his improper handling of a venomous spider—a spider about the size of a pigeon's egg that Yang Bo had slapped to death in one swift motion.
Yang Bo wasn't entirely at fault; the spider had leapt out suddenly, triggering a reflex. According to the proper protocol, he should have backed away to maintain a safe distance and used the appropriate tool to deal with venomous creatures—even when wearing protective gear, one should avoid direct contact.
"Forget it. I'll just go to work tomorrow," Yang Bo muttered bitterly as the exam ended.
When Yang Bo's exam results were announced, Liu Zhijie widened his eyes as he looked over Yang Bo's ranking.
"Only 98? Could it be that Yang Bo's genetic evolution is geared toward intelligence?" Liu Zhijie mused. He knew how challenging the assessment was—ordinary people have a hard time remembering all the poisonous plants and animals, which is why he'd set the passing mark at 60.
Yet Liu Zhijie couldn't be completely sure. Determining the direction of one's genetic evolution required very complex testing—the most basic of which involved a blood sample. Even now, no one was certain how many directions genetic evolution could take. First, it varied from person to person based on individual constitution; second, it was all shrouded in secrecy. Genetic evolvers kept their abilities confidential—if others discovered someone's evolved capabilities, they could devise countermeasures.
The next morning, Yang Bo awoke feeling exceptionally refreshed. His nightly use of Light Energy Control had drained his energy in a way that made sleep particularly restorative—he slept soundly and woke up energized.
After getting ready, he headed to the bus stop. Yang Bo planned to ask the boss some questions at the company to see if he'd offer any answers. He didn't notice a young man wearing sunglasses and a hoodie approaching. Underneath the dark lenses, the young man's eyes were cold, filled with anger as he glared at Yang Bo.
In this world, many people go out wearing sunglasses, hoodies, and hats—most are residents who, over time, have developed a "homebody" mentality with hardly any social circle.
When the bus arrived, Yang Bo queued to board. Unbeknownst to him, the hooded young man edged closer and brushed his hand against Yang Bo's. Suddenly, the young man shuddered violently, his mind going blank as if he didn't know who he was or where he was; his gaze became dazed. After being jostled by someone from behind, the young man hastily boarded the bus.
For a moment, Yang Bo felt a sudden jolt—as if he'd been zapped by static electricity—and looked around suspiciously.
After disembarking and arriving at the company, Liu Zhijie called Yang Bo into his office. "Your score's pretty good. How do you feel?" he asked.
Yang Bo hesitated before replying, "I feel… a bit off. I don't really feel any guilt about killing those creatures."
"That's human nature," Liu Zhijie explained. "If you look at history, the number of human deaths in wars far exceeds those from disasters or plagues. Humans are high-level animals at the top of the food chain. Look at the apex predators—they secure their place by killing and hunting. Don't worry too much. The tasks you choose are optional. If you feel uneasy, you can select tasks that don't involve animals."
Yang Bo nodded. "Alright, Boss."
"Now get out there and take on some tasks. As of now, you're classified as the lowest, E-level—you can only accept E-level assignments," Liu Zhijie added.
Yang Bo nodded again and went to pick up his tasks. To his surprise, there were quite a few—at least ten orders. Some had already disappeared, likely taken by others.
One task read: "Clean the basement." Yang Bo accepted a 1,500-credit E-level assignment to clear out miscellaneous items from a basement.
After gathering the necessary gear, Yang Bo boarded a vehicle—this time, the client's transport arrived to pick him up. Liu Zhijie had previously mentioned that most clients were celebrities or politicians who didn't want certain things exposed. For instance, during the last garden cleaning, dozens of endangered plants were removed; if that information became public, those high-profile individuals would be furious.
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away, the hooded young man disembarked from a bus in a daze. He didn't know who he was, where he was, or what he was doing; fragments of memories flashed in his mind.
"Ring!" The word "ring" suddenly echoed in his thoughts. He looked at the ring on his finger, removed it to examine it while walking.
Suddenly, the young man convulsed violently and collapsed. His ring flew off and was struck by a speeding bus that came up from behind. Although the bus had an intelligent system, the young man's erratic behavior prevented the system from issuing a timely warning.
As soon as the bus stopped, its doors opened, and an announcement blared: "Attention, all passengers, please evacuate immediately!"
Within ten seconds, two black-and-white drones—drone police equipped with laser systems—hovered in the air. Twenty-five seconds later, two anti-gravity hover vehicles arrived: one was an ambulance, the other a police car.
At that moment, Yang Bo, still on the bus, felt utterly bewildered. Suddenly, an alert flashed in his mind: Mech Driving +8!
"Holy crap," Yang Bo thought, stunned. He repeated the skill name silently and confirmed that indeed he had gained this ability.
"This is ridiculous…" he muttered, confused. "I haven't killed anyone. What just happened?"
Yang Bo retraced his steps in his mind—from waking up in the morning until arriving at work, he hadn't noticed anything unusual. Then he remembered being zapped by static on the bus.
"Could someone have set me up?" Yang Bo wondered. He examined his hand and saw a faint red dot—almost like a pinhole mark.
Meanwhile, the young man involved in the accident was being attended to. Two police officers frowned as they examined his case. "He's a C-level citizen. Our authority isn't enough to handle this—report it up," one officer said.
The young man was soon loaded into an ambulance. Doctors later found he had stopped breathing, though they initiated emergency procedures. Due to the ambiguity of his identity, they had to resort to basic rescue measures—since some people are allergic to certain drugs or certain genetic evolvers cannot be exposed to particular medications.
As Yang Bo prepared for his next assignment, he pieced together what had likely occurred. "That fatal incident earned 8 points—it probably classifies that person as a C-level gene-enhancer. A C-level gene-enhancer riding the bus… Could he have been targeting me specifically?"
"Did that guy, with his object, jab me? Maybe my Electric Energy Control discharged, somehow disabling his bio-chip?" Yang Bo wondered.
"Was the static I felt actually my own released electric energy?" he mused.
"I should check the news later—deaths among C-level citizens aren't trivial," Yang Bo thought. After gathering his things, he headed into the basement and muttered to himself as he prepared to start work.
(End of Chapter)