NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3
Getting off at the nearest bus stop, Lu Yuan walked for over an hour, following the map on his phone to his destination.
The Gene Warrior Association’s North Area Branch in Xili City.
It was a highly conspicuous building in a bustling area. Constructed entirely of black stone, the building spanned over 200 meters in width.
Flanking the central entrance were two warrior statues, each about 50 meters tall, holding long swords that intersected in the air, with the main entrance situated directly beneath these crossed swords.
The attire of those entering and exiting the main entrance varied greatly from ordinary people. Some wore armour, others donned robes, some carried long swords, and there were even some with tails, making Lu Yuan wonder if they were even human—could people actually have tails?
Almost everyone there carried a powerful aura. To Lu Yuan, stepping into this place felt like a sheep entering a pack of wolves.
He took a deep breath and entered the main door.
Inside was a large hall, and Lu Yuan immediately noticed the central information desk. He carefully navigated past the imposing Gene Warriors to approach the desk.
The receptionist at the desk greeted him with a warm smile, “Hello, how can I assist you?”
“I just awakened and need to register.”
The receptionist pointed to the right, “The registration area is over there… Xiao Ai, please show this gentleman the way.”
As she spoke, a white robot about 1.6 meters tall emerged from beside the desk with a lively, youthful voice.
“This way, sir. I will lead you to the Gene Warrior registration area.”
After speaking, the robot named Xiao Ai turned and led the way. Lu Yuan hurriedly followed.
Gene Warriors made way for Xiao Ai, allowing Lu Yuan to follow without needing to weave through the crowd. Soon, they reached a room on the right side of the hall.
The room was roughly 200 square meters with several chairs in the centre and a row of windows on one side where staff were busy with registrations.
About twenty people, all appearing young and somewhat naive, many even younger than Lu Yuan, sat on the central chairs. Lu Yuan guessed they were also new awakeners like him.
After leading Lu Yuan to the room, Xiao Ai’s voice rang out again, “Sir, this is the registration area. You can take a number from the ticket machine over there and wait for your number to be called.”
Xiao Ai pointed to a ticket machine near the door.
Lu Yuan walked over, took a ticket, and saw it was number B12. The current number being served was B08, so he had a bit of a wait ahead. He found a corner to sit down and quietly waited.
About half an hour later, his number was called. Lu Yuan approached the window where a slender receptionist greeted him with a smile.
“Hello, are you here to register as a Gene Warrior?”
“Yes.”
“Please hand me your ticket, then we’ll check your fingerprint and pupil.”
Lu Yuan handed over his ticket and followed her instructions for the biometric checks.
The receptionist glanced at a screen beside her and smiled:
“Empire citizen, ID number [552388205], name Lu Yuan. Can you confirm this is correct?”
A screen appeared before Lu Yuan showing his photo along with his ID number and name. He scanned it and confirmed.
“Please show me your genetic war pattern.”
Lu Yuan lifted his wrist to reveal the golden pattern.
The receptionist used a black device on the pattern, which quickly beeped and flashed green.
“Genetic war pattern confirmed. Mr Lu Yuan, congratulations on becoming a Gene Warrior. May you prosper in battle and serve humanity well.”
“Thank you.”
She continued, “Registration is complete. As a newly awakened Gene Warrior, you are at the apprentice level. You will receive a monthly stipend of 5000 from the Empire, which has been deposited into your account for this month. Additionally, I have activated your access to the Gene Warrior website. Your login is your ID number, and your initial password is 666666.
You can find information related to Gene Warriors on the site. The empire has also provided free access to basic Qi-guiding techniques, military boxing, and sword skills, which have been sent to your WarNet account. Please check them when you return.”
The receptionist said a lot, then looked up at Lu Yuan and smiled, “Any other questions?”
Lu Yuan listened intently, momentarily stunned by the information overload.
He hastily pulled out his phone and saw the notification for a transfer of 5000 Yuan.
His account balance now stood at 5035 Yuan, a cause for celebration indeed!
As for the gifted Spiritual Qi Guiding Techniques and others, Lu Yuan was unfamiliar with them.
He planned to look into them after returning home. With this thought, Lu Yuan was eager to leave.
He smiled broadly, “It’s all clear, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. If you have no other questions, could you please rate my service?”
Lu Yuan promptly gave a five-star rating.
He then hurriedly exited the Gene Warrior Association.
Now that he had money, he walked out and used a ride-hailing app to call a taxi.
Within seconds, an unmanned hover vehicle pulled up in front of him.
The technology in this world was far more advanced than Lu Yuan had known before—autonomous driving, intelligent robotics, and levitation technology were all well-developed. Lu Yuan understood that all these advancements were derived from knowledge acquired by Gene Warriors from the Land of Origin.
It was easy to imagine the myriad treasures that the Land of Origin must hold.
He boarded the vehicle to head home. The hovercar moved quickly from the bustling, neon-lit district to a more dilapidated area.
Bang, bang, bang!
Lu Yuan, sitting in the car, could faintly hear gunfire in the distance. His expression remained unchanged, having become accustomed to it from his acquired memories.
Due to limited funds, Lu Yuan had been living in a slum where security was poor and gunfights were common.
In this world, where mutations exist and wild beasts occasionally invade cities, civilians are not prohibited from carrying weapons. This, in turn, led to rampant criminal activity in less secure areas.
Lu Yuan’s neighbourhood was relatively better off, though he had heard of some areas where people disappeared daily.
Soon, the hovercar stopped at the entrance to Lu Yuan’s complex. He ducked his head slightly and hurried inside. Dodging a few drunks and declining the services of an overly friendly lady, Lu Yuan made it back to his room.
It was a modest 20 square meter space divided into a room with just a bed, a desk, and a basic bathroom. The rent was quite affordable at 200 Yuan per month.
Once inside, Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. Every time he returned home, he feared a stray bullet might find its way to his head.
Previously, he had only heard of such dangers in his predecessor’s memories, but experiencing them first-hand had rattled him.
It felt like living constantly on the brink of death.
Wait a minute…
Aren’t I actually rich now?
A light bulb went off in his head, sparking a new plan. He decided to go house-hunting the next day and move out of this dangerous place. Otherwise, he feared he might get shot before he ever got the chance to become a pillar of humanity.
That would surely be the greatest loss in human history!
Without further ado, Lu Yuan turned on the old laptop on his desk and logged into the Gene Warrior website, commonly known as BattleNet.
He navigated the site, opened the homepage, and entered his ID and the default password.
“ID card… 666666… Logged in!”
Lu Yuan accessed his account, immediately changed his password, and then set about choosing a nickname.
He initially wanted ‘The Fated One’ as his nickname, but it was already taken.
After several attempts with different names, which were all taken, Lu Yuan finally settled on ‘Auxiliary’—a cool nickname that signified support.
He was once again reminded that no matter the world, choosing a name is always a challenge.
After updating his nickname and password, Lu Yuan noticed he had received some emails.
He clicked to open them and found they contained three documents:
Basic Spiritual Qi Guiding Technique.
Military Style Boxing.
Military Style Killing Sword.