Chapter Thirty-Five: First in the Selection

"Ten of them? How... how is that possible!" Lei Junming’s heart filled with bitterness as he stared at Ji Cheng, his eyes bloodshot. He had risked his life several times, even lost an arm, all for the sake of taking first place—yet Ji Cheng had left him far behind.

"Indeed," Zhou Ze spoke steadily, a note of satisfaction in his voice. He had anticipated that complete assimilation with the genetic prototype would make one powerful, and that securing a spot as an ability user was almost guaranteed—but Ji Cheng still managed to surprise him. As he recalled the wager Councilor Yao had made on behalf of Nankang, his breathing quickened, and there was even a hint of envy in his gaze as he looked at Ji Cheng.

"He’s had quite a stroke of luck. Why didn’t such good fortune come my way when I was young?" Zhou Ze mused inwardly.

After Ji Cheng presented his ten communicators, none of the remaining contestants brought any real surprises. The fifth participant, hailing from Sand City, had only his own communicator. He claimed that he had been relentlessly hunted by mutated beasts after entering, leaving him no time to search for others, which drew a snort from Ding Wei.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see he was likely too timid to get involved, but no one blamed him. From past experience, ability user selections were team operations with a surrender mechanism. This time, however, it was a lawless, survival-of-the-fittest hunt, so losing one’s nerve was understandable.

The sixth contestant was a burly man named Liang Wu, who had managed to obtain four communicators. Although this was a respectable result, Ji Cheng’s stellar performance eclipsed everyone else, and so few paid Liang Wu any heed.

"This selection offers four spots for new ability users," Xu Mingxiong announced with forceful clarity. With Nankang New City’s strong showing, his tone was firmer than before.

"Sixth place, An Liquan from Sand City."

"Fifth place, Deng Qingyi from Rift Valley."

"Third place, a tie between Li Ying of Red Eagle Republic and Liang Wu from Nankang."

"Second place, Lei Junming from Anxi City."

Xu Mingxiong paused, then raised his voice.

"First place, Ji Cheng from Nankang."

Though everyone had already guessed Ji Cheng would take first, the ability users of Nankang New City were jubilant. Not only would they welcome two new ability users, but they also clinched the top spot, earning prestige before their rival city-states.

"Now, I ask the top four: have you considered joining another city-state?" Xu Mingxiong’s gaze swept over the finalists, lingering on Ji Cheng. "This is your one and only chance. If you change allegiance after today, you will be deemed a traitor and hunted down."

As Xu Mingxiong finished, all discussion fell silent. The ability users leading each city-state perked up, anticipation thick in the air.

The drama was about to unfold.

Decades ago, when the city-states had just formed, each was wary of the others and nurtured their own ability users in isolation. But as interactions deepened and resources dwindled, it became nearly impossible for a single city-state to gather enough materials in a short time to unlock the genetic lock. Thus, the ability user selection was born.

Every September 1st, the city-states tallied their applicants for the selection. Based on the numbers, each contributed a share of resources. The pooled supplies—usually enough for three to five candidates—were awarded to the top performers.

Naturally, this meant that poorly performing city-states lost out, providing resources to train ability users for others while gaining nothing themselves. After one city-state came up empty-handed for several years, a new rule was added: at the end of the selection, the new ability users would have a one-time chance to freely choose another city-state to join.

This gave struggling city-states a chance to recover—if they offered enough rewards, they could lure an ability user to their side. Such transfers had become common in recent years; after all, for an ability user, it mattered little where they lived, but a tangible reward could one day save their life in the mines or the wilds.

No sooner had Xu Mingxiong spoken than Ding Wei strode purposefully toward Ji Cheng, a look of urgency on his face. Of all those present, he was most eager to recruit Ji Cheng.

He had wagered his own precious array on this outcome; if Ji Cheng, the top candidate, joined Sand City, not only would the resources from the past two years be recouped, but the array would remain in the family—a loss in name only.

Standing before Ji Cheng, Ding Wei patted him on the shoulder with uncharacteristic humility, winking as he spoke.

"Brother Ji Cheng, let me introduce myself: I’m Ding Wei, candidate for Sand City’s Chief Enforcer."

A candidate for Chief Enforcer? Another second-tier ability user—Ji Cheng was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Sand City to send such a formidable figure to lead their team.

Unlike other city-states, Sand City had an elder council, with five Chief Enforcers each overseeing a different domain. The remaining second-tier ability users were known as candidates for Chief Enforcer—a status equivalent to that of a councilor in Nankang, a person of considerable importance.

What Ji Cheng did not know was that Ding Wei was a veteran second-tier ability user, well-known on Baishan Star. Yet, because the genetic prototype he had injected was poorly suited for combat and he was quite cautious by nature, he rarely ventured into the mines. As a result, few truly regarded him as a second-tier ability user and most treated him with thinly veiled disrespect.

"Think about joining us in Sand City," Ding Wei said, his tone full of temptation. "If you accept, the reward and bonus you receive will be at least this much."

He held up five fingers.

"Five million?"

"Five hundred million."

"So much?" Ji Cheng was stunned. His family’s entire annual income barely topped thirty thousand.

He asked, incredulous, "Even to recruit an ability user, isn’t that a bit excessive?"

Ding Wei, delighted to see Ji Cheng so awestruck, blinked with satisfaction. "Sand City hasn’t had a new ability user in two years—the accumulated benefits can all be yours. If you agree, we can process the paperwork right now. Once you unlock your genetic lock, I’ll officially award you Sand City’s insignia."

"Thank you for the invitation, but I’ve decided to stay in Nankang New City," Ji Cheng replied, shaking his head politely.

"Think it over again, truly. Do reconsider," Ding Wei persisted, thick-skinned and unwilling to give up. Sand City desperately needed fresh blood.

On Baishan Star, the harsh environment meant ability users spent most of their time mining energy crystals—a perilous occupation with a high mortality rate. Thus, the number of new recruits directly reflected a city-state’s strength.

Anxi City’s dominance among the six western city-states was largely due to their ability user selection consistently ranking at the top for eight consecutive years, ensuring a steady influx of strength.

"No need. I never considered joining another city-state," Ji Cheng refused again without hesitation.

Never mind whether Ding Wei’s promise was trustworthy—Nankang was reserving a mysterious spot just for him. If he left, wouldn’t he lose it? And wasn’t the City Defense Department preparing to assign him a sentry base as a new home?

Besides, with his first-place finish, he was confident Nankang would not treat him poorly. Sand City wasn’t even stronger than Nankang—so why leave home for lesser treatment elsewhere?

Of course, his real reason for staying was—

There was a unique thrill in having killed a councilor’s son and still being able to walk around under his nose.

Ji Cheng sneaked a glance at Councilor Yao, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

At that moment, Councilor Yao looked back, clearly drawn by Ji Cheng’s victory. If one had to pick a suspect among these six, Ji Cheng was the most likely.

A cold smile tugged at Councilor Yao’s lips as he glanced at Ji Cheng, then he turned and left, his followers trailing behind as they exited the terminal.

The results of the selection were soon finalized: Li Ying of the Red Eagle Republic was persuaded by Ding Wei and chose to join Sand City, while the other three remained with their original affiliations.

"Now, Li Ying, Liang Wu, Lei Junming, and Ji Cheng—please enter the gene pods to prepare for unlocking your genetic locks," Xu Mingxiong announced, gesturing toward the four capsule-like machines behind him.