Shackles of Humanity

The early morning market was a cacophony of sound. The four- or five-meter-wide gate was packed solid, with four or five long queues spilling out onto the main street. Most of those lining up at the crack of dawn were women, both young and old. They had learned from experience, bringing small stools to sit on while they chattered and gossiped about their daily lives.

Luo Kai, dozing off in one of the lines, had no idea how much time had passed. A delicate, orchid-like fragrance wafted to his nose, and he opened his eyes. Standing in the queue next to him was a young woman. She had a head of beautiful, jet-black hair, fair skin, and exquisite features. Her figure was as graceful as a weeping willow; she was almost unfairly beautiful.

Luo Kai felt an involuntary Qi and Blood Surge—the effect of his hormones kicking into overdrive. Although his mental age was already in his forties or fifties, this young body of his was brimming with vigor. His heart couldn’t help but pound a little faster at the sight of a beautiful woman, and he found himself just staring blankly at her for a long moment.

The young woman noticed Luo Kai’s brazen gaze and turned to roll her eyes at him. Her slender neck glowed with a fair luster under the morning sun, like that of a proud white swan.

Luo Kai lowered his head, a little embarrassed. He chided himself inwardly, ’Why am I acting like such a dolt?’

It was nearly noon by the time Luo Kai finally bought his meat—three pounds of well-marbled pork belly. He wasn’t in a hurry to go home and cook. Following the example of the other drivers, he parked his dilapidated tricycle at the market entrance. The flow of people was heavy right now, but unlike the other drivers, Luo Kai didn’t actively solicit customers. Whether he got any business was purely a matter of luck.

By afternoon, the crowd had thinned out. Luo Kai pulled his collar tighter, leaned over his tricycle, and started to doze off again.

”Are you going to the Puming Iron Plant?” a crisp voice sounded by his ear.

Luo Kai was instantly alert and quickly lifted his head. Before him stood a graceful figure—it was the beautiful young woman.

Luo Kai hesitated. The Puming Iron Plant was in the remote northeast corner of Longyang Commandery City, and a round trip would take a very long time. Though he was clearly reluctant, his mouth betrayed him. ”I’ll go!”

The young woman was carrying several large bags by herself. When she got a clear look at Luo Kai, she recognized him as the lecher from earlier. Her delicate brows furrowed, and she almost turned to leave, but very few drivers were willing to go to the Puming Iron Plant. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, ”How much?”

”One hundred,” Luo Kai said, naming an exorbitant price. A trip within the city usually cost around thirty Star Dollars, but a journey to the Puming Iron Plant definitely had to include the return fare.

The young woman didn’t haggle. Panting slightly, she heaved her bags into the cargo bed and looked around the dilapidated compartment for a place to sit.

Luo Kai quickly set up a small folding stool. ”Sit here.”

Accompanied by a fragrant breeze, the young woman climbed into the cargo bed, and Luo Kai immediately began to pedal with all his might.

In this day and age, an army of bicycles had once again taken over the cities of mankind. Luo Kai’s cycling skills were excellent, and he was very strong. He pedaled so hard the wheels spun like wheels of fire as he weaved through streets and alleys at incredible speed.

The young woman gripped the crossbar, her face tense with nervousness. Finally, she couldn’t help but say, ”Could... could you slow down?”

Luo Kai glanced back and gave her an apologetic smile, gradually slowing down. At the same time, he pulled a map from his pocket and began studying the fastest route as he rode.

The Puming Iron Plant was under the jurisdiction of the Xingma Kingdom’s Great Lord’s Mansion and was the largest steel producer in Longyang Commandery City. It was involved in both upstream and downstream industries, producing not only various types of civilian machinery but also military equipment like firearms, ammunition, and steam-powered war chariots. Its financial resources were immense. Naturally, a top-tier corporation like this offered excellent benefits, and it was said they even had many slots for overseas exchange programs each year.

Luo Kai scratched his head. ’At the rate I’m earning money, I’ll probably never be able to afford a passport in this lifetime. Getting a job at one of the big corporations might be my only way.’ After thinking for a long while, he couldn’t resist looking back to ask, ”Uh... Miss, are you a worker at the Puming Iron Plant?”

The young woman glanced at him and nodded curtly. ”Yes.”

”Um... excuse me, is your factory still hiring?”

The young woman pursed her lips. ”Our plant only hires vocational school graduates now.” The unspoken implication was that a tricycle driver like him wasn’t qualified to apply.

’Looks like I’ll have to find another way,’ Luo Kai sighed to himself. He began to ponder his options. Besides needing money to get to the Dongyuan Upper Country, he also had to figure out what to do with his future. He refused to resort to illegal means to forge a path for himself, which left him with very few options.

Commoners in this world had roughly two paths available to them: school or the military. For schooling, one could choose between a physical academy or a vocational school. The physical academies focused on developing physical fitness, and their top students even had the chance to learn Body Techniques. However, the tuition was exorbitant, and successfully mastering the Cultivation of Body Techniques required vast sums of money to purchase Genetic Potions—a cost that no ordinary family could bear. Generally, only the nobility and the upper-middle class attended physical academies.

Then there were the vocational schools, which taught various mechanical technologies and biological sciences. The best students had the opportunity to enter the Genetic Research Institute or the Mechanical Research Institute. Students at vocational schools were not limited by their financial status and had more opportunities to apply their intellect, making it the best choice for a commoner.

The other path was to join the army. The various Lordship Kingdoms were in constant strife, with small-scale conflicts erupting frequently. The Xingma Kingdom was perennially recruiting on a large scale for its fight with a neighboring country over control of the Tieheng Ore Vein. The military used large quantities of Genetic Potions and official ranks to reward decorated soldiers. However, the Tieheng Battlefield was known as the ”Meat Grinder,” where tens of thousands of soldiers died on average each year. It was a path where one had to risk their life to secure a future.

Seeing the melancholy look on Luo Kai’s face, the young woman felt a pang of sympathy. She hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, ”Actually, our plant does hire regular workers too, but you need to pay. You’ll have to ask about the specifics yourself.”

Luo Kai turned back and smiled at her. ”Thank you.”

As they were talking, they entered a narrow alley. Two men with brutish, fleshy faces suddenly rushed out and blocked his tricycle, shouting, ”Stop! Hey, kid, I told you to stop, you hear me?”

Luo Kai frowned and brought the tricycle to a halt.

The two men wore loose, earth-yellow coats. Cigarettes dangled from their mouths, revealing sets of yellow teeth. Their eyes were fixed on the young woman, leering as if they were about to drool.

Without giving Luo Kai a second glance, the two men walked up and surrounded the tricycle. One of them couldn’t hold back any longer and reached for the young woman’s hand. ”Hey, sweetie. How about we get to know each other?”

The young woman’s face was filled with alarm. She quickly stood up and shouted, ”Get away! I’m going to scream for help!”

The city’s security was terrible, a fact Luo Kai had experienced firsthand over the past two months. This, however, was the first time he’d seen a woman being harassed in broad daylight. He rang his bell and cut in, ”Move it. It won’t be my problem if I run into you!”

Only then did the two men turn their attention to Luo Kai. Rolling up their sleeves, one said with a fierce expression, ”You looking for a beating, kid? Scram, now.”

Luo Kai wasn’t one for wasting words. He leaped forward and grabbed both men by the hair. He yanked one so hard he was pulled completely off his feet, then viciously slammed both their heads into the ground for an intimate meeting with the pavement.

THUD! Dust flew everywhere. The two burly men lay on the ground, their faces covered in blood, barely breathing.

The entire sequence of moves was simple, brutal, and utterly vicious. The young woman let out a scream, jumped from the tricycle, and took off running without a single glance back.

Luo Kai stood there stunned for a moment, then quickly shouted, ”Hey, we haven’t reached the factory yet! Don’t you want your things?”

The last part of his sentence worked. The young woman stopped, then slowly, hesitantly, made her way back. Her gaze, when it fell on Luo Kai, was now filled with terror.