Shackles of Humanity

The next day, Xiaopang came for him again, saying they were going to the shooting range. Luo Kai had already lost interest in Body Techniques. He was much more curious about the technology of this era, so he followed him, leaving Rufeng Valley for the first time.

It was a day off, and the campus was filled with men and women in small groups. The men were all tall and handsome, and the women were slender and beautiful. Just as Li Gui had said before, the students here weren’t just good-looking; their personal auras had also undergone a wondrous change. The men were one thing, but the women were all like goddesses, enough to make any ordinary person feel inadequate by comparison.

Someone short and chubby like Xiaopang was, by contrast, a rarity. Fortunately, the guy was an optimist and didn’t show the slightest hint of insecurity; in fact, he was quite proud. A person’s confidence comes from within, not just from their appearance, which meant this little fatty definitely had something extraordinary about him.

The shooting range wasn’t on campus. It was at a military base named Lü Fu, located far from the gravity center. Body Techniques were a combat skill, so Shangjing University maintained very close ties with the military. Every year, large numbers of students were sent to the front lines of the Fierce Beast battlefields for training trials.

Large-scale Fierce Beast attacks had been rare in recent years, but small-scale attacks were common. The most recent event to shake the nations of the Human Race was the fall of the Xingma Kingdom.

The battlefield between the Human Race and Fierce Beasts originally had three major combat zones. Of these, the Dongyuan Upper Country had to face two on its own. In the northern combat zone, the Northern Garrison Army led the resistance against the Ice Beasts of the Northern Cold Icefield. In the Central Combat Zone, the Sky Battle Army led the fight against the Desolate Forest Smoke Beasts. The remaining Western Combat Zone was handled by a coalition army formed by the other Lordship Kingdoms. And now, a Southern Combat Zone was likely to emerge.

Like humans, Fierce Beasts desperately needed living space. This was an irreconcilable conflict. War began when there wasn’t enough space to go around.

With the survival of the race at stake, humanity had always maintained a standing army of over ten million, pouring most of its productivity into the military. Even so, they could only defend, lacking the power to attack. This was because Complete Form Fierce Beasts were simply too terrifying. If not for the fierce internal competition among the beasts themselves, the Human Race might have already been wiped out.

The Dongyuan Upper Country’s military administration was called the Military Strategy Command Headquarters. It commanded all military branches across the country and was also responsible for coordinating with the Body Technique Association. That’s why a training base was specially built next to Shangjing University, to help Body Technique Cultivators familiarize themselves with the machinery of war. A Body Technique Cultivator could only be considered a ”Complete Form” when equipped with advanced military hardware.

The most advanced military equipment at present were kinetic weapons, which were made from a new type of ore discovered only after the Great Cataclysm. This ore was called Xiao Gold, and it possessed extremely strange properties. It absorbed Light Energy and strongly repelled other forms of energy—it could even repel airflow and Earth’s gravity. When made into bullets, their velocity far surpassed that of ordinary ammunition. Upon impact, the stored Light Energy would explode with immense power.

However, Xiao Gold was an associated mineral found with other metals, making it extremely rare. It could not be used to equip troops on a large scale.

Inside the shooting range, Luo Kai held a silvery-white bullet, examining its feel. This was a bullet made from Xiao Gold. It felt very light, but not because its mass was low; on the contrary, its material density was extremely high. It repelled Earth’s gravity like an electromagnet, similar to a natural superconductor.

”Luo Kai, these bullets are expensive! I don’t usually dare to use them, but today, I’ll show you what they can do!” Xiaopang said, cradling a long-barreled sniper rifle. His entire demeanor changed, revealing a sharp, formidable edge.

Luo Kai handed the bullet back to him and said with a smile, ”Alright.”

Xiaopang looked around and pointed to a scrapped heavy armored vehicle that was almost out of sight. ”Long-range Sniping Skill can hit targets a couple of miles away,” he said, ”but you can’t see that far with the naked eye. You’d have to use a scope. My specialty isn’t actually ultra-long-range shots, but shooting on the move. A pity.”

With that, he dropped prone on the ground and began to take deep, steady breaths. His chubby face soon flushed red. About ten seconds later, he pulled the trigger. A blinding white light shot from the barrel. The bullet’s velocity far surpassed what the human eye could perceive. Even Luo Kai found it difficult to track its trajectory and couldn’t help but feel a little surprised. In the distance, the already-battered armored vehicle instantly exploded, blown to smithereens.

Xiaopang lifted his head smugly, awaiting Luo Kai’s praise.

Luo Kai, however, was lost in thought. ’All techniques stem from the same basic principles. Besides the weapon’s power, Long-range Sniping Skill requires the user to have keen powers of observation and to pour their own Essence Qi and Spirit into the shot, amplifying the bullet’s power. This seemingly simple and honest fatty can clearly already empower his bullets with his Spiritual Power.’ Having come to this realization, Luo Kai immediately gave a thumbs-up and praised, ”Great marksmanship!”

Only then did Xiaopang put away his rifle with a satisfied look. ”Want to give it a try?” he asked.

”No, thanks. I don’t know how to shoot,” Luo Kai said, shaking his head with a smile.

Still eager for more, Xiaopang switched to ordinary bullets and continued his target practice.

Luo Kai began to wander around by himself. ’The applications for a superconducting metal definitely don’t end here,’ he thought. ’It could surely be used to make flying vehicles, perhaps even a true floating city. I wonder if anyone has used it to build rockets.’

The shooting range was crowded. In addition to several large outdoor ranges, there were also many smaller practice areas designed to look like city streets and alleys. Inside, some students were dual-wielding pistols, practicing their Gun Fighting Skill. It was similar to what he had seen before—the bullets they fired followed all sorts of magical, curving trajectories. ’One can only imagine how formidable they would be if they also used kinetic weapons,’ he mused. ’Then again, it would probably be much harder to control the trajectory of kinetic weapons.’

The military base was enormous. It had a small airfield and a military rail station connecting it to Shangjing City. However, all areas other than the shooting range were off-limits.

Luo Kai wasn’t interested in seeing the restricted areas anyway. After wandering around for a bit, he saw that Xiaopang was still completely engrossed in his shooting and decided to leave by himself. Just as he reached the entrance of the range, an off-road pickup truck drove up. A young man holding a sniper rifle was standing in the truck bed.

To his surprise, a huge, dappled big cat was lying next to the man. The cat had been dozing lazily, but it now shot up into a wary crouch. Its large, amber eyes stared straight at Luo Kai, its gaze a mixture of vigilance and fear. It let out a low growl at the man beside it, who also turned to look, a surprised expression on his face.

Luo Kai smiled at the man and slowly walked away. ’Without a doubt, that big cat is a Fierce Beast,’ he thought, ’or rather, the young man’s War Beast. It’s probably in its Growth Stage. Fierce Beasts are far more sensitive than humans. Even though I was consciously suppressing my aura, it still sensed it.’