Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Talent
Above a plaza, in front of an old statue, more than two hundred young people with various expressions gathered. They had all turned eighteen today and were also awakening their talents.
These two hundred or more youngsters were dressed in different styles, but despite the variety, each one carried a large backpack, and many were adorned with various firearms, weapons, and ammunition.
Some were even wearing padded coats in this stifling heat, with sweat on their foreheads, seemingly refusing to take them off, creating an oddly eerie sight.
At the moment, Uncle Hu stood in front of the statue, waving his powerful, mechanical-looking prosthetic limb, righteously proclaiming something.
“From the moment you were born, you’ve owed the corporation a huge debt! The air you breathe, the soil you live on, the food you consume, all these are the corporation’s gifts to you!
“You’ve survived up to this point thanks to the corporation’s protection! And now, the corporation will give you another chance to change your destiny…”
In the audience, Tao Yu, still wearing a padded coat and carrying a twenty-kilogram backpack, clutching an assault rifle akin to an AK, couldn’t help but reveal an expression of utter boredom.
Though he knew this was Uncle Hu’s job, he never imagined that such toxic preaching could be spewed so forcefully—and judging by some people’s excited reactions, it seemed that some indeed swallowed it whole.
All two hundred on the scene celebrated their eighteenth birthday today, true peers born on the same year, same month, same day.
Tao Yu, who had come with Uncle Hu, had already roughly understood that the majority of these two hundred were Outer City locals like himself.
A small portion of them from the Outer City had entered the security forces or were children of small-time leaders with combat talents.
The disparities were somewhat discernible from the equipment: Tao Yu, with his old assault rifle, was considered middle-tier, while many of his peers wielded shotguns, homemade guns, or even just sharpened steel pipes instead of firearms.
Then there were six or seven peers from the Inner City, distinctly standing apart on the other side.
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Fully geared in combat suits, military backpacks, bulletproof vests, or full-body armor, and even three who had already installed mechanical limbs, starkly differentiated themselves.
Beyond that, a man and a woman standing behind Uncle Hu, bearing an air of nonchalance, were even more extraordinary.
Not only did they stand outside the formation, but they also wore skin-tight combat suits filled with a sense of technology, somewhat similar to the black combat suits from “Battle Royale”. Compared to the group of padded-coat wearers, the difference was like night and day.
Judging by the equally handsome features of the two and sharing the same birthday, they were likely a pair of twins born to someone influential from the Floating City.
“…Furthermore, today is also your lucky day, you mud-leggers. The chance to meet important figures you’d likely never encounter again has come to you.
“After entering the Abyss, do your best to find Young Master Sun and Miss Sun. The smallest favor from them could last you a lifetime. In the expedition, you are to follow their commands unconditionally. Understand?”
Uncle Hu emphasized with a booming voice, filled with force.
“Understood!”
The crowd below was indeed stimulated, just as Uncle Hu had said. This might be the only chance in their lives to meet such influential people, even the few from the Inner City felt the same!
Yet Tao Yu was indifferent towards it, mainly because Uncle Hu had already specifically instructed them to avoid them if possible during the mission—steer clear!
Though following in their shadow might indeed bring potential benefits, the risks were too high.
The children of these important figures were undoubtedly born with exceptional talents and nurtured from a young age with nutrient solutions and various skill trainings, combined with their equipped gear and the Yuan Force bequeathed by their families, they were born surpassing the endgame of others.
While ordinary people aimed merely to survive, these two would surely be seeking greater fortunes, thus urgently requiring cannon fodder to probe dangers.
The rewards might be substantial, but so were the risks!
However large the benefits or rewards could be, they were worthless unless you survived to claim them.
The same went for those fully armed guys from the Inner City, who might not have as many advantages as those twins, but the risks were similarly not negligible, hence, they were to be avoided as much as possible.
On the other hand, it might be worth approaching the children of some Outer City small-time leaders. Uncle Hu and a few well-acquainted friends had greeted them, and although not exactly lending help, they were willing to stick together for warmth.
First off, one needed to showcase their value to be accepted as an equal; if lacking the strength, one should recognize their place.
There is no such thing as love without cause in this world, even Uncle Hu’s support came from years of mutual assistance and the ensuing friendship.
Had it not been for his period of decline after becoming disabled, his family could, at best, only be considered a vassal despite being relatives.
“…Alright, time is almost up, and you already know what you need to know, but I must emphasize once again that the main goal of these two weeks is to survive!
“The will of the world usually places you in safer World Fragments at the start. Then, using the radio, you must find the corporation’s gathering place, as only those who make it there have the qualifications to survive in the Abyss!”
After speaking, Uncle Hu also raised his hand. At the same time, at the base of the Floating City in the sky, a hazy blue flame of nothingness seemed to emerge.
“`
A beam of light burst from the flame and struck the statue whose face could no longer be discerned. In the next moment, a radiance covered the square, and all the youths turning eighteen today vanished in an instant.
However, as the brilliance faded, Uncle Hu, who had been smiling, stiffened his expression instantly after glancing back at the statue.
On the once blurry face of the statue, a faint blue glow began to emerge, which then gradually coalesced into a new small sphere of light that was absorbed by the statue.
This made Uncle Hu quickly pull out a walkie-talkie, sweating profusely as he said,
“Captain Ze Chuan! There’s an abnormal fluctuation in the teleportation this time, the regional binding isn’t completed! A new coordinate has emerged!”
Everyone automatically receives a gift when they turn eighteen, and theoretically, it doesn’t matter where they are. The reason they all gather here is to use the Flame of Civilization to complete a regional anchoring, so that this new group won’t end up too far from the company stronghold.
But now the teleportation feedback indicates that there was a problem…
The Abyssal Rift contains endless World Fragments; a slight deviation could mean crossing countless fragments. If one relied solely on traversing through the Abyss, they might never reach the gathering place in their lifetime!
Although such incidents were not common, they had occurred a few times before. If it was just some ordinary mud-legged folks from the Outer City, even with a few from the Inner City, it was just bad luck—survive on your own and count your blessings.
But this time, there were also two children of significant figures from the Floating City involved—and the situation was now rather different!
However, the teleportation was complete, and nothing could change that. The only thing to do was to record the coordinates of that abnormal region, so that future new arrivals could choose to be anchored near that same area…
…
Yue~
Intense dizziness made Tao Yu want to vomit.
Moreover, the stuffiness from the cotton-padded jacket he was wearing made his first action upon landing not to check the gifts from the world’s will but to promptly draw out a small-caliber pistol with one hand and quickly drop his pack to start shedding his cotton clothes.
He had worn the cotton jacket because, although the regional deliveries were anchored over a general area, the fragments in the Abyss changed in the blink of an eye. It was quite possible to be dropped into a frigid glacier region.
If one went there dressed too thinly, they might freeze solid before even getting a chance to dress warmly—although this was a matter of probability, it was not something to gamble on.
Now, removing the cotton jacket was much simpler.
Tossing the cotton jacket onto the ground, he revealed a set of cowhide armor his mother had made by hand.
With the pistol tucked into his chest holster and that somewhat chipped but gleaming AK-like rifle clutched in hand, he swiftly fitted a bayonet onto it and then began to look around at his environment.
The light was dim, but strands of sunlight still pierced through gaps in the foliage above. The earthy and decaying scent at the tip of his nose, the stout trees around him, the soft decaying leaves, and the sprawling roots on the ground—all indicated that he was in a rainforest environment.
His vision had clearly vastly improved, probably due to his inherent talents, which seemed promising.
All the survival knowledge he had learned in the past eighteen years came to mind. The biggest threat in the rainforest, aside from various Wish-powered creatures from the World Fragments, was actually poisonous insects!
He quickly began to secure his cuffs and pant legs, and simultaneously pulled a ‘veiled’ straw hat from his backpack and put it on. Tao Yu also took out a bottle of potion and started applying it to several key spots.
Only after finishing all this did he keep his gun at the ready, maintaining vigilance while beginning to examine his changes.
The will of the world had already transmitted some related information into his mind in a way that wasn’t textual but was instantly understandable, causing Tao Yu to focus and review it, eventually becoming stupified.
My cheat has arrived!
Talent one: [Dynamic Vision] (B-), possessing strong dynamic vision and the ability to learn visual and Perception-related skills more easily, with a slight increase in Dexterity and reaction.
Undoubtedly, this was a talent inherited from his parents and was innate to his body. It was already quite good. After focusing, he could sense the talent’s sphere and instinctively understand the information it entailed.
But compared to the dazzling, golden Talent two next to it, it was nothing!
In this world, it’s possible to have multiple talents, even to enhance or acquire new talents later in life, but that has nothing to do with ordinary people. However, Tao Yu now possessed a second talent!
Talent two: [Divinity] (MAX++??), from an Outer God of the Void??
Known Ability one: [One Proof Forever Proof], any improvements obtained through practice won’t diminish, and any injuries can be fully regenerated by absorbing Yuan Force or consuming food.
(This applies to abilities that need to be enhanced through practice and Yuan Force, like the Heavenly Demon Dismantling Technique, which only speeds up injury recovery post-facto and cannot solidify abilities to exploit a bug.)
Known Ability two: [Mental Immunity], immune to any mental or soul-related influences or attacks.
Known Ability three: [Deification], by consuming Yuan Force to enhance existing abilities and talents, using the enhanced version of abilities consumes additional physical and mental strength based on the power of the abilities.