Shackles of Humanity

"Actually, I was hoping you could do me a favor, young friend." Zang Haisheng took an exquisite box of cigarettes from his drawer and offered one to Luo Kai.

Luo Kai hadn’t smoked in a long time, so he lit it and took a drag. The cigarette had a rich, mellow flavor; it was clearly a high-quality product. ’A matter that would make Zang Haisheng himself ask for help is definitely not a small one,’ he thought. He then said, "Uncle Zang, if I happen to encounter some injustice, I certainly won’t stand idly by. That’s why I saved Xiaozhuo last time. But one person can only do so much. I can’t change the grand scheme of things, nor do I have any intention of getting involved in trouble."

Zang Haisheng smiled bitterly. "This time, I just want to ask you to introduce me to someone. I absolutely won’t put you in a difficult position."

Luo Kai was puzzled. "An introduction? I don’t know any big shots."

Zang Haisheng mulled it over for a moment before saying, "Young friend, do you know about the situation in our Longyang County?

Seeing Luo Kai shake his head, he continued, "Here in Longyang City, three factions hold the most power. First is City Lord Lang Zhennan. He holds the moral high ground and commands the hundred-thousand-strong Government Army, making his faction the most powerful. Next is the Jiuyuan Farm Stronghold. Their influence isn’t obvious here in Longyang City, but they are extremely powerful in the subordinate counties and villages. And then there’s my Black Stone Heavy Industry. In the past, the three factions were more or less balanced, occupying the political, commercial, and agricultural sectors respectively. We didn’t interfere with one another and even cooperated."

Zang Haisheng took a heavy drag from his cigarette, his brow furrowed with worry. "Now, with the Dragon Shark Pirates setting up in Longyang City, that balance has been shattered. The Dragon Shark Pirates have already allied with the Jiuyuan Farm Stronghold, established the Dragon Shark Trading Group, and officially entered the business world. City Lord Lang Zhennan’s relationship with them is also quite ambiguous.

"Lately, they’ve been working together, finding all sorts of excuses to cut off Black Stone Heavy Industry’s supply and sales channels. Aside from our military factory, Black Stone Heavy Industry’s other operations have been forced to shut down. This means Black Stone Heavy Industry has to fight all three factions at once. The crucial thing is, Black Stone Heavy Industry doesn’t belong to me alone. I only hold twenty percent of the shares. The biggest shareholder is actually the Great Lord’s Mansion!"

Luo Kai frowned. "Since the Great Lord is Black Stone Heavy Industry’s backer, then there’s even less to worry about. No matter how powerful local factions are, they are ultimately no match for a Great Lord who commands an entire region. As soon as the fighting on the front lines stops, I’m sure that Great Lord of yours won’t just stand by and do nothing."

Zang Haisheng gave another bitter smile. "It would be great if the Great Lord and I were on the same side."

"What do you mean?"

Zang Haisheng sighed. "This isn’t known to the public, and I won’t hide it from you. The truth is, one of the conditions for the Dragon Shark Pirates’ surrender and recruitment was their participation in military production. The Great Lord’s Mansion has already transferred its shares in Black Stone Heavy Industry to them!"

Luo Kai was rather surprised. "So does that mean Black Stone Heavy Industry will belong to the Dragon Shark Pirates from now on?"

Zang Haisheng shook his head. "Not yet. You could say they’re the largest shareholder, but they haven’t seized managerial control. I have twenty percent of the shares, my younger brother has fifteen percent, and the other small shareholders combined have thirty percent. My brother has always been against me siding completely with the Great Lord’s Mansion. Now it seems he was right."

"This Great Lord seems a bit unreliable. Isn’t this like bargaining with a tiger for its hide?" Luo Kai said, speechless.

"I know what the Great Lord is thinking. He wants to win the war on the front lines first, seize control of the Tieheng Ore Vein, and then use the momentum from a great victory to completely clean house internally and weaken the local factions. But war is a quagmire; once you’re stuck in it, it’s hard to get out. Even a victory would be a pyrrhic one, and a loss would mean losing everything. He probably wouldn’t be able to hold on to his position as Great Lord either."

"Isn’t that just like gambling?"

Zang Haisheng nodded. "Exactly. It is a gamble. And City Lord Lang Zhennan is waiting to see the outcome. In his early years, the current Great Lord was just a local city lord himself. The previous Great Lord suffered a defeat in a battle against pirates, which allowed this one to seize the opportunity to rise. He united with other factions to force the previous Great Lord to abdicate, seizing the position for himself."

Listening to all this gave Luo Kai a headache. ’Humanity’s base nature is truly hard to change. Even with the situation as dire as it is, with humans practically forced to the two ends of the world by Fierce Beasts, they still can’t forget about their struggles for power and profit.’

Zang Haisheng hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Actually, there’s another extremely powerful faction, but they never get involved in humanity’s internal struggles...

"You mean Liu Hou?" Luo Kai thought of something. Among the people he knew, only Liu Hou had any real status. ’But an individual’s power is ultimately insignificant, even if he is a Martial Artist.’

Zang Haisheng looked at him expectantly. "Exactly. Liu Hou isn’t just the vice principal of Pan Shi Sports School; he’s also a member of the Xingma Kingdom’s Body Technique Research Association. The Body Technique Research Association has a transcendent status. Its members are spread throughout the highest levels of politics, the military, and business, and their network is extremely tight-knit. If Liu Hou could make a statement on behalf of the Body Technique Research Association, no local faction would dare to make trouble for Black Stone Heavy Industry!"

Luo Kai looked troubled. His relationship with Liu Hou was just average. Even if he asked, Liu Hou probably wouldn’t agree.

Zang Haisheng said with a bitter expression, "If it really comes to it, my only option is to break up Black Stone Heavy Industry and hand the military factory over to the Dragon Shark Pirates. But once those notoriously vicious pirates get their hands on an advanced military supply, I’m afraid they’ll become even more unrestrained. In the end, it will be the people of the Xingma Kingdom who suffer."

Luo Kai sighed to himself. ’A man must stand in this world, and there are things he must do and things he must not. Some things are simply unavoidable.’ He nodded in agreement. "Alright, I’ll talk to Liu Hou when I get back."

Zang Haisheng was overjoyed. "Whether it works out or not, I must thank you, young friend." After speaking, he took a contract out of his drawer. "Young friend, I know you have a detached personality, but as long as you live in this world, you’ll always have a use for money. This is an employment contract. Black Stone Heavy Industry would like to hire you as a supervisor. You won’t be responsible for any specific duties and won’t report to anyone. The monthly salary is twenty thousand Star Dollars."

This time, Luo Kai didn’t refuse. He signed his name. Now, he would be able to collect a salary of thirty thousand a month, placing him in the high-income bracket for the entire Xingma Kingdom.

...

Just as Luo Kai expected, when he found an excuse to bring the matter up with Liu Hou, the man’s big, fat face immediately soured. He scolded him mercilessly, "You brat, what the hell do you know? You think that Zang Haisheng is some good guy? Do you know how he made his fortune in his early days?

"His younger brother is the head of the Sand Hammer Gang, the biggest gang in Longyang City! He has countless thugs under his command. They coerce all businesses into joining the Longyang Commerce Association and set commodity prices however they please. From the big factories down to the small street vendors, not a single one escapes their oppression. Did you know any of that?"

Luo Kai’s face turned beet red from the scolding. He cursed inwardly, ’I’ve lived two lifetimes, how can I still not understand this principle? In this world, nothing is black and white!’ He resolved to never get involved in such matters again and simply buried his head in the library at Pan Shi Sports School, beginning a systematic study of Body Techniques.

After the Great Cataclysm, Body Techniques had developed for several hundred years, becoming a comprehensive new discipline. It didn’t just study the human ways of self-cultivation and combat; on a deeper level, it also researched the evolution of life itself!

Evolution had never stopped since the first moment of life’s creation. Life was constantly changing in response to the external environment. Now, this rate of evolution had suddenly accelerated, to the point where terrifying changes could occur overnight. The birth of the Fierce Beasts was a result of this.

In a simple picture book, Luo Kai found a detailed depiction of a Fierce Beast. It was a terrifying creature completely covered in an exoskeleton, resembling a rat that had been magnified dozens of times. The ribs in its chest cavity extended outward from its spine, forming a series of Bone Spikes that encased its body. With sharp fangs, a vicious mouth, and menacing Bone Spikes, it was incomparably ferocious.

The book’s description of it read: "Bone Beast. A pack-dwelling Fierce Beast. Bloodthirsty and cruel, its entire body is covered in tough armor. It excels at burrowing and is highly intelligent."