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Chapter 1: We Shall See, Old Fart

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

"The best and the worst made history, the ones in between made babies."

Although it sounds like nonsense uttered by a drunk, no one could deny humankind's ability to reproduce. Entering the age of the interstellar travel, the human population had finally surpassed the bottleneck figure of three hundred billion; outpacing even the Zergs, the so-called expansionist race.

Not all of the three hundred billion were direct descendants of Earthlings. There were the Ivantians, Kaedeians, and many other mixed races that fell in-between.

The Pan solar system had continued their agenda of expanding and exploring the solar system; transforming the entire solar system into a heaven for the whole human race at large. Thanks to its unique location and a long history of continuous development, Planet Earth had always been the political center of the Pan solar system union. That being said, Earth didn't have any advantage when it came to living conditions.

Earth's moon had been the homeland of the Ivantians. It had been baptized by bloodshed and fire, yet withstood the test of time. It eventually became a paradise, a center of culture and technology in the solar system.

Mars had also become one the most populated human inhabited worlds; human development had even reached one of Mars's moons, Ceres.

If humans were to settle on any other planet in the solar system, it would be Venus. Other planets in the solar system were not suitable for human inhabitants; it would be more efficient to build more space cities nearby rather than directly colonize those planets. Human colonization seemed to have come to a halt at this point.

However, ever since the invention of hyper-jump, humans have started to explore planets outside of the solar system. Eventually, they found what they were looking for: three inhabitable planets in the Andromeda Galaxy. They named them the Morningstar, the Hope, and the Alfa. The planetary environment on these three planets was very similar to Earth. Faced with the ever-mounting pressure of overpopulation, humans had quickly turned the three newly discovered planets into their homeland, with the help of advanced technologies.

Within the last hundred years, humans have made yet another breakthrough in space exploration. An inhabitable planet was stumbled upon by a search fleet called Norton when they approached the Centaurus Cluster. The team named the planet after their fleet, and they quickly became filthy rich, just like the ancient sailors who had discovered the "new world" on the other side of Earth. This discovery was truly miraculous.

"The flight to Norton of the Centaurus Cluster is about to take off. All passengers, please board the spaceship immediately." The feminine voice of the space stewardess was always quick to attract young men's attention.

By the boarding gate, a crowd waved strenuously towards the spaceship. Meanwhile, on the spaceship, some people were yelling in excitement while other were quiet, but everyone's face held the same reluctant expression.

This would be the fifth group of humans to be dispatched to planet Norton.

The three planets discovered three hundred years ago at the Andromeda Galaxy had abundant materials and had undergone three hundred years of development, which helped to improve the standard of living significantly. Over the course of three hundred years, they had established systems of social welfare, free education, and impenetrable planetary defenses that were all on par with those of the planets in the solar system.

Norton, on the other hand, was yet to be tamed. The biggest hurdle in doing so was the many conflicts with the Zergs. The Zergs were extremely tough and adaptive creatures like the cockroaches living on Earth ever since the Big Bang; just like cockroaches, they were everywhere.

This group of dispatched settlers would focus its efforts on the second phase of the Norton development plan. Most people being sent there were in their thirties and forties; some were even older. Most of them had struggled to make a living on Earth, and all hoped their lives would improve after their return. In exchange, they had to endure two years of hardship on Norton.

To the people's surprise, a young boy who looked to be barely fifteen could be seen among the older crowd aboard the spaceship. The boy was looking at an old man at the departure gate, whose nose and eyes were red from crying, while the people were wondering why that old man would send his young son to a treacherous planet like Norton?

When the ship's landing apparatus rescinded, the noise from the crowd on the ground boiled over. The old man hopped up and down and tried to see his son one last time as tears poured from his reddened eyes.

Wang Tong stared at the "excited" old man; he smiled at him and slowly raised his right hand next to his face then curled his fingers into a fist, leaving only the middle finger standing. He yelled with anger, "I'll be back for your old ass!"

The old man waved his fist in the air; he had also left his middle finger erect. His face turned into an ugly grin while the tear streaks were still visible.

The year was 2565 AD. It was the first time in Wang Tong's life that he had left home for somewhere outside of his hometown of Shangjin, yet the destination had to be the sh*tty planet of Norton. Foreseeing his shining youth to be wasted on a bleak and desolate planet, the fifteen-year-old Wang Tong felt a devastating blow.

There was an expression about traveling that people used to say: "Travelling is a way of discovering oneself."

"But why the f*ck does it have to be Norton? I'm only going to get lost over there."

To make sense of what happened to Wang Tong, we have to start from the beginning.

Wang Tong was an orphan and was told that his parents were martyrs of the Confederation. He had been adopted by an old gentleman, whom Wang Tong called "Old Fart", who said that he took him in because he was nice. But as Wang Tong grew up, he realized Old Fart simply used him to collect government cheques. Thanks to the Confederation's well-developed welfare system, Wang Tong was never abused by Old Fart, and over the years, had gained an upbeat personality and a great sense of responsibility. As he learned more about life and the history of the Confederation, he was eager to take on more in his life, and he wished to become a soldier.

Three hundred years ago, a gifted human with extraordinary abilities on the battlefield was born. His name was General Li Feng, decorated with seven stars, he was considered to be the most influential person throughout the entire history of mankind. He was the only general in history to bear seven stars on his shoulder, a sign of respect and utmost reverence between the three primary races of human: the Earthlings, the Ivantians, and the Kaedeians. He rose to power during the Earth-Kaede war, which started when the Kaedeians felt that they were being threatened in technology advancement, so they invaded Earth quickly after the latter invented the Hyper Drive. The Kaedeians were eventually defeated, and their homeland was annexed by the humans from Earth. Shortly after General Li Feng defeated the Kaedeians, he immediately led the troops into a thirty-year great war with the Zergs, a hideous alien race known for its destructive nature and quick expansions. Under the command of General Li Feng, the Confederation troops had the Zergs tasting defeat for their first time. One of the most memorable details of this war was the Blade Warrior deployed by General Li Feng. Many people in the present day thought that General Li Feng himself was the Blade Warrior, but proof has yet to be found.

As the war progressed, the Zergs started evolving on a large scale. They had begun to adapt to human's offensive and defensive capabilities. Towards the end of the war, some Zergs had developed exterior skeletons that were practically immune to energy weapons. This development had, for a time, tipped the scale for the Zergs on the battlefield, and nearly cost the human's victory when it was already at their fingertips. The situation had finally turned around when the FFC Corporation invented their newest weapon, the "METAL" suit which stood for "Mental field Enabled Tactical Assault of Liberty" suit. To put it simply, it was a wearable armor that activated and harnessed the power within the nucleus in the human genome. It was the decisive blow to the Zergs that helped the humanity to gain the final victory.

However, the Zergs had not been completely wiped out after the war, thanks to their extraordinary ability to reproduce; they had thrived again very swiftly. The four centuries of history from the great war to present day were dominated by an arms race between the humans and the Zergs; the Humans continued to improve their military technology, while the Zergs continued to mutate to their next generation.

The METAL suits had quickly replaced the power armor and became the weapon of choice against the Zergs; as they needed humans to operate, it led the Confederation to praise fertility and encourage couples to have more children.

Three building blocks made up a soldier's combat ability: The Eighth Mental Field (a.k.a. "EMF" or the "Sea of Consciousness"), the Genome Nuclear (or "GN") force, and the METAL suit.

The Genome Nuclear force was the incredible energy stored in the strands of human DNA (the Genome), which when released, instilled the human body with superhuman strength and combat ability that surpassed the Zergs. It made an ordinary human soldier only fitted to be a Zerg's lunch into its most dreaded opponent.

The METAL suit could further maximize the GN force output while providing a decent protection against the Zergs or the environment. The current generation of METAL suit looked much different than it was a few centuries ago because of the constant updates from the FFC Corporation over the course of four centuries.

The Eighth Mantle Field was the key to activate the Genome Nuclear force. It was the deepest layer of human consciousness, and only when this layer has been fully released by an individual would he or she be able to wield the GN force. The process through which the EMF was fully released in one's current consciousness was called the "Mind Opening Operation". This involved a relatively straightforward procedure and the chances to successfully "open" one's mind were also high. Only after the "Mind Opening Operation" and with the GN force at their disposal could one stand face to face with the Zergs and win.

In a way, the GN force was a soldier's personal arsenal, and its strength was determined by the inherent traits of one's specific genes.

Some groups of people like the Ivantians modified their genes. Unfortunately, it did not affect the strength of their GN power because no modification could change the fundamental attributes of any gene; all alterations to the genes were merely superficial. In other words, birth was the only determining factor of a soldier's ultimate combat ability.

Since being born in the family of the right bloodline was evidently crucial, the status of houses with "superior" genes had been elevated to the utmost level in society.

Unlike the GN power, which was only determined by one's birth, the strength of the METAL suit could always be purchased with money, lots of money.

The standard METAL suits were only useful for optimizing the GN force output to a pre-existing cap. However, the superior suits could significantly increase those cap, but they were astronomically expensive which made the FFC Corporation one of the three largest arsenal providers in the entire Confederation.

If the METAL suit were considered as the external tool to harness GN power, then the Eighth Mental Field would be the tool within the soldier him/herself; but while rigorous training could strengthen one's EMF, only deep pockets could upgrade a METAL suit.

Within each subgroup of humans, genes were further branched into major Families as were the training methods. Out of these different training methods evolved distinct combat styles, usually recorded in a canon called the "Tactics". Each family created their own combat tactics that had a decisive advantage in the form of unique coup de graces, and the methods to deploy these coup de graces were the greatest secret of any tactic, usually known only by the closest members of the family.

The title for the most powerful tactics undoubtedly went to the "Tactics of the Valkyrie". The canon containing the "Tactic of the Valkyrie" was kept in the hall of Valhalla, the human's most sacred place which was said to be located in the Astral Realm. Only those who earned the privilege of entering Valhalla have the honor to study the "Tactic of the Valkyrie".

Wang Tong had waited until the end of middle school and was then finally able to receive the "Mind Opening Operation" at the age of fifteen. As soon as he could fully grasp his Eighth Mental Field, he could then attend a Military Academy, albeit a cheaper one, it would still mean he would have a bright future ahead of him.

"But… who would've thought that Old Fart would trade my only free ticket to the 'Mind Opening Operation' for moonshine? He said he did it inadvertently..."

Each citizen of the Confederation received only one free operation when he or she reached the age of fifteen. It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity, but Old Fart exchanged Wang Tong's turn for merely one…no...merely two bottles of moonshine.

That said, he wouldn't have had to go to Norton even if he wanted to self-fund his operation, but he was sent there, Old Fart himself had enlisted Wang Tong. Perhaps it was a secret deal with the dispatcher for some quick cash? And if Wang Tong were to breach the contract, he might have to pay dearly for the kickbacks Old Fart had received. So, he was stuck with a deal that he never made.

Wang Tong looked through the windowpane into a space full of twinkling stars. He started to feel the gloomy outlook of his future weighing heavily on his shoulders. "What will happen to me on Norton? Nothing good, I bet." He didn't blame Old Fart for his misery, although he thought he really should, Old Fart had always provided him the comfort of a home. At least he didn't have to live in the cold orphanage.

On the other hand, perhaps great opportunities were awaiting him on the planet of Norton. Wang Tong seemed to see a glimpse of hope. "Maybe I'll be rich in two years, I'll be able to swagger in front of the Old Fart like I meant it, and I'll throw moonshine in his face until he pukes just as a lesson."

Wang Tong had always been an optimistic person, if not overly so.

"Dear passengers, the shuttle is about to enter quadratic speed, we will arrive at the space station in twenty-five earth-hours. We will start the hyper-jump from the space station and should arrive at our destination in one hundred and twenty earth-hours. Please proceed to enter deep sleep stage to ensure that you are fully rested upon arrival."

As the sweet voice of the space stewardess spread throughout the ship's cabin, a burst of curses started to fill up the rest of the cabin space. Although uncomfortable, sleeping through the quadratic speed was the cheapest option for space liners and was also the only option for those in the economy cabin. Comfort was a luxury reserved for the richest in space traveling.

Wang Tong didn't mind sleeping through the trip; there was nothing to see outside of the window once they had entered the quadratic speed. What Wang Tong really wanted was smelling the land, swallowing big jugs of Cola and triple layered drumstick burgers that sizzled with grease. Before he finally entered into the state of deep sleep, he wished in secret that he could have all of those in his dream.

‎Wang Tong never seemed to have enough sleep. He was aghast when he opened his eyes again, seeing the galaxy in the distance that looked very different from the one that he had left. This was the Centaurus Galaxy. Although Wang Tong was not an avid space navigator, instinct still told him that he had traveled many parsecs into the deep space.

The shuttle slowly descended, and from here, Wang Tong had a panoramic view of the planet as a bright green assaulted his visual sensory. Covered with a blanket of emerald colored vegetation, the scenery on Norton looked much like Earth; no wonder so much hype was stirred up the first time it was discovered by humans from Earth.

In Wang Tong's first impression of Norton, the beautiful, yet strange scenery was invigorating and relaxing at the same time.

The dispatcher had started assigning quarters as soon as the passengers had passed security. There would be no rest for this lot as they were sent here as laborers, not tourists.

The receiving officer ‎looked at Wang Tong in surprise, seeing the dark-haired boy in front of him who looked even younger than he really was, the officer shook his head in sadness. He figured that the kid must have had terribly selfish parents.

"Wang Tong, 15... lad, let me tell you something, read your instructions carefully. Norton isn't a friendly place for a kid like you. I hope to see you again in one piece in two years. Next."

Norton indeed was not a place for a young boy like Wang Tong. The dispatcher's cheap compassion wouldn't be able to save Wang Tong's ass on this awful planet. Regardless of what the government had boasted about Norton to the people on Earth, down here, settlers lived a miserable life.

The cargo ship dropped the laborers off one by one to their home quarters, like tossing a handful of petals. ‎Wang Tong was assigned to a mining district in Sector D-18, and his daily task was to supervise the one hundred and eighty mining bots. The Confederation had also provided him with a personal assistant - a robotic butler with only very limited AI. His code name was C-1847678,"C" stood for the class which the robot belonged to and also meant that this robot was a lower tier unit among all the units from where it was manufactured. Wang Tong gave him the nickname "Charcoal", after his charcoal colored face.

Rule number one at work: "Never leave the base". Firstly the gravity on Norton was five times stronger than the gravity on Earth; second, the streets on Norton were teeming with crime. Unless Wang Tong wore the METAL suit, he had to stay put as the compensation for non-work related incidents was pathetic. Wang Tong decided that he would never trade his life for a few dabs of moonshine.

With Charcoal's help, Wang Tong had a rough understanding of the colony's operation: the humans functioned as overseers, while the whole planet worked on its own like a tireless machine. This was going to make life on the planet incredibly monotonous, and this was where Charcoal came in; a robot like him was designed to provide companionship to humans, thus preventing them from losing their sanity out of complete boredom.

After a long conversation with Charcoal, Wang Tong still felt agitated, he was well rested from the space shuttle, and the rush from his first arrival on a new planet remained. He decided to walk around the base, but to Wang Tong's disappointment, he noticed the lack of entertainment facilities at the base; only a gym and a reading chamber for the workers. This planet was yet to be developed, and many basic civil infrastructures were yet to be built. Naturally, the Confederation was reluctant to spend too much money to meet workers' need for entertainment.

For the entire first week, Wang Tong practiced a combat tactic called the "Tactics of the Blade" during his free time after work. He still wanted to take the "Mind Opening Operation", and he needed to practice to increase his success rate.

The "blade" in the name of the tactic had nothing to do with the invincible Blade Warriors who had become legendary some four hundred years ago. It was a straightforward and elementary exercise for rookies who had just finished or were about to undergo the "Mind Opening Operation". Trainees following this tactic would increase the rate of success for the procedure; it also stimulated one's Sea of Consciousness, and for those who had just undergone a successful "Mind Opening Operation", it could help to stabilize their EMF. It was a very common, if not mundane, tactic widely practiced by rookies like Wang Tong. The ones who were born in a prominent Family wouldn't even glance at this kind of tactics canon. Even those who had practiced it while they were rookies would switch to something more advanced once they entered a Military Academy.

That being said, one of the very few nice things Old Fart ever did for Wang Tong was to teach him the "Tactics of the Blade", but the "Old Fart" version. It had at least helped Wang Tong to complete his very first round of tactics. Old Fart, however, insisted that his version was more than just an ordinary tactic. He boasted, more often than not after a few moonshine, that Wang Tong would become as powerful as a Blade Warrior if he were ever able to master what he had taught him.

What Old Fart had taught him was indeed unique compared to the conventional version of "Tactics of the Blade". The fundamental technique of inert training in any type of tactics was to surround one's consciousness with eight of the pivotal GN nodes (or "Qi" in ancient superstitious texts) in a circle. However, Old Fart's version was called the "Tactics of the Blade: 16 Genome Nuclear Force", as it required the trainee to mobilize sixteen GN nodes instead of eight.

It was harder for a rookie like Wang Tong, and it never even did anything special.

Trapped on this beautiful but terrible planet, practice and training became Wang Tong's only downtime activities. He never stepped outside as he knew he wouldn't last long out there without a METAL suit, but it was hard for Wang Tong, an energetic virgin boy filled with testosterone, to stay calm and content.

It had been a peaceful week since Wang Tong's arrival, at times he even missed Old Fart. Practicing the tactic allowed him to focus and, more importantly, to hold on to his sanity. Here on Norton, he could even finish the entire set of training, something that he could never do on Earth because of the unique requirement of Old Fart's version; to finish a complete round could take up to five hours. Wang Tong could seldom complete an entire set of training on Earth thanks to the many distractions, but on Norton, since training was the only thing he could do, finishing the full form meant less time spent in excruciating boredom.

In his own way, he had already learned to adapt to his new lonely life.

However, this moment of calm and peace was disrupted on the morning of the seventh day since his arrival. Sirens suddenly went off unleashing ear-piercing shrieks across the sky. Wang Tong glanced at the CCTV screen, Zergs. They had already sprawled over the entire screen.

"Damn it! They didn't even tell me that there would be Zergs here!"

Chapter 2: Escape

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

The Zergs had overrun the base. Although they lacked intelligence, their talons could tear through steel plating with ease so Wang Tong wouldn't stand a chance.

"The Confederation promised me a Zerg-free planet! Where the heck are the Confederation troops!?"

"Master, we are under attack! We are under attack! Please leave this area immediately." Charcoal uttered the words in the quickest speed his CPU allowed. He was programmed to do so to stress the urgency of the situation.

Wang Tong had been rendered useless by the mounting pressure. He had just graduated from middle school and was sent here because of a conscience-deprived old fox. Most teenagers his age were enjoying their colorful youth on earth right now, instead of having to deal with a Zerg invasion on a desolate planet far away.

"I should calm down... What would I do in a situation like this if I were on Earth?" Wang Tong said to himself.

"911!" the answer was obvious.

"But what about here? ... Bah, I'm wasting my time, of course, I should call for help!"

Wang Tong rushed toward the telecom screen hopefully. He fumbled his finger all over the phone pad, "Ding…" it connected.

"Help, Help me! Zergs, many, many Zergs! It is-"

The screen had turned to static before the attractive receptionist was able to utter a single word to Wang Tong, the signal had been interrupted.

Wang Tong stared at the screen helplessly. He wanted to cry but felt like he didn't even have the time to do so.

The telecom was a part of the planetary electronic communication system on Norton. Jamming its signal required a massive amount of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves; however, one type of Zerg was able to do precisely that.

At first sight, this kind of Zerg seemed to be harmless, but they could emit electromagnetic waves so strong that they would paralyze any electronic communication system. Insufficient electronic counter measurements on Norton had now let the Zergs gain the upper hand.

On the CCTV screen, Wang Tong saw a piece of heavy equipment, which weighed easily over a few tons, was thrown into the air by the Zergs. When it thudded to the ground, a group of eight-legged Zergs advanced in. Some gouged the headlights with their claws; some penetrated the heavy metal with their fangs, some gnawed the rubber with their teeth and some ripped mechanical joints apart with their powerful grip. The piece of equipment was quickly reduced to a pile of twisted, gnarled junk. Wang Tong stared at what was left of the machine and touched his tender and soft cheek.

He didn't want to die here, he wanted to fight back. A light bulb moment suddenly came to Wang Tong. "Charcoal, where can I find any weapons?"

Charcoal shook his head powerlessly: "Master, the base does not stock any weapons. If there is an emergency, we will radio the headquarters, and they will send a squad of METAL troops here."

"I know that already!" Wang Tong suddenly yelled at Charcoal. He would have contacted the HQ if the telecom signal hadn't been compromised. Wang Tong's despair returned, and his fear grew stronger with every passing moment. He was still young and would grow up to be the future of the Confederation, at least that's what the confederation had been telling him, so he didn't want to die here.

"If only I had been 'Mind Opened' and had a METAL suit, but now..." He looked at the Zergs crawling all over the CCTV screen. He swallowed and decided to give up the idea of going commando on hundreds of Zergs. "If I can't fight, at least I can run away."

The Zerg army was tearing apart the defense layers one by one, like peeling an onion.

Sirens screamed in every corner of the sky. The Zerg army was attacking multiple fronts. The focus of their attack was Norton's main base.

The Zergs had left Norton alone until now. Not a single Zerg had ever been spotted near Norton, so it was evident now that the silence before this attack had been a deception. The defense force was caught off guard, although the troops on the ground were trying their best to hold their line, the sheer number of Zergs was overwhelming. Most of the defense forces had been mobilized to the headquarters, leaving the other parts of the planet almost defenseless.

Lieutenant Eisle had to give the order to pull back. If they didn't pull out right now, everyone would be dead in a matter of a few moments. This was a well-prepared surprise attack, a Zerg's conspiracy.

High up in Norton's orbital space, four monstrous space hives continuously burst out showers of bug sacks towards Norton, rendering the ground defense useless.

Meanwhile, on planet Earth, the high councils were having a heated debate.

"We have been played by the Zergs. We should have corrected the lack of defense on Norton a long time ago."

"Councilor Sarl, I'd like to remind you that, not long ago, you vetoed the bill to reinforce Norton due to its astronomical cost."

"This is not the time for arguing about what has already been done."

"We should have known better, the Zergs do not stand a chance in the solar system, so the Centaurus Galaxy was the obvious target."

"Councilor Chiera, it was you who ratified the reinforcements to the Andromeda Galaxy instead of the Centaurus Galaxy."

Compared to the wild and empty Norton, the three densely populated and highly developed planets in the Andromeda Galaxy naturally deserved more attention and protection. Fighting against the Zergs was not an easy task as their hives were not only able to thrive in space, but they could also travel at hyper-speed. They had effectively made the dead, cold space their cozy home. It was almost impossible for humans to wipe them out entirely.

To be fair, the defenses on Norton should were sufficient; however, it couldn't survive from the swarm of Zergs.

Councilors fell into a chaotic argument. Arguing was human politicians' favorite method of showing off their power. However, the Kaedeian representatives sat quietly among the sizzling Earthlings, calm and somber as they always were.

Ever since their defeat four hundred years ago, Kaedeians had made a pact with Earthlings which made them obey any human's orders, as long as it did not impede with their own survival. Kaedeians and Earthlings had been reliable allies ever since the time of General Li Feng.

Kaedeians had been the first human race at large to wear METAL suits in battle with the Zergs, thanks to their natural ability to utilize EMF. Many Kaedeians had died in the thirty-year great war against the Zergs, and they had paid in blood and tears to gain the trust and friendship of the Earthlings.

Over the next hundreds of years, Kaedeians had settled on Mars and the three inhabitable planets in the Andromeda Galaxy and developed a formidable military force. When humans were caught in a conflict with another space race, they were always the first to come to Earth's aid, in honor of their pact made with the great General Li Feng. In contrast, they almost always remained neutral and silent when the conflict came from within the Earthlings themselves.

"Order, Order! I'd like to remind everyone that our agenda today is to decide on reinforcements for the Centaurus Galaxy and to rescue our brothers and sisters as soon as possible. Now it is the time to vote." Arlington, Leader of the Council, announced after he struck the gavel on the desk.

"I vote yes," all of the Earth representatives raised their hands.

"I vote yes," the same came from the Ivantians from the Moon.

"I vote yes," Kaedeians' votes were always the same as the Earthlings'.

The final decision of the council was to send the eighth company of the human space marines, and the third corps of the Kaedeians' force to Norton to eliminate the invading bugs.

Inhabitants of all planets hailed the decision of the high council. The war with the bugs was becoming a hot topic.

Meanwhile, survivors on Norton still needed to wait patiently for the arrival of reinforcements - implementing military orders always took a while. The Confederation cranked up the number of patrol fleets to ensure the security of other planets. Invasion on the desolated Norton was one thing, but the Zergs on any other inhabited planet was completely different.

Over the years of conflict with humans, the Zergs had evolved not only their bodies but also their brains. They had learned to be smart and to be sneaky; to deploy a ruse before attacking and to attack with the element of surprise.

What happened on Norton was a costly lesson, and it should never happen again. The Confederation would have to ensure the safety of the mass populated planets regardless of its cost.

Back on Norton, time was not in Wang Tong's favor. Trapped in a small room with few supplies, he would die if he chose to wait for the reinforcements. There was nothing that he could use to defend himself and only had some food rations and everyday items at his disposal. Even then, Wang Tong knew very well that even if he had a weapon, he would barely be a piece of cake for a Zerg.

His only choice was to escape on his own.

He decided to press further into the mine despite knowing that he had to endure a 5g gravity - a gravity that was five times stronger than Earth's. He would rather be crushed to death by his own weight than becoming a morsel of meat that got stuck in a Zerg's teeth.

"Time to go Charcoal, forget about the baggage."

Charcoal was still meticulously packing Wang Tong's belongings. Moved by his mother-like care and attention to detail, Wang Tong thought that Charcoal would have been an amazing butler on earth...after a little bit of plastic surgery.

Chapter 3: Survive

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

Wang Tong packed his belongings into a space crystal - the flagship domestic product of the FFC Corporation, almost everyone on earth owned one. Wang Tong received it as a gift from Old Fart. He often wondered why Old Fart didn't exchange this space crystal for moonshine like he did to his "Mind Opening Operation" ticket.

The sirens had become more ear-piercingly loud, an indication that the Zergs had breached the final line of defense. They could arrive at any moment now.

Wang Tong and Charcoal ran towards the entrance of the mine cave. To Wang Tong's surprise, the sluggish robot seemed to burst suddenly with energy; it ran even faster than Wang Tong to save his life.

Wang Tong lengthened his stride when he was almost at the mine's entrance. Inside, a grisly gravity of 5g awaited him. He gritted his teeth to muster all of his courage before he finally dashed into the mine.

As soon as he entered, he felt the gravity's blow immediately. Pressure started to build up inside of his body and deflated his lungs. Wang Tong found it hard to breathe; however, Wang Tong was determined to escape the death clutch of the Zergs. He should be able to withstand the gravity for a short while, after all, he was a fairly robust and healthy teenager, or at least that's what he thought.

This mine was built for robots to work in, not for humans to stay in, so the further one went inward, the more unbearable its environment became. Despite the dangerous path, Wang Tong had to go deeper into the mine to avoid the attention of the Zergs because they were able to detect the slightest light or heat signals.

A few more moments had passed, the internal pressure inside of Wang Tong's body had been forcing the blood to flow into his brain which caused his vision to become blurry. Charcoal stood right beside him helplessly, as he couldn't help his master since he was not a medic-bot. Wang Tong grimaced in pain as he peered at the fumbling Charcoal, he said: "Go out there and live a full life! It will be your final order!"

Blood had started to seep out of Wang Tong's nose and ears, but at least it seemed like Wang Tong wouldn't die from a bug's claw after all.

Wang Tong's consciousness started to blur, and he thought perhaps that this would be his last moment. In his blurred consciousness, he saw Old Fart, his only family who had told him that he would have to look after him when Wang Tong had grown up, but now it seemed like Wang Tong would die before him.

"Old-timer, don't drink too much ever again," Wang Tong mumbled.

Wang Tong's consciousness became blurrier with every passing second; soon he felt as if there was nothing left in him to hold on to. He decided to give up control of his body, but immediately after letting go, his body switched instinctively into a crisis mode on its own. It initiated the internal force exercise that had, by then, become Wang Tong's muscle memory thanks to his strenuous daily practices.

In the dark, motionless cave, a faint light started to glow from Wang Tong's forehead.

"Drip, drip, drip..."

Wang Tong heard the sound of water falling into a puddle, his body was in great pain, but he felt relieved at the sensation because the pain was proof that he was still alive.

Wang Tong forced himself back into reality. He opened his eyes and saw Charcoal in the faint light coming from his own forehead.

"Master, you are finally awake!"

"Charcoal...Am I still alive?"

"Master, by the definition of human death, yes, you are still alive. " Charcoal clearly lacked a sense of humor.

Wang Tong smiled back and asked, "Hehe, what had happened to me?"

"You passed out due to the excessive internal pressure built up under the planetary gravity, but thanks to your body's incredible ability to...recover, you have now adapted to the gravity, you have created a ..."

Charcoal took a moment to search his physical memory for a word that could most humanly describe the situation: "a miracle!"

Even though Wang Tong's body still ached, his difficulty to breath was gone, and he no longer felt the built-up pressure inside of him. Perhaps the pressure had been significantly reduced or perhaps it was just like what Charcoal had said - he had adapted to the environment. He asked himself, "But how? To adjust to the gravity so quickly required the mobilization of vast amounts of inner energy which is impossible without using EMF! Could it be...?"

The reality shocked Wang Tong - he realized that he had connected his consciousness to the EMF unknowingly while his life was in this unprecedented peril.

"You will be showered with blessings once you escape a disaster," Wang Tong vaguely remembered this line from a fortune cookie he once cracked open. He had thought it was cheesy, but now he knew it indeed had foretold his future.

Days of practice devoted to the tactics had allowed him to be closer than ever to the full release of his EMF, all he needed after that was a little push.

When Wang Tong went into a coma, he subconsciously initiated the tactic, and the panic his body was experiencing greatly intensified its effect. That was the final push Wang Tong needed to connect his EMF. He wouldn't need an operation after all.

On average, 50% of humans were able to connect their consciousness with the EMF after the "Mind Opening Operation". In other words, it was quite common. However, unlike most people, Wang Tong had connected his consciousness to EMF without the aid of an operation. This was a rather extraordinary feat for a human teenager.

Although it lacked scientific proof, some said that a naturally connected EMF was much stronger than those that aren't. Wang Tong had never heard of anyone who had done that, and only those from the Five Great Houses of the Confederation had ever dabbled in the subject.

It was a major relief to Wang Tong to have his EMF at his disposal, at least now he wouldn't be crushed to death by his own weight.

Wang Tong closed his eyes in relief and cherished the fact that he was still alive. He felt lucky that he always had kept an optimistic mind so that an unbearable situation would seem almost okay.

However, one question remained unanswered, why would the EMF aka the "Sea of Consciousness" mobilized the inner power all by itself to kick-off the tactic?

As he was not able to find an answer to his question, Wang Tong decided to give up and thought that maybe everyone's consciousness just worked that way.

Wang Tong had been slowly taking over the self-perpetuating tactic ever since he had regained consciousness. After a few hours, it was fully under his control; therefore he had a better idea of its progress and effect. He was amazed to find out that the exercise was being conducted at a much faster rate than it ever had been before.

It usually took five hours for Wang Tong to complete an entire round of the tactics following the instructions in the "Tactics of the Blade" (Old Fart's version). But now he estimated that the whole process would only take half an hour, it was a significant leap in speed. Wang Tong bet that even the high expectations Old Fart would be amazed at his speed.

The best part of practicing tactics after one had gained EMF was that the EMF will increase its breadth after every round of the exercise. In other words, the faster the tactic was completed, the faster one's EMF grows.

After Wang Tong had completed one round of tactics, he felt that his body had stopped aching and he was able to stand up on his feet. The next thing on his agenda was to eat. He remembered that Charcoal had packed some food in his space crystal. He gave a voice command, and the crystal unlocked itself. Voice recognition was a less sophisticated and therefore less secure way of locking it, but some more advanced space crystals could be secured using one's DNA albeit more expensive.

Wang Tong ate four times more than he usually did and then took another nap. After he had woken up, he finished another round of tactics and then started to observe his surroundings. It appeared that the Zergs had not searched this far into the mine yet, so he was safe.

Although the mine was safe to stay for the moment, it was not a long-term hiding place. Wang Tong had to get out, he led Charcoal to the entrance and deployed the method of detecting enemies he had learned in the movies; he placed his ear close to the wall and then to the ground, and listened carefully...but he couldn't hear anything. The massive Zerg army had probably already left the base, contrary to this attack orchestrating a chaotically rush en masse, in an ordinary military operation, the Zergs were very disciplined.

Although Wang Tong expected to find a bleak scene outside of the mine, he did not lose his hope of surviving the aftermath. The Confederation would not be willing to give up a planet with this much potential, and they would come back to Norton. All that Wang Tong had to do was survive until the rescue came.

He remembered that there was a granary right next to the mine entrance. If Wang Tong could make it there, the food inside would last him at least a year. He would never need to be worried about hunger, and he could focus solely on his safety.

"Charcoal, stay here and crack open the gate on my command."

"Yes, Master." Although Wang Tong didn't count on Charcoal to come up with any life-saving ideas, an extra set of hands, although mechanical, was always helpful to have around him.

As Charcoal overrode the gate control unit and cracked open the gate, light poured into the dark room which brought Wang Tong hope. Wang Tong waited patiently in the dark for a while; he listened carefully to check if there was any commotion outside...but nothing, a complete silence. He then signaled Charcoal to widen the opening, and as soon as the opening was about half a meter wide, Wang Tong rolled out through the narrow gap in-between the hanging gate and the ground.

Wang Tong took a deep breath and drew a gulp of fresh air into his lungs, then immediately started to observe his surroundings. Wang Tong had never encountered a Zerg, and he didn't know how they stalked their prey. He had seen many terrible scenes in movies where a Zerg would suddenly jump onto the silver screen and snatched away an innocent human in its bloody claws.

Moral of the story, Zergs could be anywhere, so Wang Tong had to stay on high alert.

After making sure that there were absolutely no Zergs around, Wang Tong rushed towards the granary. Comparing the real-life aftermath of a Zerg attack in front of him to what he had seen in the movies, the latter had been modest in its portrayal of the horrific scene. Deep gashes on three-inch thick steel plating made Wang Tong's hair stand end. It was the longest five hundred meters that he had ever run, and when he finally arrived at the granary, the grim scene made him cringe.

The granary had been raided by the Zerg and was destroyed. Wasting no time, Wang Tong started to pack the crumbs, and whatever was left scattered on the ground, into his space crystal, but suddenly, he sensed movement in a far corner.

Chapter 4: I Lost My Weapon

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

Wang Tong spotted a giant Zerg less than a few paces away.

Wang Tong's impulse was to run out of his hideout and towards the mine as fast as he could, but he didn't.

"Impulsiveness is your greatest Demon," Old Fart always reminded Wang Tong.

Wang Tong had been an impulsive teenager, and he knew that his impulsiveness was the culprit of his tragic life so far. Wang Tong gritted his teeth and tried as much as he could to stay put and not to run out into plain sight. He knew that the Zerg would tear him to pieces before he could enter the mine.

He waited for five minutes without moving a hair.

"Kah Chah-Kah Chah...Kaah..."

Wang Tong heard the grinding of the Zerg's exoskeleton; the noise gradually faded away into the distance as the Zerg left the area.

Wang Tong finally rushed to safety. Once the mine gate was closed, he plopped down on the ground and leaned against the gate. He had never felt such an adrenaline rush in his life.

Before Wang Tong had regained his peace of mind from his close escape, another glaring issue presented itself immediately: food. The rations Wang Tong had gathered out there would only last a week at most. That meant he would starve to death if the Confederation reinforcements didn't arrive in time.

With only a C-class domestic robot by his side, roughly one week of rations in his backpack, and pitch dark and hazardous mine cave as shelter, Wang Tong was in a dire situation. Most people under this much stress would have already fallen into helpless despair if they were not completely mad yet. Wang Tong, however, did not seem to be so bothered by the perils ahead of him, he merely blamed it on his bad luck, and then, like nothing had happened, he went on to eat his lunch like a typical day.

It didn't matter how he felt; the situation wasn't going to get any better or worse, there was still a week's time after all. God had created the whole world in a week, and that just demonstrated how much could happen in seven days.

On a more optimistic note, maybe there would be a cargo ship in front of the mine tomorrow, perhaps there will be even an attractive space stewardess welcoming him aboard, exactly like he loved them.

Wang Tong hadn't fully recovered yet, adding the stress and fear of what he had just gone through made him feel extremely sleepy. His mind drifted off, and he fell asleep with a half chewed piece of jerky still in his mouth.

In the darkness, Charcoal guarded him loyally while Wang Tong slept.

Old Fart always told him, "You haven't failed until you have completely given up on something."

Old Fart liked to preach life lessons to him, although Old Fart himself had neglected to learn from his own teachings, all of them.

It would be a pity if a young man like Wang Tong died here without a cause. On the flip side, thanks to his young age, he had quickly adapted to the pitch dark environment in the cave. With the help of Charcoal, he also extended his range of scavenging activities.

Most of the Zerg army had already left Norton, only a few small forces remained, scattered all over the planet. Although the Zergs that remained stationed here were relatively weaker compared to those that had already left, they were still deadly. That said, Wang Tong would not sit by and wait for his death, so he started to scavenge the nearby buildings for anything useful. To his surprise, he found a functional nutrition transformer in a pile of junk which had overly exceeded his expectations.

It was able to transform any inedible organic matters into a pill that had the same equivalent nutrient content. It tasted horrible, but they could work miracles. On the desolate Norton, providing the workers with enough nutrition had always been a problem, so it had quickly become a necessity.

Norton was covered with giant plants that could be used in the nutrition transformer; therefore Wang Tong's food crisis seemed to have been resolved. He searched further into the base and got lucky again; he found a box of cheap wine and some crumbled biscuits, Wang Tong treated them like precious treasures, savoring them in small quantities at a time instead of squandering them all at once.

All the while, Wang Tong heard booming in the distance and saw explosions in the sky almost every day, the war was still going on; the Zergs had most likely resisted the human's push back. Wang Tong knew that he would have to wait longer than he had initially thought for the rescuers to come, but it didn't matter now because he was prepared.

Perhaps Wang Tong was born with an optimism gene; he felt like this dangerous life was much more thrilling than watching robots hacking at rocks with a pitchfork repetitively every day. Thanks to his EMF, he had become much more aware of his environment, and much more alert to any threats than he ever had been before.

Humans always had a fear of unknown entities, on the flip side, when Wang Tong started to learn more about his enemies, the fear gradually dissipated. He had learned how to avoid the Zerg's attention and made his pitch dark cave into a new cozy home.

"Charcoal, place the food and wine deeper into the cave... hold on, leave one bottle of wine for me."

"Yes master," Charcoal was the most loyal companion Wang Tong had on Norton. He couldn't imagine a day going by without seeing Charcoal's lovely charcoal colored face.

The deeper end of the cave was a perfect place for hiding food or anything of value. It was badly ventilated and treacherous to navigate so only robots could go in and out easily.

Wang Tong spent most of his spare time practicing the "Tactics of the Blade". He wasn't sure if it was because of the EMF or if the Old Fart's version of the tactic was truly unique, but he felt like it had increased his inner power tremendously. It had not only enabled him to live with 5g gravity, but it also had made him quick minded, and both were essential elements to possess to survive on this planet.

On another scavenging hunt, Wang Tong found a weapon - a long, sharp-edged iron bar, probably snapped by a Zerg claw. This stick had more or less provided Wang Tong some sense of security, regardless of how effective it really would be when used against a Zerg.

A man once said: "The source of suffering for most people was pursuing the wrong dream."

As Wang Tong just reached fifteen, he should be proud of himself for what he had already achieved and stay put. Instead, he became restless after staying in the cave for a few weeks and craved for further explorations and adventures. He dreamed of discovering a new path hidden in the labyrinth of crumbled buildings and encountering other human troops who had survived. These thoughts troubled him every night. At last, he decided to come out of his hiding place, since there was no point in simply waiting for anything to happen anyway.

Wang Tong had become bold and careless over the few weeks he had spent in the cave. Avoiding a Zerling's attention seemed effortless, but he immediately paid for his boldness.

A Zerg had quickly spotted Wang Tong and suddenly jumped at him. Wang Tong was born with insensitive nerves, so the shock didn't affect him as much as the Zerg had expected. Instead of being stupefied like most people would be, Wang Tong simply turned on his heel, bolted away, and left only a gust of wind.

Wang Tong peered back to see what was after him and saw a spider-like creature about a meter tall and three meters wide that was brandishing its sharp claws—eight in total—stomping his way toward him and crushing everything in its path.

Humans loathed the Zergs immensely, and the opposite was true as well, if not more intensely. The Zergs had the most advanced form of biological evolution, the young Zergs not only inherited physical traits from their parents but also their emotions, including hatred. The Zerg force had been sweeping across the universe and seemed to be unstoppable; however, they had tasted bitter defeat for the first time during the war against humans four hundred years ago. Four centuries of genetically inherited hatred had made any Zerg's eyes go red with rage at the sight of a human.

"Charcoal... Charcoal, open the gate!"

Wang Tong had started yelling at Charcoal when he was still far away from the gate, fortunately, Charcoal had been listening. He lifted the gate about half a meter high - a height that was set by Wang Tong to ensure that nothing bigger could get through.

When Wang Tong finally reached the gate, he ducked and, with the aid of momentum, rolled to one side and spun around until he reached the other side of the gate. All the while, he didn't dare look back again, fearing that he was within less than an arm's reach of the Zerg.

"Boom" The Zerg rammed the gate with its forehead and sent a shockwave throughout the cave; fortunately, the gate was almost a meter thick and was made out of exceptionally sturdy material, so it didn't budge an inch at the Zerling's attack. The Zerg finally had to give up seeing that it had left only a few dents on the gate. Wang Tong concluded that this Zerg must be lacking in strength compared to a regular Zerg because otherwise, the gate would have already given way to the first impact.

Wang Tong continued lying on the ground trying to catch his breath. He'd never thought that he could run that fast, perhaps he should pursue a career as an athlete when it was all over.

"Ahh, where is my weapon?!" Wang Tong suddenly cried out and stared at his empty hand. He then remembered that he had dropped the iron bar during the encounter with the Zerg. He hadn't even thought about fighting back against that monster.

"Master, I will retrieve it for you."

"Save it; you are not much stronger than me."

It would take less than a second before Charcoal would be torn apart by that monster. Wang Tong didn't want to see Charcoal become a pile of junk as he was the only companion Wang Tong had on this lonely planet.

Chapter 5: Kowtow My Ass

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

Wang Tong was amazed at his speed, and he was equally puzzled at its cause. He wished that he had attended military academy so that he would be able to answer his questions about these developments.

"Charcoal, how fast do you think I was running out there?"

"Master, based on my readings, your speed is comparable to a base level METAL fighter."

Wang Tong smiled, although his speed wasn't top notch, to have it placed on par with a METAL fighter made him very proud of himself since it couldn't have been a fluke out there. He closed his eyes to reflect on the details of what had happened.

Upon careful contemplation, he figured out what had to be the cause of his new speed: it was the now much faster speed of initializing of the "Tactics of the Blade".

Before he had gained his EMF, his GN nodes had responded sluggishly to his command of initiating of the tactic, what's more, it would often take a while until it started to take effect, again thanks to the slow movements of his GN nodes.

However, ever since Wang Tong had linked his EMF, the initializing of the tactics had almost become an instinct.

When faced with a perilous situation, his subconscious would begin the "Tactics of the Blade" entirely on its own without the need of Wang Tong's conscious command. His EMF had also made the movement of the GN nodes swifter and more fluid; therefore the tactics would take effect almost immediately.

Wang Tong cherished the miraculous accident that had led to the release of his EMF. The sweet taste of triumph made him more eager to become a METAL fighter, but for now, Wang Tong had to gain a better understanding of his new abilities.

Charcoal had helped him light up the cave corridor as his testing ground. He took a deep breath and dug one heel into the ground, then commanded the GN nodes to accelerate their speed; power started to burst out of the EMF and was channeled by Wang Tong throughout his entire body...

"Komnnhh…" Wang Tong suddenly bolted forward in lightening speed.

Wang Tong found himself with his mouth hard pressed against the wall, in an intimate kiss with the cold hard cave, sand and grit filled the groove between his lips. He laughed in joy as he thudded to the ground. "I wasn't dreaming; my speed was real!"

Wang Tong had been busy adjusting to his speed for the next two days. He tried to control his speed so that he wouldn't dash into the gaping mouth of a Zerg. Not only had his speed improved, but also his strength. He tested his strength with a rebar by thrusting it into one of the cave's walls which ended up being pierced deeply into the hard rock, and the rebar got stuck firmly inside. He couldn't even dream of having strength like this before. Eager to test his new powers in a real life situation, he decided to see if he could kill a Zerg.

To kill a Zerg, he had to find a Zerg first, and he knew there was one nearby that would make a perfect practice target. He was thinking of the previous Zerg that he had barely escaped from. Zergs were patient predators; many documentary films had mentioned their persistence and patience. Although Wang Tong couldn't hear any movement outside, he knew that it was still out there, waiting for him somewhere in the dark.

To prepare for the hunt, Wang Tong and Charcoal started digging a booby trap at the mine entrance. It was Wang Tong's first time hunting a Zerg, although he was confident about his new abilities, capturing a Zerg would further boost that confidence. It would give him the courage to stand up against even stronger Zergs.

Wang Tong mumbled as he finished his preparations: "Booby trap-done, Weapons-loaded, Plan B - heck, who cares about plan B, thinking too much only makes you cowardly."

After one night of preparation followed by two hours of rest, he was rejuvenated and ready for a fight. Before he signaled Charcoal to crack open the gate, he took a few large gulps of the cheap wine.

The gate was raising slowly; Wang Tong couldn't hear any movement outside and wondered if the Zerg was already gone?

Wang Tong darted his eyes left and right to scan his periphery. Suddenly, he saw that the Zerg was hidden in a bush. A pair of emerald colored eyes stared straight at the gate that was still rising.

As soon as the gap between the gate and the ground was about the same height as the Zerg, its body jolted forward and rushed towards the opening. It moved too fast for Charcoal to shut the gate in time.

Seeing that the Zerg was about to dash through the threshold, Wang Tong roared a battle cry in half-drunkenness and flung a metal plate towards the charging Zerg.

The Zerg didn't even flinch; it quickly raised one of his eight arms to block the incoming projectile. The metal plate pierced through the Zerg's sharp claw tip. The attack didn't slow down the Zerg, but as soon as it had crossed the threshold, it fell through the hole and into the booby trap.

"Attack! Now!"

Wang Tong felt a buzz in his ear as blood suddenly rushed toward his brain. A strong emotion took full control of his body and mind; he had no time to think, no time to use the EMF, he had to attack and attack now.

He advanced and smashed the trapped Zerg with massive boulders and sharp metals pieces. Even Charcoal had joined the smashing, albeit being slow and clumsy. The Zerg let out waves of ear-piercing wails.

The two stoned the trapped Zerg for nearly ten minutes. When they finally stopped, the pit was filled to the brim with rocks and metal pieces, and the middle of the pile bulged up like a hill. Wang Tong shivered in disbelief as he noticed the hill. "Sh*t, did we really do this?"

Then he quickly remembered what was buried underneath, and he cheered with glee in his voice: "Ha ha Charcoal, we did it! I am a genius!"

It was Wang Tong's first Zerg kill, although this particular Zerg was weak like Wang Tong had deduced on their first encounter, Wang Tong was still immensely proud of himself. He sprung up in excitement and hugged an equally excited Charcoal, whose cold metal body felt almost warm.

But they had celebrated too soon...

"Ssss..."

An arm burst out of the rocks and slithered towards Wang Tong with its pointy claws. Wang Tong dodged the attack immediately, but even with his heightened senses and improved agility, the claw still cut a foot long gash on his arm. Blood gushed out uncontrollably and splattered all over the ground; some even got on the space crystal lying nearby. Wang Tong watched as the severely wounded Zerg slowly stood up to reveal its hideous head, struggling its way out at the top of the hill.

Stimulated by blood and liquor, a battle rage suddenly burst inside of Wang Tong, he picked up an iron rebar on the ground and hopped onto the giant wiggling head.

He lifted the metal bar with two hands right above the head, the sharp end pointed directly at the cranial cavity, and he thrust with full force. "One... two... three..." dark green blood gushed out of the Zergs brain and splattered on his face. "Four… five… six..." the Zerg twitched in excruciating pain; green blood blurred Wang Tong's vision. "Seven... eight… ni—" suddenly the defiant Zerg channeled its last strength into a free limb and hacked towards Wang Tong. Wang Tong quickly hopped off the head to dodge the attack, and in midair grabbed onto the swinging arm. The arm swung in the air a few times before it finally plopped back to the ground with Wang Tong's arm still wrapped tightly around it.

Wang Tong cleared the gluey liquid off his face. The same substance had covered Charcoal's optical sensors; spiral patterns flashed on Charcoal's display unit- an indicator for temporary sensory overload.

"This is ... f*cking hard."

Wang Tong limped off the pile of stones. He couldn't believe that he had butchered a Zerg with a coarse iron rebar.

"Charcoal, shut the gate!"

Wang Tong became exhausted and sober as the power and rage instilled by drunkenness were completely gone. Being as powerless as he was then, a baby Zerg would be able to kill him with a flick of its claw.

Wang Tong didn't lower his guard until he saw the heavy gate shut in front of him. He then examined the dead Zerg and started to savor his victory for the second time.

Wang Tong took a quiet moment to reflect on his heroic battle. In the faint light, only his heavy raspy breathing could be heard throughout the empty mine cave.

"Analyzing..."

"Gene type - Human... Purity - near a hundred percent...First Criteria Check - criteria satisfied..."

"Initiate self-checkup..."

"10%....20%... 100%."

"Finalized."

Wang Tong's Space Crystal started to radiate an eerie light through Wang Tong's blood that was smeared all over its shiny surface. Being as exhausted as he was, Wang Tong didn't even notice the light.

"Czeng.."

A beam of bright light shot out of the space crystal and filled the cave entirely with brightness. The sudden eruption of light startled Wang Tong who were still resting on the ground. To his relief, he found out that it wasn't another Zerg.

Light always brought hope to Wang Tong, but as he stared at the iridescently lit space crystal, he felt only confusion. He'd had this seemingly ordinary space crystal for over eight years, and he had never discovered that it was able to shoot out bright lights. He pondered why a discount item that Old Fart had picked up as a last minute gift could have such an unusual function.

A grandiose looking middle aged man emerged out of the light. He was accompanied by a sensation of immense power that engulfed everything in this cave.

Wang Tong felt the power passing through his body; he knew the man in the light must be an incredibly powerful master.

The middle-aged man looked at the dead Zerg in a pool of green blood, then looked back and studied Wang Tong and Charcoal for a second and said

"Pfff... power is less than 100, what a loser."

"Who did you call a loser?!" Wang Tong jumped to his feet and yelled at him. He would not let him mock his victory.

"Of course I was talking about you kiddo. Humph...now, tell me, lad, where is this place?" The middle-aged man asked contemptuously.

By living with Old Fart for his entire life, Wang Tong had learned a thing or two about dealing with lunatics with grandiose delusions, such as this one in front of him. Instead of answering his questions, Wang Tong asked him back: "Well, Who are you? Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

"You don't know me? Ha-ha... Everyone knows who I am, Have you been living under a rock? Ha ha ha."

Wang Tong could feel that great energy was carried with his ostentatious laughter. However, he also felt that the power had quickly faded away once it was outside of the light, leaving only the sound to reverberate in the dark parts of the cave.

"Save your nonsense, who the heck are you?"

"I am ...I am..." The middle-aged man seemed to be scrapping his memory.

One minute later...

"Old timer, have you remembered who you are yet?" Wang Tong asked.

The middle-aged man was still pondering about his name and had since changed his "thinking" position n-times. All the while, Wang Tong had already finished dressing his wound to stop the bleeding. He did not have the luxury of worrying about infections, applying a simple dressing was all that he could do; the rest was up to his fate.

"Damn, I have forgotten who I am... Anyways, all you need to know about me is that I am a prominent person, well-known too, and I was the grandest of the grand masters. Many rookies have dreamed of becoming my disciples, rookies like you. "

"And?" Wang Tong slanted his eyebrow perfunctorily. He was unimpressed, Mr. grandest of the grand could be just another Old Fart.

"And?...and...and I hereby offer you an opportunity to become my disciple, you little sh*t. You may kneel now and offer your hundred kowtows to your new master; I might be so moved after that and consider teaching you one of my coup de graces." The middle-aged man said excitedly and with a smirk on his face. He had already overcome the depression of forgetting his own identity.

Wang Tong was dumbfounded by the man's "kind gesture", he asked Charcoal: "Have you ever seen a Space Crystal do this? What the heck is happening right now?" Charcoal looked in the direction of the light, not sure where to look besides the bright light.

Before Charcoal could reply to his question, Wang Tong turned to the middle-aged man in the bright light and barked at him, "And you, you can Kowtow my ass!"

Chapter 6: Peasant Genes

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

"Kiddo, save your energy, only you will be able to see me. Balls, who the heck sealed me inside of this crystal?... humm… humm? The Hall of Valhalla? ... bakh! I can't remember. It doesn't matter, the fact that you could break the Sigil of Matrix Gaol means that our destinies were bound to be crossed." Although the middle-aged man seemed to be suffering from dementia, he also appeared to be very absent-minded, and he likely wouldn't be bothered by trivial things like forgetting his own name.

"Break the Sigil?"

"That is correct; this was primarily due to your simple and pure genes."

Wang Tong laughed in joy: "Does that mean my genes are superior? Ha, I knew I was special."

"Piss on that, it only means that you and all of your ancestors were poor peasants, that was what made your genes 'simple'. Most families would have already altered their genes if they could afford it."

The middle aged man not only doused Wang Tong's high spirit with cold water, but he also touched on something personal. Wang Tong pouted and said, "I don't even know my parents, let alone my ancestors."

The man seemed shocked: "Fine, it doesn't matter; lords and princelings all had peasant ancestors at some point in time. Come, let me teach you a few moves and you should be near invincible in this world. Ahh, I forgot to ask, what year is it and where are we?"

"It is 2565, we are inside of a mine cave on the planet of Norton in the Centaur Galaxy, and we are surrounded by Zerg forces."

"2565...When was I...balls, I can't remember. Doesn't matter, no need to fret lad, they are just bugs, let's fight our way out. Even a massive Zerg army barely poses a threat to me. I recall the days of....of...Bahh, I can't remember...." The expression on the face of the middle-aged man seemed to suggest that he was either a genius or an idiot.

Wang Tong was eager to discover whether the man would truly be of help, but the man's capriciousness had quickly used up Wang Tong's patience.

"Hey old timer, don't just talk, show me how you kill an ant."

"Boom.."

Amidst the light, Wang Tong could see that the middle-aged man seemed to have caused something to explode and released a wave of power, however as soon as the power propagated to the edge of the light, it dissipated immediately. The light seemed to have contained the middle-aged man's power.

The man had attempted the explosion a few more times and finally gave up his retaliation of insults. He turned to Wang Tong and asked helplessly, "Lad, let's make a deal. I will teach you how to fight, and you will take me to Valhalla. I can still vaguely remember that the reason for my imprisonment has something to do with Valhalla. Perhaps it's the jerks who live there that jailed me in here."

"Dear Sir, do you happen to know what is this place called Valhalla and how to get there?" Wang Tong stared at the man like watching a halfwit. Even babes knew that Valhalla, the sacred hall built by the Blade Warriors, was as legendary and mysterious as the Blade Warriors themselves. It was a place of eternity and invincibility and was said to exist in the Astral Realm, a place that can only be reached by the decedents and the disciples of General Li Feng.

Despite his naive question, Wang Tong had a gut feeling that this man was the real deal. Although his soul storm blast was confined within the light, its power looked very impressive to Wang Tong.

"It doesn't matter; this is a great deal for you. Once you have helped me to reach Valhalla, I will teach you a set of powerful tactics. What do you think of that?"

The middle-aged man seemed to be too eager to become Wang Tong's master.

Wang Tong thought about his offer for a second and asked suspiciously:"Why are you so insistent to have me as your disciple? What's in it for you?"

One should beware of deceptions as much as blatant animosities.

This was another one of Old Fart's favorite life lessons, this one, in particular, was told to Wang Tong everytime Old Fart had lost his pocket money in obvious street scams.

"What's in it for me?... Yea, what is it?... Why would I offer to teach you the tactic?" The man seemed dumbfounded by his own actions as if something or someone had controlled his consciousness to say things that he didn't mean to.

The middle-aged man soon returned to his normal self, coming out of his lost memories and said, "Doesn't matter what's in it for me, let's first talk about you. What kind of garbage have you been practicing? Who would need a trap to capture a low-level Zerg? And you almost got yourself killed! I remember those days..."

He suddenly realized that he could no longer remember those days and waved his arms in frustration.

"I was practicing the 'Tactics of the Blade'." Wang Tong was confident about his answer. The version he had been practicing required sixteen GN nodes instead of eight in the conventional version, it ought to impress the middle-aged man.

"The 'Tactics of the Blade'?" The middle-aged man said in disbelief and laughed ostentatiously: "Wahahaha... If that were the 'Tactics of the Blade', then I would be a Blade Warrior!"

"It really is called the 'Tactics of the Blade', it is a common tactic to improve the strength of EMF for us, humans, mind opened or not! It's not just me who calls it that, everyone else does, and my version requires using sixteen GN nodes, unlike the eight nodes in the conventional version."

Wang Tong said it indignantly, he held more respect for Old Fart and his tactic than this middle aged man who had so far shown him more words than actions.

"Humf" The middle-aged man suddenly shifted his eyes and gazed at Wang Tong as if he were studying him. Bright lights shone in his eyes, and Wang Tong felt as if his thoughts were naked under his penetrating gaze. A translucent scene of Wang Tong practicing the tactic appeared in the light, in front of the man's eyes.

"Interesting... who would have thought the 'Tactics of the Blade' could be dumbed down into a useless piece of garbage like this? I wonder what the real Blade Warriors would think of this dumbed-down knock-off version of their almost invincible tactics. Time can do terrible things… Lad, do you want to learn the real 'Tactics of the Blade'? "

"Yes!" Wang Tong nodded without hesitation. No one would pass up the opportunity to learn the tactic used by the legendary Blade Warriors. They were the legends themselves, some even say they were the embodiment of the Gods. Their power which helped humans to win the Great War four hundred years ago surpassed even the technological capabilities of the current era.

But could Wang Tong really be so lucky as to have the chance to learn the real "Tactics of the Blade"? Wang Tong became suspicious again.

"What's the catch?" Wang Tong asked. He knew there were no free lunches.

The middle-aged man sighed and said, "There are none. I only want you to bring me out of the crystal from time to time; it's really stuffy in there. Look, lad, without me, you will never be able to get out of here in one piece anyways."

"That's fair," Wang Tong nodded. "Umm... there's just one more question that I have, and I'm not sure if it's appropriate to ask."

"F*ck it, spit it out and be a man, don't act like a baby."

"Okay... Are you a… bully?"

...An awkward silence filled up the cave...

"WHHHOAAT?

"Me? Excuse you! I happen to be the most honorable, the most famous as well as the most revered Einherjar in this world. How could I be a bully? Question my honor again, and I will beat you to a pulp!" The middle-aged man shrieked at Wang Tong furiously.

Wang Tong shrugged his shoulders. Although this middle-aged man's violent inclination and aggressive temperament were close to that of a bully, Wang Tong felt that he was not wretched in his heart.

"Fine, you want me to start the disciple initiation? Let's do it now."

"No need for the initiation, I'll teach you how to fight, in return, you will help me to break free from my imprisonment. We wouldn't owe each other anything."

"Whatever you want, let's start the lessons then." Wang Tong couldn't wait to learn more power and stronger abilities.

"Very well, here we go: The source of human's strength is the sea of consciousness, the stronger the sea of consciousness, the more power one gets. And the 'Tactics of the Blade', I mean the real one, was the most effective way to strengthen one's sea of consciousness. "

"Are you really a Blade Warrior? Please don't be; otherwise, I would be very disappointed."

"Piss on you, of course, I'm not!"

"Then where have you learned the real 'Tactics of the Blade'? Haven't you just told me that only the Blade Warriors knew how to use it? Furthermore, if you are indeed that bad ass, why were you trapped inside the crystal?"

Wang Tong's questions came one after another; he clearly still doubted his new teacher's credibility.

"Balls, you are one hell of a fastidious kid. Yes, what I am about to teach you is indeed the 'Tactics of the Blade', and no, I have never learned it myself. I personally used a different kind of tactics which I may or may not want to teach you.

Anyhow, as you know, I am now trapped inside of this crystal sealed by the Sigil of Matrix Gaol, not only my body but also my consciousness was imprisoned and controlled by the power inside the Sigil. Now the power wants me to teach you the 'Tactics of the Blade'. Therefore I have to; otherwise, it would torment me until I do so. Believe me or not, I have told you the truth."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Well fine then, I will give it a try; my situation can't get any worse, and nobody cares about my well being anyway. Since you can't remember your name, I'll have to pick a nickname for you, let's see, you had insisted that you were an Einherjar, although you could never prove it, how about I call you Einherjar-Wannabe."

"No, not a wannabe, I am one of the Einherjars!" Einherjar-Wannabe protested.

"Come on Mr. Wannabe, Einherjars are the greatest of the great fighters who definitely would not care to argue over something as trivial as a nickname?" Wang Tong's words had rendered Mr. Wannabe speechless. Wang Tong always had been good at dealing with conceited old fools.

"Kiddo, the 'Tactics of the Blade' is one of the most powerful tactics that has ever existed, it was created by the Blade Warriors, and only the Blade Warriors themselves have used it. I have no clue how the tactic got inside the crystal, and neither do I have any idea why the power inside the Sigil wanted me to teach you that.

"Anyhow, I have taken a look at the tactic, and it is not that difficult nor is it that different than the 'Tactics of the Blade' you have been practicing. The only difference is in the number of GN nodes it requires to be mobilized, instead of 8 or 16, it requires two hundred and fifty-six GN nodes. Every node has to revolve around your EMF fluently without interruption.

"Since I have never learned it myself, I can only teach you the basics; it will then be up to you to master it. I do believe you can do it though, the power inside the Sigil wouldn't have chosen you to learn it for no reason."

"I told you I was special" Wang Tong cracked a smile.

Mr. Wannabe scowled at Wang Tong for his over confidence. A diagram emerged out of the crystal's bright light, and it was the anatomy of a human covered with red dots. Upon closer inspection, Wang Tong realized these red dots were the GN nodes, and without counting, he knew right away that there must be two hundred and fifty-six of them in total.

Chapter 7: The Real Deal

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

Wang Tong looked at the clusters of red dots scattered around the image of human anatomy, and he realized that the locations of the centers of the clusters matched exactly to the positions of the sixteen GN nodes in the Old Fart's version of the tactic.

"Have you noticed the flickering red dots on the right hand? Let's focus on that cluster today." Mr. Wannabe said, "I'll teach you, but I need you to focus—b*lls, I never would have thought that I would be a teacher one day—Anyways, Wang Tong, you need to channel your soul power out of your Sea of Consciousness."

Wang Tong followed Mr. Wannabe's instruction carefully. Slowly but surely, he channeled his soul energy towards the sixteen GN nodes on his right hand as indicated on the diagram.

"Excellent, but that was the easy part, now pay close attention to what I say. You need to direct your soul energy into each and every GN node; you should do it one at a time because it would be impossible for you to control them all at once, at least for now. The more you practice the tactics, the stronger the synergy between the soul energy and the GN nodes becomes."

Mr. Wannabe's tone started to get serious; it signaled to Wang Tong that there were great difficulties ahead. Mr. Wannabe was very interested in learning the tactics himself; however, that would mean that he would have to give up all of the existing power that he had gained by practicing his own tactics. In addition to that, Mr. Wannabe had heard that there were only a few chosen ones who could master the "Tactics of the Blade". He was unsure whether he would succeed and he thought that it was better to play safe.

"Position your soul power towards the first GN node; enter the node on my command- now!"

Wang Tong gritted his teeth, released a pulse of soul energy towards the first GN node. He had gone through all of this when he practiced his version of the tactics, so he knew what to do. But after he saw Mr. Wannabe's serious and somber face, he figured it must be much harder than his previous practices.

"Kommm..."

Wang Tong's soul energy connected to the first node, the second node…the third node... without any further instruction from Mr. Wannabe; Wang Tong had easily taken control of all sixteen nodes using his soul energy.

"Mr. Wannabe, am I done?" Wang Tong asked Wannabe in confusion, this practice was too easy, nothing like what Wannabe had described earlier. Perhaps this version of the "Tactics of the Blade" was also a knockoff like the others?

Mr. Wannabe seemed to be embarrassed by Wang Tong's question; he said "Yes, you are done. That will be it for today, keep practicing." He then quickly disappeared with the light. Right before the light went out, Wang Tong could hear Mr. Wannabe grunt peevishly to himself: "Pff... Beginner's luck."

Wang Tong didn't mind if it was just a case of beginner's luck or not, he practiced with the sixteen new GN nodes every day with great enthusiasm. The sixteen new nodes formed their own system of revolution; it formed an additional system to the larger scale GN nodes revolving around his entire body.

Although it took Wang Tong a long time to get used to the interaction between the smaller system in his right hand and the body-wide system, he found the challenging new practice very refreshing. He had gotten tired of the Old Fart's version of the tactic a long time ago, anything new was more than welcome; what's more, it was the real deal practiced by the Blade Warriors.

It was two days later when Mr. Wannabe re-emerged out of the crystal again. Wang Tong's ability must have shocked him. "Kiddo, show me what you got so far."

Wang Tong channeled his soul energy to the GN nodes, and at his command, they circled each other fluidly. Without much effort, he had finished one entire round of practice. Wang Tong had been practicing the "Tactics of the Blade" ever since he was six, although he had never felt it useful then, Old Fart insisted on supervising his practice every day. Old Fart couldn't have been more serious about Wang Tong's practice, unlike anything else about Wang Tong. He had to see to it that Wang Tong finished the entire round of practice and that Wang Tong had practiced to the best of his best ability.

"Hmm... Are you sure you aren't related to the Blade Warriors? Well, I mean, you did very well, now, try using your soul energy on the cave wall."

Without asking any questions, Wang Tong dug his heel into the ground and punched the wall with his bare fist. A thunderous crash shook the entire cave; rocks on the top of the mine cave fell at the impact. The cave had suddenly filled with powdery dust. Wang Tong's punch had put a giant crack in the wall.

"You D*mb-A*s! I told you to give it an air-punch using your soul energy, not a physical punch. You almost buried us alive." Mr. Wannabe yelled at Wang Tong outraged. If Wang Tong were buried alive here, he would never be able to get out of the crystal again.

Wang Tong scratched his head and looked embarrassed, but then joy quickly appeared on his face. He'd never thought that he could have so much strength; his entire body had been filled with soul energy when he delivered the punch.

"Was that the power of the GN force?"

Mr. Wannabe sneered at Wang Tong; his eyes were cold and contemptuous. His dismay and discouragement really haven't made him a great teacher "Of course not... the human race would have been doomed if that's all that the GN force could do.

What you released a moment ago was merely the power stored inside of your EMF, perhaps there was a trace amount of GN force that resulted from the revolving GN nodes, but the amount was negligible. You won't be able to use the GN force until you have fully mastered the complete version of the 'Tactics of the Blade'."

Despite what Wannabe said, Wang Tong sensed a tinge of approval in his tone. Wannabe had been amazed at Wang Tong's ability to quickly master the "Tactics of the Blade" which was known for its tremendous difficulty.

For the month that followed, Wang Tong had to live a destitute life in the cave. He had depleted his rations and had started to use plant leaves in the Nutrient Transformer to create nutrient pills in order to survive.

Wang Tong did not mind the horrible tastes of the artificial pills; he had spent most of his attention on practicing the tactics. He had never been so devoted to his training, despite the daily squabbles with Mr. Wannabe. All the while, Charcoal looked after his everyday life attentively. When he wasn't busy cooking or cleaning, he stood quietly in a corner without disturbing Wang Tong's practice. As long as Charcoal was in sight, Wang Tong never felt lonely. Wang Tong felt that Charcoal had gradually become more than a robotic assistant, he had become a friend.

Wang Tong had now finally completed the "Tactics of the Blade". He didn't feel the excitement that he thought he would, there were no drum rolls or cheers, it just happened, and it happened almost too easily.

At one time Wang Tong even doubted whether he had indeed completed the tactic, even Wannabe wasn't too sure about it, since he had never practiced the "Tactics of the Blade" himself. Their only indication of his progress was the flickering red dots on the human anatomy diagram. Every time one GN node had been connected by Wang Tong's soul power, one corresponding red dot would disappear from the diagram, and when Wang Tong had connected the two hundred fifty-sixth GN node, all of the red dots were gone.

The two hundred and fifty-six GN nodes revolved around each other, forming an intricate system of moving energy throughout Wang Tong's body. A full round of the tactics would now take an entire day to finish.

It truly was a pity that no one was there to witness such an unprecedented feat. If Wang Tong had done it in broad daylight instead of the pitch dark cave, the five major houses of the Confederation would have sent their men to track down Wang Tong in order to learn his secrets.

This legendary tactic hadn't stood the test of time, not only did the original version seem to have been lost in time, but the current version had been dumbed down to a pedestrian level. The only use for the current version of the tactic was to help increase the rate of success in a "Mind Opening Operation".

"You did well, lad. The next month we will focus on two things: one, continue your tactic training, and two, real combat. "

"Real fight? Haha! Awesome! I can't wait to test my power. Will I be able to use my GN force then?"

"Idiot, of course not! What's the hurry anyway? Haven't you learned about the rules of 'Tactic first, GN force second' at school?"

"Umm… I have never attended any military academy. So no, I've never learned that before."

Unknown to Mr. Wannabe, Wang Tong had been struggling to self-fund his "Mind Opening Operation" just a few months before they met, let alone any academic knowledge seemingly basic to Wannabe.

"Humph, lad, you should thank the gods for the things I have taught you. You would never be able to learn it at any military academy; it is my years of experience as the ..."

"The greatest Einherjar... Blablabla... Yes Mr. Wannabe, I know the rest." Wang Tong cut him off nonchalantly.

"Fine, now listen, this is important. Real combat is not child's play; it's a situation of life and death. Make sure you strike deadly and true. Do you understand me?"

"Ya Ya, Mr. Wannabe, I have survived many times under the Zerg's attacks, I know what I'm doing."

Wang Tong had quickly found his first target, another one of the lower tier Zerg that looked like a spider. It took Wang Tong only a single blow before the Zerg wailed and fell to the ground. A rice bowl sized hole appeared on its belly where Wang Tong had struck, revealing colorful innards.

In his apparent triumph, Wang Tong had underestimated the still struggling Zerg. His own belly was struck by a tossing arm and caused a severe wound that was almost fatal.

Wannabe glared at Wang Tong's wound after they returned to the cave, he didn't say much except for one line that underlined the lesson that Wang Tong had paid in his own blood: "You should only celebrate over dead bodies."