Feeling the earth-shaking change in the way Dr. Lisa was looking at him, Li Chen felt not the slightest bit of happiness. Instead, his heart was filled with a wave of irritation.

‘A genius? Me? Hey, hey, hey, this script is completely wrong. With your old witch’s sky-high standards, with Thunder Martial Arts Hall’s harsh conditions that can discard even a dignified sixth-tier martial artist just for overdrawing their potential… Why would you value trash like me? I’m not, I didn’t, stop talking nonsense!’

Yet no matter how unwilling Li Chen was deep down, Dr. Lisa moved as if she had just discovered a priceless treasure. In the blur of his vision, she left behind only an afterimage as she snatched the inspection report from his hands.

“Let me see. Reaction speed is average, neural conduction speed is below average, muscle explosive power is weak, heart-rate adjustment…” Dr. Lisa frowned deeply and rubbed her chin in confusion.

“With physical qualities like this, even by ordinary civilian standards you’re just passable. Strange—given talent like yours, even with high comprehension, how could artificial intelligence give you such a high evaluation?”

‘Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right!’

If he weren’t afraid of drawing even more unnecessary attention, Li Chen would’ve almost nodded along with the old witch’s contempt on the spot.

Compared to being labeled a ‘genius’ by that madwoman, Li Chen would much rather leave Thunder Martial Arts Hall with the impression that he was a ‘pretty boy who got in through connections’.

It sounded ugly, sure, but it was basically the truth anyway and, given this world’s exaggerated gender ratio, it was hardly unusual.

On the other hand, considering Thunder Martial Arts Hall’s own extraordinary nature, plus the deep-water matters Miss Schufestan had just mentioned—whose background he still couldn’t see clearly but which were obviously serious—if he really got saddled with the ‘genius’ label, the trouble attached to him would be endless.

‘I promised Xiao Wei I wouldn’t put myself in danger again. So Dr. Lisa, hurry up and just let me go like I’m nothing, okay?’

“But the artificial intelligence system doesn’t make mistakes.”

Dr. Lisa said with certainty, rubbing her chin as she repeatedly reviewed the inspection report.

‘Hey, what’s with this blind faith in artificial intelligence? Even if it’s just background lore, according to official descriptions, hadn’t Hive City once experienced a catastrophe triggered by artificial intelligence—one that engulfed the entire city and ultimately ended with the downfall of several major corporations, even giant consortium-level powers? What was that called again? Smoke War? Yeah, that was it. Anyway, the victorious side ended up imposing heavy restrictions on artificial intelligence afterward.’

“After all, that program was rewritten from the personality of the first-generation hall master himself. There’s absolutely no way it could be wrong.”

‘The first-generation hall master?’

Li Chen, who had been grumbling internally, immediately fell silent when Dr. Lisa brought up that legendary figure.

‘Tch. You’ve pulled out a legend among legends—what else can I say?’

When it came to the founder of Thunder Martial Arts Hall, even Li Chen—a transmigrator who theoretically viewed everyone on equal footing, who even scoffed at the god-like consortiums in the eyes of ordinary citizens—had to give a thumbs-up.

“No discrimination in teaching,” “no regard for background,” “spreading martial arts”…

‘It can be said that the reason Hive City today has so many civilian martial artists is entirely thanks to the first-generation hall master’s tireless efforts.’

Toward such a broad-minded figure, even without ever having met him, Li Chen maintained the most basic respect.

“Wait!”

Just as Li Chen’s thoughts were in turmoil, Dr. Lisa suddenly reacted as if she’d discovered a whole new continent. She excitedly put down the analysis report and grabbed Li Chen’s arm, yanking it up.

“You—you’re a pure human?”

She forcefully pulled up his sleeve, exposing an arm as white as jade, shimmering faintly with a silvery sheen under the lights, right before everyone’s eyes.

“Gulp.”

Li Chen heard several distinct sounds of swallowing around him as scorching gazes locked tightly onto his arm.

“…”

Facing the greedy looks of the surrounding female martial artists—looks that genuinely inspired fear—Li Chen, for a moment, actually felt that the madwoman beside him, who cared only about science and had zero interest in human desire, was… kind of adorable.

‘Maybe being her experimental subject would be better than being stared at by these bad women all day? At least then he wouldn’t have to worry about betraying Xiao Wei?’

“Zero percent. Forget electronic prosthetic eyes—there aren’t even arm assist wheels or reinforced bone mods, these most basic component upgrades. You—you’ve gone completely down the ‘internal cultivation’ route?!”

Dr. Lisa stared at Li Chen intensely for a long time, until his scalp tingled. Only then did she reluctantly let go, immediately dialing a call at lightning speed.

“Hey, Liu Yu. That pretty boy of yours—could he be some consortium bloodline lost among civilians?”

As soon as Liu Yu appeared on screen, Dr. Lisa launched into a rapid-fire barrage at Li Chen’s good sister.

“Huh? No?”

Pfft—

On the other end of the screen, Liu Yu—who had been wildly swinging a two-handed greatsword, spraying blood everywhere—lowered her weapon, took a breath and looked at Dr. Lisa in confusion.

“What’s wrong? Lisa, weren’t you always uninterested in men? Don’t tell me you set your sights on my little brother just because he’s handsome? Let me tell you, he already has a wife~”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Several cloaked figures burst out from extremely tricky angles, seizing the moment Liu Yu let her guard down during the call to pounce on her.

Clang~

With a slight movement of her long legs, Liu Yu easily dodged the deadly strikes, then followed up with a few thrusts that shaved off most of the attackers’ scalps. Amid crackling sounds and plumes of black smoke, dark-green electronic blood vessels were clearly recorded on the call screen.

“Ah, what wife?”

Dr. Lisa, utterly clueless about human relations, froze for a moment before dismissively continuing, “But that’s impossible. The martial arts hall’s assessment AI just analyzed him in detail. Your brother’s… body contamination value is zero. Not 1%, not 2%, not even 0.0-something. It’s a complete, absolute zero with not the slightest trace of contamination!”

‘Contamination value… wait.’

Facing Dr. Lisa’s constantly flickering gaze of ‘curiosity’, Li Chen finally understood what this whole inexplicable scene was about.

‘How did I forget such a basic setting?’

Contamination value was a topic every Hive City citizen paid close attention to.

For the slum dwellers of the Lower Hive, there was no need to elaborate—they enjoyed none of the artificial ecological protection or purification systems of Hive City. Instead, as long-term dumping grounds for upper-level waste, they were constantly exposed from birth to radiation and mutated viruses.

Lower City, Upper Hive and so on—step by step, the higher one’s status, the lower their contamination value.

At the Uppermost Hive, those ‘new humans’ born through direct genetic optimization programs—‘designed’ from birth—possessed super-strong immunity, already fundamentally different from ordinary humans.

As for Li Chen…

‘Damn it. When choosing the Pioneer background at the start of the game, maxing resistance was common sense. I’d almost forgotten how abnormal a contamination value of zero is in Hive City for someone not born into a consortium family.’

Li Chen’s mouth twitched. At this point, it seemed his ‘genius’ aptitude really wasn’t something the system had just randomly spat out.

After all, the martial world had a well-known saying—‘Practice martial arts without cultivating inner power and in the end it’s all for nothing.’

And here, ‘power’—inner power—meant genetic-level transformation.

No matter how strong cybernetics were, they were still external tools.

They could be used, but never as the foundation.

Leaving everything else aside, in a Hive City where consortiums controlled everything, whose combat cybernetics weren’t developed by consortiums?

You use their tech and still dare provoke them?

Once they lock you out—or worse, open a backdoor—

Li Chen had personally witnessed it last night: the Black Tiger Gang boss had just leaked information and her head exploded on the spot.

“So… you mean… my Xiao Chen really is a martial arts prodigy?”

Beside him, Liu Yu—now understanding the ‘truth’—covered her mouth. Her eyes showed no other emotion at all, only pure joy at Li Chen’s talent being discovered.

“No. ‘Martial arts prodigy’ isn’t accurate.”

Even while extremely excited, Dr. Lisa maintained a scientist’s ‘rigor’.

“More accurately, he’s an uncarved piece of flawless jade, with infinite possibilities. As long as he’s handed to a top-tier artist for careful sculpting, he’ll surely become a masterpiece remembered in history. And I…”

Dr. Lisa declared passionately, “am that artist without equal!”

‘Which is exactly why I didn’t want that crazy woman paying attention to me. Flawless jade? Artist? Don’t dress up lab rats and experimental subjects in such fancy, artsy terms! Forget it. Don’t provoke trouble, but don’t fear it either.’

After adjusting his mood, Li Chen quickly accepted the fact that he was a ‘genius’.

He wouldn’t actively jump into the center of the vortex, but since the storm was already heading his way, he wouldn’t retreat even a step.

Someone who keeps running away can never become truly strong.

Li Chen, born in the slums of the Lower Hive, knew this better than anyone.

“Mr. Li Chen.”

However, before Li Chen could respond to Dr. Lisa, an uninvited guest spoke up first.

“Would you be willing to join the Schufestan Group?”

The Schufestan family’s young miss proactively extended an olive branch.

“Sorry, I personally have no inten—”

“Ten million credits. Top-tier private security, premium welfare housing, permanent equity shares…”

‘As expected of a consortium young miss—truly rich and powerful. Since you’re being so sincere, should I return the favor and warn you about the risk of your family being wiped out?’

“Oh, right.”

As if recalling something, Miss Kate paused, then smiled faintly with a strange expression, “Your fiancée seems to work in the Public Security Bureau’s Special Operations Unit?”

‘Oh, so you’re trying to use Xiao Wei’s career advancement to lure me? Damn it. You even know my weak spot is my family. As expected of an evil consortium. What should I do? I really want Xiao Wei to switch to a better position and spend more time with me…’

“I have an aunt who’s the director of the Public Security Bureau’s Administrative Affairs Department. She has some say in personnel matters. Recently, the Bureau has a troublesome issue that needs an experienced agent…”

‘Hmm?’

Kate’s smile faded as she asked pointedly, “You understand what I mean, right?”

“I understand.”

Li Chen nodded slightly.

“You’re threatening me. Using my dearest fiancée.”

“This isn’t a threat. It’s a transaction.”

Bang.

Li Chen reached out and pressed his hand firmly on Kate’s shoulder, shaking his head as he sighed.

“That’s why I hate this Hive City. Especially those consortiums.”

‘You dare use my family—my most beloved fiancée—to threaten me?’

“If you dare touch a single hair on Xiao Wei’s head.”

Li Chen smiled. His smile was brilliant, like a cool breeze in the sweltering summer, like sweet water in a boundless desert.

“Your entire family will be dead. I mean it.”

Li Chen wasn’t lying.

As a transmigrator, he might only be a second-tier quasi-martial artist now.

But back then, when he was just an apprentice martial artist, he still rescued a certain ungrateful disciple from a forbidden laboratory deep within a pre-civilization ruin owned secretly by a consortium.

So yes—he really could wipe out the entire Schufestan family.

After all, in the game, that was their fate to begin with, wasn’t it?