With a crisp ding, the super elevator came to a steady halt. As the doors slowly opened, a gust of fierce Gang Wind, like a rampaging beast, surged wildly into the elevator. Inside stood Li Chuxi, her father, and several fellow workers—all unfazed by the gale. After all, at several hundred meters above ground, strong winds were to be expected.
"I'm heading to the tower crane. Let's go home together after work." Her father gave her shoulder a gentle pat, his voice calm, then turned and walked off into the distance.
Li Chuxi stood quietly in the howling wind. Her work uniform flapped and rustled violently, producing a whooshing sound. As far as the eye could see, the place bustled with construction crews, while troops from the Base City's military kept guard. Rows of anti-aircraft cannons were solemnly mounted in place. This was no ordinary construction site—it was a vital line of defense for Jiang City. If the defensive fortress were breached by ferocious beasts, the hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of ordinary citizens would be left utterly defenseless, exposed to the beasts' savage claws and gaping maws. The consequences would be unimaginable.
"I still need to ask for some time off. I wonder if being blasted by wind this high up might help trigger further cellular evolution." With that thought, Li Chuxi turned and headed toward her post.
Though it looked like just another steel wall, the top of the defense fortress was vast. Due to varying construction progress, the height of the defensive fortresses across Jiang City differed from district to district. The B-section of the Eastern District fortress, where Li Chuxi worked, stood a towering 280 meters high and stretched 130 meters across—its size rivaling that of a grand steel skyscraper. Even a Commander-level Beast wouldn't be able to break through it easily.
According to Li Chuxi's understanding, beasts were classified by strength in ascending order as:
Low-level Beast, Mid-level Beast, High-level Beast, Elite-level Beast, Commander-level Beast, Monarch-level Beast, Emperor-level Beast, and the most terrifying of all—God-level Beast.
Correspondingly, warriors followed the progression:
Martial Trainee (Apprentice, Official), Martial Artist, Martial Adept, Martial General, Martial Lord, Martial King, Martial Emperor, Martial God.
The key distinction between Apprentice and Official Martial Trainees lay in whether they had real combat experience against beasts. For a warrior, hands-on experience was invaluable. No matter how powerful one's training or how vast one's theoretical knowledge, if one panicked at the sight of a beast—mind going blank, limbs going limp—then they were no different from an ordinary civilian. Death would be all but certain. Only those who had truly been baptized in blood, who had teetered on the edge of life and death, and had fought through it, deserved to be called official warriors.
Facing the violent, roaring Gang Wind, Li Chuxi stood silently. Sure enough, her cells began another round of evolution. Her Qi Control and Wind Manipulation abilities had successfully advanced to Level 2.
"Just standing in the wind can trigger evolution—this is amazing!" Her mood brightened, her eyes sparkling with delight. Still, she understood that to keep evolving her wind abilities, she'd likely need to endure even more violent winds—perhaps even full-on hurricanes.
At that moment, the foreman Zhao was operating a lr nearby. Li Chuxi quickly walked over and said politely, "Brother Zhao, I'd like to request some time off."
Zhao paused, poking his head out with a teasing grin. "Well, well, finally falling in love, huh? You've barely ever asked for time off in the past year."
Li Chuxi smiled and shook her head. "It's not that—I just have something more important than love to deal with."
Zhao nodded with a hint of seriousness and added, "Better hurry up then. You know how things are these days—people are marrying young. Lots of girls your age are already married by eighteen. Look at me, I've already got two kids."
Li Chuxi chuckled. "No wonder you work so hard, Brother Zhao. Anyway, to the point—I need four days off."
It wasn't a casual request. She had planned it carefully. The Official Martial Trainee Examination was in three days, and it required not only hunting a beast but also surviving a night in Beast Town. That made four days necessary.
"Four days?" Zhao frowned, visibly troubled. "Chuxi, it's not that I don't want to approve it, but you know how tight the schedule is. The pay's good, sure, but it's tough and dangerous work with little time off. I'm afraid I really can't grant you four days."
Li Chuxi wasn't surprised. It was precisely because of the high pay that she and her father had taken this job. Her younger brother Li Shiji had embarked on the Martial Path, and the expenses were staggering. As the saying goes, 'A poor man studies, a rich man trains in martial arts.' There was truth to that.
"If it really can't be approved, then I'll have to resign. I definitely can't come in during those four days. I hope you'll understand." She gave him a polite cupped-fist salute in apology.
Zhao sighed helplessly. "No idea what you've got going on that's worth quitting your job over. But I heard your brother became a Martial Trainee—hopefully that'll ease your family's financial burden a bit. Alright, I'll do my best to help you apply. If it really can't go through, then there's nothing more I can do."
"Thank you so much, Brother Zhao! Oh—and please don't tell my dad about this just yet. I'll talk to him myself later." She smiled, waved, and walked away.
Soon after, she smoothly took the super elevator down to ground level and exited the fortress.
"I still can't fight beasts yet, but I can try touching ordinary creatures in the city. If I could touch an electric eel, that would be perfect!" Her heart brimmed with hope.
Electric eels could generate electricity. If she could make contact with one, there was a high chance her cells would evolve the ability to discharge electricity. Unfortunately, due to the rampant presence of beasts—especially in the oceans—marine resources had plummeted. Still, holding on to a glimmer of luck, Li Chuxi wandered around the market.
As expected, there were no electric eels to be found. Shifting her focus, she turned to more mundane creatures. The most common, and often overlooked: ants.
"Alright, little ant—let's see what kind of surprise you can give me." Squatting down, she carefully picked one up and placed it gently in her palm.
Not long after, the system's crisp notification chimed in her mind:
"Ding! You have touched an ant. Cellular evolution triggered—gained Hundredfold Strength Boost!"
"Ding! Friendly reminder: Host's cellular strength has exceeded physical limits. Please use with caution."
Hundredfold Strength Boost!
The surprise was massive. It meant her strength was instantly multiplied by one hundred. Her current physical capacity was roughly on par with an Apprentice Martial Trainee. If her normal strength was 1,000 kg, then with this boost she could unleash a terrifying 100,000 kg punch! But with her current body, throwing such a punch would likely destroy her own arm on impact.
Even so, Li Chuxi wasn't disheartened. After all, having it was better than not. This Hundredfold Strength Boost had just become her first true trump card.
"With this boost, I can punch out 100,000 kilograms of force. Might as well call this move... the Ten-Ton Punch!"
The thought flashed through her mind, and a faint, slightly childish smile curled her lips.
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