Darong City's outer district, Chenghua Avenue.
Deep in a dim old alley, dilapidated awnings overlapped and stretched between the buildings.
The faded, battered sign for the Backbone Food Stall flickered faintly in the evening breeze.
The sizzling oil from the blazing wok sent smoke straight up to the corrugated iron roof. The scrape of plastic chairs and the crisp clink of bottles collided in a steady din.
Amid the clamor, Li Jinshui wore a face far too young for him. He stood with several colleagues behind a folding table in a standard stance, legs apart, hands clasped behind his back, gaze fixed straight ahead.
The folding table was already small, and a dozen or so people sat on either side of it, glaring at one another. The atmosphere was heavy and tense, on the verge of turning hostile.
Li Jinshui and the others wore all-black riot gear, with steel riot forks at their waists. The Security Squad captain lounged in a plastic chair at the front, legs planted wide, his presence icy.
On the other side of the table, everyone wore fluorescent yellow jackets and helmets—the familiar getup of delivery riders, except they had batteries strapped to their legs.
"Captain Liu."
The delivery station manager took a long drag on his cigarette and spoke first. "I'll get straight to the point. This year, our station has a real contender for Single King in the district. It affects our station's martial arts allocation at the end of the year."
"You know Green Osmanthus Garden is notorious for being hard to deliver to. It's over nine hundred meters from the gate to the nearest apartment building. If you stop us to question us when we enter the complex, our Qi-Blood runs out, and the battery has to recharge before it can overload again. The order will definitely be late. I hope your squad can make an exception for our Single King from now on: no stopping him, no registration, just let him through."
"Heh! You think you can just waltz in because you say so?"
Captain Liu, the Security Squad captain, sneered and leaned forward, his face full of mockery. "If nine hundred meters is too far, that's because your riders' footwork is bad. Strap on one of those speed-limited 'New National Standard' batteries, and no wonder you rack up late orders every day!"
"Hmph. We only get late orders for two reasons. One, vagrants ambush us on the road and steal the food. Two, your guards block the entrance."
Station Master Chen's gaze darkened. He held up two fingers. "I'll raise the passage fee by twenty percent! Honestly, even the dedicated delivery stations won't accept orders for your complex anymore. Keep this up, and aren't you worried the residents will file complaints?"
"Hmph. If the dedicated stations won't take them, you think your crowdsourced riders can?"
Captain Liu raised an eyebrow and rapped his knuckles on the table. "And complaints from residents? Last time, one of your crowdsourced riders was afraid of running late, so he leaned hard into a turn inside the complex. He crashed, scattering food everywhere, and the residents complained that our property management wasn't cleaning properly. Auntie Zhang from our property team is still searching everywhere for that rider!"
"That rider was our station's Single King candidate. He'd been pulling all-nighters to rack up orders, and his battery just couldn't keep up. Don't worry. Our station will cover the fines your property team got."
"Oh? Your candidate's working himself to the bone. What, is he trying to take your position as station manager? Two station managers, huh? You're the manager, and he's the manager too. You can both get rich!"
"Captain Liu, there's no need to drive a wedge between us. A-Ji has taken bad reviews for the station and suffered penalties from supervisors. He's done a lot for us. No matter what, I'm backing him in the Single King race this time. If you have conditions, just say them."
Li Jinshui watched the scene unfold without expression.
Ten days ago, he had just transmigrated and taken over this frail body, which had been comatose for two years.
Only after processing some of the memories did he realize this wasn't a simple transmigration.
He had originally belonged to this world. After being poisoned and falling into a coma two years ago, his soul had transmigrated to Earth, where he died in an accident. Now he had returned.
It infuriated him.
Because it meant he had been misdiagnosed all those years on Earth. He hadn't been mentally ill at all. Those scenes he had often dreamed about were real—memories of his former life in this world.
If he hadn't told the doctors about those dreams back then, they might not have increased his medication. He might even have been discharged sooner.
Now he was back in his original body, but his memories were mostly of his time on Earth. His recollections of this world were little more than scattered fragments.
This world seemed to be parallel to Earth.
But it was a high-martial world, far more dangerous than Earth!
High martial arts. Capital. Survival of the fittest. Strength above all.
And strength depended on how much wealth you had.
Studying martial arts cost money for technique licenses. Nutritional food cost money, and medicinal supplements cost even more...
"Bang!"
A dull thud interrupted Li Jinshui's thoughts.
Station Master Chen had slammed his palm onto the greasy table, making several empty beer bottles topple over with a clatter.
"Captain Liu, I've made myself clear. Are you really not going to give me even a little face?" Station Master Chen rose to his feet and glared at Captain Liu, his eyes sullen.
Captain Liu calmly lifted a disposable plastic cup and took a sip of tea without even raising his eyelids. "Face? How many bottles of Supplement Potion can your little bit of face buy? You think a twenty-percent passage fee is enough to toss to a beggar? I want fifty percent."
The words seemed to freeze the air.
"Fifty percent? Why don't you just go rob someone!"
The rider beside Station Master Chen flew into a rage.
After the platform took its cut, paying another fifty percent in passage fees would strip the riders of every last cent they'd earned through blood, sweat, and tears!
It was obvious they had no intention of negotiating. They were just messing with them for fun!
"Damn it, these watchdogs have gone too far."
"Station Manager, forget talking to them."
"We crowdsourced riders are no cowards. They really think we're easy to bully? Let's go back and force our way through both gates, plant our flag, and then talk to them."
As angry shouts rose one after another, several hot-tempered riders hit the battery switches strapped to their legs.
"Bzzzz—"
A piercing electric buzz erupted. Arcs of electricity leaped wildly around the hems of their fluorescent yellow pants, scorching the greasy ground until wisps of white smoke rose.
"What are you doing? Looking for a fight?"
The Security Squad deputy captain refused to back down. With a sharp swish, he snapped out his telescoping riot fork.
A dozen guards stepped forward in unison, eyes blazing. Their Qi-Blood surged, and a mighty force poured through their arms into their riot forks, forcibly driving back the approaching electric sparks.
The two sides faced off. Blood energy roiled and lightning flashed through the food stall, and a fight was seconds away.
The nearby residents and diners turned their attention toward them, putting on amused, expectant expressions as they watched the show. This clearly wasn't the first time they'd seen a scene like this.
As a member of the Security Squad, Li Jinshui dutifully stepped in front of everyone to protect them, then turned and slipped toward the food stall's back alley restroom.
What a joke. I'd only just woken up after two years as a vegetable. My Qi-Blood was weak, and I didn't even know the basics. What was I supposed to fight with?
If one of those people so much as brushed against me, I might not make it through the night.
"No one saw me sneak off, right?"
Bang!
Li Jinshui had barely shut the restroom door when the fight broke out outside.
The sounds of punches and kicks colliding, tables and chairs crashing, and people shouting insults filled the air.
Amid the spectators' whistles and cheers, he could faintly hear the food stall owner cursing furiously. The noise kept growing louder.
"Whatever. That bastard Liu knew I had no strength, yet he still dragged me into this high-level fight. He's clearly trying to get me killed so he can claim my death benefit."
Li Jinshui grumbled and rubbed his aching thighs.
He hadn't been idle while standing guard outside. He had used the proper stance and a special breathing method to train in the Basic Stance Technique.
After all, the Security Squad's monthly assessment was only eighteen days away.
If he couldn't get the Basic Stance Technique to the "Initiate" level, he'd be kicked out on the spot.
Then he wouldn't even have a place to live, and he might starve to death on the street.
"So even a high-martial world has a death line.
"Even if my experience was unusual, and my soul transmigrated to Earth, and I had the starting-point orphan template, what good was any of it?
"Ordinary people like me can only survive by working hard and pushing ourselves to the limit!"
Li Jinshui silently pulled his security uniform tighter around himself and slowly closed his eyes.
A plaque appeared clearly in his mind. The four characters "Heaven Rewards Diligence" glowed on it, casting a panel:
[Name: Li Jinshui] [Realm: None] [Martial Skills: None] [Techniques: Basic Stance Technique (Not Initiated 81/100)] [Traits: None] [...]
"I'm still nineteen proficiency points short. I get one point for every five hours of stance training, on average. Aside from eating and sleeping, and accounting for how much energy it takes, ten hours of training a day would get me two points at most.
"At this rate, I can initiate the Basic Stance Technique in nine days at the earliest. I have plenty of time, but the sooner I initiate it, the sooner I'll be able to protect myself!"
Li Jinshui gritted his teeth and bent his knees slightly. With a long, deep breath, he suddenly lowered his waist and tightened his abdomen. His spine tensed segment by segment like a drawn bow.
An invisible force spread through his muscles like a wave, pulsing gently in rhythm with each breath.
Every inch of his skin and fascia felt as if it were being fiercely pulled. Inside his body, threads of Qi-Blood formed from the stance technique and flowed throughout him.
Outside the restroom, shouts and the sounds of fighting filled the air.
Inside, the stench was overpowering, and the cramped room was stiflingly hot.
Li Jinshui remained undisturbed. Focused and drenched in sweat, he stood in the Basic Stance Technique and honed his body.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, the restroom door shuddered violently. Someone outside had clearly slammed into it, shaking dust loose from the ceiling.
Li Jinshui jumped, nearly losing control of his breathing.
But at the same time...
[Persisting with stance training in a dangerous environment. Heaven Rewards Diligence: Basic Stance Technique +2] [Basic Stance Technique (Not Initiated 83/100)]