Early the next morning.
Ji Zhixing got up bright and early and shouldered the backpack his mother had packed the night before. Inside were food, water, and some emergency medicines.
"Zhixing, be careful outside the city." Zhang Yulan stood in the doorway, her eyes full of worry. "Don't rush too far ahead when you encounter Gene Beasts. Above all, stay safe."
"Mom, don't worry." Ji Zhixing smiled. "There are lots of us going together, and seniors from the gene university will be leading us. We'll be fine."
Zhang Yulan nodded and gave him a few more reminders before finally letting him leave.
When he walked out of Rain-Listening Garden, Liu Qifan was already waiting at the entrance.
"Zhixing, over here!" Liu Qifan waved at him, a large pack on his back.
The two headed toward school side by side.
On the way, Liu Qifan chattered excitedly. "Zhixing, do you think we'll manage to hunt any Gene Beasts today? If we do, I wonder whether we can refine a piece of Gene Equipment from one. If we can't get equipment, a bottle of gene potion would be good too!"
"There's definitely a chance." Ji Zhixing smiled, not dampening his enthusiasm.
Neither Gene Equipment nor gene potions were that easy to obtain.
Liu Qifan nodded, excitement shining in his eyes.
When they reached school, quite a few people had already gathered on the sports field.
Third Middle School had five Gene Cultivator classes in total. With today's outing, all hundred and fifty-odd students from those five classes were present.
Some students from the academic classes were also watching from a distance, their eyes full of envy.
Ji Zhixing scanned the crowd and soon spotted Zhang Haocheng, Luo Yongguang, and Xie Jia.
"Over here!" Zhang Haocheng waved.
Ji Zhixing and Liu Qifan walked over, bringing the five of them together.
"We were just waiting for you two." Zhang Haocheng grinned. "Well? Nervous?"
"What's there to be nervous about? I'm just excited!" Liu Qifan chuckled. "When we run into a Gene Beast, I'll be the first one in."
"Don't get too excited," Zhang Haocheng said, throwing cold water on his enthusiasm. "Just make sure your legs don't turn to jelly when the time comes."
"That definitely won't be me!" Liu Qifan shot him a glare.
They joked around, the mood relaxed.
Only Xie Jia looked a little timid.
Ji Zhixing surveyed the grounds and saw that the other teams had taken their places too.
Everyone was lined up by team.
At a glance, there were thirty-odd teams, each with five members.
The members of Huang Yu's and Yu Zhirou's teams were all students from other classes who had already fused with second-order genes.
Thirty-odd teams, over a hundred and fifty people, Ji Zhixing thought. I wonder how many will manage to hunt a Gene Beast today.
Before long, the rumble of an engine came from outside the school gates.
"The seniors from Rain City Gene University are here!"
Everyone turned to look as a midsized coach drove onto campus and came to a smooth stop.
The door opened, and thirty-odd people stepped out, both men and women. They all wore matching dark blue outfits with Rain City Gene University's crest embroidered on the chest.
Ji Zhixing swept his gaze over them, then suddenly froze.
He had spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.
Who else could that tall, somewhat ugly young man be but Chen Ye?
Ji Zhixing remembered Chen Ye saying, "Maybe we'll see each other again before too long," back at Rain-Listening Garden. So this was what he had meant.
Liu Qifan recognized him too, his eyes widening. "Isn't that Chen Ye from our neighborhood? What's he doing here?"
Ji Zhixing shook his head.
Just then, Principal Zhou Chenghong went over to greet them with several teachers.
"Welcome, welcome!" Beaming, Zhou Chenghong strode up to the university students, his gaze landing directly on Chen Ye. "Chen Ye, thank you for taking this on."
Chen Ye smiled and nodded. "You're too kind, Principal Zhou. It's for my old school. Of course I should help."
Zhou Chenghong greeted the other students one by one as well, but he was clearly especially courteous toward Chen Ye.
Although all these students had graduated from Third Middle School and entered the gene university, Chen Ye had fused with fourth-order genes. His future prospects were limitless, so naturally he received special treatment.
Watching from a distance, Ji Zhixing thought, Fourth-order genes really do make a difference. Even the principal is so courteous to him.
After Chen Ye and Zhou Chenghong exchanged a few pleasantries, each homeroom teacher led several university seniors over to their class's teams.
A pretty young woman with a ponytail, who looked about twenty, was assigned to their team.
"Hello." The young woman came over. "My name is Zhao Qing. I graduated from Third Middle School last year, and I'm now a first-year student at Rain City Gene University. I'll be leading you today."
She paused, then smiled. "I fused with second-order Nether Shadow Cat genes. Although I'm still a first-order Gene Cultivator, I should be more than capable of taking you outside the city for some field experience."
"You're being modest, senior," Zhang Haocheng said sweetly. "You fused with second-order genes and have spent a year cultivating at Rain City Gene University. You must be really strong."
Zhao Qing smiled. "All right, enough buttering me up. We'll be leaving soon. Are you ready?"
"We're ready!" they all said.
Zhao Qing nodded, briefly asked about each of their abilities, then told them to wait where they were.
Soon, every team had been assigned a senior to lead them. Under the school's direction, everyone lined up and boarded several buses.
"Let's go!"
The convoy slowly pulled out of Rain City No. 3 High School, passed through the urban district, and headed toward the outskirts of Rain City Base City.
Ji Zhixing sat by the window, watching the streets flash past outside.
Shops and apartment buildings lined both sides of the streets, and pedestrians hurried along. Everything looked much the same as usual.
Once we're outside the city, things will be different, Ji Zhixing thought.
After traveling for about half an hour, the convoy passed a school.
"That's Rain City Middle School!" someone said, pointing out the window.
Ji Zhixing turned to look and saw a sprawling school come into view.
Its gates were tall and imposing, with the name "Rain City Middle School" displayed prominently above them.
Trees shaded the campus, and its teaching buildings were new and grand. It was many times better than Third Middle School.
Rain City Middle School... Ji Zhixing watched in silence.
Rain City Middle School was the best secondary school in Rain City Base City, as well as the affiliated school of Rain City Gene University.
But only those who had awakened a second-order Gene Aperture or higher were eligible to attend.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, practically all its students could go on to study at Rain City Gene University.
As for the students at Third Middle School...
They had all awakened late. At first, they had been students in the academic classes, only awakening their Gene Apertures later.
He, for instance, had awakened his dual Gene Apertures half a year after entering Third Middle School.
The others in his class were much the same.
Those in the other classes had awakened somewhat earlier.
At Third Middle School, a student who awakened a second-order Gene Aperture was considered a genius.
But at Rain City Middle School, over two thousand people awakened second-order Gene Apertures every year.
What an enormous gap.
He withdrew his gaze and stopped looking.
The convoy continued onward and soon reached the base city's walls.
The towering walls stood dozens of meters high, thick and sturdy, protecting the entire city within.
Soldiers constantly patrolled the walls, guarding against the Gene Beasts outside.
The convoy passed through the gates and left the base city.
Beyond lay a stretch of wilderness.
"So this is outside the city..." Liu Qifan leaned against the window, gazing out excitedly. "This is my first time leaving!"
The others were excited too, chattering among themselves.
Sitting up front, Zhao Qing glanced back at them and smiled. "Don't get too excited. Once you see the Gene Beasts, you'll find out how dangerous they are."
The convoy followed the road onward.
The journey was peaceful. Only occasionally did they spot a few Gene Beasts beside the road, all low-order ones.
Creatures such as Gray-Tailed Rabbits and Blue-Feathered Chickens scurried away as soon as they spotted the convoy in the distance.
"Those Gene Beasts are very timid. They don't dare come close," Zhao Qing explained. "But things will be different once we reach our destination."
"Our destination?" Xie Jia asked. "Senior, could you tell us about Stone Lake Town?"
All they knew was that their destination for hunting Gene Beasts outside the city was a place called Stone Lake Town. They knew nothing about what it was actually like.
Ji Zhixing's interest stirred as well, and he looked toward Zhao Qing.
Zhao Qing nodded. "I've been to Stone Lake Town. People still lived there a dozen or so years ago. There's a small lake south of town, and an Otherworld Secret Realm once existed at its center. It produced large quantities of precious ore."
"Later, that Otherworld Secret Realm disappeared. After several Beast Tide outbreaks, all the town's residents moved into the base city."
"Now it's an abandoned town. Low-level Gene Beasts often roam through it, making it a suitable place for beginners like you to gain experience."
Before you continue