The Ring

The clock hand pointed to five. Brother Fatty let out a wheezing breath and collapsed onto the floor, gulping down water from the bottle as sweat poured off him.

Mu Fan tossed his protective gear aside, his voice showing no trace of fatigue. "Harry, that's enough training for today. I don't know any combat techniques, so all I can do is be the best sparring partner I can. If you can hold on, I believe things will definitely change."

An entire afternoon of training had left Brother Fatty too exhausted to say another word. He wiped his face with a broad hand and muttered, "I'm going all out... We'll continue tomorrow. Brother Fatty has to show those people what I'm made of."

After washing up, the two left the training room, the alloy doors slowly closing behind them. Brother Fatty staggered along with one hand against the wall, his body trembling unsteadily. His suit could no longer bring out any of his former grandeur. Even the shapely buttocks of the waitress who had just passed by failed to draw his attention. Anyone standing close enough would have heard him muttering over and over, "I want to go home. Almost there... I want to go home..."

Mu Fan followed Brother Fatty downstairs. In the first-floor lobby, a group of people had already begun gathering up and sorting their clothes.

"Payday! Payday!" A burly man hurried past Mu Fan.

Following the man's direction, Mu Fan saw a small crowd gathered there. He had spotted several of them during lunch. It seemed it was time to collect their wages.

Mu Fan called out to the half-dead Brother Fatty ahead of him. "Harry, I'm going over there to collect my pay. You go on ahead."

"Ah, all right. Where do you live? I'll give you a ride later," Brother Fatty forced himself to reply.

"No need. The martial arts school will probably arrange tomorrow's work in a while. You should head back first." Mu Fan did not want Brother Fatty to drive him home. First, he was already used to running back. Second, he did not want to reveal even the slightest secret about Black.

"All right. I'll go back and talk things over with Uncle Wu. See you tomorrow. I'm exhausted today. I can't do this anymore. I'm dying, dying, dying." Brother Fatty turned away with a drooping face and continued shuffling toward the exit.

Mu Fan walked over to the martial arts school staff member. "Name and venue."

"Mu Fan, second floor, VIP Room 9."

"Mm, Mu Fan, this is your pay." After checking the electronic roster, the staff member handed over 500 Star Coins. Mu Fan solemnly accepted them with both hands. This was the first time he had earned so much money in a single day.

"Be at the martial arts school by eight tomorrow morning. Late arrivals will have their pay docked." Then, as if by routine, the staff member gave Mu Fan the notice.

After agreeing, Mu Fan headed toward the changing room with the Star Coins in hand. Along the way, he saw several fellow workers already sporting injuries. His brow furrowed slightly before relaxing again.

When he stepped outside again, Mu Fan had changed back into his ragged clothes. The smell of motor oil on him was much fainter now.

He looked up at the sky. Luoqie Star lay at the edge of Federation territory, and night came especially early here. The stars had spread across the heavens again, and darkness hung low. Mu Fan took a deep breath of the mixed air and looked around. Scattered crowds in suits mingled with brightly dressed women. District 22's nightlife had begun, and neon lights of every color illuminated the city.

Feeling the 500 Star Coins resting quietly in his pocket, Mu Fan was in an exceptionally good mood. Then there was that fat guy too. Thinking of him, Mu Fan's lips curled faintly.

After weaving through several turns, he reached the city limits. Looking back at the city, Mu Fan stretched a few times before swinging his arms and running toward the outskirts.

"What the hell is that?" As a Hover Car headed toward the city, its driver carelessly spotted a flickering, leaping shadow in the distance while flicking out a cigarette butt. His body shuddered. He tossed away the cigarette and recalled all sorts of terrifying rumors. "Drive faster. It's too dangerous outside at night."

Mu Fan had no idea that someone in a Hover Car heading into the city had noticed him. Even if he had known, he would not have cared. His world was simple. As long as he survived, that was enough. Now, there was one more goal: earn an optical computer. In the future, he wanted to pilot a mecha through the starry universe. Of course, he still did not know what he would do after that. That was a matter for the future. Brother Fatty's words had deeply moved him. He could not quite describe the feeling, but his sky seemed too monotonous now. He wanted to see the wonders beyond it.

Though distracted with his head lowered, his feet landed precisely on flat stones and clear stretches of road in the darkness. His body always slipped past branches and rock walls by the narrowest margin. Mu Fan moved like a ghost in the night, light and swift, with seemingly endless stamina.

With a thud, he stepped onto a slanted half-rotten tree trunk. Using the momentum, he twisted lightly through the air, his back brushing against the branches below as he leaped over them. Mu Fan glanced aside. There were signs of animals moving through the woods beside him, and he could hear them as well. But he did not care. He had eaten well at noon, so he did not have to worry about his stomach now. Home first! Home!

The abandoned factory still lay there in silence. The sky had become completely black, and the factory blended into the dark curtain of night without a single trace of light. Yet Mu Fan's eyes shone brightly.

"No signs of anyone entering through the ground by the entrance. The detection wire by the wall hasn't been touched. The shape of the fire pit hasn't changed. Mm... There are no footprints in the ashes beside Black Egg..."

"Black!! Mu Fan, call me Black, not Black Egg!" Mu Fan had been stroking his chin and quietly checking the precautions he had left behind that morning when a voice from the pile of scrap suddenly startled him.

"Didn't you run a self-check?" Mu Fan showed not the slightest embarrassment.

"I automatically awaken when key words are detected." Mu Fan could clearly hear a hint of anger in the voice coming from the scrap heap.

Speechless, Mu Fan lit the fire and dug Black's carrier out of the scrap heap. He watched as the antenna with the White Sphere rose and pointed at him.

"Why do you seem a little different now?"

"I used thirty percent of my intelligence to conduct a ten percent emotional simulation. Lord Black is not an ordinary artificial intelligence, but an intelligent lifeform capable of independent thought. I must be distinguished from the ordinary kind." After seeing Mu Fan's expressionless face, the White Sphere twisted forcefully.

Mu Fan remained expressionless. "Oh."

Before Black could protest, Mu Fan continued on his own. "There's hope for the optical computer."

"Ding." The White Sphere suddenly projected an expression, a blue smiling face appearing in the air.

"Mu Fan, I have completed an initial Level One self-check. Level Two program sorting and self-repair are no longer necessary for my current carrier." The bright blue smile faced Mu Fan.

"Black Egg."

"Here."

"Black Egg."

"Yes, Host."

"Black Egg."

"Mu Fan, speak."

"Black Egg."

"Mm..."

Mu Fan was finally satisfied. Seeing that Black's projected smiling face was still brightly displayed, he nodded in satisfaction. "I got a job at the martial arts school and met a friend. He wants me to teach him fighting, and we'll enter the PO Battle Network together. He promised to give me an optical computer."

"An optical computer? The Battle Network!?" The blue smiling face abruptly turned shocked. "When?"

"Brother Fatty will come again tomorrow."

"Mu Fan, I need data from your current world. I will formulate a training plan suited to your physical condition based on that data. I need the optical computer to connect to the network so I can improve my virtual personality. Please take me with you."

Mu Fan looked at the giant egg before him, and his brow twitched.

As if sensing Mu Fan's confusion, the White Sphere suddenly retracted into the carrier. After a few seconds of silence, a tiny mechanical arm extended out. At its end was a tray holding a Ring. It had no gorgeous gemstone, no gilded sheen, not even any extra patterns, though it was slightly broader and thicker than an ordinary ring.

P.S. Thanks to reader Yipin Xuanji for the 600 starting point Coin tip! Thanks to readers Discrete Math, Aluba, and I Am Driving Tigers to Devour Wolves for their generous tips!