In the thirteen years since the cataclysm, in order to adapt to the harsh environment, the human survivors living in the shelter have changed their eating habits, economic systems, and social systems.

Today, the air, water, and soil are polluted by Titan cells.

The seeds scattered in the fields can only grow mutant plants, like giant man-eating flowers, madly attacking farmers.

Poultry and livestock have also mutated into Titanmon.

Initially, people were afraid to eat these mutated plants and animals.

However, due to the extreme shortage of resources, in order to fill the stomach, they had to hunt mutated animals and plants as food.

Over time, people have come up with two rules.

Long-term consumption of mutated animals and plants can enhance the body, become more powerful, and move more quickly.

The crystal nuclei in the bodies of mutated animals and plants are crushed into powder and eaten as seasonings, which can be absorbed by the human body and strengthen spiritual power.

The magical nucleus is not limited to food.

One of the two most important raw materials in the formulation of the carcinogenesis inhibitor developed by Salomon is the crystal nucleus.

Traditional fossil energy and nuclear energy sources have been polluted by Titan cells and have become very unstable and cannot be used as fuel.

In recent years, Salomon has introduced a new invention that extracts the magic from crystal nuclei and converts them into electricity.

With the advent of the Crystal Nucleus Generator, various vehicles, including automobiles, have been given a new lease of life.

After some modifications, it can be driven by the crystal nucleus to regain power.

In this way, the crystal nucleus, which has a wide range of uses, has become the most valuable resource in the cataclysmic era, and it is also the most trusted universal currency of people.

In the old days, the difference in combat effectiveness between individual human beings was mainly determined by the weapons used.

They are all ordinary people, fragile flesh and blood, physique, agility and spiritual attributes, there is no essential difference.

However, in the Cataclysmic Era, stimulated by Titan cells, coupled with long-term consumption of mutated creatures and crystal nuclei, in just thirteen years, human beings have undergone a radical evolution.

The gap between individuals is greater than that between elephants and ants.

Salomon conducts regular censuses of residents under its jurisdiction.

The census items include physical, mental, and superpowers, among others.

Based on the overall score, residents are divided into four grades.

In fact, not only humans, but also Titanmons and mutant plants are also subject to this set of grading criteria.

C-Class: After being infected with Titan cells, ordinary people who can maintain sound sanity generally have telepathic abilities, and a few have evolved superpowers that are not too strong.

In the ruins of Kangzhen, the African-American giantess killed by Phoenix, as well as the mutant carp and mutant peach blossom jellyfish in the lake, are all C-class mutant creatures.

Rank B: Mutated creatures with powerful supernatural abilities, including but not limited to mind reading, hypnosis, illusions, telekinesis, and superpowers that use various elemental energies, collectively referred to as "Awakened".

Phoenix, who spouts a "shockwave", barely crosses the threshold of the "Awakened".

Cato's "Spirit Lance" and Anne's "Jet Engine" that uses wind magic to assist flight and combat are all standard B-level superpowers.

Allen's atavistic transformation was also initially mistaken by Cato for a B-class superpower.

Later, it was discovered that Alan could transform back into human form under the form of Golem, and realized that his strength was more than that.

Anne sees it better than Cato do.

She had already begun to suspect that the hierarchy of mutants did not apply to Allen, who called himself a "prophet"!

The common trait of the stronger A-class mutants is the ability to use their minds to break down their bodies into discrete particles of matter, teleport them to a certain distance, and then reassemble their bodies.

The distance and accuracy of the teleportation depends on the mental attributes.

Because of this trait, A-class mutants are also known as "wanderers".

Cato and Anne knew no more than ten "flovers".

The strongest of them is their adoptive father, Professor Butler.

Alan felt that by this standard, he could also be counted as a "wanderer".

After all, he could use magic to teleport.

S-class beings at the top of the mutant social pyramid are known as "reincarnated".

It is said that the "reincarnated person" can forcibly inject a part of his own Titan cells, along with spiritual imprints, into the body of others.

Giving commands to them through the spirit imprint is like manipulating a marionette.

There is an even more terrifying legend......

When the Reincarnated One dies unexpectedly, the soul will automatically transfer to the body of the Sealee, devouring the latter's soul, taking possession of the body and being reborn.

This is where the title "Reincarnated" comes from.

Cato and Anne have yet to come into contact with the real "reincarnated beings".

Professor Butler seems to be the closest person to this realm, but he himself has repeatedly denied that he has the ability to reincarnate.

Dr. Solomon, on the other hand, openly admitted that he was the first human to be promoted to the rank of "reincarnated person" since the outbreak of the cataclysm.

As for whether there are other reincarnations in the Solomon Company?

The jury is still out.

In Allen's opinion, the superpower of the "reincarnated person" is equivalent to combining the "Demon Soul Pot" and "cloning".

If the rumors are true, the Reincarnated can use similar means to control inanimate objects, such as firearms and vehicles.

Then, we have to add the "Item Activation Technique".

All of these methods can be simulated by Alan using the Prayer Technique.

But all things considered, even he had a hard time doing it.

I have to admit that the "reincarnated one" does have some ability.

The power system corresponding to the warlock world is almost equivalent to that of the 8~9th rank warlock.

However, it wasn't long before he realized that he was underestimating the mutants of the wasteland.

Many years ago, Dr. Solomon and Professor Butler collaborated to try to rebuild the wireless Internet of the old era using the Titan cell as a carrier.

The scientific research team led by the two eventually succeeded.

This set of spiritual networks built with human beings themselves as hardware is the original "Titan Network".

Through the Titan Network, people can understand their own status, share information, and form online communities in a data-based and intuitive way.

The Internet ecology of the old era seems to be back, and it does not rely on hardware facilities, which is more convenient and flexible!

However, it didn't take long for people to realize that the Titan Network was a double-edged sword.

From C-class to S-class superpowers, aided by the Titan Network, they have become more powerful and versatile than before.

For example, C-class "telepathy" can only sense life signals within the field of vision.

Now, with the help of the Titan Network, you can communicate with your friends hundreds of miles away for remote telepathy.

The B-level superpower "Mind Reading" was originally only able to detect the thoughts of creatures that were close at hand.

Now, with the help of the Titan Network, you can lock a real-name registered ID, and you can "follow the network cable" to peek at what the other party thinks.

The A-class "rover", relying on the Titan network, greatly expands the teleportation radius.

The radiation area of the Titan network can come and go freely!

The most terrifying is the S-class "Reincarnate".

It is rumored that you can back up your soul and upload it to a web server!

The spiritual imprint of the "reincarnated one", uploaded to the Titan network, is equivalent to a Trojan virus.

Internet users who have been implanted with "Trojan horses" have unwittingly become the spare body of "reincarnated".

The reincarnated person can be reincarnated by downloading the soul backup to the alternate body.

Rather, it is invading and stealing someone's life.

The sparks created by the collision of superpowers and the Titan network have brought huge security risks.

If you want to put an end to these hidden dangers, you must either refuse to use the Internet, or improve the Internet regulations.

The first way, the Metropolitan Vault under the control of Salomon Company, will not work.

Residents of the Metropolitan Shelter must register their real names for an online ID, which is equivalent to an ID card in the Cataclysmic Era.

Residents with a legal network ID can get free housing and cancer inhibitors, as well as safety and security.

In return, people must accept a network protocol, the so-called "Solomon Agreement".

Those who sign the agreement voluntarily accept real-time physical monitoring, and if the early warning value of cancer becomes more than 10%, they will be forced to undergo treatment.

The agreement, which was nominally designed to improve cyber regulations, caused huge controversy when it was introduced.

Proponents argue that online surveillance can better prevent criminal activity and help maintain a safe environment in shelters.

What is more important is to detect those who are severely cancerous in time to prevent patients from losing control of their spirits and blowing themselves up and injuring others.

In the Cataclysmic Era, newborns infected with Titan cells have an average life expectancy of only 20 years.

With online monitoring and timely treatment, the average life expectancy can be extended to 40 years.

Most people feel that it is not intolerable to sacrifice some privacy in order to prevent crime and to double life expectancy.

Opponents argue that the Solomon Agreement is a bad start, and that if people accept this unfair agreement, they will be forced to give more privacy and freedom in the future, until they become outright slaves.

From life to death, every word and deed, thoughts and thoughts, are completely under the domination of the chaebol group.

At the end of the controversy, the majority voted in favor of the "Solomon Agreement".

However, when the "Solomon Agreement" was adopted and implemented for several years, people were horrified to find that the original concerns of the opponents were being fulfilled step by step!

This network agreement, with its constant additions, deprives ordinary residents of their freedoms and gives more privileges to those in power.

If you look only at the letter of the law, it seems that all residents are treated equally for criminal acts.

However, in the process of implementation, the superior can always escape punishment or pay a slight price to get away with the crime.

For example, a certain "wanderer" broke into a girl's bedroom late at night and sexually assaulted her.

The victim later called the police and demanded that the rioters be severely punished.

This man claimed to have "cyberwalking", performed an unconscious teleportation, and mistook the girl's boudoir for his and his wife's bedroom, and then made the mistake that every man would make in that situation.

The case was heard in public in the Cyber Circuit Court.

From the jury to the judge, the lowest rank is also a B grade.

In the end, the defendant was awarded symbolic compensation, plus six months of community service, and the case was closed.

There are too many similar cases to count.

Even if the superior commits a serious crime, the evidence is ironclad, and he is put in a prison cell, he can still get a chance to reduce his sentence or parole through the prosecution and defense transaction, and after the limelight passes, he will still be happy and happy.

To this day, an old joke is best used to describe the "Solomon Accords" and its related legal provisions:

"The law, with its solemn equality, also forbade the poor and millionaires from sleeping in bridges, begging in the streets, and stealing bread."

……

Cato and Anne's complaint of the "Solomon Agreement" reminds Alan of the rule of the noble gatekeepers in the world of Warlocks, which is based on the theory of blood.

In the era of cataclysm, not only does the human society still have strict class barriers, but the oppression of the upper class to the lower level is even more cruel than the warlock world in some aspects.

Those who could not stand the "Solomon Agreement" would rather give up all benefits, including free housing and medical care, and live in abandoned subway stations or sewers, struggling to make ends meet.

Worse still, they take the initiative to get out of shelters and seek survival in the wilderness where there is no security.

These people, who do not have an online identity, call themselves "escapists".

Professor Butler was the staunchest supporter of the Solomon Accords.

Over time, however, he discovered that the agreement had deteriorated and had become a shackle for the lower classes.

Professor Butler deeply regretted this, and repeatedly advocated the abolition of unreasonable network protocols, but the board of directors rejected them.

The change in stance led to the complete rupture of his long-standing friendship with Dr. Solomon, and he was eventually sidelined.

Professor Butler, who has lost his power and position, recognizes the harsh reality.

In desperation, he left the metropolis with his relatives, friends, and students, and created a shelter called "Liberty City" in the ruins of the city thousands of miles away, to take in the escapees who fled the metropolis.

Despite leaving the Met, Professor Butler has not completely discarded everything in the past, especially the new technologies that have been proven to be beneficial to human society.

After all, there is no such thing as good or evil.

In Liberty City, Professor Butler led the construction of a crystalline nuclear power plant and a pharmaceutical factory that mimicked carcinogenesis inhibitors.

The greatest achievement is the creation of the Titan Network, which is open to the world-reclusives.

Compared with the "Solomon Network" in the metropolis, the "escapist network" in Liberty City is actually an inferior pirate, and all functions are lacking compared to the former.

The biggest advantage of the latter is that the network protocol is more lenient.

Apart from monitoring the symptoms of cancer, there is no restriction on internet users in the city.

In service areas outside the city, network users even have the right to refuse surveillance, and in any case, self-explosion outside the city will not hurt the innocent.

After more than a decade of development, Liberty City has more than 100,000 residents.

In order to better manage the city and defend against the invasion of Titanmon and Salomon Co. mercenaries, Professor Butler created a Escapist militia called the Wings of Freedom.

Cato and Anne are both members of the Wings of Freedom.

Even the two of them have to admit that the "Wings of Freedom", a loose militia organization, is far less effective than the well-armed mercenary group under the Salomon Company.

The "Wings of Freedom" specializes in guerrilla warfare, and if they confront the Solomon mercenary group head-on, the odds of victory are close to zero.

Over the years, the Salomon Corporation has repeatedly attacked the "Wings of Freedom", but it has not completely eliminated the organization.

Cato believes that this is because the Solomon Corporation is unwilling to make excessive sacrifices to eliminate the "Wings of Freedom".

Anne had a different view.

She felt that Dr. Solomon was not a cold-blooded capitalist through and through, and at least he still had some affection for his old friend Butler, and he couldn't bear to kill him all.

……

Ask for a recommended ticket for a commuter pass

(End of chapter)