Chapter 358: I

Koni destroyed the home she had lived in for many years and left the familiar sewer with Li Yi.

As the old man said, she was still young.

And the young always carry dreams; Li Yi's appearance gave this usually timid girl her first taste of bold courage, emboldening her to abandon everything and chase that dream—perhaps she would one day realize it, or perhaps she would die like a moth flying into the flame.

But Koni had finally taken that crucial step.

Li Yi now stared at the building known in Feicheng as the Tower of Hope, leading Koni toward it.

Since there was gene serum inside, let's go take a look.

But as he walked only a short distance, several hooligans appeared before him—wearing bizarre clothing, adorned with glowing tattoos, and sporting hair dyed or naturally colored in strange hues; their presence reminded Li Yi of the gang Koni had mentioned.

Mama's Gang?

"It's Koni, and that strange gene warrior," someone shouted.

"He's here—go tell Mama!"

"Whoa, his battle armor is so cool—what generation is it? I've never seen anything like it."

Seeing so many gang members appear, Koni grew tense and frightened, immediately hiding behind Li Yi, her eyes filled with fear and unease.

"A bunch of colorful kids? You're trying to block my way?" Li Yi glanced at them, raised his hand, and condensed a surge of Gangqi; he had no intention of killing them, merely swept his hand outward, unleashing a violent gale.

A fierce wind erupted around them; the hooligans could not open their eyes, and those nearby were flung into the air by the force.

With just one simple move, the hooligans were thrown into chaos and scrambled backward in terror.

After giving them a lesson, Li Yi prepared to continue on his way.

"Hey, outsider gene warrior, are you really going to attack my precious kids like that? Isn't that a bit too much?" Suddenly, a figure dashed out from one direction, flipped midair, and landed steadily on the ground.

A woman now stood before him, dagger in hand, blocking his path.

She had short red hair, a mature, voluptuous figure, appearing around thirty; her once-pleasant face bore three grotesque scars, as if clawed by sharp talons, the scars faintly black and never healed, giving her a terrifying appearance.

"Mama's here!"

The colorful hooligans reacted with excitement upon seeing her.

This woman must be Hong Zhen, the leader of Mama's Gang, as Koni had mentioned.

"Level-four gene warrior? No—level three. You were once a level-four, but your power declined due to injury, right?" Li Yi sensed her life force and made a rough estimate.

"Shut your mouth—I hate anyone bringing up my injury!" Hong Zhen flew into a rage, without even assessing Li Yi's strength, crouched low, and lunged forward like a hunting leopard.

Her dagger struck like a leopard's fang, aiming straight for Li Yi's throat—swift, ruthless, merciless.

Li Yi stood motionless; his eyes suddenly glowed with a piercing light.

Sight Strike!

This technique was nearly useless against powerful cultivators, but effective against those weaker than oneself.

The gene warrior Hong Zhen felt a momentary dizziness; though not fatal, it caused brief unconsciousness. When she snapped back to awareness, a hand had already seized her throat, wrapped in terrifying Gangqi.

She was instantly subdued, powerless to resist.

"Don't be so reckless—you could die from a single misstep," Li Yi stared at her.

"You—" Hong Zhen grew slightly calmer, cold sweat streaming uncontrollably down her forehead.

This man's strength was far beyond a mere level-four gene warrior; she had once been level-four herself, and though weakened by injury, she knew such effortless capture was impossible.

Level-five? Or level-six gene warrior?

Why had such a powerful warrior suddenly appeared in this small town of Feicheng?

"Seems you've calmed down a bit," Li Yi said. "You're Hong Zhen, the gene warrior who leads Mama's Gang? I have a few questions. Answer well, and I won't kill you. Answer poorly, then I'm sorry."

He slowly released his grip.

Hong Zhen dropped to the ground, gasping for breath, then gritted her teeth: "What do you want to know?"

Li Yi pointed at the Tower of Hope: "Koni said only this building in Feicheng has gene serum, right?"

"Correct. It's owned by the Gene Federation—only there can you buy gene serum, provided you have citizen status and a clean criminal record. Even if you want to help Koni become a gene warrior, it's impossible—the serum must be verified and used on-site; it cannot be taken away." Hong Zhen seemed to understand Li Yi's intent.

In her eyes, Li Yi was a powerful gene warrior who didn't need gene serum—his only possible motive was to obtain it for Koni.

But Koni was an undocumented person; without legal citizenship, she had no Zige to become a gene warrior.

Li Yi continued: "Who's the strongest gene warrior inside that Tower of Hope?"

"The highest authority in Feicheng's Tower of Hope is Jones—a level-five gene warrior. He's also the boss of every gang in Feicheng; every gang here pays him monthly management fees, including mine. Cross him, and you cross every gang in Feicheng," Hong Zhen said.

"Level-five gene warrior?" Li Yi's gaze flickered.

His choice was right—this small town couldn't have overly powerful gene warriors, and he was confident he could handle a level-five.

"So your boss is this Jones guy?" Li Yi asked.

Li Yi smiled and extended his hand. "Then, Hong Zhen, are you willing to storm Hope Tower with me, seize the gene serum, and kill your boss Jones?"

Li Yi smiled, extending his hand: "Then, Hong Zhen, would you be willing to join me in storming the Tower of Hope, seizing the gene serum, and killing your boss Jones?"

Upon hearing this, Hong Zhen's eyes sharply contracted; she had never imagined this stranger, a gene warrior, would say such a thing.

Hong Zhen's pupils shrank sharply—she never expected this stranger to say such a thing.

But she instinctively stepped back: "Are you from the Resistance? Damn it—I should've realized sooner. Koni's parents had ties to the Resistance; it's natural they'd find her now. But you're insane—you actually want to storm the Tower of Hope and steal gene serum?"

Li Yi said: "The Gene Federation enslaves you with tyranny and exploitation, forcing generations to kneel like slaves, stripped of freedom—even as a gang boss, you're still controlled. I only want you to stand up straight, seize the Tower of Hope, take the gene serum, and decide your own future."

"I can see you don't willingly submit to Jones—you're just crushed by force, powerless. I guarantee I'll kill Jones for you. All you need to do is follow me. If even this can't convince you, then 'pathetic' is already carved into your bones—stay here and rot."

"Koni, let's go."

Hong Zhen's expression shifted unpredictably; she unconsciously touched the scar on her face. Inside Hope Tower, there was a Life Restoration Chamber—if she could break in, she could use it to restore her appearance and even heal her genetic trauma.

Hong Zhen's expression shifted wildly; she unconsciously touched the scars on her face. Inside the Tower of Hope was a Life Restoration Chamber—if she could break in, she could restore her appearance and even heal her gene trauma.

But the cost was enormous. Jones had promised her: if she paid thirty years' full management fees, she'd earn one such opportunity.

How long that period had been—she hadn't even been sure Jones, a scoundrel like him, would keep his promise.

How long a time—she couldn't even be sure Jones, a monster like him, would keep his word.

Hong Zhen suddenly shouted, "Can you really kill that Jones?"

Hong Zhen suddenly shouted: "Can you really kill Jones?"

Hong Zhen suddenly laughed, her face twisting into a more grotesque grin. "Fine, then I'll join you in causing chaos—but I get at least ten vials of gene serum. Less than that, and I won't agree."

Hong Zhen suddenly laughed, her face twisting more grotesquely: "Fine—I'll join you in this chaos. But I want at least ten vials of gene serum. Less than that, I won't agree."

"If there are that many, no problem," Li Yi stopped, turned back, and said.

Gene serum wasn't his anyway—empty promises were what the most evil captives excelled at; it was a racial talent.

"But just the two of us won't be enough. I need to contact other gang bosses—if you can convince them, every gang in Feicheng will gladly follow you into the Tower of Hope," Hong Zhen said. "Trust me—their help will be useful."

Li Yi thought for a moment, then said: "You have three hours to make contact. By evening, whether anyone joins or not, I'll act."

"No need for three hours—one hour's enough. Wait for my message," Hong Zhen immediately left with several colorful hooligans.

Watching Hong Zhen's eager demeanor, Li Yi rubbed his chin.

Now he understood why the Resistance had such strong appeal in this world.

The people had suffered under the Gene Federation for too long.

Had the upper class not controlled all gene warriors above level-five with absolute military power, the regime would have collapsed long ago.

The entire world was like a bundle of dry tinder—just one spark could ignite roaring flames.

"Since I've been mistaken for the Resistance, I might as well embrace the identity," Li Yi thought to himself.

【76】 (End of Chapter)