Homo Sapiens

Luzon.

Manila.

A well-preserved, beautiful woman discreetly appeared on a pedestrian street. She bought a box of Octopus Balls and sat on an open-air balcony on the second floor.

The November weather in Manila was dry and cool, making it the best time of year for an outing.

She speared one of the Octopus Balls with a small fork and popped it into her mouth, savoring the momentary peace.

"Aren't you having any, Mr. Zhang?"

Li Qingye, appearing as Jack Zhang, smiled and shook his head. "I don't like to eat out."

"That's a real shame. Don't you think you're missing out on a lot of life's pleasures that way?" the beautiful woman said, then speared another Octopus Ball and popped it into her mouth.

Li Qingye's gaze was calm and distant. "He who wears the crown must bear its weight. My life no longer belongs to me, but to those who have pledged their loyalty to me."

"Such a man of steel. If I were a decade or so younger, I might just fall for you," the beautiful woman said, her eyes brimming with flirtatious charm.

"Ahem..." Sangjibada Laiyal's face darkened, and she cursed inwardly, 'Shameless old woman!'

Li Qingye, however, paid no mind to her flirtatious teasing. Instead, he fixed his torch-like gaze on her eyes and said with unnerving calm:

"Ms. Qiu, have you made your decision?"

"Mr. Zhang, it will be a pleasure working with you." Then, she asked jokingly, "Is it really okay to discuss this kind of partnership in such a public place? After all, quite a few people are keeping an eye on me."

Finally seeing her chance, Sangjibada Laiyal, like a proud little princess, held her head high and puffed out her chest as she said:

"Heh. You have no idea what our company is capable of."

As soon as she finished speaking, she snapped her fingers.

SNAP!

Instantly, dozens of Blood Blade Soldiers appeared throughout the pedestrian street, yet the ordinary people there acted as if they didn't see them at all.

Just then, a beautiful woman dressed identically to Qiu Yingle, escorted by bodyguards, began to slowly exit the pedestrian street in a display of quiet prominence.

Leaning against the railing, Li Qingye looked down at the entire street. "You see that? The man with the ponytail and jeans at the bubble tea shop—he's from Black Ship...

"And at the west end of the street, the two girls under the pink parasol are from the Royal Group...

"Inside that Playboy clothing store, the young man in the white T-shirt looking at clothes by the entrance... he's with Torch Fire..."

Qiu Yingle was now also leaning against the railing, observing these people. She noticed that as her double left, these individuals also began to depart, one after another, all heading in the same direction as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

She rested her cheek on her left wrist and glanced sideways at Li Qingye. "You're truly awe-inspiring, Mr. Zhang."

"Only when you show the world you're not to be trifled with will it treat you with any gentleness. I don't care what others think of me. All they need to do is remain afraid."

Qiu Yingle's gaze seemed to pierce right through to Li Qingye's soul. "You're clearly such a gentle person, so why do you torture yourself like this? And that thing you're trying to do... can it really be achieved?"

"If you don't have a dream, what's the point of living? A life that has nothing needs an unattainable fantasy."

At that moment, she seemed to understand the heart of the man before her.

His heart was already empty. Cruel reality had hollowed it out, leaving behind nothing but a nihilistic void.

Everything about the Homo Sapiens Company was just something for him to pour his hopes into, a way to fill the void in his heart. He had set an unattainable fantasy for himself and was now pouring his entire life and energy into it.

'He doesn't fear death at all. He only cares about getting closer to that fantasy. He doesn't care if the world is flooded after he's gone...'

Lost in thought for a moment, Qiu Yingle was suddenly reminded of the first half of her own life.

Her carefree youth, her passionate pursuit of education... and now, this wandering life, an exile far from home...

Wasn't she, too, an empty person?

Li Qingye had actually given her a choice. If she wasn't willing, he would have simply let her continue living peacefully as a New Human.

But her unwillingness to accept her fate had driven her to make this all-or-nothing decision.

She had already steeled herself for it. Besides, she wasn't young anymore. If she missed this opportunity, another one like it would never come again.

The humiliating events of the past were a disgrace to her—a shame she could never forget for the rest of her life.

She stood up and stretched. "I should get going. A person really does need a dream. Who knows, maybe one day it'll come true."

"Domino is ready. You can get to Chiang Mai directly through the Hongsawaddy channel."

Qiu Yingle waved. "Bye-bye, and take care of yourself! I don't want to go through another humiliation."

"Don't worry. I won't die within the next ten years."

"In any case, take good care."

After the two said their goodbyes, the hidden Soldiers and New Humans in the vicinity quickly escorted them away in secret.

Instead of returning to her hotel, Qiu Yingle went to the Internal Affairs Department's Training Base No. 3 in Manila. She needed to master certain skills to face the coming storm.

On the surface, Training Base No. 3 was the training facility for the Manila Iron Shield Security Company, a relatively well-known security firm on Luzon affiliated with the Lopez Clan.

In reality, it was one of the training bases for the Internal Affairs Division.

Ma Lin, a female security instructor at the base, began privately teaching Qiu Yingle about the Homo Sapiens Company's internal protocols and special equipment.

"Although you aren't combat personnel, your special status means you will definitely become a target for many factions in the coming years. Therefore, you'd better pay close attention to the following training."

"Of course. I'd rather not die," Qiu Yingle said with a smile and a shrug.

Ma Lin pointed to her own ear. "First point: when communicating with our own people, use pheromones as much as possible. Don't use written or spoken words directly."

"Like this?" One of Qiu Yingle's fingernails released a pheromone signal.

[Outsiders present...]

[Very good. Just like that.]

The two of them used their pheromone transmitters and receivers to communicate for over half an hour. Only after seeing that Qiu Yingle had a preliminary grasp of the various pheromone commands did Ma Lin move on to the next topic:

"Second point: don't trust any natural humans, even if they're your own relatives."

"Third point: you must know how to disguise yourself. This will not only increase your chances of survival but also make your enemies lower their guard around you."

Ma Lin demonstrated how to use parasites to alter her face and conceal her physical features, especially how to use pheromones to evade the sense of smell of police dogs and other animals.

Next came reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance skills, including how to use pheromones and bio-chips to detect abnormalities in natural humans.

Finally, there were combat skills.

"The enemies you'll face in the future will likely fall into two categories: large-scale armed forces and assassins. It's difficult for an individual to handle the former, so your only option is to escape through disguise. Therefore, the focus of your training will be on countering assassination attempts..."

Ma Lin took out a small box filled with a large number of mosquitoes and bees.

"These are various genetically modified insects. They can be used for reconnaissance, assassination, or incapacitation. You need to learn how to actively command them, so you can have them act when an unexpected situation arises."

Qiu Yingle looked at the mosquitoes and bees before her, her expression filled with interest.

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