Rain fell in thin silver lines from the sky, striking the metal streets with a constant whisper. Neon light bled across the wet ground, turning puddles into trembling mirrors as people gathered in a long, silent line that stretched toward the massive steel gates ahead.
High above those gates, a holographic sign hovered steadily through the storm.
—Silver Ridge Academy—
Public Gene Assessment Division
The name alone carried no great prestige, yet no one dared to speak lightly of it. Silver Ridge was strange, neutral, and dangerous in ways most academies were not.
At the back of the line stood Feng Tianlei.
At sixteen, his frame was still lean, his shoulders narrow beneath his rain-darkened clothes. The fabric at his elbows was patched neatly, the stitching done with careful hands. Water slid down the strands of his black hair and dripped quietly onto the stone at his feet, yet he barely noticed the cold.
Beside him stood his aunt, Feng Lanying, holding an umbrella that shielded both of them from the rain. She was tall and straight-backed, her expression calm in a way that did not belong to the poor or the fearful.
Before them waited hundreds of youths, some nervously whispering, others staring straight ahead like soldiers awaiting judgment. Floating above the line, translucent holographic displays scrolled through shifting symbols and rotating models of human DNA threaded with glowing energy.
"This place feels different," Feng Tianlei said quietly without looking away from the gate.
Feng Lanying smiled faintly.
"Different is better than hopeless."
He nodded, feeling the truth of those words settle into his chest.
The Feng family had once been one of the most powerful families in Eastern Asia but the rise and fall of empires was no rare thing ,it just happened . Now, only a few members of the Feng bloodline remained in the lower districts, pressed beneath clan power like dust beneath a boot.
Ahead, a floating display shifted into a bold three-dimensional projection.
GENETIC RANKING SYSTEM — PUBLIC STANDARD
Rank 1: Mortal Grade
Gene activity weak. No awakened traits. Limited lifespan increase.
Rank 2: Enhanced Grade
Gene activity stable. Minor strength or sensory mutations.
Rank 3: Spirit Grade
Gene activity awakened. Capable of soul resonance and energy circulation.
Rank 4: Monster Grade
Gene structure mutates with beast patterns. High adaptability. Extreme survival rate in combat.
Rank 5: Monarch Grade
Legendary bloodlines. Gene evolution self-directed. Nation-level threat classification.
Rank 6: Unknown Grade
Data insufficient. Restricted classification.
A quiet tension rippled through the line as the display rotated slowly, emphasizing each rank with waves of colored light. Most people here would be fortunate to reach Enhanced Grade. Spirit Grade was considered genius-level among lower cities. Monster Grade was the threshold where the World truly changed.
"Monster Grade…" a boy ahead whispered faintly, eyes burning. "If only…"
Feng Tianlei said nothing, but his fingers clenched slightly at his side.
That was when the rain felt colder.
The street fell silent in a way that had nothing to do with the weather.
Engines hummed softly behind the crowd . The wheels of four black cars screeched as they came to a halt . As their doors slid open, the people in line instinctively stepped aside without being told.
The devouring snake emblem of the Zhao family glowed faintly on the vehicles' sides.
From the center car stepped a young man in a black long coat with gold-trimmed sleeves, his posture lazy . His hair was light brown and his eyes were the color of cold metal.
Zhao Ming.
Behind him followed several youths and personal guards, each standing in perfect formation. Their presence alone crushed the air.
No one In the line protested as the Zhao group walked straight toward the front. Even the academy guards pretended not to see it.
Because the Zhao family was not something to be questioned.
They were fearless not because they lacked fear, but because the world itself feared them.
As Zhao Ming passed through the line, his gaze drifted casually over the people like one might inspect livestock. Then his eyes halted.
They locked onto Feng Lanying.
Recognition surfaced instantly.
A thin smile curved at his lips.
"So the Feng family still has rats roaming around , oh God! What happened to the animal control department?"
The line became colder than the rain.
Feng Tianlei felt the shift immediately, his heart tightening as Zhao Ming's gaze lowered to him.
"You rats still think you have produced a new breed" Zhao Ming said calmly. "Still lining up with commoners, I thought you are now in the paradise of beggars."
Before Feng Tianlei could speak, Feng Lanying stepped forward.
"Move along," she said flatly. "Your shadow smells expensive, but it still stinks."
A sharp intake of breath rippled through the line.
Even the rain seemed to hesitate.
Zhao Ming blinked, then laughed softly. "Interesting. The Fengs lost their power but kept their tongues."
" humph , guess who just called us rats . So you are a normal person who talks to ...…. Well ,you know what I mean .
Zhao Ming's smile thinned, but he did not flare into rage. He merely walked closer, stopping less than a step from Feng Tianlei. The pressure rolling from his body caused several nearby candidates to tremble.
"You should teach your nephew one truth," Zhao Ming said lightly. " Fallen family bloodlines have no place in the Golden age "
Feng Tianlei lifted his eyes and met his gaze.
"Then we'll see whose blood lasts," Feng Tianlei said quietly.
For a moment, something unreadable flickered behind Zhao Ming's eyes. Then he smiled again, wider this time.
"Good," he said. "I look forward to your results."
Without another word, he turned and walked toward the front, the Zhao family moving with him as the line parted like water before steel.
Only when they disappeared through the academy gates did sound slowly return.
Feng Tianlei exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His aunt placed a hand briefly on his shoulder.
" As they say taking a fool's words to mind makes you Foolish "
The line moved again.
Time passed in the slow rhythm of dread and hope as names were called, youths entered the assessment chambers, and returned with faces either glowing or hollow.
Above the entrance, a massive holographic board updated continuously, ranking fresh results by gene classification, potential, and soul activity.
Enhanced Grade, Compatibility 41%
Spirit Grade, Compatibility 58%
Spirit Grade, Extreme Mutation Detected
Every result carved invisible lines into the hearts of those waiting.
Then his name appeared.
FENG TIANLEI — CHAMBER THREE
Feng Lanying tightened the grip on his hand once.
" Prove you are better than those trash "
He nodded and stepped forward alone.
The chamber was cold, circular, and entirely silver. Thin streams of light flowed across the walls like digital veins. A female supervisor sat on a chair that resembled a hospital bed, her uniform embedded with soft-lit circuitry.
"Sit," she said without emotion.
The chair rose smoothly and enclosed around his torso. Metal bands wrapped gently around his wrists and ankles. Above him, an intricate scanning halo descended, layered with concentric rings of shifting code.
" I have a few questions to ask you before we begin the test. Are you ready "
She picked up a transparent tablet and what looked like a pen .
" My questions are simple , answer correctly and spare us the trouble . How you ever been intimate with someone "
Feng Tianlei body tensed a bit , that was a normal question to ask if you were in a hospital not someone who looked like a mad surgeon .
" huh! Please clarify?"
The woman looked up from the tablet and sighed .
" Boy I have no desire to indulge in your lifestyle history or whatever . Just answer my question . Have you ever …
No .
The woman narrowed his eyes at him.
That was easy . Then ,have you ever been exposed to high levels of radiation or been offered a blood transfusion even organ transplant?
I don't think so .
" Great ," she said without looking up , then scribbled something down on the tablet .
Feng Tianlei at his age had already gone through many lectures that his brain now was overwhelmed by all the Gene related nonsense . Exposure to radiation caused Gene mutation and offering any body fluids or organs drained the competency of your genes ,so virginity and other things were crucial before the assessment to preserve proper results .
"Begin gene-soul synchronization," the supervisor ordered.
The halo activated.
Soft blue light washed over his body, penetrating skin and bone as data surged across the holographic panels around the room. Lines of information cascaded downward faster than he could read.
For several seconds, everything was normal.
Then the light hesitated.
The flow of numbers slowed.
The supervisor frowned faintly as her visor pulsed.
"Gene activity… fluctuating?"
The halo brightened abruptly.
Feng Tianlei felt something move inside his chest, something hot, coiled deep within his bones like a sleeping ember waking under ice.
The holographic panels flickered.
One by one, their displays warped.
SOUL SIGNAL UNSTABLE
GENE STRUCTURE DEVIATION DETECTED
COMPATIBILITY INDEX—ERROR
The machine's hum shifted into a shrill whine.
The light intensified without warning, slamming into his nervous system like a shockwave. Pain burst through his limbs as if invisible hands were wrenching at his spine.
"What is this?" the supervisor muttered, stepping back.
The halo shuddered violently.
WARNING. WARNING. WARNING.
Red symbols flooded every screen.
GENETIC PATTERN UNABLE TO PARSE
SOUL CORE READING: UNKNOWN SIGNATURE
RANK CLASSIFICATION—FAILED
The entire chamber trembled.
Feng Tianlei cried out as pressure crushed inward from all sides, his vision tearing apart into white streaks. Alarms detonated across the academy, echoing through steel corridors like a siren of judgment.
Outside, guards moved instantly.
Inside, the supervisor shouted into her communicator, her voice tight with disbelief. "Seal Chamber Three! Lock all data feeds! This is not a normal reaction—!"
The halo released a piercing mechanical scream.
Data exploded across the panels.
And then—
Darkness folded inward.
The last thing Feng Tianlei saw before losing consciousness was the chamber doors being forced open and armed guards flooding in through the red haze.
" ALERT! ALERT! "
This wasn't normal , the sirens weren't screaming because of him anymore.
" we are under attack "
Far away in the waiting hall, Feng Lanying's umbrella slipped from her fingers the moment the alarms sounded.
Her heart sank without reason.
"Tianlei…?"