Chapter Five: Primal Energy Armament

Half an hour later, Fang Mu, who had run more than ten kilometers away, still felt his heart pounding like thunder.

“It must be a Primal Energy Armament!”

Primal Energy Armaments were wondrous creations, forged from the fusion of gene technology and the genetic materials of battlefield creatures. When not in use, these gene armaments usually took the form of jewelry for easy carrying. But once activated with genetic primal energy, their true forms would be revealed.

Such high-end items were naturally beyond Fang Mu’s reach; in fact, he had never even seen one in person. Yet their reputation preceded them—they were legendary, impossible to conceal in this era of information overload.

Fang Mu had heard that the most common Primal Energy Armaments were weapons—swords, blades, firearms. Sometimes, they were defensive gear like gene battle armor or shields. But beyond weapons and armor, there were even armaments endowed with special abilities: invisibility, transformation, strength enhancement, super speed, and so on—bizarre and countless in their variety.

Yet unless activated, their exterior betrayed nothing of their nature.

“Could it be the weapon of the owner of that severed hand?”

When this possibility occurred to him, Fang Mu’s heart thudded so violently it threatened to leap from his chest. Even with his temperament, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

He knew that even the cheapest Primal Energy Armament was worth millions of star credits—an object of legend to someone like him.

And that severed hand—so strange and otherworldly—what kind of power must its owner have possessed? What level of Primal Energy Armament would someone like that wield?

Fang Mu licked his lips and quickened his pace.

“But I’ve heard that using a Primal Energy Armament requires certain conditions. I don’t know the specifics… I’ll have to look it up when I get back…”

…

Another half hour later, Fang Mu arrived at a vast city.

At the city’s edge, a towering pillar of golden light pierced the sky and earth—this was the entrance to the First-Star Battlefield.

The city gate opened onto a broad plaza where at least tens of thousands of people gathered. Countless stalls stretched as far as the eye could see. The place was packed and lively, a sea of people shoulder to shoulder.

Information of every kind bombarded the ears—so loud and overwhelming it made one’s head spin.

Here, teams were assembling, individuals sought to join groups, legions were recruiting, second-hand weapons were for sale, gene meat was on offer, and even gene primal energy cultivation techniques were being traded.

It was a cacophony of commerce and chaos.

This plaza was the “Information Square” where Lin Chuyin had told him to find her five days later.

It was always this boisterous and bustling, no matter the hour. Whatever you sought, you could find it here.

The city was known as “Battlefield Metropolis.” As the name implied, it was built within the First-Star Battlefield, a place for participants to rest and resupply. It had started as a small settlement, but with generations of evolvers building and expanding, it had grown into a grand metropolis, nearly indistinguishable from cities outside the battlefield.

Suspended trains crisscrossed the city, and dazzling virtual advertisements blasted the senses at every moment—a city brimming with futuristic energy.

Naturally, Fang Mu didn’t own property here—real estate was too expensive, running into tens or hundreds of millions, far beyond his means.

Fortunately, there were rental houses.

Some were luxurious, some affordable. The best were villas in the city center, but their monthly rent could easily exceed ten million—justified by their superb facilities: shooting ranges, cinemas, cultivation rooms, open-air pools, life testing devices—everything one could imagine.

The cheap rentals, on the other hand, were nothing to boast about—just a place to rest one’s head in the battlefield.

Fang Mu, of course, had rented the most affordable option: a dormitory building, costing twelve thousand a year, or about a thousand per month.

…

By the time he returned to his rented room, another two hours had passed.

He entered, set aside his tactical backpack and weapons, and poured himself a large glass of water, drinking it all in one go before exhaling with satisfaction.

Finally composed, Fang Mu drew out his chair, sat at the table, and took out the ring he’d kept close to his body.

“So this is a Primal Energy Armament…”

His eyes sparkled as he examined it closely.

The ring looked ordinary—a smooth, dark yellow band. But on closer inspection, one could see a fine, intricate pattern on its surface, like some kind of rune, though dull and without luster.

But this ring had been taken from that uncanny severed hand. For someone of that caliber to wear it—it could not possibly be a mere trinket.

It had to be a Primal Energy Armament!

With mounting anticipation, Fang Mu turned on his light-brain computer.

He needed to search: how exactly could one use a Primal Energy Armament?

In this age of information, while some secrets remained, Primal Energy Armaments were hardly classified. He ought to be able to find useful answers online.

Soon, the computer booted up. Fang Mu hurriedly opened the search bar, entered relevant keywords, and began his search.

As expected, there was a wealth of results.

One answer after another appeared on the virtual screen before him, and Fang Mu read them intently.

At first, his eyes were bright with hope.

But as he continued reading, his expression grew uneasy…

“A used Primal Energy Armament actually requires the previous ‘gene authentication’ to be removed, and then a new ‘gene authentication’ must be completed before it can be used by a second person?”

He stared at the screen, dumbfounded.

The post explained in detail: Primal Energy Armaments were typically made from the materials of battlefield creatures, combined with gene engineering to grant extraordinary powers.

Once obtained, the first step to using one was to infuse it with your own genes—“gene authentication.”

Only after this authentication could your genetic primal energy truly activate the armament.

Put simply, it was a kind of “password.”

But this was no ordinary password—it was one set at the genetic level.

Imagine the security!

Once an armament was authenticated, it was nearly impossible for a second person to use it. Even if the prospective user’s gene primal energy was a thousand times stronger than the original owner’s, it made no difference.

Was there a solution?

There was, of course. The technical term was “gene cleansing”—in layman’s terms, “password reset.”

Gene technology was now highly advanced; large corporations operated specialized gene labs equipped to cleanse the gene authentication of a Primal Energy Armament.

But the equipment was astronomically expensive—costing tens of billions. And the process was subject to strict conditions, not to mention exorbitant fees and exclusive access.

How could Fang Mu have such connections?

The Lin family?

Perhaps they did. But even if they did… Fang Mu would never resort to their help.

This…

Fang Mu sat in a daze.

That ring had been worn on the severed hand, which meant it had certainly undergone gene authentication.

Now it had fallen into his hands—without cleansing the gene authentication, it was nothing more than an ordinary ring!

Fang Mu sat motionless in his chair.

A moment ago, he’d been wildly excited; now, he was just as deeply disappointed…