Chapter 151: Uncontrolled Proliferation |
Over the past month, Shi Rang had experienced a peaceful period of development.
Realizing his severe lack of strength, coupled with his inability to go out hunting to Plunder abilities, he simply packed his schedule to the brim, filling his days with workout sessions and shooting practice. Although the enforcer assigned to him by the Ascension Society was also a fellow citizen of the Second District, his name was a bit hard to remember, so Shi Rang simply took a single character from it and called him A Wei.
A Wei was a decent coach, willing to adopt a strict attitude when the situation called for it.
But Shi Rang was no longer young. While twenty-eight could hardly be considered middle-aged, years of office life and an unbalanced diet had damaged his physical foundation, forcing him to start from the most basic courses like a child.
On the first day of training, Shi Rang had asked A Wei, "How long do you think it would take to reach your level?"
"It takes at least three months to train a robust youth into a qualified soldier. Anything beyond that depends on natural aptitude."
Let alone three months, Shi Rang doubted he even had half a month.
Not to mention, he was far from being a "robust youth."
After learning he was Shi Shixin's son, the Charity Foundation's personnel procedures moved at a breakneck pace.
The Charity Foundation's background checks for any new employee were extremely strict, not to mention he was heading straight to the headquarters for his position. Without his Connections to Shi Shixin, there was absolutely no way the Ascension Society could slip one of their "own people" inside.
This operation was an unprecedented opportunity to infiltrate the foundation's headquarters, a chance that could not be sought but only encountered.
Fortunately, Shi Rang had an advantage that could buy him time: Rapid Regeneration.
His muscles could repair themselves in just a few short hours, and his dizzy head and racing heart rate could quickly return to normal.
Even if he was so exhausted he threw up and nearly passed out, as long as he replenished his energy in time, he could keep running like a machine.
Shi Rang was not someone who could appreciate the sense of accomplishment from exercise and training.
He hated anything strenuous, and Ying Shang was just like him. Back in university, they had tried every trick in the book to skip free runs and mandatory activity check-ins. But now he had to grow stronger. Whenever exhaustion made him want to give up, he would think of her, forcing his mind to hold on for another five minutes, then ten... until the pressure became completely unbearable.
Coupled with the incredible digestive power granted by his Rapid Regeneration and a highly nutritious diet, his newly grown muscles quickly wrapped around his bones, making him bulk up as if he were being inflated like a balloon.
Rapid Regeneration did not accelerate hair growth. After a month, his hair had only grown a little, and after a trim, he kept it as a normal short cut.
Now, Shi Rang could see muscle definition without even flexing his arms. Although it was faint, going from a skeletal frame to this in just one month made him very happy, even if he had suffered quite a bit.
After taking a shower, Shi Rang went to the room where the Mini-Humans lived.
The once-empty storage room had undergone a massive transformation. The Mini-Humans had installed countless plank walkways on the walls, building their new town... or rather, Miniature Kingdom, directly flush against the vertical surfaces. To them, vertical movement was often much faster than running on flat ground.
Looking around, the houses of various sizes were scattered in an orderly fashion, presenting quite a spectacular sight.
The core of the town was a building with a spire directly facing the door; that was The Sheriff's residence.
Seeing Shi Rang approach, The Sheriff kicked off the wall, leaped across the room, and landed precisely on Shi Rang's shoulder, stirring up enthusiastic cheers from his subjects.
The two leaders moved outside the room to discuss private matters.
"You are heading straight to the Ninth District?" The Sheriff recalled the location of the Ninth District for a moment. "That is quite far. I hear the public security there is poor too. Are you sure this is a good assignment?"
"The organization demanded it; I have no choice. The Operations Zone there is the administrative hub of the entire Charity Foundation. I should be able to find what I want there."
Like Ying Shang and her information Records.
And the secrets desired by the Ascension Society and the Pan-Continent Alliance.
"Are you sure their investigation is correct, and your wife just happens to be in that exact place?"
"I have to go and see."
Shi Rang still found it a bit hard to believe. He was not sure if the person living at the Charity Foundation headquarters was truly Fan Yingshang, an altered version of her with replaced memories, or a disguised bait used by the Management Authority to clean up the mess.
Lately, he thought about this question every day during his free time.
But ever since learning this news, Shi Rang had found boundless motivation to train earnestly, preparing for his undercover operation to infiltrate the Charity Foundation.
His goal had never changed; his heart only held her.
The Sheriff said, "Let me send a combat squad with you. They are all loyal children, and you can grant them stronger physical capabilities. I will drill them tonight to help them adapt and ensure they follow your absolute command. They will be of great help."
"How many people?"
"One hundred. They are all elite fighters around half a millimeter tall. Is that enough?"
"That is enough, absolutely enough. I will go get a Snuff Box for them; it will be more comfortable to live in."
After a month of unrestricted activity, the number of Mini-Humans had surged from just over seven hundred to a terrifying five thousand.
Today, the Native Miniature People completely outnumbered those who had previously experienced normal human lives, becoming the true majority.
Back when they were contained by the Management Authority, the Mini-Humans at least had other things to do. They were also less focused on Miniature People Reproduction due to the psychological pressure of the Management Authority and being shrunk overnight.
At that time, their population growing from six thousand to nine thousand in a month was already quite frightening, but compared to the current situation, it paled into insignificance.
Under The Sheriff's fanatical rule, unable to find an enemy to wage war against, they had launched expeditions across the entire room. They conquered all the territory on their own, driving out other microorganisms. As far as Shi Rang knew, their latest expeditions had already expanded to the ceiling.
Many Mini-Humans even considered "increasing their numbers" the best way to contribute to the Miniature Kingdom, continuously "working hard" by taking advantage of the ease of Miniature People Reproduction and the complete lack of a recovery period between births.
Even if someone felt uneasy and suggested birth control, they would be labeled as an "Authority sympathizer" and despised. After all, the main conflict that originally escalated their clash with the Management Authority was the forced sterilization incident. They were highly sensitive to this topic. The Sheriff had to handle many conflicts arising from it.
Even though The Sheriff guaranteed that no ethical issues had arisen under his rule, the sheer number of Multiple Births among the Mini-Humans still deeply shocked Shi Rang.
He never imagined that "ten per litter, averaging eight" could become the norm.
These Tiny Ones, averaging less than two millimeters in height, did not bring more brilliant minds to advance the technological progress of their society as expected. On the contrary, they fidgeted in the School, arguing and fighting, their simple thoughts contrasting sharply with an unsettling, pure innocence.
Their bodies had rapidly matured into teenagers, but their minds remained like those of five-year-old children.
Although they could still receive basic technical education and learn how to drill through the human body, complex thinking was simply too difficult for the vast majority of Native Miniature People. Out of a thousand children, one could barely find three who could finish the School's curriculum.
Gradually, more and more of the former normal humans realized something was wrong. They stopped reproducing and gazed uneasily at these "native borns" running around the Miniature Kingdom all day.
Regarding this, both The Sheriff and Shi Rang remained silent.
The oldest among these children was barely over two months old. By the scale of normal humans, they were still infants. Perhaps they simply needed more time to grow and develop their minds.
At the very least, there was no way to deal with this matter right now.
It was a problem difficult to judge.
Since the population growth rate had now been passively controlled, it was best to maintain the status quo for the time being...
Shi Rang still held the power of Tampering; if any terrible consequences arose, he could still salvage the situation.
After discussing a few more adjustments to the Mini-Humans' lives for when Shi Rang and his two subordinates were away, Shi Rang was certain he was fully prepared.
No matter what secrets were hidden behind the Charity Foundation, his primary objective for heading to the Ninth District would never change.
'Is the person living in that town really you, Ying Shang?'