Legend of the Cyber Heroes

"Main Battle Tank" Paulus, "Torrential Rain Blade" Ronconi, and "Explosive Bullet" Anthony were all Martial Artists from nearby regions. Although they didn't qualify for the Paralympics, they had all won matches at regional tournaments and were regarded as local powerhouses.

Aside from "Torrential Rain Blade" Ronconi, the other two Martial Artists retained their original faces, and their expressions were extremely defiant. They were bored waiting for the Welfare Officer. Anthony asked the Town Mayor, "Hey, old man Schultz, is it true that your town's Martial Artist can defeat Will Grand Duke without using the Martial Arts Algorithm? Why hasn't he shown up?"

The Town Mayor shook his head with a very submissive stance, "This… We don't really understand the affairs of Martial Artists, do we?"

"Got a good Prosthetic Body and are now resting up?" "Torrential Rain Blade" Ronconi, swinging the pair of blades behind him, said in a low voice, "This guy, he's really lucky."

"The Samurai by Appennine's side uses cutting-edge components," said Paulus with an implied tone. "What do you think, how many Thugs would that Prosthetic Body attract?"

"Who knows? Although there are fewer components, they are all top-grade." Anthony sneered, "Surely there's got to be one or two worthy of leaving a name behind, right?"

"I actually hope for a bit of fame. It's bound to raise our worth somewhat."

While they were talking, a Ground Effect Vehicle sped over. Similar to the one Tax Officer Appennine had ridden, but without any private soldiers following.

The three Martial Artists quickly shut their mouths. Although the power of a Welfare Officer was much less than that of a Tax Officer, they were ultimately under the Lord's command. They still wanted to make a living on this land, so it was necessary to maintain a certain level of respect for the Lord's people.

As in previous years, the Welfare Officer distributed a number of healthy infants to the Town Mayor. These infants had already undergone limited esophageal surgery and needed only to be connected to an IV bag of nutrient liquid to be fairly easy to keep alive.

The Mayor quickly counted the number of infants and then called forth all the families willing to adopt to come over and take away the infants they felt a connection with.

This was the welfare from the Gene Bank.

Besides that, the Welfare Officer would also announce civil welfare. According to the regulations, he would declare here that this place was protected by civilization, and the Lord was responsible for attacking any person or entity invading this settlement.

This was the entirety of the Welfare Officer's duties.

But this year, the procedure was unexpectedly different.

After distributing the infants, the Welfare Officer directly turned and left.

The old Town Mayor couldn't help but get in front of the Welfare Officer and kneel down, "My Lord… about this… Aren't you missing something?"

The Welfare Officer glanced at the Town Mayor and then pointed at the three foreign Martial Artists, "Isn't it clear to you? Aren't you all prepared?"

"Oh, my Lord! This is no laughing matter," said the Town Mayor. "Our town has indeed defeated the Martial Artist under Lord Appennine's command…"

"The specifics are not my concern. You didn't pay the full Gene Tax. It's already Lord's grace that I haven't announced the permanent revocation of your town's protection," the Welfare Officer waved his hand. "In nineteen days, I will come to announce the establishment of protection. Until then, it's your own affair."

All humans are obligated to maintain human genetic diversity. Refusing this duty will automatically result in the loss of civilization's protection. If unable to fulfill this duty, in principle, one may not be protected.

This is the first principle of the Dyson Principle.

If a Lord considers that the population quality of a settlement has degenerated to a certain level, then he can indeed choose not to protect that settlement.

Some Lords do indeed announce the withdrawal of protection from settlements of low population quality for a period of time, putting these towns to the test. If a settlement can survive without protection, then it proves its own value. If the settlement is eradicated, then the Lord is relieved of a burden.

The Welfare Officer is merely announcing this. There is no more room for turning things around.

For the next nineteen days, Recycling Station Town can only rely on itself.

Dr. Schultz approached the Town Mayor with a worried look, "Uncle, this…"

"Well, it has come to this…" The Mayor shook his head, "At least we have three esteemed Martial Artists with us, and 'Xiang Shan' in another day or two might be able to rebuild his Prosthetic Body. Then…"

"I'd advise you not to hold out too much hope for that 'Xiang Shan,'" "Explosive Bullet" Anthony let out a cold laugh. "A Martial Artist who has been stripped of his Martial Arts Algorithm… Ha, you don't know the ruthlessness of the Martial Artist world. If he's come to this pass, what kind of accomplishments can he have as a Martial Artist? He just took advantage of the enemy's underestimation, a lucky turnaround, that's all."

"You know, in that situation, being able to turn the tables is also a skill, isn't it?" "Torrential Rain Blade" Ronconi shook his head, "At least we wouldn't have had the chance to encounter high-grade components at a time when we're at the end of our rope."

"That's true," Anthony nodded.

Dr. Schultz wanted to argue a few points. In their minds, Xiang Shan might be a Hero. But in the end, he kept these words to himself.

Being a Hero is not exactly a good identity. Many Martial Artists disdain to associate with Heroes.

As they talked, the wind suddenly picked up. More sand and dust were whipped up, with visibility dropping to only about ten meters.

The Mayor watched the takeoff of the Ground Effect Vehicle in despair.

He had heard of such a process before, but this was his first time witnessing it himself.

"In the name of the Dyson Principle, the Human Gene Bank Management Agency declares that the 'civilization protection' for Recycling Station Town for one work cycle has officially ended. Since the town did not fulfill its duties at the beginning of this work cycle, no new protection will be announced. Until my next arrival, all town residents should continue to strive."

Almost simultaneously, a voice came through the sandstorm.

"So, this means the town is without protection now, right?"

Suddenly, from the depths of the sandstorm, there came a series of footsteps.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang...

The sound of metallic footsteps was incredibly heavy. The Main Battle Tank, Paulus, noticeably paled. His balance detector was not the cutting-edge type, nor particularly sensitive. Yet, now he could indeed feel himself shaking.

—Could this really be a Martial Artist Prosthetic Body? Not some kind of industrial variant?

"Thug, are you not afraid of death, appearing before me?" The voice of the Welfare Officer came through the speakers from mid-air.

"Who knows?" The Mysterious Person replied. "Of course, I'm the lowest of the low, a mere insect. But for Lords like you, Protectors of your caliber, it's not easy dealing with a Green Forest Thug of my level. Perhaps it's unnecessary for you to bother with me over a bunch of unprotected trash, isn't it? Of course, if you're the type who detests evil, then I can only accept my fate and we'll have a clear and direct battle."

The Welfare Officer snorted, and the sandstorm churned. The Protectors, however, simply left.

"Lucky break," the man laughed heartily. "Well then..."

Clang, clang, clang...

The terrifying sound of footsteps approached the crowd.

The Main Battle Tank, Paulus, swallowed nervously. A Guardian of the Welfare Officer's level was a fully cyberized individual, with the entirety of their body, except for their brain, converted into a Prosthetic Body. If this level of character found handling a Green Forest Thug problematic...

One must be extremely careful!

"Halt!" Explosive Bullet Anthony's shoulder-mounted machine gun was lowered, aiming at the black figure concealed within the sandstorm.

He didn't shoot rashly. The destructive power of the Firearms Path was greater than that of other External Martial Arts, but it was limited by ammunition capacity. Especially for a Martial Artist like him, who needed to compete in arena fights. Even after hollowing out his own abdominal cavity and removing most of his lungs to fit in ammunition, he could only carry about 3,000 bullets in his body. With the additional ammo box that didn't hinder his movement, he could carry roughly 12,000 bullets in total.

Of course, he had more supplies, but those bullets were all on the vehicle they had arrived in—he hadn't expected the enemy to arrive so quickly.

Before he could get back to his armed vehicle, these 13,000 bullets were all that Anthony could rely on.

The approaching figure seemed to be a huge Industrial Prosthetic Body, with its arms in what resembled a "surrendering" stance, which is why Anthony didn't open fire immediately.

This, inevitably, led to his defeat.

A fierce wind surged, followed by a terrifying noise that created a chaotic current within everyone's auditory receivers.

Almost at the same time, the townspeople lost sight of the dark figure in the sandstorm.

In the raging wind, Explosive Bullet Anthony saw the certainty of his defeat. He similarly lost track of the giant figure. In the instant his visual processors malfunctioned, he had already begun firing. Hundreds of bullets sprayed out in the blink of an eye.

Then, a steel rod tore through the sandstorm.

He had completely missed his target.

The steel rod lodged itself into Anthony's face. A silvery-gray fluid burst forth.

The Fierce Wave ripped through the sandstorm in a brief moment. During this time, those with Prosthetic Eyes saw the true face of the assailant.

It was a giant nearly three meters tall. His Prosthetic Body was entirely encased in Armor, with towering shoulder plates merged into one with the face armor, guarding his unmodified face. Aside from the limb structure, the armor had no protrusions or depressions, all areas displaying beautiful curves.

It was as if he were an ancient Knight clad in Heavy Armor.

The arm span of the armor was very long, nearly extending past the knee joints. And these robust arms, exceeding even the Industrial Prosthesis in strength, rested on a steel rod with a radius of ten centimeters, which was the giant's weapon. He carried the rod on his shoulder, then placed both hands on top of it.

Even when he defeated Anthony, he didn't take down the rod. The giant merely bent to the right, letting the rod's end dip and strike Anthony's face.

It was an attitude of effortless playfulness.

"One down," the giant cheerfully said. "Hey kids, you can't be careless anymore! Otherwise, Uncle Lev is going to get bored."