Chapter 148: Claiming Seer

The physical fitness of humans in the *Ling Cage* universe exceeds that of present-day Earth humans, which aligns with the laws of civilizational development.

In ancient times, humans relied on their physical bodies for survival far more than on their brains, resulting in formidable physical capabilities. Later, as the human brain began to play a primary role, physical fitness started to decline.

Especially in ancient eras thousands of years ago, with the growth of population and stagnant productivity, a vast number of people suffered from hunger and inadequate nutrition, causing overall physical fitness to plummet even further.

With the massive leap in productivity during modern times and gradually improving nutrition, human physical fitness began to climb once more.

However, humanity was unsatisfied with this rate of growth and thus began developing biotechnology, hoping to accelerate the process of becoming stronger.

While Earth humanity was still in the starting blocks, the *Ling Cage* world was already cruising in the fast lane.

They had already invented technologies such as cellular regeneration and life extension, and had even produced a massive population of genetically adjusted and evolved humans.

As for Mark, the protagonist of the animated series, he was a high-end cloned product created before the Cataclysm, the flagship product of the corporation. His organs were compatible with any living organism; if anyone fell ill or was injured and required organs or blood transfusions, a suitable match could always be found among the "Marks."

Even so, a portion of the population remained dissatisfied. They desired immortality and even aspired to become "gods," driving the humans of the *Ling Cage* world to continuously sprint along the path of exploring new frontiers of life.

One could only wonder whether the catastrophe in this world was once again brought upon humanity by their own reckless self-destruction.

As Zhou Shu entertained these thoughts, Hunter-leader Instructor Elon and Mark brought him up in conversation.

Instructor Elon patted Mark on the shoulder. "You're quite the VIP these days, keeping the entire Lighthouse waiting for you alone."

"Sorry to have kept you waiting so long, Teacher," Mark said with a hint of guilt.

"You rascal—it's good that you're back safely. Come with me."

Elon smiled and walked toward the lifting platform, but Mark stopped him.

"Teacher, wait a moment. We owe our safe return entirely to one person." With that, he stepped aside to reveal Zhou Shu. "This is a ground survivor we encountered in the resource collection zone. His name is Zhou Shu."

"A ground survivor?!"

Elon stared at Zhou Shu in astonishment.

He noticed that Zhou Shu's physical build was not as robust as his own, though his height was roughly comparable. Aside from that, he possessed a young and handsome face—a very spirited young man.

Yet what was the reason he could become the key to the convoy's safe return and prompt Mark to single him out?

Could it be that because he was a local, he had guided the convoy to a safe route?

However, having lived for decades and grown quite shrewd, Elon quickly sensed that something was amiss; things were likely not that simple.

The convoy had broken through the dust storm region, and Mark and the others were covered in dust and grime, yet this handsome young man named Zhou Shu was exceptionally clean.

Of course, there was some dust on him as well, but compared to the others, he truly deserved to be called "clean."

Furthermore, his aura and his demeanor bore no resemblance whatsoever to those of a ground survivor.

If Jeff only held vague memories of ground survivors, Instructor Elon's memories were still vividly fresh, for he had personally brought many batches of ground survivors up to the Lighthouse.

Nevertheless, being an old hand, he did not show his surprise. Instead, he warmly invited Zhou Shu aboard. "That's simply wonderful. It's not easy to encounter a ground survivor these days. Your appearance brings us two pieces of good news: it lets us know that there are still survivors down here, and you've rescued Mark, the others, and the supplies. The City Lord will surely reward you generously."

"Come, come, come up to the Lighthouse with me."

Elon beckoned him onto the Lighthouse while instructing the others to drive the vehicles onto the lifting platform. Once they confirmed everything was secure and retracted the safety barrier, the platform began its ascent.

During the upward journey, Mark reported the mission's events to Elon. Zhou Shu stood by the railing, overlooking the surrounding area, while Erika briefed him on what to expect upon entering the Lighthouse.

Mochen and Jeff, who had been assigned specific duties, also stood nearby.

They were tasked with accompanying Zhou Shu throughout the entire process and ideally becoming more familiar with him during this time.

However, Jeff had a fiery temperament. He was manageable with old acquaintances, but around strangers, he was a walking powder keg; his role was primarily to antagonize people rather than converse with Zhou Shu.

Mochen was much better. He was close in age to Zhou Shu, belonging to the same young generation. Moreover, he possessed a carefree disposition, loved making friends, and though he seemed carefree, he actually valued his teammates deeply. If he grew familiar with Zhou Shu, the outcome would undoubtedly be fantastic.

Before that could happen, however, he needed to break the ice with Zhou Shu himself. Fortunately, Erika was practically the person "most familiar" with Zhou Shu, making her the ideal intermediary.

When the lifting platform reset its position, they re-entered their vehicles, as there was still some distance to go before reaching the distribution room responsible for receiving supplies.

Along the way, they passed through the Dust-born District. Seeing the convoy return laden with supplies, many people came out to watch the excitement and welcomed the return of the Hunters.

"Wow, Captain Mark actually brought back so many supplies this time!"

"Yeah, yeah, I feel like we can fly in the sky for half a year now!"

"Half a year? I think it can last at least a year!"

"Really? That's amazing. Every time the Lighthouse gets close to the ground, I get so scared of those monsters attacking."

"What is there to be afraid of? We have Captain Mark, don't we? He'll definitely protect us well."

"Only Captain Mark could bring back so many supplies with minimal casualties. It looks like the headcount hasn't dropped much; did only a few people die?"

"Next time, I'll try to join Captain Mark's collection mission. Going out on missions with him is the safest."

"Hey, hey, Captain Mark is waving at us! Captain Mark! Captain Mark!"

"Welcome back, Captain Mark!"

"Ah, Ran Bing smiled at me!"

Standing right next to Mark, Zhou Shu overheard these remarks and turned to Mark, saying, "It seems you're quite popular among the people."

Before Mark could reply, Ran Bing proudly chimed in, "Of course. Aside from Lord City Lord, Mark is the most popular person on the Lighthouse."

*Heh,* that proud little look in her eyes was completely unmasked. No wonder she would later be exploited by the leader of the Light and Dust Church, ultimately ending up frozen like a popsicle.

Having watched the animated series, Zhou Shu could only think: *What the hell!*

Yet, having watched the anime also had its perks. Zhou Shu intended to play the prophet, so he turned back to Mark and said, "With that kind of popularity base, it looks like you'll be the next City Lord."

Hearing this, Mark shook his head and replied calmly, "I'm not cut out to be City Lord. Leading the Hunters out to gather supplies suits me just fine."

At that moment, the sound of children calling out for Mark suddenly echoed. Turning their heads, they saw three kids waving and shouting at them. Mark's calm face instantly broke into a smile. He tossed a box of astronaut compressed biscuits toward them and pulled a playful funny face.

Seeing this, Zhou Shu chuckled. "I still stand by my view, Mark. Get ready to be City Lord. Let's hope that once you're City Lord, you can lead the Lighthouse toward prosperity."

Mark didn't say anything, but Ran Bing secretly gave Zhou Shu a thumbs-up behind Mark's back, apparently strongly supporting his statement and eagerly wishing for Mark to become City Lord.

Soon, the vehicles drove into the resource distribution room. Mark handed over the supplies to the manager on duty, instructing them to categorize and store everything, and the workers immediately began moving the cargo according to directions.

Because of Zhou Shu's presence, the plot here diverged entirely from the anime; Kori did not need resource point support from his brothers. Yet, true to "historical inertia," trouble still arose.

No matter the circumstances, Dust-born 4068's persona remained unchanged—he was still a delusional male supremacist. While everyone else was hard at work, he was the only one affectionately stroking a gravity body.

His companion saw this and told him not to cause trouble, but he retorted, "Give me a gravity body, and I'll definitely be more imposing than Mark!"

This very scene caught the eye of the short-tempered Jeff, who immediately strode over in anger.

As they began to bicker, luxuriously dressed Law Enforcers of the Light and Dust Church walked in. Most eye-catching of all was a female officer in a high-slit outfit that exposed her thigh, swaying her hips in a manner that was... quite remarkable.