The Underclass - Chapter 5
Chapter 5
A genetic-overlay membrane?
Galaxy had never heard of such a thing.
This kind of black-market tech—capable of altering one's genetic signature by entirely covering the body—could never appear on the open market. It meant its creator had already cracked the government's technological systems, finding a loophole in the omnipresent bio-scanning rays that penetrated the human body.
But the next day, when Rat King handed her a tiny bead, told her it was the genetic-overlay membrane, and dragged her out of the gloomy sewers into the sunlight, Galaxy truly wasn't targeted. There were no blaring alarms, and the invisible, ubiquitous sensor beams didn't trigger a single reaction.
Slightly astonished, Galaxy asked Rat King, "Who created this thing?"
Rat King proudly puffed out her chest. "Our great leader. She is incredibly brilliant, just lacking a bit of luck and influence."
Galaxy felt more awe than curiosity toward whoever could invent such a device.
She had no desire to know the identity of the underground rebel organization's leader. As she gazed at Rat King's proud expression, she thought to herself:
Someone with that kind of talent must have been in the talent registry.
Back when Galaxy's physical attributes were flawlessly superior, her data was uploaded to the central terminal every month, making it easy for officials to draft her into the Expeditionary Forces upon graduation.
But when she was injured, during her second physical exam, her data was mercilessly tossed into the trash bin, marked as irrelevant and ready for deletion.
Anyone capable of developing this kind of tech must have received a high-level education. And education here was a monopoly; everyone had to study and live under pervasive surveillance.
It didn't matter in daily life, but the moment suspicion fell upon you, your entire history was inescapable. This was true even for the upper echelons.
For someone to harbor such immense resentment toward the government, there was only one explanation: she was probably once a prodigy too, before being thoroughly discarded.
But Galaxy couldn't be bothered to dive deeper into whatever tragic backstory the leader might have. All she needed to know was that she could use this rebel group to find An Hua.
She had to, absolutely had to, kill An Hua with her own hands.
The night of the second day arrived exactly as planned. Rat King had procured clean, black robes from somewhere. They featured massive hoods and were made of comfortable, soft fabric that reached the ankles, completely engulfing the wearer. They supposedly had protective functions too, capable of resisting air bullets to some extent and potentially saving a life in a critical moment.
Galaxy waited for Rat King to change before putting on the robe herself.
To be honest, the organization's robes didn't fit well. Rat King, living in the sewers, wasn't very tall, and the robe looked rather comical on her. Yet she thought she looked fantastic, constantly admiring herself in the mirror as a few fat rats squeaked around her, probably praising her looks as well.
Galaxy leaned against the wall, waiting for Rat King to finish showing off before the two finally headed out of the sewers.
They arrived at a dock. Galaxy felt the sea breeze blowing. She had never been to the other side of the ocean. Her old, gambling-addicted neighbor used to say that the other side of the sea was terrifying, and that if she ever crossed over, she might go insane from fear.
The neighbor was always raving and spouting nonsense, so Galaxy rarely paid attention, but that specific comment about the other side of the sea had always stuck with her.
Perhaps it was because the neighbor's expression had been so grotesquely vivid when she said it.
Galaxy quickly snapped back to reality. She pulled up her hood and put on a mutated-steel face mask. She lay prone next to Rat King by the docks, waiting quietly.
According to Rat King, there were over forty others waiting in ambush around them at various locations.
As Galaxy looked up for the twenty-second time, a drop of rain fell from the sky, instantly making her forehead go numb.
In this era, even the rain was toxic, laced with who-knows-what chemicals. The rich didn't care; they had invented countless expensive rain-repellent and water-purification systems, allowing them to stroll through the rain if they pleased. But the poor could only rely on buildings or their homes for shelter. One wrong step, and they could die in a downpour.
Just like the numerous corpses found under the city's overpasses—all murdered by the rain.
"Don't worry, just wrap the robe tight around you," Rat King whispered in her ear.
Galaxy hurriedly covered every inch of her skin with the fabric, and surprisingly, the rain didn't seep through.
"This is really effective. It must be expensive to make, right?" Galaxy asked thoughtfully.
"What are you thinking?" Rat King sneered. "The materials for this robe are dirt cheap. Our boss can make three hundred of them for 100 Lira. But they're not allowed in circulation. Banned from the market."
"When she first invented it, she was almost killed. She had to destroy all the files and materials just to escape with her life."
Galaxy frowned. The mysterious leader fit her hypothesis perfectly.
Before she could think about it further, Rat King tugged at her hem. "It's our turn."
Before Galaxy could react, Rat King licked her lips excitedly and placed several explosive devices into her palm. "Our people have already stolen the goods. All we need to do is clean up."
Galaxy pressed her lips together. Before they could move, the sound of photon gun fire erupted from ahead. The blinding flashes were accompanied by a scream from the person in charge of stealing the guns. The stragglers were swiftly gunned down right before Galaxy's eyes.
Galaxy and Rat King's pupils shrank. The scene was terrifying, but Rat King resolutely armed the quantum bomb in her hand and hurled it viciously toward the other side.
A deafening explosion shook the ground. Rat King pinned Galaxy down. Once the noise settled, Rat King let out a trembling laugh. "Look! That's my masterpiece!"
Her masterpiece had leveled half the dock, obliterating even the corpses of their pursuers.
Having said that, she quickly shoved Galaxy. "Throw yours! Hurry!"
Galaxy hesitated, a sudden wave of cowardice washing over her.
If she threw it, there was no turning back.
"Think about how you were framed! Think about your wanted posters covering the streets! What are you hesitating for? Are you still holding onto some kind of hope?" Rat King screamed.
Galaxy blinked.
Of course she had no hope left.
She tightened her grip on the quantum bomb, and this time, threw it with all her might toward the massive ship.
The quantum bomb arced through the air and detonated into an incredibly brilliant column of fire that shot into the sky, reflecting red on both Galaxy's and Rat King's faces.
"So beautiful," Rat King sighed.
Galaxy watched in silence.
She watched as the acid rain fueled the flames even further. People were screaming, desperately trying to salvage the vessel.
She knew the ship was already empty of people.
Such a massive ship, apart from a few guards, was loaded entirely with precious resources and weapons.
And Galaxy had just blown up the entire ship like a firework.
She couldn't help but join Rat King in a loud scream, "To hell with your damn slander!"
Nobody but Rat King could hear her roar.
"It's a pity that blast didn't kill anyone," Rat King lamented.
Galaxy replied methodically, "Don't you think destroying the thing they value most, and watching them fall into inescapable despair, is much more entertaining?"
Rat King thought about it and actually nodded. "You have a point."
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