Being forced to grow like a pig? But I'm immune to the consequences!

Gathering point number two, in front of Mohan's house.

"Wu Sheng? What are you doing here, and with your sister?" Mo Han scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"Something's happened." Wu Sheng succinctly recounted what had happened.

"What?!" Mohan gasped, his mouth agape for a moment, speechless. "Then... what do we do now?"

Wu Sheng pulled out a wad of banknotes and stuffed them into Mo Han's hand: "Here's a thousand dollars. I'd like my sister to stay with you temporarily."

Mohan quickly declined, his eyes involuntarily glancing behind him—his mother and three sisters were standing at the shed door, peering in. He didn't want his family to see the money, otherwise he wouldn't be able to refuse.

"Mr. Wu, don't be like this. You know my family's situation. We can squeeze in a little, and there's no problem for you and your siblings to stay. It's just..." Mo Han lowered his voice, looking troubled.

Wu Sheng nodded: "I understand. Where is the head of your settlement? I'd like to see him."

Soon, through Mohan's introduction, Wu Sheng met the manager here—Arif. He was a burly middle-aged man with graying hair. It was said that he had passed the preliminary selection test, although he was later eliminated, but his strength was still far superior to that of ordinary people.

Arif frowned after listening to Mohan's account: "This is a tricky matter. As Mohan's friend, I can allow you to move here. But what if your original settlement comes looking for trouble? Moreover... according to you, that family has connections in the inner city."

Wu Sheng took out two thousand yuan and placed it in front of Arif.

"Chief Arif, I only ask for protection. If people from the original settlement come to cause trouble, I hope you can hold them off. As for that person in the inner city..." Wu Sheng paused, his voice lowering as if he had made a decision, "I will participate in the unified selection tomorrow."

In the end, Arif accepted the money. Wu Sheng and her siblings settled down temporarily at Mohan's house.

"Mohan, you must accept this thousand dollars. Consider it my sister's rent and living expenses." Wu Sheng stuffed the money into his friend's hand without any further explanation.

"Mr. Wu, this is too much..." Mohan wanted to refuse. A thousand dollars was an amount he had worked hard to save for several months.

"Listen, Mohan," Wu Sheng said, pressing his hand on Mohan's shoulder. "If I pass the preliminary test, I'll have to stay at the gang's headquarters for further selection, for an indefinite period. This thousand dollars will at least make things a little better for my sister and your family during that time."

Mohan glanced at his frail family members behind him, then at the thick wad of banknotes in his hand, and finally nodded emphatically: "Mr. Wu, don't worry. Your sister will not suffer the slightest grievance while living here."

"That's enough."

These tin shacks didn't have proper rooms to begin with; a few wooden planks and old cloths were all that was needed to create a small space. Mohan's family brought in two old but clean thin quilts, and Wu Sheng and his sister's room was finally ready.

In the dead of night, the siblings lay side by side on a simple makeshift bed on the floor.

"Young man... it's my fault for not being able to protect you, and for making you suffer like this..." In the darkness, Wu Yu's voice was choked with suppressed sobs.

"Sister, this has never been your fault." Wu Sheng's voice sounded exceptionally calm in the night.

Silence filled the small space; only their soft breathing could be heard. After a long while, Wu Yu's voice rang out again, so softly it was as if she were afraid of disturbing something:

"Young man, that unified selection... how about we skip it? Let's save up for a few more years, and if there's another manpower shortage task, I can..."

"Sister," Wu Sheng interrupted her softly, "In the outer city, the only chance to avoid being bullied and to survive is through the unified selection. Besides, I used a knife and stole money today, and Xu's eldest son in the inner city might not let it go. Only by passing the selection and entering the gang's sights can we make them hesitate to act against us."

In the darkness, another long silence followed.

Then, Wu Yu reached out and gently grasped her younger brother's wrist. Her voice was low, but exceptionally clear and firm:

"Ah Sheng, no matter what happens from now on, I'll always be there for you."

"……good."

……

September st.

Yangon's annual Unified Selection Day.

Wu Sheng, Mo Han, and several other young people from the settlement who wanted to take a gamble, walked towards the gang's headquarters, silently accompanied by their families. This was a path that could rewrite their destiny, but it also came with a well-known and terrible price. There was no laughter, no heartfelt blessings; the young people walking on the road only showed weariness, confusion, and fear of the unknown.

Meanwhile, in another gathering place, the scene was completely different.

Community leader Liu Xuezheng was leading all the residents in a lively send-off ceremony for Xu Fei.

Xu Fei was dressed in a brand-new, crisp outfit, his hair was slicked back and shiny, and his face was beaming with pride—if it weren't for the bandages wrapped around his shoulders that were a bit of an eyesore, he would have really had the air of a superior person.

"Xu Fei, once you get to the inner city, you must live up to expectations and become a martial artist. Our entire settlement will benefit from that!" Liu Xuezheng said with a beaming smile, as if he could already see the day he would enter the city by virtue of his own success.

Xu Fei arrogantly raised his chin: "Don't worry, once I've established myself, everyone will get their share of the benefits!" He suddenly remembered something, glanced at his injured shoulder, and his eyes turned sinister. "And that Wu Sheng... Hmph, wait until I see my brother, he'll be sorry!"

……

Gang headquarters – Hyena Gang.

A cluster of buildings, crudely constructed from reinforced concrete, stands in the dilapidated outer city. Though still simple, it is the most respectable place in the area.

At this moment, the open space in front of the garrison was crowded with people. Hundreds of young men of marriageable age stood silently, surrounded by their worried family members. They knew the road ahead was fraught with peril, but being born in this outer city, this was their only chance to change their fate!

"Quiet!"

A loud, clear command silenced the commotion. A middle-aged man in a Hyena Gang uniform stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like a hawk's.

"Those who wish to participate in the selection, please line up to register!"

The line moved slowly. Information was registered, and ages were verified. Afterward, everyone was led into an extremely spacious old factory building.

Behind the middle-aged man, four of his men each opened two silver briefcases, releasing a cloud of cold mist that revealed neatly arranged syringes gleaming with a faint green light.

"You've all heard the rules, more or less." The middle-aged man's voice echoed in the empty factory. "The first test is to see if your bodies can withstand this 'evolution potion.' If you can last an hour, you pass; if not, you're sent home."

He paused, his cold gaze sweeping across the young, tense faces: "Now, is there anyone else who wants to quit?"

No one answered. The only sound in the deathly silence was suppressed breathing.

"Let's begin!"

The injections were distributed to each person individually.

Holding the cold, technologically advanced yet unsettling injection in his hand, Wu Sheng's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. He knew that this was the root of fear and even death for countless people—after the injection, the body would be forced into an adaptation period, a process that was extremely painful and would cause irreversible damage.

"Let's do it!"

The middle-aged man's command was like a hammer blow.

Wu Sheng took a deep breath, no longer hesitating, aimed the needle at the side of his neck, and inserted it steadily. A slightly cool stinging sensation came, followed by the strange feeling of liquid being injected into his blood vessel.

"One hour... I have to get through this..." he silently prayed.

Seeing that everyone had finished their injections, the middle-aged man walked slowly through the crowd with his hands behind his back. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears:

"The unified selection and the one-hundred-contribution-points-to-enter-the-city selection both essentially train martial artists. The difference lies in this potion. Those who spend contribution points can pass this stage smoothly without side effects, and their potential is naturally better. But who told you to be so unlucky as to not have enough contribution points? So you have no choice but to gamble on this."

He stopped, his tone suddenly turning stern: "If you feel you can't take it anymore, say so now! We'll give you a neutralizing injection. Trying to tough it out? If you die, no one will collect your body!"

Inside the factory, the silence began to be broken by heavy breathing. Within two minutes, various reactions began to appear. Some people turned deathly pale, some began to tremble uncontrollably, and some groaned and curled up.

"Wu... Mr. Wu..." Mohan's trembling voice came from beside him, "How are you feeling? I... I'm so cold, and it feels like there's fire burning in my bones..."

Wu Sheng did not answer.

His entire attention was firmly gripped by something that had suddenly surfaced in his mind—

A slowly rotating, translucent, pale blue sphere.

The instant his mind touched upon it, a concise line of data clearly appeared:

[Wu Sheng]: Vitality 9/10 (10-/10)