Noble

"Weak!" Han Sen gave a wry smile.

Han Sen wished to rebut, but Lan Se's communicator rang, cutting him off. She picked it up and said, "This is Lan Se, go ahead."

"Officer Lan, please go to the Steel Mill in the west Something has happened there," said a rushed voice on the other end of the line.

"I will be there in five minutes," Lan Se replied, her expression growing tense.

Lan Sen looked at Han Sen, then thought of something. But the next second, she turned the car around and drove in another direction.

It was rare to see cars in the Alliance, and Han Sen had never before had the opportunity to sit in one. It was quite cool, witnessing her smooth driving skills.

The car was very fast on the streets, as well. And because she turned on the siren, the cars around would move to let her pass by. With the siren and her crazy driving skills, Lan Se did indeed make it to the mill in five minutes.

There were many more cat policemen there, all cordoning off the area. They were all clad in geno armor, and it was difficult to distinguish one from another.

"Sit here and do not move. If you run off, Planet Kate's laws bid we punish you severely." Lan Se got out of the car and shut the door. Then, she went to the middle of the hubbub.

"I should follow you. I don't know this place, and I'm an outsider. I'd hate for there to be a misunderstanding," Han Sen said, getting out of the car after her.

Lan Se nodded and said, "Okay. But you must do as I say and don't make any sudden movements."

"Yes," Han Sen agreed. He could smell something very bloody coming from the mill, and he wished to see what had happened.

Han Sen followed her. The cops seemed to know who she was, and none moved to stop her. With haste, she entered the mill.

Once they entered, though, Han Sen frowned. It wasn't a very large mill, but there were many bodies scattered across its floors. The bodies weren't whole, either. Many of them had been cut open, and limbs and legs were spread everywhere. It was a terrible sight.

The bodies were those of cat people, too. They looked as if they had been ripped apart, and there was no clean-cut, weapon-dealt damage to the corpses.

What surprised Han Sen the most was that the dead cat people were also wearing geno armor. But even so, with such strength, it looked as if they had all been brutally killed with no chance of fighting back.

"It seems that this place isn't as safe as I thought it was," Han Sen thought to himself.

"What is this?" Lan Se moved over to another cop. She looked down at the bodies, her face gloomy.

The cop said, "They were the night-shift workers here. When the morning crew came in, they found them like this. There doesn't appear to have been any sign of a struggle, break-in, or combat. And yet, their bodies and geno armor seemed to have been torn off of them by claws."

"They did this?" Lan Se looked sicker by the second.

"They could have. We contacted the supervisor, and the leader is sending a Noble over. They should be here soon," the cop said.

Lan Se, looking across the mound of bodies, nibbled her lips and did not say any more.

"Don't be sad, Se. If it was them, we can still stop them. The leader will resolve everything." The cop tried to comfort her. Han Sen watched while Lan Se examined the crime scene. Things didn't seem to be going well.

Not long after, an aircraft landed just outside the mill. A cold-looking man was sitting inside, and when the cops saw him, they all parted to provide him a path that led to the scene. And furthermore, all the cops bowed when the man walked past them.

Han Sen looked at the man and noticed that he was another cat man. He had black hair, and the cops referred to him as Mister Hei Xun.

This Mister Hei Xun gave Han Sen a different feeling than the others did, but Han Sen couldn't be certain what the difference was.

Even Lan Se bowed before Hei Xun, referring to him as "sir." Han Sen could at least determine he was the superior amongst them. But Hei Xun just walked around, telling them he'd handle things from there on. After that, all the cops departed.

Han Sen followed Lan Se to leave, too. On the way, he couldn't help but ask, "Who is Hei Xun? He seems powerful."

"Hei Xun is a Noble who has a geno weapon. You can't compare someone like that to normal people." When Lan Se spoke about Hei Xun, admiration permeated her voice.

"Can I become a Noble if I obtain a geno weapon?" Han Sen asked, curious about this prospect.

"Of course. Those who can gain geno weapons are called chosen ones. They are regarded as Nobles," Lan Se answered.

"If... I had a geno weapon already, would that mean I would receive special treatment here?" Han Sen asked.

Lan Se looked at him and said, "If you can generate a geno weapon, and you were willing to join us, you can most certainly be treated as well as Mister Hei Xun. You'd be shown much respect."

Speaking of that, Lan Se went on to say, "But you are an adult, and you don't even have geno armor yet. Your race is weak, so I don't think you'll be able to generate a geno weapon. Just go to work, and when you've got enough money, get lost and go back to where you came from."

"What are the requirements for obtaining a geno weapon?" Han Sen was not angered by her insults, and he just continued asking his questions.

"You need a good race, for a start. That heightens the chance of earning one. Don't you know this? Has your race never generated a geno weapon before?" Lan Se asked.

"No." Han Sen gave a wry smile, but he went on to ask, "Are there any other eligibilities?"

"Not really; they wouldn't be referred to as the chosen if there were. On Planet Kate, Nobles are very rare. The younger you are, the easier it is to generate one, too. There are no eligibilities, though. Some were quite weak compared to others, when they earned theirs," Lan Se said.

Han Sen frowned and thought to himself, "Can I generate a geno weapon?"