Super Gene

“I can’t tell. Your genes are good if you managed to make the flowers ring.” Lan Se told Han Sen as they drove away.

“If I have good genes, does that mean I am eligible for a good job?” Han Sen smiled.

“Although I would like to give you a good job, you are too weak. Eleven flowers will prohibit you from doing anything half- decent.” Lan Se then asked, “What is your race, might I ask?”

“Human,” Han Sen said.

Lan Sen had never heard of the race before, so it must have been something small and insignificant. Therefore, she did not ask any more questions.

She brought Han Sen to the job center and helped him browse through possible options. She let him pick out what he liked first.

Normal people weren’t given this sort of treatment, but Han Sen’s genes had made the bells ring. It made Lan Se look up to him, and so she was willing to let him pick and choose.

It wasn’t certain that he’d be able to generate a geno weapon, but people admired creatures who were superior. And this was within Lan Se’s authority to grant.

Han Sen looked at what was available for him, but all he could see was something that was the equivalent of washing dishes. A job like that required neither skill nor strength.

There weren’t any options here that Han Sen really liked, and there was nothing that would be challenging. But it was getting late, and there were people waiting for him to decide. He had to pick something. It was a shame there weren’t many options.

“That one.” Han Sen pointed at the job of his choosing.

“A grave watcher? Not a bad choice. This is a public place, so you can live there, as well. There is no need to look for additional housing.” Lan Se began sorting out the necessary paperwork for him.

And then, Han Sen became a grave watcher. He guarded the cemetery gates and kept the place tidy.

This was different than what Han Sen expected he’d be doing. The graveyard was not scary, and all the headstones were surprisingly clean.

Lan Se said it was a public graveyard, and there were over ten thousand graves there. If people lacked money, or if bodies were recovered and were unable to be identified, they’d be buried here. Other creatures would also be placed to rest here, too.

It was different from how the Alliance dealt with matters of death. The graves here were simple. There was merely a name and date of passing written on the headstones there. Some had small samples of text, too.

Aside from Han Sen, there was another grave watcher, too. But this man was very old. They only had to guard the place, and so they would probably get bored easily. When they were bored, he supposed they could take the time to scrub the tablets and keep them all neat.

Planet Kate was a nice place, all things considered. The tree leaves didn’t even fall. Han Sen was rather satisfied with the job he had selected.

Lan Se and the old grave watcher explained to Han Sen his living situation and responsibilities, and when she was done, she left.

She told Han Sen that his co-worker was called Old Ku. He was a decent chap, and Old Ku brought Han Sen over to where he was going to live. He didn’t have to jump into work immediately, though. He was given the opportunity to get used to the place first

There was one thing that Han Sen noticed immediately; the other grave watcher lacked Lan Se’s powers of communication. Han Sen didn’t understand what the old man was telling him, but he could at least feel that the gravewatcher wasn’t being hostile.

There was nothing to do after clocking in. All the plots in the graveyard were filled, and no more dead people would be sent there for burial. So, aside from opening the gates for visitors, there was nothing to be done.

Han Sen walked around the graveyard, observing the place. If something happened, he wanted to ensure he had an escape route pre-planned.

Han Sen kept walking to get familiar with the place. He also examined the headstones of the graves themselves to see what was written on them. The text on most of them was of the language of Planet Kate. Han Sen couldn’t understand the writing, but the formatting suggested only the names and dates were written on them.

But suddenly, Han Sen’s body was delivered a huge shock. He saw one headstone with the name Han Jinzhi written on it

Han Sen quickly walked over to get a closer look, and it really did say Han Jinzhi. And the text was the one used by ancient humans.

“No way! Han Jinzhi got out and died here!” Han Sen examined the grave closely. The only thing written there was the name. There wasn’t a date listed. There was an additional line of words, but it wasn’t of the ancient human language. It looked like the Kate language.

“Have you grown accustomed to living here?” A familiar voice came from his side.

Han Sen saw Old Cat on a gravestone, smiling at him.

“Where did you go? If you followed me, why didn’t you help me explain my situation to them?” Han Sen sounded angry.

Old Cat laughed. “I told you; Nine-Life Cats don’t have a very good reputation out here. If I was with you, you wouldn’t be having the comfy living you are now.”

“Isn’t this Nine-Life Cat’s territory? I thought the Planet Kate people, with all their cat ears, would be related to you.” Han Sen looked surprised.

“Related? Eh, maybe a little. But it’s not a good association. Don’t let them see your Nine-Life Cat tattoo, okay? If that thing gets you killed, just don’t take it out on me,” Old Cat said.

Han Sen was too lazy to talk to Old Cat much more, but he did ask, “What happened here, anyway? Can I go home?”

Old Cat went silent, then said, “Since you are out, you’ll learn soon, anyway. Planet Kate is at the edge of the Big Silence system. And the Big Silence system is a restricted area of the galaxy. It’s dangerous out here. Even Nobles can be killed. You would be far worse.”

“Are you trying to tell me the entrance of the sanctuary is here in the Big Silence system?” Han Sen said, looking at Old Cat.

“Yes, but it is not too difficult to go back. I am powerful, and I can take you to the entrance. But this is a big risk, so you’ll have to pay me something that’ll make the venture worth it.” Old Cat smiled.

“What do you want?” Han Sen frowned.

“Didn’t you get one of those bones from the Feather? Give me a hundred of those and I’ll send you.” Old Cat seemed to have prepared this demand in advance.