Level Zero Talent

In 2031, the deep sea split open, and black mist swallowed the world. Humanity retreated to higher ground, where people awakened to Marks in the mist. Each Mark determined your rank, and your rank meant food, medicine, and the right to stay alive. Li Hao's Mark was zero. The authorities called it a useless Mark: it couldn't gather energy or grow, and gave him the combat strength of an ordinary person. His little sister was twelve, and the birthmark on the back of her hand was creeping toward her wrist. A single dose of mist suppressant cost three hundred source crystals. He earned twelve a month. He went down into the mist zone to scavenge, hiding his palm inside a glove. Then he discovered that zero could