Steel and Fog: Rise of the Gene Locked

There's a bomb sewn into Ryan Hermes's body — and the bandit gang holding him prisoner is the only reason it hasn't gone off. For a year, he survives by playing the fool. Then he escapes. But freedom means walking straight into imperial conspiracies, rival bloodlines, and a dead baron's dangerous legacy. With a mysterious AI Core, sharp medical instincts, and nothing but bad luck on his side, Ryan has to navigate a fog-shrouded world of steam and iron — where the strong prey on the weak, and worse things than monsters hide in the mist.