This is really not mechanical ascension

Li Changhai's unusual room setup was bound to raise the old detective's curiosity.

"Do you have a search warrant?" Yang Yu couldn't hold back this time, "Is this how the captain conducts investigations?"

Li Ming's gaze flickered, if he kept quiet, Yang Peng would inevitably notice something off.

He wanted to go up and take a look, maybe not because of himself, and probably related to Li Changhai as well, but he absolutely couldn't agree; otherwise, there'd be big trouble.

His thoughts whirled in an instant, his eyes shifted slightly, looking towards the door, then he said, "What's the big deal, if Uncle Yang wants to..."

"Yu'er is right, do you have a search warrant!?" An aged voice came through, it was Yang Boming, this old man was furious, "Have you found the killer who bumped off Changhai?"

"It's only been a few days, and you're treating little Ming as a criminal? He's just a kid, what could he possibly do!?"

"No, Dad... I..." Yang Peng was completely helpless; it wasn't because of Li Ming that he wanted to go up there, it was because of Li Changhai.

Sometimes, this elder brother didn't seem too much like a repairman, plus, the killer who bumped him off seemed to have vanished into thin air, making him feel even more uneasy.

Li Ming also helplessly looked at him, showing that he was powerless.

"Alright, alright, I'll leave, I'll leave." Faced with the combined pressure, Yang Peng turned tail and fled, leaving behind a single sentence: "Remember to report the day after tomorrow!"

"Spoiled brat!" Old Yang cursed, and Li Ming smiled bitterly, "Old Yang, Uncle Yang is just following procedure."

"Busy suspecting this and that instead of dealing with the real issues." Old Yang went on cursing for a bit, while Yang Yu nodded like a pecking chicken, "Exactly, exactly."

Watching this scene, Li Ming couldn't help but smile wryly.

That evening, the three of them had dinner together and chatted for a while before each returned to their own room to sleep.

Back in his room, Li Ming's gaze shifted slightly, "The Fierce Tiger Gang has reported the crime; they're not idiots after all, knowing to ask the city guards for help in finding the murderer."

Many records were out of reach for the Fierce Tiger Gang, such as retrieving data from the interstellar network; without official help, it was simply impossible.

"There's no evidence pointing to me being a suspect, if they really target me, then that would be absurd."

With this incident, Scar-faced Tiger must be at his wits' end, he should be too busy to worry about me.

"Once I join the city guard, even if something comes up with the house, the Fierce Tiger Gang will have to weigh their options," his expression fluctuated, and it wasn't easy to say; rumors had it that several major gangs in the outer city had high-level backing from within the city.

Reliance on others is never as good as reliance on oneself; let's see if there's a way to get a gene seed from the city guard department. Weighed down by these heavy thoughts, he drifted off to sleep.

The next day when he woke up, Yang Yu came to find him, saying that she was going to hit the shopping mall today with another girl from the street, inviting him to join them.

Naturally, Li Ming wasn't interested and declined right away, earning a fierce glare from Yang Yu.

He continued his routine physical exercises, absorbing the last bit of the effects from the Tenglong Potion.

It's worth mentioning that the Tenglong Potion's price was surprising; it actually sold for sixty thousand Star Coins on the Black Hole Network.

Calculating that it was about time, he prepared to go pick up the delivery; this time, familiar with the routine, he went straight to the designated spot.

The location he selected was even more secluded, near the Silver Grey Star mining area, where mountain-like mining machines shrouded in grey mist thundered ceaselessly, the ground beneath his feet trembling slightly.

From here, everything looked majestic, not to mention if it were right in front of your eyes.

"Such a huge mass, there must be so much metal energy..." Li Ming thought instinctively, such mining machines were scattered across the entirety of Silver Grey Star.

He had seen a few news pieces these past days, saying Star Creation Company's uncontrolled development had been complained about, and the interstellar alliance would soon send people to investigate whether there were any insider deals when the mining permit was traded.

After about two hours of waiting, a shuttle-shaped single-seater aircraft came from the direction of Silver Grey City and then descended at the delivery spot.

After the cockpit opened, a person dressed in a black robe stepped off, then pulled out a wooden box from the rear, and stood there quietly.

"To think it came from within Silver Grey City..." Li Ming muttered to himself, "That makes sense, after all, such a small shipment isn't worth interstellar transport, but that shipping fee is ridiculously high."

There would be no issues with a Black Hole Network delivery person; that's the Black Hole Network's promise.

Li Ming concealed his face and walked out.

The other party spotted his figure and just watched him approach. Li Ming asked, "Delivery?"

"Transaction number." The delivery man was succinct.

Li Ming glanced at the number and recited the digits. The man nodded, patted the wooden box behind him, and said, "The goods are right here."

He wasn't one for small talk, nor did he wait for Li Ming to check the merchandise. Instead, he headed straight for his aircraft, started it up, and soared into the sky.

Upon opening the wooden box, the piece of zircon alloy was not large—grey-brown in color, less than ten centimeters in length and width, but quite dense. It was manageable to carry it down into the sewer.

But carrying it back this way would have wasted too much time.

Li Ming sat down to absorb it. The volume wasn't large, so in half a day, Li Ming had completely absorbed it, bringing his metal energy to a total of 103 points.

Adding the original remaining 10 points, this piece of metal material, worth ten thousand Star Coins, had provided just under a hundred points of metal energy.

When converted, the difference was a hundredfold, truly astonishing. It was, without a doubt, a gold-swallowing black hole.

Returning home, it was nearing midnight. Li Ming pondered how to spend the metal energy. The gap to eight hundred points was too vast to bridge anytime soon.

His standard Controlled Objects on hand were a four-armed machine tool, a targeting scope, and an pneumatic hammer.

However, upgrading the four-armed machine tool required 500 points of metal energy, which was out of reach.

After some thought, the pneumatic hammer materialized in his hand. This tool already came with a permanent Power Amplification, making the benefits of upgrading it considerable.

40 points of metal energy flowed into the pneumatic hammer. The originally plain metal double-headed hammer began to slowly transform.

The whole structure extended, nearing two meters in length. The handle became thicker, and the shiny silver metal oozed quality. The diamond-shaped engravings added not only decoration but also increased the friction when gripping. The circular interface at the base also disappeared.

The already large hammerhead nearly doubled in size, making its lethality potentially shocking with one strike.

[Thio Guardian Advanced Pneumatic Hammer--F-grade: No longer needs an external pressure valve, the internal power structure only requires sufficient energy to automatically charge.

Control Conditions: Already Controlled

Control Effect: Power Amplification--30%

Control Ability--Pneumatic Pressure: Charge for five seconds, can amplify strength by 90%.]

Indeed, it was a qualitative change. The combination of effect and ability doubled the explosive power, and a surge of strength of unknown origin filled his body. In terms of sheer strength, he should be close to an F-grade life form.

As for the supplementary Controlled Objects... he pondered for a moment before pulling out the dagger he had gotten from Ma Wu.

This object could bring him into close combat. With his current strength and no prior fighting experience, his battles had been won through the overwhelming force of his mechanical arm.

Technique could make up for his lack of direct fighting skills, and besides, the upgrade only required 20 points—both excellent and affordable.

Li Ming immediately upgraded it. The already narrow blade became even slimmer, its edge was grooved for bleeding, and the spine resembled shark teeth.

[Gael Short Dagger--F-grade: A dagger already possessing considerable lethality, it could easily end a life.

...

Control Effect: Close Combat--Beginner

Control Ability--Puncture: Strikes quickly, amplifies speed by 40%.]

Hmm... after the upgrade, it's only 40%, but there's no need to charge. It remains to be seen whether it can stack with [Pneumatic Pressure].

After controlling it, a familiar sensation came over him. Elbow strikes, hooking, inch punches, uppercuts...

He was like a fighter who had trained for years. Going from the streets to the ring, when he moved, he was fast, accurate, and ruthless. His subconscious even caused Li Ming's stance to shift subtly in an instant.

What had been loose and carefree now resembled a leopard coiled and ready to strike, and in an instant, he relaxed again, transitioning with ease.