This is really not mechanical ascension

"Your perception, it doesn't quite resemble that of an ordinary person…" a somewhat familiar voice came, as a brawny figure emerged from the shadows. It was Zhang Hu.

The scars on his face under the night sky added a touch of horror as he sized up Li Ming, looking at his uniform, his eyes filled with a trace of gloom.

Can I kill him now?

The idea surfaced subconsciously in Li Ming's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He had seen information about Zhang Hu earlier in the afternoon while sorting out documents with Li Ning.

The gene seed had been developed almost to its limit, the energy level approaching 100F.

"There's still one month left until the repayment deadline," Li Ming said, watching him while heightening his guard. The likelihood the other party would make a move was high, but he was also prepared for surprises.

"What should a man who is not afraid of death be afraid of? You didn't manage to kill yourself that day, and the change it brought you was indeed significant," Zhang Hu stared at Li Ming, having noticed the mark on Li Ming's neck that day.

Li Ming straightforwardly said, "You showing up here is probably not to make such pointless remarks."

"What did Ma Wu say to you after he entered with you that day?"

"Just told me to move out as soon as possible, nothing but some threats," Li Ming replied nonchalantly.

"Is that so?" Zhang Hu squinted his eyes, "Or should I say, the deaths of those two and the discussion at noon are inseparably linked?"

Zhang Hu was not a city guard; he didn't need evidence, his intuition was what drove his actions.

"If this citizen has any clues about the Red Street murder case, he could speak to the officer in charge of the case… Oh right…" Li Ming paused, grinned, and said, "I am now a city guard, so speak up…"

He activated his smart terminal and started recording, casually asking, "Name."

This attitude made Zhang Hu's blood rush to his face, the centipede-like scars becoming engorged. He remained silent for a moment, growing even colder.

He had an intuition that the deaths of those two were definitely linked to Li Ming.

But now that the opponent had become a city guard, wearing that uniform, even if only as an auxiliary guard, he could no longer touch him arbitrarily.

"Very well…" he nodded, composed himself, and turned to walk into the darkness, leaving only one sentence behind: "You probably don't know, but last year, the death rate of Silver Grey City's guards was 23%."

This guy has set his sights on me, but he also doesn't dare to make a move recklessly.

Li Ming returned to the second floor, pulled out a heavy sniper rifle, and thought immediately arose about aiming it at Zhang Hu.

He had looked up the specifics of this heavy sniper rifle on his smart terminal; its effective range was up to 3km, and those three bullets were named Electromagnetic Armor-Piercing Bullets, each worth five thousand Star Coins on the Black Hole Network.

They also had a certain lethality against E-level life forms.

"However, this model of gun would definitely be controlled by the people who had killed Li Changhai, and since Li Changhai had died not too long ago, if it were to resurface in the underworld…"

He shook his head, ultimately rejecting the idea as too risky.

With this identity, Zhang Hu's threat hadn't yet disturbed his peace.

"Since you are so idle, let me add more to your troubles." Li Ming remembered the information about "human trafficking" he had noted last time, already having a plan in mind.

Then, he pushed aside Li Changhai's bed, jumped into the hole, and returned in less than half an hour.

Next, he took out a bomb-proof shield, which was currently in a folded state, no larger than two palms; upgrading it only required 30 points of metal energy, and he still had 43 points, ample enough.

Strictly speaking, he wasn't supposed to bring this thing out, but after all, he was a field agent, and this item wasn't a firearm, so it wasn't managed as strictly.

Soon, the bomb-proof shield underwent a dramatic transformation. Its black color deepened, the metallic surface became more polished, and the edges were lined with dense rows of gears, which could act as a support structure for additional stability when folded.

Accompanied by the clicking sound, the built-in micro motors and hydraulic system operated, rapidly unfolding the shield.

The shield had a larger coverage area, nearly concealing Li Ming's entire body. Its bottom was thicker, extending into two metal conical pillars that could be inserted into the ground to help with force disbursement or serve as a temporary shelter, offering a strong sense of security.

[B-11 Model Advanced Blast Shield--Level F: Police standard blast shield with initial capabilities to protect life forms.

...

Control Effect: Physical Strength Enhancement -25%

Control Ability--Solid Wall: Enhances body defense by 50%.]

After switching controls, he immediately felt a surge of strength flow through his body as if he had taken "Ge," capable of battling for three days and nights.

"Is this the effect of the physical strength enhancement?" Li Ming mused. Physical strength was quite important to him, as all of his control abilities required drawing from his own strength.

Then, he habitually tried out the new ability by jumping into an electrified large barrel. The result was indeed significant; after activating "Solid Wall," he could hardly feel any numbness.

The consumption of physical strength was not too great, especially with the physical strength enhancement in effect.

"This could also serve as a form of training, consuming physical strength can indeed stimulate the development of the gene seed…" Li Ming suddenly realized this point.

Moreover, the physical strength enhancement inherent to the blast shield would also allow him to endure longer, achieving better development.

Li Ming immediately decided to use it as the exclusive control object for developing his gene seed.

It wasn't until several hours later, completely exhausted, that he finally left the bucket.

But at four o'clock the next morning, hunger woke him up, and he didn't feel better until he had finished all the nutrient fluid he had purchased last time.

"Damn, I forgot about this, recovery also requires nutrition…" Li Ming muttered. After replenishing his body, he found his spirits to be high, not at all like he had only slept for a few hours.

"This is a Level F life form, already on the path to evolution…" Li Ming wanted to know how far his gene seed development had progressed.

However, a specific gene seed detection device was needed for a direct view, which cost upwards of ten thousand on the Black Hole Network.

But this item wasn't prohibited, and it could also be bought in Silver Grey City, though prices fluctuated, with the cheapest also costing three to four thousand.

He really didn't have the money... even buying nutrient fluids required money, and the low-end nutrient fluids could no longer keep up with his consumption.

He wondered if he could get an advance on his salary to tide him over...

Last night, he had taken a quick look at the bounty section, which was indeed full of options, but after being located in Silver Grey Star, the tasks were few.

He sighed, changed his clothes, and left for work.

City Defense Headquarters, 223rd floor. Li Ning was already waiting for him. Before Li Ming could even sit down, she eagerly took him downstairs.

"Old Qi, what's this?" As the elevator doors opened, Li Ning saw a figure emerging with a box in their hands.

"I don't know, it's labeled as a bomb, opened by Yang Peng earlier, found in a secluded area with no surveillance," Old Qi shook his head.

"What?" Li Ning's face twisted as she quickly moved away.

"Idiot, of course there's no bomb, it's been checked already," Old Qi scoffed.

Speechless, Li Ning hurried into the elevator, still complaining, "Who's so idle to pull such pranks."

Li Ming glanced at her but said nothing.

The two of them boarded a shuttle-shaped flyer, and as the engines hummed, the ground gradually shrank away, and the scenery streamed by, heading westward.