This is really not mechanical ascension

However, he still did not see the fear and unease he had hoped to find on Li Ming's face; the other man was staring intently back at him. "So..."

"So... what!?" Ma Wu's voice stretched out long. "Hurry up and hand over all the money. If you apologize properly, we might still let this go."

"Your dad died suddenly, so all the money should be on you, right?"

"Hmm..." Li Ming pondered. "Should I give it to you, or to the Fierce Tiger Gang?"

"!" Ma Wu looked at Li Ming with suspicion and uncertainty. Although Li Ming's behavior was not quite as Wang Bo had described, Ma Wu still saw him as just a kid and didn't take him seriously.

Yet, this guy seemed to have the ability to see right through him, to discern his thoughts.

"For such a serious offense, the Fierce Tiger Gang sends just a minor character like you to collect?" Li Ming said slowly. Watching the other's reaction, he knew he had guessed right.

This Ma Wu must have learned about this incident through some channels and became greedy, planning to secretly extort money without reporting to the Fierce Tiger Gang.

Perhaps it was the phrase "minor character" that had provoked Ma Wu. He stepped right up to Li Ming and stared at him coldly. "You can choose not to give it, but the consequences are probably more than you can bear."

"All of it is impossible. If I give it to you, how am I supposed to leave Silver Grey Star?" Li Ming countered, and Ma Wu's slanted eyes nearly became slits.

"I want two-thirds," he said outright.

"At most half," Li Ming shook his head firmly. "If Zhang Hu finds out about you secretly asking me for money, I'm afraid he won't let you off easily either. If it comes down to it, I'll just return the money to the Fierce Tiger Gang."

Ma Wu's face changed uncertainly but finally agreed.

"However, I want cash. Account movements can be traced, and I don't want the gang to know," he demanded decisively. "Tonight at 10 PM, one hundred thousand Star Coins, you must bring them to me in the outer city!"

"Otherwise, even if you pay up, if you dare to play us, the boss won't let you off easily," he threatened.

"The outer city? Where exactly in the outer city?" Li Ming frowned. "That's too rash."

"How do I know you won't run away?" Ma Wu had his reasons too. "Contact me near Red Street. My terminal number is ****.****.****"

He recited a string of digits.

"This..." Li Ming put on an act of difficulty, but eventually reluctantly agreed. "Alright."

Ha... Ma Wu sneered inwardly, thinking the kid was a little clever but unfortunately not worldly enough. The outer city was not like the inner city.

However, he did not show anything on his face and tried to pat Li Ming on the shoulder, but Li Ming dodged it. Ma Wu didn't mind and walked straight to the shutter door switch, opened it, and with a buzzing sound, he said, "Don't forget, not even a second late."

Wang Bo and the others were waiting outside, and as soon as Ma Wu came out, they gathered around. Wang Bo was especially eager, "Boss, if he knows what's good for him, that's fine. If he doesn't, I'll teach him a lesson for you!"

Ma Wu stopped, glared at him, and gave him a giant slap that left him seeing stars. "Useless!"

...…

"I need to deal with this unexpected problem. The longer I can keep it from the Fierce Tiger Gang, the more chance I have to turn the situation around," Li Ming thought, already harboring a killing intent.

"Red Street..." He took out his smart terminal, intending to check the map, only to find that Yang Yu had sent him many messages, all of which had been retracted.

"How strange..." He didn't pay it much mind, pulled up the map, and saw that Red Street was quite far from his location.

"If I make my move, it cannot be out in the open," Li Ming knew better than to underestimate the interstellar age's tracing methods, and he thought of the tunnel under Li Changhai's bed.

"The distance is too great. If I'm going on foot, I need to leave now," Li Ming checked the time; it was just past nine o'clock in the morning.

He went upstairs, left a message for Elder Yang, took all the items he had under control, except the security chip, and wrapped a piece of clothing around his face. After disabling the security system and making some arrangements in the room, he jumped into the tunnel beneath the bed.

The pungent, stinging stench that assailed him made him furrow his brow; the surroundings were dark, and the constant sound of rushing water surrounded him, with unidentifiable objects floating in the wastewater.

Night vision mode activated, he looked around and identified the direction, heading toward the target location.

The sun sank in the west, the sky tinged with yellow, and the faint streaks of white vapor trails left by the flying vehicles were visible. The outer city was a mix of miners, hooligans, and even stowaways mingling.

Silver Grey Star was rich in Silver Grey Ore, known for its excellent ductility and memory trait, making it the perfect material for combat suits. The majority of the Star Creation Company's miners were from alien planets, vast in number, hence spawning a series of related industries.

Thinking to himself, he pushed the manhole cover open just a crack, the desolate surroundings greeted Li Ming as he finally emerged into daylight.

Even the air filled with grey sand was preferable to the stench of the sewers.

"The sprawling sewers, almost without barriers, highly operable—a smuggler's dream route. How could Silver Grey City leave such a vulnerability? Intentional, perhaps?"

Li Ming had felt the presence of others in the passages several times along the way, but both parties tacitly avoided encountering each other.

Even the partitions had been destroyed and were in disrepair.

He looked around; this was a deserted street corner with abandoned houses on both sides, their exteriors severely weathered, with scant signs of life.

"Red Street should be only two or three streets away from here. I'll start by scouting the area." Wrapping the cloth tighter around himself and leaving only his eyes exposed, Li Ming faced the sandy wind.

Compared to the desolation of other streets, Red Street was much more prosperous, glowing with red lanterns and green wines.

Many women, dressed in miniskirts or even bikinis, exposed large swathes of skin and struck seductive poses to attract customers at the doorways.

His attire wasn't unusual here; others were even more extravagant, with studded jackets, earrings hanging down to their chins, and even those with prosthetic limbs featuring complex designs.

But these were just ordinary prosthetics, at most responding to electromyographic signals without any real combat capabilities.

He didn't contact Ma Wu, but instead observed the surroundings. It would be best if he could find him directly, as any contact would leave traces on the network.

"It's not good to stand around here." Li Ming frowned slightly, found an empty alleyway, glanced at the weathered wall, and extended four mechanical arms from his back. Then he fiercely plunged them into the wall, causing the bricks to crumble as he climbed to the rooftop.

From this vantage point, the streets became much clearer; not only women walked there but also men. Thanks to the tactical monocular ability, Li Ming could even see every seductive expression on their faces, which he found quite eye-watering.

"No rush; it's only seven in the evening. There's plenty of time." He crouched there, quietly waiting for an opportunity. If he really couldn't find Ma Wu, he would randomly pick an unfortunate to contact.

But soon enough, aided by his enhanced abilities, his gaze locked onto one person—Wang Bo.

"We really do have fate, old classmate."

Li Ming smiled as he watched him approach a streetwalker and begin flirting, hands wandering carelessly as he conversed non-stop, seemingly negotiating a price.

Wang Bo soon wrapped his arm around the woman and headed into a dark alley, ready for action.

"What the hell, I said it's not included," the woman cursed, while Wang Bo, looking frantic, forcefully pushed her head down, "Hurry up, I'm from the Fierce Tiger Gang."

The heavily made-up woman showed disdain, reluctantly opened her mouth, and resignedly closed her eyes. Wang Bo breathed a sigh of relief, a look of enjoyment on his face as he rambled, "Damn Li Ming, such a wimp. Dad died, and he suddenly got tough, got me a beating from Ma Wu."

At that moment, the whooshing sound of wind came from the shadows.

Immediately, Wang Bo felt his upper body wrapped in something, his nose and mouth covered, his pupils dilated, his face turning to panic.

But before he could react, he was yanked into the shadows by a massive force, unable to even scream.

Couples nearby, busily engaged, seemed to sense something, but none deemed it more important than their current activity, merely glancing over.

Left behind was the bewildered, heavily made-up woman, who opened her eyes in confusion, her mouth still formed in an "o."

F*ck, where did he go!?