This is really not mechanical ascension

"Xiao Ming, are you okay? I heard those rascals came again yesterday?" Old Yang asked with concern, "They even entered your house, they didn't do anything to you, did they?"

"I'm fine, they didn't dare to lay a hand on me." Li Ming shook his head, revealing a smile; it must have been the neighbors who told Old Yang about yesterday's incident.

Therefore, Old Yang came to knock on the door, but Li Ming glanced at Old Yang's shop, and it was closed.

Did he rush back early in the morning?

"That's good." Old Yang's anxious expression eased a bit, and his gaze swept over Li Ming's neck before he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Ming's fatigue wasn't feigned, and it wasn't much different from his usual state.

"However, this kind of thing will pass soon." Old Yang broke into a grin, seeming in a good mood, "I found you a job."

"A job?" Li Ming was startled.

Old Yang nodded: "Yes, it's not a simple job, but an external assistant for the city guard department. Though not exactly a city guard, you get to wear a uniform."

"Assistant to the city guard?" Li Ming was even more surprised. The city guard—formally known as Silver Grey City Security Protection Action Department—was similar to the police.

With my qualifications, I can get into this kind of department?

"You could say that, and once you're in, those guys will give you a wide berth." Old Yang nodded, took a breath, and Li Ming, seeing this, invited Old Yang in for a drink of water first.

"Eh, why is there so much stuff missing?" Old Yang noticed something was off, so Li Ming changed the subject: "Was it Uncle Yang?"

"Right." Old Yang sat on a chair, his hands on his canes, sitting up straight, a look of relief and pride on the small old man's face.

This wasn't meant for Li Ming, but for the original owner of the house.

"I hope I haven't put Uncle Yang through too much trouble." Li Ming hesitated.

"I've raised him for so many years, what's wrong with asking him to do something for me? It's not like it's illegal or criminal. You going there might help him out too," Old Yang said loudly.

Li Ming gave a wry smile. Given the original occupant's situation, what use could he be apart from being a freeloader?

However, now, he didn't resist the idea. This identity wasn't bad; at the very least, it could solve the overt awkwardness and make his own changes less noticeable. There were other benefits, too.

"Don't be shy, go to work in a few days. I've already arranged everything for you!" Old Yang thought Li Ming was being bashful and didn't dare to agree, so he said outright.

"Thank you, Old Yang," Li Ming said earnestly.

"It's nothing." Old Yang waved his hand, and Li Ming escorted Old Yang back to rest. After returning, Li Ming didn't feel like sleeping anymore and began browsing the Black Hole Network.

With a "hefty sum" in hand, it was natural to convert it into strength; instinctively, he thought of checking out gene seeds.

But his face darkened quickly, as even the cheapest Giant Strength Ant gene seed needed eighty thousand Star Coins, which was excessively overpriced.

That thing normally sold for just forty thousand, and sometimes there were even discounts.

"Better buy some metal materials," Li Ming said resignedly. He was eager to get control of that heavy sniper rifle as soon as possible.

"Iron, steel alloy, titanium alloy, zircon alloy, crimson alloy... titanium crystal... liquid metal... nano-metal..." The dazzling array had Li Ming unconsciously perusing, but the moment he saw the prices, his face darkened again.

Filtering by price, each ton must not exceed ten thousand Star Coins.

In the end, he locked onto a type of Zircon Alloy, priced exactly at ten thousand Star Coins per ton. With a generous gesture, he ordered an entire ton; money was no object!

[Please choose a delivery address]

The pop-up window made Li Ming frown; he definitely couldn't use his own home.

When he tried to input an address, he found there was even a shipping fee, and it was exorbitant, requiring 10% of the total cost. If the delivery was to a strictly inspected area, the price would rise even more.

"Damn it, why not just rob people!" Li Ming cursed.

In the end, he set the delivery address to a desolate area outside the city, far from the place he visited last night. With Ma Wu dead, Scar-faced Tiger was bound to react.

[Transaction complete, the purchased item will be delivered to the specified location in 36 hours. The delivery person will guard the item for half an hour. If the item is lost, the customer bears responsibility.]

"Fuck"

There are many thuggish protocols in the Black Hole Network, but since they're so damn powerful, even the big shots have to put up with it, let alone Li Ming.

...

Meanwhile, as dawn was just breaking, on a rooftop on Red Street, Zhang Hu's face was gloomy, the scars on his face twitching, surrounded by his menacing henchmen, with two brutally dismembered corpses laid out on the ground.

Soon, several jet-propelled shuttle-type aircraft swept through in a beautiful arc, tail-flicking to a landing nearby,

The butterfly doors opened, and eight or nine people stepped out, dressed in blue-black combat suits, looking solemn, with a flying recorder hovering fifty centimeters above their heads.

Seeing the situation here, they all frowned. The leader was extremely burly, like a tower, with a pair of bull's eyes and a full beard.

"Who reported the incident?" he scanned the surroundings, his eyes squinting.

"Me." A sharp voice came through, belonging to a woman with heavy makeup. The smoky eye makeup around her eyes was unsettling as she said nonchalantly,

"My husband is dead, that one on the ground. Which side is it now? Oh, the one on the left..."

The bearded man gestured for his subordinates to get to work. The few people beside him approached the bodies, taking out various instruments and proceeding systematically.

"Time of death, between seven and eight last night, skull crushed by a heavy object, the male corpse on the left has a laceration on his arm, possibly caused by..." the speaker glanced at a nearby screen displaying a drilling bit formed by three-dimensional lines.

He slightly raised his eyebrows, "Injured by a drill bit."

"There's barely any sign of struggle, likely attacked by an F-level life form, possibly with mechanical enhancements, possessions completely looted."

A middle-aged man, arms crossed and looking around, sighed, "Whoever did this is a slick one, no footprints, no fingerprints, no surveillance here, tough to investigate..."

"Scar-faced Tiger, something happens on your turf and you decide to call the cops? Not afraid of losing face?" someone asked with interest.

"Do your job!" the bearded man barked, then turned to Zhang Hu, "What did he do yesterday, who did he meet, any enemies?"

"He's just a small fry, nobody would kill him for no reason. As for what he did yesterday, that's your job." Zhang Hu said gravely, "I hope, Captain Yang, you take this seriously."

Catching Zhang Hu's gaze, the woman with smoky makeup shivered and hurriedly said, "That's right, I'm his lawful wife; I want to know who killed my husband. You must inform me of any developments!"

Captain Yang glanced at her and commanded in a deep voice, "Xiao Li, verify her identity, take her back for the record, along with these two bodies. Lao Dao, you stay behind, seal off this area."

"Zhang Hu, you should cooperate, his basic information, I don't need to waste time on that, right?"

"No problem." Zhang Hu nodded.

The group left swiftly. On the way back, a somewhat young lad grumbled over the comms, "Captain, that son of a bitch is clearly using us to track down his killer."

"Of course, I know." Captain Yang nodded, a deep thought incongruent with his physique flickered in his eyes, "What intrigues me is that even Scar-faced Tiger has no suspects. The gangs have been at peace for quite a while. Even if they made a move, they wouldn't target such a minor figure."

"Whichever newcomer has started this feud, let's check his Star Net activities, see whom he's been in contact with recently, where he's been, and verify anyone with armed prostheses who's passed through the area recently."

"Right, Xiao Li, take the new guy with you," Captain Yang added.

"Ah?" A pitiful wail echoed through the comms, followed by a few snickers of schadenfreude.

Xiao Li complained, "Captain Yang, can I not take him? I heard he's a tight-lipped wimp..."

Captain Yang said dismissively, "It's to train you, stop whining. Weren't you the same when you first came, all glasses and couldn't fart a word even if prodded with a pole?"

Laughter erupted over the comms, "Exactly, Xiao Li, what's wrong with helping out your junior?"

"It's not the same..." Xiao Li muttered, knowing the newcomer had ties to Captain Yang, resigning himself to the unpleasant task.

Captain Yang shook his head; he didn't want to take Li Ming in either. It wasn't out of disdain, but simply because the guy was clearly not cut out for this. It was like raising someone for nothing.

Sigh, whatever, Changhai has looked out for me in the past, he sighed; his father's forcefulness was one thing, but his old times with Li Changhai were another.

So be it, I'll raise him.