This is really not mechanical ascension

"Then five thousand," Li Ming replied.

Red Rose sent a cold smile emoji, followed immediately by a transfer of five thousand Star Coins.

"This morning, the city guards raided a secret base of the Fierce Tiger Gang. They were smuggling a batch of 'meat goods' and hiding them there. A preliminary estimate puts the number at fifty people."

"Additionally, Pang Wenlong is dead."

"Dead?"

"Are you certain?" The two consecutive questions revealed Red Rose's shock.

"I'm certain."

"Who killed him."

"A guy named Li Ming."

Red Rose looked at the reply on the screen and laughed out loud in anger.

Given this kid's caution, it was very normal for him not to reveal his own identity in the conversation, but he was capable of killing Pang Wenlong?

"This lucky kid must've swooped in when someone had a mutual knockdown with Pang Wenlong." Another message popped up, causing Red Rose's expression to become much more solemn.

"If there's any information you can trade with me again," she replied, ending the conversation and leaving the office hurriedly in her high heels.

"Let's see just how murky these waters can get," Li Ming said, closing the chat window and preparing to purchase metal materials.

"Damn, how could I forget the shipping fee, plus the 10% charge. I can only buy nine tons," Li Ming said with a grim face. He had worked hard to gather a hundred thousand Star Coins, only to lose a tenth of it in one go.

"No, nine tons is too much. Even though my absorption efficiency has improved quite a bit, it will still take a long time to consume," he frowned, searching through the listings again.

He found the superior alloy to Zircon Alloy -- Zircon Crystal Alloy, mainly used in low-end propulsion engines, resistant to high temperatures and pressures.

At a cost of a hundred thousand Star Coins per ton, he could only afford nine tons.

"The more valuable it is, the higher the metal energy it should contain."

"Hmm… I don't have time during the day tomorrow. I'll have to choose night time to take delivery. Let's say, late at night, around four in the morning should be fine," he pondered, just about to confirm the order.

At that moment, he hesitated again, "Should I buy some development agents to speed up the progression of the gene seed…" pondering, he glanced at the prices of the development agents.

"An F-grade development agent costs eight thousand? This stuff isn't even prohibited, the market price is only five thousand, and it doesn't have a shipping fee..." Li Ming found it baffling, and then it occurred to him that just because it wasn't illegal in Blue Star Civilization didn't mean it would be legal elsewhere.

He abandoned the idea, "Forget it, as Li Ning said, this kind of merit usually comes with a bonus. I killed Pang Wenlong, they can't possibly leave me shortchanged," he decided.

After handling these matters, Li Ming quietly enjoyed electrotherapy, and thought of Scar-faced Tiger, a smirk inadvertently appearing on his face, "You must have a lot on your plate right now," he mused.

...…

"You were in charge of the pickup, Pang Wenlong was guarding the goods, and all his men are dead. The problem could only be on your end," a hoarse voice came through the smart terminal. Zhang Hu's face twitched.

"I'm giving you seven days to find out who leaked the information and who took away his prosthetic limb; otherwise, you'll be keeping him company!"

The smart terminal flickered, the communication ended, and Zhang Hu couldn't hold back any longer. With a crack, the smart terminal split, sparking electricity, a deep growl erupting from his throat.

"Boss…" his subordinate knocked on the door timidly.

"What is it!" Zhang Hu suppressed his rage.

"Red Rose is here."

...…

The next day, early in the morning, Li Ming felt refreshed and invigorated. The development of the gene seed was progressing at an extremely rapid pace, having already reached 15%.

Experiencing the improvement in his body every day was an intoxicating sensation.

As he arrived at the city guard's office, Li Ming keenly sensed that something was different. There were many people frequently glancing his way, their gazes filled with various emotions.

A few female colleagues were almost melting with the way they looked at him.

In the elevator, Li Ming had an inkling of what it might be about.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened, and as Li Ming stepped out, a multitude of gazes converged on him, shifting with his every move.

Then, "Clap!" "Clap!" "Clap!"

Applause rushed toward him like a tide. Li Ming was momentarily stunned, then responded with a bashful smile.

"Lucky you, hitting the big time!" Li Ning came over, clearly envious, his emotions seemingly well-adjusted.

"Congratulations!"

"Congratulations!"

Someone patted his shoulder; most were envious, but a few just clapped without much expression on their faces.

"All right..." Yang Peng came out, and the applause gradually subsided. He scanned the surroundings and said in a deep voice, "Yesterday, an old friend left us, but our mission isn't over."

"Continue working, find more clues and evidence, and avenge our old friend!"

"Yes!"

Yang Peng gestured for Li Ming to follow him into the office. Seated across from Yang Peng, he appeared amiable:

"The minister is holding a press conference today. You killed Pang Wenlong and will be publicly commended."

It was indeed because of Pang Wenlong... Li Ming had suspected as much.

A city guard, newly employed, who had the courage to confront such a vicious criminal and even kill him, provided great propaganda value.

This was beneficial to Yang Peng, to the entire Security Department, and even to the City Guard Division.

"Thank you, Uncle Yang..." Li Ming said.

"No need to thank me, this achievement isn't much use to me, but for you," Yang Peng said with a smile, "the minister is going to award you the City Guard Rookie Badge, and you can be officially employed."

"Of course, there's also a bonus of 50,000 Star Coins."

It was like a timely pillow for a sleepy head.

Although at the time, Li Ming had been forced to claim this achievement, he couldn't hide the fact that Pang Wenlong had turned back, and he had no time to completely destroy the body. He had to choose the ending he could best control.

Looking at it now, there were at least some benefits, but... such attention was bound to trigger some unexpected situations.

For instance... the person who killed Li Changhai.

"Go get ready. The press conference is at ten in the morning," said Yang Peng.

Li Ming nodded and left, going back to his desk. Li Ning immediately came over, "What did they say?"

"Something about a Rookie Badge, being officially employed, 50,000 Star Coins," Li Ming replied tersely.

"What!?" Li Ning's eyes widened, attracting the attention of others nearby.

Many people overheard Li Ming's words and their looks became complex, envy mixed with other emotions.

Many of them had been auxiliary guards for five or six years—Li Ming had only been there for a few days and had already far surpassed them.

"What's the matter?" Li Ming asked, puzzled.

"I graduated from the Capital Star Police Academy, and even so, I interned for half a year before becoming official," said Li Ning through gritted teeth, "and you've been here for how many days?"

"I get it now, it must be because of the Interstellar Inspection Team and the Blue Star accompaniment personnel arriving soon. The minister surely wants to take this opportunity to promote himself," Li Ning speculated, his face contorted, "You're really one lucky guy!"

"The Rookie Badge is only awarded to those who make a special contribution to the City Guard and are under 25 years of age. Your future is boundless."

"Does it actually do anything?" Li Ming asked, as he had not looked into it before.

"Keep it down, or I can't stop myself from hitting you," Li Ning said bitterly, while others around felt uneasy.

"It has many uses. For example, when you're trained enough to integrate an F-grade gene seed, you'll probably skip the queue and directly get a spot." It was for this reason that Li Ning felt envious and resentful.

Li Ming immediately understood, no wonder the others around him looked like they wanted to devour him.

"Even, when your F-grade gene seed is developed to 100%, and you're queuing for an E-grade gene seed, you get preference," Li Ning added, "But that's far off. Anyway, your F-grade gene seed is virtually guaranteed."