Chapter 1120
Chapter 1120 - 1106: Familiar City
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7 min read
If there was something in this world that Lu Ping’an could never get used to, it was the slow and painful transportation.
Even professionals, including those as mighty as Rule-level, had to adapt to the costly and inefficient transportation tools of this era if they did not want to travel on foot.
First by train then coach, followed by minibus... Lu Ping’an was shaken awake and fell back to sleep, and even for him, dozens of hours of travel were exhausting.
Why not take an airship? As a young man with an astronomical bounty on his head, taking an airship was probably disrespecting his and other passengers’ lives.
And the reality of traveling alone, in a sense, was giving "bounty hunters" a chance to make their move.
But the journey was quite smooth, partly because some powers had various reasons to call off their bounties against him and more so because Lu Ping’an’s "performance" had surpassed the risks entailed by the bounty.
Thus, despite the wearying travel, Lu Ping’an still managed to return home safely...
"Finally home..."
The familiar Last Era architecture, the familiar grey skies, and that grey "filter" that seemed to envelop the world unique to the Old Industrial District would probably take another decade or so of governance to clear up.
Having just got off the station, Lu Ping’an took a deep breath and almost choked.
He was, somewhat unaccustomed to it.
Not just because of the intense industrial smell, but also the countless kinds of "exotic odors" in his nostrils,
"One, two, three, four, five.....never mind, no need to count."
What Lu Ping’an was counting were the names of Foreign Domain species, who likewise had come here to take transportation.
Under normal circumstances, it is rare for individuals to travel across worlds; a species often implies an ethnic group, at the very least, a migrating tribe...
"...Should I call this thriving? But it feels quite subtle."
Even as a transportation hub, the number of the Exotic Races that overflowed and saturated the area still alerted Lu Ping’an.
"Development Zone issues?"
Some things can be observed from small details, and once a region offers self-governing districts and even preferential policies to alien species, naturally, outsiders will flock in droves.
With the Ancient City New Development Zone offering excellent terms to attract "Foreign Domain Resources," the influx of outsiders inevitably surged.
These newcomers might become resources for this city, but before that, they have to integrate into the city...
"Boss, kebab skewer?"
But just as he stepped out of the station and saw the Tentacle Monster waving skewers for sale, even Lu Ping’an was momentarily stunned.
The street in front of the station, representing the upper limit of the human traffic, often reflected the lower limit of security, and now the once noisy street had become even more complex, with all sorts of strange species running all sorts of bizarre stalls.
Most of them sell various exotic cuisines, with those selling roasted meat being relatively acceptable, but the kind of "cuisine" that sources directly from their own bodies also attracted rounds of applause.
Most humans watched more and bought less, and those few who tried the flavors typically spat it out as soon as it hit their mouths.
And at a pavilion nearby, a pair of special agents watched with keen eyes...
"Strange faces, looks like they’ve expanded the recruitment, huh, there are even aliens..."
As expected, among the formal uniforms of the Special Service Team, figures of the Exotic Races had appeared.
That was a tall six-armed giant man, whose triangular head emanated a strange authority. He stood with arms folded, glaring at the entrance as if warning some to keep their thoughts at bay.
"...Quite interesting."
And so, Lu Ping’an "opened" his eyes.
His snow-white irises slowly widened, and everything around him was reflected within. In Lu Ping’an’s eyes, all beings turned into "waves."
Some were intense, some faint, some vaguely linked with certain presences, some frail yet radiating vitality.
The next moment, everything returned to normal, shifting to clear black-and-white "sketches," and Lu Ping’an obtained the information he sought.
"Turns out to be of Fifth Order Strength, a mighty life form; no wonder there was a special recruitment."
Lu Ping’an smiled. It seemed his hometown was still quite nice; at least individuals like this were willing to patrol the streets, indicating that social order and public security must be stable.
However, as he walked by, he noticed the giant man was ashen-faced, trembling all over. The "strongman" from before now seemed like a tiny shrimp.
"Oops, turns out you’re the sensitive type. Sorry, sorry..." Lu Ping’an said as he greeted and patted the other man on the shoulder.
To the disbelief of the other Special Service Team members, their usually unruly "team tyrant" didn’t dare to move a muscle at this moment and, as the hand fell, sat down on the ground with a thud.
His six limbs buckled, and his biological instincts kicked in, prioritizing survival over resistance.
In that moment, he felt as if he was being targeted and swallowed by some monster... Overly sensitive perception isn’t always a good thing.
But such a big guy suddenly half-kneeling naturally drew a lot of attention.
"What did you do?"
"Don’t move! Drop your weapons!"
The strongest member of the team had knelt without a fight, startling the rest of the Special Service Team members who immediately sprang into action.
Some were blockading, while others had already started to make phone calls.
"Uh..." Things were getting a bit troublesome.
Facing the approaching law enforcers, Lu Ping’an sighed and took out his credentials.
"One of you, Zion District Special Service Team Three, Lu Ping’an."
"Lu’s Team, hello." He received a salute from them. Although they were quite capable, their uniforms and shoulder insignia seemed to indicate that their internal ranks were not very high.
"Well, okay then. Sorry, I just ’looked’ at him because I saw he was pretty strong, didn’t realize he was so sensitive..."
The small interlude passed in a flash. It was just a misunderstanding, and Lu Ping’an managed to explain it away with a bit of clarification.
However, from the subtle expressions of the surrounding law enforcement officers, it was likely that news of Lu’s return would soon spread through the Special Service circles.
"This is Lu Ping’an..." People all over recognized him as a legend of the city.
After all, a reputation forged on the bones of the Strongmen was always the easiest to recognize, and countless had died directly or indirectly at Lu Ping’an’s hands.
"This is the city you were born in... huh, it seems pretty average."
Eve, who had been impatient and leaped out several beats too soon, initially excited, now seemed a bit disdainful.
The little girl was blunt, speaking only the truth.
Compared to the cities in her memory, the third-tier industrial city before her was too... ordinary.
The gray city’s rather foul-smelling air, coupled with the recent launch of a new round of industrialization, made everything seem overly crowded and chaotic.
With her sensitive senses, Eve disliked the air, the smells, and even more the dust evident on the city’s buildings.
"...But since it’s your hometown, I’ll try to like it."
The little girl’s clenched fists and determined effort, although Lu Ping’an knew she probably could not do it, made him smile.
"Liking something should be effortless. If you have to try, it’s probably not genuine..."
As he caressed the little girl’s head and she grumbled in annoyance, Lu Ping’an also made a phone call to have someone pick them up.
But this time, he wasn’t able to make it back to Zion District headquarters or home...
"My Police Chief, won’t you report in just once?"
Deputy District Chief Wang Xier from the Alien Development Zone had caught him directly.
— End of Chapter 1120 —