Chapter 1328
Chapter 1328 - 1314: Trace Back to the Source
1,285 words
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7 min read
Since he had the power, it was natural for him to repay debts of gratitude and seek revenge where it was due.
The Ancient City had been kind to Lu Ping’an... so, under the circumstances where it was within his power, it was natural for him to lend a hand.
"...you guys go ahead and have fun, I’ll wrap things up," Lu Ping’an decisively granted his Rule-level subordinates the freedom to act as they pleased.
Being happy is naturally the most important thing in life.
The many worries and gains and losses often appear in retrospect to be self-inflicted annoyances.
"Being happy is indeed essential... but this world, it seems, does not regard me as a person."
Returning to his homeland, Lu Ping’an, though outwardly calm, could not help feeling a bit excited until he nearly "failed to enter".
When he reached the ground, he unexpectedly encountered "rejection"....
"Uh, it seems like it wants to send me to the heavens...."
When professionals reach a certain realm, they become non-human... and as avatars of decrees and rules, they become "rules" themselves and naturally resist rules imposed by the Foreign Domain.
"For instance, the Law of Gravity..."
𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
Unlike other Rule-level beings, Lu Ping’an possessed as many as three fragments.
He might not be a high-dimensional being yet, but in terms of "mass" at the high-dimensional level, he probably had already transcended most Quasi-Gods.
Squeezed into the Earth, such a "big chunk" naturally became an obvious "alien", and the world fragments of the Foreign Domain even vaguely considered him an Exotic Realm God.
The mark of a deity is to create a Divine Kingdom of their own within their world, with self-made rules.
Such rules are inherently exclusionary, meaning that those within can disregard the rules of the greater world.
"If you won’t listen to me, then get out."
The worlds are very realistic; facing such "big" and "disobedient" beings, they often directly strip them of their gravitational factors (removing gravity’s constraints on them), sending them upward.
Of course, this is also a benign mechanism considering the integrity of the world and the well-being of the beings within it, as deities can cause limitless disasters with just minor actions on the surface.
This is rather like "jelly" appearing in "soy milk"; for the sake of overall stability, it seems better to remove it.
"I can understand other deities ascending, but I, a mere Sixth-tier, why do I deserve this treatment..."
Unfortunately, Mother Earth lacks self-consciousness and cannot be reasoned with.
Fortunately, perhaps Lu Ping’an is not genuinely a "deity", so as long as he’s careful in controlling himself, he shouldn’t ascend too high.
"This should be only an imitation... World Fragments are higher in hierarchy than Quasi-Gods, and lifeforms that surpass Quasi-Gods on Earth are naturally seen as threats. If you can completely assimilate them, especially that ’mirror’ fragment still bound in the courtyard, you should be able to reduce this impact."
"Just reduce it?"
"Since the rules have already acted against you, it means that the ’Gravity Rule’ has already loosened for you. You must feel that everything around you is quite fragile, as if it would break with just a little force..."
With this former Quasi-God explaining by personal experience, Lu Ping’an felt somewhat reassured.
At least for the moment, as long as Lu Ping’an could deal with that mirror, he should be able to resolve most of the problems....
"If you continue to progress, some things may be inevitable...."
But for now, Lu needn’t ponder these matters.
"Finally, I’m home...."
The approximate time for departure was agreed, and Lu Ping’an’s Rebirth Business Group disbanded for a vacation... Although it wasn’t a long break, it should have been enough for them to relax and catch up with their families and folks back home.
And Xia Qin, she took Lu Ping’an directly back "home".
"Everyone, we are back..."
Seeing Xia Qin hurriedly entering the office of Special Service Team Three, Lu Ping’an could only sigh helplessly and said nothing.
Just like the situation with Mercury 42, many cities were manipulated from behind the scenes... The manipulators might be from a Proper God/Quasi-God Church, a super company, or merely a formidable Strongman.
Things were somewhat better in the Eastern Country, where the Proper God Church often had considerable influence in remote areas, but even in places like the Ancient city, there were still too many "local tyrants".
The multitude of forces behind the steam factory black market... What Lu Ping’an unearthed back then were nothing but a bunch of Quasi-Gods, Proper Gods, and Evil Gods’ schemes.
In today’s Extraordinary Era, the mingling of both righteous and corrupt forces had become an inevitable reality, and the existence of these Proper Gods often stirred social upheaval.
To eliminate them? Setting aside whether there was the power to do so, the backlash after doing so...
"If we really got rid of them, it wouldn’t be long before new people came in to replace them with the same old tricks."
This was the reality Lu Ping’an had seen before... Many cases, like the previous Golden Apple incident, could only go so far.
"’Coexistence’, in the end, is the reluctant compromise made by the officials who ought to have complete control when they ’lack the power’..."
This is reality. The Proper God Church might not compare to your Eastern Country, but suppressing a local government quietly in the shadows... reality simply leaves one powerless.
But this time, things were different. Someone had returned; she had gained power and was quite serious...
"The Deputy Director of the Bureau of Anomaly Management has spoken, everyone listen closely!"
"Lu Ping’an!"
A single sentence from Lu Ping’an broke down the new Director.
But seeing Lu who had been subjected to the Iron Fist Sanction once more, and the furious female Captain, the others started laughing too.
Although some things seemed to have changed... some still seemed just like the old times.
In their eyes, only a few months had passed, and the Xia Qin who appeared before them felt unfamiliar... The kind that just standing next to her induced fear and trembling, a stark contrast to the diligent but always subdued female Captain from before.
But as long as the person was still the same, and the "goal" remained unchanged, there wasn’t much need to fuss over it.
"This time, I’ll lead the team and completely turn the steam factory black market into history..."
This was just the beginning.
Xia Qin, who wanted to do something, was directly promoted amidst crisis to one of the Deputy Directors of the Ancient City’s Bureau of Anomaly Management – a position she had never dared to dream of before. But given her current status and power, this position was not only modest but also unlikely to last long.
"...Depart."
Xia Qin didn’t mince her words because she knew that every second she spent talking gave the other side an extra moment to flee... Heaven knows how many "insiders" there were at various stages.
Experience had already proven that to truly uncover something, an unannounced surprise attack was likely the best way to achieve good results.
In the past, such raids were usually due to major or special cases... Since a complete cleanse was impossible, they could only target individuals and regularly deter them.
But this time, it was different...
"We... Rebirth Commerce can protect this city, turning it into a true place of tranquility."
If the backstage manipulators couldn’t be completely eradicated... then perhaps, I should become the backstage manipulator myself.
— End of Chapter 1328 —