Chapter 569
Chapter 569 - 549: Simple Work
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7 min read
"...We want an Otherworldly Vessel and plenty of supplies. Oh, and two Truth-level items..."
That loud demand made Lu Ping’an laugh.
After all, this wasn’t some high-end negotiation table but merely a convenience store, where the "robber" had taken a store clerk hostage.
"Don’t come near me! I have a hostage! A hostage!"
The gill-breathing man’s hand was trembling as he held the scissors... Using scissors for a robbery was indeed a talent.
"I don’t want to do this, but I want to survive! It’s all your fault, and it’s all the fault of this world..."
Well, he was starting to blame the world now.
Lu Ping’an sighed and spoke into the walkie-talkie.
The next moment, a cat descended from the ceiling of the convenience store.
She happened to be in the robber’s blind spot. As soon as she landed, she swung her right hand, and the dagger penetrated the robber’s skull directly.
"Done, meow! We can go back for lunch now, meow!"
From the start to finish, it took a total of fifteen minutes, with no other casualties besides the robber.
"Is there a case briefing?"
"Haven’t had time to write it yet. It was that foreigner who came to rob the place; the police discovered him, and he turned into a hostage-taker."
Hearing that, Lu Ping’an nodded. It was part of their recent routine.
Many things only become apparent once they happen and are experienced. Before, many people speculated that when the country’s doors opened, supernatural foreigners would become new social threats; they no longer had the constraints of their hometowns, and it was normal for them to do all sorts of things in a strange place.
But the result was entirely different. The ones who caused the most trouble were the "ordinary foreigners."
Some of them came through legal channels. Besides the Ark tickets from the Silent Mountain Range World that were sold at sky-high prices, tickets from other worlds weren’t worth much and were only regarded as normal communication.
These "ordinary outsiders" naturally encountered various troubles and predicaments. Some of them indeed had strength and physical advantages compared to ordinary humans. Moreover, they received clearly inferior wages for their labor...combined with the fact that some of their homelands were not safe and quite a few of them lacked any concept of the rule of law, these factors led to a series of ordinary foreigner crimes.
As long as such cases were handed over to the Special Service Team, they weren’t difficult to handle. If they involved potential life-threatening incidents...The Special Service Team suggested to simply kill them and not waste valuable prison resources.
How about those who had supernatural abilities? They were actually quite valuable—just by participating in various research projects (or being researched subjects), they could earn a living. Even if their situations were worse, some gray organizations would still accept them.
But most importantly, they knew "fear"... With so many deities present, and supernatural beings patrolling the streets, ordinary foreign Abnormal Ability Users had to consider the possible consequences of their actions.
In contrast, those who knew nothing had no fear. Their ordinary people were like carnivorous Beasts in a chaotic world, and now they had merely switched hunting grounds.
"We’re off work, onto the next one."
This had become a sort of routine, but even the Special Service Team found time to handle these "ordinary criminal cases," indicating a sufficient amount of police force.
On the way back, Lu Ping’an met those "auxiliary police" Knights, who were also busy with their daily tasks.
𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
The new auxiliary police force provided a wide range of talent. If used properly, the Special Service Team’s workload would be much easier.
After all, each previous official Secret Keeper was considered a treasure, and only Abnormal Ability Users could deal with Abnormal Ability Users, while those who tended to side with the official forces were few.
Now, with a large number of foreign Abnormal Ability Users, this aspect could naturally be remedied.
With high-risk environments, there were naturally other choices. The work of the Special Service Team had been greatly eased, and this also solved part of the employment problem for foreign Abnormal Ability Users.
With this aspect of the job becoming easier, Lu Ping’an could also sneak off more easily... However, after a certain "accident" occurred, the dissatisfaction and unhappiness that had been directed at him within the team disappeared.
The reason was simple, as strength was the most persuasive.
In a setting where everyone was a professional warrior, colleagues would become comrades, and a powerful comrade was naturally welcome.
You had the strength of a Captain level, but you were still an ordinary team member? Fine, as long as you were there when needed.
After Lu Ping’an demonstrated his strength, all trust crises naturally vanished.
"...So this is a third-tier, huh? It gives a subtle feeling."
Accompanied by his growth as a "Juvenile Bloodvine," Lu Ping’an gradually reached the standard of a third-tier professional. Many doors that belonged to the third-tier and above were open to him.
"At this stage of a third-tier professional, one can barely be considered human..."
Lu Ping’an felt that after completing his three self-cursing and Advancements, his physical body had already become unnecessary... To be precise, his body, soul, and various curses now formed the existence known as Lu Ping’an.
The most obvious change was that using various Black-iron level professional Abilities became extremely easy, and their consumption also became much lower.
But as a Gardener, the ability that affected Lu Ping’an the most was the permanent ability to release spiritual power externally.
This was similar to those with Talent Abilities in the Elemental system. At the Tier 1-2 stage, they could only rely on "painting" or "chess pieces" as indirect means to release flames, with the real source of the fire being inside their bodies.
With the third-tier advancement and the unlocking of external Spiritual Power release, they could genuinely create fire out of thin air, making their abilities completely different from before.
However, Lu Ping’an encountered a problem...
"Weren’t they saying that a normal Gardener’s Life Power release is in green or pale white colors... Why is mine black?"
Using Spirit Vision to observe different colors had various uses, and the basic purpose of other Gardeners’ Life Power external release was to gain the favor of Magic Plants.
It was a kind of subtle "nourishment" and the reason high-level Gardeners could easily domesticate Magic Plants, but for Lu Ping’an...
"...Why is it that when it comes to me, it only brings fear and uneasiness to the Magic Plants, and they don’t get any moisture at all?"
Lu Ping’an had already confirmed that his Life Power external release could be used directly as an attack without the need for other Abilities. He was nothing like a conventional Gardener.
This didn’t just affect the favorability of Magic Plants.
"Other Gardeners can use Life Power external release for various buffs, support, and enhancement Abilities, but mine seems more suitable for attacking. Or maybe, I can try learning Withering and Decay."
— End of Chapter 569 —