Chapter 930
Chapter 930 - 916: The Sheriff
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7 min read
"So that’s how it is, this kind of structure..."
"Ah-ha, it can also be done this way, this is utterly unreasonable..."
"Can the Family Clan of the Twelve-Pillar be so unscientific and illogical, and be this mindlessly strong... Uh, yes, they can."
In a not-so-large room, there were scattered metal components covering the ground, while a "public security" marker placed to one side revealed its former identity.
Although it was somewhat risky to provoke the local police, for a professional, as long as the carrot hung on the other side of the risk was tempting enough, everything was negotiable.
"What’s more, it’s not me who’s taking the risk..."
It was Black Hand’s initiative that got Lu Ping’an this police puppet.
He wasn’t worried that if something actually went wrong, it would affect him... After all, Black Hand himself had no idea what identity Lu Ping’an was using now or where he was located.
Lu Ping’an increasingly felt that spending a bit of money to have a strongman serve him hand and foot, to live and die for him, was an incredibly wonderful feeling... He also believed that any form of debt or contract still needed to be handled with care.
"... The manufacturing cost of this thing probably wouldn’t exceed that of three carriages, but in practice, its combat power standard can reach the Silver-tier under the control of a skilled old stager."
The pile of broken parts before him shocked Lu Ping’an far more than the knights he had seen back in the countryside.
The structure of the thing was too simple; it was just a large mechanical puppet that, although it had incorporated the local eerie technology, allowing it to move with minimal mechanical energy, this alone couldn’t explain the "power" it contained.
"Justice..."
"... Judgment..."
"... Fear."
Lu Ping’an meticulously deconstructed it, using his Courtyard’s "Analysis" ability, and actually found three conceptual "traits" on this mechanical puppet.
Undoubtedly, this was the most fitting combination of capabilities for an "enforcer," proclaiming its stance and employing violence in the name of "justice," punishing and controlling targets through "judgment," rendering them powerless in "fear."
This trio of traits combined was probably the essence of the "law enforcer" concept. Lu Ping’an had a vague feeling that this one was not yet Complete-form; if it were to be fully assembled by concepts, it would probably slap down "criminals" one after the other.
"...Still the ’Cultivation’ method of This World? Even a metallic body can achieve this."
"Theoretically, it’s a bit difficult... but with the backing of the Twelve-Pillar, what’s the difficulty in surpassing theory? As long as the logic is sound, it’s enough."
Letting The Controller operate this machine to cultivate specific "martial techniques" to acquire the target traits, eventually resulted in an active judgment machine.
Guilty criminals, offenders, and those with guilt in their hearts would probably be its targets, suffering dozens or hundreds of times more focused damage.
And the sense of threat that Lu Ping’an felt that day was more normal; he was a spy, and deep down... subconsciously guilty, which was enough to trigger the "law enforcer’s" conceptual special attack system.
"Is this the treatment under a Big Boss’s wing..."
Lu Ping’an contemplated for a moment; this technology was cool but had absolutely no referential value.
Not to mention how difficult it would be to implement this system on Earth, its high Strength was also because the "target" of its aim was powerful enough.
"To have a humanoid puppet borrow its own power, imitate its existence, and allow another Intelligent creature to manipulate the puppet and indirectly enslave its power... For a Deity, this is astonishing blasphemy."
Lu Ping’an vaguely grasped the real secret behind this Strength; the working time for an enforcer was limited, but that was not necessarily the case for the puppet.
It could be passed down from generation to generation, continually Cultivating under the control of the law enforcer, accumulating, and making progress.
For Deities, this indeed constituted an indignity, their power being used like Tools by a mindless puppet.
But considering this world’s peculiar trait, "accumulate to become stronger," given enough inheritance time, this "puppet" will inevitably turn into a "mechanical war god."
Of course, under normal circumstances, this would be "investing strength without faith, a blasphemy against the gods," and even if you succeeded, you would definitely be hunted down by the deities relentlessly. How could they afford you time to accumulate.....
"...It can only be said that Firebird has an incredibly high status."
Touching the metal texture, Lu Ping’an vaguely sensed that its designated target was formidable, probably not just an ordinary deity but perhaps a top-tier God of Justice or God of Judgment, capable of "supplying" innumerable peace officers; it might well be one of the highest gods.
When faced with the facts, the old stagers of Special Service Team Three all sighed with emotion.
"With this thing around, we don’t have to go all out all the time....."
The strength of this object is one aspect, but even more outrageous is the fact that it’s merely controlled by some Ordinary People.
So, this means that as long as the quantity of such "heirlooms" is sufficient, and quality is accumulated over time, ordinary peace officers can naturally manage "superhumans."
It’s fair to say, the cost of social security will be significantly reduced...
"...No wonder the number of Extraordinaries is shockingly low."
Lu Ping’an smiled with a hint of understanding; this was indeed a treasure beyond envy.
Whether in the previous world or in this world, the proportion of "warriors" was incredibly low. Therefore, the social resources needed to maintain "violence" were also lower, which further enhanced the stability of society and per capita wealth.
In Lu Ping’an’s understanding, a world where everyone is armoured is instead more unstable, more violent, and thus the cost of maintaining social governance is higher.
"Will it be useful if we take it back?"
"...There is a very high chance it will be useless, directly turning into scrap iron. And if it does work, we will have to face an awakened ’Smart Machine.’"
The phrase Lu Ping’an had casually mentioned was approved by everyone. The compound word made from "wisdom" and "machinery" naturally conveyed a strong sense of instability.
Big Cat dismissed Lu Ping’an’s ambitions, as before, these things were not something to be envied, but...
"Every superpower system has its advantages and disadvantages. The stability of this world is indeed enviable, but it comes with its step-by-step progress, wanting to accelerate but unable to do so quickly, and due to being overly perfected, it lacks the possibility of evolution..."
Big Cat left the rest unsaid, but Lu Ping’an knew it all too well.
"...and our professional system is actually best at turning others’ things into our own..."
After some consideration, Lu Ping’an made his decision.
"Perhaps, this will be an excellent external enhancement material for ’Zhi Xi’..."
No matter how powerful, without The Controller, it remains merely machinery, just materials.
The professional system is quite adept at transforming those incomprehensible things into stepping stones for their evolutionary path.
"Not only that, but if we dismantle the weapon components and hand them over to craftsmen, we might create Taboo items that contain the concept of ’peace officer.’ If we give them to the Special Service Team for use, even if only half the effect is retained, it would be enough to hang and hammer Decree-level demons."
In a sense, this act is akin to dismantling a centuries-old antique heirloom for materials... It’s sacrilege to the Original Owner, but as long as the material is valuable, outsiders can accept it. After all, it isn’t theirs.
"Treasures, lying right on the main streets – is this the confidence of a high-level civilization...."
Slightly helpless, but more so, fortunate.
"This trip, even if I did nothing but simply collect junk, is already destined to be hugely profitable."
From thought to action, Lu Ping’an simply found work for those Black Hands, letting them go out to "collect old goods."
— End of Chapter 930 —