Chapter 64: Number 7489

Mastering the Combat Technique "Rigid" was faster; having studied it for only four or five hours, Lin Qing had already successfully grasped its basics.

"Order."

"Advance, Combat Technique 'Rigid'."

In the private lounge next to the captain's office, Lin Qing immediately advanced this Combat Technique.

As expected, the amount to repay this time was even less.

He only needed to perfect the cultivation of the Combat Technique "Rigid" eighteen times to clear the debt.

Calculated out, that was less than four days.

However, Lin Qing still decided to wait six days before learning a new one; otherwise, it would be too abnormal.

"So this is the Combat Technique 'Rigid'?"

Inside the private lounge, Lin Qing looked at the metallic sheen faintly rising on his body surface and nodded silently to himself.

"Iron Body? Armament Haki?"

The Combat Technique "Rigid" was, in fact, hardening.

It greatly increased defense, while simultaneously significantly boosting the destructive power of bare hands.

He had gradually figured out the strengths and weaknesses of this Combat Technique.

When fully activating the Combat Technique "Rigid", the whole body felt as if cast in steel, unified inside and out, at the moment of strongest defense, but after the body completely hardened, like a sculpture, it could not move.

In normal combat, it was best to only harden the body surface; although the defense wasn't that strong, it wouldn't affect movement.

"Under normal circumstances, hardening the body surface for defense is sufficient."

Lin Qing had also witnessed other colleagues activating the Combat Technique "Rigid".

Theoretically, even if one only mastered the 40-60% version of the method, as long as they grasped the Combat Technique "Rigid", they could easily resist ordinary handgun bullets.

And when he pushed it to the extreme, using the 70-70% version of the method, the defense was even more astonishing.

"Blocking a revolver M500 is still a bit doubtful, but it wouldn't be too far off."

Lin Qing weighed it silently, "After I learn the Combat Technique 'Soft', combining rigidity and softness, my defense will reach another level; by then, I should be able to barely withstand it, probably not much worse than that fugitive from Qinghu Island, Chu Tianyao."

Back when his cousin led a search team, they encountered Chu Tianyao; a group of Patrol Bureau officers opened fire with concentrated shots, each wielding a revolver M500.

But the result failed to cause any harm to Chu Tianyao.

The Chief Captain had said that Chu Tianyao's strength was on the same level as Xu Qiu, the number one among the Patrol Officers; it was only because Chu Tianyao also mastered Combat Techniques from other series that he was slightly stronger.

Xu Qiu had only mastered the full set of Combat Techniques from the Free Body series, none of which reached the Instinct level.

And Lin Qing was also cultivating Combat Techniques from the Free Body series, and all of them had reached the Instinct level, allowing him to unleash them to the extreme.

In comparison, Xu Qiu's advantage lay in the Original Version of the Morning Sun Cultivation Method.

Although the Original Version of the Morning Sun Cultivation Method provided a significant boost, its advantage was at most slightly stronger than Combat Techniques at the Instinct level.

"After I learn 'Soft' again, my strength will be very close to Xu Qiu's."

Lin Qing took a deep breath, "And then... as long as I wait for the Super-Sense Original Fluid to take effect and advance the Original Version of the Morning Sun Cultivation Method... by then, my strength will only be greater than Chu Tianyao's!"

Time passed quietly.

Days went by amidst relaxed cultivation and work.

On February 25th.

It was time again for the monthly professional examination organized by the branch office.

Zhao Jiayi had also signed up for this month's Patrol Bureau professional examination long ago; early in the morning, she followed Lin Qing to the branch office.

The morning written exam ended quickly.

"Will I pass?"

Seeing Zhao Jiayi return, Lin Qing asked casually.

"Definitely," Zhao Jiayi nodded confidently, "Soon I will be a Patrol Officer."

Lin Qing hummed and continued reading his book.

At that moment, the office's fixed communication device rang.

Lin Qing glanced at it, saw it was a call from Director Kou, and immediately answered.

"He's awake?"

"Do we need to go take a look?"

"Alright, I understand."

After Lin Qing ended the call, Zhao Jiayi asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just that Xiao Peidong is awake," Lin Qing shook his head slightly, "but he is still weak, so there's no need to visit him."

"His poison resistance is really strong..." Zhao Jiayi muttered....

Xiaoshan District People's Hospital.

Deep in the night inside the VIP ward, Xiao Peidong sat weakly on the hospital bed, silently gazing at the cityscape outside the window that seemed so close at hand.

With his eyesight, he could easily make out the holographic projections and announcement subtitles at the top of the city cluster.

【Bin Hai Star Union University's Function Department will expand enrollment quotas; Zhi Xing Group may add further investment...】

【The extraterrestrial stowaway responsible for the collapse of the Star Mutual Aid Association building was recently killed by the Third Chairman of the Star Patrol Council; the Star Patrol Council will provide an explanation tomorrow...】

【The new gene optimization technology developed by the Dawn Group will welcome a brand new breakthrough...】

Watching those lines of information that transcended the level of the city cluster, Xiao Peidong slowly closed his eyes.

"Can't go back... and can't move forward here either..."

He knew he was merely a defective product that had barely survived the experiment; although he could still contribute some heat, that was all the value he had.

!.

He did not want to return to that seemingly highly developed, glamorous metropolitan circle, because he knew... that was the true abyss that devoured people without spitting out bones; it was better to develop here, where at least there was a chance for freedom.

It was just...

"There's no hope for the job evaluation at the end of next month, and the Super-Sense Prime Liquid can't be found..."

Xiao Peidong felt utterly powerless.

The moment he thought of Lin Qing, who had emerged out of nowhere, he couldn't help but feel full of helplessness.

In fact, he had seen plenty of geniuses; regarding Lin Qing's rate of improvement, he was not shocked.

But that was in the metropolitan circle.

And in Lin'an City, Lin Qing's rate of improvement was astonishing.

Suddenly—

"Captain Xiao."

A slightly strange low chuckle sounded within the hospital ward.

Xiao Peidong's eyes shifted; his gaze instantly swept every corner of the ward, but he discovered no one present.

"Stop looking."

Only then did the light in the ward distort slightly, and a tall woman with dyed red short hair slowly materialized in the air, wearing a tight-fitting camisole, her arms heavily muscled, with golden piercings on her nose and lips.

She chewed gum, looked down at Xiao Peidong, and said with a playful tone: "You recovered so quickly even after being infected with Purple Vine 004? Among the failed test subjects, you're not bad; you're not entirely useless."

"You are..." Xiao Peidong's pupils suddenly contracted; he hadn't expected the other party to reveal his identity in a single sentence.

"Does that need asking?"

The red-haired tall woman laughed mockingly; on the skin of her exposed right arm, a sun-shaped tattoo slowly surfaced.

Strangely... inside her sun tattoo, a line of numbers could be seen.

"You actually have a number?" Xiao Peidong's eyes shifted slightly.

Even a four-digit number meant she was a formal member of the Illuminati organization, far beyond someone like him, an outer-circle member.

"I am not a failed useless test subject like you," the red-haired tall woman sneered. "I ask you, where is the Super-Sense Prime Liquid the Boss gave you?"

"It was hidden by that woman Zhou Yang; I can't find it either," Xiao Peidong said in a low voice.

"You even lost the Super-Sense Prime Liquid?"

The red-haired tall woman snorted coldly: "Even I have to wait and queue for the Super-Sense Prime Liquid; if you weren't a useless waste with a clean background who could enter the Patrol System, how would the Boss have prepared a portion of Super-Sense Prime Liquid for you?"

Xiao Peidong was not angered; he simply asked: "Does the Boss intend for you to take charge of the Crimson Oriole Society's affairs in this area? Are there any new orders?"

"The one in charge is the Crimson Oriole Society's former Number Two," the red-haired tall woman said calmly. "I am only responsible for assisting."

"You must know who our biggest trouble is right now," Xiao Peidong said in a low voice.

"You mean that Lin Qing?"

The red-haired tall woman smiled playfully: "Number Two's suggestion to me is to temporarily abandon you and instead recruit Lin Qing, after all, Lin Qing's potential is greater than yours."

"Hmm?" Xiao Peidong asked: "Have you investigated his situation?"

"Judging from Lin Qing's encrypted report, he has undergone Class A Evolution Radiation."

The red-haired tall woman said: "So even if he only mastered the 77th Edition Training Method and only grasped two combat techniques, his strength could still rank seventh or eighth among the Patrol Officers in Lin'an City; it is normal for him to single-handedly sweep the underground boxing arena."

"Class A Evolution Radiation?" Xiao Peidong murmured: "No wonder he has such strength..."

"You just lie there properly; Number Two has already prepared to recruit him; only if the recruitment fails will it be possible to use you as a waste again."

The red-haired tall woman looked at him mockingly, then the light began to slowly distort, causing her to gradually disappear.

(End of this chapter)