Chapter 1686: with translation of chapter title

NO. 301: Pretentious (Part 1)

As mentioned in the earlier carrot-hero discussion, opting to join the federal certification review to become a justice‑idol‑hero all‑in‑one is actually quite rare within the Federation.

Since the mercenary trade likewise demands real‑name registration, it enjoys a relatively freer set of rules.

And those heroes who refuse any real‑name registration, wishing only to act as anonymous righteous individuals, will ignore both of the above categories altogether, simply pursuing their own ways in the gray zone.

Some even have arrest warrants posted at the police station.

Bounties may be high or low, yet the times they are actually collected are few and far between.

Thus you can fully understand why the Federation's Hero Act is criticized, with many calling for its abolition and its replacement to further optimize the Mercenary Management Act.

But in fact, even such a seemingly superfluous act still finds a faction that follows it.

That group is precisely the minority mentioned earlier, and their stronghold is none other than Tianmen City, this free‑trade port.

Because here is not only the outermost edge of the Terra Federation, but also a transmigrator special zone possessing legislative autonomy, able to propose amendment orders based on the original act, which, after approval by the Federation government congress, can be implemented, thus creating the most suitable soil for heroes.

Meanwhile, the Holy Terra Federation's foundation of source‑energy and widespread sci‑tech education provides many with the basis to live out their hero dreams, allowing those who wear all kinds of helmets and don various peculiar uniforms to appear more frequently on streets, alleys, and ruins——

Yet their deeds are even more prosaic than those in ordinary hero stories.

Helping find cats, finding children, even moving heavy objects in ruins to search for victims…… Although most commercial‑district buildings and office towers have emergency barrier deployment designs to mitigate disasters, the streets and alleys of Tianmen City lack such provisions.

The Public Works Bureau has no shortage of tasks.

Even the home‑style barrier alarm systems that ordinary families scrape together to purchase often have limits in their durability tier.

Home insurance also involves having to pay out compensation.

Fortunately, this aspect also receives government funding subsidies, so there's often no need to waste too much time haggling; indeed…… among Tianmen City residents a trend of alternative 'demolition‑awaiting' thinking once spread—hoping for a disaster to sweep away their homes, then using the compensation money to fully renovate.

Like the aftermath in the second half of last year, when a certain head‑to‑head clash with the King of Haipa Airei (Godzilla) caused a shockwave covering several kilometers…… Even though Tianmen City constantly suffers from big‑small conflicts and endless battle turmoil, it rarely sees a disturbance of that scale; in the following weeks you could see on Tianmen City's major social forums those who act like fishing‑enthusiasts, bragging about being the 'victims' in that lava‑flowing crater.

Their excitement and joy are almost as if they themselves had spewed the atomic breath, while also making other netizens who have dreamed of disasters feel bitter, beating their chests and stamping their feet, wishing they could take the victim's place.

Aomo Lindun also gained great fame in this process, being regarded as the god of wealth by many of those 'victims'.

Of course, not all of them.

Among the countless households within those several kilometers, there are still some who deny that the demolition compensation can outweigh what they once possessed, and they harbor hostility and hatred toward the wandering disaster.

The safety bureau officers who originally escorted Aomo were precisely the main vigilance against such people, and Aomo's later decision to flee quickly let him avoid the most trouble‑prone concluding segment.

By now, although we still can't say we've lowered our guard completely, at least the passage of time has filtered out some of the hot‑headed individuals.

Well, just that portion.

There is also a group of people who aren't hot‑headed but still blame Aomo's initial momentum, and who might pop up at any moment to take revenge for what they cherish.

But that is unlikely to happen now.

After all, at present he is inside the police‑drawn cordon, and with a few old friends of Shi Huaiya nearby he is effectively surrounded by officers.

"Rather than worrying about those who suffered losses, we should think about how to handle things now. Mu, what does the Two Worlds Safety Bureau say?"

The one who tossed the topic to Officer Mu, whom she had met before, the blue‑haired horned woman, was doing her duty faithfully; although she came together with Biquetecks, she merely nodded at Aomo and hurried to the officers who had arrived earlier at the scene, making her a career‑oriented person just like Shi Huaiya.

Chen Huijie, deputy director of the West District Public Security Bureau of Tianmen City, was first mentioned in Biquetecks's words, then he himself had looked through Rod Island staff information when he was keen on it, and later…… after confirming his relationship with Shi Huaiya, when Aomo was pulled into a small chat room, the other party and another colleague were present there.

Xiong, supervisor of the West District Public Security Bureau of Tianmen City, had met Aomo before; strictly speaking, she still looked after him, a green‑haired unicorn woman.

She possesses a bold, mature personality and an astonishing height of 1.84 m, making her a veritable big sister who outclasses even the Beirustar beast.

This aura of seniority was especially pronounced when she was a third‑year high‑school student who had just lost her foster father.

But by now there's no trace of it left.

"Has it only been a year? You're already a bit taller than me—what a free‑spirited growth period."

She raised her hand to gesture at each other's heads from a distance so close that Aomo would instinctively step back, and this elder sister emphasized a sense of fashionable vitality in her hip‑hop style attire.

Aomo can easily tell that these three were summoned while out shopping; each displays a distinct preference and style in their outfit, and because they're summer wear they're quite light, featuring abdominal vest lines and front‑mounted armor‑impact visuals—where is any elder‑like aura to be found? Even a passing officer must undergo a 'don't look' challenge test and then be swiftly defeated.

This prompted Shi Huaiya's instruction from the side: "Don't forget to activate and illumine your badge—we're already at our posts!"

Although her beloved is present, she is also on duty; this mascot directly produces an aura rivaling that of her horned old friend, a great tiger's presence, and instead of first exchanging pleasantries with Aomo, she twists her badge to optically simulate a Teqiju Juanzhang uniform.

"Ah~" she also sighs, pulling out her badge and twisting it to reveal her tightly wrapped inspector's uniform, Xiong emitting the sigh appropriate for extra overtime: "It's rare not to be pulled apart by Missy, yet to meet here in this situation is truly regrettable."

"What do you mean 'pull me apart'… No! Didn't we agree that in times like this we should call me by name?"

"Is calling by name not serious enough? Shouldn't it be the position? Are you being this strict because it's a private form of address, or because it's about me?"

Noticing the other's angry glance, Aomo had a retort on the tip of his tongue but stayed rational and silent, merely responding to Xiong's sigh: "'Regrettable' is too strong—there'll be chances to meet again. On the contrary, running into you and Miss Chen here is quite fortunate."

"We currently need people like you, skilled in criminal investigation."

"Oh!" Xiong's eyes lit up upon hearing that, sizing him up: "Now I can imagine how Missy got taken down by you."

"?" The right ear of the big tiger on the reporting team twitched slightly, he turned his head and shouted, "Why are you saying that?! Can't you keep it work‑appropriate?!"

"Oh dear, Missy, this isn't a murder‑scene analysis or sampling; just having this many people crowding such a small area is already a waste of manpower—chatting a bit won't hurt."