Chapter 1760

NO. 374: Looks like a special cute dance that's all the rage among some tengu

【Goal：Laboratory, museum, private collection

Division of labor：Infiltration, sabotage, cover work

Priority loot type：Monster remains, power containers, related technical data】

【Goal：A7 lab shortage of monster containers and humanoid specimens

Division of labor：Suppliers, test subjects, experiment assistants

Optional compensation：Promotion Points, Shallow Modification Opportunity, Beastification Tuning】

【Goal：Cleaning up activity traces

No division of labor

Optional compensation：Promotion Points, Pre-anointment Surgery Accumulation, Beastification Tuning……】

……

The Beast Cult's temporary outpost F1.

Only upon entering this place do men, women, old and young reveal some monster traits; they gather here yet remain silent, each simply finding an unused local terminal to activate, watching the long-term command projection as seen by Aomo's puppet.

And more detailed, more urgent small orders.

"Compared to the cult, it's more like some kind of systematized mercenary organization."

No need for him to sigh himself; Bi Ze beside him, well-informed, speaks up for him. Although Mr. Bi is still an old-timer retaking senior high, his understanding of mercenaries and streamers ought to be at a hearsay level, but the two of them have a brother who mixes in the orthodox mercenary world.

What is the orthodox mercenary world?

Like Lin Dun Agency: limited to monster-related fields, perhaps they'll expand the market later, but more likely they're a mercenary team leaning toward the Horse Girl direction—definitely not orthodox mercenaries.

They'll take any kind of combat business without discrimination, and even less often accept streaming-related commissions—in the two main categories of modern mercenaries, combat and streaming, if you can't maintain purity, you don't count as orthodox.

Of course, not being orthodox isn't a problem.

Rather, being orthodox itself means mainstream and cutthroat competition; when conditions allow, everyone avoids choosing orthodox mercenaries without hesitation.

That's a shortcut, but those qualified to take it are also few and far between—even this gang of law-breaking otherworldly crab-leg people you see now don't deserve to be exempt.

They likewise mix in the most rudimentary mercenary system, doing the most rudimentary force-strike work; streaming is out of the question, after all, nowadays streaming requires real-name verification.

Although methods always outnumber difficulties, real-name verification isn't a major roadblock for otherworldly black households either, but this is merely the first small hurdle for going into streaming. After that come layer upon layer of various thresholds, enough to make those otherworldly black households abandon this no‑option method and return to the original meaning of the word "mercenary".

Although the Terra Federation's registered orthodox mercenaries are built within a legal framework, only mercenaries who venture into the cosmic frontier can choose the purest, most classic, most typical outlaw‑zone militant identity—but don't forget, the Federation also has a gray zone.

Although the industry's numbers still can't match the mercenary trade's current mainstream size, they have indeed preserved the original dangerous image of the "mercenary" concept within the Federation's jurisdiction, and at the same time they provide a livelihood path for these dangerous otherworldly black households.

So Little Aomo isn't surprised.

"Indeed it's the mercenary band's operating model, only placed in an illegal domain."

He calmly explained to Bi Ze.

"Many otherworldly black households have taken this route, and there have always been some plainclothes officers lurking inside, waiting for the right moment to cast the net and treat this as a steady way to earn merit."

This made Bi Ze want to retort: "Isn't there a rule against entrapment enforcement?"

"The illegal premise of entrapment enforcement is luring or deceiving citizens into committing illegal acts," Little Aomo patiently explained the law, "the key lies in the existence of 'guiding the other party to crime,' but mercenaries working in the illegal domain don't need guidance—do you still remember me saying 'casting the net'?"

"This isn't entrapment, it's netting—no need for a fishing process; the fish are everywhere already."

"Yet after searching so long, Shi Huaiya and Chen Sir's side still have no word—is it because we couldn't contact those plainclothes officers?"

Bi Ze couldn't help but snap back, but fortunately Little Aomo's upbringing is also top‑notch, having been trained early by Shenbi Old Dad in the patience of early childhood education, and he can still calmly instruct: "That's right, plainclothes officers often have specific contact methods; if unnecessary, they won't provide them."

"Besides, Heaven Gate City doesn't restrict cross‑jurisdiction law enforcement, but the officers can still have grievances."

"If they can handle it, do they still have grievances?"

"Well said, but most resentment in the world is unrelated to ability; even the weak can feel justified in their grudges, and you should watch out yourself."

"Huh?" Bi Ze blinked at the words, sizing up the kid before him.

"What kind of roundabout insult is this?" Suddenly he felt he'd been underestimating this shota‑type brother.

Though his body has shrunk, his speech remains sarcastic and biting!

"You're just too sensitive—I didn't say you're weak, I said you need to watch out for sudden grudges around you."

"You jumped right in without hesitation—doesn't that prove you've got a script in your head!"

"You're such a hassle, Miss Zhuohua must be really suffering."

"This personal attack even dragged someone else in!"

"Can't you focus on the real point for once? I'm talking about sudden grudges around you."

"As a warm‑hearted, good‑natured person like me, why would I need to worry about that?"

"If you claim you know how to be a person, I'd think you've grasped the point."

Little Aomo sighed helplessly, recentering his will, tilting toward controlling his puppet that bears Gomora's twin horns and Kodala's skin features.

In the information extracted from interrogating Biquetes and her gang, beastification traits are something most members of the Beast Cult can't avoid, and that man is no exception.

The ordinary human forms they show day‑to‑day are the result of their own concealment methods; at the genuine temporary base gathering, they reveal the side eroded by the "containers."

Badges, capsules, cards, lightstones—and other carriers of monster power, the "containers"—are used by them with an intensity no less than Aomo's, leaving indelible marks on their bodies.

Even among them there actually exist the gentle types used by Ultraman Warriors, which have almost no side effects.

But the Beast Cult followers who worship monster power and faith in the Beast King, the embodiment of all monsters, clearly seek the most radical sort—only the purest can be truly strong.

Body and mind were gradually beastifying; this phenomenon, within the Holy Terra Federation's technological power, was not unbeatable, nor irreversible, yet these believers willingly left such marks.

Showing the extent of beastification, showing devotion and resolve.

It essentially amounts to a competitive atmosphere that exists only within the sect.

Especially after beastification tuning, being able to display more controllable, more natural details often earns colleagues' awe and envious glances.

Although the Beast Sect operates exactly like a mercenary group, only in this internal prevalent strange aesthetic does it become completely crab‑like.

?? Although it feels obvious now, I still want to mention that back when I was young and ignorant, I used many upright terms; now being reminded, I should replace some words with homophones where possible, to avoid being identified and taken away by AI.

? For example, that word at the end of this chapter that looks like it has very little meat.

? (End of chapter)