Chapter 160 - 160 142 Sword Saint

160: Chapter 142: Sword Saint 160: Chapter 142: Sword Saint Special Service Teams in each district are subordinate units of the Bureau of Anomaly Management, but they are basically scattered across the districts with relatively independent office spaces. There are often less than ten of them. It is not necessary to prepare separate buildings for them. The usual practice is to share spaces with the district police stations. Some are on an independent floor of the police station, and some are in small two- or three-story buildings next door (as mentioned before, there are not many tall buildings in this world). They can also share the public facilities of the police station, such as gyms, cafeterias, and training grounds. “Someone is going to start training. Don’t you want to go and watch?” “Isn’t this something that happens every day? Special Service Team?” It was common for people to practice Fighting every day, and they were tired of watching. But a Special Service Team training session would always attract curious spectators. “Yes, Captain Xia.” “Oh, I haven’t seen her in action since she was promoted to captain. Let’s go together.” So, soon, many spectators crowded around the training ground. Xia Qin stood on the other side of the training ground, holding a blue sword cane in one hand, with a deep red pistol in the holster. Her face was calm, even cold, but the obvious traces of fatigue and cultivation made people wonder if she might fall asleep at any moment. Lu Ping’an, standing opposite her, had tried to “invest” in her, helping her recover her state… but as expected, she was now beyond his reach as a third-tier professional. Compared to the past, she had even removed her protective uniform, wearing only a pair of trousers and a black tight T-shirt. Her beautiful curves were evident but offered no protection. In the past, Lu Ping’an knew, she would have at least worn a bulletproof vest under her uniform. If there were any protective equipment left on her body, it would probably be just the pale gold leather gloves. This kind of zero-protection duel was, in a sense, an insult to the opponent, but Lu Ping’an knew that it was just her “price.” “… Did you really advance to ‘Sword Saint’? That’s quite exaggerated.” The Sword Saint Path is a semi-public but rarely attempted rare path. Not only does it require extremely high abilities and talents for its Advancement, but it is also nearly impossible without the guidance of another Sword Saint. Even so, there is a heavy price to pay for those who successfully Advance. “Sister Xia Qin, now you can’t use any protective equipment at all?” Lu Ping’an knew these things very well since they were so famous. Xia Qin shook her head helplessly. “I can use the explosion-proof shield and the small round shield. I guess they can be seen as weapons.” “Those who are devoted to Martial Arts only need to trust the weapons in their hands. All protection is meaningless.” This is the first “self-discipline” of the Sword Saint and the cause of death for most novice Sword Saints. Not being able to wear armor, even the most fragile ones, is likely to be fatal for a warrior. Just by successfully Advancing, they have to bear at least three such excessive self-disciplines… or rather, super self-curses. It is said that higher-level Sword Saints do not even use “non-weapon Taboo items,” they may even delete their own Abnormal Abilities. They have no need to use anything other than weapons, and they don’t even have a second way of attacking besides basic attacks. “Let’s finish quickly and go home.” Xia Qin held her gun and sword, walking calmly toward Lu Ping’an. Meanwhile, Lu Ping’an only blinked, and his venom scythe began the attack first. With the pitiful range of his sword cane, Lu Ping’an should have at least three swings before the battle begins. “Clang!” The sound of metal colliding was still in the air, but it was not the sword cane and the blade of the scythe that collided. In that instant, the crimson short pistol was perfectly against the sharp edge of the scythe. If the slow-motion replay were to be played back, the woman would have just taken a big step forward at that moment and then tapped it lightly. “Clang!” Lu Ping’an’s scythe flew up and lodged itself in the ceiling. “Violent.” Lu Ping’an could only summon Little An to sweep away everything around him before his numb right arm could even recover. “It’s over…” But Xia Qin had already passed through the narrow gaps between the tentacles… although judging from the scattered tentacles on the ground, she seemed to have done so without even trying to dodge! When her sword cane was already at Lu Ping’an’s chest, preparing to punish this naughty boy, her vision suddenly blurred. “Clang!” What collided with the sword cane was the scythe that should have been on the ceiling. The young man hung upside down from the ceiling, a helpless expression on his face as he looked down at the captain below. Weapon Master’s “All Weapons At Will” switch had never been used correctly, and was always used by Lu Ping’an for spatial drift escapes. However, it only widened the gap between Lu Ping’an and his goal. “It seems that I really can’t win.” For professionals, heavy constraints often mean higher returns. The other side of the heavy price borne by Sword Saints is that they can greatly enhance their weapon power and close-combat capabilities. In plain words, facing them, a noob wouldn’t even have the right to hold their weapon and fight. That instant burst of brute force, besides extreme physical strength, seemed to have supernatural effects too. On the battlefield, there was a muscular man with a naked upper body and a bunch of weapons on his back who could make anyone worry at the sight of him. No one could stop him, and he would often single-handedly tear through the battlefield… Yep, that was the Fishman Sword Saint. After only a brief exchange of blows, Lu Ping’an was sure that he absolutely couldn’t engage Xia Qin in close combat, or else he would be instantly defeated. With the basic hardware difference being so significant, even worse than his encounter with Wang Hai, Lu Ping’an thought… “Shrink Land.” “Boom!” Lu Ping’an instinctively used his space ability, and where he originally stood, a sword staff had been stabbed in. The cracks from the ceiling spread out, and the repair cost started burning. Before he could even wipe the cold sweat off his brow, a vicious voice had already echoed below. “Little brat! Do you think that my report isn’t enough?!” Xia Qin had already grabbed Lu Ping’an from the ceiling. Those dark circles under her eyes while looking up were like an evil spirit from a horror movie! At this moment, Lu Ping’an reluctantly closed his eyes, and he was sure that his opponent was not only stronger than himself in close combat but also faster! Several times faster! “…How do you fight a melee unit that can one-shot you, is several times faster than you, and has a reaction speed you can’t catch with the naked eye? I’m waiting online; it’s urgent… Damn, you really hit me! Stop it! I surrender!” There was no way to fight this. The young boy who quickly completed the French military salute was trying hard to cover his face. ——- —— On the bright side, Lu Ping’an had accomplished his strategic mission. He had tested the actual gap between himself and high-end combat power; the captains of the Administration Bureau really could fight. “Right now, there’s still a little tiny bit (a finger-wide universe) missing, so it’s better to forget about those solo kills.” He had also tested just how strong his best card on hand was, and how strong it was in that level and aspect. “No wonder she could chase after the Sophist and hack at them. The Sword Saint is practically invincible at the same level; it’s no empty talk for her to beat opponents of a higher rank… At least it’s confirmed that she’s unparalleled in close combat. Luckily, I wasn’t blocked by that Fishman Sword Saint, or else I wouldn’t even have time for ‘redemption’.” As for the drawbacks? Does helping to write a report back in the office count? Lu Ping’an was feeling some regret. He shouldn’t have exposed his excellent clerical skills. Now all the accumulated paperwork has been pushed onto him. However, considering that he could fully understand the city’s supernatural intelligence while dealing with these “files,” Ping’an did not resist too much on the surface. Resistance is necessary, or else how could he haggle! He also made a bitter gourd face, complaining about being bullied as a “child” first, and then about the evil practice of forcing child labor to work overtime. However, the reality was just the opposite. As an “old slicker” with enough experience dealing with bureaucratic agencies, handling these things with official jargon and smooth talk became easier and easier for Lu Ping’an. Lu Ping’an could even sense the undercurrents in the city, as well as the increasingly unfavorable reality. At the same time, he recorded lots of useful intelligence. For example, the location of some black markets, the leaders of some special industries, and the unwritten rules of certain transactions. As for winning or losing, Lu Ping’an didn’t really care. After losing this battle, he became even more certain of his path. “It seems that I still need to put in the effort on leveling up and collecting resources. My basic hardware isn’t enough; it’s like a one-shot death…” While copying and pasting a bunch of empty words and clichés like “serving the people,” Lu Ping’an completed the current work archive, leaving some time to think about other miscellaneous matters. On the other side, on the sofa, the “Sleeping Beauty” who had just won was in a deep sleep. She didn’t go home to rest as she said before. Instead, she went back, made a call, and came back to fill in her position and work overtime. “…Wake up, silly pig. Wake up, silly pig…” A very childlike, innocent ringtone rang, making Lu Ping’an involuntarily cover his somewhat painful cheek and unconsciously hum along with it. “Hello, it’s me, Xia Qin.” Captain Xia instantly woke up, first glaring at Lu Ping’an, who was still humming, and then answering the phone. After saying a couple of phrases, Captain Xia furrowed her beautiful brows. At the same time, Lu Ping’an, who was still typing, sensed danger instinctively in the next moment. He slowly moved towards the door, ready to slip away at any time. What for? There were too many possible reasons to think of. Anyway, it’s better to run first! “…Yes, I understand. I will discipline our team members, and it won’t happen again…” Xia Qin, who had hung up the phone, immediately got enraged! “Lu Ping’an! You actually drove without a license and crashed my car!”