Chapter 161 - 161 143 Accident

161: Chapter 143: Accident 161: Chapter 143: Accident Lu Ping’an knows how to drive, or at least he thought he did. In his previous life, he had countless hours of driving experience. So, when getting ready for the patrol, he didn’t hesitate to grab the car keys and refused the offer from a criminal police officer to drive, making the officer go to the passenger seat. “Don’t worry, I’ve been driving for a long time. I’m very experienced.” But in fact, the current Lu Ping’an is the kind of person who… Brain: I can do it. Hands and feet: You can’t do shit! “Boom!” Although driving is partly a mental activity, there are also a considerable amount of muscle memory and physical habits involved. An experienced driver can drive absent-mindedly, but a new driver will still crash even with full focus. Lu Ping’an, whose brain was experienced but his hands and feet were like a new driver, realized something was wrong as soon as he started the car. His hands and feet just wouldn’t listen… but it was too late! “Rumble!” Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough (at a superhuman level), slammed on the brakes, and turned the steering wheel quickly, causing the car to hit a barrier instead of becoming a killer on the road. The accident happened on the second street outside the police station. The traffic police arrived quickly, and their expressions were quite subtle when they saw the police car crashing into a wall right next to the station. Then they discovered that he was underage (less than 18 years old) and driving without a license (he wasn’t qualified for a test), and they followed the rules. Lu Ping’an was not detained, thanks to his “cover” and because he claimed to be on important business that couldn’t be stopped. At that moment, the expression of his partner, the criminal police officer, was quite subtle, but he didn’t say much out of courtesy. Luckily, they didn’t waste much time going back to the police station, changed to another car, and Lu Ping’an obediently sat in the passenger seat. Their patrol continued. In a way, it was the efficiency of Lu Ping’an that pushed this “case” forward. If he hadn’t done something, this first official business experience would have been too embarrassing. “He crashed right after leaving and had to go back home to rest, and he almost got detained by the traffic police for driving without a license?” This joke would probably spread throughout the police station. But now, what others might remember was that “Lu Ping’an cracked a big case right after leaving, and then beat up the special service team members next door.” As for the traffic accident, it was already insignificant compared to the big case he had just solved. In a way, he was desperate enough to make a difference… “I’ll take this, this, and this. As usual, if there are any missing materials, I can provide seeds and tier 1-2 Magic Plants for you. I can help you speed up the maturation process.” Miss Lo’s Magic Potion shop, which she ran, welcomed a big customer. Seeing the customer ordering numerous potions and demanding over-the-counter service, Miss Lo was a little scared. “Excuse me, are these for personal use? It’s a bit… excessive,” Miss Lo hesitated, noting that the first day’s dosage alone was enough for a second-tier to mutate, and this was already the third day. But she knew that the question was unnecessary given the increasing aura of the man before her. Was he not worried about overloading or overflowing? Lu Ping’an smiled and shook his head without explaining… If he tried to explain, one lie would require many more, and it would become too much of a hassle. “Alright, but please be careful. If there are any signs of overload or mutation, you must stop immediately.” After thinking about it for a moment, Miss Lo agreed. Lu Ping’an, her junior, clearly had a very high-level Life/Rule System ability and likely had some “mutation-free” talent. The truth was that today would be the last day, not because he couldn’t take any more, but because his wallet was running low. The prices for effective, permanent, and potent potions were getting more expensive. Even at cost and discounted prices, he probably couldn’t afford them anymore. Instead, he rapidly ingested low-level, high-side-effect potions in a bewildering way that others, especially in the Normal realm, couldn’t understand. After all, in the conventional thinking of ordinary professionals, there was no need for repeat consumption of such drugs once the effects had diminished. Besides, taking too many would increase the chances of mutation. Why risk your life spending money when you could just steadily cultivate and improve? “…That’s the mindset of weak players and broke people. In reality, every time you ‘take a potion,’ you get different pollution. They’ll gradually take effect in the distance, and when you hit the bottleneck at middle or high levels, you’ll eventually come back for more. So why not start early, and what you waste now will pay off a hundredfold in the future,” Meow countered. Unlike those mentor instructors, Meow actually encouraged this “evil” path of leveling through potions. “Why rely solely on yourself? Humans are not the top tier among all species. As a fragile human, to climb higher, you need to consume and supplement other life motive forces…” Meow’s answer puzzled Lu Ping’an and even challenged common sense and intuition. But after his battle with Xia Qin, he realized that he could only be instantly defeated if his hardware wasn’t up to par. Since Meow was sure there were no side effects, Lu Ping’an gritted his teeth and continued. As he continued, he started to feel more peculiar. Unlike the situations described in those “cultivation novels,” Lu Ping’an, who was ingesting bottles and bottles of Magic Potions, not only did not feel any foundation instability but, on the contrary, felt that the foundation of various aspects was becoming more and more solid. Even his daily dividends became more stable. He realized that he might have underestimated the role of Magic Potions and Magic Plants due to the biases from past novels or the influence of Xia Qin’s foundational approach. After all, 90% of low-level Magic Potion’s core materials are Magic Plants, and 99% of gardeners rely on Magic Potion-related fields for their livelihood before reaching a certain level. Perhaps Magic Potion is quite an essential field. However, when really exploring and inquiring the details, Meow knows nothing after a few questions. When forcing answers, Meow comes up with things like “the difference between plants and animals” and “Magic Potion is a ritualized Life module,” which Lu Ping’an can’t understand at all. Lu Ping’an suspects that she might not be able to explain clearly, and it feels like she is trying to bluff just to save face. “Maybe she just heard it from somewhere, and she might not be clear about it herself.” After all, “knowledge” is a kind of contamination, and Meow, who mainly follows the paths of Healer and Beast Tamer, had to avoid areas related to Gardener before. In a way, recommending Lu Ping’an to become an apparently pure support Gardener is because, as an “enemy,” Meow virtually learned how terrifying the deep levels of this field are. “In a sense, Healers and Beast Tamers are on one side, and Gardeners are on the other side; the total amount of both sides should be balanced and equal….” Meow once said that, but Lu Ping’an still can’t understand it now, and he even suspects that Meow might not understand it herself. […Host has consumed an ordinary quality Ice Bone Gu Potion, with a slight increase in Physique, a small increase in bone density, and a small increase in blood activity.] [Congratulations to the host for breaking through Black Iron middle-rank in Physique after painstaking training!] [Current status: Physique (Black Iron middle-rank), Reflex (Black Iron Lower level), Spirit (Black Iron Lower level)] But this system prompt, along with the empty money bag, also indicates that Lu Ping’an’s round of promotion ends here. Why not continue to spend Reflex and Spirit potions? Reflex potions cost several times more than Physique potions and Spirit potions cost dozens or hundreds of times more than Reflex potions—Lu Ping’an can’t afford it. Plans can never keep up with changes. The plan to “consume potions to break through Reflex and then use the double breakthrough to force Spirit breakthrough” is temporarily halted due to Lu Ping’an’s money bag running out. “Is being a professional also a pay-to-win profession?” Lu Ping’an finds it subtle, but he also realizes that other professionals who eat like him would have mutated long ago. It’s worth mentioning that in these days, Lu Ping’an has assigned two of his three dividends quota to Miss Lululu and Brother Guan, the two Gardeners, and the other random quota is rotated among several 2-tier professionals in the team. “It’s just that ‘Grafting’ is still barely progressing… Who would bother to study Magic Plant modification? I must find a dedicated Scholar to share Grafting with, or can I just spend some points myself?” The improvement in Magic Plant cultivation is evident, now at lv6, but Grafting is somewhat difficult, and it can usually only be improved by modifying Magic Plants. Would a normal 2-tier Gardener be able to afford “Grafting”? They would go bankrupt if they casually killed a dozen or so 2-tier Magic Plants. Why not find academic professors in the school? They generally aren’t 2-tier, and it seems that third-tier is the minimum threshold for applying, which is where Lu Ping’an has been stuck these days. “I need a 2-tier Gardener who specializes in researching Magic Plant modification and who is working on a major project these days…maybe it’s more convenient for me to advance to the third-tier first and then invest in the third-tier.” Lu Ping’an feels helpless and can only give up on finding suitable candidates with Miss Lululu for now. However, while some areas are stuck, other places have improved significantly, and there are even some unexpected surprises. “Lv2 Painting skills, thanks to Brother Guan’s skill rocket, he is really reliable. But… is the Magic Potion knowledge that has almost reached lv3 the result of my persistence? Is it the result of forcing Miss Lululu to make potions for me for two days?” The inexplicably rising universal skills and the Magic Potion knowledge in his head make Lu Ping’an feel increasingly subtle. He also confirms that Miss Lululu should be a Magic Alchemist with Gardener as her sub-profession. What amazes Lu Ping’an the most is that among the shares of Magic Potion knowledge, he accidentally gained a lot of Magic Plant-related knowledge, and his basic Gardening skills have increased a lot. The reason they say “Grafting” is only barely not moving rather than “completely not moving” is because of the gift of Magic Potion learning. “Reverse-engineer the characteristics of Magic Plants from the results and nature of Magic Potion ingredients? Can it be played this way too?” Lu Ping’an also confirms that maybe Meow’s statement “Gardener must be assisted by a Scholar” could be more accurate. “Maybe ‘Gardener must be assisted by a Magic Alchemist to advance’ is true. It seems that I have to take on a Magic Potion profession in the future too….” The things on his target list haven’t been done yet, but new content has appeared on the list. This is very lifelike. What’s even more surprising to Lu Ping’an is that Meow has rarely become diligent these days, and he even hesitates whether to give her the precious investment quota…but eventually chooses to give up. There’s no way, the last quota is actually very precious. Huan senior sister and Xue En’s dividends are much more fragrant than Meow’s. But what’s strange is that Meow actually took the initiative to come to him and mentioned another matter. “If there’s something good, don’t forget meow.” Did this cat get a bad stomach or was it brainwashed? Lu Ping’an is baffled. But the next sentence made Lu Ping’an somewhat understand. “Big brother said, following you meows, I will get good fruits to eat! He wants me to learn from you, meow!” What can you learn from me? How to cook and how to poison the food? Lu Ping’an is somewhat helpless. Deputy Captain Lei overestimates me. I am just a Gardener. What can I do with this Runner and Beast Tamer? But this remark made him understand that Lei Huoren must have seen his unusual growth rate and hoped that Meow would also share in it. But Lu Ping’an really can’t do anything about it, and some people not only have a way but are also tempted. “Lu Ping’an, I might be able to teach her something. You can help me convey it…” Is this Meow being kind to the little Meow?