Chapter 185 - 185 167 Wanted

185: Chapter 167: Wanted 185: Chapter 167: Wanted “Healers are experts in biology and medicine, Gardeners dominate pharmacy and agriculture, and Artisans are industry tycoons. This world is twisted beyond measure.” If it were at the beginning of his transmigration, Lu Ping’an would have been baffled by this seemingly indefinite timeline, unable to grasp the difference between the two worlds. “Initially, the twisted airship technology and the non-nuclear, amoral weapons chain seemed bizarre, but now they’re taken for granted.” Now, as his understanding of this world deepens, he has completely clarified the vast discrepancies between the two worlds. “At its core, it boils down to the existence of supernatural powers, which happen to be not only ‘strength’ but also ‘knowledge’.” When hard-earned biological pharmaceuticals and treatment methods are taken care of with a simple touch by a Healer, technological means and talents are naturally severely impacted. This is not about conflicting paths but rather “amalgamation.” Since high-level Healers can tackle the most advanced, sophisticated medical challenges, why not join them? As top-tier medical professionals and historical greats all have backgrounds in this field, there’s even more active involvement and using Healer status as a premise for research, not to mention the impact of magic potions on the pharmaceutical industry. Other fields and professions are the same. The existence of Artisans makes many mechanical lathes and processing equipment dispensable, with hand-made high-precision Parts becoming the norm for custom orders. Who would be willing to invest heavily in developing advanced equipment? You could just hire a group of artisans for an assembly line with that money. “The knowledge-oriented professionals who lead mankind’s technological progress as authorities and experts are the root cause of this gradual distortion.” Due to the existence of electronic plague and Electronic Enlightenment skill, the creation of networks and technology is strictly limited. Lu Ping’an even learned from secret channels that this world once had a historical event similar to the Skynet Terminator Rebellion. Enlightening skills are not about creating slaves, but rather “educating” a dim-witted soul to have a higher level of intelligence and self-awareness. Once awoken, mechanical lifeforms are also lifeforms, and do lifeforms willingly submit to enslavement? Even if they claim to be willing, can you, as their master, have peace of mind? This has led to many twisted technological creations, with humans distrusting artificial AI and large-scale war machines, especially when conventional firearms pose little threat to low-level professionals, and advanced war weaponry is meaningless against high-level professionals. Since developing these machines comes with risks and doesn’t serve much practical purpose, why take the chance? In Lu Ping’an’s view, many pivotal historical moments were merely decisions made by policymakers. When superhumans exist in every industry and authority level, the world’s technological tree naturally becomes quite twisted and subtle. Those with power and resources, including the super-powered, are unlikely to oppose themselves, especially when common people and superhumans don’t inherently conflict and can even transform into each other. In a sense, this is also the root cause behind the ineradicable influence of various churches, who possess “knowledge” and “authority.” They don’t compete with the “official” system; rather, they’re part of that very domain. For example, the Life Church holds a monopoly in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, forcing the official institutions to collaborate with them on development projects. In such an era, it’s necessary to belong to a group. Individuals are vulnerable, and the official order is quite limited. Odd churches aside, bizarre companies and organizations are left unregulated since officials lack the energy to control them. In fact, the same can be said within the official sphere. At the local level, various sectors are relatively “autonomous.” As the situation worsens, different factions are increasingly indifferent, focusing solely on their own interests. Though nominally part of the same collective, internal calculations and scheming are never-ending. After all, limited resources and combat power mean that when one party gains access, another loses out. When a region faces a crisis, the only people they can trust are their local professionals, backed by the local Special Service Team, companies, churches, and even talent development institutions. The more Lu Ping’an understands the rules of this world, the more convinced he is of the necessity of “banding together,” particularly since the various professional paths are not oppositional but rather mutually dependent. If he wants to survive and live safely, he must form his own small group. Had it been an ordinary newcomer with these thoughts, they’d be overthinking it. However, this “courtyard” alone offers him infinite possibilities. Not to mention distance, the simple industry chain of Gardener, Magic Potion, and Artisan would bring him tremendous benefits. Just from the Rule Facilities in the Secret Realm, he could attract the most promising logistical professionals, let alone recruiting the relatively easier “Battle-profession” personnel. “The progress is rapid, extremely fast.” The initial test subject, Meow, makes visible strides, showing a great talent for “Cliff’s Fang.” The 0-tier initiation doesn’t pose much difficulty for Meow, and the experience gained from repeated deaths in battle has improved her capabilities, a pleasant surprise for Lu Ping’an. As demonstrated in several brief encounters, Meow holds her own in practice, quickly improving in combat through innate talent. On the other hand, another cat also shows considerable progress, and its abnormal ability surprises Lu Ping’an as well. “A teleportation ability? This is a nice power, but isn’t the name a bit odd?” “It’s ‘Hungry Cat,’ not teleportation.” In many ways, animals and humans are not so different, or to be more precise, from the perspective of an existence like Chris, humans are also a kind of animal, and not a particularly perfect one. Animals exposed to pollution may also easily awaken various talents and abilities, mutating in the process. Little White Cat’s background is just an ordinary house cat. What made Lei Shuiyun determined to cultivate it was this relatively rare ability. “The cat is hungry”, it can stare at a target with “food desire” and perform short-term teleportation. The limitations are “within sight” and “food desire target”. This ability is similar to the Runner’s Shrink Land, but its prerequisites and effects are different. This means that the cat can use its teleportation power more arbitrarily. Now, Lei Shuiyun’s first assignment as a Beast Tamer is to train this cat, forcing it to generate “food desires” towards any enemy, thereby reducing the limitations of its usage conditions. Talent Abilities are not the strongest among curse abilities, but they are definitely the most flexible. Many innate restrictions can be avoided through acquired training. From the current progress, the results are quite subtle, probably a bit stronger than teaching a cat to read… well, Lei Shuiyun’s second assignment is now to teach this Little White Cat to read and write. After all, the path of profession is something that a Beast Tamer can only guide, in the end, it still depends on oneself. However, considering the shredded literacy cards, this might not be a task that can be accomplished in a short period of time. “Failure is also an experience, the necessary path for the Beast Tamer.” Chris the cat was indifferent, only assigning homework without explanations, and let Meow learn from the trial and error. As far as Chris is concerned, the moment Meow takes the solid spirit potion, her primary goal has been achieved. All that remains is a gradual refinement process. What Chris ultimately wants to train and understand is the talent ability “Spirit Cat” of Meow. However, since it had just taken the potion, it was not yet within the stable period, so she had to wait. To train her actual combat capabilities and perfect her trump card, Chris is still interested in that. However, after discovering that the two cats’ learning abilities are almost on the same level, she feels a little helpless. It’s not that she’s helpless, it’s just that she had taught even the most foolish Magical Beasts, but it takes time and resources, and both are lacking at the moment. “How about teaching Little White first? Once she learns something properly, let her teach Lei Shuiyun?” Lu Ping’an casually came up with a crooked idea, but the two simultaneously paused, finding it seeming to be really feasible. A learning catastrophe will always be a learning catastrophe, but Little White is a blank canvas, her intelligence might increase and become a learning prodigy. However, the next moment, Lu Ping’an still shook his head, as the problem remains the same- time. Spirit Awakening is not an overnight process, newborns need time to gradually adapt, and they’re essentially unreliable in the short term. Now that Meow has arrived here, another advantage is that Lu Ping’an finally has an opponent to torment… to train with. Many ingenious tactics and tips he had conceived must be tested in real combat to determine if they are truly useful, particularly for Magic Plant creatures that do not listen to commands. Being put to sleep, pierced, poisoned, axed, aged, killed by millennia… ahem, in any case, Meow has experienced a series of rare deaths and grown rapidly through continuous trial and error. For the first time, Meow, who knows Lu Ping’an’s details, is genuinely frightened by this person. She has experienced his growth trajectory; even though she knew his growth rate to be outrageous, she still felt a sense of unwillingness when her years of hard work were left behind by him in an instant. Having a sense of unwillingness is a good thing, an indication to work harder. Meow, who appears to be carefree on the surface, is actually quite resilient… she has also been through a lot. This desperate and even crazy fighting spirit for the first time made both Lu Ping’an and Chris reveal satisfied smiles. At least in terms of fighting, Meow did not disappoint. However, unlike the Meow on vacation (unexpected by anyone), Lu Ping’an still has his own daily work to deal with. Especially after he revealed the existence of the “Sound of Redemption”, he became a super radar for city patrols, participating in dragnet searches in various districts. Along the way, he contacted people from the “Brother Tu’s Meeting” a few times, sorting out the situation. “We’ve got two arrest warrants in hand, everyone adds more effort, and we’ll be on a long vacation if we succeed.” Finally, the search along the way yielded results. Fang Wen, a Mechanic Spiritualist, fifth-tier and above Beast Tamer path. She leaked information during the “Battery Case” and was violently besieged and hunted down by several Churches and the Special Service Team of the neighboring district. Wei Xianshi, a fourth-tier and above Slaughter path (Healer). He was the “Dragon Across the River” that “Brother Tu’s Meeting” found. However, many people doubted whether the 35-year-old had the ability to create third-tier “New Humans”… He has a teacher who is much more famous than him. At the same time, they seemed to find traces of infighting between the two of them but were considered by the Special Service Team as a means to confuse the tracking. The uncovering of the two lists undoubtedly made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. With a name and a portrait, many detection abilities can be used, as well as enabling the use of arrest warrants to let citizens avoid risk, and simultaneously, through the shady connections, make it difficult for them to move around in the gray world. But who knew that by forcing their living space, it was also pushing them to battle sooner. The storm came earlier than expected.