This is really not mechanical ascension-Chapter 39 -- 39 Testing the Waters, Upgrading Blast Shield, Core Ability--Thunderclap!

“Fierce Tiger Gang—Guo Can…” This was a minor figure.

The bounty was only ten thousand Star Coins, roughly equivalent to Ma Wu’s overall strength and possessing a body enhanced by fused gene seeds.

At the same time, he noticed that several bounties had turned black, signifying that they had been claimed.

Undoubtedly, many people were also looking to make some extra money on the side.

……

“Ding Dong, please passengers note that the X1457 interstellar starship heading to Sand Dust Star is about to depart.

Please prepare for safety measures…”

“…”

“Excuse me, let me through…” A half-meter tall, big-bottomed, red-skinned Tandu person dragged his big belly past, the stench from his body mixed with the odor of cheap perfume, nauseating.

“Alright…” The cripple shifted to the side, struggling to stuff his luggage into the overhead compartment, then plopped down into the narrow seat, sighing with relief.

Then, habitually, he took out his smart terminal with privacy protection, opened the Black Hole Network, ready to check if there were any “good deals.”

“Hmm?” A notification in the bottom left corner made him pause.

Credited—1000

“Where did these thousand Star Coins come from?” He clicked in to check and found it came from a recommended Bounty Hunters’ bounty.

“Shadow?

It’s that kid Li Ming…” The cripple was not pleased but slightly furrowed his brow.

Based on a 10% commission, the total reward must have been ten thousand Star Coins, definitely not from an F-level life form.

For Li Ming, accomplishing such a bounty would be a piece of cake.

But he hadn’t expected Li Ming to take up bounties so quickly.

It wasn’t a good thing, as it might attract attention.

He set the regional lock to Silver Grey Star, and then, his expression drastically changed.

Damn…

Why were there so many large bounties?

What had happened on that remote planet?

Looking at those high-valued bounties, he felt a stirring of temptation.

High-value bounties on remote small planets were most popular among Bounty Hunters.

Because even if everything went upside down, it wouldn’t cause too much trouble.

“Forget it, forget it; those people might still be around.” The cripple sighed and dropped the idea, prioritizing his life instead.

As for the thousand Star Coins, he didn’t care.

From the start, he had never planned on making any Star Coins off Li Ming.

…

The next afternoon, it was Li Ming’s turn to work, replacing others who were still enduring the grind.

“It’s only been a day, and several members from the three major gangs have already died.” His colleagues said, handing over their duties.

“No one touched the big bounties, but these small bounties have attracted quite a few people.”

“Fortunately, we’re not on any bounties.”

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“The lowest bounty on Star Net starts at ten thousand Star Coins, and with your tiny build, who would pay to have you killed?”

“…”

“No idea who’s targeting the three major gangs.” Li Ning muttered, “Could it be the higher-ups, but that’s a risky move.

Since when have they been so bold?”

Li Ming’s eyes flickered.

The heads of the three major gangs had a bounty, probably self-inflicted.

But these middle and low-level leaders’ bounties certainly weren’t their doing—it amounted to cutting off their own foundation.

“It must be those high-ranking people who issued them, using external forces to fight internal battles, to see who falls first.” Li Ming speculated.

In such situations, city guards like them also had plenty to do, frequently going out on duty, dealing with continuous minor conflicts, but none too serious.

Li Ming just went through the cycles of working, finishing work, being on duty, and undergoing electrotherapy, occasionally browsing the Black Hole Network and occasionally striking out.

He didn’t feel bored; on the contrary, he felt extremely fulfilled as the progress of developing the gene seed kept increasing – he could feel his strength, speed, and stamina all improving.

And so, seven or eight days passed.

That morning, Li Ming was soaking in the water, enjoying electrotherapy after having worked a night shift and caught a few hoodlums.

“Where exactly is this thing used?” Li Ming asked, flipping a magnetic card between his fingers, both sides gleaming.

It was hard to ask someone; he had to figure it out himself since there were no clear signs and it couldn’t be looked up on the Star Net.

Li Ming leaped out of the bucket, stepping onto the floor barefoot, water streaming down his muscles and dripping onto the ground, his body streamlined and robust.

“It should be about right now.”

He took out the gene testing device, beep—90%.

Seeing this, Li Ming let out a breath and smiled.

From the time he integrated the gene seed to now, less than a month had passed, yet the development speed had already reached 90%.

Even though the development rate slowed down again after surpassing the 60% milestone, with the support of the testing device and development drugs, the efficiency was still very high.

This visible progress further encouraged him to persist.

Developing gene seeds was not a pleasure; the pain from electrotherapy was akin to torture.

A normal life form would need at least three or four days of rest to recover from one session.

During this period, he spent 300 points to upgrade the explosion-proof shield once again—

[B-11 Type Advanced Enhancement Explosion-Proof Shield—Grade E: Police standard explosion-proof shield with the initial ability to protect life forms.

…

Control Effect: Stamina boost—50%

Control Ability—Solid Wall: Body defense enhancement by 75%.]

The support from the explosion-proof shield reduced most of the pain, which was one reason he could persist.

The prosthetic tiger claws, being generally ineffective, had been replaced by the explosion-proof shield.

The curtains were tightly closed, and the room was dim.

Li Ming calculated, “After 90%, at least 500V is required to continue stimulating the gene seed.

My home setup isn’t sufficient anymore; to improve further, I can only go to a specialized training room.”

“The city guard’s training room should work, but I will need to apply, which means I must showcase my current strength.”

He pondered and then shook his head: “First, I’ll activate the core ability.”

He took out a USB drive containing combat techniques; he hadn’t learned the first two combat techniques because they were too weak and would be a waste of time.

But this last core ability had been on his mind for a long time.

“Thunderclap…

With the development of the Thunder Leopard’s gene seed up to 90%, the cells already have the initial ability to generate electricity.

What needs to be done is to activate it…

”

“Squeezing the cell energy, when physical energy is drained is optimal, getting used to the sensation of generating electricity and applying it in daily life…”

Li Ming read carefully, not missing a single word; he was already very familiar with the sensation of being physically drained — soon after releasing the mechanical arm, within fifteen minutes, he was so weak he couldn’t do anything.

“Squeezing out cell energy…”

Li Ming deliberated deeply, like seeking the last drop of water from a dried-up riverbed.

This was not a simple process, but neither was it difficult, and three hours later—

crackling sounds

Blue electric arcs burst between his thumb and index finger, and Li Ming, whose face had turned almost pale from weakness, finally relaxed, his mind loosening, then the electric arc disappeared again.

But after one difficult attempt, a second became easier, and soon, the blue electric arcs burst forth again.

After drinking two tubes of nutrient fluid, within half an hour, his energy was nearly restored.

Between his fingers jumped electric arcs, thin as a hair, casually thrown onto the floor, immediately burning a thumb-sized scorched mark.

Li Ming, as if he had received a new toy, played joyously with the crackling sounds continuing.

At 90% development progress, his energy level had surpassed 90F.

Even without using his Control Ability and Thunderclap, he was already almost as powerful as the peak Zhang Hu.

“Just right, let’s celebrate today by picking a lucky one.” Li Ming looked out at the ink-dark night, opening the Black Hole Network.