Chapter 801: Chapter 801

801: Chapter 787: Enthusiastic Lu Ping’an 801: Chapter 787: Enthusiastic Lu Ping’an Having gotten his hands on a new toy…

a good weapon, Lu Ping’an naturally went off to work overtime with great delight.

“Eh, they gave me a ‘raise and benefits,’ so I should at least show my superiors some sincerity…”

But the results were quite subtle.

Due to the “effort” from the past two days, his own territory had become quite peaceful…

for many Extraordinaries, no matter where they made their livelihood, there was no need to provoke this harbinger of doom.

Since he couldn’t just leave his jurisdiction and enforce the law across other areas, he simply found a few exceptionally unlucky ones who had stepped way out of line and made an example of them.

In the process, he had also discovered a problem with this weapon…

“Eh, looks like I can’t use it casually…”

Lu Ping’an’s “great sword” was planted in the ground, and in this small basement, it was now a field of “fragments.”

All he did was split the head gunner, and then instinctively performed a Wave-Torrent Flow roundhouse strike…

and there was nothing living left on the floor.

“…Tsk, and I had planned to ask about their superiors,” he said.

Lu Ping’an didn’t regret killing.

The basement’s “pharmaceutical” apparatus and stockpile indicated a death-penalty starting point.

The opposition had guns and knives, and they attacked a law officer first, so a total counter-annihilation was normal.

It’s just that he had originally intended to scare them by killing just one, then follow the trail to gather more intelligence, but he ended up instinctively launching a series of attacks…

Then, brains were splattered everywhere; their “heads” were too fragile to withstand the “blade.”

“…Having brains flying all over is sort of interesting, but being ‘controlled’ by the sword is just stupid…”

Rule-level weapons are inherently “conscious” contaminants; they constantly imbue their wielder with a thirst for killing intent…

but the real issue comes when they actively amplify this intent during combat.

As a warrior, it’s impossible to have no killing intent during battle, and the ability to control one’s strength and level of killing intent is a sign of a mature warrior.

What level of killing intent is appropriate when enforcing the law, what kind of slaughter desire during revenge, the trigger-happiness during wartime…

each battlefield has its corresponding “stress posture,” and novices often mishandle it, whether by being too aggressive or too conservative, neither of which is good.

“…Eh, if I give you more heads, will you calm down a bit?

Forget it, I’ll starve you for a while,” he decided.

Packing away the great sword, since he was using a Rule-level weapon, he naturally had to face the threat and pressure of this double-edged sword.

Just a short while ago, Director Fang, who had dealt with him before, called to ask if he had any needs…

Don’t get it wrong, it’s about whether he “needed” death-row inmates from the prison.

“This welfare even includes subsequent logistics?

Such comprehensive service?”

“…This is a probe, a test to see if you’ve gone mad.

Many Law Professionals with sinister Rule-level weapons have turned into ‘Sword Slaves’; it must have happened to someone before.

Additionally, covering the ‘cost’ for you is both a favor and a way to keep you, an unstable element, from actively going ‘preying.'”

The basement was a mess, with Lu Ping’an at the center, that “super spin” had not only destroyed everything in the room but had also torn apart two walls.

Rule-level weapons are very powerful, but they are still weapons; being controlled by a weapon…

“So, I turned down this ‘gift,'” he said.

“Why though, a hundred death-row inmates is not a small number, and it could make the sword stronger,” even Big Cat didn’t understand why he would reject such a doorstep-delivered “benefit.”

“…If you were to go otherworldly exploration with a comrade you don’t know well, and he needs to kill a hundred intelligent creatures every month, would you trust him?”

Obviously, the answer is no.

The situation is always changing; nobody can guarantee that within a period, they will encounter a hundred people deserving death…

and besides, once the length of a boat trip is extended, it’s a risk.

In the face of time, past oaths might become future regrets missed, and in the face of the will to survive, many people will abandon their past bottom lines.

Frankly, a person with a Demon Sword can be driven to overstep the mark by the threat to their life, potentially killing ordinary people to “make up the numbers.”

The point isn’t whether you would do it or if you could restrain yourself, but when others feel you would, you’ve already lost, and explanations are useless…

“So, I told him directly that I could ignore this restriction, so he doesn’t have to supply ‘sacrifices’ for me.

Heh, I don’t want to be on a ship and be watched by a bunch of wary eyes.

Then, as soon as we set up camp, I would be followed by rumors of killings all the time.”

Ignoring the cost is rather normal, but ignoring the cost of Rule-level “weapons”?

At least the person on the other end of the phone probably didn’t believe it.

Lu Ping’an wasn’t in a hurry; he just needed to kill fewer people recently, and by next month, the “misunderstanding” would naturally be cleared.

But he seemed to overestimate himself; he had planned to scare them by killing one, only to inadvertently leave just a mess of parts behind.

“…I’ll use it again when I find a suitable opponent.”

Lu Ping’an estimated that the unfortunate soul from earlier hadn’t even been killed by the blade’s edge; it seemed more like he had been shattered by blunt force…

no, possibly by the wind pressure.

Attacks from Rule-level weapons, originating from the Abyss Lord, were simply too strong; their mere existence was a safety hazard.

Lu Ping’an guessed that if he couldn’t show enough self-control, he would probably find himself saddled with a bunch of additional Watchers out of the blue.

Shaking his head, Lu Ping’an picked up his weapon and glanced at the “persuasion” task just thrown his way as he headed towards the next mission district.

In the past two days, the disturbances had greatly subsided, partly because “Explorers” like Lu Ping’an had gradually returned over time, bolstering the strength of the Ancient City and calming the restless.

On the other hand, the Bureau of Anomaly Management and the local government had finally completed their negotiations and procedures, coming up with a relatively reliable solution.

“…The next target, another Decree-level, huh?

Looks like they’re dumping all the trouble on me, eh?

Oh, it’s just unpaid rent followed by failing to pay the fee for water and electricity, so, can’t kill him this time, huh…”

Lu Ping’an didn’t mind; now was the typical “more work for the able,” with even neighboring jurisdictions allocating him tasks.

Twenty minutes later, Lu Ping’an completed his “persuasion” task, and indeed, he had been a bit merciful this time.

“By the way, I forgot to ask you, do you want to join the local Special Service Team’s temporary squad?

You’ll have law-enforcement authority and a salary, and we can arrange housing for you.”

“…Why didn’t you say so earlier!”

The hapless guy holding his cheek, with a funereal look on his face, hadn’t really done anything too out of line, yet this demon had come knocking, doling out a merciless beating without so much as a word of warning.

“Actually, I didn’t tell you earlier for your own good,” Lu Ping’an said sincerely, and this sight made the unfortunate guy feel like cursing.

If you had told me earlier, whether I agreed or not, at least I wouldn’t have to suffer this beating, right?

“Today, I’ve already invited four people.

Two of them I invited first; they took my words for nothing but hot air, so I dragged them back, and once they wake up, I’ll see if they accept the invitation.

The two I beat up first both accepted the invitation with a single sentence…”

“If you don’t agree, then I’ll just continue…”

Lu Ping’an’s words were utterly insincere and his logic was baffling, yet the poor sap on the ground thought it might well be the truth.

Just moments ago, if someone had advised him to quietly accept the bizarre reality of equal treatment in this society, to dutifully pay his rent and fees for water and electricity to ordinary people, he would have politely crawled out, but now…

Glancing at the man’s blind-looking, lifeless eyes and at his slender arms…

wearing knuckle dusters stained with his own blood!

The unlucky guy nodded decisively, squeezing out a smile.

“…Count me in, I’ve wanted a legal status for a long time.”

Lu Ping’an’s “persuasion” was successful once again, putting him far ahead of his many busy peers.

“Temporary Worker Plan,” that was the latest solution put forward by the Bureau of Anomaly Management.

In the midst of the initial chaos, they too had regained their composure and came up with a relatively solid plan.

In fact, the Special Service Team was quite capable; if led by a Captain, handling third-tier professionals wouldn’t be difficult.

The real trouble came from those “Civilian Decrees.”

Though not numerous, just one going berserk could tie up several teams with no guarantee of results in the end.

“Let’s find a temporary team to bring them together.

They’re also excellent human resources.

We’re short-staffed in the law-enforcement agencies and can’t afford to waste them; using people from the Foreign Domain to deal with others from the Foreign Domain…

cough, using guests from the Otherworld to manage other Otherworld guests reduces administrative and law-enforcement costs.”

Therefore, Lu Ping’an received orders from his superiors to personally recruit a few more temporary workers.

In truth, while most were earnestly trying to persuade, Lu Ping’an’s form of “straightforward” persuasion was exceptionally “direct”.

In various aspects, compared with the normal persuasion mode of “meeting, befriending, networking, making deals,” Lu Ping’an’s simple and brutal cooperation mode frighteningly efficient.

Fine, come to the police station for a cup of tea, I’ll look into your recent history, and if there’s nothing amiss, I’ll let you go.

You agree but want higher pay and better terms?

Okay, let me test your mettle.

You don’t want to do anything and just want to go home?

Well, that’s a bit difficult…

I know your Princess, Wang Xier, she’s also recruiting.

She doesn’t need the useless ones, so should we give it a shot?

You only want to stay home, watch movies, animation, and novels…

erm, let me make something up…

no, let me think a moment.

“I suspect you are a ‘hidden puppet-controlling X killer,’ come with me!

Then I will take your treasured figurine…

creepy dolls as evidence!”

Under Lu Ping’an’s “fists for friendship” “simple” law-enforcement approach, his efficiency was naturally off the charts.

Even others from different jurisdictions, seeing how capable he was, were hurling their “persuasion” tasks his way…

which led to him “inviting” nearly double digits in one day, enjoying every bit of it.

His “diligent enforcer” image also reassured those above him.

Having received his “sincerity,” the officials reciprocated with even more “sincerity” and the “freedom of action” he desired.