Chapter 022: At Least Ninth-Rank Profession

Martial Arts Web is operated by the federal government. The items in the online shop may be a bit expensive, but never excessively so. After all, no one is a fool. If the goods sold on Martial Arts Web are too costly, it would simply drive people away. There are plenty of weapon stores, pill companies, and automobile factories out there. Even firearms are sold by the Martial Arts Association. Although the Association is affiliated with the official government, it operates independently, and the regional government cannot interfere with its weapon sales. As for martial arts techniques, they are also sold by training halls, though the quality of those techniques is never particularly high. All things considered, thirty thousand federal credits for an E-grade alloy combat blade is not expensive at all! At the very least, buying weapons elsewhere means worrying about quality. Purchasing from the Martial Arts Web store, however, removes that concern; if you happen to receive a defective item, Martial Arts Web will replace it for free! Moreover, they offer complimentary home delivery. With such service, a slightly higher price is acceptable. Nevertheless, Tang Mubai had no plans to buy anything from the store for now. Martial arts techniques were unnecessary—he already possessed them—covering close combat, ranged skills, and agility, fully equipping himself. Pills and medicines for training were even less needed; with the system's aid, his physical abilities and vitality improved without ever swallowing a single pill. Weapons were similarly redundant. The Miracle Mercenary Group had its own dedicated armory. Although Tang Mubai's father had taken a fair number of cold and hot weapons when he left the region, plenty remained in storage. At present, with only Tang Mubai and Xu Dalu in the group, the stockpiled weapons were more than sufficient. So, after browsing the store for a while and seeing those increasingly expensive items, Tang Mubai swallowed hard and decisively exited. Ordinary people only know that martial artists are wealthy, and mercenary groups even more so. Little do they realize how quickly martial artists spend their money, and how difficult it is for mercenary groups to remain afloat! The saying "poor scholars, wealthy warriors" holds true even in the new world. Even Tang Mubai, with his father's inheritance and a restaurant on top, would not last long if he relied solely on those assets. Fortunately, Tang Mubai possessed the system—a loophole, sparing him vast amounts of federal credits.

...

News, shop, forum. Having browsed the first two, Tang Mubai clicked into the forum and found it was also limited to the thirty-eighth region. The forum's layout was very old-fashioned, with posts neatly arranged from top to bottom. Tang Mubai clicked on a highlighted post titled "I Actually Can't Die." The content was astonishing: the poster claimed that after waking up one morning, he suddenly acquired a miraculous ability—no matter how much poison he drank, he couldn't die! Beneath the post, a crowd clamored for him to upload videos and photos. The poster obliged, uploading a video of himself drinking poison. Naturally, throughout the process, he wore a mask, revealing only his mouth as he drank. Logically, this should have served as irrefutable proof, but many still insisted the poison was fake and demanded he test it on animals. The poster complied, searching for small animals to experiment on. Tang Mubai found the thread both amusing and entertaining, flipping through page after page.

...

Meanwhile, at the East Branch of the Security Bureau.

Inside a bright and spacious room, the crew-cut youth whom Tang Mubai had knocked unconscious and whom Chen Hai had helped carry away was now fixed to a tall machine, both hands and feet tightly bound. His collarbones were pierced by two sharp iron hooks. Apparently, he had fainted from pain, his head drooping motionless.

"Wake him up," Chen Hai said coldly, staring at the youth. "Any semi-beastman who sneaks into the city is certainly up to something!"

"By the way, have you figured out why this guy suddenly collapsed at the Miracle Restaurant?" Chen Hai turned to a middle-aged man in a white lab coat.

"It's been determined," the man replied calmly. "He didn't take any drugs, nor was he seriously injured. He was knocked out."

"What? Knocked out?" Before Chen Hai could respond, the slightly overweight young man exclaimed, "Chief Wang, are you saying he was knocked out by someone?"

"Yes, there’s a faint mark on the back of his head. I didn’t think much of it before, but now it’s clear—that mark is evidence, proof that someone knocked this semi-beastman unconscious!" The middle-aged man stared at the youth, eyes gleaming. "Impressive! To knock out a professional ninth-tier expert in an instant—especially right under Xiao Chen's nose, with him completely unaware—whoever did it must have at least reached the professional ninth-tier!"

"Impossible!" The overweight youth's eyes widened.

"That's just too exaggerated," the bespectacled young man said in astonishment.

"Uncle Wang, you must be mistaken," the shoulder-length-haired young woman said, equally incredulous.

Chen Hai furrowed his brow, murmuring, "Professional ninth-tier? That young man is a professional ninth-tier?"

"At least a ninth-tier, possibly even a master," the middle-aged man replied with a smile. "My judgment has never been wrong, and besides, there is direct evidence supporting my deduction. And you yourselves said this guy is a semi-beastman; their instincts are extremely sharp. With their beast-like reflexes, any hint of danger would prompt an immediate reaction!"

"But the result was that this semi-beastman had no reaction whatsoever and was taken down."

"This can only mean one thing—the person who struck him was vastly superior! Not only did he mask his energy fluctuations, but his speed was unmatched!"

"Only under such circumstances would a semi-beastman be captured without resistance."

"If the attacker was a master-level martial artist, it would be even easier. Just releasing pressure would cause the semi-beastman to become dazed, unable to react!"

The middle-aged man crossed his arms, speaking with certainty.

Chen Hai remained silent.

The bespectacled youth and the young woman exchanged glances.

The overweight youth shook his head repeatedly. "I still think it's unrealistic. That guy can't possibly be a professional-level martial artist, let alone a master!"

"Uh..." The middle-aged man, curious, asked, "What happened here that makes you all so skeptical?"

"Nothing happened. It's just that what you're saying is too much of a stretch," Chen Hai said quietly, grinning. "If what you said is true, then the one who knocked out the semi-beastman is a genius!"

"Genius?" The middle-aged man was taken aback.

"Yes, a genius!" Chen Hai's eyes flashed with seriousness. "Because he’s only eighteen or nineteen years old!"

"Oh, so he’s eighteen... What?" The middle-aged man was stunned. "You’re saying he’s only eighteen or nineteen?"

An eighteen- or nineteen-year-old professional ninth-tier, possibly even a master-level martial artist? That truly seemed impossible!

The middle-aged man shook his head. "It seems I was mistaken in my judgment."

"Not necessarily," Chen Hai mused thoughtfully.