This is not mechanical ascension...

Chapter 22: A gambling father, a mother who died early, and a precocious son
"Is your hand okay?" he asked. Li Ming shook his head, "It's just a layer of broken skin."

Li Ning nodded, and then said: "I looked at the body. The injuries and the means of death are completely different from the two bodies on Red Street. It can be concluded that it was done by two people."

Li Ning took a lot of photos from all angles. Li Ming took a look and saw that the man died of a knife wound. The knife was inserted into the back of the head. He was killed with one blow. It was steady, accurate and ruthless. It was not an impulse crime.

"Alas, these are troubled times. The review team of the Interstellar Alliance is about to arrive, and yet this kind of thing happens again." Li Ning said disappointedly.

"Review team?" Li Ming couldn't help but ask with some curiosity. He seemed to have seen this news somewhere, but didn't care.

"Yes, I came to investigate Xingchuang Company's over-exploitation." Li Ning gritted his teeth and said, "Damn Xingchuang Company. If it weren't for their Silver Gray Star, how could it have come to this point?"

"Blue Star originally planned to build 500 habitable cities here..."

Li Ning muttered a lot, mostly expressing his dissatisfaction with Xingchuang Company, and the chaos in the outer city was also closely related to Xingchuang Company.

Just like that, the two returned to the City Guard Headquarters. It was already close to eleven o'clock, and Yang Peng was not there, saying that he had gone to a meeting.

"Xiao Li, how about you vent your anger tonight?"

Li Ning was sorting out the photos taken today for use in the report. He glanced at the middle-aged man next to him who was winking and had a slightly bald head.

"Old Qi, after all this talk, you don't dare to go." Li Ning glanced at him, and Old Qi curled his lips, "It's boring. It was more fun when you first came."

Then he asked curiously, "By the way, how about the new guy? Did he lose control in front of those coquettish women in the Rose Club?"

Li Ning stopped moving, a strange look appeared on his face, and he finally remembered to ask, "Where did you get the news that Li Ming is a taciturn person, cowardly, and was bullied so much that he dared not go to school."

Lao Qi asked curiously, "Lao Diao and the others said so. They had seen this guy several times before. What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." Li Ning shook his head and said nothing.

This group of old hands have teased him many times in the past. When they find out that Li Ming is completely different from what they imagined, the expressions on their faces will surely be very interesting.

At noon, they went to the City Guard Department’s cafeteria on the 200th floor to eat.

The food is good. The city guards are in very good physical condition and naturally consume a lot of nutrients.

"Oh, today's dish is pork..." On the plates in front of both of them was a palm-sized piece of lean meat, which exuded a fragrant aroma, and there were also some stir-fried vegetables.

"Don't underestimate this piece of meat. It's more expensive than ordinary nutrient solution." Li Ning reminded. Li Ming took a bite and found it juicy. After swallowing it, it was quickly decomposed and the nutrients in it were swallowed by cells.

The benefits of the City Guard Department are pretty good.

Not long after the two of them had finished eating, a message came from the smart terminal that Yang Peng was calling them together.

They looked at each other, quickly finished their work, and went upstairs. Almost everyone had arrived, and Yang Peng's eyes fell on them.

He seemed to be in a state of unrest, with his hands folded across his chest, his fingers tapping constantly on his arms.

"Xiao Li, what will happen to Rose in the morning?" Yang Peng asked.

"They are very cooperative." Li Ning replied. Yang Peng nodded. After everyone arrived, he said in a deep voice:
"There may be a big move tomorrow, so I'll leave work early today and do whatever I need to do."

Yang Peng waved his hand and returned to his office without caring about other people's reactions.

Everyone's face changed slightly, and big moves were made!

"I knew that this period of time would be uneasy." Li Ning's face changed and he sighed: "It must be related to those guys who died."

Is it because of the information I provided? Li Ming guessed secretly.

While sorting his things, Li Ning whispered, "I feel that Captain Yang wants you to gain some merit in the field, and then find an opportunity to transfer you to the logistics department."

"I don't think you'll be asked to carry out a mission that's too dangerous this time."

"Generally speaking, is such a big move very dangerous?" Li Ming asked.
"Where do you think the city guards' annual death rate of 23% comes from?" Li Ning said quietly, "If the situation is as difficult as it is today, how could anyone die?" "Our Silver Gray City is not peaceful..."

"Because of Star Creation?"

Li Ning sighed, "Did you guess it?"

Li Ming said casually: "If they don't divert the conflict, the conflict will only fall on them."

At first, Li Ming thought that the chaos in Silver Ash City was due to the inaction of the city guards, but now it seems that the city guards are not what he imagined.

Whether in the outer city or the inner city, most of the gray areas have the background of Star Creation Company, and of course there is also the cooperation of the top leaders of Silver Gray City.

The excessive mining by Star Creation Company has caused the commercial value of Silver-Gray Star to drop sharply.

Not only can various supporting measures not be built, but housing prices have also plummeted. How could the Silver-Gray Star immigrants possibly accept this?

Unless there is another conflict involving them.

Li Ning looked at him in astonishment, not quite understanding what he said. He frowned and said, "Sometimes, the gangs in the outer city are too powerful or cause serious public opinion, so we always have to take action."

He looked disappointed, "Go back and have a good rest. There will be a tough battle tomorrow."

Li Ming nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly asked: "Brother Li, can you lend me some money?"

"Money?" Li Ning was stunned.

"Well, I can calculate the interest for you." Li Ming added.

Li Ning suddenly realized that Li Ming's excessive maturity made him ignore the fact that the other party's father had just died not long ago.

Li Ming had never had a job before. It was said that his father mortgaged his house before he died, and no one knew what he did with the money. In any case, there was not a penny in the account.

Several veterans speculated that Li Changhai was most likely going to an underground casino.

His father was a gambler, his mother died young, and he matured early... Li Ning's expression changed, and he laughed, "Look at what you said, you can't call me brother for nothing."

"I am the only one who can feed my whole family. I do have some money saved. How much do I want to borrow?" he asked.

Li Ming held up two fingers.

"Two thousand? Easy. Tell me your account number." Li Ning said nonchalantly.

"Twenty thousand."

Li Ming could clearly see that Li Ning's face looked a little stiff.

"I'm just exercising, and I'm consuming a lot..." Li Ming explained, "I also want to improve my strength as soon as possible."

"Is that so..." Li Ning thought for a moment and nodded, "No problem, give me the account number."

He was not afraid that Li Ming would not return it. If something really went wrong, given Captain Yang's character, he would have to make it up to him then.

He was just a little surprised by the amount of money, but after hearing Li Ming's request, he understood that strengthening the body consumes a lot of energy, especially in the later stages.

"But you don't have to worry too much. The better gene seeds are ridiculously expensive, and you have to wait in line for a place in the department. I've been waiting for several years." Li Ning comforted her with self-deprecating words.

Li Ming gave his account number and the transfer was completed quickly. The two went downstairs and separated.

Li Ming did not go back. He had a huge sum of money in his hands, so it was time to spend it. The metal energy had reached its bottom, so he had to find a way to get some.

(End of this chapter)