Stepping Into the Deep Waters of the Old District

Qin Annian raised his eyes.

He looked toward the adjacent building, less than an arm's length away.

The sky was sliced by concrete walls, and the light in the stairwell was dim.

Backlit.

A mysterious figure, draped in a deep black tactical cloak and with their face covered by a mask, stood on the roof of the fourth floor, cradling a matte black sniper rifle.

The Federation did not ban firearms.

But a permit was required.

Furthermore, the types of firearms legally permitted for possession were limited to handguns and semi-automatic weapons.

The sniper rifle in this mysterious person's hands was the Scorpion Type I, the most powerful weapon among standard-issue equipment.

Martial artists with a Life Development Power below one hundred could not directly withstand bullets fired from this sniper rifle.

However.

An Entry-level martial artist had already stepped onto the path of life evolution, and their sixth sense for perceiving danger was extremely powerful.

Just moments ago.

Qin Annian had stepped back a split second before the mysterious person pulled the trigger, moving out of their sniping line of sight.

The Old District was indeed chaotic.

But Taiyu City's gun control efforts were quite effective.

Even the two major gangs, the Blood Blade Gang and the Azure Dragon Society, did not possess firearms.

Anti-gang operations required evidence, but counter-terrorism only required coordinates.

If anyone dared to resist with firearms, the Operations Division of the Security Bureau would drive armored vehicles in to trade fire with these gang members.

Yet, it was obvious.

There were still some outlaws hiding under the umbrella of protection.

"Are you one of those troubles hiding in the deep waters of the Old District?"

The mysterious person wore a tactical mask, hiding their emotions well.

For an Entry-level martial artist to identify someone just by their gaze, the mysterious person's defenses were impeccable.

As Qin Annian's voice fell.

On the rooftop.

"Trouble?"

"That's one way to put it."

The mysterious person holding the Scorpion Sniper Rifle said, their voice devoid of emotion:

"Peace Officer Qin."

"That is not your property, so please hand it over."

Qin Annian placed the contraband drugs in his pocket:

"This is evidence of illegal criminal activity, so naturally, it is not my property."

"It belongs to the Security Bureau."

"As for you."

Qin Annian's figure vanished from where he stood.

"Illegal possession of firearms and attempted murder with a weapon—you're coming with me as well."

In the blink of an eye.

Qin Annian arrived on the rooftop.

"Peace Officer Qin."

"The Old District has its own order."

The mysterious person drew a tactical knife from their waist, holding it in a reverse grip, and continued:

"We are willing to work with you to maintain the order of the Old District."

"If you agree."

"We can guarantee that within one year, your Life Development Power will be raised to over one hundred."

Qin Annian shook his head, looking somewhat disdainful:

"Too slow."

The mysterious person was stunned, then let out a cold laugh:

"Peace Officer Qin certainly has a large appetite."

"As a genius of fist techniques, we can offer an even higher price..."

His words were interrupted by Qin Annian.

"What I mean is."

Qin Annian seized the initiative and kicked forward.

"I've only been training for half a year, and I can already exceed one hundred."

The mysterious man was stunned once again upon hearing this.

Immediately.

His laughter turned even colder:

"It seems."

"You are rejecting our good intentions?"

BOOM!

He reached out a hand to block the strike.

The next moment.

The expression beneath his mask changed in sudden shock!

"62 points of combat power?"

How could it be so high?

"Hmph!"

The mysterious man let out a muffled grunt, feeling his arm go numb.

"Leg Technique: Mountain-Splitting Axe?"

"Didn't you only learn the basics of it?"

With the help of his computer, the mysterious man recognized the martial art Qin Annian was using.

Qin Annian raised an eyebrow and pressed forward once more.

"You even know the topic of my promotion assessment?"

"There really are quite a few moles in the bureau."

There were not many people in the Security Bureau who had the authority to know the content of the assessment.

Sure enough.

The waters in the Old District were bottomless.

The mysterious man gripped his dagger and thrust it forward.

After creating some distance, he abruptly abandoned his plan to continue the attack.

He fell backward, his figure rapidly disappearing from the rooftop.

"This Qin fellow is not simple."

"The intelligence was all wrong."

Qin Annian had not just entered the introductory stage of [Leg Technique: Mountain-Splitting Axe].

"He is already extremely proficient in it!"

The mysterious man's mind was in total chaos now.

He knew that the examiner Sun Yingyuan had applied to Ju Zi for anti-cheating intervention.

In other words.

Before Qin Annian participated in the promotion assessment, he truly had no contact with this leg technique.

Why?

Why was he displaying such proficiency here?

A casual kick.

How did it grant his combat power such a high bonus?

Although the formula for calculating combat power was complex.

It was generally three to five times one's Life Development Power.

Some heaven-defying geniuses were the exception.

"Qin Annian's Life Development Power is only 11.7, so his attack power range should be between 35 and 58."

Therefore.

It was not strange that Qin Annian took down Xu Laosan and Ge Qingwang.

The only thing that was puzzling was how he had managed to take down so many core members of both gangs along the way.

Now.

With this casual kick, Qin Annian had unleashed 62 points of combat power.

This made the mysterious figure who had come to test the attitude of Qin Annian feel a surge of unease.

Just then.

The mysterious figure felt a cold wind strike the back of his head.

He tapped his right foot lightly, turned around, and threw a punch.

BOOM!

Fist collided with fist.

The mysterious figure staggered backward.

"How is this possible?"

"Your combat power?"

"73 points?"

It was still rising?

Right.

It was the martial arts!

The mysterious figure suddenly realized that he would not be able to escape unscathed.

A mere probe had landed him in such a predicament.

This left him with a gloomy expression beneath his mask.

Click!

Qin Annian heard the sound of a mechanical structure unlocking.

"Hoo!"

The mysterious figure took a sharp breath, and the temperature of his skin rose rapidly.

"Implanted modifications?"

Qin Annian's eyes narrowed.

The aura of this mysterious figure was skyrocketing.

BOOM!

The mysterious figure stomped hard on the floor, causing the concrete to crack instantly.

"After activating the Blood Qi Furnace, my combat power can soar to over one hundred in a short amount of time!"

His voice turned hoarse, sounding like two pieces of glass rubbing against each other.

This was because his muscles were twitching uncontrollably, making it impossible for him to produce sound normally through his throat.

"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being unable to read the situation!"

Before his voice had even faded.

He charged at Qin Annian like a black savage bear.

The air was compressed everywhere he passed, emitting a shrill whistle.

"That's more like it."

What the mysterious figure did not expect was this.

Qin Annian was neither panicked nor did he have any intention of dodging.

On the contrary.

He seemed very satisfied with his own counterattack?

Immediately.

A sharp warning blared inside his tactical headset.

"Warning! Warning!"

"Target's combat power is rising rapidly!"

Beneath the mask.

The numbers started at 80 and were constantly refreshing!

Qin Annian stepped forward, his fist clenched like a cannon.

BOOM!

The sound barrier shattered in the alleyway!

Pfft!

The skin on his arm beneath the combat suit cracked, and boiling blood soaked through the fabric in an instant.

The figure of the mysterious man went flying.

"Danger!"

"Target combat power is 127, please evacuate as soon as possible."

"Body damage status:"

"Spleen damaged, liver damaged, comminuted fracture of the left arm..."

The cold electronic voice rang in the mysterious man's ears.

He watched Qin Annian striding toward him in terror, with only one thought left in his mind:

"Get as far away from this monster as possible!"

"Run!"

Enduring the intense pain.

The mysterious man scrambled and crawled toward the intersection.

"As long as I cross this street."

"I'll be out of his jurisdiction."

However.

Behind him.

A gust of wind from a fist was approaching at extreme speed.

The mysterious man went flying again!