Chapter 27: Clues to a New Profession

Smuggling has always been a highly lucrative business. Leon was not surprised by its existence on a colonial planet; after all, even the drug lords from before he transmigrated had started smuggling eggs.

The colonial planets selected by the Federation were chosen for their value. The specialty of Colonial Planet 9527 was an ore known as "F-9527 Fire Crystal," which was exactly what the smugglers were trafficking.

"Alright, if you've finished reviewing the intelligence, let's move out."

Seeing that her team members had grasped the mission details, Danika spoke up. After selecting an inconspicuous minibus, the group headed toward their destination.

Sitting in the vehicle, Leon toyed with his newly issued firearm and asked casually, "Why does the bureau still issue these ancient relics?"

This was a question he had harbored since clearing out the Technical Talent Relocation Zone. In the science fiction films he had watched before his transmigration, kinetic weapons driven by gunpowder were rarely used.

Hearing his question, Danika, who was sitting in the passenger seat, replied listlessly, "Lack of funds, for one. Besides, the Federation would never allow non-registered citizens to wield overly powerful weaponry."

"..."

Such a realistic answer; Leon hadn't expected that to be the reason.

At that moment, Cole, sitting beside him, added in a low voice, "Actually, they are sufficient. The reason they didn't work last time was simply because that new breed of insect had specialized defenses."

True, that giant insect that looked like a beetle had clearly been specialized for armor. Recalling the dense, fine scales on its shell, Leon fell silent.

Before long, the vehicle pulled up not far from a collapsed small building.

"This is it. According to the intelligence, this is one of the smugglers' dens. If the swarm hadn't caused such a ruckus in the city a while ago, the bureau would never have discovered the anomalies here."

As she spoke, Danika turned to look at Leon.

"I'll take a few people inside in a moment. You and Cole stay outside and make sure no one escapes."

Leon nodded, agreeing to her arrangement, even though he would have preferred to go inside and grind for skill experience rather than keeping watch.

Watching Danika and her team slip silently into the building, Leon pulled out a book he had picked up from the Public Security Bureau and began to read. He wanted to see if he could qualify for a profession like "Scholar," as the name alone suggested it might increase his aptitude. Although he already possessed the "Prodigious Wisdom" from his profession panel, who could refuse to double down on such a trait?

Unfortunately, the panel before Leon’s eyes remained completely still.

Seeing this, Cole, who was sitting beside him, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then seemed to recall something and clamped it shut.

*Could this be the reason Mr. Leon is so strong?*

*I understand now!*

***

Just as the two were occupied—one reading and the other lost in thought—a burst of rapid gunfire erupted from within the small building. Hearing the noise, Leon immediately put away his book.

Sure enough, a moment later, a blood-soaked figure holding a gun in his right hand stumbled out of the building. Upon seeing Leon and Cole guarding the perimeter, the man froze for a split second before his face twisted into a fierce snarl, and he raised his right hand to fire.

But a heartbeat later, his expression shifted from ferocity to sheer terror.

Within his line of sight, a figure wreathed in a pale aura had already closed the distance, clamping down on his gun-wielding wrist. While Leon could not yet dodge bullets, he could make predictions before his opponent pulled the trigger.

As a wave of sharp pain hit, the thug instinctively released his weapon.

"Agh—mmph..."

His scream turned into a muffled whimper. Leon looked at the struggling thug whose throat he was gripping, ready to send him to the afterlife.

Just then, Danika emerged from the building with three of her team members.

"Don't kill him. He's the only one left alive; I still have questions for him."

At her command, Leon dropped the thug to the ground and drew his pistol, aiming to shatter the man's kneecap.

*Bang.*

As a wisp of smoke rose, the thug immediately clutched his right leg and began to howl.

"..."

He’d missed.

Leon holstered his pistol with an impassive face, as if he hadn't missed at all. He decided then and there that he would avoid using firearms whenever possible.

Danika ignored Leon's actions, crouching down before the thug and holding up a fire-red, crystal-like object.

"Talk. Where did you get this?"

"Aaaah!"

Facing Danika's interrogation, the thug acted as if he hadn't heard a word, continuing to clutch his leg and scream in agony.

*Snap.*

The screaming ceased abruptly. Danika pulled back her hand, stood up, and said to the team members nearby, "Take him back for questioning."

***

Watching her subordinates load the unconscious thug into the vehicle, Danika let out a long sigh, her face reflecting a sense of utter existential despair.

Finding her reaction peculiar, Leon asked, "Is there a problem?"

Danika sighed again, tossing the fire-red crystal in her hand. "This is the specialty of our Colonial Planet 9527, only this piece has already been refined."

"Refined?" Leon repeated the unfamiliar term.

"Yes. There is an 'Artisan' among this group of smugglers..."

As she spoke, Danika let out another long sigh, her already weary face looking even more haggard.

Leon, however, had already captured the key information in her words.

*Artisan!*

That sounded like a new profession.

Before Leon could probe further, he heard Danika mutter in confusion, "Why would an 'Artisan' even engage in smuggling? The Federation provides the highest level of treatment for professionals in their category..."

She felt vaguely that something was wrong, but could not pinpoint the reason. For now, she pushed the doubt aside.

Leon, meanwhile, silently noted down the name "Artisan," planning to look up relevant information once they returned.

Boarding the vehicle, Danika closed her eyes and leaned back against the passenger seat, saying wearily, "Head back to the bureau. I have to report what happened here to the Chief."

"I'm afraid we won't be getting any downtime for a while."

Hearing this, the expressions of the other agents in the vehicle became incredibly colorful. If even their workaholic captain said they wouldn't have any downtime, they didn't dare imagine what kind of work intensity that would entail.

Soon, the group returned to the Public Security Bureau.

Leon stood behind the one-way mirror, watching as Cole brutally awakened the thug in the interrogation room, a sense of surrealism washing over him. It wasn't long ago that he had been the one sitting in that interrogation room; who would have thought he would now be an agent of the Public Security Bureau?

All of this was a change brought about by becoming a professional.

Just as he was lost in thought, Cole began his interrogation.

"If you speak voluntarily, you might suffer a little less."