Chapter 169: Chasing Contribution Points

Lu Xin instantly understood the frustration Gecko had felt…

He’d worked up so much courage just to ask, only to be shot down so mercilessly…

“Um…”

Han Bing’s blunt refusal made him nervous. ‘So… when *will* I meet the requirements?’ he asked.

“Let me see…”

Han Bing rustled through some papers on the other end. ‘Actually, you’re quite close…’

“Mr. Lone Soldier, you’re currently a Level 2 Special Talent. Keep accumulating contribution points, and you’ll reach Level 3.”

“As for the specific number…”

A faint sound of calculation came through the line. ‘While the Special Talent standards align with citizen benefits, promotions are solely based on contribution points. You earn points for every incident involving pollution or Ability Users you handle, even those before you were officially confirmed. I’ve prepared a detailed list of the point values. Should I fax it, or…'”

Lu Xin was eager to know. “Just tell me now!”

“Okay!”

Han Bing continued, “To date, Mr. Lone Soldier, you’ve handled five Special Pollution Incidents, one exploration mission, and one capture operation targeting an Ability User.”

“Out of the five special incidents, the first one at the Corner Cafe during your recruitment didn’t count towards points. Handling Special Pollution Incident 041 earned you three points. For Special Pollution Incident 039, since you were mainly assisting Mr. Gecko and learning, you only got one point. Then there was Incident 072 and the city assault…”

“The Mining Cave Community pollution incident yielded one point. Reporting the painting hidden by the Xu father and daughter got you ten points. Preventing the pollution spread at Wanzhong Mall earned another ten. Dealing with the Mental Pollution Bomb under the South Wall was worth thirty.”

“Next, exploring Happy Town earned you thirty points. Discovering Qin Ran’s ability, unraveling the logic chain of Special Pollution Incident 041, and enriching our database granted another ten points. Finally, the recent operation against the Knight Orders. Since it was requested separately, it was initially worth three hundred points, but you ended up receiving one hundred and fifty.”

Han Bing paused slightly and said: “So, in total, that’s two hundred and forty-five contribution points.”

“…”

Han Bing chuckled softly. “Mr. Lone Soldier, you only need fifty-five more points to reach Level 3 Special Talent status… Shall I help you apply to exchange some of your monetary reward for more contribution points?”

“…You can do that?”

Lu Xin felt a mix of relief and surprise.

“Normally, you can’t.”

Han Bing explained honestly, “Contribution points can be converted to money with approval from above, but money can never buy contribution points—that’s a founding principle of Qinggang. However, since the reward for the Knight Orders operation hasn’t been paid out yet, if I submit the request immediately, there’s a chance the higher-ups might agree…”

“…Never mind.”

After a moment’s thought, Lu Xin refused outright.

His reward had already dropped from three million to one point five million; his heart was already bleeding.

Asking him to take even less felt like signing his own death warrant.

“If it’s only fifty-five points…”

Lu Xin thought seriously for a moment. “Are there any nearby incidents I could handle?”

“Preferably one with a decent amount of contribution points…”

“…”

He’d gathered from Han Bing’s explanation earlier…

…that incidents worth a lot of contribution points usually came with high monetary rewards too.

It seemed like a win-win situation…

“Higher contribution points…”

Han Bing’s voice dropped as she heard Lu Xin’s request, the sound of shuffling papers coming through the line.

After a moment, she spoke up again, “Yes, there is…”

Lu Xin felt a flicker of nervousness. “How many points?”

Han Bing replied, “Quite a few points…”

Lu Xin’s heart sank a little. “Isn’t that… too few?”

His response made Han Bing pause for a moment: “Mr. Lone Soldier, you might have a slight misunderstanding about the value of contribution points…”

“Even one point is quite significant…”

…

…

“He’s so close, why doesn’t he just upgrade to Level 3?”

Back in Qinggang Main City, quite a few people received the notification about the change in Lu Xin’s profile. Since Mr. Su had raised Lu Xin’s confidentiality status to A-level, he garnered significant attention. Any slight change in his information triggered alerts to relevant personnel. Chen Jing was one of them, and the news left her slightly baffled.

“Because he couldn’t bear to part with the reward money.”

Professor Bai smiled, looking up from the screenless monitor before him. “But frankly, his promotion speed is already exceptionally rare. If the value of that *item* is confirmed, he might even jump straight to Level 4…”

Chen Jing paused for a second, then understood. “The painting?”

Professor Bai nodded, taking his white coat from the nearby rack and shrugging it on. “The appraisal for that painting is scheduled for eight tonight. Only Level 4 or higher experts in the relevant fields are permitted to attend. I’ve granted you special clearance to join and oversee security. Barring any surprises, this painting’s significance might far surpass our initial estimations.”

Chen Jing nodded; she wasn’t surprised by the Professor’s speculation.

While the painting appeared to be just a high-level parasitic pollution source, something the Knight Orders, like Zhang Sihuo’s group, would risk causing chaos to obtain, couldn’t *just* be that. It definitely served some other purpose.

“We’ve all been preoccupied with the Lone Soldier, rather neglecting the painting itself.”

Professor Bai tidied his files and glanced at his pocket watch. “According to the Knight Order’s documents, the Lone Soldier was only priority 003. The painting was their primary objective. Our task now is to determine its true value.”

Understanding the priorities, Chen Jing immediately responded, “In that case, I’ll postpone the capture mission I’m currently assigned to.”

“No need.”

Professor Bai chuckled. “Transfer it to the Lone Soldier. Isn’t he eager to earn more contribution points?”

“Him?”

Chen Jing looked surprised. “Isn’t he unsuited for this kind of mission?”

“You won’t know until you try.”

Professor Bai elaborated, “Besides, the contribution points for this won’t be awarded until after the painting’s appraisal. So, if he’s eager to apply for the Second Stage, it makes sense for him to take on other tasks now to earn the necessary points… Not just your current capture mission, but we could also consider assigning him those other cleanup operations that have been pending the right opportunity.”

“This is…”

Hearing these words, Chen Jing looked at Professor Bai with slight surprise.

Noticing Chen Jing’s confusion, Professor Bai smiled. “If his success rate on these assignments reaches even half of your usual performance, I’m confident I can convince Old Shen to grant him access to the deeper aspects of the Second Stage!”

“Alright.”

Despite any potential hesitation, Chen Jing made her decision in a heartbeat and immediately picked up her phone.

…

…

“Han Bing is such a good person…”

After enjoying a lunch that included a chicken leg at the Security Hall, Lu Xin headed downstairs, his steps light.

He had resigned himself to accumulating points one or two at a time, but Han Bing had surprised him. Right before he committed, she found a mission that would net him ten whole contribution points in one go.

Even though the type of mission was unfamiliar, it was definitely worth a shot.

He changed into the black tactical uniform of the Special Cleaning Department, threw a casual jacket over it, and slipped a discreet earpiece into his left ear.

Lu Xin came down the stairs and saw several police officers gathered around a motorcycle in front of the Security Hall entrance.

“Is this the transport you requested for me?”

Lu Xin asked with some surprise.

He’d asked Han Bing earlier to set aside one of the five confiscated motorcycles for his use, but he hadn’t expected this. The bike seemed different from what he remembered—painted silver, low-slung body, thick rugged tires, and a somewhat menacing exposed engine resembling monstrous bones…

Was this still one of the ones he brought back?

“Yes. This motorcycle was sent to the R&D department for a few minor modifications. The frame’s been reinforced, maneuverability enhanced, and it’s equipped with a manual wire-rope grappling hook launcher at the front. There’s a voice-activated distress beacon and GPS near the instrument panel. Plus, in the metal case on the right rear, there’s a voice-controlled, highly intelligent robotic dog capable of various support tasks.”

“It’s a vehicle model specifically designed for Spider-type Ability Users. Mr. Gecko has been wanting to get his hands on one for ages…”

“…”

Hearing Han Bing, Lu Xin felt a pleasant surprise. “Then why didn’t he get one?” he asked instinctively.

“Because he offended the girlfriend of the head of the new weapons R&D department…”

Han Bing sounded almost embarrassed. “Why don’t you try it out first, Mr. Lone Soldier? If it’s not to your liking, we can always send it back for adjustments.”

“Okay.”

Lu Xin took a deep breath. Under the awed yet curious stares of the nearby police officers who didn’t want to leave, he swung his leg over the motorcycle. It settled slightly under his weight, feeling incredibly solid. Following Han Bing’s instructions, he started it with a fingerprint scan. The engine roared to life like a snarling beast, its vibrations surprisingly comfortable.

“It’s nice… just a bit different from what I expected…” Lu Xin murmured, unable to hide his delight.

Han Bing sounded curious. “What kind were you expecting, Mr. Lone Soldier?”

“You know, the kind…”

Lu Xin answered honestly: “That starts with the push of a button, has footrests on the sides, and a battery in the middle…”

Han Bing paused, then gently corrected, “Mr. Lone Soldier… I think you’re describing an electric scooter…”

“…Right!”

Lu Xin decided not to argue. While the bike wasn’t exactly what he’d pictured, it was still functional…

…

…

“I’m heading out…”

Lu Xin said softly, then… began moving forward at a turtle’s pace.

It definitely wasn’t because he was worried about scratching the brand-new bike or leaving marks without his sister’s help. Absolutely not.

He was just thinking about the job he was heading out to handle now.

“…Ghost hunting!”