90: Chapter 90 S-Rank Battle Beast Certificate! The Commander himself has arrived?

Su Ming sank his consciousness into the system space, his mind stirring.

The headless corpse of the mountain-like quasi-Tier 5 Iron-Spine Rhinoceros instantly twisted and collapsed under an invisible force field, transforming into a torrent of the purest energy that surged into his system backend.

[Devouring the remains of the quasi-Tier 5 mutant Source Beast, Mountain-Splitting Iron-Spine Rhinoceros, mass points +20000!]

[High-concentration Tier 5 source blood and Tier 6 dragon tortoise remnants detected, triggering cross-tier plunder reward!]

[Extra mass points +10000 obtained!]

Thirty thousand!

[mass points: 30100]

Looking at the string of numbers on the panel, Su Ming couldn't keep his mouth from curling up.

So satisfying!

This feeling was a hundred times better than winning the grand prize at his company's annual meeting in his previous life.

Before, just to exchange for a few skills, his pockets were cleaner than his face, but now, having struck it rich overnight, he had instantly become a "pay-to-win tycoon" holding a huge fortune.

His confidence suddenly surged.

The distance to the 100,000-kilogram threshold for Tier 4 Gold was shrinking visibly.

He could exchange for four or five more god-tier skills from the system store at any time, or go all-in to bring his True Mass to over 40,000 kilograms.

"Repair!"

After spending 800 points to heal the injuries from the previous battle, Su Ming opened his eyes in a great mood and patted the head of Dahuang beneath him.

"What are you grinning about?"

Shen Qingci's voice came from his side.

She had changed into a white T-shirt and high-waisted jeans, her long hair fluttering in the wind, her slender swan-like neck dazzlingly white in the sunset.

She still hadn't been able to resist Su Ming's pestering and had ended up riding the big dog with him.

Sitting behind Su Ming now, there was less than a fist's distance between them.

Occasionally, when Dahuang stumbled over a pile of rubble, her shoulder would gently touch his back.

Every time they touched, that patch of skin felt like it had been shocked.

Feeling the astonishing body temperature radiating from his back, as well as the terrifying sense of power contained within his seemingly lean frame, her earlobes uncontrollably grew hot again.

"Hehe, with a beauty for company, even the dog is happy!"

Su Ming grinned, his mood excellent. This was probably what they called... getting the best position to see the moon? No, that's not right, it's getting the best position near the dog.

"..."

Shen Qingci couldn't be bothered with him.

The two of them and the dog soon arrived at the edge of the Ash Belt.

The heavy military off-road vehicle was still parked there quietly.

"Senior, let's put the car away."

Shen Qingci turned her head to look at him.

Su Ming patted Dahuang's neck: "Look at this size, it wouldn't even fit in the trunk. Riding it into the city is so cool; driving feels like a step down."

Shen Qingci thought about it and didn't argue.

She complied and stored the off-road vehicle in her space bracelet.

She hadn't even realized that in front of Su Ming, her usual coldness and insistence were crumbling bit by bit.

"It seems fighting side-by-side is more effective than treating someone to a meal."

Su Ming recalled his behavior as a 'simp' in his previous life, which had ultimately ended in a breakup. Su Ming gradually understood something: you still have to fight for real!

Dahuang's size was truly too intimidating.

It stood over two meters at the shoulder, was nearly five meters long, and radiated the terrifying pressure belonging to a Tier 3 Source Beast.

Everywhere it passed, those low-tier exotic beasts and lone mercenaries wandering the edge of the wilderness, trying to scavenge, all turned pale with fear and scattered far away, as if they had seen a ghost.

Ahead, the heavy alloy city gate at the entrance to the Source Abyss was already visible in the distance.

A long line was waiting at the entrance, all Awakened waiting to enter the city, noisy and bustling.

Su Ming looked at the long line and couldn't help but sigh: "Tsk, even superhumans have to queue these days."

Shen Qingci couldn't be bothered to respond to such boring words.

Dahuang strode on its four thick legs, swaggering past the line.

Those low-tier Awakened and mercenaries in the line first looked up curiously, and then...

"Holy crap!"

"What is that?!"

"A, a Tier 3 Source Beast?!"

"Run!"

The line exploded instantly, the crowd scattering like dandelions blown by the wind, frantically dodging to both sides.

Su Ming shook his head helplessly.

Was it really necessary? Dahuang was so cute.

Dahuang's left head yawned, revealing a row of ghastly white fangs, while its right head spat out a small ball of flame to roast a passing insect.

...Alright, it was indeed a bit scary.

When they got within three hundred meters of the city gate, a sudden change occurred!

"Beep—! Beep-beep—! Warning! High-tier Source Beast energy fluctuation detected! Threat level: Tier 3!"

The piercing Level 1 alarm sounded instantly across the sky, and the scanners above the city gate flashed with intense red light!

"Clatter—!"

A squad of about thirty sentries stationed at the gate reacted immediately.

They were fully armed, their movements as fast as lightning.

Thirty Source Energy rifles were raised in unison, their dark muzzles all aimed at Su Ming and his group.

The Fire-type Awakened ignited flames in their hands, the Earth-type Awakened caused the ground beneath their feet to bulge, and the Enhancement Type directly drew their melee weapons.

Even more terrifyingly, on top of the city wall, over a dozen heavy Source Energy cannons specifically designed to deal with beast tides emitted a teeth-gritting mechanical whirring sound, their dark muzzles turning in unison, locking the aura of death instantly onto Dahuang... and Su Ming and Shen Qingci on its back.

The atmosphere suddenly dropped to freezing.

The previously noisy entrance line also exploded into chaos, with mercenaries screaming in terror as they looked for cover.

"Damn it! A Tier 3 Source Beast! How could anyone dare to bring this kind of thing to the city gate? Do they have too long to live?"

"Run! Those are 'City-Destroyer Type-3' heavy Source Energy cannons; one shot and a hundred-meter radius will be reduced to scorched earth!"

"It's over, it's over, these two greenhorns are dead meat...!"

An old mercenary hiding behind cover shook his head, looking at Su Ming and Shen Qingci with a face full of sympathy.

On the city wall, the sentry captain's forehead veins bulged, his finger already hovering tightly over the master fire button, ready to issue the order to fire at any moment.

Just at this tense moment, ready to explode at any second, Station Chief Zhou Ke squeezed over from the back of the line with Wang Hubao and a group of mercenaries.

Because Su Ming and the others had to retrieve their car, they had gone ahead.

At this moment, Station Chief Zhou Ke had also arrived.

He saw Su Ming locked on by the cannons at a glance and hurriedly shouted to the sentry captain in the front row: "Gangzi! Don't fire! It's me!"

The sentry captain called "Gangzi" was stunned.

After seeing that the person arriving was Station Chief Zhou Ke, his tense nerves relaxed slightly, but he still didn't dare to be careless: "Brother Zhou? This... what is going on?"

Station Chief Zhou Ke ran up in two or three steps, gasping for breath as he explained: "This two-headed mastiff is friendly, it's a tamed battle beast, confirmed to have no aggression! We'll talk about the pass after we get inside, just let them take the internal channel first, don't cause a panic here!"

As the station chief of Entrance No. 3, Station Chief Zhou Ke's words still carried a lot of weight.

Gangzi looked at Dahuang doubtfully.

Su Ming slapped it.

Dahuang cooperated very well, retracting its pressure, and its left head even stuck its tongue out at the sentries.

"...Alright, Brother Zhou, it's your call."

Gangzi waved his hand, the cannons slowly shifted away, and the alarm was cleared.

Then, a thick alloy side door slowly opened.

Station Chief Zhou Ke turned back and cupped his hands at Wang Hubao and the others: "Commander Wang, everyone has worked hard too. Please, everyone, just queue at the main entrance; this internal channel is for staff only."

After speaking, he led Su Ming and Shen Qingci through that small door, amidst the envious and speechless gazes of the mercenaries.

Wang Hubao and the others looked at each other.

You say those two are staff, we accept that.

But... what's up with that dog? Does it count as staff too?!

The internal channel connected to an open reception hall.

Station Chief Zhou Ke gave a few brief instructions to his colleague on duty, saying that the Source Beast riot had already been resolved, and asked them to calm the crowd at the exit, suggesting that ordinary Awakened wait two days before entering the Ash Belt.

Dahuang lay on the hall floor, its two heads swaying left and right, seemingly listening to the conversation.

When Station Chief Zhou Ke mentioned "resolved by these two," Dahuang let out a low whimper from its throat.

It glared at Station Chief Zhou Ke, its left head rubbing against Su Ming's leg in dissatisfaction.

Its four eyes were wide open.

What about me? I contributed too! I even bit off a huge chunk of meat! What is wrong with you humans?

Ever since it devoured the Wolf King beast soul, this guy's intelligence had clearly increased quite a bit.

Station Chief Zhou Ke gave a dry laugh and hurriedly added: "Of course, and this... Brother Dog."

Then he turned to Su Ming, his expression somewhat troubled.

"Brother Su, there's something I need to tell you."

He pointed to a huge metal cage not far away that was flickering with a faint blue light, looking troubled.

"Federal regulations prohibit private individuals from keeping Source Beasts.

Unless you pass the assessment and evaluation by the Ministry of National Defense's Source Beast Management Bureau and obtain a battle beast license, otherwise... could you please place it here for now?"

Su Ming frowned.

"How long does it take to get a dog license?"

"Battle beast licenses range from D-Class to S-Class; the tests required vary depending on the grade, and the higher the grade, the greater the freedom.

For S-Class, you can basically go to all human territories, and hotels and restaurants will let you in.

But the assessment is very strict, and I'd have to contact the people above to know the specifics... Right, why don't you contact Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng and see if he has any fast-track methods?"

Shen Qingci was also a bit confused, muttering softly: "Didn't my dad say it was all taken care of? Unreliable..."

Just as she finished speaking, an engine roared outside the hall, and a black hovercar bearing the highest command license plate of the military region stopped steadily.

The door opened, and a middle-aged man in military uniform with a general's star on his shoulder and an extraordinary demeanor stepped out, followed by a clerk in the uniform of the Source Beast Management Bureau.

Seeing the person who arrived, Station Chief Zhou Ke was like he had been electrocuted; he snapped to attention and gave a standard military salute.

"Greetings, Commander!"

All the soldiers in the hall saluted in unison.

"Greetings, Commander!"

The Jiangcheng City Defense Commander, Commander Qin Luo!

He had actually come in person!

Su Ming raised an eyebrow.

This is too high-profile!

He wondered if there were any Awakened with a "face" ability in this world...