Chapter 81: Unexpected Gain
Chapter 81: Unexpected Gain
[You have successfully activated the Dark Iron Badge "Heartbreaker" due to suspected solicitation of money from a romantic partner.]
[Heartbreaker: A male human who is disloyal in relationships, engages in intimate relationships with multiple partners, pursues pleasure and personal gain, and has questionable morals.]
[Badge Effect: Your charm will receive a slight boost, but your reputation will decrease among heterosexuals seeking a family. However, your attractiveness will significantly increase among those with certain unique preferences.]
[Upgrade Path: Continuously solicit money from an ambiguous romantic partner over 10 times, and this badge will automatically upgrade to the Bronze Badge "Deadbeat Lover".
Or, by using your exceptional charm, establish intimate relationships with 10 heterosexuals, and this badge will skip the Bronze stage and directly upgrade to the Silver Badge "Casanova".]
[Hidden Trait (No Need to Wear): The mental damage you inflict on heterosexuals will increase.]
"..."
Mental damage... Does the mental shock induced by the anomaly count? If so, this badge might be quite useful.
After closing the badge panel with a sense of disbelief, Lyon, who had just gained an 'Unexpected Gain', couldn't bear the strange stares from the Secret Investigation Bureau staff. He quickly left, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of at least a hundred people.
What's wrong with that troublemaker today? Why is he acting so strangely?
As Lyon left, hunching his neck and back, looking somewhat disheveled, the female police officer who had just won a small victory couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in surprise. She then returned to the main hall of the Secret Investigation Bureau with a head full of doubts.
"Isa..."
Seeing her walking back with a light step, seemingly in a good mood, the middle-aged female officer couldn't help but approach her with concern. "Normally, romance is a matter for young people like you, and I shouldn't interfere. But please be careful and protect yourself!"
"..."
What?
No way! That troublemaker might be a rebel, but I would never get involved with him in that way!
Without revealing Lyon's rebel identity, she nodded and hummed in agreement, brushing off the senior officer's concerns. The female officer then headed downstairs, feeling exasperated, to continue her work.
However, as she entered the now-empty interrogation room and adjusted the glaring lights to a softer setting, preparing to begin questioning, she heard the door behind her creak open.
"Isa..."
Recognizing the person with squinted eyes, and seeing that it was the right person, the male officer holding a stack of files breathed a sigh of relief. He then waved her over to talk.
"What's up?"
Following him out of the interrogation room, the female officer glanced at the files in his hand and was surprised to see the very files she had submitted in the morning. These were the files of the war veterans whose pensions had been prematurely suspended, despite not meeting the reduction criteria.
"Did the military department reject the files and the list? Are they refusing to reinstate the pensions or to deal with the negligent comfort officers?"
"Both... The military department has rejected both the reinstatement of pensions and the punishment of the comfort officers."
The male officer explained with a hint of helplessness, "The military said that providing pensions until the age of 16, when they become legal adults, already meets the minimum standard. They are not babysitters and have no obligation to support these people for their entire lives.
With a regular salary, one can manage to get by in the capital city. If they can't maintain their livelihood, they should look for other reasons. Maybe these people just aren't trying hard enough."
Not trying hard enough?
If it were someone else, fine. But that rebel almost worked himself to death to support his family, and they almost lost everything! How dare they say he's not trying hard enough? And what about the pensions for the past six years? Without even mentioning the other issues, half of the rebel's family's pension was converted into houses in Veteran Alley based on the average housing price!
Damn it! Those houses, built at least 60-70 years ago, located far from the core area, and unsellable, are what they used to compensate? And the records even shamelessly state that the recipient agreed to this arrangement?
Initially, they were merely a group of orphans, the youngest still weaning and the oldest not yet ten years old. Even if they knew they were being taken advantage of, what choice did they have but to agree?
"I understand, thank you."
The female officer who had relayed the message was furious, barely containing her anger. After expressing her gratitude to the male officer who had informed her, she couldn't help but ask with a dark expression:
"Can you tell me, who exactly said those words about not trying hard enough?"
"A supervisor from the Welfare Bureau, his name was Will, Will Lane."
"..."
From that moment on, the two words she despised the most in her life were 'Lane'.
"Zzz..."
[Marksman: With exceptional talent and arduous practice, you have developed an outstanding shooting sensitivity. Your shooting skills can now be described as masterful.]
[Effect: Relying on your self-taught advanced techniques and exquisite sensitivity cultivated through diligent practice, when you consciously adjust your aim, your shooting accuracy will significantly increase.]
[Promotion Path: After completing 30,000 live-fire training sessions, this emblem will automatically advance to the Golden Emblem "Master Marksman". Current progress: 0/30,000.]
[Hidden Ability (No Wear Requirement): As a firearm enthusiast, when using a familiar firearm, your shooting stability will greatly increase.]
Finally, he had reached the Silver rank...
Opening the emblem panel and seeing the [Marksman] slot flashing with a silver glow, Lyon first took two shots while lying on the ground, then got up from the shooting position, feeling both excited and frustrated.
The reason for his excitement was obvious; the shooting emblem's upgrade to Silver had significantly enhanced its effect.
For the bronze-level [Shooter], no matter how much they trained and adjusted, hitting nine out of ten shots on a 500-meter human-shaped target was the limit.
But the two shots he took after the upgrade directly reduced the "hit area" by nearly half. Not only could he hit the target every time, but he could also vaguely control the bullet's landing point, choosing to hit the upper or lower half of the target.
This was with a 500-meter target that would roll horizontally. If it were a 300-meter target, he could almost guarantee hitting wherever he aimed. In conditions with minimal wind and light, the maximum deviation would likely not exceed two centimeters!
As for why he was still frustrated despite such significant progress... it was because the subsequent advancement had become much more challenging.
"Thirty thousand shots..."
Looking at the daunting four zeros in the promotion path, Lyon sighed.
Even if he shot at his average speed, it would take him more than a month to complete the 30,000 shots, assuming he spent all his time at the shooting range without going home.
Under normal circumstances, where he could only practice for an hour or two after work, it would take him around 170-180 days to advance further. In total, it would take half a year, so it seemed that advancing the shooting emblem in a short time was not feasible.
But he still needed to keep practicing.
Looking at the sky, seeing that the sun had not completely set, Lyon picked up the nail gun and returned to the shooting position, ignoring the despairing gazes of the two managers.
Compared to the [Devil's Friend], which required a sinful soul, and the [Devotee], which required killing heretics, the advancement conditions for the shooting emblem were much simpler.
Moreover, with just half a year of training, he could reach the level of a "Master Marksman". He was already lucky enough, so what more could he complain about?
...
After shooting until nightfall, Lyon returned the sniper rifle to the Cleanup Bureau, and then headed towards the Happiness Apartment.
Due to a certain big guy who claimed to be unwell, Lyon had planned to stay at the Cleanup Bureau, and he had already informed Anna that he wouldn't be returning home for a couple of days due to work.
But now that he had obtained the [Devotee], which was equivalent to the [Devil's Friend], he decided to give it another try. Perhaps the doorman of the Happiness Apartment would change his mind if the two emblems' effects canceled each other out?
(End of Chapter)
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