This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 695 - 362 Fortunately, I’m No Good Either_2

Chapter 695: Chapter 362 Fortunately, I’m No Good Either_2

Li Ming thought about the two samples of Genetic Essence he extracted, the Dark Matter Splitting Hammer he controlled, and the two pieces of Terrax Stone, and agreed:

"What you said makes sense; there’s no benefit to it, so it wasn’t me."

Blackbeard’s tone faltered and he said grimly, "This is no joke. The Empire has already begun acting against you."

Li Ming feigned silence, then suddenly said, "Do you think it’s possible that this is a self-orchestrated play by the Star Abyss Empire, crafted to justify an external investigation?"

"Have they discovered the Pioneer?"

"You..." Blackbeard was suddenly filled with uncertainty and seemed to realize something unsettling. The chill that ran down his spine suggested that such a possibility couldn’t be ruled out.

But immediately, he dismissed the idea, speaking gravely: "Regardless of the truth, they’ve already started planning to capture you."

"Uh, weren’t they already planning to capture me before?" Li Ming asked abruptly.

Blackbeard hesitated again and cursed inwardly at Li Ming’s cunning, explaining, "Previously, it was just because of your involvement in some matters, but now they’re genuinely preparing to arrest you."

Li Ming seemed thoughtful: "Are you saying that if I fell into their hands earlier, my fate would have been better than after the Empire Base attack?"

Blackbeard fell silent again. He knew Azure Dragon was mocking him; in any case, Azure Dragon’s situation was bound to be dire.

Before the base attack, the Empire wouldn’t have killed Azure Dragon if they caught him.

After the base attack, the Empire still wouldn’t kill Azure Dragon if they caught him.

After all, as a Casting Star Mechanic, his value was significant—wouldn’t he be better off used as labor?

"At the core, the Empire doesn’t really take me seriously." Li Ming said languidly. "Because of my involvement in those matters, paired with Nicholas’s instigation, they casually decided to arrest me."

Blackbeard remained silent but reminded himself he wasn’t here to comfort Azure Dragon. His tone grew heavier:

"This move was unwise. We’ve already prepared to launch a counteroffensive against Nicholas, but now he risks being seen as a martyr."

"Are you sure Nicholas is dead?" Li Ming asked in surprise, then mused, "An opposing Duke, dying within Prince Costat’s territory, and when Costat conveniently wasn’t present—this situation could be even more engineered, wouldn’t you say?"

Blackbeard clenched his fists silently. Difficult—Azure Dragon was truly difficult to deal with.

Li Ming was not wrong. Plans were already being urgently drafted.

"Regardless, you’ve been deemed their primary target." Blackbeard stressed again.

"That’s truly distressing." Li Ming shifted his tone. "I wonder if the Pioneer can do anything for me."

Why don’t you think about what you can do for the Pioneer? Blackbeard nearly lashed out, gritting his teeth.

Yet just as he was about to speak, an absurd speculation struck him—a chilling thought:

Could it be that he’s waiting for me?

This suspicion plunged him into prolonged silence, his expression shifting unpredictably.

Indeed, the Pioneer hadn’t planned to abandon Azure Dragon, because of Li Ming.

Only Li Ming held the potential to make their "Isolation" plan succeed, even if the chance was slim.

Similarly, removing Azure Dragon from responsibility for the attack would certainly incur a cost.

However, given some subsequent schemes, the calculated expense wasn’t too high; one might even say it presented dual advantages.

"Did Your Excellency contact me just to reprimand me?" Li Ming frowned and muttered inwardly, hoping he hadn’t miscalculated.

Blackbeard sneered coldly and grew increasingly convinced he had been played by Azure Dragon. He spoke in a grave tone:

"We can help resolve this trouble for you, enough to smooth things over for everyone. At least, the Empire won’t act against you publicly anymore."

"There’s a way to achieve that?" Li Ming asked "shocked."

"At the same time," Blackbeard said expressionlessly, "you’ll need to agree to our conditions—to let Li Ming participate in the audit and do everything he can to gain the recognition of the Dominion Holy Image. As the Inheritor, he must declare that the Hammer Divine Craftsman’s death implicates the Empire."

"You’re exploiting the situation." Li Ming exclaimed "angrily."

Blackbeard held back his rage—who was exploiting whom here?

"What rotten luck—it clearly has nothing to do with me." Li Ming said through gritted teeth, but quickly shifted his tone: "Fine, there’s no avoiding trouble, but your plan is too risky. You still need to offer me ten standard-weight Ether Crystals."

The Pioneer had always wanted him to take risks, and Li Ming felt no psychological burden in turning the tables on them.

"Impossible!" Blackbeard’s eyelid twitched violently, furious: "Don’t push it!"

Ether Crystals were extremely rare and valuable materials, synthesized only by Empire Level Civilizations. Not even the Black Hole Network sold them; a rare small quantity occasionally surfaced, priced at billions of Star Coins apiece.

They were typically used as energy cores capable of supporting high loads, powering S-level weapons or mechanical constructs.

"Five." Li Ming made a concession.

"Two." Blackbeard replied coldly.

"Three, or I’ll take Li Ming and go into hiding—then no one gets to play." Li Ming stated his bottom line.

After a long while, Blackbeard’s suppressed voice finally came from the screen: "Fine!"

To prevent himself from cursing out loud, Blackbeard quickly switched topics: "The audit is set for two weeks from now."

"Li Ming’s development potential is somewhat low, but since you trained him, his knowledge of mechanics should be adequate. Also, I’ll send you detailed biographical materials on the Hammer Divine Craftsman so Li Ming can emulate him more closely."

Li Ming’s eyes gleamed: "Hmm, I need to remind you, this isn’t guaranteed to succeed. What if he fails?"

Blackbeard’s voice turned icy: "We’ve already paid you in advance. If this task isn’t accomplished, there will undoubtedly be another one. With Your Excellency’s abilities, surely you won’t fail every single mission."

The Pioneer wasn’t easy to fool, and Li Ming cooperated readily, "You’re right—this time might fail, but there’s always next time."

He reminded them again: "By the way, those items I requested must be delivered within two weeks."

"Where to?" Blackbeard asked.

"Central World, I’ll bring Li Ming there as soon as possible." Li Ming replied vaguely.

Don’t tell me it wasn’t you!

"...Understood!" Blackbeard spat out his final words and ended the communication, stroking his beard and muttering curses.

He was almost certain—Azure Dragon was banking on Li Ming’s presence, knowing the Pioneer would clean up his mess; that’s why he attacked the Empire Base.

What exactly had he done?

Blackbeard frowned in frustration. Was it really just to kill Nicholas?

He couldn’t even be sure whether Nicholas was truly dead.

"Tsk..." Li Ming ended the communication and remarked with astonishment, "They actually agreed to clean up part of the aftermath so easily, and I even managed to get a few Ether Crystals."

"An opposing Duke disappears—there has to be an explanation. Even if they find a scapegoat, it’d at least have to be an S-level life form to satisfy everyone."

"None of them are easy to deal with..." Li Ming sighed. "Luckily, I’m no saint either."

The Hammer Divine Craftsman’s legacy—claiming he wasn’t tempted would be a lie. He had initially planned to leverage the Pioneer’s resources to join the audit.

Yet cooperating with the Pioneer on their plans involved significant risks, and Li Ming had no intention of being a pawn. If they wanted to use him, he would use them first.

Nicholas’s lingering presence, the Pioneer hiding in the shadows—all spoke elegantly of patience and taking things slowly.

Kill Nicholas, force the Pioneer to clean up the mess, then use their power to join the audit—win-win.

Stretching his body, Li Ming closed his eyes and felt the abnormally active cells within him, nearly making him groan.

He had already consumed the S-level Genetic Essence extracted from Nicholas and Albert.

The Evolution System now housed two additional S-level Evolutionary Sources, boosting development potential by a factor of 64, raising his total amplification to 352 times.

During his time in the Central World, he hadn’t wasted any effort; his development progress had reached 25%. With this surge, the pace would accelerate further.

The Pioneer’s efficiency was astounding. Four days after the attack, a news headline began circulating wildly on the Interstellar Network:

[Holy Revolution Army claims responsibility for the attack on the Central World Empire Base, stating—This is retaliation for the Boskanya Massacre.]