The Commercial Bureau is located in the “Municipal Center” of New Moon City. Unlike the luxurious manor villas of Anmi New District or the bustling skyscrapers of the Lakefront Business District, this is the most orderly and solemn area in the entire city.

Magnificent buildings stand tall here, patrol vehicles drive through the streets continuously, and drones are on duty overhead 24 hours a day.

Along the streets, you can spot some boxy black cases, all of which are “Anti-Crime Emergency Response Systems” developed by the authorities, abbreviated as ACDS.

If criminal activity is detected within the area, the ACDS cases will activate and deploy the weapon cores inside to attack.

In addition, the patrolling “Municipal Guard Team” by the street are the elite armed forces of the authorities, all comprising extraordinary beings, any rookie among them can easily take down dozens of ordinary people.

With such a strict defense system, unless a criminal has lost their mind, no one dares cause trouble at the Municipal Center.

No social vehicles are allowed inside the Municipal Center, so Su Mo and KK had to switch to the subway.

The ordinary subway has only one security check, conducted by non-regular security staff checking pedestrians.

The municipal line has three security checks, all conducted by official sheriffs.

As soon as Su Mo and KK arrived, they received special attention from the sheriffs.

After all, the Borderland Plaques on their necks were too conspicuous.

The sheriffs have always had a poor impression of those “wearing dog tags,” who shuttle between the Inner City and the Edge, often engaging in illegal activities, posing a significant threat to public safety.

Each year, more than half of the sheriffs who die in the line of duty do so while encountering resistance from Edge people during arrests.

Thus, there is an unspoken rule within the Public Security Bureau—better to see a judge than a coroner.

When dealing with those wearing dog tags, keep the hand on the gun and, upon noticing any suspicious move, first employ a set of “New Moon Iaido” to empty the magazine.

At this moment, the sheriff untied the holster at his waist, resting his hand on his gun, and slowly walked toward Su Mo and KK: “Security number PS203512, conducting a security check, show your chips.”

Su Mo signaled KK to stay calm and together they displayed the chips under their wrists.

The sheriff took out a device, scanned their chips, and matched the real persons with the database.

Their images matched, their credit scores were good, and they had no criminal records.

Only then did the sheriff remove his hand from the gun, still maintaining a questioning tone: “What’s your business at the Municipal Center?”

Su Mo answered truthfully: “Registering a company.”

Sheriff: “Planning to go into business?”

Su Mo shook his head.

The sheriff appeared contemplative: “Oh, mercenaries.”

Su Mo nodded.

New Moon City, known as the “Mercenary City,” boasts a vast mercenary population.

The sheriffs have always had a love-hate relationship with mercenaries.

They hate them because this group secretly takes commissions everywhere, more than half of which are violent assignments.

Shootings, assassinations, thefts, kidnappings… Many heinous crimes in the Inner City were carried out by mercenaries.

Mercenaries differ from ordinary criminals.

Ordinary criminals are sloppy and easily leave evidence behind.

Skillful mercenaries, however, are adept and technologically savvy, often possessing high-tech gear superior to that of the Public Security Bureau, making investigations very challenging.

Many crimes committed by mercenaries remain unsolved, affecting the bonuses of quite a few sheriffs.

But on the other hand, it’s also a love relationship.

Because lots of dirty work inconvenient for sheriffs to do can be outsourced to mercenaries.

For instance, some rascals like to cause trouble, getting arrested and released repeatedly, remaining incorrigible, severely affecting the sheriffs’ everyday schedules.

Ignoring such rascals leads to constant citizen complaints, which reflects poorly when leaders hear them too often.

Jailing them means they get free meals and lodging; they sleep through confinement and pretend to be dead if hit, then find reporters upon release to expose scandals about the Public Security Bureau, stirring up public pressure.

Facing such troublesome pests, it’s mercenaries’ time to step in.

Find a reliable middleman, give them some money, and wait for the target to physically disappear.

Upon hearing Su Mo was a mercenary, the sheriff’s disposition relaxed, evidently having personally experienced the benefits of mercenaries.

After completing the security scan, the sheriff didn’t delay Su Mo’s business, even jokingly encouraging: “Keep it up, work hard to make a name for yourself, maybe one day I’ll see you on the news.”

Su Mo smiled and said, “I will, and very soon.”

The sheriff obviously didn’t take it seriously, waved him through, and continued checking the next person.

After the subway trip to the Municipal Center, Su Mo took KK and got off at the Commercial Bureau station, entering the office building.

Owing to the mercenaries being “too useful,” the authorities of New Moon City have always maintained an ambiguous relationship with the mercenary community.

Involving cases suspected of mercenary participation, the authorities would sternly declare handling on the surface but would instruct each department quietly.

Unless the line is really crossed, they will downplay major issues to minor ones, and minor ones to none, preserving the larger environment of New Moon City as the “Mercenary City.”

Each year during official events or high-society banquets, the authorities would also invite famous figures from the mercenary community as guests, with some middlemen or mercenaries even being key officials themselves within the government.

With the authorities’ covert support, registering a company, setting up shell entities, or forming a mercenary corps is quite straightforward for the mercenary community; as long as the paperwork is in order, official procedure usually doesn’t get in the way, nor is running errands necessary.

Su Mo’s registration went smoothly; the window receptionist’s attitude was far more enthusiastic than the sheriff’s.

Especially when Su Mo used industry jargon to hint that he was a mercenary, the counterpart even made notes while submitting the documents, pushing it through the fast track.

Information verification, license registration, seal engraving, tax reporting, and bank account opening… A process that normally takes 10 to 15 days was completed in less than a week.

The full name of the company Su Mo established was “New Moon City Edge Technology Co., Ltd.”

The term “Edge” commemorates an anime he greatly enjoyed, “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.”

It’s said the producer of the game “Dawn” was also an avid fan of this animation.

In the days following the anime’s conclusion, the producer was frequently seen raving in groups, shouting about hammering Adam a hundred times.

Following industry conventions for mercenaries, Su Mo’s mercenary corps would be named with the word “Edge,” thus the “Edge Mercenary Corps.”

After collecting the documents and leaving the Commercial Bureau, Su Mo stretched lazily towards the sunlight, feeling like a tall building rising from flat land, with numerous opportunities awaiting.

Currently, the Edge Mercenary Corps comprises only him, KK, and Future, with plenty of work to do and a long road ahead.

Su Mo called Audiana, informing her of his establishment of the mercenary corps and modifying his payment method so that commissions would no longer go into his personal account but through the group’s public account.

After the call, KK jokingly asked, “Brother, should I start calling you Captain now? Or should it be Boss?”

Su Mo flicked his forehead and laughed, saying, “Don’t make a fuss, it’s just setting up a company as a shell, things will continue as is, I’m not fond of formalism.”

As the two chatted, a sweet voice came from behind: “Company? Are you two business people? Interested in learning about our charity fund?”

Su Mo turned around, and upon seeing the girl behind him, he was stunned.

That person is!…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep