by <unknown>
After a night’s rest, Han Xiao was brought to an isolated training field where Hila awaited.
While he was not too sure of what arrangements the organization had for him, he was certain that they would value his ‘learning ability’, meaning he would definitely get the chance to level up his Mechanic abilities.
It was virtually impossible to escape from such a tightly guarded fortress, so Han Xiao had steeled himself for the long haul.
“Zero, you will undergo daily combat and shooting practice from today onward.”
Hila tossed a suit to him.
“Put it on.”
Han Xiao quickly wore it.
As soon as he put the suit on, Hila attacked, launching a vicious kick at chest level.
Bang!
Too fast!
Han Xiao was unable to react, and the kick cracked his ribs through armour. He staggered back over a dozen paces and clutched onto his chest, coughing.
As expected of a superhuman.
Although she was obviously not going all out, she was still several times faster than an ordinary person.
“30 seconds of rest,” she stated blandly.
Combat training was tough, but straightforward. No words were exchanged between the pair.
They continued like this for two hours, by the end of which Han Xiao was completely exhausted and covered in bruises. He also now suspected that Hila had masochistic tendencies.
‘Are all ice queen types like this?’ he wondered.
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Hila (Lv. 30) has taught you [Basic Combat]
Progress Rate: 5%
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Hila left wordlessly.
A stout, burly man arrived to yank Han Xiao to the target practice field.
“I am your shooting trainer, and one of the vice-managers of this base, Baltar,” introduced the scary looking man with a hideous knife scar across his forehead.
He pushed a 73-WASP into Han Xiao’s hands and said, “There’s ten bullets, hit the bullseye with all of them.”
Han Xiao frowned. How could a beginner who had never touched a gun in real life before hit the bullseye‽ Moreover, the target was a moving dummy 30 metres away.
“I’m no Olympic champion!”
Han Xiao shrugged his shoulders and raised the gun with his aching arms.
Bang, bang, bang…!
After ten shots, Han Xiao took a look at the scoreboard. As expected, he had failed.
Suddenly, he felt a searing pain in his back. It was only with great restraint that he did not scream out.
He turned around, only to see a frenzied Baltar licking blood off a black tactical knife.
“Continue. One miss, one cut. Let’s see how much blood you will lose today.”
Han Xiao moved a hand across his back, and it returned bloody.
“Bastard!” he cursed inwardly.
One of the glass panels in the room was a one-way mirror. Hila and Lin Wei Xian were observing from the other side.
“Baltar is being too careless with my precious test subject! Might as well let me dissect him now,” bemoaned Lin Wei Xian.
Hila cast a plain look at Lin Wei Xian and replied, “The organization will not approve of your request.”
Lin Wei Xian laughed coldly in response.
“I will have my way sooner or later. I created him! He is mine!”
Hila remained silent.
…
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Baltar (Lv 15) has taught you [Basic Shooting]
Progress Rate: 5%
[Agent] Profession Unlock Rate: 1%
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Han Xiao was cut again and again. The cuts themselves might not have been deep, but there were so many of them that his clothes were completely drenched in blood.
Baltar watch the weakened Han Xiao with a grin. He reveled in the smell of fresh blood.
“Why are you not screaming?” he asked. “A good toy screams.”
Damn bastard!
Han Xiao took a deep breath to compose himself. While he really felt like punching Baltar, he knew that he could not afford to act recklessly. It was similar in some sense to LoL – when you trash talk despite losing, you are only setting yourself up for a more spectacular fall.
For now, all he could do was suck it up.
‘Laugh while you can…’ Han Xiao gritted his teeth.
Chapter 4. 600,000 experience points! |
After the blood boiling training session, Han Xiao was brought to dip in a special restorative bath for two hours. Although it healed his wounds, the pain from the cuts still lingered.
There was an unused machinery tuning room in the base, and as Han Xiao had demonstrated some talent with machines, he was arranged to reside there. In the room were materials, tools, and a vehicle bench that he was given free rein to use. There were also shelves of books lined against the wall. Although there was a surveillance camera in a corner of the room, Han Xiao paid no heed to it—he had expected to be monitored 24/7.
In the present year 687, Aquamarine was still a relatively new planet in the grand scheme of things. The planet was in the midst of a transition towards a ‘new era’, hence its technologies were still quite far behind for a sci-fi game, similar to that of Earth.
Mechanic talents were split into three trees. Each talent tree had over 20 talents that were divided into the five levels of basic, intermediate, advanced, expert, and master. Talents formed the core of a character’s class.
Learning a class unlocks the first talent, and subsequent talents require talent points.
There are three ways to obtain talent points: through leveling, special quests, or mastering a skill.
Han Xiao decided to hold on to his two talent points. Talents were not yet a major concern for him. Many new players spent them as soon as they got them, but talent points actually became harder to come by in the later stages of the game. They were to be used wisely.
Outside of training, Han Xiao was basically free to do whatever he could, and he spent all his time on machinery in order to accumulate as much experience as possible to escape this prison.
…
Time went by quickly.
Han Xiao continued to assemble and enhance machines to gain experience, and as he improved, his perfection rate in assembly consistently hit over 90%. This gave him a lot of bonus experience.
Although assembling the same kind of machine too many times gradually decreased the experience gained—up to a point where it would not yield any experience at all—there was an armory in the base that was essentially a gold mine of machines, providing Han Xiao with all the resources he needed to gain experience through assembly.
Han Xiao kept a low profile and continued to remain quiet and docile. Gradually, the organization also stopped monitoring him so closely.
Although the organization had high hopes for him, he knew that standing out would only be disadvantageous, so he chose to accumulate experience instead of leveling up when he could.
Very soon, the research team lost interest in him. The degree of skill that he displayed in assembly was easily attainable by trained logistics personnel, and he simply did not fulfill their expectations.
They continued observing him for another month before writing him off as a failure. Instead of wasting more time on him, they chose to devote their efforts elsewhere and ceased the 24/7 surveillance.
This allowed Han Xiao to relax a little.
As the organization’s attention gradually shifted away from him, eventually, only Lin Wei Xian and Baltar continued to keep tabs on him.
Although Lin Wei Xian’s continued requests to dissect Han Xiao for research were still being rejected, Han Xiao knew that it was only a matter of time before they would be approved. There was not much time left for him.
As for Baltar, Han Xiao had become the sole
target of his affection. As recovery pills were readily available, and the researchers believed that torture could stimulate growth, Baltar was allowed to indulge in his sadistic ways.
Han Xiao gradually grew numb to the pain.
With nothing much to do and no one to converse to, Han Xiao channeled his focus and thoughts into studying machinery. He found solace in the sense of accomplishment that crafting brought him.
…
One day, a number of armored guards came to the tuning room to move a large portion of Han Xiao’s resources away. As Han Xiao watched them quietly, a person walked up to him.
“You have let the organization down. From today onward, your resources will be cut by 80%.”
The person who spoke to Han Xiao was test subject No. 1.
“I heard that you are my predecessor. With so many resources, is all you can make garbage like this?
“You are a failure, and I have been chosen to replace you.”
For some reason, the sight of Han Xiao irked No. 1. Han Xiao remained silent.
The organization prioritized results. Since Han Xiao was not giving them results, he was being stripped of his privileges. They planned to devote their resources to grooming the more promising No. 1.
As the research lab did not have any maintenance personnel for machinery, Han Xiao still got to keep the tuning room for himself. He was now assigned to perform maintenance and repairs.
“Tsk tsk, sad rats.”
A few guards who saw the pair conversed among themselves.
“Brainwashed lab rats. Fated to be sacrificed.”
“I’d rather die than end up like that.”
“Shh, they can hear us.”
“It doesn’t matter does it? They’ve already been brainwashed anyway.”
To them, test subjects were less than animals.
Han Xiao walked away silently.
…
Half a year passed.
In this period of time, Han Xiao managed to figure out the layout of the entire facility and the routines of the staff.
The Valkyrie Laboratory, commanded by Hila, was an underground facility that comprised of three floors. Because it was a secret base, it wasn’t built to be very big, and was concealed within an uninhabited forest. Its supplies were delivered by airdrop.
A total of 60 armored guards patrolled the facility. Every now and then, the organization would send a batch of test subjects who had had their memories wiped here for experimentation.
Although there were a dozen so other Valkyrie laboratories, this base was the main one. After Han Xiao and No. 1, the Germinal Organization had managed to produce another 76 successful test subjects.
While most of them had already been transferred to other facilities, No. 1 and nine other exceptional test subjects were chosen to form a squad, and they were still awaiting orders here.
Han Xiao had grown accustomed to his life here. Aside from training, he spent all his time working with machines in the tuning room. The room had become a haven of sorts for him.
The guards gradually began to ignore his presence and when he passed by, they would simply gloss over him as though he were invisible.
This was extremely advantageous for Han Xiao, who was tirelessly gaining as much experience as he could. He also tried to memorize as many blueprints as he could.
The experience that assembly and enhancement rewarded were separate. When Han Xiao could no longer gain experience from assembling a certain machine, he would proceed to work on enhancing it. He was always careful to revert the machinery back to its original state after enhancing so as to keep his abilities a secret.
After many hours of training, Han Xiao also managed to master the two skills of [Basic Combat] and [Basic Shooting] and unexpectedly unlocked a passive ability called [Grinder], which gave him +100 Health.
He also unlocked the sub-class of [Agent], and was now at a character level of 4.
After his continued efforts, [Basic Assembly] and [Basic Enhancement] reached Lv. 4, while [Basic Combat] and [Basic Shooting] reached Lv. 2.
Mechanics required substantial amounts of resources and currency for growth, and while this would normally be a limitation to the class, Han Xiao had access to free materials from the organization.
He had used up almost 90% of the machines in the armory, accumulating a total of 600,00 experience!
Without monsters or missions, only mechanics could earn so much experience in such a short amount of time.
…
“Give Lin Wei Xian the green light. He has asked repeatedly. He may dissect Zero,” ordered the boss over the line.
Hila frowned.
“You rejected him repeatedly.”
“The organization has devoted so much resources to him already. We must gain something in return,” said the boss plainly. “The only worth that trash has is in being recycled. That, is Zero’s fate.”
Hila bit her lip.
“Understood.”
“What are the results of No. 1 and his team’s training?” continued the boss.
“Very promising. I see potential in them.”
“Very good. Send them to the Night Owl base for training, I have already sent the Night Owl squad to receive them. They will arrive in two or three days.”
“That’s the day I visit my sister!”
“You don’t need to follow them.”
“Alright.”
Chapter 5. Lightweight Mechanical Arm |
“Ha!” cried out Hila as her bullet-like fist connected onto Han Xiao’s chest.
Han Xiao endured the pain of the blow to grab Hila by her collar. With a mighty twist, he threw Hila over his shoulder.
However, it was ineffective. Hila effortlessly nullified the shoulder throw by performing a flip.
Han Xiao paused to rub his chest.
“Is that all that you are capable of?” Hila was visibly upset.
Han Xiao remained silent. He had expected the organization to have given up on him with what little progress he had shown, but for the past six months, Hila had dutifully trained with him every single day. For some reason, though, she was going especially hard on him today.
Although Hila was the commander of this base, she did not have much work to do. Training Han Xiao was actually one of the few things that she had to look forward to. When she had learnt of the boss’s intention to hand him to Lin Wei Xian, it had upset her.
Although they had never actually conversed before, it was 6 months of accompaniment regardless. A person could even develop feelings for an object if he or she spent that much time with it! Perhaps, due to having grown used to seeing Han Xiao everyday, Hila was a bit reluctant to hand him over.
“How many times has it been?” she wondered. “All those people… all those faces…”
The organization’s cruel methods had not only caused her to lose many of her friends—she had also lost her sister.
The reason she had pushed Han Xiao harder today was to try and stimulate him. She had hoped to be able to draw out any latent talent in him.
However, it had clearly been too much to ask for.
“The boss has approved of Lin Wei Xian’s request to dissect you…” She sighed.
Strictly speaking, this was the first time she had ever spoken of anything outside of training to Han Xiao.
Han Xiao’s eyes flashed.
Finally…
Although Han Xiao had been anticipating this from the moment he decided to lie low, he did not regret doing so—his background made it impossible for him to rise up through the ranks, which meant that he would only be able to continue on as a henchman. Either way, Han Xiao did not wish to work for the organization.
Suddenly, Han Xiao noticed a photograph on the ground. It seemed to have fallen out of Hila’s pocket during their fight. Han Xiao bent down to pick it up.
It was a group photo set in front of a vast, blue sea that was basking under a setting sun.
Two girls stood side by side in the cente
r. One of them was Hila, who was smiling radiantly. The other girl had snow-white hair and seemed to resemble Hila somewhat. She looked both clever and gentle.
Hila’s face changed upon realizing that she had dropped the photo. She immediately bent down to snatch for it. When she saw that it was undamaged, she let out a sigh of relief. As she pocketed it, she took a final, probing look at Han Xiao before turning around to leave.
The interface suddenly lit up with a message.
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You have initiated a D-Class Quest:
[Night Owl Plans]
Accept / Decline
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Han Xiao’s eyes lit up. My first mission in six months‽
Accept!
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Quest Synopsis:
The dark and blood-stained advent of the Germinal Organization has always been a great mystery to the Six Nations of Planet Aquamarine. Hila has a secret past that no one knows about. Where do her loyalties truly lie? You now hold one of the clues to this mystery. Will you seek to uncover the truth?
(You may choose to pass this clue on to someone else for a small reward.)
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The quest had obviously been initiated by the photo.
Han Xiao knew who the white-haired girl was. She was none other than Hila’s younger sister, Aurora.
While the sisters both possessed supernatural powers, their powers were of two extremes.
Aurora’s blood possessed mysterious healing properties that could extend life or even bring back the dead. She had been brainwashed, and was now being controlled by the Germinal. Not only were they taking advantage of her powers, they were also using her as leverage to make Hila do their bidding.
Hila only cared for one person, and that was Aurora.
The war between the six countries and the Germinal Organization reached a climax at the conclusion of Version 1.0.
As a last resort, the Germinal Organization used Aurora’s flesh and blood to create an endless supply of miracle drugs that won them the war. Hila, who had been at the front lines at the time, only learnt of what had happened a few months later.
