by <unknown>
“Looks like it’s time to learn a bunch more stuff.”
Suddenly, someone knocked the door. It was Old Lu, with a chicken leg in one hand and beer in the other.
“Little brat, what are you doing here?”
“I want to borrow a few mechanic knowledge books,” replied Han Xiao as he turned his attention back to the bookshelf, expecting Old Lu to chase him out.
To his surprise, he instead said, “The key is in the drawer. Just remember to return it when you’re done.”
Han Xiao’s jaw almost dropped.
“You actually agree‽”
Since when had they been on such good terms‽
Old Man Lu put down the chicken leg in his mouth and snorted. “Treat it as a show of thanks.”
‘Thanks?’ Han Xiao frowned.
“Are you still trying to promote your granddaughter to me?”
Old Lu’s face immediately stiffened. ‘What’s so bad about my granddaughter that’s stopping you from falling for her‽’
But that wasn’t why he wanted to thank Han Xiao. Instead, it was because the tall old man had told him that back then, Han Xiao had lured the assassin away from the workshop in order to prevent Lu Qian from getting involved. This alone had changed Old Lu’s impression of Han Xiao considerably.
“Not bad, kid,” praised Old Lu with a satisfied smile. He gave Han Xiao a pat on the shoulder before leaving him to his own devices.
As he left, Han Xiao noticed an oily handprint on his shoulder.
“That old imp.”
He proceeded to unlock the cabinet with the key in the drawer, picked out seven books, and headed back to his room.
Back in his room, Han Xiao took a deep breath as he prepared to ‘learn’ all of them at once.
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Do you wish to spend one talent point to learn the Energy Talent, [Basic Energy Theory]?
… Energy Talent, [Basic Biochemistry]?
… Energy Talent, [Basic Optics]?
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“Yes!”
Large streams of information began to fill up Han Xiao’s mind, causing him to feel like his head was about to explode. After a short period of recovery, Han Xiao gritted his teeth and continued with the other books.
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… Manipulation Talent, [Basic Electromagnetism]?
… Manipulation Talent, [Basic Mechanics]?
… Manipulation Talent, [Basic Quantum Electronics]?
… Manipulation Talent, [Basic Spatial Sense]?
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Seven sets of basic knowledge!
However, the process did not stop there. Han Xiao decided to level up these new talents.
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[Basic Energy Theory] has been raised to Lv. 3!
[Basic Electromagnetism] has been raised to Lv. 2!
[Basic Digital Electronics] has been raised to Lv. 2!
[Basic Mechanics] has been raised to Lv. 2!
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As well as some previously learned talents!
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[Basic Weaponry] has been raised to Lv. 3!
[Basic Material Composition] has been raised to Lv. 3!
[Basic Assembly] has been raised to Lv. 2!
[Advanced Material Synthesis] has been raised to Lv. 2!
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Just like that, Han Xiao spent 20 of his 21 talent points.
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You have learned a new technique: [Novice Programming]
You have learned a new technique: [Energy – Magnetism Strengthening]
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[Novice Programming] was unlocked from learning [Basic Digital Electronics]. Like Basic Assembly or Basic Enhancement, it was an integral technique for a Technician, necessary for the making of both chip sets and system interfaces.
[Energy – Magnetism Strengthening], on the other hand, was a passive ability that unlocked upon learning an Energy Manipulation talent. It did have a prerequisite, which was, of course, for the player to possess affinity with magnetism. On top of strengthening the user’s control of magnetism, it also gave a boost to machinery crafting speeds and machinery damage output, 3% per level.
Han Xiao was currently sitting on 38,000 experience, accumulated from mass producing incendiary bullets. His daily experience gain was about two to three thousand. As for money, that was the least of Han Xiao’s concerns; he had earned a whopping $3,600,000 thus far.
“It’s time to try and get the disguise blueprint!”
Before he started, Han Xiao invested a few thousand experience to raise [Basic Programming] to level 3.
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Proceed with fusing of [Lv. 1 Basic Biochemistry], [Lv. 1 Optics], [Lv. 3 Material Composition], and [Lv. 2 Digital Electronics]? (20,000 experience will be consumed)
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Talent combination, also known as talent fusing, was not only limited to the fusing of two talents. However, the cost for adding additional talents was extremely high; adding a third would only cost 5,000 experience, but the cost of subsequent ones increased exponentially. A fourth one would cost 40,000 experience.
Generally, lower leveled Mechanics would perform talent fusion with only two talents because fusing more was not guaranteed to give better results.
However, some blueprints, like the one that Han Xiao was aiming for now, could be crafted easily with the correct talents.
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Fusion successful! Congratulations on inventing [Smart Optical Mask]!
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The Smart Optical Mask made its first appearance in Version 3.0, when players had just stumbled upon multiple-talent fusing. Not only did it require the leveling of four talents across all three talent trees, it also required [Intermediate Machinery Affinity], 55 INT, Lv. 3 [Basic Programming], and last but not least, for the player to be a Technician.
Nevertheless, the Smart Optical Mask’s usefulness befitted the effort needed to obtain it.
Chapter 65. Smart Meta-Optical Mask |
Han Xiao passed a list of items to Feng Jun.
“Oh my god! BOK-recombiner, Farer IV Solvent, and 12 microchips‽ Do you know how expensive these things are?”
“I’m paying,” replied Han Xiao plainly, instantly reminding Feng Jun that they were not on the same pay scale.
One hour later, he arrived at Han Xiao’s workshop with three briefcases in hand.
The first briefcase contained three ten-centimeter-long transparent tubes that were filled with an opaque white, sticky fluid. This was the BOK-recombiner.
The second briefcase contained a small vial of pale blue solution. This was the Farer IV Solvent.
These two materials could only be made within an equipped laboratory and were extremely valuable. These two tiny vials had cost Han Xiao $120,000.
The third briefcase contained the 12 microchips. Each one was only about the size of a fingernail, and they were extremely thin. Upon closer observation, one would find that they were jam packed with circuit lines. They were commonly used for small and complex gadgets, and the set of 12 cost $60,000.
Han Xiao immediately began working on the mask.
He started by opening holes on the thin plastic mask for his eyes, nose, and mouth. Then, he carved out 12 small holes on various locations of the mask for embedding the microchips in.
Before putting the microchips in, Han Xiao uploaded the data from a scan of his own face to his computer. Using a library of over thousands o
f faces, he then spent two to three hours linking them up to a simple facial recognition and projection program on his computer.
When he was done, Han Xiao retrieved some laboratory apparatus and began to work at mixing the BOK-Recombiner and the Farer IV Solvent together. After some time, he managed to produce a composite material that was neither white nor blue like its constituents, but instead, the color of flesh.
This was the key material for making the Smart Meta-Optical Mask. Not only did it possess some of the useful properties of the BOK-recombiner and the Farer IV Solvent, it had, most importantly, good conductivity.
Han Xiao proceeded to embed the microchips beneath the mask before pouring the flesh-colored mixture over it. After a few more finishing touches, he left it to set within a special freezer.
A short while later, Han Xiao opened the freezer and reached in to retrieve the mask. Apart from where the microchips were located, the mask was extremely smooth. On its thin surface, Han Xiao had installed an advanced crystal display that, upon being pressed, caused a spectrum of colors to appear on the spot.
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You have crafted [Smart Meta-Optical Mask], gaining 5,000 exp!
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[Smart Meta-Optical Mask] – Face Equipment
Allows the user to change the appearance of his face when worn, concealing his identity. Charge 5 minutes for 10 hours of usage.
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This mask had cost a whopping close to $200,000 to make.
Han Xiao picked up the mask and walked over to the mirror to test it out. A cool sensation enveloped his face when he put it on, and he pressed gently onto the micro-chip on the cheek area to activate it. The appearance of his face immediately transformed, and it continued to change into a different face with each press.
This was by no means an ordinary mask of disguise! It was a godly piece of equipment that allowed the user to change his appearance at will!
The [Smart Meta-Optical Mask] would only ‘transform’ into the faces of humans, as Han Xiao had only fed the program data of human faces. Apart from randomly changing, it was also able to store up to three different faces for the user to access and could revert back to the last three faces used. It also had an additional function that allowed it to scan a target’s face and transform to it with a 70-80% accuracy.
After playing with the mask a bit more, Han Xiao removed it and headed back to headquarters to look for Gu Hui.
“You’ve created your mask?” asked Gu Hui.
Han Xiao smiled and put the mask on.
As Han Xiao did not intend to reveal the mask’s transformation capabilities just yet, he had prepared it to display the face of an ordinary-looking young man beforehand.
To Gu Hui, it simply looked like an extremely realistic mask. However, while Division 13 could already make such masks, none of them were as realistic as Han Xiao’s. Furthermore, not only did it seem to be extremely portable, it was clearly very easy to wear.
“Interested in selling the blueprints to us?”
Han Xiao faked a burst of laughter.
“It’s just a simple mask, why would I need a blueprint to make it? You guys can make them too, right?”
‘That’s true,’ thought Gu Hui to himself.
Inwardly, Han Xiao let out a breath of relief upon seeing Gu Hui give up the idea.
‘I managed to fool him!’
“Then,” continued Han Xiao, “can I join the operation?”
Gu Hui thought for a moment before nodding.
“The Hesla Intelligence Service has decided to join us for this operation. You will come along with your team.”
Han Xiao had known that Hesla would agree to taking action. It was the Germinal Organization, after all.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Han Xiao asked, “When do we depart?”
“There’s no rush. It will take some time to arrange our forces, plus, we will both have to work on a proper strategy first. It’ll most likely be half a month before deployment.”
‘Half a month,’ thought Han Xiao. ‘That will be enough time for me to finish up my equipment.’
…
Back in his workshop, Han Xiao wrote his goals down on paper.
One, to obtain even more rare blueprints.
Two, to purchase a vehicle for his team. As a logistics personnel, a vehicle equipped with all the maintenance and crafting tools he needed would be invaluable.
Three, to upgrade the [Fighter Suit].
“Ah, so much to do. One at a time, I guess.”
Han Xiao shook his head.
The most important thing was still to raise his own combat ability. There were a few ways to do this.
The first and most important way, in Han Xiao’s opinion, would be to improve his defensive capabilities. After all, survival was key.
The second was to enhance his long-ranged offensive capabilities. For this, Han Xiao planned to enhance his Berserk Eagles.
While Han Xiao did prefer fighting from a distance, close-combat ability was still important on the battlefield, so he also planned to upgrade the Mecha Arm.
As for mobility, the Swallow Gliders that had been collecting dust in his inventory were finally going to see use. As the terrain around the Black Raven Valley Base was extremely rough, they might end up proving invaluable to have.
Han Xiao also decided to prepare a little something in the event that the battle did not go their way, a little something explosive.
After giving it quick thought, Han Xiao scribbled down another list of materials for Feng Jun to help him procure. The total cost of the items on the list cost around another $300,000.
Feng Jun found himself growing more and more exasperated at Han Xiao, but fortunately for him, the higher-ups had known before that Han Xiao would be a pain to deal with, so they had given him a raise. For the sake of his $25,000 monthly wage, plus insurance, he relented to act as Han Xiao’s errand boy.
Feng Jun sighed as he looked up to the sky dramatically.
‘With great power comes great responsibility, I guess.’
Chapter 66. Upgrades (part 1) |
Feng Jun immediately got the items delivered to Han Xiao, prompting Han Xiao to sarcastically praise him for being an exemplary worker. He joked that he would shower him with a pennant, among other rewards, causing Feng Jun to roll his eyes. After teasing him, Han Xiao returned to his workroom to begin work on his equipment.
Having leveled up both [Basic Weaponry] and [Basic Mechanical Engineering], the effectiveness of Han Xiao’s enhancement was now much higher than before. He took out the two Berserk Eagles and began to perform modifications on them, upgrading them with better materials and spare parts.
‘My days of poverty are long gone; I’m a rich man now!’
With Han Xiao’s proficiency in modifications, the process was completed in no time.
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Berserk Eagle (Enhanced)
Grade: Uncommon
Base Stats:
Damage: 74-87
Fire Rate: 1.5/s
Magazine Capacity: 8
Range: 50m
Power Output: 45
Prerequisite(s): Lv. 3 Precise Shot
Stat Bonus: +2 Dexterity
Length: 0.21m
Weight: 1.9kg
Additional Effect: Backfire – The recoil of this gun is extremely powerful, requiring 30 STR to overcome.
Additional Effect: High Impact – When attacking, 10% chance to deal bonus 15 damage if the target is within effective range.
Additional Effect: Dual-shot – This gun has been modified with the capability to fire up to 2 bullets per shot (20% damage penalty).
Tooltip: Come on, we all know what gun this is based on. Desert— cough.
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With Han Xiao’s current skill levels, there was a 30-
40% chance of upgrading a common equipment to uncommon when performing enhancement. Although Han Xiao was now the proud owner of two uncommon guns, they came with the prerequisite of Lv. 3 Precise Shot. Even though this prerequisite did not prevent Han Xiao from wielding them, it would cause their effectiveness to be greatly diminished.
Shaking his head in exasperation, Han Xiao inputted some experience to raise Precise Shot to Lv. 3, which gave him an additional 3% Accuracy and 4% Critical Chance.
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As you have achieved Lv. 8 in Basic Shooting and Lv. 3 in Precise Shot, you may learn one of the following three advanced skills:
Sniping
Gunfighting
Suppression
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For the first time, Han Xiao found himself in a dilemma over which skill to pick.
Although shooting skills were essential to Cannon Masters, they were also important for Technicians. The three abilities displayed before Han Xiao clearly represented different styles of combat.
As the Berserk Eagle was made for close-combat, Gunfighting would make for a logical choice. However, Han Xiao also needed to think further ahead.
At end game, Technicians were strongest at long-ranged combat, so they rarely had use for risky, close-combat skills. Suppression would aid in sieging or holding forts, but it would only be effective with a partner to provide tactical support. In contrast to these two skills, Sniping was far better suited for solo action.
Han Xiao scratched his head as he thought about it.
‘I’ll have to work alone sooner or later anyway, plus it’s better for me to keep myself far from danger, unlike a player who doesn’t have to worry about his life. For me, sniping is the best option!’
In Han Xiao’s previous life, the dazzling and breathtaking style of Gunfighting was a popular choice among players, and even professional Cannon Masters would learn it just for the cool factor.
However, as a pragmatist, Han Xiao could hardly give two hoots.
‘Who cares about looking good during combat! It’s not like I’m doing this to see the stream chat praise me.’
At this thought, the Great Technician Han finally made his decision.
