by <unknown>
Han Xiao stood before the two of them, pondered, and said, “The strength difference between the two of you is too huge. Reynold, I will teach you first. Sylvia, you can observe from the side.”
The power difference between the two was way too high. The knowledge that seemed too deep for Sylvia would just be fundamental for Reynold. Of course, he was not going to teach them at the same time.
As soon as Han Xiao finished speaking, Sylvia opened her eyes wide. How could her teacher teach the newcomer first?
She instantly felt indignant and gave Reynold a fierce glare, only to realize that he was not even looking at her at all, so she could only bloat her cheeks and turn away angrily.
Bringing Reynold and the angry Sylvia aside, Han Xiao cleared his throat and prepared to start the lesson. This time, Reynold took out a pen and notebook with lightning speed from his pocket.
“Er, what are you doing?”
“Recording the lesson content.” With a very serious face, Reynold quickly jotted down this conversation.
After taking a peek at the notebook, Han Xiao’s mouth twitched, and he said, “There’s no need to note casual chitchat…”
“No, any parts missing is disrespectful for you.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better for you to video…”
“No, as a Mechanic, observing all the details is a way of training too.”
Reynold wrote down this conversation without hesitation, even drawing Han Xiao’s expression when speaking. The speed of a Mechanic’s hands was undoubtedly fast, so he was done recording almost as soon as Han Xiao finished speaking.
How stubborn. He’s more like a Mechanic than me…
Han Xiao now had a rough understanding of this new comrade of his. He then started to officially teach the lesson.
It was called a lesson, but it was more like sharing his knowledge. What Reynold really needed was High-End Knowledge. After all, it was very difficult for him to make money. Plus, he did not have as many channels as Han Xiao did. Hence, Han Xiao slowly explained the High-End Knowledge to him.
Reynold was not a player, so he could not learn it instantly and had to slowly absorb.
Reynold listened extremely carefully, and his pen never stopped moving. Sylvia was completely lost. This knowledge was too deep for her—she could not understand it at all.
Clenching her teeth, Sylvia forced herself to focus and memorize the content even though she did not understand it. Reynold’s appearance made her feel threatened; she did not want to get left far behind.
After teaching Reynold, Han Xiao then taught Sylvia.
Reynold did not leave however but listened at the side. Even though what Sylvia was learning was way too fundamental for him, he did not show any sign of being impatient and still listened attentively.
Time passed by slowly.
Han Xiao finally stopped his lesson. He looked at the time and announced the end of the lesson before leaving in a hurry to continue building his machines.
Sylvia and Reynold were the only ones left in the room, looking at each other.
“Er, if you have anything you don’t understand, I can teach you too.”
There were still many days ahead, so Reynold thought that he had to build a good relationship with Black Star’s apprentice. He gave a smile that he thought was very friendly and charming.
However, he rarely smiled, so his smile was ferocious no matter how it was looked at.
“Who needs you to teach me?” Sylvia rolled her eyes. “You’re new, so you should call me big sis, do you know that?”
Reynold frowned.
Oh no, is he angry? Sylvia suddenly felt a little regretful. Reynold could easily butcher her with one hand. He was even stronger than Herlous.
To make someone this strong lower his head to a barely Grade C Super, he would probably think it was a form of humiliation.
However, Reynold stayed silent for a while then nodded.
“Big sis,” said Reynold with a serious tone.
“Ah, are you really calling me that?” Sylvia was shocked. With an awkward face, Sylvia said in an unnatural tone, “I was just kidding.”
“No, you’re right. I just thought about it. Since I’m new, calling you big sis is what I should do. I was ill-mannered earlier, I apologize. Thank you for reminding me.”
There was not a single sense of unhappiness to be found on Reynold’s face. His expression was earnest, and his tone was serious as always.
Sylvia’s face stiffened. She found it difficult to deal with how serious Reynold was. She giggled and said, “No need. You don’t have to be so serious. You can just call me by my name.”
“No, I have to call you big sis, or it’s too disrespectful,” Reynold said solemnly. He even lowered his head to show his respect.
Sylvia felt her scalp tingle and could not take it anymore. She quickly carried her books and ran away.
…
After he finished interviewing the mercenaries, Han Xiao almost spent all the time in the days after that updating his combat mercenaries.
“It’s finally done!”
Ten days later, Han Xiao’s excited voice came from his personal machinery modification room.
Chapter 603. Machinery Innovation! |
In the room, a strong metallic stench lingered. There were even heat waves in the air caused by the high temperature of melting steel.
Han Xiao had long become accustomed to such a smell. He hurriedly took out the last machine from the rapid cooling box, transforming it into a compressed orb, before placing it on the desk.
The table in front of him was lined with compressed orbs, all of which were new-generation machines.
This new generation of machinery was crafted with his Grade A Mechanic skills. Be it technical content, attributes, functions, and power, it had completely surpassed the older generation of machinery created when he was at Grade B. Thus, the machines replaced all his old equipment to become his new primary weapons.
His previous generation of equipment was unable to keep up with the battles at the Calamity Grade and was relegated to backup equipment.
This time, Han Xiao’s comprehensive equipment outfitting could be said to be the largest scale he had done so far.
The original combat style had not changed; it was still his continuous stream of soldiers with the Army Style. Han Xiao had only strengthened these current styles.
Buzz!
With a flash of Mechanical Force, a portion of the compressed orbs were activated. Following the clanking sounds of machinery whirring to life, thirty-six new generation Hovering Shield Shuttles floated up, revolving around Han Xiao.
The new generation Hovering Shield Shuttle, codenamed [DT-03 Nano Transformed Floating Guard]. The whole set was labelled ‘Watcher Instrument’.
Compared to the Halo Array of the previous generation, many aspects of the Watcher Instrument showed a definite change. The first was the shape of the Hovering Shield Shuttles, which had turned into a diamond shape. They had more edges and corners, and the color had also changed from white to a deep red. The connecting lines gleamed brilliant gold from the Kyle Alloy used.
In terms of function, the most significant change was the energy. Each floating shuttle was equipped with an ultra-micronized plasma arc reactor. It adopted the process of cold nuclear fission to generate sufficient energy with extremely low radioactivity, giving them high power outputs. The power output could also be adjusted at will. This equipment set was immensely strong, a dark purple Grade.
With the addition of two more High-End Knowledges, [High Class Energy Control] and [High Energy Weapon Control], Han Xiao had utilized them to create this new generation of machinery. He had even raised the blueprints of his machinery to the highest level, obtaining some potential points to cover his original reserves. It took a total of twenty-one potential points to upgrade both high-end knowledges to level five and four respectively.
Thus, just in terms of looking at his energy portfolio, he had al
ready obtained good technological skills for it.
This time, he focused on strengthening his equipment. Reforming the energy cores was one of the main objectives, and the majority of his machinery had basically been swapped out to now contain controlled nuclear fusion technology.
The blueprints of the nuclear fusion reactors also had different drawings. Of which, the Plasma Arc Reactors were the best grade of blueprints that Han Xiao had obtained. The technology could be summarized as internally energized to form a magnetic field, which would heat the plasma and promote the fusion reaction. Not only was it efficient, it was also clean and controllable.
Above this High-End Knowledge would be Cutting-Edge Knowledge, which was about the study of stronger yet more unstable energy sources, such as antimatter and psionic energies. Generally speaking, only the Star Cluster Civilizations would possess Cutting-Edge Knowledge, so Han Xiao had to be satisfied with High-End Knowledge for now.
In the short term, Han Xiao had no intention of getting any Cutting-Edge Knowledge. Because he specialized in the Virtual Mechanic profession, the Cutting-Edge Knowledge in the Energy and Armed Branches would now cost three times their initial potential points. He only had two extra potential points left.
With a flicker of his Mechanical Force, Han Xiao began to operate the Watcher Instrument, testing out various functions.
The first was the most basic artillery power. He had Phillip open the weapon test module of the machinery modification room, and an alloy wall rose from the ground.
Hum!
The golden lines of the Hovering Shield Shuttle started to glow with a blue light, and the edges and corners at the tip of the shuttle suddenly unfolded, turning into a circular caliber gun. A blue laser beam blasted out, easily penetrating the alloy wall, leaving a smoking hole that could be seen from both sides.
“The penetrative power is indeed strong…” Han Xiao nodded. While the interface had described the weapon’s attack power, he had a habit of testing it himself. He followed up by switching the weapon forms, testing the blasting type, assassination type, the subduing type, and the full blast type.
Because the energy output was controllable, it possessed multiple attack settings.
Han Xiao also tested the Watcher Instrument’s shield durability. Unlike the Halo Array, a single floating shuttle of the Watcher Instrument could form a shield, with a high durability attached to it.
The most convenient feature of the Watcher Instrument was its Nano-Transforming ability. They could be combined with each other to become a larger caliber floating cannon or shield, and they could also be turned into a hand-held cannon. The Watcher Instrument could even transform into battle mode, turning into a Berserk Ape mechanical suit. Each of the miniature plasma arc reactors would continuously supply the mechanical suit for a wide range of uses.
“It is indeed worthy of being a Grade A mechanic’s weapon.”
Without any additional machinery, Han Xiao believed that Herlous could be beaten with just this Watcher Instrument.
Satisfied with the floating shuttle, he activated another pile of compressed orbs.
This time, the machinery that unfolded was the Giant Mechanical Hand. After replacing its energy core, the various functions had been significantly improved.
The Giant Mechanical Hand had always been a multifunctional equipment. It belonged to the Prosthetic category of machinery, where it could be used to slap, and the fingertips and palms could release ion cannons. It could also be turned into a compressed orb to hide in one’s hands and feet to begin the series of chain attacks.
The machine could also be turned into an electromagnetic lock, used to suppress a target, or it could be changed into various tools to alter the terrain. It was quite versatile.
Han Xiao had also added new functions to the Giant Mechanical Hands. They could now merge with each other and become a single entity over hundreds of meters tall, akin to the Buddha’s Palm of legends.
They could also be combined into an aircraft vehicle. Although the Berserk Ape mechanical suit was capable of interstellar navigation, it was only for a single passenger. The combination of the Giant Mechanical Hands could carry a small squad.
Talking about aircraft vehicles, Han Xiao had also developed an important piece of machinery.
[Short-Range Hyperdrive Engine]!
This blueprint came as a result of combining [Basic Spatial Technology], [Advanced Radar technology], [Interstellar Navigation Technology], and [Advanced Applications for Quantum Entanglement].
Unlike the large hyperdrive engines of the interstellar spaceships, this short-range hyperdrive engine was mainly used by individual soldiers or small aircrafts.
Of course, even though it had short range in the name, that was only compared to the normal hyperdrives in spaceships.
The Short-Range Hyperdrive Engine also had a limit—it needed a long period of time to locate the coordinates. The short-range hyperdrive engine had a charging time of twelve seconds, where the user could not move or break the connection, or else they would experience coordinate deviation, which could be fatal.
And its minimum cooling time was two minutes.
The BlackLight Stealth’s microsecond hyperdrive was made by the Federation of Light, which was currently too complicated for Han Xiao to replicate.
Even though that was the case, his current device was still quite useful, allowing one to shift their troops strategically in a battlefield or to rush to a destination.
Han Xiao had already installed one of them in the Berserk Ape as well as some of the aircrafts. The effect was great, equivalent to a mechanical version of Hexflash [1. Hexflash is the shortened name for Hextech Flashtraption, a rune/skill seen in League of Legends (LoL).].
As for the burden shouldered by the single target while in hyperdrive, it was nonexistent to Han Xiao.
As a void species, his resistance to space was naturally extremely high.
Other than the enhancement to individual equipment, the Mechanical Army had also undergone significant innovations.
The first task was to fully restore the original four legions: Number 001, [Mechanical Beast Guards Army]; 002, [Strike Artillery Regiment]; 003, [G-1 Steel Army Corps]; and the Elite Troops Number 101, [Oathkeepers]. At the same time, Han Xiao had also slightly increased the size of the legions.
Building on these, Han Xiao had added another two legions.
Number 004, [G-2 Heavy Armor Riders]!
This unit consisted of 600 heavy-loaded mechanical soldiers. They resembled huge men riding on high-speed propulsion vehicles. Their way of attacking was charging forward as the vanguard, with a strong impact to cut through the formation of the enemy. These heavily armored riders were mainly melee, equipped with weapons such as high-temperature blades, high-speed drills, and spiral wheel saws. All the weapons could easily set off a bloody storm.
Number 005, [Mini Cube Troops]!
This was a special unit consisting of 1,500 micro-mechanical warfare soldiers. Such a mechanical soldier was dubbed the ‘magic cube robot’. It measured only the size of a normal human palm, but even if something was small it could still contain the essentials. They possessed a high level of combat quality, and their size could work to their advantage on some occasions. This was why Han Xiao had created this army.
This unit also possessed an auxiliary function. The drawings of the ‘magic cube robot’ was derived from the knowledge [Super Nanometer Force], which would allow them to combine with each other to form a larger mechanical soldier. Each individual cube could be understood as parts of a larger mechanical soldier, and these parts could move freely and reshape at any given time.
At present, the scale of his Mechanical Army had reached 20,000. The number was still rising, as new mechanical soldiers were still being produced every day in the workshop.
The extra manufactured mechanical soldiers would either be directly merged into the various legions or used as backups.
In addition, the weapons of al
l mechanical soldiers had been upgraded, such as adding shock converters to the melee weapons, high pressure blades, and so on.
Plasma cannons, heat ray cannons, and radiation guns had been added to the slew of ranged weapons. The enhancement was also reflected in the turret structure, as Han Xiao had created a new type of turret.
Ammunition and detonation bombs had also undergone a reformation, having new devices such as vacuum oxygen detonation bombs, space warping bombs, thermonuclear mines, miniature nuclear grenades, and the new orbital sniper bombs.
Other than the original combat mods, Han Xiao had created two more battle tactics.
The first was the Restrain and Control Style.
Han Xiao had obtained a blueprint of an electromagnetic superconductor particle, about the size of a grain of rice. He had manufactured a lot of them, and placing them in a pile made them resemble some sort of black sand.
Superconductor particles contained strong magnetism, which could be manipulated through mechanical force.
This set was also known as ‘Electromagnetic Adsorption Marsh’. When activated, the superconductor particles would resemble a black wave, carrying with them a strong electromagnetic force. Once they reached the target, the particles would entangle the target, releasing the adsorption force and binding the target.
The longer the controlling time, the wider the coverage of the superconductor particles, and subsequently, more difficult for the target to break free. Through mechanical force, the adsorption and its shape could be varied, which allowed this equipment to actively capture the target.
This was a strong crowd control device that lacked lethality. Han Xiao’s inspiration for this came from Ember’s fighting style, and Han Xiao’s electromagnetic adsorption marsh also controlled particles, which resembled Ember’s ability.
His second combat mode could be called the ‘Dirt Cheap Style’.
In his previous life, players had named this style as the Tactical Support Style.
A few months ago, when DarkStar attacked Planet Aquamarine, they had used the main cannon to strike at himself from outer space. That was called Tactical Support.
