Apocalyptic Mechanist

Jiang Xiao frowned, suddenly remembering the Plasma Bomb from the Outer 8 Building. At the moment of explosion, arcs of electricity had splashed everywhere. Since the arcs posed no threat to him, he hadn't bothered with Source Energy defense, never expecting them to fry his circuitry.

This was a bit troublesome. Xi Ling had specifically warned him not to use other terminals for contact, as they would be monitored by the Sin City Council and the Black Mech Gang.

"I'll just have to find time to deliver Xi Guang myself."

He casually tossed the Sin City terminal aside, Jiang Xiao no longer dwelling on it. He covered Xi Guang with a blanket, then took out the Black Dragon for maintenance.

The Black Dragon Sniper Rifle hadn't been digitized by him. To digitize a mechanical creation required a continuous drain of Spirit Energy, and his Tier 1 Origin Data had limited Spirit Energy reserves.

Besides, without extreme overload, firing a few hundred or even a thousand shots wouldn't affect the Black Dragon's performance at all. Digitizing it wouldn't significantly increase its durability at the moment.

After finishing maintenance on the Black Dragon, Jiang Xiao optimized his handgun. The rifle, however, was reassembled into parts and placed back on the materials rack.

With nothing else to do, Jiang Xiao opened his personal panel, pondering his next course of action.

[Source Energy Intensity: 61 (519/1000)]
[Spirit Energy Intensity: 49 (189/2500)]

He had only gained a little over a thousand Experience Points in the Kasar Street Block this time, all of which went into Source Energy Intensity to restore his Source Energy reserves.

As for the two points gained in Spirit Energy Intensity, the Experience Points came from the remaining few mechanical data files. It wasn't as much as he'd expected, and he was still more than three thousand Experience Points away from Tier 2.

The main issue was that several of the files were about specific applications and technical directives, which didn't provide Experience Points.

Only knowledge related to principles and foundational theory could increase his professional experience and Spirit Energy experience. Furthermore, some of the data was incomplete, failing to trigger specialized professional skills.

For example, information technology, energy technology, and remote control technology were severely lacking.

In short, Jiang Xiao had finished reading all the basic knowledge the Black Mech Gang had publicly released.

He wondered if they possessed more comprehensive foundational knowledge.

He wasn't particularly interested in technical data. So far, the Black Mech Gang didn't seem to have anything remarkable. Rather than dissecting their equipment technology, it would be better to delve deeper into the technical data brought by X-21 in his mind.

Didn't understand the principles?

He could deduce them through analogy and reverse-engineering them slowly.

[Research Slot (1/1): Crude Mechanical Battle Frame, Research Progress: 78.32% (Estimated 2 more days)]

After a final glance at the research slot, Jiang Xiao closed the panel.

He wondered if the Black Mech Gang's Mechanical Battle Frame could be analyzed to yield technology related to Mechanical Soldiers.

The Mechanical Soldier wreckage Jiang Xiao could currently access was too fragmented. He couldn't analyze complete Mechanical Soldier technology from such small pieces, so he had to settle for less.

To obtain complete Mechanical Soldier wreckage, he would probably have to venture into the wilderness himself.

The Mechanical Soldiers deployed by military-industrial corporations on Prison Star were at least standard Tier 2 Martial artist level, most equipped with ranged weapons. When criminals encountered them, they could only destroy them by any means necessary. It was incredibly difficult to defeat these Mechanical Soldiers while simultaneously preserving their complete bodies.

Suddenly.

Jiang Xiao felt a sharp gaze from behind him. He instinctively turned his head.

He saw Xi Guang, who had woken up at some point. Her small body was propped up with some effort. Her face, though slightly immature, was as exquisite as a work of art, showing little emotional fluctuation.

Her crimson eyes stared directly at Jiang Xiao, her elven ears twitching slightly.

The air fell silent.

"Thank you."

After a few moments, instead of the expected wariness or questioning, Xi Guang, gazing at him, suddenly whispered her thanks.

Jiang Xiao was taken aback. All the prepared responses for a hostile Xi Guang were now useless, leaving him momentarily bewildered. He silently gazed into Xi Guang's pure eyes.

Seeing the silence return, Jiang Xiao, for reasons unknown, instinctively said, "When you say thank you, you should give the middle finger as a sign of respect."

Xi Guang, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to attention. A hint of confusion flickered across her placid expression.

After thinking for two seconds, she slowly raised her middle finger towards Jiang Xiao, a slight hesitation in her voice. "Is... is this it?"

"..."

Even more classic. A three-no's, white-haired, red-eyed beautiful girl. The creators of "Endless Starry Sky" must have Kyushu blood!

Damn it, my preferences are trembling, you bastard!

I'll have to kill a couple of Vipers later to calm down.

"I was just joking. Cough, cough, never mind. I'm a helper hired by the Spark Gang to rescue you. How are you feeling now?"

Jiang Xiao decided to abandon the explanation and instead inquired.

Hearing this, Xi Guang closed her eyes and circulated the faint Source Energy and Spirit Energy within her body. After a cycle, she nodded.

"Much better. Thank you again for your help."

Seeing the air about to fall silent for the third time, Jiang Xiao quickly spoke up, "In that case, how about I take you back to the Spark Gang before it gets dark?"

Submitting quests to 'NPCs' is a must-evaluate part of Endless Starry Sky!

Jiang Xiao's heart leaped with joy.

The Spark Gang's resource vault contained many good things, several of which would be very useful to him.

Unexpectedly, a hint of hesitation appeared on Xi Guang's face. Then, her calm expression was tinged with a slight plea. "Can I stay here for a while?"

"Why?"

"There's a traitor in the Spark Gang. I don't want to go back right now, and returning would put Uncle Li and the others in danger..." Xi Guang explained, observing Jiang Xiao's expression.

If he showed any impatience or resistance, she would leave on her own.

Still, where could she hide in such a large city like Sin City?

To recover to her peak condition, it would take at least two to three months without sufficient resources.

"Alright."

Jiang Xiao agreed without much hesitation, which instead left Xi Guang a bit flustered.

Seriously, an Esper at the Tier 2 Elite level. The entire resource pool of the Spark Gang combined wouldn't even compare. There's no need to hesitate about the choice.

Most importantly, he didn't want the Spark Gang to be destroyed. The people at the Starfire Camp needed them, and he also felt good about Li Yuan and Xi Ling.

Xi Guang felt a slight relief, sensing the chaotic warm light and goodwill emanating from Jiang Xiao. Her small expression turned serious.

"Then, thank you, Uncle Guang. I will definitely pay you a reward."

Jiang Xiao's expression froze.

Who is Uncle Guang?

Why 'Uncle'?!

Chapter 34: Xi Ling and Li Yuan Unexpectedly Arrive

Jiang Xiao stared at Xi Guang, who looked like an exquisitely crafted, oversized doll with a serious expression, wanting to say something.

Finally, under her confused gaze, he said earnestly, "Please call me Jiang Xiao, or Mr. Jiang, Brother Jiang. Anything is fine."

He couldn't lose his bottom line, no matter what. Strictly speaking, he was only 23 years old!

"Okay, Mr. Jiang," Xi Guang replied obediently.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiao nodded with satisfaction, then asked curiously, "Why do you trust me so much, Miss Xi Guang? You know you have no power to resist right now."

After experiencing so much, seeing a strange environment upon waking without questioning it, or even showing any wariness, was illogical.

Hearing this, Xi Guang tilted her head, looking at the chaotic mosaic of light beside Jiang Xiao and the pure emotional aura.

Her expression was puzzled. "Um... I really don't have the power to resist right now, so what? Why are you asking?"

My fists are clenched. They're getting hard.

'Calm down. Based on Xi Guang's personality shown so far, this is definitely not a provocation.'

Jiang Xiao took a deep breath, smiling broadly. "I mean, aren't you worried I'm a bad person? You know this is Prison Star."

"But you saved me, and the Will of Light doesn't lie to me," Xi Guang continued seriously.

"Will of Light?"

"Yes, it shows a creature's will tendency and emotional fluctuations. Mr. Jiang's Will of Light is very warm... towards Pan-Humans. At the same time, I can sense your deep, instinctual aversion to Aliens."

"Mind reading? Isn't your Esper ability Particle Destruction?" Jiang Xiao was shocked.

"It's not mind reading, I can only sense will and emotions. This is our race's innate talent, not an Esper ability."

Jiang Xiao understood. In that case, it made sense why Xi Guang trusted him so easily, without a single question or wary glance throughout their interaction.

With such a talent, she could discern whether someone was trustworthy the moment she met them.

Either she would immediately place her trust in them, or there would be no further interaction, even leading to hostility.

It seemed more useful than mind reading. Will tendencies and emotions reflected a creature's personality and essence far more than words.

An outrageous racial talent. Is this what a high-level Pan-Human race is like?

Jiang Xiao nodded slightly. "I have no more questions. In that case, Little Guang, stay here for a while. I'll go borrow some medical resources from the Viper Gang."

With that, he left the workshop decisively, leaving the pistol equipped with Plasma Bombs for Xi Guang.

Since Xi Guang didn't want to return for now, the task of treating her naturally fell to him. Not to mention her strength as an Esper, leaving the young girl to heal on her own felt a bit too much for his conscience.

Conscience - limited edition for Pan-Humans.

"Little Guang..." Xi Guang's expression was dazed, her thoughts seeming to wander again.

Time ticked by.

Xi Guang closed her eyes and channeled a small amount of Source Energy, continuously repairing some of her external injuries. In just over ten minutes, she had depleted her Source Energy.

Then, she used Spirit Energy to dispel the filth and bloodstains from her body.

Feeling less uncomfortable, Xi Guang opened her eyes and carefully examined her surroundings.

Her expressionless small face seemed to hold a hint of confusion. Mr. Jiang is so powerful, and he's still a Mechanist?

Speaking of which, Teacher Han from the Mechanics class, his physical strength is indeed very strong.

Noticing the ordinary Sin City terminal beside her, Xi Guang hesitated for a moment, then picked it up and opened the online forum.

Having been trapped in the Kasar Street Block for over half a month, she wondered how things were going with the Pan-Humans and the Spark Gang. Although she didn't plan to go back for now, she still needed to stay informed.