Confirmed. Proceed with material fusion?
Notice: The fused material item will have an extremely high probability of possessing all the strengths and weaknesses of both fusion materials simultaneously (or causing the weaknesses to be amplified), and an extremely low probability of analyzing a small amount of technical data.
Jiang Xiao's eyes lit up slightly. So even if the result is terrible, the fused item will still retain the Industrial Square Box's precision-processing function?
Then what was there to hesitate about?
Wasn't this worth a gamble? With a guaranteed fallback, if he didn't take the chance, he wouldn't even be able to sleep peacefully in the future!
The worst outcome was that he would spend another ten years slowly escaping prison. Not to mention how long a Primary Starfield Human could live, just advancing to become a Tier 2 Source Energy Martial Artist would increase his lifespan considerably.
"Fuse!"
Fusion Slot (1/1): Starfield Broodmother Egg + Tri-Phase Precision Industrial Box... (Estimated time required: thirty days)
Jiang Xiao's heart surged with uncontrollable anticipation.
He never expected that rescuing Xiao Xi would bring him an unexpected gain. The Starfield Broodmother Egg was one of the rarest special items in the Star River. The front line would use every possible means to prevent them from entering the Star River.
It was a top-level contraband item among all the civilizations of the Interstellar Alliance.
After closing the panel, Jiang Xiao turned his thoughts to carefully organizing the information he knew.
First were the broodmother's forces in Old Capital. It was confirmed that there was a mutilated Starfield Broodmother there, and it posed little threat. However, there seemed to be plenty of ways to make use of it.
Second was the Precision Industrial Box that the Black Mech Gang had somehow obtained. They clearly had a major scheme in mind, and it was almost certainly related to escaping prison as well. However, the Black Mech Gang's plan was probably different from the Sin City Council's.
The Two clearly had not cooperated.
The Sin City Council was luring the Zerg Fleet to attack the spaceport, while the Black Mech Gang was building a spacecraft. At first glance, the logic seemed sound.
But once the Zerg Fleet was truly lured over, a spacecraft cobbled together by the Black Mech Gang from materials found on Prison Star would have almost no chance of escaping the Zerg Fleet's attack!
The Sin City Council couldn't possibly trust the Black Mech Gang. They must have had a more reliable way to leave Prison Star.
Moreover, the Black Mech Gang apparently didn't know about the Starfield Broodmother Egg. Otherwise, the current situation would absolutely not look like this.
Although Jiang Xiao didn't pay much attention to the news or the conflict in Sin Capital, even he knew that the Sin City Council had recently been heavily suppressing the Black Mech Gang's channels for obtaining resources and had tried every possible way to cut off their access to mechanical materials.
News even occasionally broke that some factory belonging to the Black Mech Gang had been blown up.
Even if they were merely putting on an act, there was no need to interfere with their acquisition of materials and blow up their mechanical factories, right?
After all, the construction of a mechanical factory couldn't be hidden from the spaceport. If the two sides were truly working together, the components for building a starship would also have to be manufactured separately in these factories.
"Sin City Council, Black Mech Gang, Industrial Square Box, Broodmother Egg...
The Sin City Council and the Black Mech Gang don't seem too anxious about losing the Bug Egg and the box. I wonder if they have backup plans.
Looks like I have to muddy the waters to get more opportunities. Then I'll start with the Sin City Council."
Chapter 37: Gains and Modification
Before long, Jiang Xiao pushed open the partition door, only to find that Xiao Xi was the only one left on the second floor of the Mechanical Workshop, sitting in a chair and staring blankly.
"When did Chief Li and Qian Ling leave?"
"Twenty-four minutes ago. Uncle Li asked me to say he was sorry for the trouble." Xiao Xi's tone was as flat as ever.
Jiang Xiao nodded to show that he understood. The two of them had several hundred Pan-Humans and Starfire Camp to support. Since Xiao Xi was fine, they naturally had to return to handle matters. Moreover, if Chief Li Yuan left for too long, it might attract the attention of an insider.
"There are several partitions on the second floor of the Mechanical Workshop. Xiao Guang, pick one as your bedroom. You can't keep sleeping in a recliner."
"Okay."
"Also, there are some Source Energy supplements among the supplies I seized from the Viper Gang. Use them as you need, Xiao Guang. Tell me if you run out."
"Okay."
Seeing how obedient Xiao Xi was, Jiang Xiao couldn't help reaching out to pat her head. He hadn't expected her to show the slightest resistance or confusion. She merely stared calmly at his face.
"Ahem, anyway, try not to leave the workshop during this period. It'll be troublesome if you're discovered."
Jiang Xiao awkwardly withdrew his hand, but couldn't help sighing, "Your personality is kind of like a cat."
Without disturbing Xiao Xi's rest any further, Jiang Xiao went to the workbench, took out the linked terminal, and began deriving some missing theoretical formulas.
There were a great many gaps in the electromagnetic formulas between the knowledge of Basic Electromagnetism and the data provided by X-21. Without any relevant textbooks, he could only derive them slowly. Fortunately, this wasn't difficult for him now.
It only required time.
He didn't know how much time had passed when Jiang Xiao widened his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Damn it, why does X-21's Electromagnetic Control Theorem conflict with the Primary Civilization's basic theorem?"
"Mr. Jiang, the X-21 series is a downgraded product of an Intermediate Civilization under the Universal Conglomerate. Compared to a Primary Civilization, the greatest gap an Intermediate Civilization has lies in Microscopic Technology. Naturally, it won't be easy to understand using only the Primary Civilization's Macroscopic Force Formula."
A cool voice came from nearby. He turned his head, and a flash of bright white entered his view.
Xiao Xi, her expression calm, held a cup of hot water and extended it toward Jiang Xiao. "The Intermediate Civilization's electromagnetism is a combined application of microscopic and macroscopic principles. Theorems and formulas have..."
Jiang Xiao instinctively memorized it, then wore an astonished expression.
"Xiao Guang, you're actually so knowledgeable?"
Xiao Xi replied calmly, "I only memorized some theorems and knowledge by rote. They were taught in our compulsory education."
"..."
So this is the difference in educational environments? Jiang Xiao sighed.
As for why the educational methods of Intermediate Civilizations didn't involve memory implantation, it could only be said that Intermediate Civilization technology was highly advanced. Even the volume of data in an obscure Technology System was more than an ordinary citizen of an Intermediate Civilization could withstand. At most, they could implant some basic common sense and ordinary knowledge.
The status of this ordinary knowledge was roughly equivalent to high school knowledge from Earth's era.
Furthermore, for Martial Artists and Espers, forced memory implantation would affect their Consciousness Purity. Jiang Xiao didn't know what Consciousness Purity was, but it was an accepted fact that it would affect their subsequent advancement.
It would also affect the scientific inspiration and talent of geniuses. These were all interstellar common-sense facts tested through trial and error by countless civilizations.
Even so, Primary and Intermediate Civilizations couldn't pass down knowledge through spoken language and writing the way Earth did.
Once lifeforms in the Star River evolved to a certain degree, they would possess a certain amount of Mental Power even without psionic energy. Combined with writing, most Interstellar Civilizations had a special form of writing known as Mental Language. A single sentence contained more information entropy than a month of study on Earth, and it was also difficult to forget.
As he drank his water, Jiang Xiao looked at Xiao Xi. "How many theorems and pieces of knowledge do you still remember, Xiao Guang?"
"Hmm... I only remember a small part of the basics of physics, mathematics, and chemistry. Do you want me to recite them?" Xiao Xi looked at Jiang Xiao.
"Sure. Sorry for the trouble."
Although the lack of lower-level knowledge and the derivation process meant it wouldn't be of much use for the time being, gaining even a little benefit was still a profit!
Moreover, after returning to the stars, obtaining advanced knowledge might not be easy. The Interstellar Alliance strictly prohibited higher civilizations from transmitting knowledge to lower civilizations. The freedom of mutual exchange only applied to civilizations of the same level.
A lower civilization wishing to enter a higher civilization had to submit an application, which then had to be confirmed and reviewed by the higher civilization they intended to visit.
For the next two days, aside from hunting at night, Jiang Xiao and Xiao Xi stayed in the Mechanical Workshop.
During that time, Xiao Xi's injuries recovered somewhat. Dealing with a Tier 2 Regular Martial Artist was no longer a problem for her; only her psionic energy and Source Energy had yet to recover.
There was nothing to be done about it. Not everyone was like Jiang Xiao, able to instantly recover their mana by increasing their strength a little through Experience Points.
This was also why the upper echelons of the major gangs on Prison Star rarely fought to the death. Once they exhausted their Source Energy and psionic energy, it would take at least two or three weeks to recover fully!
The third day, Mechanical Workshop.
Xiao Xi sat in a corner chair with her eyes closed, meditating as she slowly recovered her Source Energy and psionic energy.
Jiang Xiao, meanwhile, excitedly waited for the progress bar in the Research Slot to finish.
Jiang Xiao had tried Xiao Xi's Meditation Method over the past two days. It wasn't anything advanced; it could only increase his Experience Points by 45 in an hour, which was equivalent to three times the rate of idling.
It was less efficient than killing two Viper Clan members.
Research project completed
A massive stream of information surged forth, but Jiang Xiao's expression didn't change in the slightest. Compared to the information sea of X-21, this amount of information was less than five percent.
Of course, it was more than ten times the amount contained in the Shuttle Bullet.
Precision Mechanical Structure Design, Drive and Bearings, Interactive Applications, materials...
The technological similarity between Mechanical Prosthetics and power armor was extremely high. Jiang Xiao fell into thought. The full name of power armor was Mechanical Power Armor, and mecha were nothing more than larger versions of power armor.
The technologies he had analyzed weren't high-end. Many of them didn't even seem to reach the level of Galaxy Civilization, hovering around the boundary between Planetary Civilization and below.
The reason this Mechanical Body could possess Tier 2 strength was most likely that its core components were made from the remains of Mechanical Soldiers from a Galaxy Civilization.
It seemed that the Black Mech Gang hadn't fully mastered this part of the technology and could only modify it using existing components.
After thinking it over, Jiang Xiao tried combining the X-21 technology with it. A moment later, a smile appeared on his face.
It really worked.
Then he also had an idea of what to do next—enhance its mobility!
In a city environment like Sin Capital, with its countless buildings, mobility didn't refer to speed or agility. It meant mobility across vertical terrain!
Like Spider-Man's webbing.
Jiang Xiao's idea was to imitate the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment from his memories and design a set of mobile equipment with powerful jumping ability that could also move along vertical walls.
This wasn't difficult. The framework of Sin Capital's buildings was made entirely of steel, making Magnetic Energy Technology highly suitable.
In addition, some of the technology had slight similarities to Mechanical Soldier Technology. Perhaps he could try designing a Mechanical Soldier?
"No rush. I'll try turning these handheld devices into intelligent mechanical arms first. Looks like I'll need quite a lot of parts and metal."
Jiang Xiao took out the terminal that Qian Ling had newly replenished and entered a series of commands.
He then sat in a chair, wiping his weapons while thinking deeply about the uses of these technologies.
Before long, several dark figures entered the Mechanical Workshop through a new underground passage on the first floor. Xiao Xi had dug this passage while training her Esper abilities, and it led directly to an abandoned building more than three hundred meters away.
Qian Ling, Bruce, and two Starfire Gang elites quickly carried the materials up to the second floor.
The two elites immediately became excited when they saw Xiao Xi and repeatedly thanked Jiang Xiao. Bruce stared at Jiang Xiao with an extremely complicated expression.
He never would have imagined that the young man who had sent Xiao Xi back at the time possessed such formidable abilities. It was truly unbelievable.
Sin Capital had still underestimated the Old Capital Killing God.
"What's up, Old Bruce? Did I get more handsome?" Jiang Xiao noticed Bruce's gaze and joked with great familiarity.
Bruce remained elegant and smiled warmly.
"Mr. Jiang has always looked quite good. Also, Xiao Xi asked me how you've been lately, so I came along."
"Good. Of course I'm good. Starfire Camp will be even better in the future," Jiang Xiao replied decisively.
Before you continue