One shot followed another, with less than two seconds between them.
More than a dozen aliens had yet to recover from their leader's sudden death when another warrior's chest suddenly burst into a spray of blood and flesh!
Thud! Thud!
By the time the surviving aliens reacted, four of their companions had already been sniped!
"Damn it, a sniper! Doran! Doran! Find the enemy's attack..."
The bullet pierced the alien's head, and the creature roaring toward the building where Jiang Xiao was immediately fell silent.
With the aliens' web of fire gone, the dozens of attacking Raptor Bugs seized the opportunity and began their charge!
The ground, the building, the surrounding alleys...
The dense scraping of claws drew nearer from every direction. The panicked aliens hurriedly opened fire, but their chaotic resistance had little effect!
With a scream, the small position built by the aliens was officially breached.
"Open fire! Open fire, quickly!!"
"No, they're everywhere! They're... aaah!!"
Through the Sniper Scope, Jiang Xiao watched the aliens descend into chaos and could not help smiling.
I struck it rich—and even got a free airdrop.
Profession System Unlocked, Talent Ability!
Thin morning mist drifted between the ruined high-rises. The metal frameworks that had once supported the buildings stood like giant skeletons amid the ruins, tottering on the verge of collapse.
Jiang Xiao, who had not slept all night, shifted his body, drew a deep breath, and pulled the trigger!
The Raptor Bug wandering mindlessly outside the building instantly exploded, sending chunks of its remains flying.
The sun rose, and the Raptor Bugs that had seemed like ghosts beneath the night sky had nowhere left to hide!
The aliens seemed to have lost quite a few bugs last night. Through the Sniper Scope, only seven or eight could be seen scattered outside. When one of the bugs died, the Raptor Bugs outside the building immediately let out furious roars.
Several more Raptor Bugs then charged out of the building, after which everything fell silent again.
Chambering another round, Jiang Xiao kept firing until only fifteen bullets remained before stopping.
There were still five or six Raptor Bugs in the ruins, but they no longer posed any threat to him.
Source Energy Intensity: 29 (17/100)
Jiang Xiao was now more than just a little stronger than yesterday. His physical strength alone was probably more than twice what it had been yesterday!
He was only a little short of becoming a Tier 1 Elite Warrior!
Shouldering the sniper rifle, Jiang Xiao searched the alien warrior's corpse and found a large-caliber pistol and some bullets before leaving the rooftop.
He hurried toward the alien position, encountering no surviving Raptor Bugs along the way.
Jiang Xiao was in no rush to hunt them. With a look of anticipation, he entered the alien position and began searching.
He casually tossed the rifles and pistols into a pile, but his brows furrowed slightly. Strange. I haven't found any advanced equipment. What exactly was in that airdrop crate?
His gaze shifted, then suddenly stopped on the cargo bed of an armored jeep.
A silvery-white metal cube with sides just over a meter long had been securely tied down. Its shell was bright and brand-new, completely out of place in its surroundings.
Could a Battle Royale airdrop contain something other than equipment?
The red markers representing the Raptor Bugs on the radar map were some distance away. Jiang Xiao walked straight toward the metal cube.
Three-Phase S9 Precision Industrial Integrated Square Box: Precision Industrial Equipment from an Intermediate Civilization. It could process any type of mechanical component from 0.05 nanometers to 15 centimeters. (Data blueprints required.)
Industrial Equipment?
Before Jiang Xiao could react, an interface he had never seen before suddenly sprang into view!
Confirmation complete. You have obtained a Primary Precision Industrial Integration Hub.
The requirements to unlock the Special Profession · Mechanist have been met.
Please select a Main Profession: Martial Artist (locked), Spellcaster (locked), Politician (locked), Military Strategist (locked), Star Pirate (locked)... Mechanist (unlocked)
Please select a Sub-Profession: Martial Artist, Spellcaster, Politician... (Please select a Main Profession first. The Main Profession and Sub-Profession cannot overlap.)
Note: The Main Profession cannot be changed after selection.
The Profession System?!
Jiang Xiao's mind shook violently, and he was overwhelmed with delight.
He had never expected the first function to unlock would be the most core Profession System. He knew all too well what that represented!
The professions of the Endless Starry Sky were not specialized types. They were broad occupational directions and did not determine whether one possessed a Talent Ability or Source Energy aptitude.
For example, if one chose Politician, one's awakened Talent Ability and Source Energy tendencies would align with that profession, such as manipulation, affinity bonuses, and greater ease in gaining others' trust.
Moreover, the things players acquired afterward and the functions of the Profession System would also lean toward their Main Profession!
In the game, players had to choose a profession before entering a map. Jiang Xiao had not expected it to arrive only after so long in reality. He had thought he would have to wait much longer.
"There's only one choice, yet they still gave me so many options..." Jiang Xiao muttered helplessly.
In reality, he was not disappointed. Even if every profession had been available, Mechanist would still have been one of his top choices!
Nothing else matters—it's all about versatility!
Politician, Military Strategist, and Star Pirate could be taken up by anyone with sufficient ability and skill, even without a profession. The same applied to Martial Artist. If his stats were high enough, who would dare say he was not a Martial Artist?
Spellcaster and Mechanist, however, were among the few Special Professions with unique features!
The Spellcaster's Fusion Spell Slot and Instant-Cast Spell Slot, as well as the Mechanist's research charge and trait fusion, were powerful effects that one could only encounter by chance.
Especially in a starry-sky setting where technology and legions reigned supreme, research-oriented professions like Mechanist and Spellcaster were even better suited.
After all, this was not a game. Jiang Xiao could not choose a profession with the attitude of playing around simply because it seemed interesting. Compatibility with the environment came first.
If he had transmigrated as an imperial prince competing for the throne, he would definitely have prioritized the Politician profession.
Provided he had a choice.
"I choose Mechanist!"
Confirmed: Mechanist.
Profession System unlocked.
Your understanding of mechanics and Learning Ability have increased.
Awakening Talent Ability in progress.
Awakening complete—Origin Data.
Origin Data (Basic Effect): Datafication of the life values, Durability Values, physical/energy traits, and other attributes of mechanical creations under your command and yourself...
Before the values reach zero, the creations and you will suffer no substantial damage or malfunctions.
Reminder: More Talent Ability effects must be developed and comprehended independently.
Research Slot: Empty (0/1). Please provide an item fragment (at least 50% intact), or damaged blueprints and data.
Fusion Slot: Empty (0/1). Please provide two or more types of energy or matter.
Item Slot: Empty (0/1). The current Item Slot can store only one item no larger than five cubic meters.
Remaining functions · loading...
Note: The current Research Slot and Fusion Slot can only charge items of Tier 1 strength or below.
Holy shit! Datafication?!
So this really is the Fourth Calamity?
Jiang Xiao's evaluation of this Talent Ability was simple—it was too sinister!
With Datafication, the concept of being wounded no longer existed. This was only the Basic Effect. It was entirely possible to develop it into a power that truly deserved to be called the Fourth Calamity.
"Personal Panel!"
Player: Jiang Xiao (Mechanist) Level: Tier 1 Talent Ability: Origin Data Source Energy Affinity: Good (Idle cultivation speed: 5 Experience Points/h) Source Energy Intensity: 29 (17/100) Spirit Energy Intensity: 1 (0/45), Spirit Energy will automatically convert into Origin Data Streams Research Slot: Empty (0/1) Fusion Slot: Empty (0/1) Item Slot: Empty (0/1)
If he remembered correctly, every point of non-tiered Source Energy Intensity only required fifteen Experience Points, right?
The corner of Jiang Xiao's eye twitched, and he felt an ominous premonition.
He could not give up either Spirit Energy or Source Energy. The former was the core power of the Talent Ability and Mechanist, while the latter was the foundation of life. In simple terms, life intensity, senses, thinking and calculation efficiency, and so on were all tied to Source Energy Intensity!
He had thought killing monsters for Experience Points was efficient enough, but apparently there were even greater experts out there. Going by this ratio of Experience Point consumption, would he need to activate the Sky Burning Divine Weapon and commit genocide just to have enough in the future?
He wondered if there were any other ways to obtain Experience Points.
Jiang Xiao had never placed much hope in the idle function.
Any Source Energy cultivation method would improve Source Energy several times faster than idling. The Frontier Prison Star definitely had Source Energy cultivation methods.
"Forget it. I'll deal with the matter at hand first."
He drove the jeep into the building and, after confirming that satellites and similar equipment could not monitor it, placed the Three-Phase Industrial Square Box into the Item Slot.
He then took out a sniper-rifle bullet. "Research."
The bullet vanished instantly.
Before you continue