Apocalyptic Mechanist Section 7

[Research Slot: FT Alloy Shuriken Bullet (1/1), Research Progress: 0% (Estimated completion in seventy-one days)]

[Tip: Researching an item requires the player to continuously occupy 20% of their brain's computational power and Spirit Energy (Current Spirit Energy and Intensity are too low)]

As expected, the job system has high requirements for both Source Energy and Spirit Energy; neither can be dispensed with.

"Looks like I'll have to make do with the aliens for now."

Chapter 7: Who is the Hunter, Who is the Prey

Sin City, Outer Regions.

A sprawling complex of low-rise buildings, stretching for kilometers, was brightly lit. The pungent smell of machine oil permeated the air, and thick black smoke stained half the outer sky of Sin City a gloomy dark.

The gate, casually constructed from armored vehicles and wreckage of mechs, saw aliens constantly coming and going. Some left with new equipment, their faces beaming with joy, while others returned with mechanical remains, their expressions downcast…

This was the headquarters of the Black Mech Gang, one of the most powerful gangs in Sin City!

They controlled nearly 80% of Sin City's equipment modification, mechanical, and repair maintenance businesses, as well as 40% of the weapon trade!

Roughly one-third of the weapons on the entire Frontier Prison Star were essentially 'hand-crafted' by the mechanics of the Black Mech Gang, granting them an extraordinary status in Sin City.

Yet, despite being such local overlords, the atmosphere today felt exceptionally oppressive.

In a secret underground chamber within the Black Mech Gang's headquarters, three figures sat opposite each other in silence. The over a hundred alien mechanics standing guard were as quiet as cicadas in winter, occasionally exchanging glances before shaking their heads slightly and remaining mute.

"The Three-Phase Square Box is lost. Speak, how do we handle this?"

Finally, one of the three figures, a humanoid alien with a pointed head and three twelve-fingered arms, broke the silence.

"The Three-Phase Square Box is key to the plan. Without it, the completion time will be delayed by at least thirty years. Every day of delay adds to our risk."

"A bunch of idiots! Three warriors, equipped with our most advanced individual weapons, and they were played like a fiddle by a pan-human!"

Another spider-like alien, carrying a mechanical arm on its back, spoke with anger.

"We must retrieve the box, or at the very least, destroy it. If the guards and other gangs find out that the advanced airdrop contained this item, things could spiral out of control!"

"During the Great Purge, we couldn't send anyone into Old Capital, so we had to entrust..."

Before the two could finish, the last figure, a jellyfish-like mechanic about a meter tall who had remained silent, raised a tentacle and interrupted their conversation.

The room fell silent once more.

This was not only because it was the leader of the Black Mech Gang, but more importantly, the box was something it had acquired.

"We cannot entrust outsiders. I spent over ten years on this plan, combined with my network outside the prison star, to arrange the airdrop supply inspection team and have the box enter the prison star under the guise of a 'Precision Mechanical Arm'.

If we outsource this or make a big fuss, it might arouse the curiosity of other gangs. Once the patrol fleet investigates, we'll all be finished."

"The pan-human won't recognize the box; its exterior was custom-made. The box will likely be discarded or hidden by him. Notify the Black Mech Gang's hunters in the Old Capital ruins to go and look." the jellyfish mechanic said coldly.

"If they don't find it, then have all Black Mech Gang hunters capture the human warrior alive under the pretext of 'provoking the Black Mech Gang' and interrogate him about the box's whereabouts!"

Throughout the entire discussion, no one mentioned the possibility of the box being destroyed. After all, it was a high-end product of a mid-level civilization, its casing made of reinforced alloy from a mid-level civilization. Forget a Tier 1 warrior, even a Tier 3 wouldn't be able to damage it.

Meanwhile.

Sin City was abuzz once again due to Jiang Xiao's high-intensity hunting.

Without weapons or intel, instead of trying to escape Old Capital and avoid hunters, he was actively attacking hunter prisoners and even insectoids. So far, everything alive that had appeared before him had been attacked, without exception!

It looked as if he was pursuing slaughter for its own sake.

At a bar somewhere, a group of low-level prisoners were cheering.

"Hahaha, that's great! It's fantastic! Those greedy merchants from the Black Mech Gang are finally taking a big hit. An entire strike team wiped out. His crime for entering the prison star couldn't be 'Massacre', could it?"

"Massacre? The cheapest things in the universe are intelligent beings. 'Assassin' is too low a charge. It'd be better to steal the panties of a high-ranking executive's daughter from a star corporation."

"???"

"That's right, most people entering the prison star are for stealing classified intel from mid-to-high-level civilizations, robbing official ships, or planning and participating in rebellions. To get into prison for just mass murder, you'd have to storm an important life planet of a low-level civilization and wipe out an entire city, at least!"

"Why not an extreme racist?"

In a corner of the bar, a figure shrouded in a black robe paused, looking at the scene on the large, clunky television with an unreadable expression.

He murmured, "Pan-human, a fellow human? If I could invite him to join the gang, it might slightly alleviate some of our staffing pressure..."

Slaying the last basic raptor, Jiang Xiao let out a long breath. He tested his physical strength, which had once again surged significantly, and a smile appeared on his face.

Then he looked at his status panel, and his expression froze.

[Player: Jiang Xiao (Mechanist)] [Level: Tier 1 · Elite] [Talent: Origin Data] [Source Energy Affinity: Good (AFK Cultivation Speed: 5 EXP/h)] [Source Energy Intensity: 30 (0/200)] [Spirit Energy Intensity: 5 (31/45)] [Research Slot: FT Alloy Shuriken Bullet (1/1), Research Progress: 0.23% (Estimated completion in fifty days)]

[Fusion Slot: Empty (0/1)]

[Inventory: Precision Industrial Box (1/1)]

With 30 points of Source Energy Strength, he officially entered the ranks of Tier 1 Elite martial artists. The increase from 29 to 30 was comparable to the amplification from the previous six or seven points of Source Energy Strength!

On the former Doran, he would have been considered an elite guard. The only difference was in Source Energy Battle Skills.

"I didn't expect the experience required for different stages within the same tier to be different..."

Evolution reaching 90% marked Tier 1 peak, which was 46 points of strength, requiring a total of 3200 experience points.

The experience deficit was greater than anticipated.

Returning to the alien encampment, Jiang Xiao loaded over ten firearms, ammunition, and supplies onto an armored jeep. He then dismantled the precision parts from several other vehicles, extracting the drive batteries for later use.

With everything prepared, the armored jeep's magnetic engine hummed, and it accelerated sharply out of the first-floor hall.

A surveillance satellite immediately allocated a monitoring unit to track Jiang Xiao.

The performance of the two Source Energy Battle Blades in his hands caught the attention of many buyers from primitive civilizations.

In response, the Alliance Army Starport immediately increased its surveillance; this was extra income for the Prison Star's garrison fleet!

Jiang Xiao knew that Old Capital was undoubtedly under close watch at this moment. He had no intention of using Origin Data outside, at most maintaining his dataized state.

The armored jeep sped along the main road. Jiang Xiao didn't stop unless his personal terminal issued a warning.

Along the way, he encountered four alien prisoners, none of whom were martial artists.

As dusk approached, Jiang Xiao slowly drove the jeep into a secluded corner and climbed onto a tall building with his main weapons, including a sniper rifle.

It wasn't for rest. A Tier 1 martial artist wouldn't feel tired even after seven or eight days without sleep.

Having set up his sniper rifle, Jiang Xiao smiled meaningfully, fiddling with a wristband.

This was a communicator, something he'd found at that small alien outpost. It was so crude that the retrieval panel only provided its name. Jiang Xiao inspected it with Origin Data and detected a small component continuously sending out a signal.

Location!

As long as he carried it, certain hunters would likely know his position, and that was precisely the result Jiang Xiao wanted!

Actively hunting was too troublesome. Finding advantageous terrain and waiting for the prey to come to him was much more convenient.

Jiang Xiao waited quietly, humming an unknown little tune.

After an unknown amount of time, his personal terminal vibrated slightly.

#Electronic signal detected approaching#

Glancing at the radar map in the upper right corner of his vision, Jiang Xiao looked up at the sky not far away. The mask's goggles quickly magnified the image.

Two hundred meters away, a four-rotor drone hovered in the night sky, its camera pointed in Jiang Xiao's direction.

"Hmm? They located me this quickly?" Jiang Xiao raised an eyebrow.

He decided to stop hiding. Standing up, he raised a middle finger in the drone's direction, a smile on his face.

"Ciallo~ (∠?ω<)⌒★"

Crack!

Staring at the infuriating smile on the screen, the burly alien in the coat almost crushed the control tablet. He took a deep breath.

"That two-legged monkey is on the roof of a building 1.4 kilometers away. Prepare to move in. Remember, we want him alive!"

"Seven Tier 1 martial artists to capture a lone Tier 1 Ordinary martial artist. I can't believe there's a chance of failure. This job is too easy."

"Hurry, hurry, finish the mission from above quickly. Maybe this time I can afford a set of mecha."

Three jeeps started simultaneously and charged out of the ruins, rapidly approaching the building where Jiang Xiao was located.

The clash of multiple martial artists immediately drew the attention of the surveillance satellite and the Sin City high-altitude monitors.

Numerous betting pools appeared in the Sin City nightscape.

"Place your bets, place your bets! Can the Pan-Human God of Slaughter survive the encirclement of seven martial artists of the same tier!"

"Woohoo, this is what I want to see!"

"Awesome! Combat, awesome!"

"I'm betting on the martial artist team, three thousand Sin Coins!"

"I'm betting on the martial artist team too!"

"Hmph, a bunch of unmotivated trash, I'm betting on that human martial artist, three Sin Coins!"

"Damn it, you're trying to screw with the odds, go get him!"

In contrast to the lively Sin City, in a space underground on the outskirts of Sin City, over a dozen figures sat together watching a worn-out television on the ceiling.

A weathered middle-aged man was silent for a moment, took a few puffs of his cigarette, and said, "A Ling, could it be that the human martial artist you want to bring into the gang is him?"