Old Sun

"Idiot, this is a weapon implant chip, not electronic junk!"

"Moron, the rifling on these barrels isn't finished properly. Do you want people to smash our shop?"

"Throw out that virtual sensor you've been hiding! What, you don't have it? Do you think I'm deaf? Don't you know that thing broadcasts its sound?"

In the east corner of the flea market, the familiar scolding from Aunt Xiang's voice echoed from Old Friend Gun Shop early in the morning. For most scavengers, the first day of the morning began with Aunt Xiang's tirades.

"Fat Xiang, your mom scolds you every day, why aren't you ever angry?" a stall owner next to them teased.

Fat Xiang replied honestly, "If Mom scolds me, it's definitely because I've done something wrong. It's not Mom's fault."

"You pig, I told you to move those things! Why haven't you come back yet!!"

Fat Xiang and the stall owner exchanged a look. For some reason, Aunt Xiang seemed particularly irate today.

When Fat Xiang carried a pile of metal tools back into the shop, he saw Aunt Xiang sitting on a chair with her arms crossed, her expression shifting unpredictably as she seemed lost in thought.

Fat Xiang scratched his head, his bulky frame carefully navigating the cramped shop.

"Mom, I'm going to finish the rifling."

"Wait, you watch the shop for a bit, I need to go out," Aunt Xiang said, getting up to leave. She then added, "Remember what I told you. You can accept items, but give them the money when I get back. And if someone comes to buy a gun, don't sell to anyone who isn't a regular!"

"Mom, I heard you clearly."

Looking at the still dazed Fat Xiang, Aunt Xiang couldn't help but scratch the top of his head.

"Idiot!"

After Aunt Xiang left, Fat Xiang remained lost in thought, perhaps wondering why those women last night weren't wearing any clothes.

Aunt Xiang hurried through the flea market and arrived at the scavenger settlement outside Automobile City.

The air was filled with an indescribable stench.

Everyone here was disheveled and barely clothed, most of them with faces covered in pustules or limbs that were deformed.

Scavengers were descendants of refugees, surviving by picking through junk on the outskirts of the city.

Aunt Xiang skillfully stepped over a pile of fresh excrement and walked to a relatively clean wooden house in the slum, knocking forcefully on the wooden door.

"Old man, open up quickly!"

"Who is it?" an old man with white hair, holding a wine bottle, rubbed his eyes and opened the door. He was very surprised to see Aunt Xiang.

"Why are you here?"

"Why can't I be here? I drink in the morning, I drink at night, aren't you afraid of drinking yourself to death!"

"That would be a rather pleasant way to die," the old man grinned, limping to the table and sweeping the messy items onto the floor. He then unfolded a folding chair that hadn't been used in a long time and patted it.

"Sit, sit, don't be a stranger. It's truly an honor to have you here. It's been years since we last met, hasn't it?"

Aunt Xiang glanced around. There were unfinished bottles of cheap alcohol, piles of garbage, and a dirty bedside table. The only clean spot was a photograph on the wall, filled with young people, all smiling brightly. Each young person held a large cold weapon, stained with blood.

Seeing this, Aunt Xiang's expression improved slightly, but she still said bluntly, "Old Sun, get yourself a prosthetic and tidy up a bit. With your skills, you shouldn't be living this miserably."

Old Sun chuckled self-deprecatingly. "With my skills? What skills do I even have left? You've already changed careers and started selling guns."

Aunt Xiang was silent for a moment, then handed over a design blueprint. "I've taken on a big order recently, and time is tight. I need your help. Once it's done, I'll pay you two thousand Mech Coins as compensation."

"A big order, two thousand Mech Coins!?" Old Sun was taken aback at first, his eyes lighting up. A moment later, they dimmed, and he said with a bitter smile, "Who needs these old-fashioned Beast Hunters anymore? Those brats, they'd rather carpet bomb from eight hundred miles away. Besides, these large Beast Hunters are for dealing with Radiation Beasts of C-class or higher. Aren't rockets more effective?"

"Just think of it as some kid's daydream. Anyway, the money's there. Are you in or out? Give me an answer!"

"I'm in, why wouldn't I be? Two thousand Mech Coins, I could build a house with just the bottle caps!"

"I think you're beyond saving!" Aunt Xiang almost swore, but seeing the photo, she finally let out a long sigh.

In the Four Seasons Cloud Residential Area, on an apartment building called 'Big Tree', a Head-Dog strutted arrogantly down the stairwell, as if no one else was there.

It reached the third-floor corridor. On the thick layer of dust, faint footprints could be seen.

The Head-Dog immediately became timid, cautiously sticking to the wall, its head swiveling left and right, afraid of being ambushed.

There were several doors ajar in the corridor, and the rooms inside were all empty.

The Head-Dog became arrogant again, letting out "Woof woof" sounds, occasionally adding "SB," likely a remnant from the artificial soldiers.

It walked all the way to the elevator door. The elevator door was tightly shut. The Head-Dog leaped lightly onto the fire extinguisher cabinet, then jumped again, its claws pressing the elevator button.

The elevator didn't respond.

This was normal; not every floor had Radiation Organisms.

The Head-Dog shook its head, standing upright facing the elevator door, its hind legs supporting its body. Its front paws were spread outwards, and the arrogance was evident on its expressionless head.

As if provoked, a rumbling sound suddenly came from inside the elevator. The next moment, with a "ding," the indicator light on the elevator door illuminated, and over a dozen Radiation Zombies lunged at the Head-Dog.

Name: Armed Radiation Zombie

Radiation Level: F+

HP: 105/120

Stamina: 95/100

Bio-energy: 55

Biological Attributes: Strength 9, Agility 6, Stamina 13, Intelligence 6, Perception 5

Skills: Metal Strike Lv5, Gang Up Lv4, Bite Lv3

Notes: These are zombies that are adept at using tools.

The Head-Dog's expression changed drastically, and it turned to flee. Its tail stood high, longer than its entire body. This was originally the tail of a Giant Radiation Hound, a superior bio-conductive material. Gao Gong had modified it, hollowing out the interior, adding a battery, and installing an enhanced sensor. This not only boosted the Head-Dog's top speed to 30km/h but also added an early warning mode.

Currently, it seemed this early warning mode wasn't very effective.

Armed Radiation Zombies are an upgraded version of Radiation Zombies. The biggest difference between the two is that they have started using weapons. These radiation zombies were armed with household chainsaws, household pistols, or household katanas. It was clear that the original residents of this building were quite formidable.

The Head-Dog's greatest advantage was its small size. It tumbled down the stairwell in a few swift movements. By the time the zombies rushed down, they were met with a dense white mist.

The moment the zombies encountered the fog, they immediately lost their sense of direction.

Normal smoke bombs produced dense smoke from burning white phosphorus, but the mist that enveloped these zombies was more like boiling water vapor – viscous, dense, and steaming hot.

Under the effect of this "water vapor," the slight radiation on the zombies was suppressed to a great extent. The consequence of this suppression was a rapid decline in their senses.

Subsequently, a figure charged into the mist. With each flash of the blade, a head fell.

[You have killed a Chainsaw-Armed Zombie, EXP +20]

[You have killed a Pistol-Armed Zombie, EXP +35]

[You have killed a Taser-Armed Zombie, EXP +30]

A string of plus signs flashed across the system until the last zombie was bisected by Red Unicorn's strike, separating its upper and lower halves. Only then did the notifications finally cease.

"Another wave cleared."

Even though they were just Radiation Zombies, the accumulated experience of nearly 400 was satisfactory for Gao Gong.

After all, that was four artificial soldiers!

Gao Gong's equipment had also been updated. He wore a black leather suit tanned from Giant Radiation Hound hide. Although some performance was lost during its creation, it was impenetrable to small-caliber bullets.

The "smoke bomb" he had just thrown was a specialty similar to Grenade Fruit, called Water Tobacco Leaf. It was specially processed and, when ignited, absorbed a large amount of water vapor while integrating special chemicals. These chemicals could effectively block radiation and disrupt the senses of Radiation Beasts.

The tactical boots on his feet came from a Radiation Beast called Flame Ox. Its belly hide, due to prolonged contact with radiation sources, was not only resistant to fire and high temperatures but also possessed a +1 Stamina attribute.

As for the anti-magnetic goggles on his head, they allowed him to pinpoint the true form of Radiation Beasts in the concrete jungle where electromagnetic fields were often disrupted.

There were also other miscellaneous items. Although they were all considered "white-level" equipment on the system panel, here, their effects were comparable to "fine" grade items.

These were the tools that classic Mechanical Hunters had proven effective through their lives.

He was also having a big one custom-made.

During this period, his earnings of Mech Coins and experience points had been quite substantial.

On average, Gao Gong could earn 3000 Mech Coins and 2000 experience points per day.

A continuous week of grinding would yield 21,000 Mech Coins and 14,000 experience points.

This was a terrifying number. Based on Gao Gong's past life experience, if he were a player, his earnings would be at most one-tenth of this.

This wasn't because Gao Gong's combat power was overwhelming, but rather because by the time players could participate in the story, the Iron Sand Desert was overrun with hordes of Radiation Beasts, each led by at least an A-class Beast General, and every city had become a heavily fortified beast den.

Most of the time, the loss of a single player's life exceeded their gains from killing monsters.

However, Gao Gong was still not satisfied with the current situation. While grinding low-level monsters was satisfying, he was preparing for something big.

"Come out!"

Gao Gong suddenly called out.

No one responded, but a faint sound came from the lower level of the stairs.

Gao Gong abruptly leaped out of the building. While in mid-air, he forcefully flicked his wrist, and his Steel Claw shot out, latching onto the edge of the wall. He yanked hard with his arm, tightening the steel cable. Gao Gong drew a beautiful crescent shape in the air.

He descended from the third floor directly to the second.

Steel Rope Claw, a must-have weapon for classic Mechanical Hunters.

Although the maneuver was cool, he only dared to jump like this from the third floor. If it were the tenth floor—he feared death.

However, his follower was clearly startled by this sudden action and stood there, frozen and unmoving.