Desert Worm

"You're smiling so creepily!" When she saw Huang Yuanli again, the young woman looked disgusted.

"Am I?" Gao Gong touched his face, looking serious. "Can my face even make a creepy expression?"

"Ugh~~"

Sister Rose was in a good mood yesterday and took him for a joyride until nightfall. Gao Gong wasn't a coward like Little Finger; the near Mach 0.5 speed made him feel incredibly thrilled. His hormones were pumping, and his muscles were fully stocked with endorphins. In short, he felt just right after getting off.

Then Sister Rose took him for another drive. In terms of performance, the Grass Cutting Hunter Blade 430 couldn't compare to her at all.

So, Gao Gong's mood was exceptionally good today. He felt the sunlight was so warm. Oh, there was no sunlight in the desert, only warm nuclear radiation.

"Hey, I told the people in the tribe about your business. Some agreed, some disagreed. Fortunately, the Clan Elder overruled the objections, saying we could make contact first."

Clan Elder? This organizational structure is a bit ancient.

"But Professor Han was very angry and scolded me when I got back!"

Professor Han? How did the title suddenly become so modern?

Then Huang Yuanli glared at Gao Gong hatefully and said, "As a result, you didn't show up for several days, which led to me being scolded again. Many people in the tribe secretly called me a liar!"

Gao Gong smiled and didn't explain. Fishing required a balance of tension and release. If he had been too enthusiastic, the other party might have suspected his intentions. Even if they eventually cooperated, he would have been severely overcharged.

He changed the subject and asked, "So, how does your tribe's leader plan to cooperate with me?"

Huang Yuanli glanced around as if someone might still be nearby. "Well, the Elder's intention is, can you get us a batch of those things, like the gun you have?"

"This one on me?" Gao Gong glanced at the high-precision sniper rifle slung over his shoulder. "That's a bit difficult."

As Huang Yuanli's disappointed eyes met his, Gao Gong smiled again. "But if it's just ordinary firearms, that's no problem."

Sister Rose's integrity was exceptionally high. Not only did she not take advantage of him, but the next day she sent enough materials to make three 'High-Speed Micro-Machine Finger Tigers.' Some of the rare metals were even contraband that military warehouses wouldn't sell.

Moreover, as a reward for Gao Gong's performance last night, Sister Rose also had someone send him a high-quality sniper rifle. He wondered if it was a hint.

Name: Cat Demon

Category: Sniper Rifle

Quality: Fine (Custom Template)

Weight: 7.6kg

Base Attributes: DPS: 39 Attack Power: 78 Attack Speed: 0.5 attacks/sec Attack Range: 3120 meters

Additional Attributes: Big Sniper (+32% kinetic damage) Berserk (+11.2% critical hit rate)

Plugin Slots: Arrow (Weapon reload time -5%)

Notes: A weapon obtained by selling one's body, yet used to target others' bodies. Hmph, what a scumbag.

"But if I provide you with firearms, what can you give me? You probably don't have many Mech Coins, right?" Gao Gong tapped his chin. "Your electronic bee seems quite good."

Huang Yuanli looked a little embarrassed. "I can't give that to you. Everyone in the tribe only has one. But as long as we're in this Hope City, if there's anything you want, I can take you to get it. We know many areas you don't."

Hope City? Gao Gong's thoughts shifted, and he continued:

"So, you mean I provide you with firearms for free, and in exchange, you take me scavenging?"

"Uh, this—"

Seeing her struggle to say anything, her face turning red, Gao Gong didn't press his advantage. Instead, he gave up easily and changed the subject. "That's fine, I guess. But let's agree beforehand: whatever I get, I'll give you firearms of equivalent value based on its worth. Is that okay?"

"Of course, of course." Huang Yuanli breathed a sigh of relief.

For the next week, Huang Yuanli, the 30-year-old young woman, led Gao Gong deep into the urban area. Although the city was densely packed with high-rise buildings, mostly concrete jungles, there were still other areas.

For example, heavy metal wetlands that were once construction sites, radiation paradises that were once zoos, small mechanical creature settlements in the slums, and sewage systems that had become snake nests.

It had to be said that having such a guide greatly increased Gao Gong's hunting efficiency.

As long as he had a specific request, such as what level of Radiation Beast, or a mechanical beast with thick armor, its weaknesses, and where it usually operated, Huang Yuanli could always provide accurate answers.

It might be offensive to say, but she was much more useful than a dog.

Soon, Gao Gong's experience points and Mech Coins returned to five digits.

He didn't hold back and upgraded all five of his professional knowledge to Lv4.

A craftsman must first sharpen his tools. The remaining Mech Coins, he planned to save to buy a smart armored vehicle.

Huang Yuanli's relationship with him gradually became closer. Although there was no charm attribute in the game, between opposite sexes, being good-looking was definitely an advantage; at least it was pleasant to look at.

Gao Gong also gained a deeper understanding of Huang Yuanli. Her personality was completely different from her appearance; she was carefree and clumsy.

If she weren't clumsy, she wouldn't have stuck so close to him during their first meeting.

The only thing she had in common with a proper loli was her gluttony.

Their 'Cable Tribe' seemed to have mastered a technique for processing irradiated meat, but the processed meat tasted extremely bad. According to her, it was like plant roots mixed with feces.

She even brought a piece for Gao Gong to try, but Gao Gong, looking at the pale lump of meat in her hand that looked like it had been expired for three years, absolutely dared not take a bite.

This period was also one of Huang Yuanli's few good times. Not only did she not have to risk her life hunting, but she also had delicious energy paste every day. Her job was to wander around and watch Gao Gong display his might.

She weighed herself yesterday and found that in just one week, she had gained three pounds. What a sin.

"Shh!" Gao Gong pressed Huang Yuanli's head, which was about to pop out, signaling her to be quiet. Then he pulled open the gun rack, his right eyelid flickered rapidly, switching to aiming mode.

A string of numbers flashed across his optical implant.

Distance: 2114 meters Wind Speed: 3.4 m/s Incline Angle: 26 degrees Brightness: 46% Target Length: 1.3 meters, Width: 0.3 meters Movement Speed: 1.4 m/s

"Finally got you!"

Gao Gong muttered to himself. In his vision, a snake-like creature was swimming through the heavy metal mire.

Huang Yuanli's eyes widened too, and she held her breath.

Gao Gong gently pulled the trigger. The next moment, a faint explosion sounded from the silencer, and Gao Gong's right shoulder jolted.

[You dealt 101 damage to the Desert Worm]

The creature seemed not to have been killed in one shot, still struggling to burrow into the swamp.

But the second shot that followed ended its life completely.

[You dealt 62 damage to the Desert Worm, you have killed the Desert Worm, EXP +50]

"Let's go take a look!"

Gao Gong dismounted the gun rack and rushed forward excitedly.

He had been looking for this thing for almost a week.

"What do you want this big bug for?"

Huang Yuanli looked at the large bug Gao Gong was dragging out of the heavy metal swamp with a look of disgust.

"This is good stuff!"

The creature was like an earthworm as thick as a thigh. The only difference was that its surface was covered in flowing metallic liquid, and upon closer inspection, this metallic liquid was secreted from its pores.

Name: Desert Worm Type: Mechanical Bio-Beast - Oligochaeta - Metallid Radiation Level: E- HP: 120/120 Stamina: 50/50 Biomass: 36 Biological Attributes: Strength 3, Agility 4, Endurance 10, Intelligence 2, Perception 6 Skills: Metal Devour LV5, Metal Secretion LV6 Notes: Mechanical beasts that feed on metal are not uncommon, but those with blood vessels and sweat glands that can secrete metal are extremely rare.

Scavenger City was not only large but also dangerous. Even with Huang Yuanli as a guide, finding a specific type of mechanical bio-beast was very difficult.

The key was that the Desert Worm itself was an earthworm-like species that lived in various swampy areas. They often remained motionless for three to four days. Without x-ray vision, it was impossible to find them.

But the good thing was that they were a gregarious species. If you found one, it meant there were at least a dozen more in this heavy metal swamp.

The reason Gao Gong insisted on finding it had to do with the Tier 3 skin blueprint he had obtained, [Desert Skin]. The sweat glands of the Desert Worm were the most crucial material for this [Desert Skin].

With this skin, Gao Gong wouldn't have to walk his dog and grind monsters every day. It could help him intercept electronic signals within his body, allowing him to actively attack like a true classical mechanical hunter.

More importantly, this [Desert Skin] was his first step towards the Carbon-Based Flow.

Before reaching level 10 and changing professions, he had to increase the modification rate of one of the human body systems to 9%. Not mechanical modification, but biological modification.

Mechanical Flow + Carbon-Based Flow was the path Gao Gong intended to take.

This path was called Fusion Ascension.

Among the six Tier 9 civilizations, the most powerful, the "Eternal Machine Dynasty," followed the path of Fusion Ascension.

It was the strongest among all mechanical civilizations.

It was also the strongest among all carbon-based civilizations.

And during the period of the Cataclysm invasion, it was one of the few top-tier civilizations that could fight the Cataclysm one-on-one.

Since "making a waifu" couldn't save players in his previous life, and he himself had been transmigrated, He had to take the strongest path in this life, and could only take the strongest path.

Looking at Gao Gong, whose eyes were gleaming at the sight of the Desert Worm, Huang Yuanli couldn't help but shiver.

This guy doesn't look like it on the surface, but could he be a pervert inside?

Gao Gong said excitedly, "Before it gets dark, let's catch a few more."

This guy really is a pervert!

Gao Gong was unaware of her thoughts. All he knew was that with this, he wouldn't have to worry about mechanical rejection during his first biological modification.

By the end of the day's hunt, Gao Gong had caught five Desert Worms.