Desert Skin

"Look, these are the results of my efforts these past few days!"

The next day, in the back alley shop, Little Finger proudly presented the finished products.

There were three types of finished products. The first was a pale, implantable bionic skin. The second was a glass bottle containing a cream similar to a skin cream. The third was a syringe filled with a transparent liquid.

These three were different quality versions of "Desert Skin," each with a different method of use. The first type required implantation of the bionic skin, the second required application to form a cellular immune coating, and the third was a direct injection.

The effects of the three were also different.

Gao Gong picked up the somewhat rough bionic skin first, and the system automatically displayed its attributes.

Desert Skin (Whiteboard): A full-body artificial skin that protects the human body's moisture and hinders the transmission of electronic signals. Stamina +2, Agility +2.

Applied Status: Hydrated, Stamina recovery increased by 5% per minute.

"This thing is a bit ugly," Gao Gong said, touching it. It felt like touching a chameleon's skin, with a granular surface.

"It's good enough that it's usable," Little Finger pouted. "Those people would give anything to replace all their organs with implantable weapons, why would they care about looks? Anyway, with the virtual experience machine, you can do whatever you want in there."

"Virtual experience machine, huh? Haven't played that antique in years," Gao Gong said nostalgically. Although players in games couldn't do certain R-rated things, everyone had their own ways, and the virtual experience machine was a special channel.

Back in the day, when he transformed into Mr. G and developed the super virtual machine with 99.99% realism, that feeling...

Ahem, a hero doesn't boast about past glories.

Gao Gong picked up the "skin cream" again. This was much better than the artificial skin. At least you didn't have to peel off your skin before using it.

Desert Skin (Fine): Forms a cellular immune coating through topical application (requires 8 hours of continuous absorption for long-term use). Stamina +3, Agility +2.

Applied Status: Hydrated, Stamina recovery increased by 7% per minute, can slightly resist radiation.

"This one is definitely going to be the best seller."

This cream could be used long-term or applied temporarily (only to block electronic signals). Furthermore, it didn't need to be applied all over the body; a little on certain key areas would suffice.

As long as you weren't hiding a gun in your crotch or a mine in your backside, this stuff would be enough to mask the perception of most radiation beasts.

"Of course," Little Finger was also very satisfied with it. He continued, "I adjusted the formula and reduced the cost. One desert worm gland can be used to make two bottles of this cream. Add some water to dilute it, and you can make four bottles. When it hits the black market, we'll dilute one bottle into ten."

Gao Gong took a breath and gave him a thumbs-up. "Brilliant, truly brilliant. You live up to your reputation as the number one black market doctor in Automobile City. You don't have a shred of decency in you!"

"Naturally."

Speaking of ruthlessness, Little Finger's face was filled with pride. He continued, "The last one is for the high-end market, to win over high-level talents. It has no side effects, no adverse symptoms, and won't cause mechanical rejection."

Gao Gong picked up the last syringe. There were only two of these syringes, the fewest of the three.

Desert Skin (Excellent): Subdermal implant needle.

An excellent biochemical agent that completely masks electronic signals, making the skin change with the environment like a tropical lizard. Stamina +5, Agility +3, Armor +10.

Additional Status 1: Skin Respiration - Blood activity reduced, Stamina recovery increased by 15% per second.

Additional Status 2: Immune to bleeding status.

Additional Status 3: Cold-blooded - Reduces self-infrared radiation, lowering the probability of being detected by enemies.

This time, Gao Gong was truly surprised. They said a master guides you, but cultivation is individual. Although players could come up with the same blueprints, the quality of the equipment they produced varied.

"The highest quality achievable with a Level 3 blueprint is 'Excellent.' This guy's prosthetic doctor level must be over ten."

Seeing Gao Gong's astonished expression, Little Finger's vanity was instantly satisfied. However, after thinking for a moment, he decided to tell the truth.

"This thing is just an exhibit. I only managed to get two subdermal implant needles from nearly thirty desert worms. To be honest, I was just in the zone then, and I actually don't know how I made them."

"When this thing officially goes on sale, don't let slip that it's an exhibit."

"Since it's a sample, one is enough," Gao Gong said, taking one without hesitation and inserting it into his shoulder before Little Finger could react.

As the implant needle was injected, Gao Gong could clearly feel a "mutation" occurring on his skin's surface. It was like applying a layer of chili oil and then a layer of sunscreen – hot and cold sensations flooded him all at once.

Gao Gong gritted his teeth and endured the sensation.

His skin first turned red, then returned to normal, then turned pale, and then returned to normal again, repeating this several times.

Then, his skin began to mutate. Some parts, illuminated by the light of the electronic screen, turned into blue static screens. Others, reflecting the light from the metal workbench, turned a metallic silver-white.

If you weren't paying close attention, you wouldn't even realize there was a person there.

As Gao Gong willed it, all the colors on his skin instantly disappeared, along with some calluses and scars. His skin tone even seemed to have improved.

In this state, anyone who dared to say Gao Gong wasn't a pretty boy would face his wrath.

Gao Gong's eyes gleamed, and he praised, "Very good effect! I'm very satisfied!"

"You, you brat!!"

Seeing Gao Gong become even more handsome, Little Finger was filled with regret. His gaze then fixed on the last implant needle.

He really wanted to inject himself with it.

But this was the last exhibit. If he used it, he didn't know if he'd become more handsome, but Sister Rose would definitely kill him first.

"Alright, now let's talk about the profit sharing."

The friendly atmosphere shifted, and the two immediately became confrontational.

"Bullshit! Three-seven split! Do you know who developed this 'skin'? Without me, could you have made this money?"

"Nonsense, all businesses have channel dealers taking the lion's share. Without our network, believe it or not, this 'skin' would be confiscated by the Security Brigade the very next day and then devoured by various forces until not a single bit remained."

"Is money important to you? What's important is influence, connections, and future say in the desert. What's a little money like this? Don't be so stingy."

"Bullshit, is this little money? If this skin gets promoted, my income from ten surgeries wouldn't even compare to its one-day sales. Aren't you Sister Rose's lover? How can you have the nerve to steal a woman's money?"

"What lover? She's clearly being kept by a sugar mama, isn't it natural for a rich woman to spend money on a lover? Do you think I didn't put in any effort at night? This is all hard-earned money!"

"You're shameless!"

"You're despicable!"

When it came to a lack of principles, the two were evenly matched, like chess opponents finding their equal.

Fortunately, neither had any intention of falling out completely. Gao Gong knew the other party could ditch him and go solo at any time, while Little Finger also worried about the other using his influence to sway Sister Rose.

In the end, the two reached an agreement: after deducting costs, the net profit would be split sixty-forty, with Little Finger representing the channel dealers taking the larger share, and Gao Gong taking forty percent.

And according to the agreement, Gao Gong would also be responsible for hunting Desert Worms in the future, as the raw materials also needed to be kept secret, and Little Finger didn't have any Mechanical Hunters he could fully trust.

Of this forty percent profit, two percent of the income could not be directly withdrawn as Mech Coins and could only be exchanged for various materials. According to Little Finger, withdrawing too much cash would affect their money laundering business.

After signing the agreement, Gao Gong learned just how profitable this business was. The lowest-grade implant skin alone had a net profit of 2000 Mech Coins, and the 'hand cream' was even 4000 Mech Coins.

And even at such a high price, this batch of 'skins' had already been completely pre-ordered, with reservations already extending to the third batch.

Those who sought fortune in the desert knew the value of their own lives best.

With this item, it could be said that as long as one didn't actively hunt or have the extreme misfortune of running into a Beast Tide, they wouldn't have to worry about the threat of wild beasts.

Even high-level blueprints were hard-pressed to achieve this effect.

This was a desert necessity.

Gao Gong calculated that from this batch of skins alone, he could net thirty thousand Mech Coins.

This was much faster than robbing.

After the verbal sparring, both were a little tired. Little Finger slumped onto the sofa and suddenly said, "You know? Sister Rose is coming back soon."

"Oh? When?"

"Within these few days."

Ever since the Rose Gasoline Bar was sealed, Gao Gong knew someone was targeting Black Rose.

It wasn't just a bar they were targeting, but the underground network controlled by Black Rose, spread across more than a dozen oases.

Black Rose's absence during this period was to deal with this matter.

Hearing Little Finger's tone now, it seemed the issue had been resolved.

Gao Gong asked curiously, "Who exactly made a move against you?"

If it were the original Gao Gong, Little Finger wouldn't have discussed such matters with him over a mere small fry.

But now, the other party had consecutively produced two 'surgical plans,' one of which was a hard product that could dominate the market.

Little Finger decided to slightly alter his attitude.

"In the entire Iron Sand Desert, the number of people who can be called tycoons can be counted on one hand. And those interested in our underground intelligence network are naturally some resentful competitors."

Competitors, intelligence, tycoons...

A flash of inspiration struck Gao Gong, "That news tycoon, Wang Tian?"

"The one who sells newspapers."

"So it was him," Gao Gong murmured.

Besides being the former general manager of the factory, this tycoon Wang's Radiation Daily was also the best-selling publication in the desert.

The newspaper contained a lot of practical information and was a must-read for Mechanical Hunters.

But at this juncture, why would this guy suddenly become interested in the underground network?

If it were just normal business expansion, that would be one thing. They would face the threat as it came, and Sister Rose was not lacking in methods.

But—

Gao Gong suddenly thought of another possibility: what if this wasn't just a business war, but was in service of a real 'war'?

He recalled an old saying.

Intelligence is the lifeblood of war.