Alien Base

The commotion from the A-Class civil war in Scavenger City was too significant for the Security Brigade not to know about.

In fact, the Security Brigade had known about the existence of the 'Fission Duke' for a long time and had anticipated a conflict between the old and new A-Class monsters.

They had even made plans to hunt and capture them after they had exhausted each other.

However, they truly hadn't expected the Fission Duke to join forces with the Crimson Queen and eliminate the Mechanical Fortress first.

This was definitely bad news.

The pressure on the eastern front had suddenly increased tenfold.

The expansion of the metropolitan area was inevitable, and large-scale conflicts were also unavoidable.

The reason was simple: both the Duke and the Queen were leaders of A-Class Radiation Beasts. Their increase in strength would inevitably lead to the expansion of their genetic territories.

Moreover, Radiation Beasts were different from Mech-Bio Beasts. The reproduction, or rather 'mechanical creation,' of Mech-Bio Beasts required a certain amount of time.

But for powerful Radiation Beast leaders, as long as they had enough strength, the entire Iron Sand Desert could become their territory.

Almost simultaneously with the end of the A-Class civil war, an entire bomber squadron flew out of the Security Brigade headquarters, the 'Sky Battleship.'

They intended to take advantage of the two monsters' injuries and finish them off!

The bombers were the Mechanical Legion's latest 'Fire Crow Aircraft.' In addition to conventional kinetic weapons, they were equipped with electromagnetic rocket launchers, anti-radiation microwave emitters, and a main energy cannon.

In addition to the bomber squadron, there were also three troop transport airships, each carrying two hundred Mechanical Warriors.

Although these Mechanical Warriors did not use the Mother City's colonization technology, they were equipped in the factory with a two-in-one mechanical body that combined a Titanium Alloy Inner Skeleton with external armor, making their physical strength comparable to B-Class Mech-Bio Beasts.

It was worth noting that the Titanium Alloy Inner Skeleton on Gao Gong's body was a basic model of the Mechanical Warrior. Although the material was the same, it lacked energy ports, combat chips, and certainly no intelligent weapon implants.

In the parlance of the mobile phone industry, it was the "Inner Skeleton Youth Edition."

The biggest impact of this war on Gao Gong and his companions was that they could not return the way they came; they had to take a large detour to avoid the bloody front lines.

Gao Gong himself didn't mind. As long as he didn't have the misfortune of running into a B-Class boss, he was confident he could escape from any encounter.

However, behind him were nearly two hundred unarmed members of the Cable Tribe.

As the saying goes, "If you save someone, save them to the end; if you send them off, send them all the way..."

Alright, Gao Gong wasn't actually that benevolent.

The reason he was doing this was because this small Scavenger Tribe had considerable potential.

The tribal girls, led by the young woman, had over twenty individuals whose senses reached double digits.

Coupled with their experience and methods in training 'small Mech-Bio Beasts,'

It could be said that as long as he had enough 'Golden Fillets,' Gao Gong could instantly assemble a company of small mechanical beast troops.

And besides the girls, the Cable Tribe also had eight tribal warriors. If Meng Duo, the disabled person, was included, that would be nine.

Actually, there should have been more. It was just that most of the warriors had been swayed by the Great Elder and then became nourishment for the 'Brain in a Vat.'

Within the Concrete Forest, Gao Gong moved like a wolf, stealthily infiltrating various locations using his Monofilament Wire claws.

The Radiation Beasts he encountered were either dealt with directly, or if they couldn't be handled, he would quickly notify them to take a detour.

With Desert Skin, coupled with Cold Blooded and Stealth, he could easily approach most Radiation Beasts.

Ding

[Monofilament Wire Claw Proficiency reached 3000/3000]

[Skill Level Up]

Monofilament Wire Claw (Passive) (Advanced): A technique for maneuvering and evading at high altitudes, which enhances attacks or escapes, and increases assassination probability.

Proficiency: 1/5000

The skill notes were not much different from before, except that it was changed from 'assist attack' to 'enhance attack.'

However, in Gao Gong's mind, hundreds of advanced claw techniques suddenly appeared, and without exception, these were all close-combat techniques. For example, how to use the claws to disrupt an enemy's balance, or how to use the claws to stabilize oneself and execute consecutive attacks.

In my memory, that 'Rainy Night With Knife No Umbrella' expert's claw skill was 'Expert'.

With my current monster-slaying speed, reaching Elite, or even Expert, wouldn't be difficult.

Could it be fate that the 'Rainy Night With Knife No Umbrella' school of thought will be carried forward by me.

Gao Gong was inexplicably excited, feeling that this meaningful name suited him very well.

Since 'Claw' has been upgraded, 'Night Warrior' also needs to be upgraded, otherwise, the close-combat burst damage won't be enough.

[You have upgraded Night Warrior to Lv5]

[You have upgraded Night Warrior to Lv6]

[You have upgraded Night Warrior to Lv7]

Night Warrior Lv7 (Advanced): When using swords, attack power +25%, attack speed with swords increases by 20%, and there is an 18% chance to apply a bleeding effect with sword combos.

Additional Status: Frenzy, Stealth

Frenzy: Applying a bleeding effect to an enemy with a sword increases attack power by 5% (stacks up to twelve times).

Stealth: Reduces the chance of being detected while hidden by 15%, and increases the critical hit chance against targets.

Gao Gong's gaze fell upon "Stealth," recalling the previous note: "Increases the chance of a kill against unsuspecting targets."

Could it work even against a prepared target now?

Gao Gong decided to find a Mech-Bio Beast to practice on.

Soon, he identified his target: a Charger Antelope.

This mutated antelope's pair of horns resembled oversized electric drills.

When it spotted Gao Gong, its eyes immediately turned blood red, and the tips of its horns began to spin at high speed, sending sparks flying. Simultaneously, its four metal hooves dug into the ground, charging directly at Gao Gong's chest.

Gao Gong remained still, only flicking his wrist at the exact moment the antelope collided with him.

His grappling hook embedded itself directly into the antelope's right foreleg. As they passed each other, the pulling force accelerated their convergence.

The antelope, affected by the pull, lost a bit of balance.

Gao Gong used the pulling force to take a light step.

As he stepped, he drew his blade.

The two figures passed each other.

Gao Gong flicked the tip of his blade and sheathed it.

The Charger Antelope blinked its eyes in confusion. The next moment, its abdomen split open, and a torrent of organs rained down.

[You dealt 79 damage to the Charger Antelope]

[You triggered the "One-Hit Kill" effect, EXP +20]

[You have killed the Charger Antelope, EXP +70]

Feeling the effortless, smoke-free slash from moments ago, Gao Gong had a realization.

So, high Perception was what enabled the Night Warrior's combat style.

Only after Perception became his primary attribute did Gao Gong understand that he had been overexerting himself all along.

Why kill so ruthlessly?

An artistic killer style was the path of the Night Warrior.

In the game, high-level cybernetic implants had a prerequisite called "Compatibility."

If "Compatibility" was low, even forcing an installation would significantly reduce its power and drastically increase the chance of malfunctions.

While skills didn't have a "Compatibility" requirement, from an "NPC" perspective, Gao Gong now faintly felt that each skill seemed to be "alive."

"Unity of man and sword, or unity of man and skill?"

As soon as Gao Gong returned to the main group, Huang Yuanli nervously approached him.

"I could sense your killing intent from far away. How are you, are you okay?"

It was a blessing in disguise; after awakening her "Mind Sense" superpower, this young woman's Perception attribute had doubled, reaching an astonishing 20. If it weren't for the "Brain in a Vat" giving him a tentacle binding, he would have almost been unable to suppress her.

"I'm fine. Remember to train your abilities more. The more you train, the deeper your understanding will be, and it will benefit you."

"Why are you talking nonsense?" Huang Yuanli rolled her eyes, then suddenly giggled, "You said it yourself."

The young woman's eyes suddenly became vacant, staring blankly at Gao Gong.

Gao Gong immediately felt as if all his clothes had been stripped off, completely exposed.

"Huh? Why is your state of mind so 'strange'? Didn't you just kill that antelope? Why aren't you angry at all, you're so zen."

Huang Yuanli blushed inexplicably, glancing around furtively. "Did you find a place to do that while we were resting?"

"That?"

"You know, the thing you do before the sage mode, the flying kind."

Huang Yuanli looked at him with pity. "If you have needs, tell me. How would I know if you don't tell me? Although I can't help you, I can introduce you to girls. This stuff is addictive and harmful."

Gao Gong's mouth twitched. He reached out and pressed down on her head.

"Stop using your abilities randomly!"

"Damn it, didn't you tell me to use them? Let go, let go! If you don't let go, I'll bite your balls!"

As the two bickered, the tribal members nearby watched with smiles.

After a moment of lightheartedness, Gao Gong suddenly asked, "What about that old man? Is he still sulking?"

Huang Yuanli sighed. "He's not eating, not drinking, just waiting to die."

"Did you use Mind Sense on him?"

"How would I dare? What if he eats my brain?"

Gao Gong stood up and walked to the back of the group. Professor Han's eyes were sunken, making him look like a dried corpse.

"I'll have a word with him."

Meng Duo nodded and signaled two companions to help carry him away.

Although Gao Gong didn't say it, and Huang Yuanli didn't say it, the others weren't fools. They vaguely understood that Professor Han was among the culprits responsible for the disintegration of the Cable Tribe.

"I read your diary, and I want to know the specific location of that research institute. Can you tell me?"

Professor Han remained silent.

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me. You've led people to explore it before, so you can probably confirm the general location. I'll just find it myself if I have to."

"Your own plan failed, yet you're unwilling to tell us the location of the shelter?"

"Your 'sacrifice' is only within the scope of your own plan? So, are you doing this for others, or for yourself?"

Gao Gong deliberately mocked him, sounding like a seasoned moral blackmailer.

"You can't go."

Professor Han suddenly spoke, his voice quite hoarse.

"What?"

"There are many dangerous things inside the research institute. Compared to them, the 'Brain in a Vat' is considered safe."

Gao Gong frowned.

"Then why do you want to go? Your purpose for exploring last time wasn't for migration, but just for that big brain?"

Professor Han's eyes dimmed, and his voice remained hoarse.

"During the war, this land was subjected to saturation bombing. Yet, near the research institute, there were no attacks from alien spacecraft. Do you know why?"

Gao Gong raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

"Because the base at that time had already been occupied by alien life forms. Naturally, they wouldn't attack their own kind."