Urgent Matter

With not many Wish Power points on him, and no major safety concerns previously, Tao Yu usually saved them for Deification skills. He'd typically just use one or two points of Wish Power to activate his acceleration.

He currently had 150 points, and had originally intended to save up 300 to Deify Stealth: Python.

Deifying skills, much like the increasing consumption of training, escalated rapidly. For instance, further Deifying the talent Bullet Time would require over 100,000 Wish Power points, while Basic Breathing Technique (Modified) would need around 30,000.

The effects would undoubtedly be great, but the cost-effectiveness wouldn't compare to the first Deification of a common skill. Moreover, it wasn't something he could accumulate in a short period.

The 300 Wish Power cost for Stealth: Python piqued Tao Yu's curiosity, and he also felt this ability would significantly improve his survivability.

However, upon seeing the ghastly Facehuggers and the Giant Pythons with their insides ripped open, Tao Yu could no longer afford to wait!

Currently, his physical enhancements were still insufficient against bullets. His greatest destructive power still depended on his firearms, which was why Tao Yu had focused his attention on the Basic Shooting skill!

Although this skill was just at the entry-level Lv1, it required bullets to be fed into it, making it one of Tao Yu's more 'expensive' abilities.

While Yosef and the others began discussing the strange shape of the Facehuggers, Tao Yu had already concentrated his Mental Power on Basic Shooting.

Soon after, as Wish Power was injected, the skill's light cluster emitted a wisp of golden radiance.

[Basic Shooting] Lv1: Consumes a small amount of mental energy to possess minor bullet trajectory correction ability. Concentrating mental energy to greatly consume mental power can significantly alter the trajectory of an attached bullet, while also imparting a mental shock equivalent to the attached mental power.

As he adjusted his self-will to Basic Shooting (Modified), a hint of joy surfaced in Tao Yu's heart.

Excellent, it even exceeded my expectations!

Not only had it greatly enhanced his accuracy, but combined with the passive dynamic vision from Bullet Time, it was like adding wings to a tiger. It had even added 'mental shock,' a form of 'magical damage'!

For an ordinary person, randomly attaching a mental attack with insufficient mental power might actually harm themselves. But Tao Yu, possessing Mental Immunity, wasn't afraid of any backlash, no matter how severe. It was similar to stamina, only carrying the burden of consumption.

Tao Yu's strongest attack currently relied on external forces. Dealing with the Giant Pythons was still manageable. After all, the Giant Pythons of this generation hadn't yet developed resistance to assault rifles. As long as he could target the head, he could achieve a kill.

This was why Tao Yu hadn't upgraded his shooting skill before. His firepower was already sufficient, and his accuracy was aided by the passive dynamic vision from Bullet Time.

But now, with the appearance of the Facehuggers and the infested Giant Pythons, it was highly possible that assault rifle bullets would struggle to penetrate their defenses.

Those Aliens, after all, had exoskeletons!

While not bulletproof, ordinary Aliens could withstand quite a few shots. The increased defense of the Giant Python Alien could very well allow it to withstand gunfire and take him down while attacking!

Whether it was a Giant Python, an ordinary Alien, or the Giant Python Alien, Tao Yu knew clearly that he could only take one hit.

At most, he could rely on the ability of One Proof, Eternal Proof to consume Wish Power and recover.

When encountering a Giant Python, he could hope it would use its feeding method and swallow him whole, allowing him to escape from its stomach. But the Alien's cherry-like mouth...

Thinking of certain scenarios, Tao Yu quickly cast those mental pollutions out of his mind.

With his offensive capabilities enhanced, Tao Yu felt a surge of confidence. However, contemplating the troublesome nature of Aliens and their unpredictable numbers still gave him a sense of urgency.

Seeing the group finish their research on the Facehugger and snake corpses and prepare to head towards the snake's nest without any conclusions, Tao Yu seized the opportune moment to speak.

"Um, Lord Winuo, how is your armor's defense against assault rifles?"

Tao Yu's timid tone caused Winuo, inside his helmet, to frown. Then, through the helmet, a slightly distorted but still majestic voice taunted, "What? You want to snipe from behind?"

This voice also made the others turn to look at Tao Yu, prompting him to quickly wave his hands.

"No, no, no, you misunderstand me. You are a big shot of the Inner City; I wouldn't dare even if you gave me a hundred more guts."

Tao Yu's declaration didn't actually cause much surprise. Li Le and the other Outer City people didn't consider such a sneak attack possible.

This was an Inner City big shot, and they were even working together! Only a lunatic would make such a foolish choice.

But Tao Yu still hesitated before continuing, "Before, when dealing with those Giant Pythons, I didn't feel much pressure because I wouldn't let Zhang Wei get close. I just needed to fire mindlessly, and with my talent, it wasn't difficult..."

Hearing this, the others actually caught on. Winuo's entire getup was clearly geared towards melee combat. If he charged forward to slash, and Tao Yu missed a shot from behind, accidental friendly fire could indeed occur.

Before Winuo could speak, Li Le raised an eyebrow and said, "You could train Basic Shooting before entering, right? A little more Wish Power upon entry to get familiar with it, and it shouldn't be that bad? My talent doesn't have any shooting bonuses, and I'm already over halfway to Lv3 proficiency. As long as you're careful, it shouldn't be a problem."

Before the age of eighteen, in addition to Basic Shooting, Li Le had also learned Gun Fu and Mobile Shooting. With a little Wish Power acceleration upon entry, his shooting skills were indeed not weak.

"Brother Li probably knows a little about me from Uncle Hu. It's mainly that my family's financial situation didn't allow me to use many bullets on training. I didn't practice shooting after entering either; I focused entirely on breathing techniques. Zhang Wei knows this."

Tao Yu showed an embarrassed expression.

"Then what's your shooting level?"

Winuo asked, also somewhat agitated. His armor did have good bulletproof capabilities, and there was an inner layer of armor inside. However, to allow for free movement, there were still areas it couldn't protect, unlike the integrated combat suits of those two in the Floating City. If he were unlucky and, while fighting fiercely, took a shot to the knee, it would truly be troublesome.

"Lv1, and the proficiency is almost empty. So, I'd like to borrow some Wish Power from you two Lords. I'm willing to use this bottle of 'Joy' as collateral."

Tao Yu produced the bottle of 'Joy' that Yosef had given him. This caused several people's expressions to become subtle.

Walter and Chen Guan looked on with envy, while Yosef, Winuo, and Li Le all appeared somewhat strange. Yosef, in particular, was a bit speechless. Didn't I give you this thing?

You're going to mortgage it to me so I can lend you Wish Power?

"Ahem, Yosef, your man, are you giving him to me or not? Actually, his talent is quite complementary to mine."

Winuo didn't refuse outright. Instead, he looked at Yosef with a playful glint in his eyes.

"B-rank talent, what are you thinking?"

Yosef scoffed and rejected Winuo, then shot Tao Yu an annoyed glance.

"If you wanted to borrow Wish Power, you should have just told me earlier. I'll give this to you, so why bother with a mortgage."

This generous attitude made the other Outer City people show envious expressions. Especially Walter and Chen Guan, who initially felt that Tao Yu, having displeased Winuo, would have a hard time, had their perceptions significantly corrected.

Zhang Wei's expression also shifted, showing hesitation, but he still didn't dare to approach Tao Yu as he used to.

"Thank you, thank you, Brother Yosef."

As Tao Yu spoke, he handed over the thousand units of dried Wish Power Metal that his parents had given him.

After being eaten by the Giant Python and then killing it, this Wish Power Metal was considered recovered.

This made Yosef, who weighed it, somewhat speechless.

A thousand units. Although it was a small amount to him, it wasn't something he could completely ignore.

However, thinking of Tao Yu's talent, he readily completed the Wish Power infusion into the bag of metal.

To prevent infighting, the World Will ensured that killing other Pioneers would not result in any Wish Power drops, aside from items carried on their person and Wish Power items. Wish Power transactions between them primarily relied on the constant absorption and injection of this Wish Power Metal.

Or, more efficient Wish Power carriers.

Before handing it back to Tao Yu after the infusion, Yosef said calmly, "However, as you know, we can't lend Wish Power for free. The risks of death or inability to repay are too great. So, I'll take a small fee, nine out, thirteen back."

Before Tao Yu could speak, Li Le chimed in at the opportune moment, "This is considered the lowest interest rate in the Outer City. The 'skill installment' plans offered by the strongholds in the various settlements have similar rates. Before awakening, it's almost impossible to borrow, and even after awakening, those with poor talent find it difficult. Lord Yosef is truly benevolent to lend under such risky circumstances."

Outer City people generally don't have much of a foundation, and the mortality rate on Awakening Day is not low. Therefore, it's usually impossible to borrow before awakening. Even after awakening, this kind of 'low interest rate' is only encountered when learning certain skills, similar to a 'student loan.'

Since no Wish Power is involved, and only skills are taught, the losses are controllable if one cannot repay or dies.

Tao Yu took back the bag of Wish Power Metal without hesitation, absorbing it as he said cheerfully, "Of course, no problem. Thank you, Lord Yosef, for helping me out of this urgent situation."

As he finished absorbing, Tao Yu handed it back again and said, "Can I have another thousand?"