Types of Mecha

"Combat mecha are the largest category, and they come in several broad types based on their appearance."

"One type is classified by mechanical design, such as turret mecha. Another is classified by shape, such as lions, wolves, tigers, leopards, and bears, as well as flying creatures like eagles, owls, cranes, and doves. These are the most common types of mecha. Then there's a rather unusual type: Humanoid Mecha. They're mostly top-tier mecha, and many are even custom-built. Don't bother with them unless you have money to burn."

"Mecha are also divided into light, medium, and Heavy Mecha. Light mecha include ultra-light mecha, like the robots we're wearing. They count as ultra-light mecha, and can fight once equipped with weapons. But they're better suited to combat inside fortresses than in the wilderness, and they're still far less powerful than proper mecha."

"As for Heavy Mecha, there are also super-heavy mecha. Those enormous machines are generally slow, but their defenses and firepower are incredibly formidable. They're usually used to anchor a team, like a small mobile fortress. They cost a fortune and consume huge amounts of materials and energy, so ordinary factions can't afford to operate them."

Zhang Hao asked curiously, "How much do they cost? By the way, what's the currency called in this world?"

"They used to call it credit points. Now it's called Blue Star Coin."

"The price of a super-heavy mecha varies, but even the cheapest costs over a billion. It takes at least twelve operators."

Zhang Hao thought for a moment, then asked, "How much does an ordinary family earn in Blue Star Coin each year?"

"Between one and three million for an average family. A middle-class family earns between three and five million a year. In this era, families on Blue Star generally have four or five people."

"That's a pretty good income!"

"Mifeng said, 'It's far better than back in your hometown. People on Blue Star live quite comfortably in this era. Technology has advanced enormously, and we're in an age of interstellar expansion, so there are plenty of resources. It's no wonder people live well.'"

Zhang Hao said, "There's something I don't quite understand. How do they send the resources they acquire here back home? We have a bridgehead, but they don't."

"They have space elevators and large Cargo Ships. They send back only the finest goods; ordinary resources are used up on-site. Where do you think these mecha base fortresses come from?"

"Every large base has an elevator like that. We're the only ones who don't."

Zhang Hao asked curiously, "How many bases do we have on Slaughter Planet?"

"Eight!"

"Three surface bases with large fortresses, four underground fortress bases, and one hidden base. They all have short-range teleportation gates, so we can quickly redeploy our mecha forces. We're a major faction here, but we operate in secret. Only one of our large bases is open to the public; the rest are all secret bases."

"On Slaughter Planet, the countries and ruling elites control the largest territories and the most large bases. Next come the bases owned by the super-rich, and then countless small and medium-sized bases. Some of the smaller bases are made by surrounding a fortress with three super-heavy mecha. If trouble comes, they simply drive the mecha away and leave the fortress behind to draw the enemy's attention."

Zhang Hao was amazed. Mifeng had eight bases. He hadn't expected him to command such a vast force.

"Great God, how much money do you have in this world?"

"I don't know!"

"Huh?" Zhang Hao exclaimed. "You don't even know how much money you have?"

Mifeng continued, "I really don't. I haven't checked since I came back. But it should be at least over ten trillion Blue Star Coin."

Whoa!

That was an incredible amount of money!

Zhang Hao was impressed, and couldn't help but marvel at the same time. This guy was a money-making machine. He'd been exceptionally good at making money back in his hometown, too—his ruthless, lightning-fast financial tricks made money faster than robbery.

Right, at least ten trillion Blue Star Coin! You're my partner, so you get thirty percent and I get seventy!

Holy crap!

Zhang Hao jumped in surprise. So that was what kind of partnership this was: he got a share of everything that belonged to Mifeng. Mifeng's original proposal had been a ninety-ten split, but Zhang Hao had talked his way into a seventy-thirty split. What an incredible bargain!

In a civilized world, money was essential for survival, development, and supplies. So was technological knowledge.

Zhang Hao owning thirty percent of Mifeng's fortune was a big deal. After all, Mifeng controlled several bridgeheads.

Mifeng said, "Sooner or later, you'll establish your own bridgehead. You'll need to gather plenty of resources. The most important resource on Slaughter Planet is Soul Crystals. Once you have Soul Crystals, you can get soul carriers."

"Slaughter Planet is the only place Soul Crystals come from. They can only be obtained from Crystal Life that has been killed."

"Soul Crystals sometimes show up for sale on the virtual net. People here turn them into high-end jewelry with the power to soothe the soul, but they don't know what Soul Crystals are really for. So if you ever see any Soul Crystal jewelry on the virtual net, buy it at any cost."

"If you can't buy it, then steal it or rob it. Cheat, swindle, or do whatever you have to do to get your hands on it!"

"Soul Crystal jewelry is also a super-rare treasure in this world. It's sold by the gram. One gram of low-grade Soul Crystal Stone costs hundreds of thousands of Blue Star Coin. Unless you're a member of the ruling elite or a tycoon, it's hard to hold on to it."

"You can never have too many Soul Crystals or Soul Crystal Stones. Do you know what Nano-machines are? Soul Crystal Stone is the foundation of that technology. The reason the body's defenses don't attack them after they enter the body is that Soul Crystals can fool the body."

Zhang Hao listened closely. He knew Mifeng was teaching him the most important things.

"Once intelligent machines have Soul Crystals or Soul Crystal Stones, they can gain a degree of intelligence and become countless times more advanced than ordinary intelligent machines. That's why Slaughter Planet is an incredible treasure trove."

"Also, Slaughter Planet has many Rare Elements. These Rare Elements are also essential materials for making high-end machines. We have many mining machines underground on Slaughter Planet, searching for all kinds of Mineral Deposits. The ores exposed on the surface are actually harder to mine. There are countless satellites in orbit around Slaughter Planet. In the early days, most of the surface and shallow deposits had already been mined."

"Many bases are built on top of these deposits. If you want to establish your own bridgehead, you'll have to gather a huge amount of resources. A Main Bridgehead will be everything to you."

Zhang Hao's soul surged with excitement. Of course he was thrilled. He could establish a bridgehead of his own and control it himself. That sounded incredible!

"Is that really possible? Can I really have my own bridgehead?"

"Of course. With my help, it'll be no problem!"

Zhang Hao suddenly understood why Mifeng was helping him. Once he established his own bridgehead, he and Mifeng would be completely independent of each other. They would no longer be partners, and their seventy-thirty split would be over.

Zhang Hao didn't hide what he was thinking. He asked, "If I establish a bridgehead, will our partnership end?"

"Yes. It has to."

"But we can form an alliance! An alliance would suit us better than a partnership!"

Zhang Hao remained calm and didn't rush into anything. At the very least, he needed to learn all kinds of things and acquire the skills to make a living. Otherwise, even if he established a bridgehead, it wouldn't be much use.