Secret Mecha Workshop

With so much information flooding into him, even Zhang Hao's powerful soul needed time to absorb it. First, he confirmed his command authority, then his access to the various bases, and only after that did he begin digesting the Humanoid Mecha's controls. He left everything else in his soul for now; he wouldn't be absorbing it anytime soon.

Souls could hurt, and Zhang Hao was especially afraid of that kind of pain. It was almost impossible to endure, so the shorter it lasted, the better.

Why did souls hurt? The answer appeared as soon as he wondered about it: this was information that Mifeng had transmitted in a bundle.

Pain was an inevitable part of a soul's growth. Souls possessed mental power! For a soul, mental power was its most important means of expression. As a soul grew, so did its mental power.

Zhang Hao immediately stopped thinking. He knew all too well that if he started, the information stored in his soul would begin pouring out in a huge release. Wouldn't that hurt like hell? Better to focus on figuring out how to operate the mecha.

Mifeng said, "You can stay here for three days at most. After that, you have to go back."

"One day here is one hundred and eight hours: seventy-two hours of daylight and thirty-six hours of night. That's equivalent to thirteen and a half days on Blue Star."

"It won't take that long. I just want to look around. I'll come back after resting for a while."

"Good!"

Mifeng answered readily. In truth, he didn't want Zhang Hao to stay too long either. This was Zhang Hao's first time coming into contact with a soul crystal, so he couldn't spend too much time here. Otherwise, the two might bond and eventually fuse together, which would be a huge problem.

Mifeng couldn't help reflecting that he really hadn't chosen the wrong person. If he had encountered someone selfish and greedy, he would have killed him without hesitation. A soul with such a great potential for trouble couldn't be left alive. From the moment he began working with Zhang Hao, he had watched him closely. The most important thing was his nature. If that wasn't right, there would be no way to cultivate him; Mifeng would have to destroy him and start over.

Zhang Hao had also been lucky. He had gained control of wealth but hadn't squandered it or grown arrogant as a result. He had stayed humble and kind, passing Mifeng's first test. Otherwise, he would never have been allowed near the space-time bridgehead.

The second test came this time. Even after gaining powerful strength, he hadn't lost himself in it. That was no small feat.

Mifeng had seen far too many people from Blue Star. Some had mediocre souls, while others were greedy and selfish. Even if someone satisfied him in every other respect, a poor soul was still a dealbreaker. And even if their soul was strong, an old, feeble body made them an unfit partner. So even with Zhang Hao, Mifeng had only been willing to give him a try.

Taking things at their current pace was the safest approach for Mifeng. Finding a suitable candidate was a major test for him, too. Fortunately, everything was going smoothly so far.

After digesting the mecha piloting skills, Zhang Hao could hardly wait. "Where can I find a mecha?"

"Follow me," Mifeng said. "This base won't do. We need to go to the largest public base."

They passed through a light gate and entered a room.

By now, even Zhang Hao knew how to open the door. Soon, the five robots passed through a corridor and entered a spacious hall. Dozens of robots occupied the thousand-square-meter space, where all kinds of mecha stood on display.

This was a maintenance hall. To Zhang Hao, it looked a lot like the huge machinery assembly plants back home: noisy and chaotic, with no one coming to greet them, everyone busy with their own work. Zhang Hao knew these robots were senior engineers. Their souls and intelligence worked together seamlessly. They had not only superb repair skills but also a degree of creativity.

They went up!

They climbed floor after floor. There were seven underground levels and three aboveground. The top three floors included two floors of fortifications, equipped with all kinds of weapons and missiles. The third floor housed mecha sales. But Mifeng and Zhang Hao went to the first basement level, the fourth-floor hall.

This was where the mecha kept for internal display were housed. Most were top-tier, and a small portion were custom-made top-tier models.

The five of them came to a huge room on the right, where more than ten custom mecha were stored.

According to Mifeng, these were the finest mecha on Slaughter Planet, and this was Slaughter Planet's finest mecha workshop.

The Secret Mecha Workshop!

Three mecha workshops were especially famous on Slaughter Planet, and the Secret Workshop was one of them.

There were two other workshops.

The Flame Mecha Workshop!

The Thunder Mecha Workshop!

The Secret Mecha Workshop was the most mysterious and low-key of the three. Countless wealthy people and powerful figures hoped to acquire one of its combat mecha.

Zhang Hao was now the Secret Mecha Workshop's number two, its second-largest shareholder. His need for a mecha had become the workshop's top priority. Because of the time constraints, they could only take the best mecha currently available. After it had been used a few times, they could gather data on how Zhang Hao piloted it. That would make a custom-built model completely different.

The more a mecha resembled a human, the higher its grade. There was a Humanoid Mecha here, and Zhang Hao liked it at first sight. A robot engineer nearby immediately stepped forward to explain.

"This is the latest top-tier mecha. It's equipped with light wings, which allow it to fly short distances and attack with the wings as well. Its defense uses a newly developed shield that can flash into existence for up to three seconds, blocking most attacks. It can be equipped with most heavy weapons, and its defense can reach one hundred thousand degrees."

Zhang Hao might not have understood before, but after taking in so much information, he now knew what the defense rating meant.

A defense rating of ten could withstand a large-caliber sniper rifle. A hundred units of energy defense could keep artillery shells from damaging the shield, and a thousand could withstand missiles. A defense rating of one hundred thousand was an almost despair-inducing figure, enough to withstand an assault from a large fortress.

Of course, it couldn't maintain that defense rating indefinitely. The shield would gradually wear down, depending mainly on its energy reserves. Once the energy ran out, both its attacks and its defenses would be useless.

This mecha had an energy capacity of one million, far beyond that of other mecha. A typical top-tier mecha stored between three hundred thousand and five hundred thousand units of energy, while ordinary mecha had no more than fifty thousand.

With one million units of power, it could reach one hundred thousand horsepower, equivalent to the output of a medium-sized aircraft carrier back on Zhang Hao's home world.

The Humanoid Mecha was slender, its body covered in a layer of blue-gray grains. Its color could be changed at will, thanks to a chameleon system that let it blend into its surroundings.

A palm-sized emblem was printed on its shoulder: a silver hammer, the mark of the Secret Mecha Workshop.

"This is the one! I'll take it!"

The robot engineer said, "Please select your weapons."

Zhang Hao looked at Mifeng. Though he had received a huge amount of knowledge and skills, he really didn't know how to fight.

"Don't look at me," Mifeng said. "Choose for yourself. You have to enjoy using this thing."

That was putting him in a tough spot!

The robot engineer said, "It depends on personal preference. Some people like close-quarters combat, while others prefer long-range ambushes. Everyone has their own style."