Unit Zero

Wang Qianduo looked around, suddenly unsure of what to do.

He then recalled the guide and opened his status panel.

Nickname: King Qian [V10]
Beginner Mech Pilot
Luck: 7
Charm: 7
Talent: 7
Notes: A distinguished VIP beginner pilot, but his skill...

"Uh... 777, seriously? You don't know why my skills are bad?" Wang Qianduo grumbled, looking at his stats.

Luck, Charm, and Talent were randomized. The game had been running for a year, and players hadn't quite figured out their functions.

They only knew that these three stats were similar for everyone, with a total around 20. Special items could increase them, but it was unclear if it made any difference. Wang Qianduo's 21 points were just average.

Besides the special V1 tag, Wang Qianduo's personal stats panel had nothing else remarkable.

He then opened his mech's status panel, and a holographic projection of a mech immediately appeared before him.

The projection was only in blue, white, and red. Its angles were sharp, its lines smooth, giving an impression of invincibility.

Beside the mech projection were its stats and equipment slots.

Type Zero Initial Mech (0/100)
Durability (HP): 100
Mana (MP): 100
Attack: 12
Defense: 3
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 10
Trait: Universal (Type Zero Initial Mech can equip any item without restriction, but Attack and Defense are only affected by its highest stat.)
Equipment: None
Skills: Not Selected
Notes: The most primitive initial magic mech has finally found its master.

After reviewing his mech's stats, Wang Qianduo couldn't help but exclaim, "Strong! So strong!"

Although these base stats were at the lowest possible values, comparing them to the other three mechs available to normal players posted on the forum, he could see its power.

The other three mechs were: the Strength-oriented Prototype Mech Type I (HP: 100, MP: 40, Attack: 10, Defense: 3, Str: 10, Agi: 6, Int: 4), the Agility-oriented Prototype Mech Type II (HP: 50, MP: 50, Attack: 11, Defense: 2, Str: 5, Agi: 10, Int: 5), and the Intelligence-oriented Prototype Mech Type III (HP: 60, MP: 100, Attack: 12, Defense: 1, Str: 6, Agi: 4, Int: 10).

Type I was geared towards high HP and Defense tanks or warrior mechs. Type II was for high-speed, high-attack agile mechs. Type III was for "mages" with extremely high destructive power.

Type Zero's stats took the highest value from each of the three prototype mechs, giving it a natural 12-point advantage, essentially winning at the starting line. It even had a trait, which was supposed to appear only after a mech evolved to level 10.

It was normal for it to have no equipment, as no one started with any. Players only received a beginner weapon after accepting their first mission upon leaving the novice training camp.

In the Mech World, each mech could equip six pieces of equipment and three weapons. The six equipment slots, from top to bottom, were: Reconnaissance Device, Core Engine, Energy Core, Propulsion Device, Armor, and Energy Shield.

Equipment levels ranged from Common, Refined, Rare, Perfect, to Legendary. As for whether there were higher levels, Wang Qianduo could definitively say there were...

Skills were also different for Wang Qianduo. The three initial mechs each came with one starting skill: Type I had Charged Heavy Strike (costs 10 MP, charges for 1 second, deals 120% attack damage, 5-second cooldown). Type II had Double Strike (costs 10 MP, attacks twice rapidly, each dealing 60% attack damage, 5-second cooldown). Type III had Energy Bullet (costs 15 MP, charges for 3 seconds, fires an energy bullet at the enemy, dealing (120% attack + Intelligence) damage, 5-second cooldown). These skills clearly indicated their class specializations.

Wang Qianduo's Type Zero was different; its initial skill was a choice from these three. These aspects were similar to traditional online games, as the game had indeed started as a regular MMORPG.

Wang Qianduo didn't rush to choose. Instead, he looked at the items he received after spending money.

The VIP levels 1 to 10 not only granted Wang Qianduo a massive amount of rare materials, various items, character fashion, and a large sum of in-game currency.

Most importantly, he received a set of Perfect-grade equipment, two skill chests, and a special ultimate skill chest usable at level 30.

The equipment was level 10 mech gear, which he couldn't wear yet. Currently, all he could use were the two skill chests and the items from the first top-up bonus.

Wang Qianduo didn't hesitate, directly opening the legendary weapon chest and starting his selection.

The chest contained three weapon sets: a sword and shield, a long saber, and a gun (or perhaps a cannon).

Each weapon corresponded to one of the three initial mechs. After much deliberation, Wang Qianduo chose the long saber, which he preferred.

Minghong (Legendary 100%)

Bound

Long Saber

Usable by Agility-type mechs LV1+

Attack +50

Strength +20

Agility +30

Intelligence +10

Attack Speed +2%

Critical Rate +20%

Cooldown Reduction +10%

Ignore Defense +5%

MP Recovery +3/sec

Attacks against enemies deal +30% damage on critical hits.

Note: Said to be a weapon forged by an ancient emperor. Who knows if it's true?

"Legendary weapons are indeed legendary. The stats of just one saber are several times better than the base attributes!"

Wang Qianduo marveled at the renowned saber in his inventory before happily equipping it onto his mech.

As soon as the renowned saber was equipped, a luminous blue energy saber appeared on the virtual projection of Mech Zero, clearly not an ordinary item.

After equipping the renowned saber, Wang Qianduo chose the Double Strike as his initial skill but didn't open the other chests.

This was because he wasn't sure what build he wanted to pursue. Playing with a saber right now was purely out of preference.

With the renowned saber equipped, Wang Qianduo took stock of his inventory again and discovered the compensatory equipment given to him by the NPC instructor.

Phoenix Blood Heart (Normal 100%)

LV1

Bound

Core Engine

Usable by mechs LV1+

Strength +1

Agility +1

Intelligence +1

Growth: 0/50

Phoenix Mode (Normal): Activates Phoenix Mode, increasing all mech stats by 5% for 30s, with a 24-hour cooldown.

Note: A core engine with somewhat disappointing stats, but it can unexpectedly evolve. You might want to try nurturing it.

"This disappointing equipment is supposed to compensate for my initial mech? This mech is too worthless!" Wang Qianduo grumbled, looking at the plain white equipment.

Equipment that could grow had infinite potential, but that was for others.

He already had a Perfect-grade equipment set waiting for him at level 10. Could this equipment possibly surpass that Perfect one at level 10?

However, he had nothing else to equip for now, so he put this item on.

After equipping two pieces of equipment, Mech Zero's stats became:

Mech Zero (Initial) (0/100)

Durability (HP): 310

Energy (MP): 210

Attack: 91 (41 + 50)

Defense: 9

Strength: 31

Agility: 41

Intelligence: 21

Attack Speed: 2%

Critical Hit Rate: 20%

Cooldown Reduction: 10%

Defense Ignore: 5%

MP Recovery: 3/sec

Trait: All-Rounder

Equipment: Minghong, Phoenix Blood Heart

Skill: Double Strike

A single legendary piece of equipment gave Unit Zero a qualitative leap. Wang Qianduo looked at his attributes with satisfaction before heading towards the person who posted the novice quests, the highest-ranking officer of this aerial fortress.

He was going to start doing quests. Originally, he had almost given up on competing with those pioneers.

But now life had given him such a huge surprise, igniting his passion instantly.

"Sir, hello! I'm a new recruit reporting for duty!"

Wang Qianduo approached a white-haired man in a military uniform and said. This man was the highest-ranking officer of his camp, General Huang.

General Huang: "Hello, recruit. Yue Ming should have explained the camp's rules clearly to you, so I won't go into too much detail.

I happen to have a task for you. Go to the fourth planet in Starfield 3 and transport a batch of energy star ore back."

"System Prompt: General Huang wants to assign you the quest 'Transport Ore'. Do you accept?"

"Accept!" Wang Qianduo said upon seeing the system prompt.

"Very good, recruit. While the surrounding low-numbered sectors are not particularly dangerous, some precautions are still necessary.

How about this, go to the warehouse first and collect a weapon to protect yourself."

After General Huang finished speaking, he no longer looked at Wang Qianduo.

Wang Qianduo knew this was the end of his interaction with the NPC. His next step was to follow the system prompt and go to the warehouse to collect his novice weapon.