Unexpected Fortune

Unexpected Fortune

David deftly switched on the K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device. Countless streams of data flashed across its display. Anyone without the relevant knowledge wouldn't even be able to make sense of the equipment, let alone operate it.

But David handled it with ease. The electronic warfare knowledge stored in his mind told him what was most likely to expose his location.

He took out the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device and set it beside the K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device. In just ten seconds, the K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device successfully detected the faint signal from the control system inside the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device.

He found the code that had exposed his location: a hidden program that transmitted his position once every hour.

With a slight movement of his fingers, he shut down the hidden location-signal program. At least he'd managed to fix the problem before it was too late.

"Strange. The mercenaries left the K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device on the ground when they left, so why would they care so much about the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device?" Though David had shut down the signal program, he still had plenty of questions.

The K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device used by an Electronic Warfare Specialist was an extremely valuable piece of equipment. He didn't know its exact price, but it had to be worth at least several hundred thousand Credit Points. It was a genuine luxury item.

The T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device was merely hard to come by; it was nowhere near as valuable as the K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device. It wasn't worth sending so many Armored Warrior mercenaries after, not when the cost and reward were so disproportionate.

Could there be some secret behind the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device? he wondered, turning it over in his hands.

The device looked simple, but it was made up of countless delicate components. He couldn't take it apart, so there was no way for him to uncover its secret.

He turned and looked at the Shadow Servant, his eyes lighting up. The Shadow Servant could pass through solid objects, which meant it could see inside them.

The T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device wasn't very large, but the Shadow Servant could still slip one eye inside.

Looking through the Shadow Servant's eye, David saw the inside of the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device. A fingernail-sized chip was stuck to the inner wall.

Getting the chip out of the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device would be difficult. The device had survived a collision and explosion aboard a flying shuttle intact. He couldn't even break through its casing, let alone remove the chip inside.

Let's see what this chip does first. Although he couldn't get it out, David could still activate it and check the contents it stored.

David wouldn't have been able to do that before, but he had just acquired electronic warfare skills at the 98% proficiency level. Activating a chip from such close range was simple.

The K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device emitted a weak pulse of energy. Guided by the Shadow Servant's position, the pulse connected precisely with the chip's energy interface, and the chip began to activate.

A line of data appeared on the K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device. David glanced at it. It looked like gibberish, but the data was perfectly clear to him, and understanding dawned in his eyes.

His fingers moved quickly, transferring the line of data from the K2 Military Electronic Countermeasure Device to his Identity Bracelet.

A hologram appeared above his Identity Bracelet, displaying the logo of Yaka Bank.

Yaka Bank was one of the many banks in the Federation and the most secretive of them all. It was known as the safest bank. Credit Points deposited there might not earn much interest, but they would never be exposed, making it the best choice for most black-market and gray-market income.

Seeing the Yaka Bank logo, David understood what the chip was.

He had never seen one of the legendary anonymous accounts, but he had heard of these widely known special accounts long ago.

The Yaka Bank logo flashed across the hologram, followed by a series of verifications. The data from the chip continuously exchanged information with Yaka Bank's branch on Panshi Planet through Skynet. The exchange took a full ten seconds.

Even with his electronic warfare skills at the 98% proficiency level, David couldn't analyze the data. It was core information belonging to Yaka Bank, proven secure over countless years.

When the verification was complete, David finally learned why the mercenaries had come: the anonymous account held a balance of 4.2 million Credit Points.

On Panshi Planet, where Credit Points were especially valuable, 4.2 million was enough to make someone rich.

In fact, only 2.6 million of those Credit Points came from the Sirius Mercenary Group's recent sales of high-quality spoils. The rest was the personal savings of the dead Abbott.

David's heart raced as he stared at the account balance. Even if he failed to get into a good university and spent his whole life working in Peilan City, he'd never be able to save that many Credit Points.

In both his previous life and this one, this was the first time he had ever seen so much wealth.

He took several deep breaths to steady himself. He didn't transfer the Credit Points in the account to his Identity Bracelet; such a huge, unexplained sum of money would cause unnecessary trouble.

Besides, the chip was in his hands. As long as no one else got it, no one could access the anonymous account. It was as good as his private account.

Whenever he wanted to spend Credit Points, he could use this huge sum.

He slipped the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device into his pocket. It was worth more than 4.2 million Credit Points now.

That shock, on top of what had happened the previous night, left his mind unable to settle.

Thinking about the two people who had died the previous night, he began to analyze the Shadow Servant's abilities.

First of all, Amos, an Armored Warrior, definitely had more than one ability. Yet the Shadow Servant had only obtained the Knowledge Light Orb for War Hammer Mastery (82% mastery) from his soul. David was certain that for Amos to have become an Armored Warrior, his Body Technique ability had to be far beyond the beginner level.

Then there was the female mercenary who had been an Electronic Warfare Specialist. The Shadow Servant had likewise obtained only one Knowledge Light Orb for electronic warfare from her soul. Could it only obtain one Knowledge Light Orb from each soul?

A vague idea began to take shape in his mind: the Shadow Servant could only acquire one ability from each soul, and that ability was most likely the soul's strongest one in life.

The female mercenary was proof of this. The Knowledge Light Orb for electronic warfare that her soul had provided represented her strongest ability.

David didn't absorb any more Knowledge Light Orbs. Based on his experience absorbing the Knowledge Light Orb for electronic warfare (98% proficiency), if his body couldn't handle the fusion, there was a good chance it would fail.

The Knowledge Light Orb for electronic warfare (98% proficiency) contained only theoretical knowledge, yet it had nearly overwhelmed him. The remaining Knowledge Light Orbs were all combat skills, so the chance of failure was even greater.

He began practicing the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique over and over. He had a feeling that if he could complete the entire set of Eighteen Forms of Body Technique at the 99% beginner level, he would break through the beginner level.

The feeling was intense. Although these incomplete practice sessions wouldn't improve his attributes, he trained furiously without tiring.

The three months' worth of Fortified Meat he had bought was disappearing fast, but he no longer cared about the consumption. His considerable wealth could easily support this kind of training.

His plan was to raise his Body Technique to the proficient level, then use the proficient-level Eighteen Forms of Body Technique to absorb the bottle of Level 2 Fortified Agent more effectively.

The Level 2 Fortified Agent was effective, but how well it was absorbed depended on the individual. The stronger one's Body Technique, the better the results of absorbing the Level 2 Fortified Agent.

Only after absorbing the Level 2 Fortified Agent and improving his physical attributes would he be confident he wouldn't waste the remaining three Knowledge Light Orbs.