Night.
After leaving Mien's rented apartment, Wang Zhong rode his little electric scooter to a dilapidated construction site in the suburbs.
At the construction site,
a pile of rotting iron sheets lay scattered haphazardly across the ground.
As Wang Zhong walked forward, every step he took stirred up dust from the dirt-covered ground.
The first floor of the site was a ruined building frame, while the second floor was nothing but upright rusted rebar.
No, rather, the second floor had never been finished at all.
"This construction site has been abandoned for over a decade. It really is suitable for a temporary base."
Wang Zhong entered a dilapidated room on the first floor. After looking around, he turned his attention to himself.
"Mechanical God Book."
The next moment, with a thought, Wang Zhong summoned the [Mechanical God Book] in his mind.
Whoosh, whoosh.
At once, a pale-blue virtual panel appeared before Wang Zhong.
[Host: Wang Zhong] [Cleric Class: Primary Saint] [Bonded Holy Relic: Mechanical God Book] [Cleric Ability: Mechanical Communication LV1: As the owner of the Mechanical God Book, the host can communicate with any Mechanical Creation, perceive all of its emotions and abilities, and possesses a slight ability to control Mechanical Creations.] [Cleric Ability: Mechanical Evolution LV1: As the owner of the Mechanical God Book, the host can use the power of the Mechanical God Book to upgrade and evolve any Primary Mechanical Creation into a type of Mechanical Creation containing mysterious-side power.] [Mechanical Saint Power: 4/13] [Mechanical Remains: Electric Heart (Primary Mechanical)] [Upgrade Progress: 1/6] [Strength Level: Level 2 Psionic Warrior] [Note: While collecting these Mechanical Remains, the Mechanical God Book will also passively feed a portion of Psionic Power back to the host, allowing the host's strength to be enhanced.]
"My strength has actually reached the level of a [Level 2 Psionic Warrior]?"
The next moment, Wang Zhong stared wide-eyed at his own [Strength Level] attribute and said in astonishment, "So this is the benefit of collecting [Mechanical Remains]? No wonder I felt that my strength had grown greater..."
"According to the information on this panel, after collecting one Mechanical Remains, the upgrade progress reached one-sixth?"
"Could it be that if I collect the other five Mechanical Remains, this upgrade progress will be filled?"
"Uh? But what Mechanical Remains am I supposed to collect next? At least give me a hint!"
A moment later, unable to find an answer, Wang Zhong shook his head and opened the black suitcase. Under the moonlight, the many items stored inside came clearly into view.
Two hundred and ten thousand in cash.
Two fist-sized Psionic Fossils.
And two [Semi-automatic Mechanical Aiming Firearms].
At that moment, Wang Zhong ignored the money and focused all his attention on the two [Psionic Fossils].
One fist-sized [Psionic Fossil] was enough to allow a [Level 1 Psionic Warrior] to break through to [Level 2 Psionic Warrior].
And just ten fist-sized [Psionic Fossils] could allow a [Level 2 Psionic Warrior] to break through to [Level 3 Psionic Warrior].
As for how higher-level [Psionic Warriors] broke through, Wang Zhong did not know, because his strength was not enough for him to come into contact with higher-level psionic knowledge.
That was also why some [Psionics] would stop at nothing to steal these [Psionic Fossils].
Slap!
Inside the empty room, Wang Zhong reached up and removed his black glove. Following some vague information in his mind, he touched one of the [Psionic Fossils] with his bare hand. A flicker of blue psionic radiance flashed across his fingers, and mysterious information surfaced in his mind.
[One Psionic Fossil can allow a Saint to use the Cleric Ability [Mechanical Evolution LV1] once. At the same time, based on the intensity of the Psionic Power contained within it, it can slightly increase the power of a Primary Mechanical Creation.]
This was the hint given to Wang Zhong by the [Mechanical God Book].
"So, aside from this [Saint Power], I can also use Psionic Fossils to activate [Cleric Abilities]."
Coming back to his senses, Wang Zhong narrowed his eyes. He picked up one [Psionic Fossil] and pondered for a moment, while his left hand removed the [Disposable Disguise Mask] from his face.
[Psionic Fossil] + [Disposable Disguise Mask] = ?
"Now is the perfect time to test it."
As he spoke, Wang Zhong placed the two items together. Then, with a thought, a pale-blue virtual panel appeared in his mind.
[Mechanical Evolution, activated]!
Rumble!
When Wang Zhong used Mind Power to activate the [Cleric Ability: Mechanical Evolution LV1], the text in the [Mechanical Evolution LV1] attribute column on the panel flashed, and a deep pale-blue radiance abruptly bloomed.
At the same time, it felt as if his head had been struck by something heavy. With a buzz, a deafening rumble resounded throughout his consciousness.
Boom!
The next second, a series of crackling electrical explosions rang out beside Wang Zhong's ears. Immediately afterward, countless flickering blue currents surged from the [Psionic Fossil] in his hand.
Eighteen pale-blue currents.
There were exactly eighteen pale-blue currents, all of them sinking into the [Disposable Disguise Mask].
A moment later, the [Disposable Disguise Mask] suddenly floated in midair. Blue arcs of electricity surfaced across it, while some unknown force caused the mask to undergo a strange evolution.
Very soon, a translucent face-shaped mask floated before Wang Zhong.
Finally, countless pale-blue arcs flowed into the translucent face-shaped mask.
With that, all the strange phenomena swiftly subsided.
Slap!
After Wang Zhong reached out and caught the new [Face-Shaped Mask], a new virtual panel appeared before him.
[Bionic Disguise Mask] [Level: Primary Mechanical Creation] [Attribute: Electric Power: 100%] [Attribute: Alter Appearance LV1: Once this Bionic Disguise Mask is worn, the wearer can copy another person's appearance and transform into that person, lasting for one hour with a standby time of forty-eight hours.] [Attribute: Fusion LV1: This Bionic Disguise Mask can completely merge with the wearer's face and cannot be detected by ordinary high-tech instruments.] [Attribute: Toughness LV1: This Bionic Disguise Mask is tough in texture, and its material is comparable to a bulletproof vest.]
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