The Ancient Star Desert, a temporary military base of a certain Crimson Dynasty.
Han Xiao's fleet is stationed here, replenishing supplies and repairing armor.
Over the past few months, based on feedback from the black market network, he swept away the restless gray forces in the Ancient Star Desert, demonstrating his ruthless deterrent power. He successfully frightened the remaining people into not daring to take risks, choosing to obediently follow orders and no longer daring to touch the Virtual Mutiny Virus, resulting in a significant improvement in the star field environment.
The sweep was very effective. While on his way, Han Xiao was also trying to find the core of the virus, and had Harrison activate his Lucky Halo multiple times to select the intersection of the virus's data.
However, this time the Lucky Halo didn't hold up, and the virus core couldn't be found. Even old man Iso couldn't predict its location. Han Xiao guessed that the virus core was probably just another lover of Lady Luck; her tastes were certainly quite diverse.
He was in charge of eliminating unsettling factors, while Manison focused on research and development. Both sides made progress, and for now, the Intelligence Plague disaster is under control.
"... I thought you guys could quickly produce a three-piece antivirus suite, but it took you several months. This doesn't seem to match your level, Manison."
In the high-ranking lounge of the military base, Han Xiao was chatting and joking with a remote projection of Manison, while munching on some kind of fruit seed that resembled a sunflower seed.
Manison shook his head. "Deciphering the virus's code is not easy, and to prevent a virus outbreak, we have to avoid the triggering mechanism, so we have to be very careful, which has wasted a lot of time."
Beyond Grade A virtual mechanic can easily eliminate Virtual Mutiny Virus with their own abilities, but turning their abilities into universal tools is a completely different story. It's like asking an ordinary person who is born able to run and jump to create a robot that can run and jump just as well—they would be completely stumped.
What are the Three Universal Civilizations planning to do now?
"It's still a problem with the triggering mechanism. To prevent the virus from spreading and to avoid a sharp drop in its infection rate, even with a firewall, it can't be used on a large scale for the time being. We need to clear all currently infected nodes before installing it. It's also for this reason that, although the Three Universal Civilizations have tried their best to control it, the Virtual Mutiny Virus has still infected most of the quantum network nodes in the Ancient Star Desert over the past few months."
"If I remember correctly, large-scale virus disinfection can also trigger a security breach, right?" Han Xiao asked.
"I see," Manison nodded. "So the Three Universal Civilizations require that the scanning tools we create cannot be detected by virus packets. They plan to first use scanning to secretly lock down all currently infected nodes, then precisely deploy antivirus tools to eliminate all infected nodes simultaneously, and then immediately go online to install firewalls to prevent reinfection. This way, even if a virus outbreak occurs, the losses can be minimized."
"This method is a bit troublesome, but it's safe."
Han Xiao had no objection to the approach taken by the Three Universal Civilizations; it sounded quite reasonable.
However, he had some questions. Logically speaking, the Three Universal Civilizations in his previous life followed the same procedures and had firewalls as a barrier, so how did it still end up as a disaster for the entire universe?
Could it be that my sweeping operation was so effective that it altered some previously unknown details? For example, someone might have been smuggling the virus out, but I prevented it from happening?
Han Xiao kept this question to himself.
Unaware of Han Xiao's thoughts, Manison continued to explain the plans of the Three Universal Civilizations:
"So we have two plans: one is this comprehensive antivirus solution that catches everything, and the other is to find the virus's core, which is the control valve for most of the triggering mechanisms. As long as we eliminate it, we can further reduce the risk and not worry about the antivirus causing a virus outbreak."
"You still have no clue about the core of the virus?"
"It's been hidden too well," Manison shook his head, revealing little information.
Han Xiao snorted. He felt that Old Manison wasn't telling the truth, but there was no point in exposing him. In this regard, the two were competitors, and Old Mai wouldn't kindly share clues.
Every single one of the Beyond Grade A mechanics who rushed to help wanted to obtain the virus core in order to analyze the complete Virtual Mutiny Virus technology.
Now that the disaster is under control and the critical moment has passed, the competition over the core of the virus is gradually surfacing, with even the Three Universal Civilizations showing interest in competing.
Han Xiao knew he wouldn't get any answers by asking, so he simply changed the subject and asked, "Your research and development work is complete. Do you plan to stay in the Research and Development Department indefinitely?"
"No, I'm also planning to go out and do some activities. On one hand, I want to look for clues about the core of the virus, and on the other hand, I plan to visit the Mechanic Faith."
"The Mechanic Faith?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't forgotten that the two had a conflict of interest in this regard. Manison had always occupied the position of the chief god, wanting to monopolize the majority of the faith in order to maintain the bonus of the [Key to the Mechanic Faith].
Therefore, more than a decade ago, Manison took the initiative to make Han Xiao suffer a minor loss.
At that time, he chose to utilize the inherent talent of the Chinese people—when poor, to set aside disputes—in order to temporarily avoid confrontation and develop in a low-key manner, which is how they were able to continue their relationship.
"What, you have an idea?" Manison asked with a half-smile.
"Hmph, is that not allowed?" Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
"You've improved compared to a decade ago, but it's still a bit early for you to challenge me again," Manison said calmly. "Don't be greedy for my things. We have a pretty good relationship now, and maintaining the status quo is good for you. Don't blame me for not warning you, I don't want to see you have any contact with the Mechanic Faith in any form."
After saying that, the greenish remote projection disappeared, and Manison ended the call.
Han Xiao's face darkened, and he was secretly annoyed.
This person has a face like a dog; they can turn on you in an instant.
Also, when did the Mechanic Faith become your property?
Shameless!
"Come to think of it, it's been over ten years since I last fought with him..."
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
He opened the panel and glanced at the vast amount of experience he had accumulated; he felt reassured.
The Black Star Cup has been ongoing, providing him with extra experience points over the past few months, and the accumulated gains are now quite substantial. He did a quick calculation and estimated it would be enough to raise his level from 320 to between 335 and 337.
With such a vast amount of experience, just a portion of it is enough to max out potential points and upgrade all professional knowledge to the maximum level.
"After developing for so long, I feel like I can fight Manison again..."
More than ten years ago, Han Xiao temporarily avoided the limelight in order to develop in a low-key manner and accumulate strength. Now that he has achieved remarkable results, his carefree thoughts have once again taken hold.
The struggle for Mechanic Faith is one aspect, but for Han Xiao at present, another reason is the main cause.
--I'm not convinced! I want to go Old Manison!
We let it slide last time because we were outmatched; a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years!
Before, others would come to my door and bully me, Phillip. Now that we have some power, it's my turn to take the initiative and challenge Old Manison to a fight to see the difference in our strength.
Because of the existence of the Beyond Grade A Association, the relative strength of the two sides will also affect their influence. Although Manison's term is still long, it is possible for him to make some preliminary preparations for the next election.
Also, because of the Development Federation, he didn't need to worry about Manison's retaliation—as the president, Old Manison had to set an example and not cause trouble in private, otherwise it would go against the original intention of the Development Federation.
Although Manison had helped him out in the Hila Rescue Battle, creating a mutually beneficial situation, one thing is one thing. Han Xiao wouldn't accept a carrot-and-stick approach; merits and demerits shouldn't be offset against each other. He could always find another opportunity to repay Old Manison's previous help in the future.
Various thoughts flashed through Han Xiao's mind. He opened the skill list, selected a batch of blueprint skills, and invested experience to upgrade them to the maximum level. The panel kept popping up prompts.
[One of your skills has reached the maximum level; you have gained 1 potential point.]
[One of your skills has reached the maximum level; you have gained 1 potential point.]
Currently, Han Xiao is only missing three Ultimate Knowledge to reach the maximum level: [Ultimate Mechanical Engineering] is level 3, [Mechanical Life Spark] is level 4, and [Endless Material Science] is level 2. The total potential point requirement is 144 points. Even if he still has some potential points in reserve, he still needs to max out more than a hundred skills.
As players accumulate more max-level skills, the cost of upgrading those skills also increases. Even low-level blueprints require a significant amount of experience, though not as drastically as character leveling costs. This means that while players can exploit loopholes, they can't go too far and still need to expend considerable effort to obtain more potential points.
His experience points were rapidly depleted, quickly burning through more than half. What remained was only enough to reach level 326, barely enough for Han Xiao to gather 144 potential points.
Although leveling up would also grant potential points, he didn't want to wait any longer. He had plenty of resources to exploit, and experience points were constantly flowing in. Being meticulous and calculating wasn't something he needed to do.
Moreover, Han Xiao was also curious whether potential points would still be useful once all knowledge levels were maxed out.
Looking at the huge sum of 144 potential points, Han Xiao took a deep breath and poured all of them into the last three Ultimate Knowledge.
[[Ultimate Mechanical Engineering] Level 5 (Max Level)!]
[Mechanical Life Spark] upgraded to level 5 (max level)!
[[Endless Material Science] has been upgraded to level 5 (maximum level)!]
[Your 60 professional knowledge items have all reached the maximum level!]
[You have obtained 1 [First Sanctum] skill fragment]
[You have acquired the feat [Mechanic Great Sage]!]
[[Mechanic Great Sage]: Your total Mechanical Affinity affinity bonus +1.25x, your Mechanic Class skill level +3 (can exceed the limit), your crafting, enhancement, and repair abilities +40%, your virtual technology effects +60%, your mechanical creation base attributes +15%, mechanical production speed +120%, your intelligence attribute +3000 -- "In the field of mechanics, you are an all-knowing grand sage."]
[Your current and future potential points will be converted into "Awakening Points" at a 1:1 ratio.]
[Use I: 1 Awakening Point can be converted into 100 Free Attribute Points (Irreversible)]
[Use II: 1 Awakening Point can raise a max-level skill by 1 level (irreversible)]
[Purpose III: Increases the awakening progress of a unique talent. The increase per awakening point depends on the level of the unique talent (irreversible). Furthermore, using 100 awakening points can activate the prototype of a unique talent (custom talent preference)]
[Purpose IV: Improves blueprint quality. The improvement per point of Awakening depends on the blueprint level and base quality (irreversible)]
[Purpose V: Accelerates blueprint development progress; the increase per point of Awakening depends on the blueprint's level and quality (irreversible)]
[Your [Ultimate Mechanical Engineering] skill is now maxed out, and your [Inspiration Creation] skill is activated!]
"Whoa!"
Han Xiao looked pleasantly surprised.
As expected of the new specialty brought by maxing out all professions' knowledge, [Mechanic Great Sage] not only provides comprehensive bonuses but also offers a very considerable increase. The boost to combat power is probably on par with [Perfect Mechanical Sense], likely increasing overall combat power by about 10%, taking it to the next level.
I wonder if all five professions' max-level knowledge specializations have the suffix "Great Sage"...
A great sage of magic? That sounds normal.
A great sage with telekinetic powers? That's a bit strange...
A powerful sage? Hmmm...
Martial Arts Sage? Forget it, "Muscle Sage" is a more fitting name.
The emergence of his specialty was within Han Xiao's expectations, but the change in his potential points gave him a pleasant surprise. In his previous life, no player had ever achieved the feat of having all professions at maximum level, and this was a first for him.
With all professional knowledge maxed out, potential has been awakened.
He carefully read through the introduction and became increasingly excited. Compared to the monotonous uses of potential points, awakening points were much more useful.
Converting free attributes and increasing skill caps are very useful, and that doesn't need analysis. He values the other three functions more.
Improving blueprint quality seems to guarantee a stable output of gold-tier blueprints.
For example, if you take a low-level pistol blueprint and keep investing Awakening Points, the blueprint's technical level will automatically increase. If you invest enough Awakening Points, you might be able to transform the blueprint into a gold-level blueprint!
The type of blueprints will not change much; from an ordinary, rudimentary gunpowder technology pistol, it will eventually evolve into a high-energy, portable planet-destroying weapon, following the same lineage.
On the other hand, Awakening Points can also accelerate the blueprint development process, which complements [Inspiration Creation].
[Inspiration Creation] has been gathering dust on the panel. The prerequisite for activation is [Ultimate Mechanical Engineering] at max level. The effect of this skill is to consume experience and combine an unlimited number of blueprints to randomly synthesize one or more improved or fused blueprints. Advanced settings can also be configured to select the tendency of the synthesized blueprints, such as attack, defense, or control.
This skill is more stable than free crafting, guaranteeing a successful outcome. It was also the only way for players in the previous life to spontaneously create golden blueprints. However, the chance of getting a finished product in one go is extremely low. In most cases, you only get a prototype of the golden blueprint or fragments of inspiration, which can be used to accelerate the process with awakening points.
The last use of Awakening Points, which Master Han values most, is that they can be used to synthesize exclusive specializations!
Han Xiao's eyes flashed, and he muttered to himself:
"The specialties of people like Old Manison and Sorokin might have come from this."